My Italy

With Skopje occupied by the coalition forces, it was the turn of the Ottoman domestic army, led by Hamid Riza, who was fighting fiercely against the Bulgarians.

News of the destruction of the Macedonian Army came out soon after. Although the coalition tried to temporarily block the news, on the third day, the Al-Shabaab leader who served as Minister of War in Adrianople still received the news.

Faced with the destruction of the Macedonian Army Group he was trying to rescue, Riza, as Minister of War, was mentally prepared, but when the news came, he still found it difficult to accept.

"What is Yilmaz doing? He didn't even last a month."

Within his headquarters in Adrianople, Riza showed unusual dissatisfaction. Although he had thought that the Macedonian Army would be annihilated by the enemy, he did not expect it to be so fast.

Ahmed Riza, who was on the side, looked at the annoyed Riza and couldn't help but say. "Do we need to give up the attack and prepare for the next battle?"

Facing Lissa's words, Riza knew what he meant. The Bulgarians could not attack for a long time. When the Italian army arrived to solve the Macedonian Army, it would be even harder for them to fight.

Not to mention that in Asia Minor, there were landing Italian troops to contain their reinforcements.

Lieutenant General Grovey led the Guards and the 1st and 2nd Marine Divisions. After nearly 30,000 people landed in Izmir, they continued to advance inland. Although the Ottomans still had many troops in the Asia Minor Peninsula, However, the combat effectiveness of these second-line troops left behind was worrying, and they were beaten back steadily. They retreated to Akhisar before they could withstand the offensive.

However, although he blocked the Italians, Osman mobilized nearly 100,000 people to stop the Italians. Although there are many people in public, the two are not the same in terms of combat effectiveness. One side is basically new soldiers, and the other side is an elite soldier. How can this be the same?

Of course, due to the number of people, Lieutenant General Grovey's diversionary force did not dare to go too deep. After reaching the point where part of the Ottoman forces were contained, they died down. However, this also resulted in Adrianople having basically no reinforcements in the past ten days, which helped the Bulgarians contain the enemy.

Therefore, Li Sa's words basically represent the current mainstream thinking in the Ottoman army. If you cannot attack the enemy for a long time, you need to prepare for the worst.

Riza knew very well what Li Sa said. But he was unwilling to give up like this. The more important thing is that if they give up like this, then their Al-Shabaab will lose the opportunity to dominate the Ottomans. Besides, if we just give up the attack like this, can we really retreat?

"Lisa, do you think we can stop the Italian and Bulgarian coalition?"

Faced with Riza's question, Riza thought for a while and answered. "Fighting in the wild is definitely not possible. If we rely on terrain advantages, then we still have a chance."

Li Sa said it very tactfully. Although he didn't want to admit it, if he relied on Adrianople, he could still withstand the enemy's offensive.

This was just his answer, and Riza was very dissatisfied. "What is the terrain advantage you are talking about and what is it based on?"

In response to Riza's careful inquiry, Riza told the truth. "If we stick to Adrianople or Istanbul, relying on its fortifications and blocking the supply channels for personnel, we have a 80% chance of blocking the enemy."

Hearing Riza's words, Riza felt the same as if he hadn't said anything. Using the capital Istanbul as a fortress, even if they win, they will be abandoned by the people. Because it was the most elite area of ​​the Ottoman Empire, hundreds of years of foundation would be destroyed under the flames of war.

As for Adrianople, Riza would not consider it. If there were only Bulgarians, then he would consider defending this last fortress city before facing the capital. However, now that the enemy has a huge maritime advantage, the role of Adrianople will be greatly reduced.

Moreover, Adrianople also has a shortcoming, that is, after being blocked on all sides, the enemy may bypass the city and continue to attack Istanbul.

If the troops in his hands were elite Ottomans, the enemy would not dare to do so, but the troops in his hands were mixed, and they were mainly new recruits. You can still perform well in a defensive battle, but it's a bit difficult to attack. Otherwise, he would be unable to break through the enemy despite his superior strength and firepower.

Thinking about this, an idea came to Riza's mind.

He turned to Li Sa who was waiting behind him and said. "We still have some time at the moment. Next, let the troops launch a strong attack. We will press the entire army. If there is no progress within four days, then prepare for a defensive battle."

Based on the time when the Macedonian Army was destroyed, Riza estimated that it would take at least ten days for the enemy to arrive. After all, it took him at least five hundred kilometers to get from Skopje to Adrianople, so ten days was already very impressive for him.

After deducting the three days of delay in delivering the message on the road, there are still seven days. And considering possible accidents and leaving enough preparation time, four days of attack time can still be considered.

Riza's words made Lissa feel incredible, but after thinking about it carefully, he approved the decision. This means giving it a try. If they can defeat and severely damage the Bulgarians, then they will only have to face the Italians, and the situation will be much better.

If you can't do that, at least hurt the Bulgarians, which will also reduce the pressure on them. As for the worst-case scenario, Li Sa didn't dare to think about it.

But no matter what, we need to play a game first before talking about it.

War Minister Riza's order quickly spread to all ministries, and in order to prepare for this most powerful offensive, he completely liberalized the supply of ammunition.

So in the afternoon, the originally declining offensive suddenly increased several times. The Ottomans bombarded the defending Bulgarian positions like artillery shells for free.

The Ottoman officers and soldiers waiting to attack were ordered by the commander to attack the enemy's position before the shelling stopped, completely ignoring the possible accidental damage.

The Bulgarians guarding the position immediately felt the difference in the enemy. They were risking their lives. The Bulgarians are naturally not afraid of risking their lives. The Bulgarian mountain people have been an excellent source of soldiers since ancient times, and this time for their own motherland, there is no reason to let the Ottomans compete. So a bloody battle far beyond the past began.

Major General Gudshev, who was far behind the position, got the news immediately. Of course he knew what it was. Facing the fierce Ottoman offensive, he was not afraid at all, because their performance on the battlefield was related to the division of post-war interests, and he also had backup options. As long as he could hold off the enemy for three days, he would make a decisive move. great merit.

So an order was issued from his headquarters that every Bulgarian officer and soldier must defend to the letter. Anyone who crosses his headquarters will be punished as a deserter by the military police. Everyone knows the consequences of desertion on the battlefield.

So the soldiers from both sides fought together again in an extremely bloody scene.