Manisa

The Tired Warrior 

Chapter 7

 

When the train arrived in Akhisar it was a quarter past midnight. The Station was full of Greek flags but there was no one around other than a drunken Greek Station Chief. He smelled of alcohol and his speech was slurred. Either Haji Muhiddin didn’t call his friends or they didn’t want to wait there this late at night and went home. The Station Chief didn’t know where the police officers and guards were but he knew that there was no vacancy at the hotel! He checked each and every one of them from head to toe and looked at the Officers as if he didn’t like their appearance.

“Is there any news from Manisa?” the Commander asked.

“The Muftu of Manisa requested soldiers to prevent any fights between the two parties from the Greek Commander in Izmir.” He answered.

“Did the soldiers arrive?”

“Yes, they arrived at night. I thought they would have come here by now; I don’t know why they are delayed. We sent some people to welcome them near the town entrance. All along the roadside people are welcoming the Greek Army and they are offering them food. Not only the Greek villages but Turkish villages as well…” When he explained this he stopped and listened to the crowds from the town as if the constant buzz of noise was proof of what he was saying. The noise was the same noise heard on Carnival nights; the drunken commotion of partiers. The men were crying out “Hayytt” and the women were yelling “Zitoo” hysterically.

The 17^th Army Corps consisted of four people and they were carrying their four little suitcases. Colonel Bekir Sami was leading them to the town which was located around the ruins of an old fort. All the street lights were turned off and the town looked like it was hiding behind the shadows.  They were walking towards the crowd; coming closer to the light and the noise. Jamil thought it was like walking towards the sound of African drums played by savages. It wasn’t because he was scared. He didn’t feel nervous, he was just tired. He had been feeling this way for months now. It was suffocating him. The fatigue he felt in his knees was climbing up towards his chest. For a minute he thought Bekir Sami became scared of something and jerked up. His proud head shook like an old lady. Jamil felt sorry for him. He felt ashamed as well, not for Bekir Sami but for himself. He pushed his Parabellum forward.

The crowd was gathered around the trees. They hung lanterns on the branches and green leaves were shining under the light. They were chanting “Zitoo” and “Venizelos”.

Venizelos - Greek Prime Minister

“Excuse me, Sir!”

Bekir Sami reached for his gun and turned to the voice. The three officers who were following him three steps behind came to his side quickly. Bekir Sami asked, “Who are you? What do you want?”

“I am Captain Rasim….Gunner Rasim.”

They saw Rasim’s face. He hadn‘t shaved for a week. He looked shiny; his mustache looked like Jamil’s. They looked like each other, both gunners.  “I received a telegram from Muhiddin, however I didn’t think it was a good idea to wait at the Station,” Rasim explained.

“Why?”

“The situation here is dangerous….”

“Why? Is it because Manisa has fallen?”

“No. Manisa has not fallen, Sir. Who told you that?”

“We heard that in Balikesir and the Station Master here…”

“No! Manisa has not fallen yet.”

“How do you know? Are you sure?” Bekir Sami’s voice changed. He was back to his sharp ordering tone that he used only in the most dangerous of times.

“I know, for sure, because I already have sent a man there. He is ordered to come back to report to us right away if the enemy enters Manisa.”

“Have you talked to anyone in Manisa today?”

“No! We haven’t been able to talk to them since yesterday.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. Possibly the Greek militia cut the wires. That’s why I sent the messenger there.”

“What did Ahmet Zeki say to you the last time you were able to talk to him?” the Commander asked.

“He told me that he tried to reach the 17^th Army Corps but was not successful. He sent a telegram to the War Ministry in Istanbul. He explained that he couldn’t reach the 17^th Army Corps and that he couldn’t send letters to Izmir to the Army personnel. He added that, thank God, Manisa hadn’t fallen and there were no disturbances yet but the infantry numbers were down to half, same as the Artillery and their numbers were not adequate to prevent possible clashes between the Greek and Turkish civilians, let alone stopping the occupying army. He asked the War Ministry to advise him to whom he should report to.”

“What about the issue of retrieving the artillery guns out east?”

“I have no information about that.”

“What is the distance between Akhisar and Manisa?”

“It is fifty kilometers by railroad. There is a shortcut as well.”

“Let’s say 40-45 kilometers if we take the shortcut. You should have sent another messenger.”

“We were hoping to connect by telegram. However, we would have known if they were carrying the cannons inland.”

“Can we send another messenger now? We must know what is happening in Manisa and save those cannons at all costs!”

 Thunderstorms were being heard in the distance and that reminded them of cannon fire. There was also a foreign song being heard throughout Akhisar. “Until yesterday,” he listened to the song, “it was quiet in here. However, the situation changed rapidly. We never expected that. It is unbelievable. We trust the Telegram Office. They let the commanders know about important developments before everyone else. But it is possible that the local Greeks heard something that we haven’t. It all started yesterday. The flags, the dancing, the singing, drinking…”

“We need to find a messenger immediately. We will pay him double or triple his usual fee in advance”

“It is not money, Sir. There are rumors that the Unionists will cause a civil war. Yesterday the Greeks sent watchmen to the Fort on top of the Hill. Every hour they yelled “The Greek Army is on the horizon” Merchants are ordering Greek Flags and the tailors are busy sewing. They have already put the Victory Arches at Izmir Road. The Greek militia captured some guns in Menemen and they are leading the Greek Army inland now. They are helping them to arrest the Unionists and the Officers. The Freedom and Accord Party members lecture the people saying, ‘If you listen to the Unionist Infidels and plan on doing something then the enemy will kill all of us down to the last man. Don’t do anything without asking us first.” You don’t know how complicated the situation is. That’s why we couldn’t come to the Station to meet you. My Commander didn’t even want to allow me to come and meet you here and for these reasons, we couldn’t find a place for you at the Hotel!”

