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Lol, you could probably declare war on the entire world and win right now. Not that I have a leg to stand on with my AAR...o
I'd jump at the chance. So would most men who aren't already privileged and have a high expectation of independent wealth. And yes, in the 20s plenty of people (perhaps not most) are still going to say YES, PLEASE to a massive gift of real power.
We're hardly at that point yet, the army is too slow and small to handle a long war against all the Syndicalist powers and all and sundry at the same time. At least in your AAR you're not engaged in Europe which is where there are more red divisions than i have good Imperial divisions and they're more technologically up to date. If i couldn't win big early victories, I'd eventually be outproduced in IC terms roughly 3-1.
A good point, we're a long way from the Western Hemisphere right now, but with Brazil forming its evil South American Totalist block, we may need those solutions one day.
To be fair, Russia's underlying potential for Industrial growth in 1914 was extreme, hence why by 18 they were outproducing Germany in a number of munition types. You have a huge population and huge surplus of available raw materials. You're also more proximate to key markets than the US. What you suffered from is a lack of capital and educational and transport infrastructure. In this timeline, Russia presented itself as a capital haven and growth location at the same time the rest of the world economy was suffering which, combined with diplomatic efforts with Germany and the entente saw a very large transfer of capital of all types into the economy. This process has been maintained by bringing in experts from Scandinavia and the Former United States.
Russia also has, in this timeline, some other advantages. These include the fact that my industrial total is the product of a much higher Russian population, the fact that Ukraine, Mongolia and Trans Amur were more industrialized than OTL when i absorbed them etc.
I also don't blame the AI for going short on IC, Germany needs every new soldier it can get right now. The Internationale by comparison, seems to be building up to destroy the German fleet and the Entente just can't win an IC war so has to gamble on taking someone elses in the war as quickly as possible. Russia and Japan...Russia and Japan can sit and wait.
Good choice going with 1939 cav for your second rate mobile divisions, IMO. They're pretty effective, and then the next two iterations of cavalry divisions just get downright badass.
Also, what attached brigades are you planning on using for your mobile forces?
I think it would depend on the individual nobleman in question. Some would stand by their principles if they were in conflict with a deal offered, and some would probably take the chance get put in power, even if they are the junior partner in a relationship with a larger power.
That said in all reality it probably would be a patrilineal marriage because Vladi probably doesn't want to play Put Romanovs on All the Thrones like I do
Cavalry do get awesome. Mechanised cav, armoured cav, air cav...all badass.
Brigades on the mobile forces are probably going to be a piece of newfangled tech i'm about to start working on. Self Propelled Artillery. Depending on how the speed structures overlap, i imagine there will be room for heavy tanks in there as well for special purpose formations.
The Infantry are all going to get brigades, some double brigades. Quality over Quantity here and i want to be able to maximise the combat ability of any given block of 9, 12 or 24 divisions. At least one group will be a special purpose siege army. They're going to get guns...lots of guns.
Again, far more than OTL where collectivization resulted in a dramatic reduction of the population. Russia has horses, a good knowledge of training horses to be calm under fire and legions of men who are comfortable in the saddle.
1939 cav is motorcycles/side cars
1939 semi mot cav has 1000 fewer horses than a pure cav division and replaced them with 1000 motorcycles and a few hundred extra trucks and a few armoured cars if i read the ingame numbers correctly. You still have eight thousand horses carrying many of the mounted infantry. Given the increase in speed, i imagine that part of what's happening is that more of the logistics is being handled by the trucks rather than horses as the horse artillery and horse pulled supply train is the slowest part of a cavalry division to my knowledge.
I'd imagine the motorcycles also are less useful in rough terrain than the horses. This is partially why the Soviets used their cavalry so extensively, really on a scale no one even came close to.
Chapter 90: Broken Iron
Taken from 'War said:The initial Russian hammer blows fell on the few Romanian units stationed along the border with an almost scientific ferocity. Caught by Russian artillery, the Romanian division guarding the approach to Chisinau was completely smashed losing half of its logistics train, almost all of its heavy artillery and a third of its men in the first few hours. For their part, the Russian casualties were minor, mostly the result of counter-battery fire before the Romanian guns had been silenced.
