Chapter 413: Chapter 407: The Child Who Cries Gets The Milk
"Your Excellency Shamil, no one can erase your contributions to the Empire!" The envoy first complimented the wrinkled and unshaven old man.
It has been nearly 20 years since Shamil rebelled against the domination of the Russian Empire in 1834. Almost two decades of great changes have gradually transformed Shamil from a young and robust youth into an elderly man.
Shamil can be said to have dedicated his entire life to helping the Peaceful Sect Tribe in the Caucasus resist the Russian Empire.
In these nineteen years, Shamil has killed or wounded nearly an entire army group of Russian soldiers. His mountain troops, like phantoms moving through the forest, caused countless Russian soldiers stationed in the Caucasus Region to tremble with fear.
Shamil single-handedly shook the foundations of the Russian Empire’s rule in the Caucasus Region.
Under Shamil’s elusive guerrilla warfare, the logistics of the Russian Empire suffered severe damage.
All of these achievements were something even the Ottoman Empire Government could not ignore.
"Hmph! But what have you done for us? What have those sitting idly by in the Ottoman Empire done for us! When we needed support the most, where were you! When we needed help the most, where were you!" Shamil slowly rose from his seat, approached the envoy step by step, and questioned him word by word.
Shamil’s robust physique, honed through life-and-death struggles, formed a stark contrast with the frail body of the envoy, nurtured in the rear areas of the Ottoman Empire.
"I..." The envoy couldn’t help but swallow a mouthful of saliva as he looked at this hero against Russia before him.
Immediately afterward, Shamil took off the white priest’s robe covering his upper body in front of the envoy, revealing strong biceps and a toned chest.
As Shamil removed his clothing, the envoy’s complexion gradually turned pale.
Because what was displayed in front of the envoy was a body covered in scars, with knife and gunshot wounds filling Shamil’s upper torso.
"This was left when I was chased by a team of Russian pursuers in 1836!" Shamil pointed to a gun wound on his lower abdomen and said to the envoy, "At that time, the Caucasus Region was still snowing! I lay in the snow for more than three hours before I escaped from those damned Russian pursuers!"
Then, Shamil pointed to another knife scar and said to the envoy, "This was when I was engaged in close combat with those Cossack brutes in 1840 and got stabbed by one of them! If it weren’t for my good fortune at the time, I would have almost died there..."
Shamil recounted each of his scars to the envoy, and the envoy’s mindset shifted from previous disregard to sympathy.
These people, unregistered in the formal Ottoman Empire army, relied on their blood and courage to resist the Russian Empire. As someone living in the far rear of the Ottoman Empire, what right did he have to look down upon them?
Thinking of this, the envoy couldn’t help but feel ashamed of his previous thoughts.
He was a politician, but he was also a "patriot."
As long as his personal interests were not compromised, his patriotic zeal was not lower than anyone else’s.
"Mr. Envoy, why are we doing this? Why do my subordinates and I risk getting shot or hanged to oppose the Russian Empire?" Shamil’s words were filled with anger.
Twenty years of resistance without respite had bred an extremely violent emotion within Shamil.
Especially after 1845, with the arrival of the new military commander of the Caucasus Region, Mikhail Vorontsov. His arrival directly led to a sharp increase in the Russian Empire’s presence in the Caucasus.
With overwhelming superiority, Vorontsov no longer considered directly attacking the rebel strongholds. Instead, he besieged them, cutting off food supplies by burning crops and villages. His troops also drove the rebels out of hiding by felling forests and built roads into rebel areas to facilitate the Russian military.
From 1845 to 1853, hundreds of villages in the Caucasus Region were directly burned, and many villages were compelled to turn to the Russian Empire, hoping for its protection.
As the grassroots forces were continually uprooted by the Russian Empire, Shamil once wrote to the Ottoman Empire, asking them to help him, preferably by sending some food and military supplies, if not perhaps just arms.
However, none of Shamil’s letters received a reply from the Ottoman Empire. When Shamil personally set out to seek help from the Ottoman Empire’s army, he was attacked by Ottoman Empire garrison soldiers in the border region.
The Ottoman Empire’s actions only fueled Shamil’s brutality even further, and sometimes, he could not resist the urge to personally attack Constantinople to question the High Gate Government.
If it weren’t for the Russian Imperial Army’s increasingly strict sweeps in the Caucasus Region recently.
