Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 1133

1133. The Middle East War. (11)

News of the Ottoman army’s defeat at Partnos and Mardin spread quickly to Constantinople. Upon hearing it, Selim I shot up from his seat.

“Defeat! To be defeated by heretics! How can such humiliation be allowed!”

Pacing before the throne to contain his rage, Selim I turned his fury on the French military advisory group.

“You guaranteed victory! But we were defeated! How do you explain this!”

Baron Ney, the head of the French advisors, struggled to remain composed as he responded to Selim I’s dressing-down.

“This is just one battle, Your Majesty. The war has only just begun.”

“Isn’t the problem that we were defeated from the very start!”

“It’s not a defeat, but a large-scale reconnaissance, Sire.”

“Reconnaissance?”

Selim I sneered, but Baron Ney replied calmly.

“Yes, reconnaissance. This battle has shown us the Iranian army’s tactics. Understanding their tactics reveals their strengths and weaknesses.”

Selim I’s eyes gleamed at Baron Ney’s words.

“You know their strengths and weaknesses? What are they?”

“Their strength is overwhelming firepower. They deploy large-scale artillery to inflict maximum damage on our forces.”

Selim I nodded. He knew the power of artillery.

Artillery had been crucial in the civil war he waged to become Sultan, and in the suppression operations that followed.

“But our artillery is considerable as well, is it not?”

“Iran has followed the Empire’s example. It’s well-known that the core of the Imperial army is artillery, not infantry, isn’t it?”

Selim I nodded.

The Empire’s fondness for cannons was legendary.

“Cannon-crazed bastards!”

Other countries might mock the Empire’s unusual love for cannons, but they also envied it.

“If only we had the funds…”

Selim I felt the same way.

‘If only those damn rivals weren’t there, I could have bought more cannons!’

Selim I cursed inwardly, thinking of the brothers who had contested his rise to power, then continued the conversation with Baron Ney, his expression cold.

“Then I know the weakness you’re going to mention. It must be their supply lines, correct?”

“That’s right.”

“The Imperial army and the Iranian army must be aware of this, surely?”

Selim I said ‘Imperial army,’ but no one questioned it.

Everyone knew that just as the Ottomans had a French military advisory group, Iran had military advisors from the Three Eastern Nations [likely referring to Ming China, Joseon Korea, and Japan].

And, according to reports from Partnos and Mardin, the Imperial army had clearly directed the Iranian army’s artillery tactics in the battle.

-If you get hit properly once, morale plummets; if you get hit properly twice, you become demoralized; and if you get hit properly three times, you go insane.

This was the lesson learned by those who had faced the Empire’s shelling.

Many countries imitated the Empire’s artillery doctrine, but none achieved the same devastating effect. Therefore, Selim I and the French advisors were convinced that the terrible shelling at Partnos and Mardin was the work of the Imperial army.

Baron Ney nodded calmly at Selim I’s point.

“That’s right. Therefore, they must have prepared countermeasures.”

“Then it’s not a weakness, is it?”

“No plan is ever perfect.”

“Huh?”

Selim I, puzzled by Baron Ney’s words, soon adopted a similar expression.

“Are you saying that plans are just plans?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I once attended the Imperial Military Academy as an observer. I saw several slogans engraved in the central corridor of the academy building. One slogan remains in my memory: ‘Everyone has a plausible plan. War is where those plausible plans prove each other.'”

“A golden saying to remember. So, the Iranian army and the Imperial army have made plausible plans, but there are loopholes?”

“That’s right. The Imperial army did its best, of course, but it’s the Iranian army that’s executing the plan. Their minds and bodies will be out of sync. Or, we can make it so. In the meantime, the Sultan’s army recovers lost territory and invades Iran.”

“Excellent!”

Selim I’s face lit up at Baron Ney’s words.

Shortly after, Selim I, the French military advisory group, and the Ottoman army’s high-ranking commanders gathered to revise their strategy. A few days later, Selim I’s envoy arrived at the Iranian army’s camp, which was still reeling from the defeats at Partnos and Mardin.

Selim I’s envoys, standing before the dejected Ottoman commanders, read Selim I’s decree.

“I felt great sadness and disappointment at the news of your defeat. I mourned the deaths of my proud soldiers and was disappointed in you for betraying my trust.”

At this point, the commanders closed their eyes, bracing themselves.

‘My head will be forfeit.’

However, the following words defied their expectations.

“However, since Allah determines the victory or defeat of battle, I will not hold you responsible for this defeat. But! If you are defeated again, you will be held accountable! That will not be Allah’s will, but your failure! Therefore, I give you a new order.”

The envoys, having delivered Selim I’s warning, handed the sealed order to the commanders.

