The Turning Point

 

The Tired Warrior by Kemal Tahir

Translated by Elif Mat Erkmen

Chapter 11

 

It was getting dark and the wind was increasingly blowing cold. Jamil wrapped his woolen scarf tightly around himself and put the blanket on his knees. He asked Shaban who was riding one step behind to his left, “Aren’t you cold?”

 Shaban shook his head, “No, Major, I am not cold”

“Your teeth are chattering.”

“It is not because of the cold.”

“Don’t tell me it is because of fear! You already told me three times that you wanted to reach Bursa before night falls.”

“Sure, I said that. It would be nice if we reached Bursa before dark.”

Jamil looked at his face. Shaban didn’t look happy. He had been like this since they left Dursunbey. He looked like a new recruit on his first expedition. His eyes darted around suspiciously and his voice was hesitant. When they were passing through the areas where they could be easily ambushed he passed them quickly he blamed his horse for picking up speed for no reason. He didn’t want to stop at the coffee houses in the villages. Each time he found an excuse for not stopping.

Jamil knew how protective the soldiers were in the army. They adjusted their behavior to the personality traits of the officers. They knew how to handle the generous Officers, the frugal ones, the religious officers, and the womanizers. They drank with the drinkers and abstained in the presence of the non-drinkers. They made sure the officers ate well, slept, and rested. They also protected the officer from any trouble from the higher command in certain situations; they watched them so they didn’t get hurt or captured. They guarded their officers at all times.

Shaban was carrying his rifle; he didn’t put the rifle in its case attached to the saddle. He didn’t carry it over his shoulder. He held it on his lap. When he was suspicious of something he opened the security carefully without making any noise.

Jamil didn’t know why Shaban was so edgy at first but soon he realized he was right to behave this way. As they were leaving Salihli they were also leaving the area where Ethem and his men had complete control. Ethem’s men had strict discipline. He was a “no-nonsense” kind of a man. Now that they are away from that they feel like they were in another country. After they passed Dursunbey, they noticed that people weren’t as friendly. They weren’t quite acting like enemies but they were increasingly distant. The soldiers quickly said ‘hello’ to the people when they crossed paths with them. Even though the people greeted them customarily, they looked away quickly as if they had done something wrong. When they were having lunch at Orhaneli, people looked at their colpacks in a non-friendly way. Some of them openly showed their dislike and shook their heads. When they approached Bursa, the officers noticed that there wasn’t anyone with colpacks but many people wearing the Fez or the Circassian headgear. Shaban said, as if to himself, “We need hats like that, especially in this cold weather.”

Jamil teased him, “You are right! We need Circassian hats!” Shaban didn’t answer he was looking straight ahead.

Jamil said, “Hey, are you deaf, I am talking about the hats.”

“Sir, I think we shouldn’t have made this trip to Bursa. We should have let someone else take Ethem’s message to Bekir Sami.”

Jamil smiled. He had lied to Shaban when he had said, “We need to go to Bursa as messengers.”

“For some reason, you didn’t like this voyage, Shaban.”

“Ethem has his own men. He should have sent one of his men. How come he is asking you to do this job, Major? What happened to the cannons? They promised to give us good mountain cannons.”

“What are you talking about? First, it was the hats, now the cannons!”

“Yes! We need hats like that!”

“I don’t recall you talking about Circassian hats before. You were happy with the colpack until yesterday. You didn’t even take it off when you were sleeping!”

“No, I like colpacks, there is nothing wrong with them. But, you know, everything has its place.”

“Do you think this is a good place for Circassian hats?

“Yes!”

“Since when did you think that? When we were at Dursunbey or Orhaneli?”

“Major, if you ask me, anyone who goes to Bursa as a messenger should have one of those on his head.”

“Says who? You talked to a Gendarmerie Corporal in Orhaneli. Did he tell you that?”

“Which Corporal?”

“The one that you talked to by the water fountain. What did he tell you? Whatever it was, you looked surprised. You were beating your knees.  Did he tell you to get a Circassian hat around here if you wanted to keep your head on your shoulders?”

“That Corporal was from Central Anatolia, Sir. He is from somewhere between Ankara and Yozgat. I don’t know which village. He has been in the military for a long time…”

“Yes, continue.”

“What does ‘Nationalist’ mean, Sir?”

“Why are you asking that?

“What is ‘Kuvvayi Milliye’?”

“National Forces…Turkish National Forces.”

“Oh, my Lord! If we are members of the Turkish National Forces; why are they calling us ‘Gavour’?  Why are they calling us ‘Freemasons’?

“Who told you that? Was it that same guy; the Gendarmerie Corporal that you were talking to? I am asking you. If that guy told you that, you should have beaten him up! Ethem can easily hang fifteen men for that kind of talk! Don’t you know why they are talking like that? Do you have any idea?”

