The French had been defeated, but among the rebel leadership, there was not the slightest hint of celebration. Only Lieutenant General Jarrett and the group of British officers under his command seemed in good spirits. Most of the others were glaring at Mahdi with visible anger. A bearded officer pulled out his sidearm, placed it heavily on the table, and demanded, “Mahdi, what happened? Why didn’t you inform us about the plan to blow up the dam? Do you even realize that—” Before he could finish, Mahdi quickly interrupted, “Rethenis, it’s not that I didn’t want to inform you. There simply wasn’t enough time. Our main force had already suffered defeat at the front lines. If the rebellion was going to stand a chance against the French, destroying the Aswan Dam was our only option. And as it turns out, our decision was right. The French army suffered heavy losses and is now in a full retreat.” Rethenis let out a cold laugh and said sarcastically, “I doubt it was really about timing. You never planned to inform us in the first place. After all, the ones who took the losses weren’t your men. Your loyal Sixth and First Divisions came through untouched. Of course it didn’t cost you anything.” Judging by the expressions around the room, this seemed to be the real source of their anger. The troops had already suffered defeat on the battlefield. From a purely military perspective, blowing up the dam had reversed their fortunes. It was a risky move, but one that could be justified in the name of the greater good. The problem was that the units who paid the price belonged to the others, while Mahdi’s own forces had emerged unscathed. That imbalance was what truly left everyone feeling resentful. Seeing that kind words had no effect, Mahdi also lost his temper and immediately shot back, “Are you all really unaware of the situation with the First and Sixth Divisions? You're accusing me of holding back my strength, but don’t forget, it was my men who went in first during the earlier blocking engagements. If they hadn’t suffered heavy losses, they wouldn’t have been pulled back to recuperate.” Sensing the situation was about to spiral out of control, Lieutenant General Jarrett stepped in. “Gentlemen, no one wanted this to happen. War requires sacrifice. With our defeat on the front lines, the soldiers who participated had no chance of escaping the French counterattack. At the very least, they managed to drag the French down with them. They died with honor. Instead of blaming each other, we should focus on rebuilding our strength. The army has taken heavy losses, but we can always recruit new troops. The French have been dealt a serious blow and, in the short term, won’t be able to launch a second military crackdown in Egypt. That gives you all the freedom to act as you wish. In light of your sacrifices, Britain is willing to provide thirty thousand rifles and a supply of ammunition to support your efforts in overthrowing French rule.” History had turned the tables. Back when the French supported the American Revolution, it had cost Britain its hold on North America. Now it was Britain’s turn to intervene. But compared to Louis XVI’s generosity where he personally funded and even committed troops, the British were being far more stingy. A mere thirty thousand rifles, with not even a single artillery piece or machine gun included. Knowing British habits, there was a good chance these were all military surplus, discarded gear no longer fit for the British army. In Britain, these thirty thousand retired rifles wouldn’t sell for even thirty thousand pounds. In fact, even for ten thousand pounds, it would be hard to find a buyer for them on the European continent. But for the rebel army, this was already an astronomical figure. It far exceeded the total support previously offered by Britain and Austria combined. When the others heard about the thirty thousand rifles, their expressions immediately softened. The rebel forces were a mixed group. While there might have been a few commanders who genuinely cared for their soldiers, they were definitely in the minority. For most high-ranking members, the army was simply a tool for gaining power and wealth. Soldiers were seen as expendable. As long as there were enough rifles, there would always be new recruits to form an army. Once troops were lost, they would just recruit more to fill the ranks. With this batch of weapons from Britain, it was likely that Austria would soon provide another. Along with the equipment left behind on the battlefield, restoring military strength would not be a problem. Rethenis quickly stepped forward to make a request: “For the Lieutenant General’s sake, I’ll let this matter go. But the Second Division has suffered heavy losses. I need ten thousand rifles to recover its strength.” Mahdi rejected the request at once and said, “No. Everyone has suffered significant losses. The Second Division is actually one of the better-off units. You still have an entire regiment intact. At most, you’ll get five thousand five hundred rifles.” He had every reason to suppress Rethenis. Within the rebel forces, Rethenis held power second only to Mahdi. The two had already clashed multiple times in their struggle for leadership. Now that Mahdi had used the battlefield situation to weaken the Second Division, he would not allow Rethenis to regain his strength so easily. Rethenis slammed his hand on the table and shouted in fury, “Mahdi, you’re going too far. If this is how you’re going to act, we might as well cut ties right now. No one is going to stick around just to be treated like dirt.” … The internal conflict within the rebel army was something Lieutenant General Jarrett was more than happy to see. If the rebels had truly been united, how could his role as the British envoy have held any real significance? Take the current situation, for example. Everyone knew it was Jarrett who had actually given the order to destroy the dam. But they all pretended otherwise, leaving Mahdi to take the fall alone. This was already the result after Hutier and the others had left. Otherwise, the scene would have been even more chaotic. Those who had lost in the power struggle would likely have turned to Austrian support and stepped forward to challenge Mahdi, who was backed by the British. As the arguing escalated and the command center descended into chaos, nearly breaking into a fight, Lieutenant General Jarrett picked up his command baton and slammed it hard on the table. He barked, “Sit down, all of you. Just look at yourselves! What kind of behavior is this?” He continued, “Don’t forget who you are now. You are the leaders of a nation, not street thugs. Quarreling like this over a minor issue, aren’t you ashamed if word of this gets out?” Once everyone returned to their seats, Jerrett nodded in satisfaction. He knew it wasn’t because of any personal respect they held for him. It was because all the weapons and equipment were in his hands. No one present could afford to offend