The Fox of France - Chapter 484 (Patreon)

Chapter 484: Return Like Lightning

The overall situation was indeed determined. The Turks lost this battle as they failed to break through the Russian defenses today, and on their own front, they couldn't hold back the Russians, losing the most critical high ground. Under such circumstances, there was no possibility for them to break through the Russian defenses tomorrow. At this point, it was difficult for them to avoid collapse. In fact, if it weren't for the approaching evening, which hindered new military actions from both sides, the Turkish forces might have collapsed right then and there.

The arrival of night temporarily saved the Turkish army but did not change their dire situation. The Turks were now unable to advance or retreat, and they wouldn't last much longer.

By noon the next day, the situation became even more unfavorable for the Turks as the Russian Danube River Fleet also joined the battle. This fleet wasn't large, equipped with only a little over ten cannons. However, their participation provided crucial supplies to General Bagration. Now, there was absolutely no chance for the Turks to break through Bagration's defenses.

Of course, with the manpower of the Russian army, it was not possible to completely encircle the numerically superior Turks. In fact, they simply controlled the roads. If the Turks abandoned the roads, they could potentially escape. However, the risk was significant because the artillery and all their logistics depended on the roads, meaning they would have to abandon everything and march on foot.

They could carry only a limited amount of weapons, ammunition, and food. With the enemy controlling the roads and moving faster, they would easily crumble under continuous attacks.

Often, the side with the upper hand on the battlefield would create a situation of "encircling three and missing one," seemingly offering the enemy a route to escape. However, if the enemy took this escape route, they would likely be easily eliminated in the subsequent pursuit. Compared to a tight encirclement and assault, this tactic was much cheaper in terms of time, life, and material costs.

Arıncdar Mustafa Pasha knew that if his troops abandoned the wagons and fled off the roads, considering the distance of one to two hundred kilometers, perhaps only one in ten would make it back. The Russians, while eliminating them, would hardly lose anything besides weapons and ammunition, a result even worse than staying put and eventually surrendering after running out of food and horses. The latter, although resulting in a tenth of the casualties, would tie down the main Russian forces and buy time for the Turkish forces to react.

Nevertheless, the news had to be sent out, so Arıncdar Mustafa Pasha dispatched a few cavalrymen, each with several horses, and hung bags of beans and other concentrates on the necks of these horses, breaking through from roadless areas to report the situation back home.

The Russian cavalry kept an eye on the Turkish messengers and pursued them, but their Don horses, while hardy, easy to maintain, and docile, were not particularly fast. They certainly couldn't compare to the Arabian horses the Turks had in terms of speed or stamina. (Of course, the Don horses were much cheaper to maintain and adapted well to cold climates, unlike the Arabian horses.)

Thus, the Russian attempt to stop the Turkish messengers was unsuccessful. Using their horses' speed and endurance, most of the messengers easily evaded the Russians.

On the other hand, Arıncdar Mustafa Pasha gathered the remaining troops to fortify their defenses. He continuously encouraged his soldiers, assuring them that reinforcements from home would soon arrive to rescue them. They just had to "hold on," and there would be a way.

However, Arıncdar Mustafa Pasha knew very well that there were no reinforcements coming from home. This statement was merely to boost morale so that the soldiers could hold out a little longer.

Facing Arıncdar Mustafa Pasha's ironclad defenses, Generals Kutuzov and Bagration did not launch a full assault to settle the battle. It wasn't because they couldn't, but because they were already in a winning position and didn't need to incur significant casualties unnecessarily. After all, the Turkish supply lines were cut, and it wouldn't be long before they collapsed on their own.

So, an odd quiet settled on the battlefield, with the Russian forces quietly watching the Turks, and the Turks watching the Russians, neither side initiating an attack. The war seemed to have turned into a silent standoff.

But the Russians had complete logistical support. The Turks, however, had no supplies. To last longer, the Turks began rationing their food. The soldiers' rations were halved, and soon they were dizzy with hunger, their legs trembling. But the food quickly ran out.

Then, the Turks began slaughtering their horses, but the number of horses was limited, and each soldier's share was naturally very little, so most of the soldiers were still desperately hungry.

The Russians, skilled at exploiting others

' misfortunes, didn't directly charge to attack but did something even more horrifying. They chose an upwind position and started cooking sausages, letting the wind carry the aroma to the Turkish side.

They also shouted to the Turks, telling them that if they came over with their weapons and surrendered, there would be pork sausages and vodka waiting for them.

According to the teachings of the Star and Moon faith, these two items were strictly forbidden. So theoretically, it should have been difficult to tempt someone who followed the Star and Moon faith with these items. But still, many Turkish soldiers, followers of the Star and Moon faith, came running over, weapons in hand, and started eating (the grilled sausages) and drinking (the vodka), becoming disgraced apostates.

After enduring for half a month like this, when even the local rats had moved away for safety, the Turks, driven to desperation by hunger, finally sent out representatives, hoping to discuss surrender terms with the Russians.

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