CHAPTER 319: AFTER REVISION: CHAPTER 319 BATTLE OF PUBLIC OPINION

The Battle of Bolayear ended with the total defeat of the Ottoman Army at Point "A", and the French Army successfully occupied Point "A", gaining a rare foothold and survival space.

The French landing at Point "A" meant that the supply lines on the Gallipoli Peninsula would be completely blocked. Once France’s 75 cannons were brought ashore, the Ottoman Army wouldn’t be able to avoid using manpower to transport supplies even off-road.

Defending the Gallipoli Peninsula thus became an almost impossible task for the Ottoman Army.

Under Sanders’ command, the Ottoman Army retreated entirely from the Gallipoli Peninsula and fell back to a new defensive line east of Bolayear to continue the standoff with the Allies.

Shire saw columns of Ottomans captured by the Allies who couldn’t be evacuated in time. They were clad in rags, their bodies filthy, but their looks towards the French Army were full of hatred.

At Point "A", more than seven thousand militia and regular soldiers were captured, and over ten thousand in other directions, totaling more than 21,000 prisoners.

But Shire knew that victory in Gallipoli didn’t mean the end of the Dardanelles campaign.

The other side of the strait was still in the hands of the Ottomans, who could continue using mines and submarines to stop the Allies Fleet from entering the Marmara Sea. Moreover, the number of mines and submarines would only increase, potentially even extending into the Marmara Sea.

Additionally, many scattered units remained in the mountains and forests of Gallipoli, continuing to fight against the Allies.

Thus, the battle had merely taken its first step, with numerous difficulties still ahead.

Sometimes Shire found it astonishing: in such a difficult and complex battlefield, on what basis did the British Secretary of State for Defense believe that just a few warships could resolve the conflict?

Even more tragically, the Secretary made severe errors in both strategy and tactics during this campaign. Yet, he managed to whitewash his reputation, claiming that the failure was a "great strategic success that ultimately failed due to poor tactical execution."

...

The French media, however, generally held an optimistic attitude towards this battle, extensively covering Shire’s victory in Gallipoli:

"As everyone expected, Shire didn’t disappoint. He single-handedly turned the tide of the war, placing Gallipoli entirely under Allied control!"

"This is the true essence of amphibious warfare. Shire opened up a new Chapter in human amphibious operations; this battle will surely go down in history as a classic!"

"From this point onward, it’s only a matter of time before the fleet enters the Marmara Sea, with at least one side of the Dardanelles Strait being secure!"

...

French citizens boiled over with excitement upon reading the victory news. Compared to Shire’s previous victories, this time Shire outshone the British on the battlefield, filling French citizens with immense pride:

"Look, the British deployed an entire fleet and organized tens of thousands for the landing, yet they found themselves in a predicament in Gallipoli, while Shire achieved a decisive victory with just 3,000 men in merely a few days."

"It is said that Shire had warned the British from the beginning, but they ignored him, which led to this failure."

"I’ve heard the same. They reached out to Shire through General Winter, but the arrogant British simply disregarded Shire’s advice."

...

This news came from the City Defense Headquarters; it couldn’t be considered a leak as it was outdated information.

American newspapers also extensively covered the battle, with their military even simulating and reconstructing the scenario.

Although the United States had not yet entered the war, it had always sided with the Allies, with its participation being just a matter of time.

Therefore, they were very keen to gain some combat experience and modern equipment before joining the war, ensuring their outdated military and tactics quickly modernized and aligned with international standards.

Only the British newspapers reported this victory in a lukewarm manner, emphasizing the fire support from the British Fleet and the role played by the 5th Light Horse Regiment of Australia.

If it were just this, there seemed to be no major issue.

But public opinion continued to ferment, gradually escalating into a struggle between England and France over control and command of the battle.

Even the British themselves started discussing a critical question: "If Shire had commanded from the start, would this battle have lasted so long, with so many lives sacrificed and so many battleships lost?"

The answer was evidently no. Military and political leaders from various countries made a stunning assessment: if Shire’s attack strategy had been used from the beginning, the battle could have ended within a week, with fatalities possibly below a thousand.

"Because the Ottomans were unprepared at that time; they only had artillery and no infantry on the Gallipoli Peninsula."

"Shire could have easily landed on the peninsula and choked the enemy."

"Then the Ottomans wouldn’t have been able to bring ammunition onto the peninsula, our battleships wouldn’t have been shelled, and the Ottomans wouldn’t have been able to lay torpedoes smoothly!"

"It’s laughable that the British Army made Bolayear, such an important location, a feint!"

...

People outside of the military and political circles discussed it in simpler terms:

"Would fewer people have died if Shire had been in command?"

"To those politicians, it might just be a number, but to us, it’s about lives!"

"We should demand that the British hand over command to Shire; it would benefit everyone!"

...

And they did just that. France initiated several demonstrations, followed quickly by Australia and New Zealand.

France did it for honor, as most of the troops invested in Gallipoli were colonial soldiers, whose injuries or deaths were not a personal pain for most.

Australia and New Zealand sought to avoid unnecessary casualties, with most demonstrators being military families.

Soon, even Britain saw similar demonstrations and chants:

"If we can achieve victory at a lesser cost, why not?"

"Does it matter who leads this war? Isn’t victory what’s important?"

"Politicians don’t think so; they believe their own interests are more important!"

...

For a time, all public opinion swayed towards handing over command to Shire, growing louder and louder. Some even voiced dangerous remarks from the Australian and New Zealand troops:

"If Shire is not in command, we will refuse to fight."

"We fight for the interests of the Allies, not for politicians’ benefits."

"We are sacrificing our lives, and we hope they are valuable!"

...

At this time, a shocking piece of news suddenly emerged: "The Germans have confirmed Shire’s presence in Gallipoli and are planning to eliminate Shire at all costs, considering him more important than Gallipoli or even the Ottoman Empire!"

Everyone fell silent.

Unanimously, they pondered this question: is it time to bring Shire back?