“The hotel is not important but are you going to surrender because of a couple of loudmouths?”

“No Commander. We are at your service.”

The Commander tried to soften his voice, “Thank you. Never mind the messenger. Please find us some horses. We will pay for them and tell me about the shortcut so we can go to Manisa ourselves.” The Commander was able to soften his voice but he still sounded bitter and disappointed.

“You shouldn’t go to Manisa at night time, Sir. I will go. What are your orders to Ahmet Ziya?”

“Are you going yourself?”

“Yes.”

“Do you need anyone to accompany you?”

“No, one man can flee easier in a dangerous situation.”

“When can you come back?”

“I will be back tomorrow morning before noon.”

“Thank you, Captain, you should mount the wedged cannons first. Get them out of town.  Try to find any available carriage and load all the ammunition that you can. The units should be ready to accompany you as soon as you retrieve the ammunition. Don’t lose a single soldier and don’t lose a single Mauser bullet to the enemy.” The commander shook Rasim’s hand. “Good Luck! Is your family here? In case they need help let them know we are here.”

“They are not here, Sir!”

“Did your heroic Commander forbid you to tell us where the hotel is?”

“The Hotel is close by; it is just next to the place where the Greeks are having celebrations. If I can’t return early tomorrow morning, then try to call Manisa. I will try to call you from there as well. Don’t leave the Hotel without one of our friends coming to escort you. I am afraid I gave you a wrong impression of Major Husnu; he is a brave person. He doesn’t want to take action and have unnecessary losses before fully assessing the situation. I will talk to him now and he will send you someone tomorrow. I think either Kamil or Rashad will come to talk to you tomorrow.”

“Are they Officers?”

“No. They are local notables; both of them are trustworthy people. Husnu doesn’t live in the town anymore because he is wanted for being a Unionist. If you need him we can send a messenger to him.”

“Yes! Please send someone. He should come and find me tomorrow.”

“Do you have any other orders?”

“I want you to go immediately and return safely.”

The Artillery Captain Rasim saluted the Commander, turned on his heels, and disappeared into the darkness of the street.

When the owner of the old Hotel answered the door he was surprised to see the men in uniform and he didn’t hide his disappointment. He wished he hadn’t answered the door. He found some excuses saying that he hadn’t washed the sheets yet; there was no running water in the hotel; because of the panic in Izmir everyone was going somewhere and there were all kinds of people staying in the hotel; this was really not a suitable place for the Officers; there were bedbugs and so on. He said, “If you want we could find another place for you.”

“Is there any other Hotel around here?” asked the Commander.

“No, but maybe the Mayor will find a suitable place for you.”

“That may be so but in the middle of the night we can’t find the Mayor.”

It started to rain preventing them from continuing to talk at the door so they entered the building. It was good a thing for the Hotel owner otherwise Jamil would have hit him. Once they were settled, Bekir Sami and Captain Selahaddin started to work on a report that they were going to send to Istanbul in the candlelight.

Jamil was resting in the next room. He still had his clothes on. Lieutenant Farouk was staring out of the window through the curtain. His boots were dusty. With his thin legs and thin neck he looked more like a schoolboy in the uniform. Jamil asked to himself, ‘What is this young man doing in the middle of this terrible battle? Has the mighty Ottoman Army come down to this?’ Then he thought about the owner of the Hotel. He was a big strong man. Sergeant Osman called these types ‘oak crushers’. This nickname fit him; an egoist, someone who never does anything for the good of others and has an inborn tendency to do all things bad. Jamil wondered why he remembered Sergeant Osman, maybe it was because he was a Circassian like Rashid. He remembered Sergeant Osman was from this region. His hometown must have been Mihailich. He tried to remember if he had ever mentioned Rashid’s father Ali. Jamil thought he must have unconsciously been trying to find his friends from this region.

Jamil smiled. Osman was an Artillery Sergeant. They were together during the Balkan Wars, Gallipoli, and the Palestinian fronts. Osman had a step-dad who was Captain Ibrahim, also a Circassian; they were together in Yemen. So Osman was with the Military since he was a child. He liked to be a gunner. He was proud to be a gunner. He was working hard and he earned his post as a sergeant yet Jamil thought Osman really didn’t understand how the guns operated. That’s why he had to be sent to another post in the infantry on the first opportunity during the First Suez Canal Campaign. He was among the first who crossed the Canal but he never returned. The mad Circassian… Jamil wondered if he had been killed that day at the Canal, if he did it was my fault. I sent him there; I could have found another way of keeping him with us. He sighed. Did he want to go or didn’t he? When I sent him to the Infantry to replace a man who was wounded did he realize that I thought he was not worthy as a Gunner? Did I hurt his feelings?

 

Farouk interrupted Jamil’s thoughts, “If I ever got out of this pit, Captain…” Lieutenant Farouk was looking out of the window already regretting that he started the conversation.

“Yes, if we ever survive this?”

“It will be like being born again…”

“Why are you saying that?”

“We won’t owe a dime to anybody. Look at that! We will recruit all the soldiers one by one; we will find all the rifles and bayonets, all the bandages, and even all the bullets one by one. We have to do everything by ourselves. It is a very hard, very honorable, and valuable service indeed… You were just about to strike the Hotel owner downstairs, weren’t you?”

“Me? Yes, I thought about that for a second. How did you know?”

“You pushed me aside and you started to breathe heavily.”

“You wanted me to hit him?”

“No. That wouldn’t make any difference. I wondered if it was the Greek Officers at the door, how he would behave. If one of the bandits had rung the bell how would he welcome them? I know those types. They don’t even have a fear of death. They don’t have any normal feelings like normal people. They can sense people’s fears though, and then they think they are afraid as well. But if they realize their own lack of fear, they become really ruthless. They are capable of anything.”