While the Besserabian front began its inexorable advance, the army's mobile group launched itself down the Romanian coast, hoping to enact a strategic encirclement of Northern Romania. At first, the armour advanced swiftly and without resistance, as had become the hallmark of deep operations. It seemed within the first day of battle, that the Russian schedule would prove to be overly conservative and that Zhukov's leading tanks might reach their first stage objectives as much as three days ahead of schedule.
The one block to this plan came on May 9, when the leading edge of the mobile forces attempted to cross the Sulina branch of the Danube river. Anticipating such a move, they were met by a hastily assembled blocking force led by marshal Antonescu. The force available to the Romanian Marshall was far from impressive. The Romanian cavalry was, in training and equipment, little different from what might have been seen in the latter days of the Weltkrieg or the civil war that followed in Russia. Among the almost eleven thousand men he could muster, he had only twelve, obsolete anti tank guns.
And yet, by sitting those few guns to cover the available crossings and ensuring that his units remained as mobile as possible, Antonescu succeeded in blocking the initial Russian spearhead. An attempt to cross the river, lead by armour on the 10th faltered in the face of anti-tank guns, carefully concealed from Russian efforts to eliminate them with direct fire. The BT-7s and T-26 vehicles, perfect for operations against an unprepared enemy, faltered against one who had dug in and prepared. The Russian tanks slipped for time and began to lose their initial advantage. On the Romanian side, there was, for a moment, hope that the Russian spearhead may be held long enough for significant reinforcements to be moved North and consolidated around the capital.
That was not to be. Long before this first reverse of the Russian armour, Russian military doctrine had considered precisely this contingency. Against a dug in enemy, and without artillery or supporting infantry, the tanks might not be able to make headway against a determined enemy who held his ground. In these cases, the armour needed assistance and it came in the afternoon of the tenth and continued for fourty eight hours straight. Russian fighters, initially allocated to air-superiority duty, were re-tasked to support the coastal thrust. Obsolete bi-plane fighters equiped with tiny bomb loads harassed the chain of trucks and horse pulled carts hauling ammunition to the front and slaughtered men in the open. The first air-raids cost the Romanians more than eight hundred casualties and robbed them of the vital mobility that had allowed Antonescu's force to adequately cover all potential crossing points. When the regrouped mobile corps, complete with its supporting cavalry divisions launched a renewed assault on the 11th, the Romanian cavalry were overwhelmed and the Russian tankers surged forward to make up for lost time.
Even as the campaign was restarting, the after action reports coming out of Sulina triggered a response by both the military and industry. In the face of even light anti-tank opposition, provided it was determined, Russia's existing tanks were vulnerable. Even the fire of light anti-tank rifles posed a considerable threat to the Russian light tanks at combat ranges, a fact which had paralysed even the famously aggressive Zhukov. While the new generation of medium designs, already in development, seemed to offer a solution, tank designers opted to play it safe and begun working on designs for a new, heavier tank. One that would be capable of shrugging off fire from any anti-tank weapon presently in widespread service.
With Constantza taken, the Russian mobile force shifted its axis of advance West, cutting across in the face of the Romanian capital and severing the road and rail connections joining the Nation's South with those divisions still fighting in the North. At the same time, additional Russian divisions used the Romaian rail network, mostly taken intact, to advance behind the armoured spearhead and hold the coastal corridor. It was a complex operation but one Russian training and planning proved capable of undertaking without much difficulty.
The tanks, meanwhile, were pushing on to Ploesti. The Romanian oil fields were the single most valuable asset of the Romanian state and the biggest reason for German interest in events in the region. With the fields secure, Russia would control the biggest diplomatic chip still left in play for the Iron Guard regime. As such, Romanian contingency planning had called for a determined defence of the fields, followed by a campaign of sabotage demolition prior to retreat if a retreat became necessary. Such planning had not allowed for the speed or direction of the Russian advance however. The tanks moved too quickly for the High Command to be able to adequately respond, and, when they did, it was to respond to an expected advance against the capital, not the oil fields themselves. As such, the defence of the oilfields was handled only by a scratch militia unit comprised of hastily drafted reservists bereft of any real anti-tank armament. Unwilling to be stopped again or risk the fields, the Russian mobile group overran them in short order.
With the fields in Russian hands and taken mostly intact, the tanks, still maintaining their momentum even after days of continual advances, swung south around the Romanian capital to meet the advance of Infantry divisions attacking form the Eastern railheads.
Romania was cracking.