“First, he asked me where I was from; I told him I was from Chankiri. Then, he was sorry for me. He said; ‘Oh! Brother! You are away from your home. You had to join the Nationalists!’ Then, he asked me about you, whether or not you were a Nationalist. I said to him, Thank God, we are all Nationalists. Then I asked him what was wrong with that. He was shocked. He told me not to tell anybody that I was a Nationalist. He told me the people of Bursa would kill us instantly. The people of Bursa are tough; they are no-nonsense people, those immigrants. I told him they couldn’t do such a thing and I told him that to be a Nationalist was not a bad thing. He covered my mouth and told me to shut up. Sir, I think the word ‘Nationalist’ means the same as ‘Unionist Gavur’.  I told him that was not true; he was a Corporal but he didn’t know anything. I told him that the Unionists have never talked about being ‘Nationalist’ or anything like that. I think I know who first used that word, Sir. It is the Gendarmerie Captain Tahir Odemish. He decided to become a bashi-bozouk leader. I think that is what it is. He warned me again when I said this and told me that Ethem didn’t have any influence in these areas.”

“So, who is influential around this town?”

“Right now there is nobody around here, Dursunbey, Bursa, or the Bandirma region. But Anzavour is on his way.”

“You coward! When you heard Anzavour’s name you were ready to take off your colpack and put on a Circassian hat!”

“Major, if half of what he said is true, it is pretty scary. Do you remember Riza? He had gathered his men and came to talk to Ethem. Anzavour ambushed him while he was sleeping. He tore them apart, the Corporal said…”

“When did that happen? Why didn’t we hear about that?”

“If we weren’t on our way to Bursa, I am sure we would have heard that. I think this happened three days ago. Anzavour all of a sudden ambushed Riza’s village and beat his gang. Riza had captured enemy ammunition earlier. When he realized that Anzavour would confiscate the ammunition, he opened fire. There was an Arab Lieutenant in the Artillery Batallion who was from Bagdad. Do you know him?”

“What is his name?”

“The Corporal couldn’t remember his name but he guessed you might know him since there are not many Arabs among the Artillery Officers.”

“What did that Arab Lieutenant do?”

“All the Artillery Batallion, both the Officers and the privates, ran for cover. The poor Arab guy didn’t know where to hide. He wasn’t familiar with this region. He should have hidden somewhere quietly. But no! He had to act. He tried to keep the ammunition away from the Anzavour gang. But someone let Anzavour know and Anzavour’s soldiers killed him…”

“I don’t think so. Are you sure the Corporal was telling the truth?”

“Yes, he was telling the truth. All the Majors and Colonels in the army were trying to stop Anzavour, but couldn’t. He is coming towards her.  He has his rifle in one hand and the Quran in the other! He swore to kill all the Nationalists and Unionists! I think Ethem was wrong about this matter.”

Anzavur

“What do you mean?”

I think we shouldn’t have come to Bursa. I don’t know which is better, to continue our journey in the daytime or nighttime. We could rest in the daytime at some hiding places… I can’t decide. I think nighttime would be more dangerous. You don’t know this, but all over the country, Muslims are told to kill at least one Nationalist! Everybody is talking about that. The Corporal told me that this is the Sultan’s Decree and Sheik-al-Islam’s Fatwa! I asked the Corporal; ‘what are we fighting for? Why are we even bothering with the barbwire that the Greeks installed? Who are we guarding? We don’t have food, we don’t have ammunition yet we are on guard night and day!’ He said, ‘I don’t know that much. I am only telling you what I know. Get rid of your colpack if you want to stay alive. Anzavour is approaching!’  Sir, why do you think the British forces came to occupy Istanbul last week? The Corporal thinks…”

“Oh!  The Corporal even knows what the British are up to! This guy is better than the Grand Vizier!  So, tell me why did the British Forces land in Istanbul, since you seem to know so much?”

“It is because of us, Sir. They are calling us Nationalist Gavours!”

“Why?  Because we are fighting against the Greeks?”

“That, too. There are other matters as well.”

“What other matters?

“Mustafa Kemal Pasha has revolted against the Sultan.  The Sultan sent Kamal Pasha to the Turkish heartland to restore order. He made matters worse.”

“How did he make matters worse?”

“He was ordered to go back to Istanbul. He refused. Then they asked him not to cause any trouble; take his salary and do nothing; be grateful and just pray for the health of the Sultan. He didn’t listen to them. The Sultan stripped all his military ranks and made him a private. Kamal didn’t care. He continued his activities. He was still writing messages to the people as if he was still on duty. You know Mustafa Kemal, he was always like that! I heard what he said to the German Emperor when I was in Palestine and I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.”

“What did he say?”

“He said to the German King, whom the whole world was intimidated by, he said to him that; ‘You are losing this war, my friend, you are struggling in vain. You should quit! Don’t let anyone die anymore, neither on your side nor on our side.”

“Mustafa Kamal was right.”

“Yes, he had a point, but he was not calmly saying this. He was saying this like he was dressing down his orderly…The German King got mad. That’s why they didn’t promote Mustafa Kamal to Army Commander. They gave that job to a German instead. General Falkenhayn became the Army Commander.  This was the same man who had fled the Army Headquarters in his underwear when ambushed by the British! Naturally, Mustafa Kamal didn’t like that. He didn’t want that German to be his superior. Don’t you think, Major?”

“Yes, that was not good. So you think all that happened because of Mustafa Kamal?”

