Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 594: Hell on Earth

In West Asia, under the slaughter of the “Persian Blade,” the large group of refugees quickly scattered, and the Ottoman government could no longer control their movements.

Aside from those who were killed, only a small portion of the refugees fled deeper into Persia, while most returned to the Ottoman Empire through the same route.

People fear death, and in the face of the Persian forces wielding their blades, the refugees had already been cowed.

It was easy to send the refugees away, but returning home was not so simple. After finally getting rid of the refugees, how could the Ottoman government possibly accept this problem again?

After successfully expelling the refugees, Major General ?entürk was promoted to Lieutenant General, with the potential for further promotion if he could resolve the current issues.

As a cost, ?entürk had become notorious, affectionately referred to by international media as the “most insidious butcher.”

The media had a lot to thank him for, as his actions ensured they wouldn’t run out of sensational news this year. After the Persian massacre, newspaper sales across Europe rose by 30%.

In the command center, a middle-aged officer reported anxiously, “General, more and more refugees are gathering outside. We can barely hold them back.”

Lieutenant General ?entürk paid no attention, playing with a pair of walnuts in his hand. After a long pause, he casually asked, “Do you all remember how our ancestors established the Ottoman Empire?”

Everyone was stunned. How the Ottoman Empire was founded was clearly recorded in history books. Though much of it had been glorified, the general events were still well documented.

However, this question seemed to have nothing to do with the current situation. After a brief pause, seeing that no one answered, ?entürk wasn’t angry.

In these times, the quality of Ottoman Empire officers was lamentably poor. There were very few truly capable officers, and many had been scapegoated due to the Near East wars, forced to retire after being held responsible. Most of those remaining were connected by personal ties rather than merit.

An officer like ?entürk, who came from a prominent background and had actual competence, was a rare gem.

The corruption in the bureaucracy was even worse in the military. The saying “the less you do, the fewer mistakes you make” applies here too. If you genuinely wanted to do something, you had to be prepared for attacks from rivals. In this hostile environment, most people prioritized self-preservation.

The fact that ?entürk had quickly gained such a notorious reputation was actually the work of his competitors. Otherwise, how would the outside world even know that he was responsible for expelling the refugees?

Faced with such harsh realities, ?entürk didn’t expect his subordinates to be particularly brilliant or capable. As long as they could carry out his orders, that was enough.

“The law of the jungle, survival of the fittest, is a term you’re all familiar with, right?”

He added, “When disaster struck in the past, you’ve probably heard how our ancestors survived.

It all comes down to one solution—reducing the population. Whether by waging external wars or through internal purges, the goal was always the same: fewer people, more food to go around.

Now, with so many refugees outside, we simply can’t provide for them. Since that’s the case, we’ll use the oldest method: the survival of the fittest.”

Everyone’s expressions changed dramatically, as if they had been enlightened, suddenly realizing the situation and immediately began to flatter him.

Angered, ?entürk slammed the table. Despite bringing the discussion this far, no one was willing to respond. Clearly, everyone was smart enough to avoid responsibility and focus on self-preservation.

“Enough!” he snapped.

“Pass the order down. Tell the refugees that our food supplies are insufficient, and according to the ancient traditions of our ancestors, only the strong can survive.

Only by presenting five human heads can they earn the right to live. They can submit them in batches, register them with our clerks, and are allowed to use any means outside the camp.”

?entürk was fed up with dealing with the officers. Afraid of taking responsibility, what good would they ever achieve? They failed to realize that these were not ordinary times.

The Ottoman Empire was now governed by the Young Ottomans, idealists willing to sacrifice anything to achieve their goals. If they could sacrifice their own lives, how could they care about a group of refugees?

Being notorious might be disastrous in other countries, but in the Ottoman Empire, it didn’t matter. In the eyes of the ruling elite, a general with such a bad reputation was, in fact, more trustworthy.

With so many refugees at the gates, and without enough food to aid them, keeping them out was essential for domestic stability.

In this context, allowing the refugees to kill each other was clearly the best solution. Don’t be fooled by ?entürk’s claim that surviving refugees would be allowed in after presenting five heads, implying a one-in-six survival rate.

In reality, once the refugees started killing each other, it would be nearly impossible for them to stop. The actual survival rate would likely be less than one in ten, or even one in twenty.

