In April 1915 on the Balkan Peninsula, for some residents living in remote areas far from the crowds, the early spring air was filled with the sweet fragrance of flowers. However, for the frontline troops stationed at the borders and crucial battle lines, the smell of gunpowder in the air was so thick it was palpable.
Ever since the Austro-Hungarian Empire declared war on Serbia, Belgrade, the "White Capital" situated at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, had been at the very forefront of the conflict.
Yet, after repelling the Austro-Hungarian offensive and heavily concentrating troops, the city was actually much safer compared to the early days of the war in August 1914.
Inside Belgrade's largest fortress, Kalemegdan, a supreme military council deciding the future fate of the Balkan Peninsula was taking place.
The exquisite frescoes on the conference room walls were now obscured by a massive map stand. Officers from the General Staff of the Kingdom of Greater Serbia had hung a giant map of the Balkan Peninsula on it, densely populated with flags representing the army units of various nations.
Around the long table in the center of the room sat generals in various uniforms and diplomats in suits.
Aside from that "misfit outlier," Bulgaria, virtually all the nations of consequence on the Balkan Peninsula were assembled.
Representatives from the Kingdom of Greater Serbia, the Kingdom of Montenegro, the Kingdom of Greece, the Kingdom of Romania, and even the Ottoman Empire—which had just completed an internal coup and fully aligned with the Entente camp—were gathered here at this moment.
As the "middleman" who brought the Balkan nations together, the Holy Britannia Empire naturally sent representatives to participate in this meeting.
"Project Beacon"—this strategic plan initiated jointly by the Holy Britannia Empire's General Directorate of Military Intelligence and the Highland Mage Order aimed specifically to interfere in the domestic affairs of the Balkan nations, and even directly guide and support aligned factions in staging coups.
Although the most important operation in the Austro-Hungarian Empire ultimately failed due to Morin and his instruction unit's "accidental" interference, the operations occurring almost simultaneously in the Kingdom of Greece and the Ottoman Empire were resounding successes.
Under Britannian intervention, "Pro-Entente" factions successfully staged coups in both Greece and the Ottoman Empire, ultimately leading them to join the Entente.
This caused the entire situation on the Balkan Peninsula to plunge overnight into a scenario completely disadvantageous to the Central Powers.
Sitting at the head of the long table was Field Marshal Radomir Putnik, Chief of the General Staff of the Kingdom of Greater Serbia.
Although this sexagenarian veteran was suffering from illness and required the warmth of a heated room year-round to command battles, at this moment, his face bore a sickly flush, and his eyes gleamed with irrepressible excitement.
"Gentlemen, God has not forsaken this land."
Field Marshal Putnik tapped his pointer heavily on the locations representing Vienna and Budapest on the giant map.
"According to the final messages sent by our inside contacts in Vienna, as well as concrete intelligence provided by our allies in the Holy Britannia Empire, this decaying giant, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, has finally begun to collapse from within."
"Hungarian Prime Minister Count Tisza has been arrested, Budapest is in chaos. Although Vienna ostensibly controls the situation, their army is in reality teetering on the edge of fragmentation."
"Those massive troop formations originally massed at the border, ready to crush us, are now busy turning their guns around to suppress their own people!"
A low hum filled the conference room as the representatives whispered to each other, somewhat excited smiles hanging on their faces.
For many present, this was practically a pie falling from the sky.
A week ago, they were still worrying whether the massive Austro-Hungarian army, with the help of the Saxons, would launch another offensive against the Balkan nations. But a week later, they were conversely discussing how to launch an attack on the Austro-Hungarian Empire...
An officer in a khaki uniform sitting beside Putnik stood up—he was Colonel James, the senior advisor stationed in the Balkans by the Holy Britannia Empire's Military Intelligence Bureau.
Colonel James pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses and spoke in fluent Serbian:
"His Excellency the Field Marshal is absolutely correct. The situation across the entire Balkan Peninsula has now completely reversed."
He walked up to the map, his pointer drawing an elegant arc, circling the Kingdom of Bulgaria.
"However, we still have one crucial problem to solve: we must completely eliminate our only hidden threat on the Balkan Peninsula—the Kingdom of Bulgaria—before the Saxons and Austrians can reorganize their military forces."
At the mention of Bulgaria, the atmosphere in the conference room instantly turned murderous.
To the Kingdom of Greater Serbia, the Kingdom of Greece, and the Kingdom of Romania, Bulgaria was like a thorn in the throat.
Particularly for the Kingdom of Greater Serbia, it was a case of old grudges unresolved and new enmities arising.
Therefore, after the Kingdom of Bulgaria failed to respond to the call for a coalition, it had already been branded an "enemy."
"That 'Saxony of the Balkans' must be dismembered!"
The representative of the Kingdom of Romania slammed his hand on the table and clamored loudly:
"Since they have chosen to stand with the enemy and aid their wickedness, they must pay the price!"
"Exactly!" the Greek representative chimed in. "We must beat them down completely so they can never pose a threat to us again!"
Colonel James watched this scene with satisfaction. This was exactly the effect the Holy Britannia Empire desired...
