Major Nuri

THE RELUCTANT WARRIOR

Chapter 13

Captain Selahaddin and Lieutenant Farouk were smoking and listening to the wind on the prairie while resting on their army beds. There was a thunderstorm.

Once again lightning lit up the room. Selahaddin complained, “Why did Jamil want us to wait for him with our uniforms on?”

“I have no idea. He was nervous this afternoon.”

“Do you think he has some news concerning Anzavour that he doesn’t want us to know?”

“I think he would have told us if it was about Anzavour. I think this must be a new situation.”

“What time is it?”

“It is midnight. I hope the cables are not damaged in this weather.”

“You did all you could to prevent Yusuf Izzed Pasha from talking to Kazim Karabekir Pasha. Now you can blame it on the weather. I saw the cable regarding Fahreddin’s trip to Ankara. When I presented that cable to Yusuf Izzet he was surprised. Of course, he didn’t know that he was going to Ankara. Refed and Demirji ambushed Fahreddin and took him to Ankara,” Selahaddin observed.

“I don’t understand one thing. Why Fahreddin didn’t flee to Istanbul once Anzavour came close to Bandirma? Instead of going to Istanbul he came here to Bursa with his Army Corps.”

“His divisions don’t listen to him anymore! I had a chance to meet Fahreddin when he came here. He is not a bad person. He didn’t try to make amends with Anzavour. People make mistakes under stress. Rahmi made the same mistake being unprepared when attacking the enemy.” Selahaddin was quiet for a while then asked again, “Do you know why Fahreddin didn’t flee to Istanbul? It is because he couldn’t trust Damad Ferid, Princess Mediha’s husband. Had Damad Ferid become Prime Minister, Fahreddin would have gone to Istanbul. That’s for sure.”

“You are right. He didn’t trust Damad Ferid.”

Vahidettin last Ottoman Sultan and Caliph

“I don’t understand this. Since he trusted the Caliph one hundred percent, he should trust the Caliph’s son-in-law as well. Everything is so complicated. The 24th Division will send 3000 men from Bilejik. Once they come here I am sure there will be more supporters for the National Forces.”

“Do you think that they will be able to send three thousand men to Bursa?”

“We will see for ourselves in a couple of days. Today is April 9^th. I heard the Troops started their journey from Eskisehir to Bilejik on April 6^th. I think the first party will arrive soon.”

Selahaddin stood up to extinguish his cigarette, and then returned to his bed. The weather was getting better. The thunderstorm was going away.

“I wish Shaban would bring us some coffee.”

“That would be good, but…”

“What is the problem?”

“If Nuri wakes up, he won’t leave us alone. Let’s wait a little bit more. I think Jamil will come soon. If he can’t make it, then he will send us a message.

Lieutenant Farouk thought about that, then he said, “This is unbelievable! Colonel Osman was head of his Regiment and everyone was so scared of him. They were calling him Osman the Butcher, yet he obeyed the Commander’s orders and accepted coming here when he was summoned in hand-cuffs!”

“I think a merciless man like him wouldn’t give up so easily.”

“There is a lot of miscommunication nowadays. The Division Commander wants Osman to lead the 172^nd Regiment. However, the Army Corps is not happy about this. They are determined to get one of the Division Commanders executed in Bursa.”

Selahaddin went to look out the window. The strong wind had cleared the sky. Now they could see the stars shining. They heard somebody approaching the room. It was Jamil. He was out of breath. Without even saying hello, he lit the lamp. “I ran all the way from the telegram Office.” He looked tired but he was equally happy. “Good news! Get ready to roll.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I talked to Mustafa Kemal Pasha.”

“About what?”

“About the High Command! I explained to him that this situation was hindering our efforts in Bursa. The Commander Yusuf Izzed Pasha wasn’t supporting the efforts of the Defence Association. He said to the members that while Anzavour is gathering thousands of men, the Defence Association is able to recruit only a couple of hundred men. He wasn’t encouraging at all.”

“What did Mustafa Kemal Pasha say to this? Was he angry at the Commander?”

“He wanted to learn more and I explained to him that they were going to put Osman the Butcher in front of the firing squad. I also let him know that the Officers here are not going to let this happen. I explained that the situation might become more complicated if they execute Osman. The Commander’s talk has made Bekir Sami’s job more difficult. Mustafa Kemal Pasha wanted me to wait by the telegram instrument and he came back ten minutes later. He wanted to dictate two telegrams to be shown to Bekir Sami then given to General Yusuf Izzed.

To Yusuf Izzed Pasha:

Bursa

It has been brought to our attention that you have come to Bursa to inspect the troops. Right now we are dealing with very important military and political issues. It is imperative that you come and join these discussions. I invite you to Ankara.

Best Regards,

Mustafa Kemal.

Second cable.

To Bekir Sami,

Bursa 56^th Division Commander:

Please read the coded message that has been sent to Yusuf Izzed and encourage him to come to Ankara without confrontation. Do not let him be suspicious about our motives. If he doesn’t want to come, then you have to arrest him and escort him to Ankara.

Best Regards,

Mustafa Kemal.

He sent us a telegram as well.

“You do your best to convince Yusuf Sami to go to Ankara. If Bekir Sami doesn’t agree, then you should arrest him and send him to Ankara as well! I want the whole operation to be done quietly and effectively. I will wait for your answer. I wish you luck…”

Captain Selahaddin and Lieutenant Farouk came closer. “This means to take control of the Army corps. Doesn’t it?” Selahaddin asked and scratched his neck and answered his own question, “Yes, it would mean that! It just shows us that the world is indeed turned upside down right now! What should we do? Should we arrest the men and send them to Ankara right away?”

“I gave the telegram to Bekir Sami. He thought about this for a while and asked me what we were going to do. I told him that I was going to take precautions before submitting the telegram to General Yusuf Izzed. Bekir Sami said that was a good idea and there was no other way to handle this situation. He asked us not to involve him and do the job as quietly as possible. He thinks when Yusuf Izzed realizes that there is no way he can resist this order he will go to Ankara. We should give the telegram to General Yusuf Izzed tomorrow. It is for the best. He will come with us. But be careful. If we let Osman see him he will hang the Army Corps Commander. We better keep this a secret. Now listen to my plan.” As Jamil was explaining his plan, he was excited. He was very happy and full of optimism. His plan was clear. He would achieve his goal quickly and without any problems on the way. He would go to the Army Corps and ask Yusuf Izzed to go to Ankara directly. He said, “If Yusuf Izzed says no…” Jamil put his hand on his gun…”I will use this, alright?” He asked this question without even waiting for an answer. He was sure of himself. However, Selahaddin said, “No, it is not alright.”

Jamil was surprised. “What do you mean?”

“I’ll tell you. Take a seat and listen. We have time until morning. If this is as easy as you say it is, then it will only take ten minutes to get him. We will go there early in the morning. But we should plan carefully”

“What is there to plan? We are going to ambush him.”

“But ambushing is a method that the bandits use. They can ambush and run away but we don’t want to fight, we don’t want to ambush, we are here to stay. We are not ambushing; we are ironing out the creases. We shouldn’t cause bigger problems. We are only trying to solve smaller ones; otherwise, we will lose our support here.”

“I don’t think anybody will be against us,” Jamil said.

“I don’t think there will be any problem in the Army Head Quarters. I believe when Yusuf Izzed came to Bursa he joined our side.”

“So what is your concern?”

“Let’s think about this for a minute. Here, have a cigarette. The Sultan has sent one of his Generals, Mustafa Kemal, to Anatolia to keep the peace and to gather the guns to be given to the invading army, as per the Ceasefire Agreement. Mustafa Kemal is officially an Army inspector. However, he resigned from his post and he even resigned from the army. He organized meetings for the Congress of Amasya and Sivas.  Now, he is the Leader of the Representatives Committee in Ankara. We all know that the Representatives Committee does not really exist. The Representatives’ Committee means Mustafa Kemal is alone. I was thinking about this recently. It is a complicated situation. We should at least agree on the fact that what we are about to do is a dangerous job. It is dangerous for us and worse, it is dangerous for Ankara. We should be very careful. What do they want from us exactly? To Ambush Army Headquarters in Bursa and arrest the Commander to take him to Ankara. In today’s conditions, a couple of men can do the job. Especially for us, it is an easy job but we have to consider the other side. I am thinking about the people of Bursa; I am trying to understand their thoughts and feelings. They are in the danger zone. The people are confused. Just like the people who are at the other towns that we saw. People are not sure which side to support. Everyone is suspicious of one another. People who don’t have arms are scared. The people with arms are even more scared. The rich are really afraid of losing their property, they are afraid of civil unrest. They can’t sleep at night. The bandits are eager to come and ransack Bursa. Some are afraid the city will be set on fire. During this unrest, some are going to take advantage of the situation and kill their enemies. They think of ways to accuse each other of crimes and get rid of their enemies. People have lost their trust in the Army. They don’t like the Officers; the Istanbul Government sent the clerics to Bursa to influence people. They are telling people that the Nationalists are Young Turks, they are the Freemasons. They are the ones who started the war for their own interests. They accuse us of not ending the War; they accuse us of being Unionists. The Gavour Unionists who have finished the Empire in ten years. There is no Government Authority in this City. Neither the Governor nor the Army is effective. It is true that it all seems quiet for now but let’s not be deceived by this calm. Everyone is waiting for something to happen. We don’t really know what will happen if Anzavour comes here. I think Bursa is a ticking time bomb right now. There is fear; I am afraid when we ambush the Army Corps this quiet will end! The hard part will start after.”

 Selahaddin looked far away; there was fear in his eyes. “Even a small fight will turn into a civil war within the city. People are waiting for a big attack from the Greek Army. Anzavour is in Bandirma right now and if we lose Bursa now it will be our fault. We have to be very careful. We should prepare ourselves for the worst.

 Farouk doesn’t need to stay at the Telegram Office. We can find someone else for that job. We should block the communication with Bursa as long as necessary. I will send a sergeant to be responsible for the telegram office. He will lock the door and hide the key. General Yusuf Izzed brought one hundred and eighty men from Bandirma. I believe most have already left the army; however, he still has enough. He has more men then we do. We think it is easy to arrest some people and put them in prison. However, some of the lower windows of the military base lack iron bars. We have to think about the possibility of them escaping. They could get some support and they could provide their supporters with guns. You mentioned that the mounted troops of the Army Corps are on our side, but I am not so sure. We have been hearing some commotion lately in the middle of the night. Those mounted troops cause even more suspicion. People are tense. The right thing to do is to get as many armed men as possible and surround the headquarters beforehand.” He checked the time. “Oh! It is 2:35 already…It is time!”He said, Farouk, will you please summon the Officer on Duty!”

