Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 243 New Situation
"Terrabison has fallen..."

General Aksuna looked at the message from the rear and felt incredulous. This was the most important port on the Black Sea; how could it have fallen?

"General, we should prepare as soon as possible. If Trabison falls, the enemy will surely attack our rear. It would be better to retreat and lure the enemy deeper into our territory."

The proposal was rejected, especially considering that the Ottomans had built Van into an impregnable fortress in preparation for this day. Giving it away like that was truly a painful loss.

"Now we need to hold on. If we hand over Fancheng to others, the defense will be much more difficult."

Moreover, the Empire has already dispatched Nizampasha to lead an army to retake Trabisun, and it is believed that results will be achieved soon.

Aksuna encouraged those around him, saying that they had persevered for two months and could continue to do so without worry.

But the lower-ranking officers had much more to think about. For the past two months, Iran had been expending artillery shells like water. If they went to the front lines, they would find there was absolutely no cover left. The city walls were riddled with holes; at this point, even a gust of wind could topple them.

"General, we have been bombarding Fan City with artillery for two months, and their defenses have been greatly weakened. Shouldn't we launch a general offensive?"

Seeing this situation, Soleimani felt that even artillery would suffice. In his view, this seemingly invincible fortress was about to change hands.

"Issue the order: the full-scale offensive will begin tomorrow, and we must remove this thorn in our side!"

"Yes"

The Iranian army was busy with various preparations, including replenishing ammunition and reorganizing damaged troops. Meanwhile, the enemy inside the city was not blind to their unbridled preparations. Therefore, they were equally busy constructing fortifications, building barricades, and establishing firing positions.

After a busy night, a new day begins, and a major battle is about to begin.

"Fire!"

At the commander's order, over a hundred cannons were positioned across twelve artillery positions, unleashing a barrage of shells at Van. The shells, as expected, rained down on the city's buildings and the defending troops' positions. The intense and continuous explosions blanketed much of the city in smoke and dust, which lingered for a long time.

Of course, when faced with enemy artillery fire, the defending troops would not hold back, and counter-fire would soon follow.

A deafening explosion rang out beside an artillery position, shaking the soldiers on the ground. Even the horses tethered nearby for transport became restless, these animals accustomed to artillery fire were startled.

After a morning of intermittent shelling, Soleimani felt the time was right. Partly due to the ineffectiveness of the bombardment, and partly because he didn't have enough ammunition, he issued the order to attack at 1 p.m. "I now order all units to begin the attack according to their previous operational plans."

At his command, the officers and soldiers immediately leaped out of the trenches and attacked Fancheng. The sounds of cannons, gunfire, roars, and screams mingled together, creating a symphony of death on the battlefield.

"Bang!" A bullet struck the head of a low-ranking Ottoman officer, spurting out a stream of reddish-white liquid. The Iranian sniper quickly retreated to cover. The whooshing sound of bullets slicing through the air above him told him that if he had been two or three seconds later, these bullets would have done more than just slice through the air.

Scenes like this played out repeatedly within Van. Under the onslaught of Iranian artillery, the city walls collapsed. A breach appeared in the once impregnable defenses, and Iranian soldiers poured in, engaging the Ottomans in street fighting.

After two days and two nights of effort, Iran successfully occupied one-third of the region. Their frenzied actions alarmed General Aksuna, who hastily ordered all troops to hold off the Iranian offensive.

In the eastern district, squads of revitalized Ottoman soldiers charged toward the Iranian positions. The Iranian troops defending the positions fought back desperately.

The rifles in their hands and the artillery on the ground formed a hail of bullets, and any Ottoman soldier who stepped into it was in great danger of losing his life, as evidenced by the corpses that kept falling along the way.

Of course, it wasn't just the attacking Ottomans who suffered; the defending Iranians also succumbed to the ravages. Many men in Iranian uniforms perished in and around the trenches. The battle raged on between the two sides around the city of Van.

Iran's objective was clear: the artillery positions in various locations. The assembled commando team performed its mission admirably; by the eighth day of the city siege, nearly 80% of the area was under Iranian control.

At this point, the Ottomans were even less loyal than the Russian army; most surrendered outright, while others quietly went into hiding, preparing to leave after the war. It seems this new army construction was ultimately pointless.

Aksuna knew that all was lost and immediately ordered his troops to break out on their own. He himself felt ashamed of failing the Sultan's expectations and committed suicide by shooting himself in his command post at midnight.

Although it was a self-inflicted breakout, breaking through the heavy encirclement was no easy feat. Many defenders were routed and captured by Iranian forces following this order.

Gunfire continued throughout the night until dawn, and ultimately fewer than three thousand soldiers managed to break out of the city. The 66-day Battle of Van City came to an end.

Iran has captured the most fortified stronghold. In addition to relaying the news to the world, Iran is pressing its advantage and launching attacks on Anatolia.

Nizam Pasha, who had already arrived in El Zulum, learned of the fall of Van. Despite his anger over Aksuna's suicide, he couldn't vent it on the dead.

However, what followed presented him with a difficult situation. The news of the fall of Fancheng could not be kept from the officers and soldiers below, and with the loss of Fancheng's elite troops, the battle, which was originally still fightable, would become even more difficult.

Faced with this situation, Nizampasha didn't know what to do.

At this time, he received a message from Istanbul, ordering the Pasha to hold Mesopotamia and not to continue withdrawing his troops. This made things even more difficult for him, because he only had 38,000 troops in Erzurum, and had lost at least 50,000 to 60,000 in Trabisun and Van. It was simply impossible to defend with the remaining troops.

But even the most impossible must be accomplished. Nizam Pasha captured all the men, women, and children in the surrounding area, equipping each of them with a gun, or using wooden sticks for those who didn't. They were used to dig trenches and serve as cannon fodder. He also ordered reinforcements from the Ankara region to advance faster.

(End of this chapter)