Imperial Headquarters
Markov stood over the map of the Besserabian front, pointing to a series of thin red arrows arrayed ahead of the divisional and army markers. Vladimir, though no cartographer, could tell full well where they were pointed.
“Your Majesty, I can now report that Bucharest has been encircled, resistance within the city itself has thus far been determined, but we expect a surrender to be received within the day. I can also report that Serbian and Greek forces are pulling back to their own fortified frontiers, we should be in a position to reach the Bulgarian pocket a full two weeks ahead of schedule. Further, in the North we have successfully encircled the First Romanian field army and have thus far destroyed two of the five divisions within the pocket.”
Everyone around the table, staff officers, Dimitri, and Vladimir's protection detail were all beaming at the news, yet another victory hitting them like a euphoric drug. Everyone that was, except for Markov, and that kept the Emperor himself sedate and prompted him to ask the obvious question. “Marshall, why is this so easy?”
“Your Majesty?”
“We expected to fight a tooth and nail campaign against a combined Romanian and Ottoman force of at least fourty five divisions on the Besserabian front with contingency for as many as seventy five if the Serbs and Greeks didn't see sense. Why is this so easy? Where are the Turks?”
Markov didn't show much in the way of emotion as he set the map of the Besserabian front aside and reached for another, this one showing the Armenian front. “ Because, your Majesty, they're engaging us in the East.” There were a list of tables beside the map to which Markov now referred. In truth, he likely could have asked one of the staff officers present for the information but when it came to taking the risk of briefing the Emperor, he preferred to minimise the chance for mistakes. “As per the operational plan, our initial offensives in the East involved eighteen rifle divisions split into two key axis of advance. At that time, they faced exactly the forces we expected to encounter, three Ottoman mountaineering divisions dug into defensive positions. Given the poor supply and morale situation among the opposing forces, we expected this to generate a slow but steady advance without grave casualties.”
Vladimir's eyes were drawn to an older map, indicating the force balance at the beginning of the conflict, it showed just three small markers behind the Ottoman lines. Silently, he allowed the Marshall to continue. “ At least initially that appeared to be the case. The Ottomans lack any good airfields in the area and our bombers have been able to roam at will, breaking down coherent opposition.”
As of our last reports however, those three divisions, have become thirteen, with air reconnaissance indicating that another four to eight marching towards the battlefield as we speak.”
Dimitri, eyes heavy chose this moment to enter the exchange. “Which, I believe, was the entire point of our operation. To draw Ottoman divisions away from the Bessarabian front into a pointless battle in their North East.”
Vladimir kept his eyes locked on the map. “ But we anticipated drawing in one or two divisions into the fray, not the majority of the fighting strength of the Ottoman army.”
Dimitri cocked his head slightly, “ I see no reason to complain however, the lack of heavy fighting in the Balkans considerably aids our diplomatic position and there could be any number of reasons behind it. Marshall, is there any chance that these divisions were simply more proximate to this front and so were simply thrown into the fray?”
“That may be the case for some formations Majesty, but I can confirm it is not the case for all of them. We briefly engaged one Turkish unit during the push down the coast towards Bucharest, though they quickly retreated. Prisoners taken allowed us to positively identify that formation as the 41st Infantry division of the 12th Ottoman Army Corps. I can now confirm that unit is now engaged on the Armenian front.”
There was silence in the headquarters for a moment and the collective brain power of Russia's masters tried to comprehend this new dose of information. Vladimir spoke first.
“Marshall, I will admit that I am no trained strategist, but that seems like insanity. You're telling me that the Ottoman Turks, an Empire that has held Constantinople for almost half a millennium, pulled one of its veteran divisions out of fighting against a division that will soon, inevitably turn towards that capital. Having pulled that unit out of the fight, they have then transported it across the straits and the breadth of Anatolia in order to engage in a fight for a under-industrialised, mountainous territory populated by ethnic minorities for which they care nothing and through which we would struggle to advance logistically?”
“That would, your Majesty, appear to be the case.”
Dimitri had furrowed his brow, his political mind now waking up. “ It could be political, a gambit.” Those in attendance turned to regard Russia's President and Chief of the Army. “ They must know of our agreement with the Germans not to take Constantinople. If they believe that Romania is already lost, and are certain we will not advance on their capital, then perhaps it makes sense to fight to hold those territories which we may, conceivably, be able to annex without international diplomatic fallout.”
“That is possible Excellency.”