Lieutenant Farouk stopped talking. Jamil thought what he was saying was complicated. He tried to think of other bullies he knew from his past.  Then Captain Selahaddin came into the room. “Why is no one asleep yet? You need some rest, Farouk.”

“I will go to bed soon, Captain.”

“I will get the Commander’s bag so that I won’t wake you up in the morning. Is it still raining?”

“It is not as bad as before. Why didn’t Rasim take the train? He is going to get wet. He could have brought some ammunition on the way back.”

“The Commander thought about that and didn’t want to risk losing the Locomotive to the Greeks. Now get some sleep. It looks like we will have a difficult day at Akhisar tomorrow.”

He took the bag and left the room.

Lieutenant Farouk blew the candle out and went to bed after requesting permission from Jamil.

 Jamil woke up at the crack of dawn. He went to the window and lit a cigarette. The houses were wet from the ground halfway up the walls. The roads were muddy. The painted papers around the makeshift victory arch on Izmir Road were all wet and torn after the rain. Blue and white flags were not waving in the wind anymore; they were drooping down with the rain. The entire street was filled with those flags as far as the eye could see. Jamil tried to find out which houses were the Greek houses and which were the Turkish houses. It was equally disgusting to think the Greeks hung these flags because they weren’t afraid of the Turks anymore and the Turks hung these flags because they were afraid of the Greeks.

How would the Greek Army enter this town where people were either scared or overjoyed? Even if the enemy army entered the town, can it stay here for good? Half the people think that they have been defeated and the others feel victorious even though there has not been a battle yet.

The humidity was causing the smoke coming out of chimneys to stay low and stretch over the roofs. The cows had been let out after being milked and now they were walking around the town and looking lost. Jamil felt like having some warm milk and bagels. Then he changed his mind. ‘No, not the bagels, day-old bread crumbled in a bowl of warm sugary milk.’ He looked at Farouk. He thought he said something. Farouk was talking in his sleep; his face looked like he had eaten something sour. Jamil thought Farouk must be remembering something sad.

Jamil passed his hand through his beard and thought, ‘I have to shave I can’t see the Commander unshaven.’ He didn’t like the dirty collar on his neck. It felt like it was stinging him. He thought, ‘I wish there was hot water, lots of hot water, some scented  soap…no, not the scented soap, just regular white soap…a very clean shiny Turkish Bath.’ That thought really awakened him. ‘We are already at war! We don’t know that yet but it feels as if we are already at war”. He always felt this way even during the fiercest battles. He always wanted hot water and soap. In peacetime one can get a bath whenever he wants; no need to dream about that; no need to worry about the dirty collar of his shirt. That was right. They were at war! He slept without taking his gun out of his belt. He slept on his back first, only after he was deep in sleep did he turn to his left side. He would have woken up if he had turned onto his right side because of the gun. He was accustomed to this as a warrior. Somebody knocked on the door. He thought it must be the Hotel owner bringing some tea. He didn’t feel like answering the door. He wished to get out of there without getting into a fight with him. Then he was surprised that it was Captain Selahaddin at the door.

“What happened?”

“I asked him to bring us some tea. He refused. He said it was not time for tea. I wanted some warm water so that the Commander could shave. He didn’t even answer me. He grumbled and went into the bathroom. It was half an hour ago. He hasn’t come out yet.”

“What if we kicked in the bathroom door?”

“I think that is what he wants. That’s why I didn’t do it. If we beat him up he will be clean in the eyes of the enemy. The Commander also noticed how you looked at him yesterday. He asked you to be patient; whatever he does, stay cool. They fear the Greeks and they prefer that we beat them up so they can plead innocence. The Commander just laughed at the situation and used cold water to shave.”

“No news from Manisa yet?”

Selahaddin looked at him for some time. “I know what you are thinking! But I don’t think so. He doesn’t look like a guy who would deceive us by saying he is going to Manisa and head towards Usak instead! Have you met him before? Was he at the school with you?”

“No, I haven’t seen him before.”

“When Farouk wakes up; don’t talk in a loud voice!”

“Why?”

“The Innkeeper listens. When I opened the door suddenly after getting suspicious I saw him lean towards our door. I asked him if he dropped something. He said, ‘No’ and vanished. It is just like we are surrounded by the enemy. Do you get the same feeling?”

“I think it is even worse. It is more disgusting than being in the enemy territory.” He looked at Farouk, “He must be really tired. He didn’t wake up even with all this noise.”

Selahaddin thought about the options for a while then said, “ We have to do something about this situation.”

“Like what?”

“Look at us. The Army Commander is here with three officers, taking shelter in a hotel. It is not good. It is not good for morale. We have to find somewhere else to stay. We should go check the Military Recruitment Office to see if it is a suitable place for us and whether the President of the Office is there or not. How many privates are on duty there?”

“That’s right. I will go and check now. Is there anything else?”

“If it is a suitable place to stay, we don’t need anything else. We will have breakfast there. If it is locked, I think it must be locked; we should go to the Gendarmerie base and ask for help. Find a solution, Jamil, pretend you invaded Akhisar with your troops!”

Jamil found the Military Recruitment Office without difficulty. He didn’t have to ask anyone. The door was closed, but, thank God, there was no lock on it. He knocked on the door and waited. He thought no one liked answering doors around here and then someone opened the window upstairs, “There is no one at the office,” and he closed the window.

“Open the door, Son! I am talking to you! Open it! How come there is no one in? You are there.”

“The Chief went to Istanbul and he ordered me not to open the door while he was not there.”

“You haven’t left the office since he left?”

“Of course I did.”

“How did you get out without opening the door?”