Shamil would never have written a plea for help to the Ottoman Empire’s army, but under forced circumstances, he had no choice but to write, hoping for their assistance.
Fortunately, this time, the Ottoman Empire’s army seemed to have a conscience and "noticed" Shamil’s letter, dispatching an emissary to meet with him.
Upon receiving the emissary, Shamil couldn’t help but express his negative emotions towards him.
"Mr. Shamit, you are a true patriot!" Faced with Shamil’s complaints, the emissary did his best to console him, saying: "You and your subordinates have made indelible contributions to the Ottoman Empire, causing the Russian Empire’s invaders to suffer greatly!"
Then, the emissary shifted his tone and continued: "In fact, many in the Ottoman Empire High Gate praise your actions, but we cannot support them! If the Ottoman Empire intervenes, both you and the Ottoman Empire would face retaliation from the Russian Empire! Given diplomatic considerations, the Empire was unable to provide support to you and your subordinates at that time! Please understand!"
"Understand? Can mere understanding bring back my fallen soldiers? Can it win back the hearts of the people in the Caucasus Region?" Shamil raised his voice, shouting at the emissary.
"I know that no words can simply erase the pain you’ve endured! If you are willing, you and your subordinates can come to the Ottoman Empire for recuperation now! I assure you, you will receive a welcome beyond your imagination! Every resident of Constantinople will see you as heroes! Petals will pave a path leading to His Majesty the Sultan’s palace, where you can meet His Majesty and the Dean, and they will bestow blessings upon you..." The emissary, using a tactic of retreating to advance, earnestly persuaded Shamil and his men, hoping to dissolve their animosity towards the Empire after struggling in "hell" for over a decade.
As expected, most of Shamil’s subordinates showed a hint of longing on their faces under the emissary’s persuasive words.
"Can we really meet His Majesty the Sultan?" asked a younger Chechen among them, inquiring of the emissary.
"Of course! His Majesty welcomes your arrival!" The emissary replied to the Chechen with a kindly smile, nodding.
Then the emissary turned his gaze back to Shamil and asked unhurriedly: "Mr. Shamil, do you need to return to Constantinople for recuperation? If so, I will immediately report your situation to Constantinople."
No sooner had the emissary finished speaking than Shamil’s subordinates all turned their gaze towards him.
Shamil’s face also revealed a look of struggle. He then looked at the emissary as well: "Thank you very much for your kind offer, Mr. Emissary! My army and I do not need to recuperate at the moment, but we require munitions and provisions! As long as the Empire can satisfy these two conditions, that would be sufficient!"
"Your request, I can agree to on behalf of the Caucasus Military District Commander!" The emissary responded firmly upon hearing Shamil’s demands.
Immediately, Shamil and the emissary engaged in detailed discussions regarding how much munitions his army needed.
After a round of bargaining, the emissary and Shamil reached an agreement.
The Ottoman Empire would take on supplying provisions for 4,000 men and 3,000 muskets for Shamil, who in turn had to guarantee cutting off supply lines in the Caucasus Region for the Ottoman Empire. Even if they couldn’t completely sever the supplies, they had to make them problematic.
"Provisions for 4,000 men and 3,000 muskets will be delivered to you within a week! In addition, we will also provide some medicines as a bonus, hoping you can disrupt the Russian Army’s logistics as much as possible!" The emissary extended his hand with a smile and said to Shamil.
Shamil looked at the emissary’s hand, hesitated for a moment, then lightly wiped his own hand on his trousers before grasping the emissary’s hand.
Upon feeling the warmth of each other’s palms, they released each other’s hands.
Afterwards, Shamil once again asked the emissary: "Will the Empire’s army engage in combat with the Russian Empire soon?"
The emissary smiled and replied noncommittally: "It’s possible, but that depends on the Russian Empire’s stance and whether the international situation is favorable to the Ottoman Empire!"
The thought of a decisive battle with the Russian Imperial Army made Shamil unable to contain his excitement. After waiting for over a decade, Shamil finally saw the prospect of war between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire.
"I will do my utmost to disrupt the supplies in the Caucasus Region!" Shamil promised the emissary once more.
"Mr. Shamil, I will be waiting for good news at the Caucasus Army Command!" The emissary nodded in response to Shamil.
Finally, with Shamil’s subordinates escorting him, the emissary evaded the Russian Empire’s searches and returned to the Ottoman Empire’s border.