Bulgarian Empire

After several days of hard fighting, the number of casualties on both sides has exceeded five figures, and it is still growing!

Prince Constantine's only hope now is to delay time and create opportunities for the Greek army in the Ioannina area. The Greek army in the Ioannina area is currently accumulating supplies and preparing to attack!

As for the Trikala area, the Ottomans have a clear advantage, and it is impossible to win with his strength!

At this time, seven Ottoman infantry divisions, two cavalry regiments, three artillery regiments, and troops directly under the headquarters gathered on the front line of Trikala City, totaling about 89,000 people! There are more than 350 artillery pieces of various types, and more than 380 heavy machine guns!

Compared with the Greek front, it was much worse. Prince Constantine had only six infantry divisions, plus two artillery regiments, and two of them were semi-disabled. Oh, there is also a semi-cavalry battalion with a total of more than 67,000 people! It has more than 220 artillery pieces of various types and more than 400 heavy machine guns!

Since the Battle of Zanta at the end of the 17th century, the cavalry has begun to decline. Even if the famous Cossack cavalry still exists in Russia, it cannot change the fact that the cavalry has declined!

By 1897, all European countries had reduced their cavalry establishments, and Mao Xiong was an exception. In the Eastern European plains, the new cavalry still had combat effectiveness!

Of course, for a country like Greece, the cavalry is already dispensable, if it is not for the need for the guard of honor, it may have been cancelled!

After the outbreak of the Greek-Turkish War, George I sent all the cavalry to the front line. The power of the cavalry is still very strong on specific battlefields!

Don't be surprised that Edhe Pasha didn't send cavalry to harass the Greeks' rear. It is true that the cavalry is too restricted by geographical conditions and has high supply requirements!

Besides, he sent troops to attack Karditsa and break the stalemate on the battlefield. He couldn't attack the city with cavalry, right?

If you want to blame Colonel Kobe Pasha for being too capable, he fired a few shots casually and found that the Greeks had been prepared in Karditsa, so he ran to attack the Greek logistics supply line?

Although he played tricks, Colonel Kobe Pasha accomplished the task brilliantly, and the strategic goal has been achieved!

Originally, Prince Constantine still had 67,000 people in his hands, but after the deployment of troops, there were only 53,000 left, and the ratio of troops between the two sides widened again!

Of course, if the wounded are counted, there will be more than 20,000 more people under Prince Constantine, but for this war, they can't provide much help!

Discovering fighters is a compulsory course for every general on the battlefield. Ed Hepasha is no exception. Now is undoubtedly the weakest time for the Greeks. Without the slightest hesitation, Edhe Pasha immediately mobilized before the battle!

...

After Edhe Pasha finished speaking, the eyes of the officers below were all bright. This is definitely not about loyalty to the king and serving the country, but because of meritorious deeds, which means promotion and wealth!

You must know that the class of the Ottoman Empire has been solidified for a long time. The factor that determines where you can climb is no longer your ability or how much you have contributed to this country, but your origin! !

However, this time, General Edhepasha made a promise that no matter who they are, as long as they make achievements in battle, they will get the rewards they deserve! On the contrary, if you screw up, whoever is responsible will fight! !

Regardless of whether it can be notarized later, but one thing is for sure, if you make military exploits, you will definitely be promoted and make a fortune!

The Ottoman Empire was also based on military force. If it was in the government department, if the family background was not good, no matter how many achievements it made, it might not be promoted!

But in the army, after completing the military reform, there is no way in peacetime! During the war, those who have made military achievements will definitely be promoted. Who said that the Ottoman Empire is now in decline?

Of course, combat achievements are not so easy to obtain.

It takes luck and strength at the same time!

First of all, there must be battles to be fought! Unlike the previous suppression of the Armenian rebellion, it was a small role, and it was right to win, but it would be 100% unlucky to lose!

The Greek in front of him is a good choice! ! That is, it is not so weak that it can be ignored, nor is it so strong that it exceeds everyone's tolerance. It belongs to the kind of fat meat that can earn military exploits and win steadily!

Seeing the eager expressions of his subordinates, Edhe Pasha nodded with a smile, and then said seriously: "Now I order that at 4:37 on April 28, 1897, all the artillery will open fire. The position of the Greek army was covered by firepower for an hour and a half. At 6:07, the third division and two cavalry regiments were responsible for containing the enemy's left and right wings. The other six infantry divisions all attacked and defeated the Greeks from the front!! Understand? ?”

