Vol 2 Chapter 47: Hard fight

　　 After several days of hard fighting, the casualties of both Greece and Turkey have exceeded five figures, and they are still growing!
　　 Prince Constantine’s only hope now is to delay time and create opportunities for the Greek army in the Ioannina region. The Greek army in the Ioannina region is now 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, on the front line of Trikala City, seven Ottoman infantry divisions, two cavalry regiments, three artillery regiments, plus troops directly under the headquarters, totaled about 89,000 people! There are a total of more than 350 guns of various types, and 380 heavy machine guns!
　　 Compared with the Greek Front Army, it is much worse. Prince Constantine has only six infantry divisions, plus two artillery regiments, two of which are partially disabled. Oh, there is also a half cavalry battalion with more than 67,000 people! There are more than 220 guns of various types, and more than 400 heavy machine guns!
　　 Since the Battle of Zanta at the end of the 17th century, the cavalry began to decline. Even Russia still has the famous Cossack cavalry, it can not change the fact that the cavalry has declined!
　　 By 1897, European countries all reduced their cavalry establishment. The Teddy Bear is an exception. In the Eastern European plains, new cavalry is still effective!
　　Of course, for a country like Greece, cavalry is no longer necessary. If it is not needed for the honor guard, it may have been cancelled!
　　 After the Greek-Turkish War broke out, George I sent this cavalry to the front line, and the cavalry is still very powerful on a specific battlefield!
　　 Don’t be surprised that Ed Hepasa did not send cavalry to harass the rear of the Greeks. It is because the cavalry is too restricted by geographical conditions and requires high supplies!
　　Besides, he sent troops to attack Karditsa and break the deadlock on the battlefield. You can't use cavalry to attack the city, right?
　　 To blame, I blame Colonel Gobiepasha for being so capable. After a few shots, he found that the Greeks had been prepared in Karditsa and ran to attack the Greek logistics supply line?
　　Although he was slick, Colonel Kobye Pasha did an excellent job and the strategic goal has been achieved!
　　Prince Constantine originally had 67,000 in his hands, but after the deployment of troops, only 53,000 are left. The contrast between the two sides has increased again!
　　 Of course, if the wounded are counted, Prince Constantine will have more than 20,000 more people now, but they can't provide much help for this war!
　　 Discovering fighters is a required course for every general on the battlefield. Ed He Pasha is no exception. Now is undoubtedly the weakest time for the Greeks. Without any hesitation, Ed Hepasa immediately mobilized before the war!
　　……
　　 After Ed Hepasha finished speaking, the group of officers below all had their eyes shining. This is definitely not a loyalty to the emperor and the country, but because of meritorious deeds, it also means promotion and fortune!
　　 You must know that the class of the Ottoman Empire has long been solidified. The factor that determines where you can climb is no longer on your ability, nor on how much you have contributed to this country, but on your background! !
　　 However, this time General Ed Hepasa made a promise that no matter who it is, as long as he has made a battle, he will get the reward he deserves! On the contrary, if it is screwed up, whoever is responsible will fight it! !
　　 For the time being, whether it can be implemented notarized or not, but one thing is certain, if you have made a war, you will definitely be promoted and fortune!
　　 The Ottoman Empire was also founded by military force. If you are in a government department, if you have a bad background, you may not get a promotion no matter how many achievements you have made!
　　 But in the army, after completing the military reform, there is no way in peacetime! During the war, those who have made military merits will definitely be promoted. Why is the Ottoman Empire now declining?
　　Of course, military exploits are not so easy to obtain, you must have both luck and strength at the same time!
　　 First of all, there must be a battle! Unlike the previous suppression of the Armenian rebellion, it is a small role, and it should be won if you win, and you will be unlucky if you lose 100%!
　　 The Greek in front of me is a good choice! ! That is, it is not weak enough to be ignored, and not strong enough to exceed everyone's tolerance. It belongs to the kind of fat that can not only make war exploits, but also win steadily!
Seeing the eager expressions of his subordinates, Ed Hepasa smiled and nodded, and then solemnly said: "Now I order, at 4:37 on April 28, 1897, all the artillery fired. The target was opposite. The Greek army’s position covered one and a half hours with firepower. 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 on the opposite side from the front!! ?"
