Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 193: The Struggle of the Montenegrins

Montenegro

Since the outbreak of the Near East War, this tiny country has been in turmoil. Immediately, the entire nation was mobilized, with men, women, and children all joining the war effort.

The people of Montenegro are proud. They are the only nation on the Balkan Peninsula that has never submitted to the Ottoman Empire. For centuries, they have been at the forefront of resisting the Ottoman rule.

This was a nation where everyone was a soldier. Without the government’s coercion, the people voluntarily took up arms and returned to a state of mobilization.

Scutari was right before their eyes. They had fought here countless times, but this time their odds were very good, unlike before.

Not long ago, they had successfully rendezvoused with the Austrians in Bosnia, resolving their weapons and ammunition constraints and greatly boosting the Montenegrin army’s combat power.

Montenegrin Army Headquarters

Commander-in-Chief Mirkov spoke cautiously: “I just received word from the Foreign Ministry that the Hordas Armory will come to test a batch of weapons. Lasrich, you lead a battalion to ensure the safety of our Austrian friends. We absolutely cannot afford any mishaps.”

Mirkov had no choice but to be cautious. Currently, every rifle and every bullet in the Principality of Montenegro were provided by Austria.

Austria had now replaced the Russians and became their most important ally, without exception.

At this point, when Austria requested to test weapons on the battlefield, they naturally couldn’t refuse.

For the impoverished Principality of Montenegro, regardless of the weapon’s performance, as long as they could use it, it was good. Testing weapons for Austria now meant gaining a batch of weapons and equipment for free, which, in their eyes, was a profit.

As for risks from using new weapons, nothing could be worse than fighting the Ottomans with cold steel right?

The number of equipment for live testing was not small. For example, this time’s rifle testing had Hordas Armory directly sending five hundred new rifles, enough to equip two Montenegrin infantry battalions to participate in live combat testing.

Lasrich complained with a mournful face, “The Austrians are here again. Commander, can’t we send someone else? I still want to fight against the Ottomans.”

Although Lasrich was just a battalion commander, in the small military of the Principality of Montenegro, even a battalion commander is considered a high-ranking officer.

Observing his colleagues battle vigorously on the front lines, he, being fluent in German, was unfortunately appointed as the exclusive guard commander for the Austrian delegation instead. He has already seen off three successive batches of weapon observation teams.

As a Montenegrin, how could he not be thirsty for battle? He finally got an opportunity, only to have it disrupted by the sudden weapons testing.

Mirkov glared at him and sternly said: “Don’t talk about conditions with me. This matter is not negotiable. If the testing is successful, we can acquire five hundred rifles and a batch of ammunition for free, saving our country tens of thousands of guilders.”

When it came to funding, Lasrich had nothing to say. Tens of thousands of Austrian guilders might not seem like much, but for the Principality of Montenegro, it represented their financial income for one or two months.

Not all weapon tests were successful; many weapons, while performing exceptionally well in shooting range tests, revealed various issues once on the battlefield.

To encourage domestic armories to develop new weapons, the current costs of field tests were covered by the Austrian government.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, major Austrian armories sent a variety of weapons to the battlefield for testing.

Field testing examined not just weapon performance, but also maintenance, ease of operation in combat, etc.

Some succeeded, but more failed. Many weapons had great lethality, but unstable performance in combat. Or the performance was stable, but maintenance costs were too high.

……

Throughout the journey, Holman-Strehlen was struck by Montenegro’s total mobilization. He was certain they had over fulfilled the agreed 20,000 troops.

People of all ages who could move were serving in the war. He saw supplies being relayed village by village to the front, like a relay race.

Hardly any young and able-bodied individuals were visible; from start to finish, it was the elderly, the weak, women, and children who were busy with the tasks. The elderly helping had already almost lost all their teeth, and even children of a few years old were contributing.

“Mr. Lasrich, where are your young and able-bodied men?” Holman-Strehlen asked in puzzlement.

Lasrich replied matter-of-factly, “They are all on the battlefield!”

Seeing that Holman-Strehlen seemed to have difficulty understanding, Lasrich added:

“This is our homeland, and there is no danger here. The logistics and transportation are handled by the civilians. After walking a bit further, you'll be able to see our army.”

Holman-Strehlen did not speak, only silently recording what he saw in his notebook as they continued on.

Upon reaching the front lines, Holman-Strehlen also spotted the presence of female soldiers. Evidently, for this war, the Principality of Montenegro had staked its entire fate, putting all its chips on the table.

For Austria, this Near East War was just a local conflict where they could gain some advantages. The ultimate outcome of the war would only determine the extent of Austria’s gains, and the Ottomans wouldn’t dare to retaliate.

For the Russians, it was merely a strategic battle, not a matter of life and death. The Russians hadn’t reached the point of desperation yet.

If they lost, they could always come back in a few decades. The Russian people could afford the loss; after all, the Russo-Turkish War had been fought so many times, and adding one more wouldn’t make much difference.

The only exception was the Principality of Montenegro, gambling its entire fate. Winning meant growth and expansion, while losing meant everything would be gone.

Holman-Strehlen understood the actions of the Montenegrins; their hatred towards the Ottomans was irreconcilable. For centuries, this was the closest they had come to victory.

The Ottoman Empire was in decline, and was currently at war with both Austria and Russia. If it weren’t for the intervention of Britain and France, the war would have already ended.