“Yes, I am sure all of this is his fault.  He is a General but he still has to obey the orders. He is still an army man like everyone else.”

“Mustafa Kemal chose to resign from the military of his own free will. He didn’t want to obey bad orders. Have you thought about that?”

“Well, he didn’t exactly resign, the Sultan demoted him. He is no longer an Ottoman General…Well, I don’t know. I am telling you what the Corporal had said to me. You know better than me. All I want now is to reach Bursa before the night time and find a solution to this hat problem.”

 

Uludag Mountain near Bursa

It was getting dark. The snow on top of Uludag was still shining with the little sunlight that was left. Jamil lit a cigarette. Ethem was complaining about the High Command, they were not taking the Anzavour threat seriously. He wanted to discuss the matter with Bekir Sami when he saw him. Ethem had an important letter to show to the Commander, he would ask the Commander to read the letter then he would send it to Ankara.  Anzavour attacked Nationalist Forces’ Commander Riza’s Batallion and Riza lost all of his ammunition. If Anzavour indeed had killed any Officers, then the situation was indeed very serious. That meant he had burnt all his bridges.  It was suspicious that the second Anzavour attack coincided with the occupation of Istanbul. There were rumors of another Greek offensive being prepared. Jamil was wondering why Colonel Bekir Sami summoned him when the country was in a dangerous situation like this. This was not the time to leave the fronts. He prayed for the best.

The muddy road stretched in the middle of the plains like a river bed curving towards the blue hills ahead and disappearing between them.

They didn’t see anyone who was walking on that road. No horsemen, no horse-drawn carriages. There was no one on the fields either. It seemed the people deserted their land, took their animals, and went to hide behind the hills. The roadside was deserted. The wind was carrying dark clouds from the sea. Those clouds seemed like an enemy army coming towards them. They felt suffocated.

Jamil all of a sudden felt like his horse was stepping on a giant’s dead body. That giant was the Ottoman Empire. The naked body was wounded from head to toe, lying on his back. The Pontus Greek gangs were in Samsun; the Armenian Army in Caucasia; the British Army in Mosul, the French were in Adana, the Italians were in Antalya and the Greeks were in Manisa. The Giant’s dead body was being picked on by the beasts in every corner. There were eagles with iron claws on its head.  Anzavour and his supporters were the worms on his gangrenous wounds. The body still looked like it was in one piece but inside it was falling apart. That’s why the people were deserting their towns. For most people, the death of the giant was certain, but only a few were still hopeful. Nationalists were the ones who were still looking for a pulse.

Jamil threw away his cigarette. He felt sick like he was walking through a war zone in the middle of the desert, where the dead were not yet buried.  He touched Neriman’s letter in his pocket. That was a habit for him now. Neriman had sent him a picture of his son, Omer.  Jamil thought; I was happy when I received the news that I was a dad. What kind of future will my son have? He felt a deep sadness because his son was only two months old and Istanbul was occupied for the second time.

He kicked his horse angrily. Shaban smiled thinking Jamil was picking up speed because he too wanted to get to Bursa before it got late.  They came to Bursa in time for night prayers. There was no one in the streets. The rain was turning to snow. The people were hiding in the houses and the city looked deserted.

They asked an old guard where the 56^th Division was. The guy looked at them for a long time. He appeared for some time to not understand Turkish or did not want to answer.  Then, reluctantly, he showed them the way.

As Jamil was talking to the guards at the entrance of the army base, he saw Lieutenant Farouk coming down the stairs in a hurry.

“You are already here, Captain! I thought you would come tomorrow!”

“Hello, Farouk! Here we are! Where is the Commander?”

“Sir, stay on your horse.  We have to go to the telegram office first!”

“ Why? Is Colonel Bekir Sami over there?”

“No! We have to talk to Captain Selahaddin first.”

 “Is the Telegram Office far away? The horses are tired.”

“That’s right. You can leave your horse here and we can walk.”

Shaban saluted Farouk.

 “Oh! Shaban! I didn’t recognize you. Now you are a member of the gang”, Farouk teased him.

Jamil got off his horse and threw the blanket on the saddle. He asked, “Where will the horses go?”

“There are staples in the back; Shaban will take care of them. There is enough barley and hay. Shaban, carry the saddles and weapons to my room upstairs; the guards will help you. Let’s go, Captain! Selahaddin will be very happy to see you…”

 “What is all this?  Have you sent me a telegram without the knowledge of the Commander?”Jamil wondered out loud.

“Yes.  In fact, Captain Selahaddin wanted to see you. The Commander doesn’t even know that you are on your way. Things are really getting complicated around here. Have you heard about Anzavour?”

“Yes, I heard about the attack on Riza’s Batallion.”

“Yes, he attacked Riza and this time it looks like he was better prepared. We should have been more careful after Hamdi’s incident. Hamdi was killed as you might have heard.”

“What is the situation here?”

“Whatever we tried, we were not successful in recruiting soldiers. I don’t know if it was because of our own incompetence or if there was something wrong with the people of Bursa. We tried hard for months, but we couldn’t even find three hundred men. Even when we recruited some soldiers, half of them would flee at night. Not only would they flee, they would take arms with them. The Defence Association also tried hard but they were not successful as well.  Most importantly, we don’t seem to get along with the Division Commander Yusuf Izzed!”