Farouk and Lieutenant Murat entered the room. Murat saluted the Captains. Selahaddin asked, “How many men do you have?”

“Seventeen armed men.”

“Leave seven here, the other ten will accompany Captain Jamil. Where is Sergeant Ali?”

“He is here, Sir!”

“He should go to the telegram Office with two armed men and don’t let anybody in. I don’t care if it is the Army Commander. No one will have access to the telegram instrument.”

“Yes, Sir!”

“Tell me when the privates are ready to leave, be discreet, and keep this quiet”

Jamil and Selahaddin waited nervously. They were smoking the whole time. Five minutes later Shaban entered with his ammunition belt on and a rifle on hand. “Major, the troops are ready!”

Selahaddin hugged Jamil goodbye and wish him luck. “Be careful!”

“What is the Army Base’s code for tonight?” Jamil asked.

“I don’t know. If they deny access to you, ask for Sergeant Rustem. He is on our side. I will give him a call. Tonight’s code will be ‘Jehennem’.”

A thirteen men platoon left the base at 3 o’clock in the morning. Bursa was dark and no one was around. No guards, no police, nobody, not even a faint light. There was only a gentle April breeze on their faces. Farouk and Shaban were riding one step behind. Jamil was eavesdropping in on their conversation. “Did the Major tell you the code, Shaban?” Farouk inquired.

“Yes, Lieutenant!”

“Don’t forget the code.”

“I won’t forget the code, don’t worry.”

“What is this all about? Why did your Major take us on a night journey? He didn’t tell us anything. The only thing we know is the secret code. Where are we going?”

“I don’t know that much!”

“You should have asked! When you don’t know something, ask questions, try to understand what is going on.”

“I can’t ask any questions!”

“Why? Is it because we are only supposed to follow the orders?”

“No! First, I trust the Lord and then I trust my Commander.”

“Are you make-believe Staff Officer?”

Farouk and Shaban had Mousers over their shoulders, facing down. Jamil only had his Parabellum on. The Army base had ninety soldiers including twenty four mounted privates and seven Officers in total. Jamil was certain the mounted troops were on his side. However, he was worrying about heavy machine gun troops.

When they approached the base he called Farouk closer. “Farouk, let’s encircle the base without being noticed by the guards! Only Shaban will enter the base with me. Don’t let the guards see you and no matter how serious the situation is, no shots will be fired until Shaban returns.”

“Yes, Sir!”

“Shaban, let’s go!”

When they were out of the earshot Shaban asked. “Is there something wrong at the Army Corps, Major? This late at night…” He was curious. He couldn’t help but ask.

Jamil answered. “No, everything is OK.  We will submit a telegram to the Commander, that’s all”

“We are going to awaken him, is that right? Wow…Who sent the cable? Is it from Istanbul? Did the Sultan promote the Pasha to Vizier suddenly?”

“Yeah! You are right He is promoted to Vizier! Grand Vizier!”

“Why are we encircling the Base? You think he will refuse?”

“Hush! Shut up now! Don’t forget the code or else Farouk will shoot you like a wild pig!”

Shaban smiled under his mustache. He murmured something like, “he can’t, thanks to you.”

The guard was leaning against the wall and wasn’t paying attention. When he heard the approaching footsteps, he jumped, and said, “Who are you? Don’t come any closer!”

“I am Captain Jamil. I have a telegram for the Commander. Call Sergeant Rustem! It is urgent!”

The guard blew his whistle lightly. A private approached the Guard quietly and he told him to get Sergeant Rustem.

Rustem came running, not like the other private. He saluted Jamil. “Welcome, Sir!”

“Did Selahaddin call you?”

“Yes, Sir!”

They walked side by side in the courtyard. Jamil asked. “Who is the Officer on duty tonight?”

“Lieutenant Abdullah, Commander of the Heavy Machine Gun Unit.”

“Is he sleeping?”

“Yes…”

“How about the Commanders aide de camp?”

“He is sleeping as well.”

Show me the room of the Officer on duty. Don’t talk to him yourself. I want him to surrender the troops to me.”

“Yes, Sir!”

“Tell me about the mounted unit.”

“The sergeant is on our side.”

“Good. We circled the Base. Lieutenant Murat will come momentarily. The Unit Commander is Lieutenant Farouk. When we take control of the troops from Abdullah, Shaban should bring Farouk in. Don’t wake anybody up yet. The secret code is ‘Jehennem’.”

“When you order, I will call Farouk. We are not going to awaken the General. The code is Jehennem!” Sergeant Rustem repeated.

“Good! Is this the room of Abdullah? Wait outside. Do you have your gun?

“I have my pistol, Sir.”

“Good, Shaban will enter the room with me.”

He opened the door quietly. The room was dark. The light was very faint. There was a small bed in the corner and Abdullah was snoring. Shaban closed the door and waited in front of it. Jamil quietly went by the night table and turned on the light. Then he came closer to the Lieutenant and called his name. “Abdullah!”

“Yes, Sir! Who are you?” Abdullah jumped up. He rubbed his eyes.

“I am Captain Jamil. I came here to take the command of the Army by order of Mustafa Kemal Pasha.”

“You are taking the Command? I don’t understand? Is it Mustafa Kemal Pasha’s order?”

“The Representative’s Committee in Ankara sent orders to the Commander. General Yusuf Izzed has to leave for Ankara early in the morning.”

“Yes, Sir!”

“These troops will report for Bekir Sami! Are you with us? In case the Commander refuses to go to Ankara…”

“In case he resists the orders?” asked Abdullah.

Jamil didn’t want to talk any further. “If you wish, you can join us. We will say that you are under arrest. You have to decide right away!”

“I am surprised, Sir! All of a sudden…with all due respect, Sir…I don’t want to join you for now.”

“Good, then you are under arrest! There will be a guard on your door. It will be over within an hour. Now, tell the Sergeant you gave the night duty to me.”  Then Jamil ordered Shaban, “Go get the Sergeant!”

Sergeant Rustem entered the room.  He saluted Jamil.

Lieutenant Abdullah was hesitant. He was perhaps thinking about resisting Jamil’s orders. Jamil put his hand on his gun. Abdullah swallowed hard and said, “Sergeant Rustem, you are now going to report to Captain Jamil.” He looked uncomfortable. “The Commander put me under arrest for one week.”

“Yes, Sir!”

“OK.  That’s all!”

Lieutenant Abdullah bowed his head.

Jamil gave his first order. “Put a guard in each corner of the building. Two guards to patrol. The guard with a machine gun should stay at the gate. Another guard should get ready to accompany us. Two guards should be placed by the stairs. I will be at the Office of the Commander upstairs. Lieutenant Farouk should come upstairs to see me. Shaban, come with me. Everyone be quiet, I don’t want the slightest noise. When the guard gets ready to come with us, let me know and I will give further instructions.”

“Yes, Sir!”

“Is there any phone operators on duty right now?”

“Yes, Commander!”

“No one will make a phone call without my order. I will take any incoming calls myself. Let me know right away if the phone rings. Tell Lieutenant Murat to come upstairs with his men now!”

When Sergeant Rustem ran out, Lieutenant Abdullah asked Jamil, “Captain, what is going on? What is the matter?”

“Well…Please hand me your gun.”

The Lieutenant reached under his pillow.

“Don’t move, Lieutenant!” Jamil grabbed the gun and put it in his pocket. “I am sure you will put this back into your holster within an hour. Try to get some sleep now.

“Thank you, Sir. It is not that I am scared. I asked you to arrest me because…”

“I never thought that you were scared.”

“Thank you, Sir.  I am sorry. I would join your forces immediately but the Commander made us swear to…”

“What did you promise to the Commander?” Jamil asked.

“He made us promise not to do anything behind his back. I thought that was silly at the time but now I understand. ”

“Who else took the oath?”

“I don’t know all the names; however, I think all the Officers in the base…”

“Good for them!”

Since Sergeant Rustem had the artillery troops sleep with their uniforms on every night; the guards took their positions quickly and the patrol started their duty right away.

Jamil asked the guards by the stairs if their guns were loaded. He took the two guards and Shaban with him and went upstairs. Then he sat at the chair comfortably in the Commander’s Office. Neither the Commander nor the Officers had awoken yet. He waited ten minutes then sent Farouk to Gendarmerie Base and Murat to the Defence Association to warn them about possible armed conflict. The Gendarmerie Commander would call the Police Chief if he needed to.

They waited for Selahaddin before waking the Commander and his aide de camp.

The sun was rising. The stores were not yet open. There were only a couple of men in the street who were going to the mosque for the morning prayers. The car was prepared to take General Yusuf Izzed to Ankara. Lieutenant Farouk was supposed to take two Sergeants and two Corporals with him. They had Mouser guns as well as one machine gun. Selahaddin adjusted his colpack and his holster. He was holding Mustafa Kemal Pasha’s telegram. He knocked on the door. The Commander was sleeping inside and Selahaddin didn’t wait for him to say ‘Yes’ before entering the room.

Jamil thought he should wait outside. He didn’t hear anything. It was taking a long time. Selahaddin must be telling the Commander that Bekir Sami was in charge so he didn’t need to call anyone else for the Command. The door opened exactly thirteen minutes later. General Yusuf Izzet’s face was stern. He didn’t return Jamil’s salute.

Jamil thought he must have shaved with cold water. He smiled. When Pasha descended the stairs, he went to look out of the window. The troops were ready to salute the Commander. They raised their rifles and the trumpet was blown. Lieutenant Farouk was waiting by the car. He introduced himself to the Commander. The General didn’t look at him and took the front seat by the driver.

Selahaddin gave the Commander’s luggage to his aide and came back. It was an old car and made noise when they start rolling. The Bursa plains were covered with fog and the town seemed to still be sleeping. Jamil punched Selahaddin’s shoulder with joy. “We’ve nailed it, Salah! Well done!”

“I am not so sure, Captain!”

“What’s the matter?”

“We have just handled one problem. I don’t think Bursa is on our side.” Jamil started to go towards the Telegram Office.

“Wait! Where are you going?” Selahaddin asked.

“I will send a telegram to Ankara to let them know the cargo will soon arrive! You can set free the Officers. I will meet you and Osman at the Division Base. Lieutenant Murat will be responsible here for now.” He walked away and turned. “Tell them to prepare breakfast for us. We can’t handle all the problems in one day. We will take them one at a time.”

It rained for two nights. The Bursa plain looked very green. There were roads and rivers stretching on this endless green scenery like a ship leaving behind marks on the sea.

Jamil put his jacket on the chair. He was at the coffee-house in the Yesil district. There were no other customers even though it was getting close to noon. He thought there were no customers anywhere in Bursa. It seemed the horses and carriages were the only things the people wanted to purchase.

