You Shall Return Like Lightning (3)

The outcome was indeed decided: the Turkey had lost the battle. They failed to break through the Russia lines today, and on their own lines, they couldn't hold off the Russia, losing the most crucial high ground. Under these circumstances, they had no chance of breaking through the Russia lines tomorrow. In the current situation, simply maintaining their current level was a challenge. In fact, if it weren't for the approaching nightfall, which prevented further military operations, the Turkey might have collapsed on the spot.

The arrival of night temporarily saved the Turkey army, but it could not change their predicament. The Turkey were now caught between Turkey and a hard place, and they could not hold out for much longer.

By noon the following day, the situation had become increasingly unfavorable for the Turkey, as the Russia Danube River Flotilla joined the battle. This fleet was small, with only a dozen or so cannons. However, their arrival brought valuable supplies to Bagration. Now, the possibility of the Turkey breaking through Bagration's defenses was completely nonexistent.

Of course, with the Russian army's strength, it was impossible to completely surround the much larger number of Turkey; in fact, they only controlled the roads. If the Turkey abandoned the roads, they could seemingly escape. But doing so would be extremely risky, because artillery and various supplies were inseparable from the roads, meaning they would have to abandon all their artillery and supplies and march entirely on foot.

They couldn't carry much weaponry or ammunition, nor much food, while the enemy controlled the roads and could move much faster. They could easily be completely routed under the constant attacks of the enemy.

Often on the battlefield, the side with the advantage will devise a "surrounding three sides and leaving one open" tactic, seemingly giving the enemy a way to escape. However, if the enemy does escape along this route, they will most likely be easily wiped out in the subsequent pursuit. Compared to a tight encirclement and relentless attack, this tactic is much less costly for the attacking side in terms of time, lives, and resources.

Alandar Mustafa Pasha knew that if his army abandoned the wagons and fled off the road, considering the distance of one or two hundred kilometers, perhaps less than one-tenth would survive. Meanwhile, the Russia would suffer almost no losses besides weapons and ammunition in the process of annihilating them. This outcome was even worse than remaining in place, eventually running out of food and horses, and then surrendering en masse. Although the latter approach resulted in the loss of one-tenth more men, it tied down the main Russian force, buying time for the Turkey army in the rear to react.

Of course, the message still needed to be sent out, so Alandar Mustafa Pasha dispatched several cavalrymen, each with several horses and a cloth bag filled with beans and other concentrated feed, to break out through a roadless area and report the situation back home.

The Russian army, naturally, had been keeping a close eye on the Turkey. Upon discovering that the Turkey army had sent a messenger, they dispatched cavalry to pursue and intercept him. However, while the Don horses of the Russian cavalry were known for their hardiness, ease of care, and gentle temperament, they were not particularly fast. At least, they couldn't compare to the Arabian horses used by the Turkey. In both absolute speed and endurance, the Don horses were inferior to the Turkey horses. (Of course, the Don horses were much cheaper to raise and could adapt to cold environments, qualities that Arabian horses couldn't possess.)

Therefore, the Russia's efforts to stop the Turkey messengers were unsuccessful. Thanks to the speed and endurance of their warhorses, most of the messengers easily evaded the Russia's interception.

Meanwhile, Arundar Mustafa Pasha rallied his remaining troops and began constructing fortifications in preparation for defense. He constantly encouraged his soldiers, assuring them that reinforcements would soon arrive from the country to rescue them, and that at this point, their belief was that "as long as we hold on, there's always a way."

But in reality, Arundar Mustafa Pasha knew very well that there were no reinforcements that could be sent from within the country. This statement was merely a way to barely boost morale and encourage the soldiers to hold out longer.

Faced with Alandar Mustafa Pasha's impenetrable defenses, neither Kutuzov nor Bagration intended to launch a general offensive to eliminate them in one fell swoop. This was not because they were incapable of doing so, but because they were already in a position of certain victory. There was absolutely no need to do so; doing so would incur considerable casualties and was not worthwhile. In any case, the Turkey's supply lines had been cut off, and it wouldn't be long before they ran out of ammunition and food and collapsed on their own.

A strange silence fell over the battlefield. The Russians watched the Turkey quietly, and the Turkey watched the Russians quietly. Neither side launched an attack, and the war seemed to have turned into a sit-in.

However, the Russian army had excellent logistical support, while the Turkey had none. In order to hold out longer, the Turkey began to restrict food supplies. The soldiers' rations were halved, and they were so hungry that they were seeing stars and their legs were trembling. But the food was quickly consumed.

So the Turkey began slaughtering their warhorses, but the number of warhorses was limited, and each soldier naturally received very few, so most soldiers were still starving.

The Russia, on the other hand, were masters of taking advantage of others' misfortunes. They didn't launch a direct attack, but what they did was far more horrific. They found an upwind spot and started grilling sausages, letting the wind carry the aroma over to the Turkey.

They also called out to the Turkey, telling them that if they were willing to come and surrender with their weapons, they would receive pork sausages and Volta.

According to the doctrines of the Crescent Moon Church, both of these items are forbidden. So, in theory, it should be very difficult to tempt a believer with these items. However, Turkey soldiers who believed in the Crescent Moon Church kept coming over with their weapons, and then began to feast on (grilled sausages) and drink (Volta), becoming shameful apostates.

After holding out for more than half a month, the warhorses were all gone, and even the rats in the neighborhood had moved away for safety reasons. The Turkey finally couldn't stand the hunger anymore, so they sent people to try to discuss surrender with the Russia.