The one-eyed private who had a black beard was stunned and he looked at him with an open mouth. Jamil took advantage of this and said, “If you opened the door you are guilty! Come and open the door for me right now! Or else I will come upstairs and break your bones!”

“Who are you, Sir?”

“I am the new Chief of the Recruitment Office. I have come from Istanbul. Open the door!”

Jamil heard the hesitant footsteps. The private stopped; maybe he was planning something. He cracked the door, “Are you the new Chief? What happened to the former chief? Is he not coming back? Why aren’t you wearing a Major’s Uniform?”

Jamil pushed him aside and went in. “Bring the whip that the former chief had. He told me that without a good whipping, you don’t obey orders. Bring it!”

“I am sorry, Sir! I was just….I don’t know you.”

“Where are the others?”

“Soon after the Major left for Istanbul, they fled. They left me all alone here. They ran away at one o’clock in the morning!”

“I understand! It is just like the Governor wrote to me. Did they get the rifles as well? I should hang you in front of the coffee house in the town center.”

“No! No! Major, the rifles are all here. Nobody took them! Don’t hang me without checking the books first. If there is one missing then you can hang me, poor Shaban.”

“Then show me the rifles, Shaban!” Jamil put his hands on his hips and inspected the building. It looked like it hadn’t been cleaned for a long time. Spider webs were hanging from the ceiling. The windows were so dirty you couldn’t see outside. “Bring me the rifles. Quick!”

“Sir, I guess the Major won’t be returning here. I understood that when he left, he got discouraged. I am blind in one eye, the others were sick or crippled. He didn’t know what to do so he went away! That’s too bad! I begged him not to leave me here. Where are you from, Major? Are you from Istanbul as well?”

“No, I am from your hometown as well!”

“Really? From Chankiri? Where in Chankiri?”

“I am from the city center.”

“Have you ever been to Kurshunlu?”

“Of Course, my grandma was from Kurshunlu!”

“Really?”

“Bring me the guns! Give me the keys to the depot. Where are they?”

“They are here!  I keep them on me. Here they are!”

Jamil pushed the keys aside. “Don’t you know how to take an order? Stand at attention and show me the way!”

The guns were in an upstairs room that hadn’t been swept for years. The wooden building was so dry that the guns were well preserved. Jamil chose two cavalry rifles and two German Mausers amongst the 50 rifles in the attic. “Where are the bullets? Don’t tell me they are missing! Open the boxes. Where are the bandoliers in this God damn depot? Get the bandoliers quickly. No, not the cartridge belt, the other one. I will check the records now. Clean the guns and load the bandoliers in five minutes. Quick… don’t take long.”

The chief’s room had no furniture other than a desk and two wooden chairs. The plaster on the wall was chipped and there were cracks on the wooden floors. The desk was dusty. The cigarette holder was full of cigarette butts. Jamil thought; ‘Maybe he thought about whether it was right to leave his post like this on his final night at the office and chain-smoked. He must have calculated the risks of this for himself. That must have troubled him a lot. Poor fellow.’

“Here, Sir!”

“There must be four hundred in there. Did you count them all?

“Yes, Sir! They are all in packages.”

“Good for you, Shaban! The Major already told me that you are a smart guy! Go get a rope and make a nice bundle. Did you already oil the rifles? I hope there are no bugs in them.”

“Yes, Sir. We have used machine oil from the original factory. The guns are new. They haven’t been used at all. They sent these to the 56^th Division towards the end of the war for the units responsible for protecting the coast” He smiled, “The Major opened the box and took a couple of them out and put a couple of old ones in their place. Those Flintlock rifles are excellent for guerilla warfare. You can shoot the target from two thousand meters. You don’t have to be a sharpshooter. The rifles…”

“What did I tell you?”

“You said get the rope and bundle them…”He rushed outside with the guns that he was holding and returned with a neat package. “Here you are, Sir!”

“Good job. Thank you. Now, listen to me. Listen to me closely. The Greek Army is coming here. They want our guns. They will count them. They will hang you if they find one rifle missing. We’ve got four rifles and ammunition. If they hear that, what will happen?”

“The pigs will hang me. They won’t listen to any explanation.”

“Good! Then don’t tell anyone. This is between you and me.”

“I promise.”

“Now, take that package and follow me. If anyone asks you who I am then tell him I am the new Chief of Staff. Don’t tell him I am the new Major who is on duty here. Will you remember that?”

“Yes, I will remember…Chief of Staff.”

“Good …Let’s go.”

He saw a few people on the road while going back to the Hotel. They didn’t want to make eye contact with him for some reason. No one even looked at the package that Shaban was carrying. When they came back, the innkeeper was gone. Jamil went upstairs and saw Selahaddin entering the Commander’s room. Selahaddin asked, “Where have you been?” Then he noticed Shaban and the package he was carrying, “What are all these?”

“Nothing….Any news?”

“Rashad is in the Commander’s room. How was the Military Branch?”

“It doesn’t look good.” He showed Shaban the room where he was sleeping, “Put them over there. Go back to the office right away. Don’t let anyone steal anything.” Shaban was quick on his feet. He went into the room and came out really quickly. He saluted them and said, “I am going right away, Sir.” Jamil stopped him. “Wait! Take this fifty qurushs.”

“Do you need tobacco?”

“Yes, but not for me, it is for you. I will return to the office, wait for me there.”

“Don’t worry, Major! I will be at the office day and night.”

“Go, then.”

“When he entered the room Lieutenant Farouk was checking the package. “What are they, Captain? Oh! Are they rifles?  Thank you, Captain!” He was just about to give Jamil a hug; he stopped and stood tall, “Is that right? Are they rifles?”

“Yes, they are. We each have one rifle and one hundred bullets.”

“May I look at them?”

“Sure.”