Would these survivors really be allowed to live? Dream on. Those who survive by collecting five heads would be filled with hatred. If such individuals, bearing a grudge against the Ottoman Empire, were allowed in, no one would be able to sleep at night.

?entürk was already prepared to go back on his word, though he wouldn’t technically be breaking it. Murder is a crime, even in the Ottoman Empire. Anyone who has killed multiple people is a serious criminal anywhere, and executing them would be entirely justified.

Perhaps this was brutal, but in ?entürk’s view, he was merely helping the empire remove a potential threat. If these refugees were allowed to flood into the Ottoman Empire, the entire country would be devastated.

In the face of such harsh realities, the concept of good and evil didn’t matter. In these brutal times, everyone was fighting for survival. Mercy had no place in a world where only the strongest could survive.

...

After a long period of fleeing from famine, the nerves of the refugees were already on the verge of collapse, with many having already broken down.

?entürk’s order was like igniting the final spark of madness. It’s unclear who started it, but the refugee camp descended into complete chaos.

Apart from a few who still retained some sense of rationality and took the opportunity to flee towards the outskirts, the majority went berserk, launching attacks on those around them, as if taking others’ heads would grant them a slim chance at survival.

This was hell on earth, nothing less.

...

At the Vienna Palace, Franz was stunned as he reviewed the intelligence reports regarding the Ottomans’ outrageous actions. Instead of joining the newspapers in condemning the Ottoman government, he took a more rational approach, analyzing and assessing the situation.

Franz had to admit that the Ottoman Empire, despite its years of decline, had developed a unique way of surviving. When it came to ruthlessness, no European country could compare. They were not only brutal towards their enemies but even harsher towards their own people.

Even during the recent Near East War, the Russian army, despite its invasion, feared international backlash and did not resort to such tactics. Yet, the Ottoman government had no such reservations.

Although ?entürk had taken much of the blame, Franz saw him as a scapegoat. The real decision-makers were still far away in Ankara, pulling the strings behind the scenes.

Prime Minister Felix remarked, “We underestimated the Ottoman Empire. Their level of ruthlessness alone makes them formidable. I propose we intensify our pressure on the Ottomans. This is the perfect opportunity to intervene militarily, support the Armenians in gaining independence, and ensure the Ottomans never have a chance to rise again.”

The saying goes, “The reckless fear the ruthless, and the ruthless fear those who have nothing to lose.” This applies to nations as well. Facing a nation with nothing to lose can be a nightmare for anyone. The current Ottoman Empire had that aura of desperation.

The reputation the Ottoman Empire had built over centuries wasn’t going to disappear easily. Their recent show of ruthlessness reminded Prime Minister Felix of the past, raising his vigilance.

Franz shook his head and said, “The ruthlessness of the Ottoman Empire is indeed not to be underestimated, but after this conflict, any hopes of their revival are impossible.

We are now in the industrial age, and population is the most valuable resource. How much population does the Ottoman Empire have left? And of that, how many are able-bodied workers?

For the Ottomans to develop again, it would take decades, and that’s just in theory, without even considering their internal ethnic and religious issues.

Supporting Armenian independence now may seem like it weakens the Ottoman Empire, but in reality, it helps the Ottoman government by reducing territory and easing internal ethnic tensions.

Rather than that, we should secretly support the Armenian independence movement, allowing them to sap the Ottoman Empire’s strength from within.

At the same time, we can bolster the confidence of Britain and France, encouraging them to invest their energy into the black hole that is the Ottoman Empire, instead of constantly keeping their eyes on us.”

Franz wasn’t looking down on the Ottoman Empire, but the cold facts showed him that the Ottomans had lost any chance of rising again.

It was uncertain whether the current Ottoman Empire even had a population of ten million, and that number included a large portion of minorities. Once their internal conflicts end, the population will drop even further.

To industrialize, the Ottomans would not only need to solve their labor shortage but also address their domestic religious problems.

By the time they resolve those issues, a lot of time would have passed. Until then, even with British and French support, the best they could achieve is a superficially strong army that seems capable.

History has proven too many times that for a country to truly grow strong, it must become strong in all areas. Simply training a new army won’t make much of a difference.