Given this opportunity, the Montenegrins naturally took the gamble. As a Balkan nation, if they didn’t dare to gamble on their fate as a nation, then what kind of Balkan nation were they?

The only pity was Montenegro’s tiny population. If they had 10 million people, no, 5 million people, they could have driven the Ottomans out of the Balkans and built their own empire.

Thinking of this, Holman-Strehlen smiled slightly. If Montenegro had such a large population, they would not have become Austria’s ally either.

The entire Balkan Peninsula had just over 13 million people, with a significant portion concentrated in Istanbul.

The remaining regions had 2 million in Bulgaria, nearly 1 million in Greece, over 900,000 in Serbia, over 1 million each in the Danubian principalities, over 1 million in Macedonia, a few hundred thousand in Albania, and a few hundred thousand in Bosnia.

No matter how hard Montenegro tries, the limits of their population determine the ceiling of their development.

It’s impossible for them to pose a threat to Austria, which allowed them to be allies. For instance, supporting Montenegrin expansion into Albania, propping up a thorn that prevented Balkan unification.

Holman-Strehlen shook his head, discarding these thoughts. These were issues politicians should consider, not a weapons designer like him, thinking about these matters was already overstepping his bounds.

……

The war soon began. Through binoculars, Holman-Strehlen’s group watched the Montenegrin army launch an attack on the Ottoman positions.

Artillery fire roared, and flesh and blood splattered everywhere.

Holman-Strehlen and his team were too focused on observing the combat capabilities of the new rifles to pay attention to the carnage. He occasionally revealed a satisfied smile.

During the exchange of gunfire, soldiers equipped with these new rifles suffered significantly fewer casualties due to their ability to lie down and reload.

Although combat lethality was slightly weaker, higher accuracy in close combat compensated for this shortcoming.

As long as they could effectively kill the enemy within the effective range, achieving effective lethality, it was sufficient. After all, these were not sniper rifles, and the probability of hitting the enemy at long distances was too small. A slightly lower lethality mattered little.

The first round of testing was considered successful, and Holman-Strehlen breathed a sigh of relief. As long as they met the standards in the subsequent maintenance, they could be considered to have preliminarily met the requirements.

Unlike Holman-Strehlen’s satisfaction, Lasrich beside him frowned. After frequent contact with the Austrian testing teams, he had inevitably picked up some professional knowledge.

“Mr. Holman, doesn’t this rifle consume too much ammunition? Have you noticed that its high accuracy is actually built on the consumption of ammunition?”

Holman-Strehlen couldn’t help asking: “It consumes a lot of ammo?”

Lasrich affirmatively replied: “Of course. Ordinary rifles usually fire two or three rounds per minute, while this rifle can fire more than ten rounds per minute.

This means that the ammunition consumption has increased several times, and the accuracy has only marginally improved. Of course, our casualties have decreased somewhat.

Using such a gun is too expensive, and we can’t afford it anyway. I’m afraid its manufacturing cost won’t be low either.”

Holman-Strehlen nodded and recorded all these details in his notebook. Excessive ammunition consumption is extremely detrimental in war, as it means increased logistical supply difficulties.

For Montenegro, the costs of these breech-loading rifles were too high. Their finances and industry could not support equipping them.

However, for Austria, it may not be the case. This level of ammunition consumption was still within acceptable limits.

The advent of breech-loading rifles also signifies an increase in the cost of war, widening the gap in strength between industrial powers and weaker nations.

Without a powerful industry, one cannot sustain the terrifying ammunition consumption of future wars.

If both sides in this Near East War were equipped with breech-loading rifles, the Russian people would simply be unable to endure the war.

In terms of consumption, Russia and Austria together were still no match for Britain and France. It was still bearable now, partly due to early preparation and also because the ammunition consumption of the muzzle-loading rifles is not as high as that of breech-loading rifles.

“Mr. Lasrich, I can see you have rich experience in weapons testing. Are you interested in joining our team? The salary will absolutely satisfy you.” Holman-Strehlen invited.

Weapon testing on the battlefield is a high-risk job. Engaging in this kind of work, one never knows when they might be hit by a stray bullet from who knows where.

High risks naturally came with high pay, at least several times higher than Lasrich’s salary as a Montenegrin battalion commander.

No, it could be several tens of times higher. Due to financial difficulties, the officials and soldiers in the Principality of Montenegro receive very low pay, and most of the time, they do not even receive it.

This is not coercion but a voluntary relinquishment of pay. Unless they are really struggling at home, in most cases, they will voluntarily give up their salary.

Lasrich smiled and declined: “Thank you, Mr. Holman. But I think there is no need. This is not about money.

There are more important things than money in this world. My homeland is currently in a bloody battle with the Ottoman Empire, and we need to wash away centuries of shame with our blood.

For me, defeating the Ottoman Empire is my life’s goal. If this goal is achieved, I might reconsider my path in life.”

Holman-Strehlen bowed and said: “Mr. Lasrich, please forgive my rudeness. You are a true soldier, and should not be insulted by money.”

At this moment, Holman-Strehlen truly acknowledged Larsrich, or perhaps he acknowledged Montenegro.

Maybe they are not powerful, but their spirit of fighting for their country and nation against the Ottoman Empire for centuries, with unwavering faith, deserved respect from everyone.

After this little incident, Holman-Strehlen and his team changed their views on them. There was no more arrogance from the past, and relations between the two sides improved significantly.

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