Lieutenant Farouk was happy as a kid on a Bayram morning. He pulled the ropes and when he realized he couldn’t break them he cut them with his pocket knife.

“Thank you, Sir. They are beautiful.”

“The Flintlocks are for you and the Commander. They are not heavy. ”Actually Jamil had chosen one of the flintlocks for himself. When Farouk didn’t say anything he asked, “Didn’t you like them?”

“I am used to the German Mauser.”

“That’s OK. Get my Mouser then.”

“No. I will get used to this as well. I will practice.”

“No, you can pick one.” Farouk checked the Mauser and looked at its barrel. “Long live Captain! Thank you! May I oil this?”

“Yes please, oil all four of them. What did Rashad Bey say to our Commander?”

Farouk said, “Rashad heard that the Commander of the Army Corps had come by train the day before and he also heard that the Greeks were upset about this news.”

“I can see why the local Greeks are upset but I was wondering about the Liberty and Accord Party members.  Why are they upset? I heard they are holding meetings this morning. Rashad’s friend Kamil will gather the town notables and bring them here.”

“Is there any news from Manisa yet?”

“No news yet. Rashad told the Commander that the Telegram Office is trying to reach Manisa. They also sent a messenger to the leader of the militia.”

“No news is good news. I think the enemy is not there yet.”

“Yes. That’s what the Commander said.” He looked at the Mouser gun and said, “It is fresh from the factory.” He gave it to Selahaddin as he was entering the room. “This is yours, Captain. Careful. It is loaded.”

“Where did you find these?”

Farouk said, “Oh I was so excited I didn’t think of asking that question.”

“I got them from the Recruitment Office.”

“Are there some more?”

“There are about fifty guns there but I don’t know how many are in good condition!”

“I mentioned this to the Commander. He laughed. He is so happy. He thinks no news is good news for Manisa. He wanted to see the guns.”

The 17^th Army Corps Deputy Commander Colonel Bekir Sami took the rifle with the same joy as Lieutenant Farouk. He held the gun the same way as Farouk. He pointed the barrel to the ceiling and played with the mechanism. “Where are the cartridges?”

“They are in the other room, Sir.”

“Bring the cartridges. I want to load it. Are there a lot of bullets?”

“There are one hundred bullets for each of us. We’ve got four rifles and four hundred bullets.”

“Did Jamil leave a signed paper that he took them?”

“No, I don’t think he thought about that, Sir.”

“He just brought them here then. That’s all right!”

“Jamil also brought some nice bandoliers, Sir”

“Is that right? Then all of us will put the bandoliers on and prop the guns against the wall! Do you understand?”

“Yes, Sir! We need Circassian daggers and hand grenades as well!

“You are joking but I am serious. I order that everyone put on the bandoliers.”

“I will give your orders to Captain Jamil.”

When Selahaddin came back to talk to him, Jamil didn’t pay attention to the hand grenade story; he asked, “Where is the Colonel going to meet with the notables?”

“You said the Recruitment Office was not suitable so he is going to meet with them here.”

“You mean in his bedroom?”

“Jamil!  Are you kidding me? Is this a Vienna Hotel with a Ballroom? Of course, in his room. Where else?”

“That’s not a good idea for the Commander to sit on his bed cross-legged and hold a meeting with his bandolier on and holding his rifle. That’s ridiculous!”

“What do you propose?”

“Jamal Pasha used to be very diligent about these matters. When Enver Pasha visited they brought out the special armchair for him.”

“How is it special?”

“You know how Enver Pasha was short. Jamal ordered a special armchair for him. They put the armchair behind the desk so the people who came into the room would see him on the raised platform behind the desk. When he was inspecting the troops he always stayed in his car. I think the Commander of the Army Corps shouldn’t be seen in public holding a rifle like a new recruit.”

“You are right. But how are we going to tell this to the Commander? He liked the rifle. I am pretty sure he liked it more than Lieutenant Farouk!”

“I know. There are two groups of Officers in the army.  Most of us, even if we are promoted to General, always have the Lieutenant still inside, being a Commander is something else. They say Enver Pasha wanted to head the surveying team at Sarikamish; they say that as proof of his bravery. I think it shows that he is not a good Commander.”

Jamil remembered how Dr. Munir made fun of Ali Fuad. Dr. Munir was wrong. Ali Fuad was only following the basic military rules of marching columns.

“Why are you silent?”

“I thought about something. Yes, we should plan something. We will put a table in front of the door. The Commander will be in the room. You and I will either stand by the table or get two chairs to sit in. Do you have any maps?

“Yes, but not a military map.”

“It doesn’t matter. We will spread the map on the table. Put some notebooks and pens as well.”

“Good. It is a good idea to put the desk here. He could prop his rifle here. Let’s move the chairs before they come.”

“Do you know how many will come?”

“No, I am not sure.”

“In that case, we shouldn’t move the chairs beforehand.” He thought of something else and smiled. “In situations like this, the empty chairs will make everyone feel discouraged.”

“Who said that?”

“Dr. Munir.”

“Who is he? Why did you think of him just now?”

“Dr. Munir used to tell us the difficulties that our guys had when trying to encourage the Caucasians to form their own national Government. He would tease Halil Pasha about it. Dr. Munir calls it Ottoman tricks. Those guys are not eager to come here and if they see the empty chairs they will think that the other invitees didn’t come and they will feel that they are the only ones who accepted the invitation.”

“Good thinking! You never had much faith in Doctors, but apparently, this guy was smart. We will bring the chairs later.”

“That’s right. Some of them may not find a place to sit at first but we can bring chairs when they come. We should let the District Governor sit at the Commander's right side.”

“The District Governor said he can’t come. He is sick.”

“That’s too bad. We should drag him here.”

“We can’t drag him here. He has a stomach virus.”

