Uprising of Ahmet Anzavur

 The Tired Warrior by Kemal Tahir

Translated by Elif Mat Erkmen

Chapter 12

Anzavur  1885-1921

 

Jamil woke up to Shaban’s voice, “Anzavour defeated our troops, Major! He finished off our regiments!”Jamil stood up. “Who said that? When did this happen?”

Lieutenant Farouk entered the room. “Sir, they murdered Colonel Rahmi.” Jamil was stunned. He just stared at Shaban and Farouk. Farook sat down on a chair. His lips were quivering. Jamil asked, “Did they ambush him?”

“No, he bravely fought for forty- eight hours. Anzavour had five thousand soldiers; Rahmi had only two hundred; a ratio of one to twenty-five.  We lost a great man!  Colonel Rahmi was an excellent Commander who encouraged his troops with ease. His men trusted him. Almost no one survived out of those two hundred men; they kept on fighting until Rahmi died. Do you know him personally?

 Jamil answered, “Yes, I knew him well. We were fighting shoulder to shoulder in Gaza. Did Anzavour really have five thousand soldiers?”

“Yes, at least five thousand, maybe even more.”

“Who said that? Maybe they were exaggerating.”

“No, they were not exaggerating! I know Major Nuri from Palestine, I trust him. He brought us the news. He served in the Fourth Army. Do you know him as well?”

Jamil thought for a minute. “Does he have a beard?”

“The Staff Major Nuri came to Palestine from Galicia with the German-Austrian troops, towards the end of the war…”

Jamil said, “Oh, he must have been with the ‘Thunderbolt Army Group’; I don’t think I know him. Was he on Rahmi’s team?”

“No, actually he was retired because of a head injury. During the last war, he was taken prisoner. He has a farm in Gonen and he was hoping to recuperate from his injuries there. But he knew Rahmi from his military days and when he heard that Rahmi’s troops were going to defend the area against Anzavour he couldn’t resist. He got his rifle and joined Rahmi.”

“Where is he now?”

“He is downstairs; he is getting treatment for a wound in his leg.”

“Is it bad?”

“The bullet didn’t touch the bone but the wound was not cared for properly, it doesn’t look good…”

“What is he saying about Anzavour?”

“He can’t talk much since he lost a lot of blood and feels weak. We need to find somewhere for him to rest.”

Jamil called Shaban, “Shaban, go carry him upstairs, he can rest here when his bandages are done.” Shaban went downstairs quickly.

Lieutenant Farouk lit a cigarette. Jamil asked, “How did Major Nuri manage to get here with a bad leg?”

“Sergeant Rustem knew Rahmi from Palestine. He helped him get on a horse and he brought him here. When Nuri was shot there were only twelve men left out of the two hundred. And after that they too fled, taking advantage of the dark. The Sergeant didn’t want to leave Nuri behind because he knew Anzavour would kill him. Rustem is a good man, he liked Rahmi and he is very sad about his loss.”

Captain Selahaddin entered the room with a bunch of papers in his hand. He asked Jamil, “Did you hear the bad news?”

“Yes, I heard about Rahmi Bey!”

“So sad…”

“Do you think Anzavour really had thousands of supporters?”

“I believe it is true.”

“What are the Commander’s plans for defending Bursa? What is the situation between Gonen and Bursa?

“Thank God there is good news. Anzavour went back to Balikesir.”

Jamil asked, “What are those papers you are holding?”

“General Yusuf Izzed wants the 172nd Regiment in Kirmasti to join the battle against Anzavour. This Cable is From Colonel Osman; he is saying that he won’t obey such an order. He could only defend himself if they were attacked. He is right because he knows that his troops are not strong enough to attack Anzavour.”

“What is the Commander’s opinion on this?” Jamil inquired.

“He doesn’t want to comment on this yet. He is not happy with the way the Superiors handled this. He won’t respond. In effect, we have been trying to communicate with Balikesir for the last hour. The Commander has to talk to the 61^st Division before taking action.” Selahaddin shuffled the papers. “Look, in this cable the 20^th Army Commander, General Ali Fuad, says,

Ali Fuat Cebesoy (1882-1968)

‘To the 56th and 61^st Regiment Commanders,

 The following is the cable from General Yusuf Izzed who is reporting the telegram that he received from the War Ministry in Istanbul:

‘March 25th, 1920 The British Political representative issued a memorandum to our Government concerning an incident in Lefka. The irregulars in Lefka told the British Commander that they had to leave Lefka by 9 o’clock that night or the Turkish side would start an attack against the British and the irregulars would start the firing at that time. The British government was holding the Ottoman Government responsible because of this. The Ottoman Government has warned the military to avoid such actions because they are very dangerous for our country. These actions can cause dangerous outcomes in the future. The Turkish side has to cease fire immediately. They should stop the attack; they should avoid combat with the invading armies, especially with the British Army, at all costs. The First Army Corps was ordered to report the outcome to the War Ministry. It is in our best interest to keep the peace and be compliant with the invading power. There will be an investigation into this. Major Salih was appointed to the Committee and has boarded a train from Haydarpasha. This was signed by the Minister of War, General Fevzi’. ”

Haydarpasa Train Station in Istanbul

 

To 56^th and 61st Division Commanders;

The Representatives’ Committee issued a no-contact order with Istanbul. However, General Yusuf Izzed didn’t obey that order. We haven’t answered him either. Our troops are successful. We should all be careful to not jeopardize the Nation’s Unity and hope of freedom. Attached are 20th Army Commander General Ali Fuad’s orders concerning the Committee, who are on their way from Istanbul. There will be no delays.

