In Suman, a city not far from the current border with Bulgaria, a large number of soldiers filled the city.
The residents in the city have become accustomed to this. Since the war broke out more than a month ago, there have been many soldiers in Suman City. They built sandbags, built bunkers, and pulled barbed wire here. At that time, many people thought that this place was going to be used as a battlefield.
Some people were so frightened that they ran to the countryside to hide. It turned out that nothing happened, but the number of soldiers has increased recently, causing many people to speculate whether they were going to use force against Bulgaria next door.
In fact, there are not only soldiers stationed in Suman. There are many soldiers stationed in Varna and Ruse, but there is no Suman. The reason for this situation is that the Bulgarian Combat Group Army headquarters was also established in Suman.
Within the headquarters, Freit, who had just taken office as a new officer, was making the last preparations before the war.
"Everyone, our target for this operation is very clear, which is the enemy's capital Sofia. According to the intelligence we have learned, Bulgaria has formed a new Sixth Army in response, with a strength of 180,000, and the commander is Kudince
Husband Lieutenant General."
Looking at the division commanders who were sitting below quietly listening to his explanation of tactics, Ferreit lamented that he had been one of them once upon a time, and that he stood out through a combination of opportunities during the Balkan War. After sighing, Ferreit continued to talk.
arrive.
"The Sixth Army is currently stationed in Veliko Tarnovo, Pleven and Norwich, completely blocking our army's attack on Sofia. Therefore, according to the group army's combat plan, the Third and Seventh Divisions stationed in Ruse
As the leading force, the probing attack on the enemy in Veliko Tarnovo was led by Lieutenant General Mandiv, commander of the third division. The left wing was taken by the 12th Division, the right wing was taken by the 2nd Guards Division, and the other divisions followed the headquarters.
.”
Then Lieutenant General Freit continued to talk about some key points and precautions in combat. The entire conference room was quiet. All the generals participating in the meeting were carefully taking notes and recording their tasks.
"Okay, let's break up the meeting."
As Lieutenant General Freit, who was presiding over the meeting, called for the adjournment of the meeting, the door that had been waiting for more than two hours was pushed open, and the generals with generals on their shoulders walked out of the conference room one after another. The responsible person
Lieutenant General Freit, who presided over the meeting, and Chief of Staff Major General Sarda finally walked out.
"Commander, Chief of Staff, here are the newly sent plans for the construction of fortifications in Veliko Tarnovo, Pleven and other places."
A staff officer said to the two of them while holding a document.
Before Lieutenant General Freit could reach out his hand, Chief of Staff Sarda reached out and took it first. "Give it to me first."
Ferreit was not impressed by the Chief of Staff's actions and spoke directly. "The intelligence department has done a great job this time and even obtained the fortification distribution map. I think I must give them credit."
"I just don't know which department takes the credit."
When asked by the chief of staff, Lieutenant General Freit, who knew some intelligence agencies, smiled and said, "That's why we need to ask Milok and Captain Kalust."
Then the lieutenant general changed the topic. "Look, others first inquired about Bulgaria's domestic situation and troop deployment, and then explored the fortification and defense map. They have already paved the way for us. If the mission fails, there will really be nothing to say.
.”
Facing Lieutenant General Freit's words, Major General Sarda nodded in agreement.
"Our group army has the most elite troops, almost all of which are standing divisions, and two of the three ace divisions have already arrived. There is no reason why we can't win against the opponent."
Facing the words of the Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Freit talked about another thing. "I heard that the Battle of Salonika has been stopped?"
"Yes, the Allied Powers have sent a telegram, saying that their losses are too great and the Battle of Salonika can no longer be fought. However, the Chief of General Staff has sent them a note, asking the Allied Powers to continue the battle. This
It’s about opening up our external channels.”
The words of the chief of staff made Freit grumble for a while. "These people from the Allied Powers really did a terrible job. Didn't we find out clearly? There are only about 200,000 elites in Bulgaria, and the rest are even our second batch of mobilizers."
Even worse than a division, these Allied armies are unable to break the situation."
Faced with his partner's complaints, Major General Sarda said with a wry smile. "It's not like you don't know the situation. The environment in Salonika is not very good, and it is said that there are 500,000 Allied troops. In fact, most of them are Serbian troops and Greek troops."
The composition of the army. We all know the Serbian army, but don’t you know how bad the performance of the Greek army is?”
The Chief of Staff's words reminded Ferreit of the performance of the Greek army in the Balkan War. We really shouldn't expect too much from this. Then the Chief of Staff's voice sounded again. "And there are only a few British and French troops left, most of them are
They are colonial soldiers, and their capabilities cannot be compared with the local soldiers. The only ones who are better are the Australian and New Zealand soldiers. And I heard that in this attack, the Australian and New Zealand soldiers and Serbian soldiers will be the main force."
The words of the chief of staff made Lieutenant General Freit think. "It is best for the Allied forces to continue the Battle of Salonika, even if the offensive intensity is lower. This will consume Bulgaria's few reserves of supplies. According to
The intelligence is that the Bulgarians are about to run out of food."
When asked by Lieutenant General Freit, the Chief of Staff helped him recall. "Yes, according to intelligence, 42% of Bulgaria currently lacks food."
Lieutenant General Freit said disdainfully, "There are only six million people who dare to recruit more than one million soldiers. It is strange that they are not short of food."
Yes, Freit was right. Bulgaria had the highest mobilization rate among the participating countries. The 18% mobilization rate far exceeded other countries. However, Bulgaria mobilized so many soldiers but did not have enough ordnance to equip them. Many divisions were
There is a shortage of guns and artillery, and there is even a rifle division.
In the past, the Allies did not pay much attention to Bulgaria because it was too far away from the main battlefield. Now that Romania has joined, it is different. However, after Russia's defeat and the freed-up German and Austrian troops, Britain, France, Italy and other countries paid more attention to the Western Front and the Italian battlefield. As for the Balkans war situation
They can only wait for Britain and France to block the German attack. Now the Battle of Salonika is their greatest support for Romania.
Lieutenant General Freit, who knew this clearly, told the Chief of Staff, "This time our battle will not only defeat the enemy militarily, but also disintegrate them from the perspective of people's livelihood. For this reason, the General Staff has requested the government.
Prepare 40,000 tons of grain. This is also our ammunition, ammunition to hit the Bulgarian people."