“What is his problem? What does he want?”

“I don’t think he knows what he wants. He can’t choose between Istanbul and Mustafa Kemal’s leadership. Yusuf Izzed resigned from his post as Commander of the Army Corps on March 18^th, because we didn’t let him communicate with Istanbul.”

“Is that right? You really didn’t let him? Where is he now? ”

“He is Bandirma, but there are strict orders from Ankara that without the permission of the Representatives Assembly, no one is allowed to communicate with Istanbul.”

“Well if he had resigned that means you got rid of him. What else do you want?”

“No. We couldn’t exactly get rid of him. He received orders from the War Ministry in Istanbul which were delivered to him by a British torpedo ship on March 19^th.”

“Three days after the occupation of Istanbul the British torpedo boat brought orders to the Commander of 14^th Army Corps from our War Ministry!  What were the orders?”

“The British occupied Istanbul; raided the Parliament and arrested some members. After hearing this Mustafa Kemal invited all the Members of the Parliament to Ankara to join the National Assembly.”

“Then what happened?”

“The Commander of British Invasion Armies, Admiral Galthorpe, who is responsible for the Black Sea region, didn’t like this and he gave an ultimatum to the War Ministry. The War Minister sent an order to the Commander: ‘The occupation of Istanbul is legal under the Peace Agreement of Mudros. Some warlords in Anatolia are acting against our national interests. You are the highest-ranking Commander in the Bursa region. As War Minister, I order you to make sure all the troops in Anatolia obey only the orders of the Government in Istanbul.’”

“What was General Yusuf Izzed expected to do?”

“He was supposed to send telegrams to all the Commanders and try to convince them.”

“What did he do?”

“He sent telegrams to the Commanders: ‘Today we received orders from Istanbul. I am dictating the orders of the War Ministry which you should all obey. If you think you can’t for any reason, you should find a replacement and resign from your post immediately.’ He didn’t mention the fact that the order was delivered to him by a British torpedo boat.”

“What was Colonel Bekir Sami’s reaction to that?”

“He said, ‘I can’t accept this order and I am not in a position to resign as I wish. You should contact the Representative Committee and ask for direction as we had received previous orders from the Representative Committee saying, ‘The Commanders are not allowed to leave their positions and delegate their duties under any circumstances.’…That’s why General Ali Fuad refused to give up his post to another Commander sent from Istanbul and told him to go back while he was on his way.”

“That’s good news.”

The guard in front of the telegram office saluted them.

“Is Bekir Sami upstairs?”

“Yes, Lieutenant.”

“Here we go, Captain. Once we go upstairs you will see how complicated the situation is! Yusuf Izzet Pasha is not the only one who is taking orders from Istanbul.”

“Who else is?”

“The 12^th Army Corps Commander Colonel Fahri is on their side as well.”

“Oh! Why are they all behaving like that?”

Farouk opened a door when they went upstairs and let Jamil go in. “Here is Jamil, Captain!”

Selahaddin and Jamil hugged each other. “You came so quickly! We were expecting you tomorrow!”

“We took a shortcut. We forced our horses to cover the distance quickly. So, what is going on?”

“Didn’t Farouk tell you?”

“He told me what happened. It is complicated. I don’t know what to think.”

“Just as we were getting on our feet we encountered one problem after another. Please, take a seat. We are waiting for news from Ankara, from Mustafa Kemal. When was the last time I saw you? A year ago? You look the same.  Military life suits you.”

Captain Selahaddin looked the same as well. Jamil asked, “Do you still suffer from malaria?”

“I am OK, now. What about Ethem, how is he doing? Is there any news from the Greeks?”

Jamil looked at the telegram officer. Selahaddin nodded as if to say it was safe to talk in front of him.

“I think the Greeks are preparing to attack us.”

“It is a good time to attack us. If they don’t attack us now, it would be foolish on their part. We are not even able to communicate with one another. If I ever catch that Anzavour! Why am I getting mad at that imbecile when the War Minister is acting like a madman?”

“Who is the Minister of War now?”Jamil inquired.

“They change so often. You are right to ask. It is General Fevzi.”

“Which General Fevzi is that?”

“He was a Captain in the Greco-Turkish War of 1897. Eight years after that, he was promoted to Colonel. He was the 35^th Division Commander in 1908 and was the Governor of Taslica at the same time. He was the Commander of the Vardar Army in 1912. He was promoted to General in 1914. He was the Army Corps Commander in Chanakkale…And he was the 7^th Army Commander in Syria.”

“He is the Dervish Fevzi, from Kavak, isn’t he?”

“That’s right! You can imagine how famous he is after being in all those places! Think about all the things that happened from 1897 to 1920. He only became the War Minister after our country was invaded. Admiral Galthorpe will issue orders and he will pass the orders to us! That’s how the War Minister will direct the Army and save the country! He tried to arrest Mustafa Kemal at the Sivas Congress last year.”

“What do you mean?” Jamil asked.

