-The Dying Patient-

Let's rewind the story a bit here.

　As the name suggests, the waves of the World War reached all the way from Central Europe, where the great powers were crowded, to the Balkan Peninsula. Although the Balkans were no match for the great powers in terms of military, economy, or population, they were a key transportation hub leading to Asia, and so their geopolitical importance was not small.

　The power games of the great powers mercilessly dragged the small and medium-sized nations of the region into the vortex of World War, and while some were driven by ambition and others by compulsion, the hopes and desires of countless people ignited the "powder keg of Europe"...

　＊＊＊

　There was once a country that adopted the slogan "Eternal Nation."

　The country emerged as the hegemon of the Middle East, eventually dominating the Mediterranean, destroying the descendants of the Roman Empire which had lasted for 1,000 years, and plunging all Christians into terror.

The name of that country is--

The Ottoman Empire is doomed

　On October 29, 1914, the Ottoman Empire bombarded the Crimean Peninsula and severed diplomatic relations with Russia. Tsar Nicholas II was informed of this and could only sigh disdainfully.

"What about England and France?"

"We protested to the Ottoman Empire, but it seems they were ignored. They will soon join the war alongside our troops in accordance with the agreement."

　Nikolai grinned at his subordinate's report.

　There is a proverb in the East that says, "A moth flies into a flame," and that is exactly what the Ottoman Empire is today. It seems that they are modernizing with military and economic aid from the German Empire, but if the Russian Empire were to intervene in earnest, they would be no match for them.

　In terms of troop strength alone, the Russian army deployed in the Caucasus was around 1 million men, while the Ottoman army had an overwhelming advantage of 3 million. However, they were dealing with the British army deployed in Egypt, and although they had introduced German-style equipment and training, they still retained many pre-modern aspects.

However, the Ottoman army still decided to go to war because World War I was progressing in favor of the Central Powers.

　Just a month ago, the German army finally entered Paris, and with its occupation, the war was expected to end with the victory of the Allies. The Ottoman Empire had long had a deep relationship with the Central Powers, such as the construction of the Baghdad Railway and military reforms with the help of German military advisors. In that case, it would be wise to ride the winning horse.

　Although there were voices of caution within the country, the pro-German faction ultimately prevailed and a jihad was ordered against the Allied powers. The aim of the pro-German faction's leader, War Minister Envir Pasha, was to launch a surprise attack on the Russian army and occupy the Caucasus region in one fell swoop.

　Meanwhile, the Allies were not keeping quiet either. In early November, Britain, France, and Russia declared war on the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire responded by launching an all-out attack at the end of December.

"Tell Yudenich of the Caucasus Front to hold the line against the invading enemy."

Nicholas II was determined to strike down the Ottoman Empire head-on. When facing multiple enemies, the golden rule is to strike down the weakest enemy first. First the Ottomans, then Austria-Hungary, and finally the isolated Germany.

　In addition, if they achieve great success in the war against the Ottoman Empire, they will be able to obtain a long-desired ice-free port. The only way to achieve this is to crush them with an overwhelming army, with the expectation of victory.

"Send Semenov's 250,000 Transbaikal Cossack troops as reinforcements. When the enemy's supplies run out, we'll encircle them from the rear."

"Yes, sir."

　However, upon seeing the orders coming from St. Petersburg, Chief of Staff of the Caucasus Front, Nikolai Yudenich, was indignant.

"You idiots from the palace! What kind of reinforcements are you talking about?"

With his bald head red like a boiled octopus, Yudenich banged his desk vigorously. It was true that the enemy was outnumbered by more than twice as many, but the advantage of the terrain (trench positions), the timing (the coming of winter), and the harmony of the people (military control) were all on our side.

　Judging from the movements of the Ottoman army, it seems that they plan to use half of their forces to hold back the Russian Caucasus Front and the other half to circle around from behind. However, the supply and equipment availability is low, and this is fatal in the mountainous Caucasus region, where infrastructure is poor. If we don't show any weakness, they will run out of supplies and destroy themselves.