The commanders’ eyes widened as they read Selim I’s instructions.

-Cooperate with the tribes still loyal to disrupt the heretics’ supply lines.

“If we can disrupt the enemy’s supply lines, it’s doable…”

The commanders began to regain their motivation. Or rather, they were driven by desperation.

“The Sultan has shown mercy and given us a chance! If we fail, death is all that awaits!”

* * *

The Ottoman army commanders, having retreated from Partnos and Mardin, faithfully carried out Selim I’s orders.

They began to strike the Iranian army’s supply lines, mobilizing warriors from nearby tribes loyal to the Ottomans.

“They’ve finally started,” said an Iranian commander.

The Iranian army commanders and officers from the Three Eastern Nations, having received the intelligence, calmly assessed the situation. They had anticipated that the Ottoman army would attempt to cut off their supply lines if war broke out.

The Iranian army had also disrupted the Ottoman army’s supply lines through local tribes that cooperated with them before the war.

“We must respond before it’s too late.”

“Agreed.”

The Iranian army began to counterattack, mobilizing local tribes to protect supply convoys and strike the Ottoman army’s supply lines even harder. In this way, the Ottoman and Iranian armies targeted each other’s supply lines, creating an invisible front, and massacres erupted across the Anatolian highlands.

The tribes had accumulated not only political and religious conflicts but also long-standing personal grudges.

The Ottomans and Iranians provided them with excellent reasons and weapons, and fierce massacres broke out between the tribes that had secured justification and armaments.

In particular, the tribes that cooperated with the Iranian army fought bloody battles against the Ottoman army and hostile tribes, spurred by a personal letter from Ismail [Shah Ismail I, founder of the Safavid dynasty], delivered by the Iranian army.

-Iran will not expand its territory beyond its current borders.

-Iran will actively support the establishment of a new country in the areas occupied in the Anatolian highlands.

-The leader of the newly established country should be someone supported by many tribes or someone who has made the greatest contribution in this war.

(Omitted)

The tribal chiefs who read Ismail’s letter immediately understood the hidden meaning.

‘Since it’s a region of mediocre men, the one who contributes the most will become king!’

Therefore, they eagerly joined the war.

The massacre of rival tribes was an added bonus.

“It’s good that we’ve gained some breathing room, but…”

The Imperial army officer, analyzing the situation, looked at his colleague with a worried expression.

“Even if our plan succeeds and a country is created here, I don’t think it will last long. Everyone is becoming enemies…”

“They were enemies to begin with. We just fanned the flames. Let’s worry about the future later. Right now, winning this war is hard enough.”

“I suppose so…”

* * *

While chaos unfolded in Anatolia, the Ottoman army’s main force began its march from Constantinople. Almost all available troops were mobilized, except for those defending the Hungarian border in the north and the reserves behind them.

“I will lead the campaign myself!”

“No! It’s too dangerous!”

As soon as Selim I declared his intention, his son, Suleiman I, immediately objected. However, Selim I remained firm.

“This is a war to punish heretics! Do not defy me!”

At Selim I’s stern command, Suleiman I fell silent and stepped back. Selim’s gaze towards Suleiman I was cold. Selim I’s decision to lead the campaign was unavoidable.

He was leading the bulk of the Ottoman army’s mobile forces. What if the commander had ulterior motives?

History was full of examples of armies retreating instead of advancing in similar situations.

As an alternative, Suleiman I could have been placed in command instead of Selim I. But…

‘He’s my son, but he’s the most dangerous one!’

In Selim I’s eyes, Suleiman I was the greatest threat.

The fact that Suleiman I had no brothers to challenge his position was precisely why he might harbor such ambitions.

‘There are no other brothers threatening me. If only my father would step down, the throne is mine!’

This wasn’t just Selim I’s paranoia. Since reaching adulthood, Suleiman I had cultivated close relationships with military commanders. He had also befriended the French military advisory group.

Rumor had it that Suleiman I had incited the military’s aggressive stance just before the war. Putting it all together, the conclusion was clear.

-Suleiman I is impatient.

Given the situation, Selim I had no choice but to lead the campaign himself. It was a decision born of necessity rather than desire.

And Selim I blamed it all on Iran and the Iranian army.

“Heretics who will face Allah’s wrath! If it weren’t for those heretics!”

The Iranian army, having received intelligence that the Ottoman army’s main force had departed from Constantinople, began to prepare. Pointing to a spot on the map hanging on the tent wall, the Imperial army officer began to speak.

“To secure the Mardin front, we must firmly control Batman [a city in southeastern Turkey]. Now that reinforcements have arrived, the time is right.”

The Iranian army commander and officers from Ming and Japan nodded in agreement.