"Understood!" Everyone said in unison

Edhe Pasha nodded in satisfaction, and then said: "Start to check the time now, and use the big clock on the wall as the standard! No one is allowed to delay, and those who violate the military law will follow the law!"

...

Perhaps Edhe Pasha's mobilization worked, or the temptation to get promoted and get rich was too great. Whether it was an officer or a soldier, the morale of the Ottoman army reached its peak at this moment!

Time flew by, and on April 28, 1897, following the order of Ed Hepasha, the artillery unit was the first to act. They quickly pushed the artillery and loaded it in the artillery positions that had been built in advance.

Edhe Pasha looked at the time, and it was 4:37. He heard the roar of artillery in his ears, and he knew that the decisive battle had begun!

The Greeks on the opposite side are also used to it. During the years of confrontation, the Ottoman artillery also launched attacks from time to time. Soon the Greeks also reacted, and the Greek artillery began to fight back, and the two sides started an artillery battle again!

Hundreds of cannons on both sides sounded at the same time, deafening and resounding through the sky!

Cannonballs were flying scatteredly, and one shell accidentally landed in a regiment headquarters of the Greeks and exploded instantly. Three officers died on the spot, and five others were injured!

The explosion caused a small area of ​​chaos, but it quickly subsided. Guns have no eyes on the battlefield, and if you get hit, it can only be regarded as your own fate!

Soon the Greek artillery fell into a disadvantage. Prince Constantine has long been used to this. After all, the Ottomans on the opposite side have more artillery, and the quality is similar to everyone. It is normal that they cannot win!

After more than an hour passed, he felt that something was wrong, and the Ottoman artillery fire seemed to have no intention of stopping.

You must know that such a long confrontation between the two sides is meaningless at all. After all, the artillery hit rate is extremely low in this era!

Even if you can find the opponent's artillery position, it is not so easy to destroy the opponent. Moreover, the opponent's artillery position was exposed, and so was one's own!

Artillery is a precious arm, so it is consumed like this. Under normal circumstances, the commanders of both sides are reluctant to use this style of play that hurts both sides!

Moreover, this is still a gamble between the two sides. It does not mean that the Ottoman army will definitely have an advantage if it has more artillery. Greece, which has fewer artillery, may also cause greater casualties to them, but the probability is smaller!

Prince Constantine knew that the deployment of troops from the front line had been exposed, and the Ottomans were clearly prepared!

He immediately shouted: "Guards! Guards!! Immediately send orders to the troops to prevent the Ottoman army from attacking!"

Fortunately, at the end of the 19th century, there were already telegraphs and telephones, these two communication tools. Otherwise, even if Prince Constantine found out now, it would be too late to notify the troops!

But it was too late. When the frontline troops got the news, the Ottomans had already started attacking under the cover of artillery!

Fortunately, Prince Constantine had anticipated that the Ottomans might launch a full-scale attack when they were short of troops, and made some targeted arrangements!

However, these preparations were not sufficient. Under the baptism of artillery fire, the simple fortifications that the Greek army had painstakingly built were now torn apart, and the current defense capabilities have dropped by a notch!

And it is early in the morning, the genius has just been lit, and many Greek soldiers are still asleep, only to be awakened, and have not yet entered the state!

It may be that they are used to the roar of artillery fire. After all, in just a few days, the Ottomans have launched dozens of attacks, and everyone is no stranger to it!

Of course, this is just the thinking of the soldiers. The real high-level Greek army knows that this attack is different from the past. This is the time when the defenders are at their lowest. As long as the Ottomans are not stupid, they will launch a decisive battle now!

With the superiority in artillery, the Ottoman army had the advantage at the beginning of the offensive! But the war is not won simply by artillery! If this is the case, then the Greeks don't have to fight, just run away!

After the Ottoman army broke through the outer line of defense, the Greek army also reacted. The combination of trenches + machine guns + wooden fences caused a lot of casualties to the Ottoman army!

Obviously, the heavy machine guns that shined in the Baosai War have already entered the stage of history, and the Greeks have already installed them.

However, due to ammunition, the Greek army still cannot be equipped on a large scale. It is not as much equipped as the Bulgarian army during the Bulgarian War!

The Greek army still has capable people. In the absence of steel wire mesh, they can replace it with the most primitive wooden fence in the shortest time. Even if it is not as defensive as steel mesh, this is still a remarkable feat!

The cruel war began, and the soldiers of the Ottoman army rushed to the position of the Greeks desperately. The Greek army also did not show weakness.