him. After a brief pause to calm his tone, Lieutenant General Jarrett continued, “The main French force has collapsed. This is the perfect time to expand our gains. If we keep arguing like this, we’ll miss our chance. We’re all soldiers here, so let’s settle this the military way. Whoever earns the most merit in battle gets the largest share. I’ll make the call for you now. As we pursue the retreating French troops, whoever takes down the most enemies and captures the most prisoners will receive the largest portion. Those who sit around doing nothing shouldn’t waste resources. And don’t accuse me of being unfair. While the front-line units have taken heavy losses, you’re also the ones closest to the French troops. Even if you can’t keep up the chase, retreating French stragglers will still come your way.” There was no doubt this plan favored Mahdi the most. Jerrett might have made it sound easy, but in reality, the rebel forces at the front were in no better shape than the French after being hit by the floodwaters. Capture fleeing French soldiers? The truth was, many of them were barely holding together themselves. The only advantage they had was that they technically won the battle and could regroup once the waters receded. But with morale and discipline in tatters, these units weren’t ready for another fight any time soon. Just as Jarrett said, they might be able to round up scattered French stragglers but that was about all they could manage. … Outside the city of Luxor, Hutier was watching the assault through his binoculars. There were no siege engines in sight. The rebels didn’t know how to build them, nor did they need such things. For the sake of urban development, the French had already demolished Luxor’s city walls long ago. As an inland city, the French never considered the possibility of an external threat. Fortifications or bunkers didn’t exist here. From the moment the fighting began, it immediately turned into street combat. Taking advantage of the rebels’ lack of artillery, the French defenders used buildings as cover to block their advance into the city. Watching his troops charge in chaotically, only to be blown apart in a storm of blood and flesh, Hutier frowned deeply. After all, they were still his men so there was still some emotional attachment. If possible, he genuinely hoped they could survive. Beside him, Falkenhayn remained much calmer. He seemed unaffected by the atmosphere of the battlefield and casually remarked, “The defenders’ firepower is disorganized. It doesn’t look like a regular army. The main French force is clearly not in the city. If we disregard the cost, the chances of us taking Luxor are actually quite high.” Hutier shook his head and replied, “Austria isn’t ready to openly turn against the French. Even if we take Luxor, we can’t hold onto it. If we hand it over to the rebels, they won’t be able to keep it either. A feigned assault will suffice, just enough to scare the French inside the city. Rather than wasting precious manpower here, it’s better to march our troops around Egypt and cause more trouble for the French that way.” At that moment, Straussenburg approached from the rear, his face beaming with excitement. He grinned and said, “Lieutenant Colonel, order a halt to the assault. We’re about to have a real opportunity to act.” Hutier made a bold guess and replied, “Oh? Could it be that the French main force was wiped out by the flood, leaving Egypt wide open and ready for us to reap the rewards?” Straussenburg nodded then shook his head. “They weren’t completely wiped out, but they came close. According to intelligence gathered by our scouts, the rebel leadership used their main force as bait. During the battle, they suddenly blew up the Aswan Dam. The flood hit both armies directly in the midst of the fighting. The losses on both sides were severe. Adolphe’s suppression army has now turned into a defeated rabble, fleeing in panic. It might not be long before we run into them. If we strike again, this French expeditionary force could very well cease to exist.” Ambushing the retreating French army would be far more cost-effective than continuing the assault on Luxor. If they were lucky enough to wipe out Adolphe’s suppression force here, it wasn’t out of the question to march in a victory parade through Cairo. However, Falkenhayn disagreed saying, “Major, you’re being too optimistic. If the French retreat in a disorganized panic, then yes, we could intercept and crush them. But if Adolphe has even a bit of sense, he’ll regroup his forces somewhere along the way and then continue the retreat in an organized manner. He wouldn’t need much. As long as he can muster a single regiment, that would be enough to defeat the Eighth Division. Even with their morale badly shaken, the French only need to double that to two regiments, and they’ll still have the upper hand. If Adolphe is bold enough, there may be no need to retreat at all. The rebel headquarters has only two and a half battered infantry divisions left. A mere five thousand French troops would be enough to go head-to-head and come out on top.” There was no doubt that the final conclusion was based on an ideal scenario. Even if Adolphe had the courage to burn his bridges and fight to the death, the French soldiers would also have to be willing to make a last stand. The formidable combat strength of the French army had always relied on morale and discipline. Without the will to fight, their effectiveness might not be much better than that of the rebel forces. Straussenburg gave a faint smile and then said, “You’re giving the French too much credit. Most of the troops in this battle were colonial units, not the elites of the French military. After being hit by the flood, the surviving stragglers are at their lowest point in terms of fighting spirit. Their combat effectiveness is extremely limited. But that’s not even the key issue. The real reason we can win is that the French have lost almost all of their logistical supplies and heavy firepower. The small towns and colonial outposts along the way can at most supply them with some food. The weapons and equipment they’ve lost can’t be replaced. The flood hit them in the middle of the battle, which means the ammunition they had already used up couldn’t be resupplied before they fled in panic. As long as we force them to exhaust the last of their bullets, we’ll win this war.” After hesitating for a moment, Hutier made a decision: “Pass down the order! Have all units immediately stop the assault on the city. Inform all officers at the regimental level and above that we’ll be holding an emergency military meeting this afternoon.” *** https://postimg.cc/gallery/PwXsBkC (Maps of the current territories of the countries in this novel made by ScH)
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I'll probably get back to working on maps from Monday onwards. Work and family took over a lot of my time recently.
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