“Except” cut in Vladimir, “ It doesn't make sense.” Vladimir adjusted the two maps so that the Besserabian front and Armenian front could now be seen side to side. “These territories themselves are worthless. Even if we were to break into the desert, it would require a mammoth logistical effort to reach anywhere of significant value. The Turks are bleeding, they're suppressing internal dissent and are threatened by an alliance of Egypt, Persia and Arab dissidents. Why would they expend the lives and munitions to hold these territories?”
“Stubbornness? Desire to win a victory for domestic consumption? In any case, why should we interrupt our enemy while he is making a mistake. I would suggest we reduce the intensity of the offensive and move to end the war in the Balkans as soon as possible.”
Vladimir stared for a moment and then questioned Markov. “ And your opinion Marshall?”
“ There is little military sense in the deployment, it does appear as if our enemy has erred. And if, as per my orders, it is still our desire, for political reasons, not to destroy the Ottoman army, then I would say his excellency's opinion holds merit.”
Vladimir shook his head. “ I am aware, gentlemen, that I am not an accomplished Marshall. I am also aware, Dimitri, that I have not been in the business of pulling off political and diplomatic miracles nearly so long as you have.” That last phrase got a smile, a touch of humbleness to soften the blow.
“ But I simply can not accept that an Empire which has had the cunning and expertise to survive as a thorn in the side of Christian civilisation for more than half a millennium would commit such an obvious blunder, that they would sacrifice so much for a few worthless border towns.”
It was the change in tone which marked the point at which Vladimir would brook no further contradiction. “This leads me to conclude that there is more going on here, and those towns are far from worthless.”
The focal points of Ottoman resistance were well marked on the map, vladimir zeroed in on them and circled them lightly in pencil.
“Marshal Markov.”
“Your Majesty?”
“Break the Ottoman forces on the Armenian front and occupy Kars and Trabzon as soon as practicable.”
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I will be honest, I forgot that the Ottomans were in this too...Let's discuss harsh peace for the Turks.
Do you think that this would be sufficient enough for Russian expansion (with or without Constantinople?): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:United_Armenia_.png
Do you think that this would be sufficient enough for Russian expansion (with or without Constantinople?): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:United_Armenia_.png
Russia isn't getting Constantinople, not if it wants the Ottomans to survive. Although giving Gallipoli and Adrianople to Bulgaria would chastise the Ottoman government pretty thoroughly.
I agree with this. You must have thought of something along the lines of "wow, wasn't expecting that at all."
So the (intentional) dismantlement of the Ottoman Empire isn't in the cards right? I imagine the Kaiser would not be pleased. However, being humiliated by Russian arms could possibly tip the Empire over the edge and we'll see it torn apart by internal rebellion and invasion by the Egyptian alliance.
...Would it really matter, they could always resettle in Bursa...right? But if Constantinople isn't on the table, at least Ottoman Armenia should.
Ah AI shenanigans. The AI values much more it's own territory that is under attack but worthless, than ally territory that is a LOT closer to it's industrial heartlands. Simply put default AI (what Turks are probably using) has a switch. Is our land under attack? If yes, abandon ALL foreign follies and concentrate on defending homeland. Sensible stuff. Except when enemy can hit you quicker over your ally territory.
Are Turks fighting to provide time to hide their 'activities' in 'pacification' of Armenians?
Are Turks fighting to provide time to hide their 'activities' in 'pacification' of Armenians?
'Oh, you guys, you're in our way...so it's time to yield some territory' ?
I Imagine that, given that part of my divergent timeline is that more greeks and Armenians survived in the Empire (to rebel now) seizing these territories may have some merit. It will depend on the diplomatic climate and the way the war progresses however. Suffice to say, things are about to shift somewhat.
I take inspiration where i can get it
Greece has claims on those territories (i double checked and was wrong when i said they didn't). I half want to give Gallipoli to Australasia just because....but this AAR is far too serious a story for that. I can't imagine the Ottoman Empire would be happy with the loss of most of its remaining European territory.
As you've said, Constantinople is the core of it all, the Empire could not survive giving it up, collapse would be almost automatic.
I really wasn't as my force disposition showed. But dammit, I had reserves and if the Ottomans wanted to put up a fight over objectives, particularly one territory i have a claim on, then i was going to take that challenge. I also moved additional tactical bombers to that front, they're bleeding about seven hundred casualties a day from air attack though i may have to retask more to attack their fleets to prevent shore bombardments.
