Since May, the Osman government had subconsciously reduced the relief food. Bread mixed with leaves and sand was no longer guaranteed.
Their stomachs couldn't lie, and discontent rose among the refugees. The news of the food shortage spread like wildfire in the camp, and all kinds of rumors were flying everywhere, causing panic among the refugees.
In a refugee camp at the border of Persia, Akyol, who had just received a day's food, walked out with dissatisfaction.
A fist-sized potato was all he had for the day. Not to mention adults, even a five-year-old child wouldn't have enough to eat.
Oh, there were no children in the refugee camp, and the youngest was a teenager. During the years of fleeing, the first to die were the children and the elderly.
The Osman Empire was poor, and having enough to eat had always been an extravagant hope for most people. After becoming refugees, it was needless to say.
After getting the food, Akyol immediately left with a few friends and relatives. The camp wasn't safe either, and if they didn't stick together, they might become food in the mouths of others.
Human nature was not worth mentioning in the face of hunger. Along the way, Akyol saw too many scenes of people exchanging children for food, and now he didn't dare to completely trust anyone.
One of his companions asked worriedly, "Akyol, you are very knowledgeable. Now that the food is getting less and less, what should we do in the future?"
They could be considered to have a bottom line among the refugees. Even if they had to endure hunger, they didn't learn from others to eat human flesh.
Of course, this bottom line was only limited to now. If it continued, no one could guarantee that they wouldn't be assimilated.
Akyol replied bitterly, "The food that could be found in the surrounding areas has been eaten up by everyone. The army in the rear has blocked the road, and no one is allowed to pass.
Now that we don't want to starve, we can only take the risk to cross the border and go to the Persians' territory to make a living. I'm afraid that the officials in the country also think so, and they can't wait for us to die. "
The previous Government of Sudan had to bear the main responsibility for the situation deteriorating to this point. Because the government didn't control the refugees in time and carry out effective relief, more refugees were created.
Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many war refugees created by the Russians alone.
After the initial emergence of war refugees, the Osman government did not provide timely relief. There were more and more refugees, and begging was no longer enough to fill their stomachs. Many people gave up their morals and began to rob the food of the people along the way.
Once Pandora's Box was opened, it could no longer be kept away. The people whose food was robbed by the refugees became new refugees, and the cycle began again.
After the war ended, the Osman government began to deal with the refugees. By then, the situation was out of control.
In troubled times, severe punishments were used. While rescuing the refugees, the Osman government also used cruel methods to suppress the situation and barely established order.
It was already too late. The refugee crisis had become a national crisis. Due to the previous inaction of the Osman government, many refugees hated the government.
Akyol was a craftsman who made a living in the city. He could barely read a few words and had some knowledge about the current situation.
The Osman Youth Party had a good reputation in the country and many people had high hopes for them. Akyol was no exception.
He thought that after the Youth Party came to power, they would arrange for everyone to return to their hometown to resume production. In the end, they were banished to the border in the name of resettlement.
Seeing that the food distributed was decreasing day by day, and the government did not give an explanation, Akyol gradually lost hope in the government.
Going to Persia to talk about life was a rumor circulating in the refugee camp. The general meaning was that the Persians had a good harvest this year, and the government had failed to borrow food from Persia.
The border between the Osman Empire and Persia was long, and in some places it was divided by mountains and forests. It was very difficult to completely seal the border.
There were already people who had risked crossing the border, but they never returned. The situation on the other side was unknown. Just a few kilometers away on the border, there were unlucky people caught by the Persians hanging on poles.
"But what if we encounter the Persians? They are a bunch of ruthless executioners!"
When he said this, John was still trembling as if the Persians were right in front of him.
Akyol shook his head. "It is true that there is a shortage of food in the country. This war has produced millions of refugees, and the country is really out of money.
It is probably a dream to expect those officials to buy food from their own pockets. I'm afraid you have heard that some people have proposed to reduce the population according to tradition to survive the food crisis.
If it becomes a reality, ordinary people like us with no background will probably be wiped out.