"If we wait for reinforcements it will take two months! In the meantime, we will miss our chance to win! Listen, this is how you will respond to the Imperial Court---"

　Although he was angry, he was speaking to an absolute monarch, Tsar Nicholas II. Yudenich chose his words carefully and used euphemisms, but essentially he wanted to say the following:

　I guess it wouldn't really matter if I knocked it down.

　**

　A month later, without the need to wait for Cossack reinforcements, Yudenich's Caucasus Front had annihilated the Ottoman forces and invaded Ottoman territory instead.

"You bald Yudenich, come on!"

　Nicholas II, who was completely pleased with Yudenich, overlooked his rudeness and promoted him from lieutenant general to general. In the Soviet Union, merit-based rewards were common, and Nicholas II, also known as Stalin, was generous to those who were competent and could produce results.

　The Russian Caucasus Army led by Yudenich continued to advance west along the Black Sea towards Istanbul, where they could receive supplies from the superior Russian Black Sea Fleet.

"This battle is our victory!"

　For Nicholas II, the Middle East war was already a victory, and he had already laid the groundwork for the post-war period.

"Let us support the independence of the Armenians and the Kurds."

　In the eastern part of the Ottoman Empire, from Trebizond on the Black Sea coast to Syria, there were many Armenians living there, and in the southeast, near the Persian border, there was an area inhabited by Kurds.

　In the multi-ethnic Ottoman Empire, these minority groups coexisted with the Turks thanks to the authority of the Sultan, feudalism, and Islam, and there was no conflict between the two groups for a long time. However, with the rise of nation-states and nationalism, the momentum for independence grew among the minority groups, while at the same time, the trend of forced assimilation and oppression grew among the Turks.

After the Ottoman army suffered a crushing defeat in the first battle, Armenians living near the border rose up in rebellion. Many young people from Armenian settlements sought independence and joined guerilla activities, or volunteered to serve in the Russian army.

　Naturally, the majority of the Ottoman Empire, the Turks, considered this an act of treason, and began to arrest Armenians at random and send them to concentration camps one after another. The executions and harsh forced labor of those who did not comply reached a point where it was called the "Armenian Genocide," and it became the perfect excuse for the Entente powers to overthrow the Ottoman Empire.

　**

　While the Russian army was making vigorous advances in Turkey, there was also a major development in the Balkans, when Bulgaria, which had remained neutral up until that point, entered the war on the side of the Allies.

"Let's settle the grudges from the Balkan Wars and take revenge on Serbia!"

During the First Balkan War, Bulgaria formed the Balkan Peninsula together with other Balkan countries (Serbia, Greece, Romania, and Montenegro) and defeated the Ottoman Empire, but was isolated over the issue of its share of the Balkan War and was completely defeated in the Second Balkan War.

(Small country Serbia is on the verge of destruction due to the war with big country Austria... If we attack them from behind now, won't we be able to easily recover their territory?)

　There was growing support for war among the Bulgarian government and people, and the inclusion of Bulgaria in the Central Powers would have been a major advantage, as it would have provided a land route from Germany to the Ottoman Empire.

　Thus, the entry of Bulgaria into the war sealed the fate of Serbia, which had barely managed to withstand the Austrian offensive. Caught in a pincer attack, the Serbian army surrendered one month after Bulgaria entered the war.

　A month later, the Kingdom of Montenegro and the Kingdom of Albania also surrendered to the Central Powers, and the occupied territories were divided between the Bulgarian and Austro-Hungarian armies. Greece remained neutral, and the Central Powers achieved their goal of stabilizing the Balkans by connecting them to Turkey by land, so there were no major developments for a while after this.

This came just after the Central Powers had achieved complete victory in the Balkans in early 1916 and the movement of large Austro-Hungarian forces to the eastern front.

　Russian forces launch the Brusilov Offensive.

　After careful preparations right up until the very last moment when the Central Powers forces advanced north from the Balkan front, the Russian army finally launched a major offensive.