　　 "Understand!" everyone said in unison
　　 Ed Hepasa nodded with satisfaction, and then said: "Now start the proofreading time, according to the clock on the wall! No one can delay, violate the military law!"
　　……
　　 Perhaps Ed He Pasha mobilized work and worked, or the temptation to get promoted and wealthy was too great. Whether it was an officer or a soldier, the morale of the Ottoman army reached its peak at this moment!
　　 Time passed in a hurry. On April 28, 1897, following the order of Ed He Pasha, the artillery troops were the first to act. They quickly pushed the artillery and loaded them in the pre-built artillery positions.
　　 Ed He Pasha checked the time. It was 4:37, and the roar of artillery rang in his ears. He knew that the decisive battle had begun!
　　 The Greeks on the opposite side have become accustomed to them. During the years of opposing, 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 launched another artillery battle!
　　 Hundreds of cannons on both sides sounded at the same time, deafening, resounding across the sky!
　　 Cannonballs were flying scattered, one cannonball accidentally landed in a regiment headquarters of the Greeks, and it 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. There was no eye on the battlefield, and if he was hit, it could only be regarded as a bad life!
　　 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 everyone is similar in quality. It is normal to not win!
　　 More than an hour passed quickly, and he felt that something was wrong, and the Ottoman artillery did not seem to stop.
　　 To know that the two sides have been fighting for such a long time, it is of little significance. After all, the artillery hit rate of this era is extremely low!
　　 Even if the opponent's artillery position can be found, it is not so easy to destroy the opponent. Moreover, the opponent's artillery position was exposed, and so was your own!
　　 Artillery is a precious unit, so it is used and consumed. Under normal circumstances, the commanders on both sides are reluctant to use this style of play that will hurt both sides!
　　 Besides, this is still a gambling on luck by both sides. It does not mean that the Ottoman army has more artillery, and it will definitely have the advantage. Greece with fewer artillery may also cause greater casualties to them, but the probability is smaller!
　　Prince Constantine knew that the transfer of troops from the front had been exposed, and the Ottomans had clearly come 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 telegraph and telephone, 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 troops on the front line got the news, the Ottomans had already begun to attack under the cover of artillery!
　　 Fortunately, Prince Constantine had anticipated that the Ottomans might launch a full-scale offensive in the space where they lacked strength and made some targeted arrangements!
　　 But these preparations were not sufficient. Under the baptism of artillery fire, the simple fortifications constructed by the Greek army with great pains have now fallen to pieces, and the current defense capabilities have dropped by a notch!
　　 And it is early morning, the genius has just lighted up, and many Greek soldiers are still asleep before they are awakened and have not yet entered the state!
　　 may be used to the roar of artillery fire, after all, in these short days, the Ottomans have launched dozens of offensives, and everyone has taken it off!
　　Of course, this is just the idea of ​​the soldiers. The real high-level Greek army knows that this offense is different from the past. This is the time when the defenders have the least force. As long as the Ottomans are not stupid, they will start a decisive battle now!
　　 has the advantage of artillery, and the Ottoman army has the advantage at the beginning of the offensive! But war is not simply won by artillery! If this is the case, then the Greeks don't need to fight, just run away!
　　 After the Ottoman army broke through the outer defenses, the Greek army has also reacted. The combination of trenches + machine guns + wooden fences caused a lot of casualties to the Ottoman army!
　　 Obviously, the heavy machine gun that shined in the Serbian War has already been on the stage of history, and the Greeks have already installed it.
　　 But due to ammunition, the Greek army is still unable to equip it on a large scale. It is not as much as the Bulgarian army during the Bulgarian War!
　　 There are still capable people in the Greek army. In the absence of steel mesh, they can be replaced by the most primitive wooden fence in the shortest time. Even if it is inferior to steel mesh in terms of defensive capabilities, this is still a remarkable innovation!
　　 The cruel war began, one by one Ottoman soldiers rushed to the Greek positions desperately, and the Greek army also showed no weakness, bravely greeted them, and launched a desperate fight!