If we don't run now, we won't be able to run in the future. I have already thought about leaving now. We will pretend to be digging for wild vegetables. If we are discovered by the Persians, we will insist that we entered by mistake. At most, we will just get beaten up. "
When he said this, Akyol was not confident. But in order to survive, he had to drag everyone with him.
In this era, xenophobia was very serious. If a person entered a foreign country alone, how would he survive?
Now there were tens of thousands of refugees on the border. If the Persians did not want to be attacked by the refugees, they were bound to intercept them.
At this time, it was a test of luck. If they were unlucky and encountered the garrison patrol, their death would be in vain.
It was just a good thing to be able to survive a beating. That was the treatment of a lucky person. Ordinary people were hung on poles to serve as a warning to others.
…
In the Osman barracks not far from the camp, Major General Shendilk, who was in charge of executing the refugee deportation plan, was at his wits' end.
Although he kept sending out temptations, reducing food supplies, exerting pressure, and encouraging the refugees to go to Persia to make a living, there were still too few people who successfully crossed the border.
This "few" was relative. On the long border, there were now hundreds and thousands of refugees entering Persia every day. The Persian garrison had begun to tighten their guard.
But compared to the entire refugee group, this number was almost negligible. Seeing the granary run out day by day, Major General Shendilk was already anxious.
"Everyone, our food is about to run out. In half a month, we will be completely out of food. No matter what, we must send the refugees away within half a month.
Now that the Persians are keeping a close eye on us, the success rate of the refugees crossing the border is very low. Especially after the garrison's bloody massacre, many refugees do not dare to cross the border.
This situation must be changed. Otherwise, we all know the consequences. "
A young officer could not help but ask, "General, is there really no other way? You must know that with the ruthlessness of the Persians, if we let the refugees pass, at most only one or two out of ten will survive. "
Major General Shendilk shook his head, "It's good enough to have one or two out of ten. It's better than staying here and waiting for death. I want to remind everyone to put away your pitiful sympathy.
You should know that there were not so many refugees in the first place. It is because of the sympathy of some people that led to the current situation.
If we do not change, all the Osman people will become refugees. The government's wealth has long been depleted by the war, and the national treasury is running low. In order to help the refugees, even the military operations to suppress the rebellion have been suspended.
Let me tell you a piece of bad news. This year's domestic food production is estimated to be only about 60% of the normal year. If we do not send the refugees away, everyone will starve before the autumn harvest. "
The Osman Empire still had a lot of experience in dealing with famine. According to the Turkic tradition, they would usually start a war at this time to reduce the population and survive the crisis.
Unfortunately, this ancient practice was becoming more and more unsuitable. With the advent of the era of firearms, the Osman Empire was on the decline and no longer had the strength to attack cities and seize territory.
After a long silence, a middle-aged officer suggested, "General, the Persians have strengthened their defenses. If we want to let most of the refugees pass, we must first get rid of the garrison.
Why don't we let the soldiers disguise themselves as refugees and directly attack the Persian garrison, using force to tear open a gap and let the refugees pass.
To be on the safe side, it's best to fortify the walls and clear the wilderness within a radius of 50 kilometers. This will let the refugees know that there is no food in the vicinity and break their fantasies of returning. "
"Fortify the walls and clear the wilderness" was nothing to the Osman Empire. The dozens of kilometers around the refugee camp had long been destroyed, and the locals had become refugees.
After seeing so much, everyone's sympathy gradually disappeared, and many people began to see the refugees as scourges. This statement was not wrong. In the face of hunger, human nature could not withstand the test.
…
On the morning of 18 May 1875, the Osman army took off their uniforms and transformed into refugees. They launched a surprise attack on the Persian garrison from multiple locations.
The Persian garrison was caught off guard and was stunned by the sudden battle. Before the Persian government could react, an army of countless refugees arrived.
In a day, millions of refugees crossed the border and poured into the Persian territory. Under the guidance of the Osman army, the refugees were like roving bandits, wreaking havoc in the Persian territory.
This was only the beginning. The Osman government continued to expel the refugees into the Persian territory, as if Persia was a waste collection station.
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