To have these Balkan nations bite at the flanks of the Central Powers like mad dogs, exhausting the effective strength of Saxony and the Austro-Hungarian Empire as much as possible.
Under the forceful mediation of the Holy Britannia Empire, a massive and grotesque military alliance was born in this smoke-filled conference room.
This was a massive gamble...
The wager was the national destiny of each country, and the odds of winning appeared staggeringly high.
"Then, the strategic deployment is very clear."
Field Marshal Putnik took over the conversation, beginning to assign tasks.
The tip of his pointer moved rapidly across the map, as if commanding a guaranteed-win chess match.
"Our army, together with the field army of the Kingdom of Montenegro, totaling 520,000 men, will be responsible for tearing through the Austro-Hungarian defense line frontally, driving straight into the plains between the Sava and Danube rivers."
"Gentlemen of the Kingdom of Romania, the Kingdom of Greece, and the Ottoman Empire: according to the reports submitted by each nation prior to this meeting, you have assembled a massive army of exactly 900,000 men."
Putnik's pointer slid eastward, tapping on Bulgaria's location.
"Your mission is to complete the war of annihilation against the Kingdom of Bulgaria in the shortest possible time, then march north to rendezvous with us!"
"Gentlemen, our goal is not merely to reclaim lost territory!"
Field Marshal Putnik's voice abruptly rose:
"We will cross the Sava and the Danube, invade the Hungarian plains, and strike directly into the heartland of the Austro-Hungarian Empire! We will let that new Emperor in Vienna know that the Balkans are not their backyard!"
"For Greater Serbia!"
"For the Balkans!"
Enthusiastic cheers erupted in the conference room. Even later at the luncheon, the representatives collectively popped champagne, the foam surging from the bottles like their ambitions swelling to the limit at this moment.
The Austro-Hungarian Empire in civil strife, the Saxons pinned down, Bulgaria isolated and unaided...
If they could still lose this, it would be unless God Himself descended to fight for the Central Powers.
It was just that no one noticed on that giant map in the conference room, along the retreat routes of the Austro-Hungarian army, those fortresses and cities originally marked as heavily defended appeared somewhat too quiet at this moment.
Nor did anyone delve deeply into why the exceptionally militarily powerful Saxon Imperial Army would appear so "cooperative" during their retreat, not even fighting a single decent rearguard action.
In the feverish atmosphere of victory, the voice of reason is always the first to be drowned out.
However, amidst this fanaticism, no one noticed Field Marshal Putnik's slightly trembling fingers.
The old Field Marshal actually harbored a faint, lingering unease in his heart.
It was too smooth... everything was going a bit too smoothly.
From the sudden internal strife within the Austro-Hungarian Empire to the retreat of the heavy enemy forces in the border regions, it was as if an invisible giant hand was leveling all obstacles behind the scenes.
Just to let their 1.4 million men charge unhindered toward that massive meat grinder...
But he didn't say it out loud.
In the face of such soaring morale, anyone throwing cold water would be viewed as a coward.
Furthermore, the temptation was simply too great—to establish a superpower spanning the Balkans. This was a dream all Serbians had harbored for centuries.
Early morning, April 22, 1915. The First Army of the Kingdom of Greater Serbia, under the command of General Petar Bojović—a hero of the two Balkan Wars—launched an offensive towards Novi Sad, using Šabac as the campaign fulcrum.
The soldiers sang rousing patriotic songs, the reflections from their rifle muzzles forming a dazzling steel jungle under the sun.
The First Army's offensive was exceptionally smooth. They encountered no enemies along the way.
It was less an attack and more a long-distance maneuver by the entire army group.
Under these circumstances, the Kingdom of Greater Serbia's First Army—comprising three corps, one cavalry division, and several fortress garrison brigades, totaling 180,000 men—arrived at the outskirts of Novi Sad on April 25 after three days of cautious marching.
This southern city, crucial to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was located at the confluence of the Danube River and the Bačka Canal.
Therefore, the officers at all levels of the First Army believed this would be a tragic, forceful river-crossing assault, even preparing to incur thousands of casualties.
But the reality was, the opposite bank was dead quiet.
The anticipated enemy fire did not appear, nor did the whistling bombardment of heavy artillery.
Aside from the cries of startled waterbirds, the entire northern bank was as silent as a massive tomb.
"General, a telegram from the vanguard: they have secured the beachhead on the northern bank and are pushing deep into the city of Novi Sad." An officer riding back from the front reported excitedly to Bojović. "No resistance encountered! The Austro-Hungarians really ran away!"
General Bojović nodded, but his weather-beaten face didn't show much joy; instead, he frowned.
It was too smooth.
As an old veteran who had crawled his way through the mud and blood of the two Balkan Wars, his intuition told him this offensive was so smooth it felt wrong.
Although the combat effectiveness of the Austro-Hungarian army varied greatly, they were not the kind of soft-footed shrimp to hand over an important defense line without firing a single shot. Not to mention, the Saxons were still around...
"Order the troops to maintain vigilance. Search and advance. Do not let your guard down," Bojović cautiously issued the order.
However, as the troops pushed deeper, this eerie "smoothness" continued.