“Don’t you know? He wanted to arrest Mustafa Kamal in Sivas. He was supposed to take him to Istanbul under arrest. Good thing Generals Kazim Karabekir and Ali Fuad stopped him. Otherwise, it would be a scandal. He is calling us thugs and the head of the gang is Mustafa Kamal. What would you say to that? He thinks the enemy was within their rights to kill our soldiers while they were sleeping. He calls Rahmi a thug as well. Rahmi was so brave, he was too proud to say that he didn’t have enough soldiers and he went to his death knowingly.  Yusuf Izzed also promoted Anzavour to the rank of General…”

The Telegram Officer motioned him. “It is all clear, Sir. Go ahead.”

Captain Selahaddin took a note out of his pocket and started dictating the telegram, “I am Captain Selahaddin from the 56th Division, Sir”

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in Bursa 1922

“I am Mustafa Kamal. What is it?”

“I am reading the communication between The Army Corps Commander General Yusuf Izzed and 12th Army Corps Commander Fahri in Konya:

1- Fahri: ‘I was unable to communicate with the War Ministry in Istanbul. Since you are my immediate superior who is appointed by His Majesty the Sultan, and you are the highest ranking Army corps, Commander, I am at your service as of now.’

 2 -    4th Army Commander General Yusuf Izzed: ‘I was most impressed by your message. You are a soldier who truly loves the military service and you are a very valuable Commander. Are your troops loyal to you? Are they obeying your orders?”

3-Fahreddin:  ‘The 23rd and 57th Divisions are fighting against the Greeks on the orders of National Forces Commander Rafet. 41st Division and Mounted Troops are on our side.”

4- Yusuf Izzed: ‘I accept your desire to be under my command, on principal. You have to consider carefully all our responsibilities for our country and the Government. Send a cable to all the Division Commanders and explain the situation. Send me their answers word by word. They have to give a specific answer.’

After that, the Commanders sent encrypted cables. The telegram Officer didn’t think that receiving those encrypted messages would do any good but upon my insistence, he was able to get the last part of the communication. Yusuf Izzed, in his final messages, mentioned the International Truce Agreement had been signed and he thought Istanbul’s invasion was an acceptable term of that agreement. That way of thinking is for the good of the country. So he is saying that he gave his orders to the Army Corps with that view in mind.’

Mustafa Kemal:

“Thank you. Tell me about the 56^th Division. Do you still need more men?”

Captain Selahaddin answered, “We still need more soldiers for our Division. It is very hard to convince men to fight. There are a lot of people who are discouraging the National Forces. Even if we recruit some soldiers they don’t last long.  They desert the army the first chance that they get. The Officers are not reliable either. Some of the Officers have already joined the other side. Some imams are going to all the villages and discouraging people from joining the National Forces. They are accusing us of being Unionists.”

Mustafa Kemal asked; “Tell me about Bursa. What is the atmosphere in the city?”

Selahaddin answered, “People are hiding from the Recruitment Officers. The feeling is against the Army. Even the men we trusted before don’t want to take part in the action. The Rights Association doesn’t have any supporters here.”

“Don’t be discouraged. We are recruiting soldiers easily in the Ankara region. We have already secured the railway tracks. All of the 24^th Regiment is going to Eskisehir by railway. Pretty soon our troops will reach Bursa. Everything will be all right…”

Jamil finished reading the paper and folded it. He was listening to the encrypted communication that Selahaddin was dictating to the telegram officer. They knew that the enemy was preparing for an attack. The three commanders who were going to defend the region were Demirji, Mehmet, and Yoruk Ali. All of them were warlords. Demirji had robbed the Bank while the Greeks were killing innocent civilians in Nazilli. Yoruk Ali was a former soldier in Izmir and he deserted when he learned that his troops were being sent to Caucasia.  Ethem, as we already know, kidnapped the son of the Governor of Izmir for ransom.

Mustafa Kemal's office in Ankara during the war

Jamil lit a cigarette. He thought how difficult all of this must be for the Commanders in Ankara.

Another message came:

“To Captain Selahaddin: “Don’t leave until the message is decrypted!”

“Yes, Sir!”

“Has Captain Jamil arrived yet?”

“Yes, Sir! He is with me now.”

“Oh! Is that right? Tell him to talk to me.”

Jamil came closer to the instrument. “Yes Sir, this is Jamil speaking.”

Mustafa Kemal asked; “Jamil, is there anything new in the Salihli Front?”

“There was nothing new when I left, Sir. The Greek Army is busy preparing for an attack. We have already dug out the trenches and our men are attacking the enemy occasionally. We need barbed wire.”

“How is the morale?”

“It is getting better. We have more discipline now. After the congress in Balikesir and Alasehir, the troops are encouraged. The Rights Association is working hard. The troops are self-sufficient now. We don’t need much help from the villagers anymore.”

“How is the 61st Division in Balikesir region doing?”

“I heard they are doing fine. I haven’t passed through Balikesir. Ethem thinks the Anzavour situation is very dangerous. We can’t trust the people in the Adapazari region. There is an ex-army officer who was dishonorably discharged from the military.  Molla gave him money to discourage people from joining our forces. Ethem knows this man. We understand that he is in Bandirma now. Ethem also doesn’t trust Demirji.”