“That’s not good! He should be here to support the Commander. He would have helped just by being here. Dr. Munir advised. ‘Get the highest ranking person to sit by your side. In the heat of discussion, he might get angry at the opponents and that might help your case.”

“I know, but he is sick and we can’t do anything about it.”

“Then we should think of someone else. We can call the Muftu.”

“The Muftu doesn’t support the resistance.”

“How about Major Husnu?”

“We looked for him already. He went to Manisa first thing in the morning to see what happened to Rasim.”

“We should have kept the train. We could have held the meeting in the car when we learned that Manisa was not occupied yet.”

“Yes. We should have just gone to the Recruitment Office got the guns and gone back to the train to continue our journey to Manisa. It would have been very good. It would help with morale here a great deal if the people of Akhisar heard that the Commander of the Army corps went to Manisa by train.”

“That’s right! Why didn’t we think about this yesterday?”

“The Commander should have thought about this, not us. We could have gone to Manisa and found all the soldiers we could and formed a unit. We could have got the guns and asked the people to give us their horses and carriages. If they didn’t give them to us we could have used force. Try to imagine on the roadside the cannons and sixty carriages, a couple hundred horses, and surrounding them fully armed three hundred soldiers. We could have gone by the villages like that and talked to the people at the coffee houses and gathered some men and given them enough guns. People would jump on their horses and come after us.”

“Damn it, Jamil! Why didn’t you tell us your ideas yesterday?”

“We didn’t know that yesterday. We weren’t pressed enough. I told you something at Bandirma. Do you remember that?”

“What was that?”

“About Mustafa Kemal Pasha…”

“You said something but I can’t recall now.”

“I asked you why Mustafa Kamal went to Samsun instead of coming to Bandirma. I asked you if that was a shortcut. Now I see how smart he is. He left Istanbul on May 16th; one day after the Greeks arrived in Izmir. Why didn’t he come to Bandirma and go to Samsun instead? Because real Commanders know that, in a situation like this, it is better to be thunder far away rather than lightning close by!” Jamil explained.

“I don’t know that much but I agree that we should have gone to Manisa yesterday. The Governor of Manisa is discouraging the resistance here. That’s why the Sub-governor here had a stomach ache tonight. He is also the reason why we are always unable to contact Manisa. You are right. We shouldn’t have stayed here. We should have gone to Manisa right away!” He thought about this for a while, “but what the commander said about not losing a locomotive to the enemy is also right.”

“The locomotives are not ours anyway. There is no point in being afraid of losing them to the enemy. If we can’t intimidate the enemy then we are going to lose the entire country. We couldn’t do anything here. We came to the hotel yesterday like thieves in the night. We couldn’t get the innkeeper to give us breakfast. We should have continued on to Manisa. We should have made the Sub Governor come here by dragging him if we had to! Dr. Munir says, ‘In every situation, there is a right thing to do for the good of the people. You should poke it a little bit here and there and finally, when you get it moved a bit, it means the balance is tipped in your favor. Then once you have created your own luck there will be hope.’ We should either occupy the Governor’s Office here or go to Manisa.  We could have created a chance for us without changing the general conditions…Oh!  The Commander is calling you! Go see him. Tell him I am looking for hand grenades! It looks like we need them to find a piece of bread around here!”

When Selahaddin left he lit a cigarette. He looked at his rifle which was propped against the bed. ‘We need the hand grenades,’ he thought.

Right after they put the desk and the seven chairs by the door, Rashad came running upstairs. “They are coming, Sir! Unfortunately, they are supporting the Liberty Party. The Sub Governor is with them and their leader is Haji Nizam. He has a large turban and hooked nose, no beard.”

The Sub Governor had a black beard, hunchback; he was around forty years of age. His face looked yellow, maybe because of a sick stomach or maybe because of fear. His clothes looked old. Lieutenant Farouk was guarding the entrance. He saluted the Colonel in the traditional Ottoman way and let Haji Nizam go first. Haji Nizam didn’t smile. He had thin lips; he looked like he had a stubborn and revengeful personality and looked at Lieutenant Farouk in a hateful way. Farouk had his bandoliers on. He was carrying his pistol and his Mauser gun. He looked very slim but he was standing tall. The Commander was standing. He had his fists on the desk. The men didn’t look at him and went ahead and sat in the chairs putting on airs.

Selahaddin offered them cigarettes and coffee. They didn’t want anything. Then Kamil came with nine people who were supporting the resistance. After them, the police chief, the supposedly, impartial Mayor, civil servants, various judges and prosecutors, a doctor… Tax Office, Land Titles, and Census Office Managers, even officials from the Agricultural Department came…”

The sub-governor was stuttering and having difficulty speaking. He came from his sick bed on Haji Nizam’s request and told them he had to follow the orders of the Government in Istanbul. “The Greek Metropolitan Bishop and other Greek notables were going to come but we told them that it was not necessary at the moment. After this meeting, if you still want to talk to them, you can call them. The Madrasah Professor Haji Nizam also agrees with me.”

“Good...That’s better. First, I would like to talk to you. Then, if it is necessary we will talk to the Greeks as well.” Bekir Sami answered. He didn’t sit. His rifle was propped against the desk and he was pressing his fists against the desk as he was looking at each person in front of him intently. He checked the papers in front of him and continued, “Thank you for coming here, Gentlemen. You know the situation.  They were not true to their signatures. There is nothing in the Truce Agreement about the Greek Occupation of Izmir. Not only did the Greek Army land at Izmir, but they also fired on innocent people. They killed the Officers and military personnel who had surrendered. Worse than that, they started their march inland. It looks like if we don’t stop them they will continue their walk. When an enemy army occupies a country, they destroy the national values, religion, and honor of the nation. We saw that during the Balkan Wars. Istanbul has been under enemy occupation for months now.  The enemy brought their armored ships to the Capital and Istanbul under the firing range of those guns. A truce Agreement doesn’t give them any such rights. I was in Istanbul three days ago, I talked to the War Minister before I came here. We must protect our country. The Minister of Interior Affairs has ordered our friends who came here to resist, no matter what. He said even if the Government orders us to surrender we should never listen to the Government's orders and resist until the end. If we are arrested we will say that we rebelled against the Government. The Allies don’t approve of the Greek armies getting out of Izmir city limits. We have to take action now and stop them. We have to save our country! According to the reports that I received the enemy is coming with small troops. They are afraid. They can only proceed if we don’t stop them. It is no use to surrender. We didn’t resist the Izmir occupation and they still killed our people and raped our women.”