In the back of my head, i'm aware there is a trigger that will fire for that alliance if the Ottomans are in too much trouble. If i'm going to preserve the Ottomans to appease Germany, then i need to stop short of that. Of course, others here have figured out something big is about to hit which may complicate things, or simplify them, depending on your point of view.
Given the fragility of the regime and the importance of prestige, i can't imagine that they'd survive the move without further rebellions. I don't think Germany would care much about Armenia though, it's not really even an asset for the Turks.
Yeah, it's a situation where the AI fails to sit well with reality on the ground. The tanks are only a few days from Constantinople, the Infantry in Armenia would be months away, even without opposition.
...the uprisings in the Ottoman Empire have cost, according to casualty counter, some 450,000 kurdish, Armenian and other casualties plus however many associated civilian casualties have occurred. I can't really ignore them.
Afraid in what way...because that may well be about to come in the next twenty four hours?
OTL Yudenich had plans to colonise Western Armenia with Cossacks from Don and Kouban and looked negatively upon Armenians moving in en masse into the Russian-occupied areas. He considered the areas suitable for Cossack agriculture and lifestyle and wanted to create a Cossack-populated border to sort of "enclave" the various non-Russian populations of Imperial Caucasus away from other countries.
Not fear per se but disgust as to a potential massacre of innocents. But as you said, it's apparently already happened.
Chapter 91: The Price of Intolerance.
Unknown officer's journal said:
Ottoman Fortress city of Kars.
The historic fortress of Kars, that proud construction of stone and gun emplacements that had dominated the city for centuries, which had withstood the siege by nadir shah in the eighteenth century and survived the fighting of the Weltkrieg bore witness to the coming storm. The primary Turkish defence had been fought miles away, well beyond the limits of the town...and yet the city itself was free from signs of fighting as the Russian infantry swept cautiously through the city which had, at one time in history, called itself a capital of the Armenian Nation. Concrete bunkers, added to protect heavy artillery and machine gun emplacements to defend against exactly this kind of attack, instead sat silent.
Lieutenant Darbinyan fanned his men out in Skirmish order as they moved into the Fortress. 4th Battalion, 172nd (Armenian) Rifle Division had been the first to push into the city. It was a symbolic as well as a strategic gesture. To many of the men in the division, ethnic Armenian volunteers in Russian service, Karrs was a city which had served as an ancestral home before the Ottomans had driven them into their puppet buffer state in the latter half of the Weltkrieg. It had seemed just that Armenians should be the one to liberate their ancestral home once again.
There had also been a strategy to it. Karrs was known to have a population of tens of thousands, which may well have swolen to more than a hundred thousand if refugees and camp followers were taken into account. It was imagined that with a significant portion of the population in the region either ethnically Armenian or capable of communicating with then, the 172nd would interface better with the local population than Russians who had never served in the region before.
That would be well, thought Darbinyan, if there had been any people here to greet them. The advance teams had found a few men, civilian support staff mostly, cowering in corners or trying to flee the city on foot, but for the most part, Karrs was deserted. And so Darbinyan moved forward slowly, his men keeping their rifles always at the ready as they pushed onto the manicured surface of the fortress courtyard. It was a killing field, par excellence, a flat open space overlooked by the firing slits carved in the ancient stone and modern concrete structures. A few dozen Turkish troops here would have been able to hold the 172nd for hours until heavy artillery could be brought up. Given that the Turks had fought so hard and spent so many lives in defence of the city, the Armenians stormed through the gates at speed, whispering final prayers as they did so. They stormed across the parade ground towards the cover of the central structures, every moment expecting a hidden machine gun to open up and rake their ranks. But the bullets never came. And the Armenians broke into the fortress itself.
Another ghost bastion.
Imperial Bed-Chambers, 03:00
Vladimir's head pulsed in time with the percussion of the fist on the door. The plush sheets and the warmth they promised rolled away only with great reluctance.
“Gentlemen” he growled at the door. “ I have been awake for the better part of two days. So unless the Palace itself is on fire, I expect it can wait until morning.”
The pounding stopped, and for a second, Vladimir had dug his face back into the pillow and begun to lull his overtaxed mind back into a dreaming state, then came the voice through the thick timbers.
“Your Majesty, It's Sokhov, and you will want to see this.”
His muscles resisted the instruction, but eventually Vladimir's will prevailed. His body rolled from the bed and he reached for his tunic.