　　 Whether it is General Edhe Pasha of Ottoman or Prince Constantine of Greece, their faces are very ugly now, obviously this is not the result they want!
　　 With the passage of time, the Greek army gradually became unable to withstand it. Even if the defensive side has a geographical advantage, it cannot hold back the number of Ottoman troops!
　　Moreover, the Ottoman army is mostly professional soldiers. Unlike the Greek army, the combat effectiveness of the two sides is not on the same level!
　　 On the left flank of the Greek army, a Turkic cavalry is watching the front. The head of the army, Orisel Pasha, is looking for a fighter. Facing the Greek army huddled in the trenches, he can only sigh!
　　 If there were no heavy machine guns, the head of Orisel Pasha might have dared to take the cavalry into a wave. As long as he broke through a point, he would be able to intersperse behind the Greek army for a front and back flanking!
　　 But now? Looking at the cold muzzle through the eyes of Auri Ser Pasha, he was speechless for a long time, and said from the heart: The glory of the cavalry has passed!
　　 How many lives does it take to fill this hole in the face of a monster that can shoot more than 600 bullets per minute? ?
　　 Aurisel Pasha asked coldly: "When will the artillery be in place?"
　　 "There is still half an hour!" An officer replied decisively
　　Orisel Pasha said fiercely: "Then wait another half an hour! Now let's feint!"
When the 　　 heavy machine gun was just unveiled, there were very few weapons in the world that could deal with machine guns, and there were only two most effective methods!
　　 One is to use a sniper to kill the machine gunner directly, and then take advantage of the moment the fire is lost to launch an attack; the other is naturally to use artillery, one cannon ball down, everything is done!
　　 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 Greeks on the opposite side were immediately hit hard, one by one the firepower was patronized by one after another.
　　 Well, the artillery shooting rate of this era is really pitted! After a hundred and eighty shells passed, only three machine guns were killed, plus nearly a hundred Greek soldiers!
　　 Then the Ottoman army launched another round of attacks. Okay, the attack was not for cavalry. It was the work of the two infantry regiments that came over at zero hour!
　　 The stupid thing of filling the trenches with cavalry, the Ottomans can’t do it! As a result, the Greek reinforcements quickly replenished, blocking the line of defense!
　　Orisel Pasha looked at the infantry with heavy casualties. He was still rejoicing. Fortunately, the task of the cavalry regiment was not to break through the line of defense, as long as it acted to contain the enemy.
　　……
　　 Now Ed Hepasa is not at peace. The resistance of the Greeks exceeded his expectations. After more than four hours of fighting, he paid more than 8,000 casualties!
　　 On average, the Ottoman army will be reimbursed for one regiment in an hour, and a platoon will be lost every minute!
The use of 　　 heavy machine guns has increased the intensity of the war, and the situation has surpassed that of the Serbian War two years ago.
　　 In terms of combat effectiveness, the Ottoman army is slightly stronger, but the Greeks, as the defensive side, are leveled, and they are equal to each other!
　　 Time passed by one minute and one second, and changes gradually took place on the battlefield. In the tragic battle situation, both sides appeared to varying degrees-deserters!
　　 In order to win the war, Ed He Pasha did not care about everything and sent a supervising team to directly attack the back 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 increased the offensive intensity, and Prince Constantine is anxious. From the beginning of the war until now, he has not received good news. The front lines have been asking for support and support!
　　 Now his command post has only one regiment left. Reserve team? At this point in the battle, the Ottoman army suffered heavy losses. How could the Greek army suffer?
　　 It may be surprising to say that, as the defending party, the number of casualties so far is actually higher than that of the attacking Turkish army!
　　 There is no way, it is the recruits who caused the trouble! After all, he just resisted the gun. After a hasty training, he was sent to the battlefield. Many life-saving measures on the battlefield were not known. Naturally, he died quickly!
　　The casualty ratio between the two sides has been maintained at 1.3:1. The Greeks suffered a big loss 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 for a volley of guns. The elite Ottoman cavalry was vulnerable to the musketeers. The Habsburg Empire won the victory! The decline of the Ottoman Empire also marked the decline in the status of cavalry!)