He was sitting there for an hour now. He was watching the cars and caravans of camels, horses and the other animals passing by. He thought about trying to stop them from leaving the City. However, he worried that would be the last straw for the people. When people realized that danger was approaching, the rich left the city first; then the middle class left in great numbers. Bursa seemed as if she didn’t mind this; she was used to being abandoned. She wasn’t sad. She wasn’t hurt. The silk, the dried fruit, and the olives were all stored safely out of the city in hiding places. When people heard about Yusuf Izzet Pasha’s departure to Ankara, the affluent gathered their family, their possessions, valuable carpets, and silk, and left the city for Istanbul.

There were a lot of soldiers and militia coming to Bursa from the regions that Anzavour claimed. Osman the Butcher’s regiment in Kirmasti was dismantled and his men came to Bursa, as well, increasing the number of total soldiers and militia in the city.

Since they ambushed the Army Headquarters, Jamil was acting as a Governor and Martial Law Commander in the City. The Gendarmerie and the Police were reporting to him; even though there were no official decisions in both cases. Jamil was responsible for the law and order of the city. For this reason, he had to wake up in the middle of the night and fight with the criminals many nights.

One night five drunkards were brought in. These were the people who were spoiled by the Unionists and the notables for many years. They were going after the war widows and after having their fun with them were selling the poor women to the brothels. When they came to the Base, they were completely drunk. They were either not conscious enough to realize where they were or they didn’t care. When the police came to the help of the screaming women they resisted and pulled their guns out. After the search, it was found that they had various knives and pistols. They had lots of ammunition and considerable amounts of marijuana and opium in their possession. The blond one was the nephew of the famous silk merchant Haji Muhsin and he was very overbearing. He said to Jamil, “if you are the Jehennem I am the river that flows right in the middle of Jehennem…I am tougher than you. I don’t care if you are Hell itself!”

Colonel Osman was awoken by the cries of the inmates while they were being beaten and he suggested to Jamil, “Brother, just hang them, and we will be done with them.” Jamil smiled sadly.

Jamil got into the habit of leaving the Army Base with the first lights of the sun and patrolling the city and come to this coffee-house at this time to rest; so that he didn’t have to face all the bearded folks who would come to the Base and beg them to release the prisoners.

There were few people today on the streets. They were walking with their heads bowed. The men looked like they were doing something wrong and did not wish to be seen by anybody. They were avoiding eye contact.

He put another line in his cigarette package. It was the thirteenth camel caravan that had passed by in the last hour. He pushed the empty cup away and looked towards the kitchen; even though he wanted some more tea, he was timid to ask for a refill. The owner was reluctant to serve; he wasn’t coming by to ask if Jamil wished for anything else.

Jamil was not getting enough sleep; he was tired. He hadn’t had anything to eat; he was hungry. He touched the pocket of his jacket; he was even too tired to get his child’s picture out to look at.

He was depressed and he realized that it was not only from missing his wife and son, but also because of having to face so many defeats. It was hard to be a member of the Army that was constantly defeated since the Turco-Italian War in Libya. Jamil and his friends started as freedom fighters and climbed the ranks. He thought the people didn’t respect the Officers any more. It was apparent that they didn’t care when they turned their faces away while the Officers were talking to them. The Officers were getting as much respect as the gamblers and fraudulent businessmen. It didn’t matter if the Officer was as nice as the late Colonel Rahmi or as stern as Osman the Butcher, who kept hanging the criminals. Colonel Rahmi’s Regiment was defeated after two days of fighting; Osman’s were broken up without even fighting. The Division Commander spent his time in his room, while the higher ranking Officers were walking with their heads bowed.

A four men security team was passing by and their leader saluted Jamil.  Jamil nodded his head; he was not saluting anybody formally anymore.

It was scorching hot. The heat was rising from the plains. The dusty air reminded him of the war zones. He suddenly remembered the name of the French Marshall; it was Grouchy. The Prussian army was led by Blucher. When Napoleon was fighting against Wellington in the Battle of Waterloo, he was expecting the arrival of the Grouchy’s Cavalry. When Napoleon saw the approaching army, he thought it was Grouchy and he was happy but his joy didn’t last long; soon he realized it was Field Marshall Blucher’s troops. Maybe Grouchy wasn’t good enough; maybe he was knowingly helping the other side. In any case, he failed to stop Blucher’s advance and therefore failed to help Napoleon. His Cavalry force of forty thousand men surrendered to the enemy, near Paris, without even engaging in war.

Jamil remembered the history lectures he attended at Kuleli Military High School. Now he realized why he was thinking of Marshal Grouchy, whom he never liked. Jamil looked first to the west, then to the east.

Anzavour will come from the west; he had broken the 172nd Division earlier. The 24th Regiment was positioned to the North East of the city. Their three thousand infantrymen were expected to enter the city. He heard Anzavour had ten thousand men, infantry and cavalry altogether. He had machine guns; he even had cannons. They had only three thousand two hundred soldiers. Jamil thought whatever the numbers; they had to win the battle against Anzavour.

As he was thinking about the upcoming battle, he heard horsemen approaching. He wondered if there were one or two horses climbing up the hill. Then he realized the men who were coming might be messengers from the base who were looking for him. He didn’t like that thought.

He was getting tired of both Osman the Butcher and Major Nuri. Nuri was getting better but he was still having difficulty walking and still using his cane. It was more of a habit now. Osman was smoking water pipe constantly and talking about hanging people. Osman was driving Jamil mad and Nuri made him feel sad all the time.

Jamil saw the two horsemen climbing up the hill and approaching towards the coffee house without hesitation. The first one dismounted and wrapped the reins around the horse’s neck. He was walking with big steps. Jamil recognized him.

“Oh! Farouk! Is that you? You came back so quickly!”

“Captain, I haven’t gone all the way to Ankara. I returned halfway from Eskishehir.”

“You returned from Eskisehir? Come have a seat.”

“I looked for you at the base and they told me you were here.”

“Which route did you take?”

“I came via Inegol.”

“Where is the car?”

“I haven’t driven here. Our car got stuck by the Kazanji slope; luckily I run into two Gendarmerie soldiers who were recruiting soldiers from the surrounding villages. I took one of their horses.”

“How did the General go to Ankara? Did he take the train? It is good to see you return. Do you have any news of the Infantry that was supposed to come here?”

“The Regiment…” Lieutenant Farouk didn’t meet his gaze he looked away to the road.

“Yes, the Regiment…What’s wrong?”

“They were supposed to come; I even saw the 3^rd Batallion myself. They were a thousand men strong…”

“What happened?”

“They came to Bilejik and were on their way to Bursa. They spent the night somewhere halfway to Bursa but the next morning when the Officers woke up, there was nobody around. Even their batmen deserted the army!”

“That’s terrible! We shouldn’t let anyone hear that. It will break the morale of the troops. If they weren’t able to avoid desertions, they shouldn’t be even sending the troops in the first place. Have you told this to the Commander?”

“Yes, I told him.”

“What did he say?”

“Nothing, he said things happen in times like this.”

Jamil was looking at the plains. Farouk asked, “What do you think of Ethem?”

“What do you mean?”

“I am asking, in general, what do you think about him?”

“Why do you ask?”

“I heard something in Bilejik. The troops were given to his command and he was going to take Anzavour on.”

“I don’t think so. Maybe you are mistaken. Ethem doesn’t have enough men to fight Anzavour.”

“It is not only his men. He has gathered troops from other Battalions, as well as other militia.”

“That’s nonsense! When we have Colonel Shefik and Kazim here, why was Ethem given the duty? He is an outlaw!”

“Well, that’s what I heard!”

Jamil put his two fingers on his lower lip and thought for a while. “Yes! What kind of a man is Ethem? I don’t know much about him. I don’t know much about myself anymore either. If you were to ask me about Jehennem right now; I would give you the same answer. I don’t know much about him.” He looked away. He was pulling on his mustache again. His stern face changed, he looked like an orphan about to cry. He talked to himself, “Why would they abandon the army? In the middle of the night…The whole Batallion.”

“Sir, do you know about the Government Declaration and the Fatwa?”

“Which Government are you talking about? Which Declaration is that?”

“The Damad Ferid Government and the Fatwa of Sheikh el Islam.”

“No, I haven’t seen that. I think I heard about it yesterday, though. I didn’t believe it.  I thought it was just Anzavour’s lies. What was it all about?”

The Lieutenant took a paper out of his pocket. “Here, read it. There are a couple of copies at the Division Base. The Commander has sent this copy to you.”

Jamil took the paper with the tips of his fingers as if it was dirty. There was the Sultan’s emblem on top. It said:

“Caliph’s Firman:

This is to be read to all Muslims. Read this to all the illiterates if you are able to read. If you don’t obey the orders you will sin.”

The Sultan was saying that Salih has resigned and Ferid is appointed to be Sadrazam. Durrizade Abdullah is the new Sheikh-ul- Islam. The rest was unclear. It said something about Nationalists. ‘Just as the political situation was turning better the Nationalists put the country in danger again. The Sultan wasn’t taking hard measures now but he would take more serious steps…’ and so on. Jamil exclaimed, “Oh, my Lord! I am going to lose my mind!” He laughed nervously. As he was about to continue reading, he heard Lieutenant Farouk remark, “Who are they?”

Farouk looked at the two men approaching. He recognized Colonel Osman. He was coming with a small-framed man. Then he recognized him. “Captain, it is Dr.Munir! He is coming towards us.”

Jamil looked for a place to hide the papers. He thought he better not show his friends the fatwa and discourage them. He put the papers in his pocket and stood up. Dr. Munir saw them and came faster; Jamil went and hugged him. Colonel Osman was shouting, “Where have you been, Jehennem? We have been looking for you the entire morning.”

“Doctor! What a surprise!” He couldn’t have been happier if he saw his newborn son Omer at that moment. “How did you find us? Why didn’t you call ahead?”

“There wasn’t any time to call. I just came.”

“What news do you have from Istanbul? How is Omer the Patriot? How is Pasha?”

“Patriot is in exile at Malta Island. Halil Pasha escaped from the Bekiraga Division. I wrote to Shevki. Didn’t he tell you?”

“No, I haven’t heard any news from Istanbul. Please, take a seat! Did you take the Bandirma route? Have you met Osman before?”

Colonel Osman said proudly, “We know each other from Yemen. We had a good friendship there. I was more interested in the Yemeni women while Munir and Ismet were listening to Gavour songs on the phonograph that they had bought from a French engineer.”

“Don’t call that music Gavour song, you idiot. We were listening to Beethoven, Bach and Wagner’s concertos and symphonies.”