Kars fortress:
The pitiful light-bulbs flickered as they cast anemic illumination over the one of the fortress' secondary magazines. A semi-circle of Russian infantry stood, rifles at the ready. Before them all, the lone Ottoman soldier, uniform blemished with grease and moisture, hunched over his demolition plunger. From the base of the unit, wires ran in to the dozens of heavy artillery shells standing like mute daemons in the chamber.
Darbinyan stepped forward slowly, palms open and presented. The Turk was shaking, tears running down his face as his hand clutched the plunger. His men held fire, knowing that all it would take would be for the body to fall forward to blast the fortress asunder. Darbinyan did his best to muster up some Turkish.
“Adin ne” he ventured, what is your name. The Turk shook his head violently, eyes, wide with fear and fracturing sanity. “Surrender, and you shall not be harmed.”
Again, the Turk shook his head. He stared at the ground, and whispered something too low for Darbinyan to register, but his eyes darted up as the Armenian officer took two further steps forward and knelt, meeting his enemy's gaze.
“You do not need to die. You can live.”
The Turk's eyes seemed glazed over, Darbinyan could see the artery in his neck pulse with each panicked heartbeat.
“There is no life left for us after this.”
Don't do it...
Tears streamed down the face of the Turk now, as he almost whispered the words which held the last reserves of his resolve....“God is Great.”
The plunger fell until metal met metal. In the base of the unit, the detonator sparked and sent a detonation singnal out. In a fraction of a second, it blazed out...until it met the severed length of cord, held in the hands of one of Darbinyan's men. He had snuck around while the Turk's eyes had been focused on the Lieutenant, and now smiled with relief and success. Confusion was still spread all over the Turk's features as Darbinyan's men tackled him to the ground and dragged him from the room. From there, once he had caught his breath and lulled his heart back to an acceptable pace, he began to co-ordinate the rest of the sweep.
Demolition lines ran throughout the fortress, into dozens of minor magazines, and then down the large shell lifts into the refurbished interior of the primary magazines. The Armenians hauled open the door to this last area in conditions of almost total darkness, the lighting in the fortress having long since failed. This was the heart of the new Kars fortress, a monumental reinforced bunker, and the reinforced metal doors gave way with a monumental creak.
Through the darkness, the stench of rotting flesh assailed Darbinyan and as the first glint of light shone through into the cavernous chamber...he fell to his knees.
Imperial Palace, 04:15
Vladimir studied the black and white images, the shapeless masses of bodies piled naked upon one another.His stomach curled into itself, manifesting a shuddering revulsion that expanded to shake his entire body.
“How many?”
Sokhov was smoking by an open window, impassive as always. “ Several thousand at Kars. From what we can tell they transferred the bodies down using the ammunition elevators and planned to bury it all under a thousand tons of stone and concrete, along with our advanced units. But it's the same everywhere we go. Armenians, Kurds, men, women...children. We could be looking at several hundred thousand in total.”
Vladmir strugled to wipe the sleep from his eyes. “ Why?”
“We have some evidence that it's part of a general pacification campaign. We knew that the Kurdish and Armenian revolts were becoming significant, it appears the Turks opted for an alternative to a sustained counter insurgency campaign.”
Vladimir slapped an open palm against the desk.
“ This is not an alternative. This is never an alternative. This is not some barbarian tribe, these are the ancient peoples of Anatolia. These peoples lived in these lands for centuries before the Turks came. They lived side by side under the Rule of the Roman Emperor in Constantinople. I remember they Sultan tried something like this during the Weltkrieg, but the Germans held them back... apparently no longer.”
Vladimir was out of his chair now, practically slamming the heavy wooden frame into the desk.
“I want these images everywhere. Every paper on the continent should bear witness to this atrocity, every radio broadcast declare the moral bankruptcy of the Ottoman regime. Germans, Romanians, Austrians, let them know what kind of regime they protect!
Then make sure the staff are assembled for an emergency session this morning. I'll need to talk to Pol'skii and the Greek Ambassador as well, we'll give the Germans and Austrian public a day or two to digest this before we make a diplomatic move there.”
The emperor slipped his belt around his trim waist, ceremonial blade resting by his side.
“Restraint be damned, I will not tolerate this.”
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Armenians and Kurds? At least there aren't Arabs there too else we'd have a bigger problem on our hands.