Mustafa Kemal inquired, “What is the reason for his distrust?”

 “Demirji warned Ethem: ‘The Government is using us now, when things change in their favor they will kill both of us’…Demirji also has a friend called Hafiz. We think he works for the Italians. We don’t understand why Demirji trusts him. He is usually very careful. Hafiz came from Antalya and we suspect he sends reports to the Italian Commander. Sir, did you hear about the secret codes of the Circassians?

“What codes?”

“The Circassians are talking about some secret codes they are planning to use in case they get into trouble with the Turks.”

“I know about that. It is a fake code.”

“Ethem is hiding the real code, Sir! He showed the Commander a fake code. I don’t trust him. I want to say something, Sir.  After the death of Hamdi, Ethem is really worried about Anzavour, he is more on alert. He doesn’t get worried about the Greeks as much. I also suspect Ethem is communicating with his men in Istanbul secretly.”

“Did you learn anything about Hamdi? Why couldn’t he persuade the people to join us?”

“Like Riza, Hamdi was known to be a very tough and violent man. People are scared of them. They tried to recruit men but it didn’t work. He tried to collect money from the rich but he asked too much.”

“How much were they able to collect?”

“They collected 140 thousand in Biga alone. He sent the recruits back home after a couple of days of training. When the rich refused to pay anymore; Hamdi and Riza started to threaten them. In the meantime, Anzavour was getting ready for his attack, and Hamdi was defeated in the first attack. Riza said that Hamdi brought a cannon in front of the depot and fired a couple of shots, however, his men fled. After that, the Artillerymen also ran away. Hamdi went to a Pomac village to hide that night but the villagers recognized him and he got killed.  Anzavour was also successful against Riza’s gang and they killed a Lieutenant from Bagdad in the battle. Ethem was able to confiscate a letter that had been written by Anzavour. He will send it to you after showing the letter to Bekir Sami. “

Mustafa Kemal asked, “Jamil, do you have the letter with you?”

“Yes, Sir!”

“Summarize that for me now, then you can send the original later.”

Jamil took out the letter and put it on the desk.

“This letter is written to Kara Hasan, a warlord around the Biga region. Anzavour says the most important thing is law and order in a country. He is saying that the Circassians are not attending the Friday Prayers. He tells Kara Hasan that they should be on the Sultan’s side and support the Muhammediye Party. He warns people against the Unionists and the Nationalists. He says the Unionists caused all these wars and so on. This was the letter, Sir. We learned that Anzavour is paying 150 Lira to his soldiers. The money is coming from Istanbul.”

“Thank you, Jamil. Now I want you to write down a coded message.” The message was short. Jamil gave it to Lieutenant Farouk, “Please read this…It is not urgent.”

Jamil asked Mustafa Kemal if he had any other orders. There was another question from Mustafa Kemal, “Did you hear from Rahmi’s 174 Division? Yusuf Izzed had sent them to fight against Anzavour.”

Selahaddin answered this question, “No Sir, we don’t have any news.”

“How are you going to communicate with the troops?”

“Sir, our men are on duty in the telegram office 24 hours a day.”

“Do you have secret codes?”

“We have the Regiment’s code, Sir. We will use that.”

“In case Rahmi needs additional support, can you send some of your men?”

“Sir, I don’t think we can send soldiers to Bursa.”

“Is the 172nd Division still in Kirmasti?”

“That Division has a lot of difficulty in terms of defense. I think they should keep their location.”

“We need a militia unit of 80 men.”

“It looks impossible to send anyone to Bursa right now, Sir.”

The communication stopped for a while. Then, “Captain Jamil?”

“Yes Sir! I am still here.”

“The first message is personal. After reading it you can decide whether or not to send it to the Commander. The second message is for Bekir Sami, he should send this telegram to Fahri, the Commander of the 10^th Army Corps.”

They smoked as they were waiting for the messages to be decrypted. Lieutenant Farouk gave the short message to Jamil. After reading it Jamil smiled and passed it to Selahaddin. “General Ali Fuad will come to Bursa, he will personally thank you and your team on behalf of all of us. If we ever need to talk to you again I will ask you your name. You will say, ‘DEMIR’. If for any reason you can’t talk to me, then Selahaddin should contact me. I will ask his name, and he will say ‘GOK’. ” Lieutenant Farouk ripped the message off and Jamil burned the papers in the ashtray.

Selahaddin asked Jamil, “Do Ethem and Demirji not like the Army Officers?”

“No, they don’t like the military. They are all deserters. We can’t really trust them.” He listened to the tapings of the telegram, and then continued; “The people consider some of the gang members as heroes around here. That means they don’t care about the kidnappings and plundering. What did Ethem do in Bandirma?”

