1885, I came to save Greece

Chapter 227 The War Begins! The First Shell!

1891 October.

The deadline for Greece's ultimatum to the Ottoman Empire has arrived.

The Ottoman Empire responded to the ultimatum in a manner that was almost humiliating—they hung the Greek flag upside down at a border post near Larissa.

There is no turning back in this war.

Larissa, the Greek frontline command headquarters.

Constantine stood before a massive sand table, densely covered with flags representing both sides. An operations staff officer nervously received intelligence from all sides via a state-of-the-art field telegraph machine.

"Your Highness, urgent telegram from London! The British Foreign Office has issued a statement expressing 'serious concern' about the tensions in the Balkans and announcing that its Mediterranean Fleet will conduct 'routine exercises' off the coast of Crete."

"Your Highness, from Athens. Prime Minister Tricoupes has called to inquire about the start of the war."

"Your Highness, the border observation post reports no unusual activity from the Ottoman army positions."

Constantine raised his hand and glanced at his pocket watch.

The clock hands pointed steadily to five in the morning.

"Pass on my orders." His voice was calm, exceptionally clear in the slightly noisy command post. "All artillery positions, open fire."

The order was quickly relayed.

A few minutes later, on the eastern side of the Thessalian plain, on the Greek army's artillery positions, the hoarse roar of an officer rang out.

"Fire!"

boom!

Dozens of Krupp field guns roared simultaneously. The deafening roar of shells leaving their barrels shattered the pre-dawn tranquility.

The shells, trailing orange-red flames, ripped through the dark sky like angry meteors, crashing heavily into the Ottoman army's forward positions five kilometers away.

The earth was trembling.

The flash of the explosion illuminated the horrified faces of the Ottoman soldiers for a moment. Dirt, rubble, and severed limbs were hurled into the air by the massive blast wave.

This was not the "final battle" Constantine had envisioned.

The artillery bombardment was limited, but extremely fierce. The Greek artillery strictly followed Constantine's orders, avoiding indiscriminate saturation fire, and instead concentrated all its firepower on a few precisely calculated Ottoman command posts and ammunition depots.

Edhem Pasha was awakened from his sleep by the sound of cannon fire.

He didn't even have time to put on his military uniform properly; he just threw on a coat and rushed out of the command post.

Looking at the flames soaring into the sky in the distance and the continuous explosions, the old general showed no panic on his face, but instead revealed a cold smile of "I knew it."

"The Greeks have finally lost their patience," he said to his German military advisor, Major von Riedl. "Just as I thought, they only know this stupid, head-on approach."

Major von Riedel held up his binoculars, but his brow was furrowed.

"Pasha, something's not right." His voice held a hint of doubt. "The Greek artillery fire is too precise. And they're only attacking our command nodes. This doesn't seem like the prelude to a full-scale attack; it's more like a... provocation."

"Provocation?" Edheim Pasha scoffed. "Major Riddle, you're overthinking it. That's their whole scheme. Pass on my orders—order our artillery to counterattack! Let the Greeks taste the might of the Imperial cannons!"

The Ottoman artillery positions also began to roar.

A fierce artillery battle unfolded on the Thessalian plain.

However, the Ottoman artillery fire was mostly indiscriminate. Their shells landed aimlessly in the no-man's-land in front of the Greek positions, creating only a few large craters without achieving any substantial results.

The Greek artillery fire, however, cut into their nerves with precision, like a surgical operation.

An hour later, the Greek shelling stopped without warning.

Edhem Pasha became even more convinced of his judgment.

"See? They're out of ammunition," he said to von Riedl. "A bunch of paupers, they can't afford a real war."

Von Riedel lowered his binoculars and remained silent. His unease grew stronger.

Due to their underestimation of Greece and the deep-seated ideological conflict between German advisors and local generals, the Ottoman military failed to immediately see through Constantine's feint. All their attention was firmly drawn to the Thessalian plain in this "all bark and no bite" artillery battle.

Upon hearing that Greece had fired its cannons, British Ambassador Sir Harding analyzed the situation to Major Lionel Harrison in the embassy: "Constantine's shelling is too restrained. This is not his style. What is he trying to do? You should keep an eye on their intelligence. I always feel that if this is all they are doing, it is more like a defense than an offense."

Meanwhile, deep within the Pindus Mountains.

A scout from a mountain hunting division lay prone on a cold rock, like a lizard.

Sharp pebbles pierced his knee, but he felt nothing. His heart pounded in the silent valley.

He breathed in the thin, cold air, his eyes, like those of a hawk, fixed intently on the winding road below the valley.

On the highway, an Ottoman transport caravan of hundreds of mules and horses was moving slowly forward. The carts were loaded with ammunition and food supplies for the troops at the front.

Behind him were hundreds of his comrades, also lying in ambush. Their guns were already aimed at every target in the valley.

They are waiting.

Waiting for the final signal to launch a surprise attack on Joanina.

Athens, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

A note issued by the Greek government was delivered to the Ottoman Empire through the International Red Cross.

The note was politely worded, expressing "deep concern" about the potential casualties of "innocent civilians" from the border conflict, and proposing that both sides open a "humanitarian corridor."

This note drew praise from diplomatic circles across Europe. People lauded the Greek royal family's "benevolence" and "restraint."

No one knows what kind of chilling murderous intent is hidden beneath this cloak of "humanitarianism".

In the Larissa command center, Constantine put down the phone. On the other end of the line was the Prime Minister of Athens.

He walked back to the sand table and looked at the blue flag representing the Greek army and the red flag representing the Ottoman army.

The smoke of the artillery battle was just the prologue.

The real war has only just begun.

The war officially broke out.