“You may call them whatever you wish. Music is music. I had better things to do…”

Dr.Munir said to Jamil, “Don’t believe him, Jamil. He wasn’t friends with any Yemeni woman. All he did was spend time with those Yemeni Sheiks in dark places chewing gat…”

“What is gat?”

“It is like marijuana…something like that. A disgusting habit. They chew that weed and they relax, they have saliva built up and they spit. They feel more relaxed and they chew some more.”

“Why on earth do they do that?”

“They get high. This butcher here is violent because I suspect, there is a problem with his manhood!”

“You idiot! What are you talking about? All the Yemeni women liked me; they even followed me here. I think that Greek Captain should have beaten you in Bandirma!”

Jamil had never liked this kind of talking. He asked Dr. Munir, “What happened with the Greek Captain?”

“We are just joking. It is nothing.”

Osman laughed, “It wasn’t a joke. The man was almost going to kill you. What were you thinking when you took the position of the physician of Public Health in Bandirma? Were you going to make some money in all this mess? You are a weird doctor…How did you think you could actually take the Sultan’s Fatwa away from the people?”

Jamil looked around and whispered, “What are you talking about?”

“Don’t you know about the Fatwa that was issued three days ago? Osman was yelling, “We are all in danger! The reactionaries said Muslims can kill the Nationalists and take our possessions. How come you didn’t hear?  It is really serious. If those papers are genuine, that means we are in real danger!” Osman took some papers out from his pocket and put them on the table angrily like a gambler putting down his cards, “Read them, Jamil. Read them carefully and say your last prayers!”

Jamil took a look at the fatwa. He pretended to see it for the first time and found the place where he had stopped reading earlier. As he was trying to figure out the meaning of one Arabic word that he had read, Osman started to talk again, “I don’t know about you Doctor, but I think one small Batallion like Suleyman Askeri’s “Osmancik” will be enough to go ambush the brothel named Istanbul! I would go circle Bab-i Ali and arrest all the fools in Sublime Port and hang them starting with Damad Ferid, then Durrizade Abdullah and all the others!”

“Hey, Osman! We have ended up in this mess because of all the violence and hanging that you guys have accomplished!” Munir interrupted.

“Don’t be a wimp, Doctor! We should all hang at least a division daily until all is clear.”

Jamil smiled sadly. He tried not to look at Lieutenant Farouk. He shuffled the papers and started reading instead.

The Sultan warned that the uprising in Anatolia would put the country in danger, “God forbid”. The rebels should be punished to the full extent of the Law. The innocent subjects who were deceived by the Nationalists could be forgiven. The Sultan wanted Law and Order in his Country and asked his people to show solidarity with him so that the whole world could see.

Jamil checked his pockets for his package of cigarettes. Osman said, “Hey, Munir! Why are you all against capital punishment? If we don’t hang them; you doctors find ways to kill people with your own methods anyway! Are you worried that you will have fewer patients? We hang them so everybody can see. Otherwise, we can’t end the corruption. Wehip Pasha used to tease me for this strict approach but it was necessary. If we hadn’t executed the outlaws and the bandits, we couldn’t have succeeded in securing the Eastern Front all the way to the Bolsheviks. Osman elbowed Jamil who was preoccupied. Jamil smiled while he was still buried in his thoughts. Osman asked, “Am I right, Jamil?”

“On what subject Colonel?”

“I am talking about capital punishment. You have to punish the criminals you can convict so others won’t dare to commit a crime. That’s what the Ottoman Sultans did! See, in his Firman, the Sultan uses the word ‘Hang’ as well!”

The Sultan was also suggesting that we should be having friendly and warm relations with the Allies. We should aim for good relations so that the Peace Agreement can be signed quickly and with the conditions that are in our favor. At the end of his Firman, the Sultan wished Godspeed.

Munir asked, “What is so amusing Jamil?”

“Nothing, I remembered Shaban; he used to say...”

“Who is Shaban?”

“He is my batman…”

“What did he say?”

“When things got confusing he would say, ‘I don’t know what to say, Sir! Both parties want God’s help!”

“So?”

“The Sultan prays for God’s help. We all need that.”

Dr. Munir turned his head, he didn’t like this.  Colonel Osman called the waiter, this time he came running. He was intimidated by Osman’s loud voice. “Get me water pipe! Izmir style.”

Jamil ordered tea.

The Sultan’s decree included a declaration of Damad Ferid Pasha Government as well. The declaration summarized how we entered the war, why we were defeated, the Truce Agreement and its signatories. Then it went on about the collapse of the empire and warned about the dangerous results of the Anatolian Revolt against the Government. They were accusing “some people” for founding the National Organization for their own personal gain.

“These are dangerous times, Doctor; if we don’t hang them they will hang us!”

“Damn it! I get tired of this hanging business!”

“What do you say about the Firman? What do you say about the Sheikh el Islam’s Fatwa? You should be more careful now. You have Government orders against you! If I want to I can just take out my pistol and kill you right here and no one will ask me why I shot you.”

“What if someone kills you? Aren’t you in the same situation as me?”

“I am in the exact same situation as you. If you are quick you could shoot me first and yell, “God Save the Sultan”; then you could get away with it. Too bad for me!”

Osman looked far away to the plains. His demeanor was as if he was offering something very valuable for free.

Dr.Munir asked Jamil, “Are you done reading?”

“No…This is all nonsense… They are all fools!”

“It is like a joke. Isn’t it?”

Jamil continued reading the Government Declaration. Damad Ferid was saying, “Because of the National Forces we have to face tougher conditions in the Peace Agreement. The occupation of Istanbul is a direct result of Nationalist activities. The Greek invasion of Izmir is for the same reason. The Nationalists are murdering people, collecting money from the citizens saying that they are saving the country. They are torturing people who are against them and they are opening fire on the villages and towns. This is against our religion. A Fatwa is already issued against the Nationalists’ activities. The citizens were asked to arrest the Nationalists or kill them, wherever they are seen.”

Osman said, “I warned Talat years ago, before the March 31st Incident. I told him we have to finish off those people. All I asked from Talat was to agree; he didn’t need to do anything. I asked him to pretend he was sick and stay in bed for several days; pretend he didn’t know anything. Then we could easily kill the likes of Prince Sabahaddin and Sabri; while we were at it Abdul Hamid and Dervish Vahdeti, as well! The world would be a better place that way! Then Talat could run the country without opposition. He didn’t listen to me! I ask you, what is ‘opposition’? Why do we even need that? All we need is ‘One nation, One Country and Freedom!’ This opposition concept is not for me! It is for Westerners! We have better methods. We kill them all.”

Jamil continued reading. It was the part about Abdullah’s Fatwa:

“Some bad people have gathered and chosen themselves as a leader. They are organizing to tax the citizens and they are terrorizing the villages. All for their own benefit. They are killing innocent Muslims. They are replacing the religious authorities in the cities with their own men. They are revolting against the Sultan and if they are not going to obey the orders they will be executed. The Muslims are asked to stop the Nationalists…”

Jamil put the papers down; he was confused. He said, “They must be crazy!”

Dr. Munir said, “Don’t worry, Jamil. The situation is already so complicated, the Fatwa doesn’t mean anything. Don’t forget there is a turban clan in all the cities. We will get our own Fatwa!”

Osman laughed out loud. Jamil asked, “Is that even possible?”

“Yes, it is possible. If the Fatwa is so important, we will have our own Fatwa!”

“Two Fatwa’s on the same subject contradicting one another!”

“Yes, it is for the good of our people. People will start thinking. We’ve had enough of the Fatwas for centuries. It is time to get rid of them.”

Osman was enjoying his water pipe, he said, “It is all because of that Greek Captain…”

He was mentioning the Greek Captain for the second time. Jamil asked, “What about him? Was there any problem with the Captain because of the Fatwa?”

Dr.Munir said, “Hmm…we had some problems”

Osman said, “Tell the story, Munir! Were you the first Nationalist to be executed?”

“Almost! They told me the position of a physician for Public Health Service was vacant in Bandirma. I decided to apply because I wanted to see the situation in Bandirma and the surrounding areas myself. As soon as we reached Bandirma, all hell broke loose. Anzavour stopped the train coming from Balikesir. He was searching the Susurluk area for the Nationalists. He arrested everyone who looked educated; they assumed all the educated people were already on the Nationalist side.”

Osman said sarcastically, “So you were scared?”

Munir continued, “Don’t joke with me! Anyway, yesterday morning I saw some men distributing flyers. I got one. I was surprised to see that it was the Sheik al Islam’s Fatwa. I was dumbstruck! Then I noticed there was a Greek ship at the Bandirma Harbour; its cargo was bags of paper. I thought of a solution; I got my stick and started beating the men who were distributing the Fatwa. I collected them all. I called some porters and told them to carry the bags. They were surprised and didn’t have the nerve to say anything. However, the others called for help and they arrested me. The Greek Captain came and spoke to me in Greek. I started speaking to him in all the languages but Greek. He didn’t know any other language. All the Greeks of Bandirma came to the Harbour to see what was going on. I think the Greek Officer wanted to impress the crowd. As I was switching to German from Spanish, two men held me by my arms and my feet were in the air.”

“What does that mean? Were they going to hang you?”

Osman laughed. Munir continued his story, “No, not like that! They suspended me in the air. I was hanging from the crane. I thought I was going to die. He was taking me higher and higher. I was moving like a lobster in a trap.”

Jamil listened and said, “Damn It! Is that true?”

“I was moving my arms and legs aimlessly. I was feeling dizzy, I was scared. If that drunken seaman let it go then I would have fallen from 20 meters. I was screaming and the Greeks were yelling, ‘Kato! Kato!” They meant ‘Kill’. The local Greeks were yelling, ‘Mayna…Mayna, Palikarya’.” The drunken seaman was joyfully playing with me. He was taking me to great heights and letting go then stopping so close to the ground. I could have died. Thank God, the Commander of the British Warship saw me and he sent a sergeant over. Then the Greeks let me go down. And I found myself in front of the British Sergeant. My knees gave way, I couldn’t stand up. The good Sergeant helped me to stand up.”

“Damn it! Those unruly Greeks!”

“The sergeant took me to the torpedo boat. I don’t know what the Greek Officer told him but I talked nonstop without taking a breath.”

“What did you tell the British Commander?”

“I told him that was the Sheik al Islam’s Fatwa. It was a very important document for Muslims. We can’t accept the Holy Fatwa to arrive by a Greek ship. We can’t accept it to be touched and distributed by the non-Muslims. It was totally unacceptable to put the Holy Fatwa in bags like this and so on. We can’t let the papers drop to the ground and get dirty like an ordinary flyer.”

“Then what happened?”