“He didn’t know what to do at first. It was a tough attack. Our troops bombed the enemy at daybreak. The Greeks didn’t know how many men we had, so they panicked and ran away. They didn’t even think about fighting back. But once they realized we had circled them, they had no choice but to defend themselves. The Greek soldiers were tough like ours, they were good at defense. Ethem’s men looked handsome with their silver embroidered knives. But after a while they too became tired. They started to complain about the lack of ammunition and water. Some got wounded. Lieutenant Shevki teased them. He said the Circassians were not as good as they used to be. Shevki used machine guns. While the irregulars were complaining, eighty soldiers were fighting. The irregulars suggested that we retreated. We refused and said that we had already won the battle. But they fight well as a gang. They have their own methods which are completely different from what we have learned in the Academy. We think they are doing wrong and we are certain they will lose the battle but they win. They have experience, different experiences than the regular army.”

“Does Ethem talk in a similar way as Halit?”Selahaddin asked.

“No!  Halit was a courageous man, but there was nothing he could do. In the end, he understood that he wouldn’t be able to run away. He went back to his ranch, fought, and died like a hero. After killing him, his enemies showed his dead body to the people in Akhisar. Later some witnesses came to inform me. They said he looked handsome and defiant even after his death.”

Jamil smiled after he said that. Lieutenant Farouk thought that Jamil had a defiant look as well. Selahaddin asked Jamil to make a comparison between Demirji and Ethem”

“Demirji is more merciless,” Jamil observed. “It is funny to think of Ethem as less violent than others. One day we went to Alasehir unexpectedly. Ethem didn’t say why we were going there. It turned out he had some unfinished business with Mustafa, the Area Commander of the National Forces.  I was talking to the District Governor when I heard a commotion. We quickly jumped to our feet. There was gunfire as if two regiments were using machine guns. So much noise. You know how the gang members use a lot of ammunition whether it is necessary or not...Just for the heck of it. We asked them what was going on. Someone came running and reported that Ethem’s Forces were fighting with Mustafa’s Batallion. I went there immediately. When I reached the Army Base, Mustafa’s troops were already retreating. The District Governor came to the base soon after me. When asked, they didn’t want to tell us what the reason for the fight was. It was because Mustafa didn’t want to obey Ethem’s orders. He had to obey since Ethem Bey was the Commander of the Front. Mustafa’s troops confiscated seven boxes of ammunition down at the Train Station which belonged to Ethem. That’s why they fought. Ethem hoped to intimidate him. Actually, both sides were suspicious of each other from the beginning. They were waiting for something to happen.  Luckily no one got hurt even though several shots were fired but it wasn’t enough for Ethem.”

“What did he do?”

“He said he wanted to hang a couple of people.”

“Who did he want to have executed?”

“It didn’t matter to him. He just wanted to hang a couple of men from Alasehir. The District Governor begged him to stop this nonsense. Then he agreed to give him three inmates from the local prison. They deserved to be hanged anyway. The criminals had kidnapped a Greek girl a couple of months ago and violated her. Because of that incident, a Greek Gang attacked the town earlier; they were almost going to burn the whole town. So Ethem got his way, and those three criminals were executed. He wanted more but I was able to stop him.”

“Does he have his own hangman?”

“Of course he has. He told me it was a necessity to have a good executioner. Then he found a gypsy for the job; Sergeant Ibrahim.”

“Is he any good?”

“Yes, no one can do a better job. He is also very willing. Even if he is sick, when he hears there is someone to be executed he comes right away.”

Selahaddin asked Jamil: “How have you survived among people like that?”

“They respect the Army Officers. They have a lot of respect for Rauf as well. Ethem‘s brothers Rashid and Tewfik know me from Macedonia. They think I am a good shot and they like watching me when I take my gun out quickly and shoot something.”

“Do they hold shooting competitions?”

“No, not really but I just thought it was better to show them a few shots to intimidate them. However, that’s not important because the gangs never fight fairly. They backstab people if they think it is necessary. Still, I prefer Circassians to the Demirji’s gang. The Circassians are respectful….The others have no manners. They are like animals…Demirji talks disrespectfully even with the Colonel.  He invites the Officers to the Zeybek dance…They offer cigarettes to the Officers and then when the Officer puts a cigarette in his mouth they shoot the cigarette in half. That’s their idea of fun. When we went to see Demirji with Ethem Bey; Demirji stared at me in an unfriendly way. His eyes were as cold as a snake’s eyes. His face was colorless as if he was suffering from tuberculosis. After staring at me, he smiled and ordered Hafiz to bring a fancy box lined with a pink silk cloth. There was a Browning gun in it. He offered that to me respectfully. He said; “Jamil, this is a gift from all of us to you, since you are such a good marksman. Use it for a good cause.” I accepted the gift and thanked him. There were the letters M.D. inscribed on the gun. The inscription was made of gold and it also had the coat of arms of an Italian Prince.”

Jamil asked Selahaddin whether he had seen Captain Fahri recently at Esme.

“No, I haven’t seen him. Why are you asking?”

“He was ordered to join the Demirji Efe’s Troops. He wasn’t impressed with them. He told me they were worse than the horse thieves. I saw him when the Greeks were retreating from Nazilli. He said Efe’s men were looting all the houses and loading the goods on their animals. When Fahri attempted to interfere Demirji Efe’s men had to threaten him. They said they didn’t want to leave the goods to the enemy. Fahri wrote a report to Shefik Husnu, the Commander of the 57^th Regiment.  When Demirji Efe learned about this, their relationship turned sour.”

