I'm playing whack-a-mole in Siberia

Chapter 541 Brusinov's Great Contribution
Britain regarded Italy as an important force to balance the Mediterranean and placed high hopes on Italy. Therefore, in the Italo-Turkish War, although Britain remained neutral in name, it actually had a position, just like in the Russo-Japanese War.

The Italo-Turkish War had just begun, and although the Italians were making good progress, they would face more and more difficulties as the Ottomans counterattacked.

At the same time as Grey was visiting St. Petersburg, the Ottoman Empire was preparing to send powerful battleships armed entirely with heavy artillery to cover the army's reinforcements to North Africa.

To get from the Dardanelles to Tripoli, one must pass through Crete, where the Russian reinforcement fleet is located.

If the reinforcement fleet ordered a raid on the Ottoman fleet, the Ottoman Empire would be completely passive.

What no one expected was that the first shot fired in the Balkan Peninsula was not from the reinforcement fleet or the Kingdom of Bulgaria, but from Grand Duke Nicholas I of Montenegro.

In 1415, Albania was invaded by the Ottoman Empire and was ruled by the Ottoman Empire for nearly 500 years.

Since the 19th century, Albania has experienced several large-scale uprisings, all of which were suppressed by the Ottoman Empire.

In April this year, an uprising broke out again in Albania and has not yet subsided.

The day after Grey arrived in St. Petersburg, Grand Prince Nicholas I of Montenegro issued an ultimatum to the Ottoman Empire, demanding that the Ottoman Empire allow Albania autonomy.

Albania borders the Grand Duchy of Montenegro. Every time an uprising breaks out in Albania, the Grand Duchy of Montenegro will be affected, and Nicholas I suffers terribly.

Nicholas I was a good friend of Arjun II. When Nicholas ascended the throne, Nicholas I was present in person to witness it.

Nicholas the Younger's wife, Stana, was the daughter of Nicholas I.

The Russian Empire immediately expressed support for the reasonable demands of the Grand Duchy of Montenegro.

The Ottoman Empire rejected Nicholas I's request.

The Grand Duchy of Montenegro then declared war on the Ottoman Empire.

The territory of the Grand Duchy of Montenegro is only 13900 square kilometers and its population is less than 20.

Although the Ottoman Empire's strength has declined significantly compared to its peak period, its population still exceeds 2000 million, and its strength is times that of the Grand Duchy of Montenegro.

Before the Ottoman Empire had time to respond, the day after Montenegro declared war, the Kingdom of Serbia and the Kingdom of Bulgaria simultaneously declared war on the Ottoman Empire.

Three days later, the Kingdom of Greece joined and declared war on the Ottoman Empire, and the Balkan War officially broke out.

Excluding Montenegro, the Balkan League had an army of more than 70, of which the Kingdom of Bulgaria alone mobilized nearly 40 troops to participate in the war.

The Ottoman Empire had only 11 troops in the Balkans, and about 30 more in Asia Minor and the Arabian Peninsula.

After the outbreak of the war, the Ottoman Empire urgently mobilized 30 people to participate in the war, but these soldiers had not received rigorous training, and there was a big gap between them and the Balkan coalition forces in terms of both technical level and equipment level.

The equipment used by the Balkan coalition forces was all Russian equipment. Their rifles were the same as those of the Russian army, using the latest magazine-type rifles, and their field guns were also rapid-fire guns from the Russian Empire.

The Ottoman Empire's equipment was backward, and only part of the army used new magazine-type rifles. New recruits almost all used single-shot rifles.

The Ottoman Empire was not equipped with many machine guns, with the total number of machine guns in the country being less than 200.

The Balkan Allied Forces were equipped with more than 700 machine guns and more than 1100 artillery pieces in the Kingdom of Bulgaria alone.

In addition to advanced weapons, we also need superb command skills to win the war.

The Bulgarian offensive was led by Brusinov.

On the day of the declaration of war, Brusinov ordered an all-out attack, and on that day seven divisions crossed the border and invaded the Ottoman Empire.

The First Army of the Kingdom of Bulgaria was composed of the First Army and the Third Army, with a total strength of 17 troops. It was the main force of the Kingdom of Bulgaria. As soon as the war broke out, the First Army launched a fierce attack on the Eastern Army defense line commanded by Nazim Pasha.

The Eastern Army had a total strength of only 9 men, with low morale, outdated equipment, and all divisions were understaffed.

Brusinov concentrated his artillery fire to tear a hole in the Eastern Army's defense line, and the Bulgarian army swarmed in.

Nazim Pasha tried to separate the First and Third Armies, but failed. Brusinov did not give Nazim Pasha any chance and broke through the Ottoman army's first line of defense in just 72 hours.

Compared with the slow-moving Italian army, Brusinov was the one who was swift. Under his command, the Bulgarian army marched straight to Constantinople before the Ottoman reinforcements arrived, forcing the Ottoman army, which was fighting the Greek and Serbian armies, to rush back to defend.

George has remained in Sevastopol since the war broke out, keeping his troops on hold.

Little Nicholas was extremely anxious and took the initiative to go to Sevastopol to ask when the Russian army would launch the attack.

"Wait--"

George is waiting for better times.

"When?"

Little Nicholas dug deep into the matter.

"When both the Ottoman Empire and the Balkan League are defeated."

George will not invest too early. He will make full use of Italy and the Balkan Alliance to consume the strength of the Ottoman Empire.

"We don't need to wait until both sides are defeated. We can send troops now and take Constantinople directly!"

Little Nicholas couldn't wait, he would rather destroy the Ottoman Empire with his own hands.

As for how many Russian soldiers would die in the process, little Nicholas didn't care.

"Niki, no matter what time it is, we must gain the greatest benefit at the lowest cost."

George had a headache, wondering when the Russian grand dukes would be able to change their bad habit of disregarding life.

Not only does Russia not care about the lives of its enemies, it also does not take its own life seriously. Many people George knows have a carefree attitude, as if they are going to be heroes again in eighteen years.

As a civilian you don't care.

As a senior commander of the army, George still hoped that Nicholas the Younger could correct these shortcomings, if for no other reason than that the empire could pay less pensions and minimize the casualties of the Russian army.

"George, the Empire is the patron saint of the Balkans, and we must fulfill our duties."

Young Nicholas hopes to join the war as soon as possible, lead his younger brothers to victory, and further strengthen the influence of the Russian Empire in the Balkans.

"As long as the empire remains strong, the Balkans will have to obey."

George not only wants to preserve his strength, but also takes this opportunity to weaken the strength of certain countries.

For example, the Kingdom of Bulgaria.

If Brusinov had not gone to Bulgaria in person, George would not have known that Bulgaria was able to mobilize 40 people to join the war.

No wonder William II tried every means to win over Waldemar.

(End of this chapter)