“I told them that the Muslims around the world will be saddened to hear that the Sheik al Islam Fatwa was in the hands of the Greeks. The British Commander took this very seriously and yelled at the Greek Captain for mistreating the holy document. He was very angry; the Greek Captain jumped off the torpedo boat and hurried to the harbor with lightning speed! I put on my Fez and went to see the Mufti. I recited some ayahs from the Holy Quran and talked about some hadiths as well. I start saying ‘Euzubillah’ and continued explaining my views. Mufti thought that the situation was pretty serious, as well. Anyway, we brought the bags into the Mufti's Office and locked them up. So, you see, the Fatwa papers that were sent to Bandirma to be distributed to the people are now locked in the basement of Mufti's Office. I was going to stay in Bandirma; however, some friends warned me that I shouldn’t stay there long since this could all backfire. They said it was not possible to find the fools from each nation all together like that. The English, the Greeks, the Turks, and the Circassian people, they were all fooled. I thought I better get going since people might start laughing at me after the crane incident. I took a sailboat to Mudanya and reached Bursa before dawn.”

“Too bad the Greek Captain didn’t really let the rope go”, Osman teased him.

Jamil asked Munir, “Don’t you think the Fatwas carry some weight, Doctor?”

“It depends on who you are talking to. You know some people will prove to be real friends to us and some will be real enemies. These are dangerous times.”

“What about the undecided?”

“They don’t carry any weight in times like this.”

Osman laughed then his mood turned serious. He asked Jamil, “Did you get any news from the Troops that are coming to Bursa?”

Jamil thought about something. Osman had always kept his horse saddled; he was always ready to go. Jamil was sure he wouldn’t stay with them if things became dangerous around here and Osman didn’t even bother to pretend otherwise.

Jamil didn’t know whether it would be wise to tell him that the soldiers had deserted already. Before he could answer a messenger arrived. The Commander was summoning Jamil, so he took the opportunity to leave the conversation and he asked Munir to come along by saying that he would show him his room.

THE RELUCTAN WARRIOR

Chapter 14

There were thunder and lightning until midnight and drizzle after that.

Jamil and Munir were sitting under the walnut tree against the wall. They had their raincoats draped over themselves and their rifles.

Hidden away from the road, their animals were some twenty feet behind them; breathing heavily and nervously moving their heads; there were heavy machine guns a hundred feet away that were firing into the darkness in intervals.

Earlier, six hundred men had come from Bilejik to Bursa; their initial numbers were higher but four hundred men deserted on the way. The troops rested a bit then they continued their way to the newly established Beshevler Front to join the units fighting against Anzavour. The Commanders at the Division Headquarters were hoping for a quiet night, however, they were disturbed by the news of deserters in the evening. This time the Battalion revolted, they even drew guns on their Officers. While they were approaching Bursa, about two kilometers from the city they saw the women coming down the road. The women were yelling, “Brothers, Where are you going? Are you going to fire on the Muslims? These Gavour Officers are making you revolt against the Caliph! You will be Gavour as well if you obey those orders!”

The Nationalists were twenty-three men altogether, most of them were Officers and Sergeants; they were guarding Bursa against a possible attack from the deserted soldiers who had gone in the Mudanya direction. They feared the deserted soldiers may return and plunder Bursa. The forces back at the headquarters were not more than that number either. The bridges and the neighborhoods of Bursa were being guarded by the Defence Association members and the citizens.

Upon hearing the heavy machine guns rapid-fire, Jamil laughed nervously. “I am laughing at how Farouk is using the machine gun; he opens fire every five minutes and fires five bullets precisely.”

Munir answered, “Don’t be surprised. We are the experts at this; firing into the darkness. You should be surprised at the others; they are six hundred men with rifles and they are afraid of us! They can’t gather up the courage to come here.”

“There is also a possibility that they might have joined Anzavour.”

“That’s right! Where do you suppose Anzavour is? Do we have any fresh news of him?”

“We don’t have any good information. All we hear are rumors; he is coming; he is approaching; he is preparing for a sudden attack; he is going to win; he is hanging the Officers as he is approaching; he has encircled Bursa already…and so on,” Jamil answered.

“The plunderers in Bursa are worrying more than us,” Munir observed. “They are anxious. Where do you suppose Ethem the Circassian is at this moment?”

“He is coming from the Salihli direction. We don’t know exactly where he is. Some say he was scared and backed away and some say he is fighting against Gavour Imam, who is supporting Anzavour. There are rumors that they are fighting a bitter fight.”

Jamil’s horse must have been getting angry because of the constant rain. The animal was breathing heavily and digging at the ground. Jamil yelled but the animal didn’t calm down so he jumped to his feet, got his rifle and went to see what was going on. He descended to the ditch of the road that was going in the Bursa direction. He hunched over and stopped every once in a while to listen to the noises coming from that direction.

He heard footsteps on the muddy road and whistled so that Shaban could recognize him, then he held his breath and listened. He couldn’t figure out how many people were coming so he went farther in the ditch and hid behind the blackberry bushes. He directed his rifle towards the road. “Who are you? Tell me the password!” Whoever was approaching didn’t answer. “Password! Or I will shoot you!”

“My friend, I don’t know the password; I am looking for Captain Jamil.”

Jamil couldn’t hear the last words well; Farouk was firing his gun. “Don’t come any nearer. Tell me who you are!”

“I am looking for Captain Jamil!”

“Wait over there! What is your name?”

“Nuri Gonen! Major Nuri Gonen!”

“Hello, Sir! What brings you here in the middle of the night?” Jamil asked. He was still hiding in the shade, just to be sure. “Is there something the matter?”

“I am coming over there, Jamil. Wait a minute. I am tired.” Major Nuri was walking in the middle of the muddy road with difficulty. He had his rifle across his shoulder like a new recruit and breathing heavily. “I was walking fast without meaning to,” he smiled like a child. “God I am tired.”

“Why did you come? Why did you come all alone? It is dangerous.”

“I thought I should come to see you right away.”

“Why hasn’t Shaban accompanied you?”

“I didn’t ask him to accompany me.”

“What happened?”

“Maybe it is not that important, but…”

“What?”

“I woke up and noticed that Osman wasn’t in his bed. I worried so I got up and got dressed.” Nuri explained.

“Did Osman leave as well? I think he must have left when he heard the news of the second Battalion breaking up.”

“You guessed right! He went away! What happened to the Battalion?”

“Nothing. So Osman left! Did he tell anyone where he was going?”

“Who knows? His horse was saddled at all times; he jumped on it and went away. He said to the Sergeant that he was going to gather the gang together and come back with them. Do you think he will be back?”

“He might come back…after the commotion is over.”

 “I don’t think so! I know Osman. He is no coward!”

As Jamil and Nuri were talking, they came near Dr. Munir; he put his rifle back under the blanket and asked, “Who is not a coward? Who are you talking about?”

“Osman the Butcher.”

“What happened to him?”

Jamil laughed nervously, “He was unable to sleep so he got up and asked for his horse…”

“You are kidding!”

“I am serious!”

“Did he say he was going to go ambush Anzavour?”

“Hmm…It must be something like that. He went to gather his gang.”

“I guessed correctly then. His gang was mixed; there were all kinds of people from Crete, Kavala, Kars, and Erzurum! If he went to gather them from all those places he would come back in time, no doubt before the action starts! So the Major came here to bring us the news? Did Osman ask you to come here, Sir?”

“No, Doctor. I wanted to come to be together with friends tonight; one more rifle will help in the dark!”

“God Bless you!” Dr. Munir’s voice was full of emotion, “You came here without a raincoat; in this weather! You came to stand guard, is that right?”

“I don’t get cold! I didn’t want to stay at the Headquarters; I don’t feel like sleeping either.” He heard the Mitrailleuse fire and stopped talking, and then he asked in a lower voice, “Are they exchanging fire?” He lowered his voice, but not because of fear. “Are they fighting, Jamil? Good…Show me a place, please.”

Dr. Munir opened the blanket and invited him to get shelter from the rain. “Here is a place for you, Major! Come, I am not a big man, there is room for both of us!”

“No, please, I meant a position to fire from!”

“It is all right. Come here and you can shoot from here, as well. This is a good spot for fighting.”

Nuri came under the shelter. He said, “I didn’t mean to disturb you. I was going to say something. Oh! I remember! Yes, I was saying I know Osman well; I don’t believe he is a coward. I don’t think he went because of fear!”

“You are right; maybe it is not fear; he is discouraged and probably didn’t know how to handle his nerves.  It is not fear; people are getting sick and tired of all this.” Munir said to Jamil, “You too, Jamil, you sighed and then you looked at my face to see my expression. You were wondering whether I heard your sigh or not. You looked, even though you can’t see me in this dark.”

“Come on! There is nothing like that”

“Yes, there is. I know you are angry. Right then I wanted to ask you something…”

“What?”

“Why are you here? What are you guarding in the middle of the night in this rain? If I asked you what would your answer be? Would you say you were guarding your country? If I asked you this question out of blue what would you say?” Munir wondered.

“Of course, I would say that. Why did you ask?”

“You Officers, you speak straight, you don’t lie. I don’t mean the entire Officers’ Corps; some of you are into the tricks. Some of the Officers are worse than irregulars. When people are ignorant they try to fake courage. Osman the Butcher is like that but it is our fault, regardless. It is the fault of trustworthy Officers.”

“Why?”

“We let them do all the tricks…Should we smoke?”

“Sure.”

“What if the light will be visible?”

“Don’t worry.”

Just as Jamil was taking the matches out he heard the machine gun; each bullet pierced through the darkness with a red, bright light. Major Nuri cocked his head, “Are they fighting?”

“No, Major! As the Doctor says, Lieutenant Farouk is firing into the darkness.”

Nuri didn’t get the joke. He said, “That’s heavy machine gunfire. It is a good gun.  It would be better in your hands than your opponents.” Major Nuri remembered his friend Gor, “We used to call Gor ‘heavy machine gun’. Do you remember him?” Jamil was going to say ‘no’ but Nuri continued, “You should know him. I was at Division Headquarters of Gor in Palestine. 4^th Army, 3^rd Army Corps, 1^st Infantry Division; he was like a robot himself but he was a good man. If you didn’t know his personality traits you would think that the man didn’t think, but he had a special way of thinking… Jamil, do you know the ‘Sea of Lot’?

“Yes, Major, I know.”

“It is four hundred meters below sea level; you know that for sure, don’t you?”

“Yes, I know.”