“Did Fahri and Demirji get into a fight?” Selahaddin inquired.

“No, it is worse than that! Fahri’s troops were supposed to bomb the railway tracks. First, it went well, as planned; the dynamite exploded at the correct time and the locomotive was derailed. The train was going slowly so the cars were undamaged. The soldiers got off the train and immediately fired back. Fahri’s troops didn’t expect that and they ran away. Their commander, the Efe who planned the attack, deserted his troops and went hiding in the dark. Later, when everyone gathered they noticed that the Commander and some of his men were missing. They found Efe’s dead body two days later. He had two gunshots on his back. One person said he saw Fahri going in the same direction as the Efe so they blamed him for shooting the Efe in the back. After that, Demirji’s men put Fahri in prison. Shefik tried saving him but he couldn’t.”

Selahaddin was surprised by all this. He asked, “How come they blamed him just because of one witness seeing him going the same direction as Efe?”

“I talked to a doctor who saw what happened. One afternoon they took Fahri out of prison. In fact, the stables were the prison where they kept him. He was in terrible condition since they were beating him every day. He was starving and he didn’t get enough sleep. The men took Fahri to a hill. As he was going up the hill the men were poking him with their gun barrels. Then they started to fire.”

“Is that right? That’s terrible!”

“Fahri covered his face with his hands and he fell on his head. Fahri, our friend…”

Selahaddin said, “Bastards!”

While Selahaddin and Jamil were talking, the telegram machine was working nonstop. The clerk was so busy he didn’t even hear the conversation.

Selahaddin shook his head. “We have to get rid of these useless gangs. As soon as we can.”

 Farouk was saddened by this news. He pulled the basket full of code numbers in front of him to occupy himself with something. He said, “Captain, can I start decoding?”

“Yes, sure, go ahead.”

Farouk went to another table to work. Selahaddin approached Jamil and asked in a low voice: “Did you have any trouble with the Circassians?”

“No.”

“Were they disrespectful? Did they say something nasty to you?”

“No, but one day I went to rest. I have to say Ethem is a very polite man. He comes from a wealthy family. He is a little spoiled. He and his older brothers fight constantly over minor things. Actually, both Demirji and Ethem always worry about the same thing; ‘The moment the Ottomans get out of trouble they will get rid of us.’ This really is a sad thing to say but it is true. When things get back to normal after the war what will the Government do? For sure they will have to deal with the gangs as a first order of the business. And the Gang members know this. They know that there is no way out for them. They know they will die, that’s why they are merciless. They are like wild animals.”

Farouk gave them the cable. The two Captains read together: “The Commanders are forbidden to go to Istanbul and forbidden to talk to the Istanbul Government Officials. Because they know our defense plans.  Any contact with Istanbul should be prevented.”

Jamil and Selahaddin looked at each other and then bowed their heads. Selahaddin ripped the paper and asked, “You were saying?”

“Yes, I was resting one afternoon and I was awakened by a noise. I look out of the window. I saw people gathered around the tree which was in the middle of the yard. Someone was shouting at the top of his lungs. They had tied his hands with a rope and stretched his arms to the tree with the same rope. He was shirtless and they were whipping him. I went there immediately. Ethem’s older brother Tewfik was whipping the man. He was merciless. The people let me go through and I asked them, ‘What is his crime?’ Tewfik stopped and looked at me. I don’t remember what they told me but it was some unimportant matter. It might be drinking, gambling, or visiting a prostitute…something like that. I said to Tewfik, ‘Don’t beat him up anymore. It is enough!’ He said; ‘No, it is not enough Jamil, you don’t know these people’.   I lost my temper and asked him, ‘How come I don’t know them?’ As I was talking to him I noticed the tone of my voice was bad. He said, ‘Jamil, you don’t know them because they are worthless slaves.’”

The telegram Officer put his hand up to get Jamil’s attention. He said to him: “It is Mustafa Kemal, he is asking for you.”

Jamil approached and answered; “Yes, Sir, Jamil speaking.”

“Jamil, make sure Bekir Sami sees the cable that General Ali Fuad had sent to Fahri. Be careful! If something important happens, contact me!”

“Yes, Sir!”

Mustafa Kemal ordered: “You should support the 174th Regiment with all your power. I am expecting good news from Colonel Rahmi. Make sure he is safe!”

“We will do everything in our power, Sir!”

“Jamil, Bursa is very important for us.”

“We won’t let anyone claim Bursa, Sir!”

“All the best. I wish good luck to all of you.”

“Thank you, Sir!”

Jamil took the papers full of coded numbers and thanked the clerk. “You worked hard today. You did a good job. Thank you.”

Selahaddin was tired. He asked. “So, what happened with Tewfik? What did you do when he called the guy a worthless slave?”

“I told him that was enough. I wasn’t a slave like the guy he was beating.”

“You had your hand on your gun as you were talking to him?”

“Yes.”

“So he dropped his whip and came to talk to you in a friendly way…”

“Yes.”

Jamil smiled.