Chapter 603

After the battle of Sofia, Montes was summoned back by the Government of London. What awaited him was a day trip to the military court. This time, the British had lost a lot of face.

Despite Montes' repeated explanations that the betrayal of a traitor had led to their defeat, it was to no avail.

A loss was a loss. Even if they had caused more casualties to the Russians in terms of tactics, everyone knew that the Allied Forces had lost this battle.

The main culprit was the British army's failure to hold their defensive line, allowing the Russians to break through. The matter of being pincered by the partisans was decisively ignored, and the British were too embarrassed to mention it.

Oliver, who had rendered meritorious service in the rescue, was promoted to commander of the British army. This promotion was originally a good thing, but Major General Oliver didn't look happy at all.

He knew that the so-called meritorious service in the rescue was just an excuse. If it wasn't for his deep background, he would also be to blame for the defeat in this battle.

If it wasn't for his so-called bait plan to wipe out the partisans in one fell swoop, the main force of the partisans wouldn't have been able to assemble and launch a sneak attack from the back. In fact, he was the one who had caused Montes' death in this battle.

This kind of thing could fool the domestic bureaucrats and soldiers, but it couldn't fool the officers at the front lines.

Under such circumstances, would everyone be convinced that he was the commander of the expeditionary army?

"Have our casualties been accounted for?" Oliver asked.

The bearded middle-aged officer replied, "Only a portion. The third expeditionary army corps has a total of 6,876 dead, missing, or captured, and 2,847 wounded.

The first and second corps are still in the process of calculating the casualties. At present, we have gathered 11621 routed soldiers, including 924 wounded. It's said that some of the routed soldiers have retreated to the Macedonian region with the Sardinians. "

This wasn't just heavy losses; the expeditionary army had been completely crippled. They hadn't returned for half a month, and the chances of them returning were extremely low.

This couldn't be helped. When fleeing for their lives after a defeat, everyone would run like a swarm of bees. No one cared which direction they were headed in.

After the defeat in Sofia, the entire southwest of Bulgaria had become the territory of the Russians. It was unknown how many people could escape the pursuit of the Russians and the Bulgarian partisans.

In this era, communication was poor, and the soldiers didn't speak the same language. Even if they escaped, it would be very difficult for them to find their way back.

If they didn't have a strong sense of direction, it was not impossible for them to run in the opposite direction.

Oliver patted his head. Of the eighty thousand British expeditionary forces, he had only thirty thousand left; and even if he added those who had gone to Macedonia with the Sardinians, he would not have more than forty thousand left.

More importantly, the morale of the soldiers was low. After a long and bitter battle, these soldiers were tired of fighting. Even the 3rd Division, which had just arrived, was the same.

If the British army's fighting strength had been 10 before, it would only be 5 now. It wouldn't be able to recover without half a year's rest.

But the battle still had to be fought. The French had asked them to build a defensive line to stop the enemy from attacking from the west.

Oliver would not mind retreating all the way back to the defence of Constantinople, if he could. Fighting in coastal areas, they could get the support of the Navy's firepower, which made it easier for them to gain an advantage.

Obviously, this was impossible. Not to mention the opinion of the Ottomans, the Allied Forces and the Russians were still engaged in a bitter battle in the Sliven area and could not retreat.

If they retreated blindly, it was very likely that they would be routed. The consequences would be dire.

Oliver said gravely, 'We must now stop the Russians in Kazanlyk, and in the old Zagora region, at any rate; otherwise, the allied forces will be defeated.

I've asked for reinforcements from home. The cabinet government has guaranteed that at least 50,000 reinforcements will arrive in two months.

After the battle in Sofia, the Russians also suffered heavy casualties. They also need time to recuperate. They shouldn't launch a major attack in the next two months. "

A young officer questioned, "Your Excellency, with all due respect, even if the Russians launch a tentative attack, I may not be able to stop them.

A young officer questioned, "Your Excellency, with all due respect, even if the Russians launch a tentative attack, I may not be able to stop them.

On the way back, we lost all our artillery, and a third of the soldiers don't even have a rifle. If we don't recuperate, the troops won't have any fighting strength at all. "

This was not nonsense. If the Russians were to send a division over at this time, the 30,000 British soldiers would have no choice but to flee.

Oliver glared at him and said, "You worry too much, Colonel Hoover. The loss of weapons and equipment has been replenished at home. It will take half a month at most to make up for it.

The morale of the troops depends on everyone's efforts. We won't have any new combat missions now. We just have to defend well and wait for reinforcements to arrive. "

Oliver didn't care whether he was passive or not. He knew that if they relied on the fortifications to defend, the soldiers would still be able to use some of their fighting strength. If they took the initiative to attack, they would have to write 'How the Deserters Were Born'.

… …

Kraljevo, Serbia

Lieutenant Colonel Haydn of the 3rd Battalion of the 4th Regiment of the new 7th Division of Austria had encountered a big problem. A large number of defeated soldiers had appeared in his area of defense.

A young officer who was about 22 or 23 years old said in a low voice, "Lieutenant Colonel, the British have sent a representative."

Haydn said calmly, "Let him in."

The current situation was a bit special. Austria was neutral in the war between Britain and Russia, but Austria was also an ally of Russia, and was at war with the British's ally, the Osman Empire.

This kind of complicated international relationship made Lieutenant Colonel Haydn feel very awkward. If this was Austria's territory, as a neutral country, he could disarm the British and repatriate them after the war.

Unfortunately, the sovereignty of Serbia still belonged to the Osman Empire. If the British didn't cooperate, Lieutenant Colonel Haydn didn't know whether to forcibly disarm them or expel them.