“Yes, my friend; it is four hundred meters below sea level. I used to think some nights; I wonder how it is even possible? I said, ‘This sand that we are lying on is so loose our elbows are digging into it yet it is holding the vast Mediterranean Sea. How come the Mediterranean Sea is not swallowing this sand up and not filling up this hole? The French call Sea of Lot ‘La Mer Morte’; it is the same in Turkish, ‘Oludeniz’”

Major Nuri thought about this for a while, and then he stretched his leg. His wound was still wrapped with bandages. He continued, “The British attacked us twice; they were trying to distract us.  I thought these were attacks to achieve the final victory, but they weren’t. I thought they were going to encircle us by going through Eriha Bridge and Salt Amman Headquarters…  They attacked Gaza twice with all their might and wanted to achieve results from the right side earlier. That’s why I thought they wouldn’t come to the same point again. Some Army Generals warned the Group Commanders, but to no avail. General Liman von Sanders didn’t take this seriously. Well, even if he took that seriously he couldn’t have done much anyway because there were only the 24th Infantry Division and 3^rd Cavalry Division behind for backup. We had a total force of twenty-eight thousand men including the 7th and the 8th Armies, as well as our own 4th Army.  The Gerek Mountains were on our left and Harvan was behind us. We were separated from the7^th and the 8^th Armies by the Jordan River. We were 60 kilometers from the sea and that 60-kilometer long area was guarded by three Armies, in fact, as strong as 3 Divisions. When I say guard, you know what I mean. As a matter of fact, the enemy crushed the 22^nd Army Corps at the first strike; their Cavalry unit was right behind us. They were almost going to take the Armies Group Commander in Nasira prisoner. Because of that, the Palestinian front was without a leader for a couple of days. While the 7^th and the 8^th Armies were retreating towards the Jordan River, we went to the mountains and retreated towards Dar. ”

Staff Major Nuri Bey waited until the machine gun stopped its rattling. He looked into the darkness. He was talking as if he was lecturing Officers at the War Academy. It was as if the war in question was Hannibal’s Battles, not his own.

Jamil tried to guess what Nuri was looking at, he looked at in the same direction, but there was only darkness. Nuri continued, “What was I saying? Oh! Yes, retrieval; to be frank I never had difficulty in the wars until September of 1918!” He drew from his cigarette. “It wasn’t like I was shying away from the hardship. I didn’t think of making others shoulder the difficulties. My friends know me, I am no coward. I am afraid of dying like everyone, however, when facing danger I don’t think of dying.” He smiled, “I get scared after I throw myself in the line of danger.”

Jamil saw a lot of men in the army like Major Nuri; they are the ones that picked the wrong profession. They weren’t incapable; you didn’t feel sorry for them; you didn’t feel you needed to protect them in dangerous places. Those types of men live all by themselves all alone in the army. They are tough; they don’t complain about the fatigue or poverty; they don’t even think of themselves as suffering from anything. They don’t get shell shock. They live in their own world. If they die they need a couple of minutes to live to be able to understand that they are dead!”

Jamil asked, “So you started to retreat…”

Jamil was curious what Nuri felt as they were retreating in Palestine. Nuri continued, “So we started to retreat. Our front wasn’t broken so we felt confident. We didn’t feel guilty. When I say we, you know no one in the 4^th Army felt guilty. Do you know Jamal who is from Mersin?”

“Yes, I know him.”

“I don’t know how he was able to get himself promoted to the rank of Army Commander. He didn’t seem ambitious. Maybe he is but he doesn’t let it show. Why did I tell you this? Maybe I wanted to tell someone for a long time. It doesn’t matter. I don’t know for sure. We were retreating. The enemy wasn’t pressuring us. We were going back in an orderly fashion. The troops were acting like they were coming back from training. The Commander was giving the orders in time and men were obeying in time; we all felt confident. We thought even if we were retreating we would stop the enemy somewhere that was for sure. I don’t know why we felt that confident, probably because we were out of the Dead Sea region. We were climbing up to the higher ground. Yes. We were going towards the left towards the mountains. The mountains looked dark blue from a distance. It can be as hot as 60 to 70 degrees around the Jordan River and the Dead Sea shores. After all, that heat going to the mountains made me think of the cool uplands. As we were approaching the foothills everything seemed fine, too good to be true.

 As we started our climb everything changed instantly. Everything was upside down. Like an earthquake, worse than that, like doomsday! The last report that I got was that the Indian Cavalry Brigade was attacking our trail party. After that other reports came, we sent orders to the units but nothing was rational any more. What we had imagined as green plains turned out to be hard rocks, rugged terrain, cliffs, and sharp rocks. I still get dizzy thinking about those cliffs. It was scary. We were hearing the voices of mules from two hundred meters below and their call was answered by the camels which were a hundred meters above. The camels that fell off the cliff ended up by the creek after falling down while hitting the rocks.  From above they looked like small ants. We descended from those mountains to the Harvan Plains, leaving behind our cannons and ammunition chests. The horses didn’t have horseshoes anymore and the people had no shoes. All the men of the 4^th Army were fatigued. They were finished. We thought we could rest once we descended to the flatlands but we didn’t have time to relax.  The Harvan Plains were worse than hell. It was like we didn’t descend to the plains but entered into the fire. Since the 7^th and the 8^th Armies were on the left, the entire Lightning Armies Group mixed into one another. Thousands of men, animals, and vehicles were going towards Damascus, falling and tripping. On our right, the enemy Cavalry Units were also advancing towards Damascus while keeping an eye on us. On our left, there were the gangs of the English Laurence and Emir Faisal, who was a descendant of Prophet. In front of us, there were tens of thousands of armed bandits; behind us, there were General Allenby’s fresh agile and content troops. Content because they were victorious and still behind us. General Allenby’s Palestinian Army was forty times stronger in manpower and a thousand times stronger in weapons. The scorching sun and the airplanes were above us. I don’t remember who thought of this first, but they promoted me the Commander of the Infantry Regiment.”

 He massaged his knee on his wounded leg and shook his head desperately. “You know, every officer dreams about being a Commander and thinks about what to do on his first day! I always thought of myself as being in charge of a Regiment that needed further training. I thought about what to say to the privates and what to say to the Officers since my days as a Lieutenant. I had prepared my speech word by word. My motto was ‘iron discipline for duty and real friendship among soldiers’. My Regiment consisted of two hundred men.” He hesitated, “No, actually one hundred and fifty, maybe one hundred and twenty men. They were all resting near the stream. They tried hard to stand up. They didn’t have much of a uniform. Their uniforms were all ripped. They looked worse than the bandits! I was astonished. I think I begged them to sit down. My friends later told me tears rolled down my eyes.” He passed his fist under his eyes. “It was bad. Since that day I cry without realizing. You know sometimes people find this inappropriate. They think us Officers are made out of stone. It is true that we have certain rules for our chosen profession. Maybe it is indeed inappropriate for an Officer to cry; maybe they are right to think this way.”

Jamil was preoccupied; he wanted to ask, “What did you do to get the retreating soldiers back in the trenches?” Then he understood that he was being merciless and stopped talking. Nuri said, “Yes?”

“It is not important.”

“You were going to say something.” The Staff Major Nuri Bey smiled forgivingly, “You were going to ask something related to crying.  Is that right?”

Jamil thought he had to continue with his question, “No, not at all Major; I was wondering if you had to use weapons to get the privates back into the trenches.”

“Yes, I used the weapons.” Major Nuri answered the question without hesitating. “We had to. They panic most of the time; I had that experience a couple of times at Canakkale.” Then he laughed, “I see now. You thought of me as a weak person and wondered if I could fire at a person. That’s different. That’s totally different, isn’t it?”

When Jamil laughed as well, Nuri didn’t press the matter any further and continued, “We were retreating but every now and then we showed some teeth like wolves. Soon after I took command, I had to leave the Regiment. I found myself walking alongside a horse-drawn carriage holding on to the left side of it on September 25^th, 1918. What happened before then was just like a nightmare that the people with Malaria have between the fevers. We had two to three thousand men. It might have been more. We had to walk during the night since there were air attacks. A Cavalry unit was guarding us with their lances.

“Which division was that?”

“The Third Division! They joined our army before the defeat. They were reserves. One regiment went to join another unit so there were only two regiments. One of the regiments was leading us and the other was behind us. We were carrying the weight in the middle. Some were too tired to walk and they were falling down. We didn’t have horses anymore. Most of us had to walk. My horse had been shot with a stray bullet. The wounded officers were riding on horses; wounded soldiers were lying on top of each other on the carriages. The artillery soldiers had already left their Battalions by the Jordan River and they were riding the horses, two or three people on each horse. Some Cavalry soldiers had lost their units and they were trying to poke their hungry horses with their lancers to make them walk.”

“How many soldiers did the Cavalry Regiments have?”

“Each had about a hundred and fifty men. We reached Ibrit, which was Aclun’s center, on the morning of September 26th.The Lightning Armies’ Headquarters in Ibrit had the depots full of more than a million kilos of oats, the same amount of wheat and a half a million kilos of legumes. All this would soon be left to the Arab bandits, who were following us at close range. In fact, they already had encircled us. Both the men and the animals of the army ate all they could. We took three days of supplies with us and prepared to leave at midnight. However, in the evening a crowd had descended to the town. They were about five hundred people, completely naked. All had their hands in front of them trying to cover themselves; they were robbed by the Arabs. The bandits took everything including the victims’ underwear. There were four hundred privates and seven or eight Officers. Seven Germans were with them. Everyone ran to their aid. The naked people covered themselves with the clothes that they could find. Then we started our journey towards Muzeyrib. Every now and then the people of Harvan were firing bullets at us from all directions. Even today some of us are still mad at Harvan’s people’s hospitability!”

“You are not mad at them?”

“At first I was angry. Then I thought we were mad at them for revolting against the Caliph even though they were Muslims themselves. But then I thought in Europe the same thing was happening. The parties who were at war with one another were all Christians. No one was accusing anyone of fighting against their  Christian brothers. The thing that was unacceptable was that they ripped people’s clothes off under the scorching desert Sun and as if that were not enough, they were firing at an army who is retreating and defeated. When I was a Prisoner of War I learned that the bandits were more than fifteen thousand people. At that time all of 7,8 and 4th Armies’ men were less than that collectively.

On September 27th, our Lancer Regiment approached an Arab village called Tafas.  The villagers opened fire suddenly. The Regiment dismounted and spread like hunters. We retreated and crouched down. In front of our eyes, our own men were fighting. None of us had the power to go to their aid. We were warriors only a week ago. We were sitting there like the Harem women who had never held a weapon. The 3rd Cavalry Regiment had 300 members. They were dismounted and ordered to fight in different compositions. First, they wanted to charge ahead. Then they struggled to encircle the village going around us. We were watching all this, completely disconnected to it, as if we were the audience in a movie theater who didn’t like war movies. Then they were behind the thick walls and hills in the village. There was a small flat area in the center and they were responding to the attackers. Even that kind of situation was not enough to awaken us. Only ten people went to their aid amongst us. I think they were the Cavalrymen as well. They couldn’t stay there without helping their comrades. I wanted to talk about that when I started talking to you. Tonight when I couldn’t sleep I thought about Tafas Village and that indifference. You have been complaining about the people’s indifference for so many days now so I think these things happen. People just freeze unexpectedly. Even though you see others are facing death instead of you, you don’t do anything and you don’t feel ashamed in such a time. How do you awaken people? How do you make them feel something? You can’t get any results by fighting and forcing them.”

