Chapter 386 - 212: Secret Colonial Expansion (Part 3)
The title of Pasha, previously referred to as Bey, generally denotes high-ranking officials within the Ottoman Empire’s administrative system, such as the Governor General or senior officials.
Through a long course of development, the title of Pasha has evolved into an honorary title, similar to the title of Lord in British nobility.
Hobart, who has been granted the title of Pasha, holds a prestigious position in the Ottoman Empire Navy, and may even be awarded the rank of Admiral in the future.
Of course, Hobart’s current identity and status are not low either. As the de facto commander of the Ottoman Navy, he has under his command 22 armored ships, 82 unarmored ships, and 763 naval guns, totaling more than 15,000 naval officers and soldiers.
In terms of naval scale, the Ottoman Empire’s Black Sea Fleet has a greater advantage than the Black Sea Fleet established by Russia.
Why does the Ottoman Empire possess such a large navy? Apart from a slight foundation of the empire, most of it is due to the assistance from the British.
The British, in order to prevent the Russians from occupying the Strait of Constantinople, have indeed spared no effort. The Ottoman Empire’s Black Sea Fleet also successfully blockaded the Black Sea, forcing Russia to transport supplies to the front line via land routes.
Although this hindered front-line offensives, fortunately, the issue was not too severe. Although at a disadvantage in naval terms, the Russian army still possesses significant superiority over the Ottoman Empire’s army.
Since the Black Sea has been blockaded, the Russians have completely abandoned sea transportation routes on the Black Sea, placing all hope for their offensives on the army.
The Russian army did not disappoint; in battles against the Ottoman Empire’s forces, they’ve managed to push forward the front lines with more victories than losses.
Saying ’push forward’ is actually barely regaining territories in Romania that had been occupied by the Ottoman Empire.
Due to the flooding of the Danube River, in addition to the blockade of the Black Sea, the Russian troops find it difficult to cross the Danube River and engage with the Ottoman forces.
For most of May, skirmishes between the Russian and Ottoman forces were reduced to mutual shelling across the divide, with occasional gunfire to prove the war was still ongoing.
Apart from consuming bullets and shells, casualties among soldiers on both sides have reached a low point.
Originally, the Russian forces had a leading advantage in artillery numbers, but after April’s consumption, the front lines’ artillery supply has become insufficient.
This also led to Russian firepower dropping to virtually the same level as the Ottomans’, with the army halted on Romanian land by the Danube River without any further advancement.
The halt in offensives started to make the Russian Government anxious.
The front line was wasting a large amount of bullets and shells every day, and the Russian Government’s financial expenditure continued to grow.
If this stalemate persists, it’s uncertain whether the government’s finances can sustain it, and the supply of front-line bullets and shells can certainly no longer hold on.
The front line has as many as 3,000 cannons, each firing ten shells per day, totaling as high as 30,000 shells consumed daily.
In one month, nearly a million shells would be consumed, which far exceeds Russia’s current industrial production capacity to replenish.
Not to mention that during more intense periods of warfare, the front line’s artillery would fire massively. Just the issue of shell consumption and logistical supply is enough to give the Russian Government a headache.
Moreover, the consumption of bullets on the front line is immense. The number of bullets consumed daily by hundreds of thousands of troops is countless. If resupply cannot be made promptly, frontline troops would face low morale due to a lack of logistical support, making it not only impossible to continue offensives, but even defense would be arduous.
You can’t just let these soldiers fight bayonet battles with the enemy without bullets. Not to mention whether Russian soldiers have the courage to engage in bayonet battles with the enemy, even if they do, the enemies won’t be foolish enough not to use their rifles but to engage in bayonet fights instead.
Bayonet battles typically occur either when the enemy has breached trenches, or when there’s a dire lack of ammunition in the trenches of the enemy.
In other scenarios, especially when the Ottoman Empire’s weaponry is holding an advantage, firepower suppression should certainly be deployed over hand-to-hand combat.
Seeing that the Black Sea blockade was effective, the British finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Although this strategy may not help the Ottoman Empire win the war, it at least prolongs Russia’s engagement.
Britain thus has more time to prepare, be it joining the war to help the Ottoman Empire or ensuring post-war that the Ottoman Empire does not suffer further losses, particularly preventing Russia from expanding its influence near the Strait of Constantinople, which are all directions Britain might choose.
Although Austria-Hungary has remained neutral due to various pressures, the British do not believe Austria-Hungary would maintain neutrality if Russia expands its influence in the Balkans, annexing the Balkan Peninsula.
In essence, it’s just that Russia has not yet won the war, so Austria-Hungary is compelled to concede under pressure.
Once Russia truly threatens Austria-Hungary’s layout in the Balkan Peninsula, Austria-Hungary, even when facing threats, would certainly not remain indifferent.
While the war in the Balkan Peninsula drew the attention of Europe’s major powers, Spain accelerated the expansion of its African and Southeast Asian colonies.