Not long after, a British officer walked in, looking somewhat disheveled. Lieutenant Colonel Haydn said, "Nice to see you, Colonel Daniel. What would you like to drink?"

Colonel Daniel replied politely, "Thank you. Coffee would be fine, and some pastries would be best."

It was obvious that his stomach was protesting, and it was growling, reminding him that it was time to eat.

Lieutenant Colonel Haydn shrugged and said, "Sorry, I don't have pastries here, but I do have bread, canned food, and beef jerky. Would you like some?"

They were on the battlefield, and even though they were in Kraljevo, the Austrian army didn't have the luxury to provide pastries.

Colonel Daniel said honestly, "Bread and canned food would be fine."

When they were escaping, they brought beef jerky with them. Now that they were about to vomit, it was good enough that they had bread.

Lieutenant Colonel Haydn ordered, "Guards, make a cup of coffee for Colonel Daniel, and bring a portion of bread and two canned food over."

Both of them were soldiers, and the communication between soldiers had always been straightforward.

After a pause, Lieutenant Colonel Haydn said his conditions, "Colonel Daniel, you have two choices.

Either, according to international practice, we, as a neutral third party, will disarm you, and the Government of London and Vienna will communicate. After the war, you will be repatriated.

Or, you leave immediately, and for the sake of the friendship between the two countries, I can pretend that I didn't see anything. If you leave the Kosovo region now, it's not too late to go back through the Macedonia region. "

He didn't want to have a conflict with the British at this time. Currently, there were a lot of British soldiers in the Kraljevo region. If they didn't deal with it in time, it was likely to cause trouble.

Colonel Daniel replied without hesitation, "We choose the first option. The Russians have already occupied the Kosovo region, and our path of retreat is cut off.

We agree to be disarmed, but you must provide us with treatment that matches our status, and guarantee that we will only be repatriated after the war. "

After listening to Daniel's blatant lie, Lieutenant Colonel Haydn didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He finally understood why so many people mistakenly entered the Kraljevo region.

It wasn't an accident, it was a deliberate run.

The war had lasted for almost a year, and the British had been in the war for more than half a year. After fighting for such a long time, the troops hadn't been rotated, so it was natural for everyone to be a little more tired of the war.

The treatment of the British Army soldiers in this era wasn't good, as could be seen from the logistics. If they had status, the bureaucrats in the logistics department wouldn't dare to act so recklessly.

Compared to the Navy, they were like stepmothers, and their treatment was less than one-third of the Navy soldiers. This kind of differential treatment naturally aroused their dissatisfaction.

Now that everyone was tired of the war, it was natural to find a way to escape the war. Being a deserter was not desirable, and they would be punished by the military law.

With the defeat of the Battle of Sofia, their opportunity came. This time, they were defeated on all fronts, so they had to escape.

If they ran back, they would inevitably have to go to the battlefield later. If they surrendered to the Russians, the Hairy Bear had a bad reputation in this era, and they were afraid of being slaughtered.

Moreover, it was disgraceful to be a prisoner of war, and the Hairy Bear was an enemy. If they surrendered, they wouldn't even have the opportunity to fight for treatment.

At this time, there were smart people who thought of a way to run to a neutral country to be disarmed, and then wait for repatriation after the war.

They escaped the war, and they didn't have to worry about being liquidated at home. It was normal to panic on the battlefield. Moreover, who knew that the Austrians had occupied Serbia?

Anyway, the Government of London didn't send a document to inform them, and they could pretend that they didn't know, and they could say that it was a normal retreat, and then they mistakenly entered the Austrian territory.

The bureaucrats of the Government of London had to admit that this was in accordance with the rules. They relied on this set of mechanical rules to protect their own interests, and naturally, they couldn't easily break it.

In fact, it wasn't only the British who did this, even the Sardinian army ran over, but because they had a grudge with Austria, there weren't many who ran over.

As for whether it would cause trouble for the Government of London, or affect the relationship between Britain and Austria, it wasn't within the scope of their consideration.

In any case, the Austrians had to treat them with good food and drinks, and this was a bargaining chip with the Government of London.

In order to be more convincing, they even found a way out, and insisted that the Russians had occupied the Kosovo region, cutting off their way back.

Lieutenant Colonel Haydn thought for a moment and said, "Okay, but all the British soldiers must sign on the agreement.

Make sure that you mistakenly entered Kraljevo, and because the Russians cut off your way back, you lost your logistical supplies, and that's why you asked us for help. "

By changing the story, everyone's face was taken care of, and the disarmament was changed. In the future, there wouldn't be any conflict between Britain and Austria because of this issue.

Colonel Daniel complained, "No problem, then Lieutenant Colonel Haydn, please provide us with supplies as soon as possible. We haven't had a normal meal for a few days along the way."

Lieutenant Colonel Haydn asked, "Sure, how many people do you have? I'll send someone to send you a batch of supplies right away."

Colonel Daniel replied, "There are a total of 1,531 people, including 426 Sardinian soldiers, and they must all enjoy the same treatment. There are also 62 injured people who need to be treated.

There should be some troops behind, and this number may continue to increase in the future. You better prepare more supplies. "

This wasn't an individual escaping, it was an officer leading the soldiers to escape together, and it was a clean escape.

Lieutenant Colonel Haydn nodded and ordered people to prepare the supplies. No matter what, the first thing to do was to stabilize the British soldiers.

Lieutenant Colonel Haydn didn't have any objections to Daniel's request of loyalty, since the Government of London would pay for them anyway.