Major Nuri changed the position of his wounded leg and he smiled, “Yes, you can’t do anything about it under those conditions. We just sat there and watched. We didn’t even pay attention to the bullets that were flying over our heads and raining down around us. So why didn’t we move? It wasn’t fear of death!”

Jamil was thinking about something else. He answered absentmindedly. “That’s right!”

“I am sure it wasn’t because of the fear of death. The Division Commander saw that face to face combat was not effective and ordered one unit and a heavy machine gun team to encircle the village by taking an indirect route to approach the village. I was thinking about the same thing as I was sitting down and watching. The bandits retreated to the hills on the right-hand side while still fighting. There were only fifty of them left in the town, soon they mounted their horses and camels to flee. We buried the dead. The cavalry rested. I should mention that for the first time in my life I saw a Cavalryman without boots, bare feet on the spur, no socks. The stirrups were made out of the copper boilers. Their reins were not made out of leather, but ropes. Most of them had broken spears. Their uniforms were in bad shape but they had new weapons. They had enough ammunition. Since they were losing men they had more guns to chose from and more ammunition to use. The Commander left the 6th Regiment in the village so that they could recuperate. They were the ones who had been fired upon first. Now the 8th Regiment was in front, we were heading North. I was still thinking about the man who was riding with his bare feet on the spur. When I saw him last he was trying to reach the village crawling; his feet were dirty. When he got shot he stretched his legs twice then pulled them to his stomach and stayed motionless. I can still remember his footprints on the sand.”

 Major Nuri thought for a while and asked, “ Do you know Patrona Halil? After the revolt, when he was taking the new Sultan for the sword ceremony, he rode his horse barefoot. That’s what it says in the history books. You might ask what that has to do with this. As I was thinking this, I heard a commotion and before I could realize what was going on, somebody hit me hard in the head with a heavy object.”

“Who hit you?”

“The people who had been taken out of the village by force. They realized the weaknesses of our Cavalry unit. To plunder our guns, two hundred horsemen together with one hundred men on camels came and attacked the exhausted crowd walking around the carriages. They attacked us with swords. When I opened my eyes I was on a stretcher. My head was aching and there were streaks of light in my eyes. I had a huge bump as big as my fist on the top of my head. I had difficulty moving my right leg. After that day I was never the same. My left eye is still twitching. The cork under my headgear saved my life. Since that day I get depressed, suddenly I can’t breathe. I have lost my desire to live. Everything is meaningless. The family, the country, the nation. The threat of a foreign army invading our country, friendships, reading writing, everything becomes meaningless! Sometimes women scream ‘I’ve had enough!’  it is just like that. So, that’s how it is. I stay in the same place in the same position for days. I don’t want to move a single muscle. To me saying a single word needs the same amount of effort as running to the summit of Mount Uludag. Forget about talking, it is hard for me even to even listen to someone. I can’t possibly describe to you this sense of fatigue! I even think that I will be thirsty again; I fear to be thirsty and not able to find water. I fear to remember what happened to me during the war. That’s the worst fear. I think about this a lot. Why did I leave Rahmi fighting and come back? How did I gather the strength? No, It is not an excuse to be wounded. I shouldn’t listen to Rahmi; I should fight with the Sergeant who helped me mount my horse.”

Jamil realized his own fatigue that he sensed in Istanbul was not as deep as Nuri’s. Jamil’s own feelings were not as strong as Nuri’s. Jamil wondered if Colonel Rahmi felt the same thing. Was he desperate? Was that the reason he let himself be killed?”

Nuri continued his story, “I don’t know how I came to Bursa? How I was able to ride the horse and sit straight.  I remembered one thing, that Anzavour wasn’t in the habit of taking the Officers prisoner. I should be ashamed of that thought. If I had ever a slight fear in my subconscious from the past, that meant I wouldn't perform my duties well on that particular day. Yesterday, I wasn’t able to sleep. I felt shame. I was ashamed of myself as if I was finding fault in someone else. When I was taken prisoner the same thing happened. It was like someone else was taken prisoner and I was feeling ashamed for him. I felt that I didn’t do my best; I didn’t search for all the ways, I stopped fighting too soon. Some of our friends even thought about surrendering to the English and wondered if it would be better than getting caught by the bandits. I didn’t even think about that. A group of us who decided to surrender gathered under a tree at a farm named Eshrefiye. We were like a bunch of sheep keeping close to one another and rubbing their nose against the soil. We saw a Cavalry unit passing by a hundred meters away. They were about thirty-five people. Only twelve of them had spears. They were too proud to surrender. They were determined to continue fighting and try to find a way to pass through. They didn’t look like vicious warriors but they weren’t concerned about the bullets that were coming their way either. The enemy Battalion was firing bullets over the heads of the surrendered soldiers to the Cavalry Unit. The Cavalry kept on walking towards the homeland without forcing their tired animals. Their commanders were amongst us. I think those Commanders felt worse than us. They must have had more difficulty answering questions at the War Ministry when they returned to Istanbul.”

It was almost sunrise. Farouk's’ machine gun was quieter now. Jamil wanted to offer some cognac to Nuri.  As he was stretching the bottle towards him, he heard a noise and stopped. The horses were approaching at full speed. There must have been something. They reached for their rifles. Jamil heard Shaban’s noise and jumped to his feet.

“Major! Sir!” Shaban was out of breath;  Jamil called, “Here! We are here! What happened? Is that Anzavour?”

“Yes, Sir! It is Anzavour!” Shaban pulled the reigns and his horse was on his back feet. “ Sir!  Ethem the Circassian finished Anzavour! Ethem defeated Anzavour; his troops are dismantled. Lieutenant Shevki came and gave us the news.”

Jamil threw his rifle to the ground and put his hands around his mouth and yelled, “Farouk! It is over! Come here! Leave it and come back!” Then he turned and hugged Dr. Munir.

Dr. Munir was breathing fast. Lieutenant Sevki was telling the story with a teenager’s enthusiasm. “The battle was on for five hours, not exactly five hours. In fact, the heavy fighting lasted only two hours. We were riding in rugged terrain. When we descended to the stream, we saw that the first team had already got there. After letting their horses drink water they were crossing the stream. Then we let our horses drink. All of a sudden we heard gunfire; a lot of bullets were being fired. We mounted our horses. We didn’t go halfway up the hill when we noticed that the first unit was retreating, they were broken up. We proceeded to go to the top of the hill where we saw that the enemy had dismounted their horses and was attacking. They were two hundred men strong. In the north, there was one group moving to the other side. I raised my arm to signal the back to pick up speed. If we could carry two machine guns to the hill on the left we could have finished them. I sent half of the men to help our units, who the enemy was trying to encircle. I ordered the other half to climb up the hill and wait for the machine guns. They went up the hill quickly while riding their horse's neck to neck.  As they were going the machine gun team arrived and I ordered the team Commander Halim to take the guns to the hill. When I saw that the first team already arrived at the summit and the machine gun team was on their way, I felt confident and I was sure in a short period of time we would be able to chase the enemy away. I brought the reserve horses of the two teams close to the hunters and told them that if the enemy breaks down then the units will start a cavalry charge immediately without waiting for the orders. At that instant, Anzavour attacked with all his force towards the left-hand side. The cavalry moved to both sides and left the job to the foot soldiers like we had decided before. We attacked with all our might from the left side. We went around a small hill to guard a wooden bridge that was far away. Our Artillery was shooting the targets accurately.”

When Jamil heard the word ‘artillery” he paid more attention, “Our Artillery?”

“Yes, our artillery. In fact, they didn’t miss a single shot. We claimed the bridge. You know the feeling; suddenly one can feel that the other side is not up to it. They were struggling. They started out confident but our infantry has broken them.”

“Then our soldiers fought a good fight?”

“They were like Lions. Each unit was as strong as a Fortress.”

“What happened next? You claimed the bridge…”

“When Anzavour saw that we had the bridge, he saw that there was no point in forcing anymore. He turned his back. Upon seeing this, everyone mounted their horses and followed him at full speed.”

Doctor Munir was curious, “How would you rate Ethem as a Military Man?”

“I don’t know if he is good or not but he couldn’t have won without the help of our infantry. There is one thing though; he is really calm on the battlefield. He is calm, coldblooded and brave. Anyway, we were able to get back the cannons that Anzavour had taken from Hamdi at Biga. As we were celebrating the fact that we had taken back the cannons and the machine guns; Ethem’s horsemen….” Lieutenant Shevki lowered his voice, “… started plundering. Some changed their horse; some changed their boots with the better ones…Ethem’s units and the regular military fought together, yet one side started plundering while the others remained disciplined and worked together in an orderly fashion. That was different. I appreciated our soldiers much more than in previous wars. You might say that sometimes our infantry soldiers also misbehave. You are right. But it’s rare. That’s the important part, they rarely misbehave. I paid attention to them and I saw that our soldiers were looking at Ethem’s bandits disapprovingly. You know how they are, quiet, and knowing.

When Shevki said ‘quiet’; Jamil thought of Major Nuri. He hadn’t seen him since the morning. He asked, “Doctor, Have seen Nuri?”

“Nuri? Major Nuri? No, I haven’t seen him”

“I wonder where he is. I hope he is not sick.”

“You better go check.”

Shevki started to tell the story about how Anzavour hanged a lot of people in Gonen. “He ordered many Officers to be executed.”

“That’s how you know he is a bandit.”

“He ordered the execution of the Mufti in Gonen as well as the President of the local Rights Association. His men plundered the town.”

“Where is he now?” Munir asked.

“He tried resisting our forces in Biga once more but when he realized that it was useless, he caught the ferry and went away.”

Jamil stood up and went outside. He asked the batman where Selahaddin was.

“Captain Selahaddin was asked to go to the telegram office urgently, Sir.”

“Where is the Commander?”

“He is with Ethem.”

“Have you seen Major Nuri?”

The Batman hesitated, “Sir, Nuri is in prison.”

“Did they put him in prison? Who ordered this? Why?”

“Tewfik ordered it.”

“What for?”

“Nuri didn’t salute him.”

“When did this happen?”

“They say Nuri didn’t salute Tewfik as he was leading his forces.”