The ones sitting by Rashad and Kamil’s side were nodding their approval of the Commander. Haji Nizam didn’t look up the whole time. He was staring down at the floor. He didn’t even move. And it was not clear if he was indeed listening. When Bekir Sami stopped and waited for an answer he looked up. He said, “What do you think Akhisar should do, Commander?”

“There are two courses of action; one is to surrender and if you choose this, there is no need to talk any further.”

“What is the other way?”

“We have to stand up and stop the enemy. I am receiving telegrams informing us that from Antalya to Bandirma there are uprisings. I received word from Alashehir this morning; that people are already taking action and organizing. They are forming associations. They are protesting the Occupation of Izmir. Their leader Mustafa has three hundred armed men.”

“How has Mustafa been able to gather ammunition?” the sub-Governor asked.

“Alashehir Sub-Governor gave the guns to them from the Gendarmerie depot.”

The Madrasah Teacher and the Sub- Governor looked at each other. The Governor looked away. The Madrasah Teacher Haji Nizam spoke in a testy voice as if he was putting down a student, “We don’t know what goes on in Alashehir. You say that but maybe it was different for them. Akhisar is so close to Manisa. Yesterday they said that Manisa fell and we didn’t get any other news after that. Maybe the enemy will not proceed as far as Alashehir but they will come here for sure! It is easy to be brave when you are far away from the enemy. We thought about this thoroughly. If we can’t be sure that we will win we don’t want to risk our families and the honour of the women. Whatever happens, happen, but we don’t want to provoke anything.”  He looked at the group led by Rashad. “Is that right? Didn’t we think about this and come to that conclusion?”

“We didn’t reach any conclusions yesterday, Haji. We said we would consider all the possibilities.” Rashad answered.

“Yes, you said, “Let’s think about it.” But all the others agreed with us. Everybody should speak for himself.”

Rashad’s face was turning yellow. “I am speaking for myself. Our friends said they would think about this as well. Today we came here to discuss the matter in detail.”

“We should have discussed all this earlier, Rashad; much earlier, before the Balkan wars, before the Great War and to be honest, before dethroning our Great Emperor Sultan Hamid!” Nizam protested.

“There is no need to dwell in the past. Nizam, we have important matters to discuss.”

“In fact, it is high time we discuss. Who is to blame? Not the Greeks, obviously. It is the Unionists who deserve the blame. They rebelliously cry “Liberty” like the snake hissing. They sent our Sultan to exile. Do you think you could get away with that?  The Unionists' actions caused internal conflicts in the Army. The small Balkan countries defeated us. The Unionists declared war on powerful nations. The result is defeat once again. Our sons have perished in the Caucasian mountains because of cold, and in the desert because of heat. We lost so many in the Gallipoli War. What happened?  The enemy is walking straight ahead towards us! Our country is occupied! Do you think the Unionists could get away with that? Why are you silent, Rashad? I am waiting for an answer! You guys were not the silent types before. Where is that drunk leader of yours?” He turned to Bekir Sami, “Commander, they had a Unionist leader in town, he drank day and night. He used to come to the town square and swear at the people.”

“He wasn’t swearing, Nizam. Why do you pretend you don’t know where Hussein is? He is martyred in Bagdad. Don’t you know that?” Rashad asked.

“No. We don’t call the drunks martyrs. The martyrs are the people who died for their religion. He didn’t go to war that was ordered by the Caliph. Your war is not just. It was a war for money.”

Bekir Sami tried to change the subject, “Don’t talk about the old matters now Haji Nizam!  There is no use in that. We have to give our attention to the present danger. The enemy is at the door!”

Haji Nizam looked at him in disgust, “You say we should take action. What can the Akhisar people do? Even if we agreed, how many soldiers do you have?”

“My soldiers…My soldiers are the 17^th Army Corps.”

“Where is this 17^th Army corps?”

“They are retreating from Izmir. They are retreating with all their weapons! Do you think the whole Ottoman Army is down to the Akhisar volunteers? The reason I organized this meeting is….You have to resist so that I can form the front with that knowledge. You have to back me up! If there is nobody to back me up and I don’t trust the people it won’t work!”

“We are not going to resist. We talked to the local Greeks, and we made a deal. If the Turkish Army comes we will protect them. If the Greek Army comes they will protect us!”

“You are wrong. The same thing happened in Menemen, when the Greek Army entered the town all those deals didn’t mean anything. The Greeks got drunk and started to go after their neighbor’s daughters.”

“These are all the Unionist lies! We know all about Menemen. The lamb and the wolf are peacefully together there. You are not from here. You are a stranger. You don’t know the customs around here. If we are going to rebel we won’t be the first. Manisa is a bigger center. They have to go first. The regiment is there. Not just one, a couple of Regiments are there. The Cavalry, the Infantry…the Artillery…machine guns are all there. When Manisa starts to fight then we will join. Don’t worry, we will do what we have to do. We are not any less than any other town.” Haji Nizam insisted.