Whether it is General Edhe Pasha of Ottoman or Prince Constantine of Greece, their faces are ugly now. Obviously this is not the result they want!

As time went by, the Greek army gradually couldn't stand it anymore. Even if the defensive side had a geographical advantage, it couldn't stand the Ottoman army with too many people!

Moreover, most of the Ottoman army is professional soldiers, which is different from the patchwork army of Greece. The combat effectiveness of the two sides is not at the same level!

On the left flank of the Greek army, a Turkic cavalry was watching the front. Orisel Pasha, the head of the regiment, was looking for a fighter plane. Facing the Greek army huddled in the trench, he could only sigh!

If there is no heavy machine gun, Orisel Pasha may dare to lead the cavalry to charge. As long as he breaks through a point, he can penetrate behind the Greek army and attack front and back!

But now? Orisel Pasha looked at the cold muzzle of the gun through his eyes, and was speechless for a long time, feeling from the bottom of his heart: The glory of the cavalry has passed!

Facing a monster that can fire more than 600 bullets per minute, how many lives will it take to fill this hole? ?

Orisel Pasha asked coldly, "When will the artillery arrive?"

"There is still half an hour!" An officer replied decisively

Orisel Pasha said fiercely: "Then wait for another half an hour! Let's feint now!"

When heavy machine guns first appeared, there were very few weapons in the world that could deal with machine guns, and the most effective methods only needed two!

One is to use a sniper to directly kill the machine gunner, and then take advantage of the moment when the firepower is cut off to launch an attack; the other is naturally to use a cannon, one shell goes down, and everything is settled!

Obviously, in the Ottoman army at the end of the 19th century, there were still very few professional snipers. The hesitant troops lacked training, and there were not many soldiers with good marksmanship!

The artillery sounded, and the Greek position on the opposite side was immediately hit hard, and each firepower point was patronized by shells.

Well, the artillery hit rate in this era is really bad! One hundred and eighty shells passed, and only three machine guns were killed, plus nearly a hundred Greek soldiers!

Then the Ottoman army launched another round of attacks. Well, there was no cavalry involved in the attack. It was the work of the two infantry regiments that came over at zero o'clock!

The Ottomans can't do the stupid thing of filling trenches with cavalry! As a result, the Greek reinforcements quickly replenished and blocked the line of defense!

Aurisel Pasha looked at the heavy casualties of the infantry, he was still rejoicing, fortunately, the task of the cavalry regiment was not to break through the line of defense, it only needed to make a show to restrain the enemy.

...

Now Edhepasha's heart is not at peace. The resistance of the Greeks has exceeded his expectations. In just over four hours of fighting, more than 8,000 people have been killed or injured!

On average, the Ottoman army will lose a regiment of troops every hour, and lose a platoon every minute!

The use of heavy machine guns has increased the intensity of this war, and the battle has surpassed the Baosai War two years ago.

In terms of combat effectiveness, the Ottoman army is slightly stronger, but the Greeks, as the defensive side, are evenly matched, and they are considered equals!

Time passed by every minute and every second, and the battlefield gradually changed. The tragic battle situation, both sides appeared to varying degrees-deserters!

In order to win the war, Ed Hepasha was desperate, and sent a supervisor team to directly attack the rear of the troops and set up heavy machine guns!

"Either die on the way to attack, or die in the hands of the supervising team!"

...

The Ottoman army has stepped up its offensive intensity, and Prince Constantine is in a hurry. Since the start of the war, he has not received good news. The front line keeps asking for support and asking for support!

Now his headquarters only has the strength of a regiment left. reserve team? At this point in the battle, the Ottoman army suffered heavy losses, so how could the Greek army feel better?

It may be surprising to say that, as the defending side, the number of casualties so far is actually higher than that of the attacking Turkish army!

There's no way, it's all caused by the recruits! After all, he had just resisted being shot, and after a hasty training, he was sent to the battlefield. He didn't know many life-saving measures on the battlefield, so he died quickly!

The casualty ratio between the two sides has been maintained at 1.3:1, and the Greeks have suffered a lot in this regard!

An officer hurried over and said loudly: "Report! General, the commander of the 18th Division has just sent a telegram, asking for support again!"

...

(Remarks: The Battle of Zanta took place in 1697. A large number of European infantry lined up and fired guns. The Ottoman elite cavalry was vulnerable to the musketeers. The Habsburg Empire won the victory! This war symbol With the decline of the Ottoman Empire, it also marked the decline of the status of cavalry!)