“That’s too bad! Does the Commander know about this?”

“Yes, he knows, Sir.”

“Does Selahaddin know?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“So?”

“We couldn’t talk to Ethem, Sir. Selahaddin talked to Hafiz Huseyin and Hafiz advised us not to interfere. He fears, if someone interferes, they might put him in front of the firing squad. He advises we to wait for a little and he promised to talk to Tewfik after things calm down.”

“Where is Nuri now?”

“He is at the Gendarmerie Division.”

“Are there any other prisoners there?”

“Yes, there are some Anzavour supporters.”

“Who is guarding the prison?”

“Ethem’s flag bearer, Haji Omer is guarding the prison; he is a tough man. Maybe you can talk to Ethem. We should let him know. We should tell him that Nuri has some…mental problems…he needs help.”

Jamil looked at the Commander’s room’s door for a minute and then turned towards the stairs, walking fast. When he went on the road, he was thinking of the terror. He thought to himself ‘Whether we win or lose, we bring terror. Some of us have lived in fear for so many years, yet they still like terrorizing other people. We don’t know how to celebrate. That’s not human. Tewfik came to a big city like Bursa as if he was the conquering Commander and yet he got angry at a man who was sitting down in a corner silently. How is this even possible? Why would he even think about putting Nuri in prison?’ Jamil realized that it didn’t occur to the people of Bursa that they need to celebrate; it was a time for celebration. The roads were empty, people were still suspicious and they preferred to stay in their homes. As he was walking, he became angrier with every step.

As he was approaching the Gendarmerie Headquarters, he recognized Haji Omer sitting in front of the door. His huge body spread out over the chair and he was enjoying his water pipe. One leg was stretched on one chair and his other leg was on the second chair. His arm was on the third one. Not even Yavuz Sultan Selim was as proud as him when he was returning as a Caliph from Egypt.

Haji Omer was from Kayseri. When he saw Jamil he stood up, “Oh, Jamil Bey! It is nice to see you, Sir. I looked for you but couldn’t see you in the morning. Come, take a seat. I will order some tea and water pipe for you.”

“Thank you, Omer. I don’t have time. I came to see a friend of mine.”

“Who is your friend?”

“I was informed that he is a prisoner here. Come with me.”

“Oh! Is that right? Who is that?”

“Come.”

Jamil entered the building and walked towards the detention room. Omer said, “Who is your friend? Oh! I know. It must be the Major that Tewfik Bey has ordered to be arrested.”

Jamil ordered the guard on duty, “Open the door!”

The bandit opened the lock in a hurry. Jamil entered. Anzavour’s men were afraid. They stood up immediately to salute Jamil.

Major Nuri was looking through the bars to the outside absentmindedly. The bars on the window had spider webs on them.

Haji Omer called, “Hey, Major! Don’t you see? You have a visitor!”

Nuri Bey turned to see who had come. He looked at Jamil, “Oh! Jamil! Did you come for me?”

For the first time since he met Major Nuri, Jamil clicked his heels and saluted him formally, “Yes, Major I came to apologize.”

“There is no need to…” Staff Major Nuri Bey was about the same age as Jamil; however, he looked much older. He smiled like a grandfather. “Mistakes happen, I was so happy to see our soldiers victorious. You don’t know how happy I was but I think happiness made me tired. I just stayed there. It is my fault. I should have stood up; I should have known it was my duty. I didn’t think of it… It is my fault. They are right. Probably they thought I wasn’t happy for our country on a day like that. All this happiness can make people do wrong. I know that joy can mislead our nation more than sorrow. You came to see me. Thank you very much.”

“You are welcome. Please get ready, we are leaving.”

Omer interrupted, “Oh, Jamil Bey. What about Tewfik Bey? He will punish us.”

He looked at the face of the bandit in such a way that the man swallowed and was quiet. Jamil’s face was filled with anger.

Jamil asked Major Nuri, “Sir, do you have your walking stick?

“I think I have it somewhere. Oh! Here it is.”

“Omer! Bring me the Major’s walking stick. I told you to bring it!”

Omer with his huge body hurried to get the walking stick. As he was giving it to the Major, Jamil took it and gave it to the Major himself.  “Here is your walking stick, Sir. I apologize again.” He said to Omer, “Tell Tewfik that I came by and took Nuri Bey out. If he wants to talk to me, I am at the headquarters, as always.”

“Oh, Sir, there is no need! There is nothing to talk about. You know Tewfik, I am sure he has forgotten about Nuri Bey. Would you like to have some tea?” Then he stopped talking and listened outside. There were trumpets calling the soldiers to order.

Jamil hired a carriage, let Nuri board first, and as he jumped on board, told the coachman to go to the Division headquarters quickly.

There were trumpet noises persistently calling everyone to order, there were messengers riding their horses hurrying to get to the places they were going. There were horseshoe noises on the stone pavement.

Everyone was alert when they reached the headquarters. The orders were short and strict. The Officers, Sergeants and the soldiers all had something to do. As Jamil was walking toward the stairs, Shaban stopped him, “Major, it is bad news.”

“What? Is it the English army? Did they attack?”

“Worse…This time it is inland, my hometown. It is in turmoil…This time our own Turks are revolting…”

“What are you talking about? Who are your own Turks?”

“My hometown! The Stupid folks of the inland region! They are revolting and they are revolting in a really bad fashion. They attacked and instantly killed our Division Commander.”

“Which Division Commander is that? Are you talking about Bekir Sami?”

“No, Sir, I am talking about the Commander of the 3^rd Cavalry Division! He was our Commander at the Sinai Front.”

“This is too confusing. Tell me from the beginning or else I am going to hit you!”

“Captain Selahaddin received a telegram from Ankara; they ordered Ethem to go to Bolu right away.”

“So Bolu is your home town? I don’t think so…”

“Bolu is our bordering neighbor, Sir! Turkmens live there, that’s why it is ours. Bolu, Gerede Duzce and Hendek all those areas are revolting against Ankara. There is mutiny everywhere. The boilers were carried to the town square.”

“What was that for? Are they preparing meals for the soldiers?”

“There wasn’t much time for that, Sir! Ethem ordered the merchants to open the Bazaar and he is telling them to bring meat and sausages to the square. They are cooking meals for Ethem’s men.”

“Is this for everyone?”

“No, Ethem’s men will be given freshly baked bread and they will have sandwiches with this meat and pastrami, then they are going on their way.”

“Is there enough for the soldiers?”

“No, there isn’t. This food is for Ethem’s bandits only. Those Bashibozouks! Our soldiers will have bulgur soup if they are lucky. The infantry will follow them. They are making preparations in the warehouses for the army’s needs. Ethem is giving orders. He wants the best hay for his horses. He is threatening he will hang people if the animal feed is not up to his standards.”

“Where is he now?”

“He is at Ulucami; he gathered all the big turbans to the Mosque.

 “What is he doing there?”

“He is making the Hodjas witnesses to the message that he is sending to the Sultan. In his message, he is letting Istanbul know that he already defeated Anzavour and advising the Sultan to get himself a better Pasha…. He told the Sultan not to send any more unworthy commanders to fight with him; he is letting the Sultan know that he is going to Bolu now and to beware of what will happen next when he returns from Bolu.”

Selahaddin called from upstairs so Jamil left Shaban and climbed the stairs. Selahaddin said, “Did you get the bad news?”

“No, what is it?”

“Colonel Mahmud got killed in Duzce by the rebellion.”

“You don’t say. How did this happen? Was he killed in action?”

“No, I think Mahmud was confident because of his Circassian origins but they tricked him. First, they sent an envoy to him, that’s why Mahmud ordered the cease-fire trumpets. Then he went out of the trenches and proceeded towards the enemy. When he was close enough, he realized that the other side was not meaning well. He realized what their intentions were and got the rifle from the Officer and fired. When he missed, the enemy shot and killed him.”

“I am sorry to hear this. He was a good friend of mine. He was very brave.”

“Upon hearing the news our Commander cried like a child. There is worse news; the resistance is spreading from Bolu towards Ankara. Ethem got the orders to go and attack them immediately!”

“I will ask the Commander’s permission to leave and join Ethem’s forces now.”

“We already talked to the Commander about this. It is impossible. We can’t leave Bursa. We have to guard the city. We don’t have enough soldiers here.

 “Why did you gather the hodjas in the Mosque? Are they going to give counter Fatwa?”

“Yes!”

“Are they willing to do that?”

“Sure, they will issue a counter Fatwa. In fact, they are fighting one other to sign it first. You know those Hodja types as well as I do. They can’t resist power.”

Selahaddin ran to open the coded telegram that was brought in by the batman. Jamil went out of the building.

When he went to the town square, he saw Ethem’s men lining in front of the boilers to get meat to put in their sandwiches. Once they got their food, they were returning to their horses. They had all rested in Bursa’s famous hotels. They shopped at the bazaar and enjoyed the thermal waters for the last couple of days. They have fresh clothes on. Since they changed their horses at every chance they got, their horses were quite handsome.

When Ethem’s Battalion Commanders came to the town square, the cavalry units were ready to leave.

Ethem bid farewell to the Commander and the Governor and told Jamil quietly, “I will ask for Ankara’s permission for you to join my units, even though I asked the Commander here, he refused to allow you to come with me.”

The horsemen were following Omer the flag bearer in an orderly fashion; two horses, side by side. They had their rifles across their shoulders. The silver of their saddles and knives were shining in the sun.

Jamil didn’t want to nod to Ethem’s older brother, Captain Tewfik, so he looked towards Lieutenant Shevki’s heavy Machine Gun Unit.

The regular army soldiers had patched clothes and ripped boots, however, they had the pride of real warriors in their faces. They weren’t defeated by the bandits. Jamil saluted those proud soldiers. He didn’t put his hand down until the last soldier who was carrying water, passed by.

The Heavy machine gun troops suddenly started singing the famous patriotic song of the Great War. The song echoed from the front of the troops to the end. They were walking on the dusty road.

Dr. Munir said, “Ethem the Circassian defeated Anzavour the Circassian, and now he is going to crush the resisting Turks who are against the War of Independence. Do you understand that, Shaban?”

Shaban was behind. He was staring at Munir’s skinny neck with his one eye. He tried hard to understand. “Yes, Sir, I understand. How can I not understand?”

“Wow! Good for you, you are very clever.”

Since Munir said this in a Balkan accent, Shaban knew he was joking so he smiled. Then Dr. Munir got mad. “If you were back home I would kill you for laughing. Thank the Lord you are here!”

“I think it is best to be here on a day like this. Don’t you think, Doctor?”
“Don’t ask! If you were back home right now what would Ethem do to you?”

Shaban didn’t hesitate, “He would hang me, Sir!  I am sure of it!”