The First Army occupied Novi Sad almost without shedding a drop of blood, and then immediately directed various units to advance rapidly in other directions.
The villages and towns along the way had their gates wide open, as if welcoming these conquerors.
But when the excited Serbian soldiers rushed into these towns seeking loot and supplies, they were dumbfounded.
Because these villages and towns had become literal ghost towns.
Not even a single mouse dropping was left in the granaries. Warehouses that should have been piled high with supplies were swept cleaner than a newly washed face.
Wells were filled in or poisoned, millstones were smashed, and even the unripe crops in the fields were uprooted or trampled into mush by warhorses.
Even more terrifying, the people were gone.
Aside from a tiny number of the old, weak, sick, and disabled who couldn't run, the vast majority of the young, able-bodied labor force and all livestock had been forcibly taken away by the retreating Austro-Hungarian army.
In a recently occupied Austro-Hungarian military camp, a young Serbian company commander looked at the completely empty ammunition depot and couldn't help but curse: "These damn Austrian bastards, are they locusts? They didn't even leave us a single nail!"
At this time, General Bojović also walked into a command post abandoned by the Austro-Hungarian troops. Upon realizing the other party hadn't even left a scrap of paper, the unease in the old general's heart grew stronger.
This didn't look like a rout.
A routed army abandons its armor and weapons, abandons its wounded, and leaves a mess in its wake.
But this place was too clean, so clean it looked as if someone had expended effort to tidy it up.
"General, we found this at the Novi Sad train station."
An engineer officer ran over holding a still-smoking piece of metal debris.
"They blew up all the railway switches and water towers... And they did it very professionally, destroying exactly the critical structures. We can't find spare parts for the time being. It will take at least half a month to repair."
General Bojović's frown deepened.
On the same day, the Second Army of the Kingdom of Greater Serbia captured Loznica and Bijeljina. The situation they encountered was largely the same as the First Army.
Basically no resistance was met. By the time the troops reached the target areas, the Austro-Hungarian and Saxon forces had already retreated. However, they also took away almost all the civilians and supplies.
As the covering force for the left wing of the entire front line, the field army of the Kingdom of Montenegro also captured the Perućica Pass.
Although the situation in the occupied areas was somewhat abnormal, judging by the movements of the various units, it could be said they successfully achieved the tactical objectives set by the Coalition Command.
Therefore, the next day, at the routine meeting convened by the Coalition Command, a large number of participating generals reached a unanimous conclusion:
"The main Austro-Hungarian and Saxon forces are bogged down in internal strife and powerless to look south."
But simultaneously, some officers processing firsthand battle reports noticed discrepancies within them.
For example, although General Bojović wrote in his report to the rear: "The enemy retreated like an avalanche; our forces met no effective resistance."
At the same time, this old general attached many suggestions to the report, urging the Coalition Command to heighten vigilance.
The primary point was that the retreat of the Austro-Hungarian and Saxon coalition forces was orderly. Some bridges were even precisely demolished. This was not the hallmark of a rout. Furthermore, they took away the majority of the local populace and supplies during their retreat, leaving behind a hidden danger—the logistics problem for the massive army.
There were still many responsible mid-level officers in the Coalition Command. That very day, officers handling firsthand battle reports compiled these issues into a report and submitted it to their superiors.
Unfortunately, given the soaring morale currently within the Coalition Command, these reports undoubtedly sank like stones in the ocean.
Over the following days, the coalition forces of the Kingdom of Greater Serbia and the Kingdom of Montenegro continued to break through the alluvial plains between the Sava and Drina rivers. It looked as if they were about to drive into the Austro-Hungarian heartland.
Everything aligned with the Coalition Command's vision. The Austro-Hungarian Empire truly seemed unable to organize an effective resistance due to internal strife.
The only thing that deviated from the Coalition Command's tactical vision came from the direction of the Kingdom of Bulgaria.
The coalition of the Kingdom of Romania, the Kingdom of Greece, and the Ottoman Empire originally assumed that facing enemies several times their number, the Bulgarians would choose to shrink their defenses like the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
But they were wrong... because the Bulgarians went absolutely mad.
Realizing they were being ganged up on by all their neighbors and facing the crisis of national subjugation and genocide, this country erupted with astonishing energy.
The moment the Romanian army crossed the border, they were met with a fierce counterattack by the Bulgarian army.
The defense line, which they thought would collapse at the first touch, nailed itself in place, refusing to yield an inch of ground.
And on the Thracian border, the vanguard of the Ottoman Empire was also met with stubborn resistance from the Bulgarian army the moment they crossed the border line.
The simultaneous stalling of the offensive forces in all directions meant that the military strength mobilized by the Kingdom of Bulgaria likely far exceeded the Coalition Command's predictions.
If the Coalition Commander-in-Chief, Field Marshal Putnik, knew in advance that in the ensuing war, the Kingdom of Bulgaria—a nation with a population of only 4.28 million—would mobilize an army of 1.27 million, pushing their mobilization rate to a terrifying 29%...
Would he regret agreeing to let the coalition launch a war of annihilation against the Kingdom of Bulgaria?