Bekir Sami’s face turned red. His temper was well-known in the army. He was trying to keep it in but he was about to explode. “I know you are not any less than the next guy, but we don’t have time. The War Games are not like any of the things that you learn from those dark-colored books of yours, Hodja Effendi! It is a completely different situation. When your neighbor’s house is on fire you can’t be safe. You have to run to help your neighbor immediately. I don’t have any time to spare here. I feel sorry for your families and your belongings. But if you don’t think about them yourself, I won’t either! Sit down and wait! When worse comes to worse you will cry but to no avail. We will form the front here whether the Akhisar people want to support us or not! We will fight. Once the war breaks out nobody can protect anybody. I wanted Akhisar safe from the invading army!”

“What if we are invaded? Whose fault is that? It is the Unionists’ fault! What did the Unionists say? They said the nation has to obey the Government like a wife who has to obey a man. We could never complain about the civil servants or the security forces. You always use an iron fist. What do you expect from us? This nation has been scared of its own police force for so many years. How can we go fight with the enemy now? The enemy army has all the weapons, we don’t have any weapons, we don’t have any army, and how can we challenge them?” Haji Nizam just perked up and looked like a vulture with his hooked nose. He looked like he was going to eat a dead animal. He raised his hand to prevent Bekir Sami from talking. “There is no need to talk more, Commander! I only have one question for you. If you answer me you can have the Akhisar Soldiers.”

Bekir Sami was hopeful for a minute. He pressed his fists on the table and asked, “Yes? What is your question?”

“Can you swear that the 17^th Army Corps is not dismantled already? Can you swear that you have enough manpower and arms to defend us? Swear on your honor!”

Bekir Sami looked confused. He must have not thought about this kind of confrontation before. Everyone in the room understood that he was feeling cornered. He opened his hands and he swallowed hard.

The Madrasah scholar, Haji Nizam must have come here well prepared. He was using the old rotten Madrasah logic. He must be good at this. He tried to sound friendly, “I am not asking you to protect us to the bitter end. I’m asking you if things turn out to be worse can you promise to help us retreat with all our families, our animals, and all the things that we can carry. I want you to swear that you can help us…On your honor!”

Bekir Sami was not the kind of person who could easily swear on his honor for the things that he could not be fully sure that he could do. Anybody who sees him for the very first time could guess that. Nizam waited. “Do you think the people of Akhisar are right, Commander?”

“They are not Nizam, because you are not the one to talk about honour!” Rashad stood up to stop Bekir Sami from hitting him.  “Please, Commander! Let me handle this son of a bitch… Haji Nizam! How can you talk of honor? I am going to kill you. You pimp!  Don’t we know why you were terminated from your job at the Manisa Madrasah? What do you know about the honor? We are going to hang you! We don’t need you here! Damn you! On a day like this….” Nizam and his friends stood up and left. They were waiting for the opportunity and the light in their eyes showed that they were so happy to finish this meeting without promising anything.

Rashad spit after them. He was shaking with anger. He tried to smile. He looked at the Officers in embarrassment as if he was to blame and was asking for pardon. “I am sorry, Commander. I shouldn’t have spoken in front of you like this, but I couldn’t stop myself. That dishonorable man! We don’t need them. They won’t do us any good. Whatever happens! I will tell you now. If the Greeks invade Akhisar we will have more troubles with our own people than the enemy. We should have hanged them all when we had the opportunity! These Gavours support the Liberty Party, they won’t listen to us!”

A man was sitting at the back with a red Fez and tie. He interrupted Rashad’s speech, “It is not good. You call each other Gavour.”

“If he acts to support the enemy of course I will call him Gavour. You are not supporting any of us, Doctor. Tell me. What do you think?”

The middle-aged man introduced himself, “I am Reserve Officer Dr. Nejati. I think our nation is really unlucky. Two political parties are at odds with each other. You think they are two different parties but they are like two halves of an apple. If one is hawk the other is dove; then they change roles. That’s why we are so unlucky. If the Liberty Party was in power during the Balkan Wars and the Great War maybe we could have avoided the war altogether. That would be the correct action.  The Unionists made us enter into war stupidly and we were defeated because of them. Now we don’t have any other choice but to defend ourselves. However, this time the Liberty Party is in power and they don’t want to fight. They don’t even think about that, we got it all mixed up. We should have had Liberty Party when we needed peace. And we should have the Unionists when we need to defend ourselves….I am sorry these are not the things that you want to hear. With your permission, we should leave now and try to do some damage control because Nizam will cause a panic in the town.” He looked at the door and lowered his voice, “I don’t know what Rashad and Kamil think about this but I am not hopeful about Akhisar. Take this into consideration, Sir. Frankly, don’t count us in!”

Jamil didn’t breathe and waited for an answer to this.

No one said anything. Each of the guests tiptoed out of the room as if leaving somebody on his dead bed with downcast eyes. They walked to the stairs. Their concept of country and nation was almost limited to where they were born and raised so for them to say that they can’t resist the enemy must be really frightening.

When they left, the empty chairs in the hallway created two separate deserted areas. Nizam’s friends left an emptiness that wasn’t really important but the others left with so much shame and a sense of powerlessness that it made Jamil’s heart ache. His pride as a warrior was hurt by that.

Bekir Sami was still pressing his tight fists to the desk, his eyes were squinted and he was staring at the empty wall in front of him.

Selahaddin was looking at the floor and biting his lip.

Lieutenant Farouk was still on duty by the stairs.

“Let’s have these chairs carried downstairs, Selahaddin!” the Commander suggested.

“Yes, Sir!”

“Then come back here. We will prepare a document!” The 17^th Army Commander dragged his rifle to his room.

Lieutenant Farouk didn’t hear the order, he was crying. His face looked like a young boy; the tears were trickling through his beard. He didn’t even know that he was crying.