 

To the Commander of 24th Division Mahmud,

Lefka,

The War Ministry in Istanbul is under the occupation of the British. The War Ministry is now a prisoner to the British. That’s why the War Ministry is trying to prevent the success of the National Forces. The National Forces have begun the Independence War with the demand of our people. The War Ministry is sending some committee members to Anatolia. This committee boarded a train from Haydarpasha Station on March 23^rd, 1920. Among them, there are high-ranking Officers like Salih. The other members of the Committee are also well-known and trustworthy individuals. All the members who are known to us should be arrested and sent to Ankara right away. The other committee members who are not known to us should be arrested and put into prison regardless of their ranks or high status with the War Ministry, until further orders from Ankara.

Upon this order the 24^th Division Commander has arrested the committee members, Major Salih, Sinop Deputy Dr. Riza Noor, Kastomonu Deputy Yusuf Kemal, Eskishehir Deputy Abdullah Azmi, and Konya Deputy Hodja Vehbi. They were all sent back to Istanbul.”

 

Selahaddin put away the papers and shook his head. “Everything is way too complicated.”

“Forget it! Now Anzavour is trying to deceive us. We should be concerned about defending Bursa more than anything.”

Farouk interrupted, “ If locals don’t start defending themselves, we can’t do anything.”

“I don’t think the locals will start any war.”

“Do you think it will help if we were to bring Osman’s Regiment here?”

“Do you know Osman personally?”

Jamil thought for a second, “I have seen him but I don’t know him that well.”

“Osman hung a lot of dissidents in Kirmasti. After the Staff General talked to him he started to send dissidents to court before hanging them. I am not saying this to criticize Osman.  We owe him a lot. The 200 soldiers who made up the 56th Regiment are only here because of Osman’s courage.”

“Explain that to me.”

“Osman confiscated thousands of sheep from the farms of the Sultan. That’s why we have meat supplies for the troops.”

“Did he plunder Sultan’s farm?”

“If he asks him, it is all legal. He says he signed and sealed the documents saying that it is a war tax. He says we are all here to defend the Sultan’s country. He has to suffer as well as anybody. He says this while putting his fist on the table! At first, he almost turned the 172nd Regiment into a gang. We tried to prevent that. Now, he has special guards, they are all irregulars. They are thugs who got out of prison. He justifies this by saying that Military rules are not always sufficient. Sometimes in the face of danger, we should adapt to Bashi-bozouk ways.” He says this with pride. He is right. It is very difficult to save Bursa right now, even if we had a big army. Even if Mustafa Kemal  comes to Bursa himself,  it will be too hard to sort all this out.”

At this moment they saw the Major, who was wounded in the leg, entering the room. Shaban and an orderly were helping him walk. The Major looked embarrassed. He didn’t look like a Staff Major with his ripped uniform. He looked like a reserve officer who was more into reading than action. Jamil showed him the bed. The Major said, “No it is OK. I will take the chair. I don’t want to disturb you.”

Jamil said, “No please use the bed. I hope you get well soon.”

“Thank you.”

He looked out of shape, like the people who spent a lot of time in prison. His left eye had a constant twitch. He said, “My wound is not important. The bullet didn’t damage the bone. I can step on my foot. It is weird, after all these years.”  Then he stopped and apologized, “I am sorry, Gentlemen. I should offer my condolences. We lost Rahmi. You knew him. He was such a brave man. I am sorry. I am Staff Major Nuri. I was with the 4^th Army. I worked with the German Team at the War Ministry for a long time. I was at the Gallipoli and the Galicia Fronts!”

Jamil introduced his friends and asked, “Were you together with Rahmi in Palestine, Major?”

“Yes!  That’s right! At Palestine! May he rest in Peace. He could have avoided being shot. He was so brave; he looked like he didn’t mind getting shot. He went towards his death. I warned him. At night we were so close to the enemy. We had only 3 hundred meters between us. The enemy came crawling near us. He was at the front of the Regiment. He didn’t want to step back. He might not have heard me. Even if he heard me, it is possible that he might not have understood. He was preoccupied with other thoughts. He was looking somewhere very carefully. Twice he said, ‘This is crazy’.  Then he said, ‘Be quick, get on your horse, go to Bursa right away. Tell them what is going on. As I was responding, a bullet passed between us. Just between his left ear and my left ear. “He said, ‘I order’. Then he fired his rifle and the man fell. Then twice he motioned to me to go. Then he laughed. I was surprised to see him happy all of a sudden. I am sure he was happy for a moment.” Then Major Nuri almost begged for a glass of water. He drank it. He inquired, “The orderly said he would make a smaller bandage in a few days. Do you think that is possible?”

“I think so.”

“I wish…I want to walk at least with the help of a cane! I don’t want to lie down without doing anything. So is there any news from Anzavour?”

“No, there is no news.”

“Do you think he is going to attack Bursa?”

“Anything is possible.”

“If he attacks Bursa then we should defend the city in every corner and every street. I asked the Sergeant to find me a rifle. What happened? Did he forget? If I don’t get well enough to walk, then you should leave me by the window and go! The sergeant has promised me to…”

Selahaddin bowed his head and said, “I know the Sergeant promised to find a rifle for you but the Commander of the Regiment says no. He would like you to leave for Eskishehir with the first group that is going there…”

“I don’t want that! The higher-ups forget that there is such a thing as fatigue. I am so tired. Going to Eskishehir is like going to the other end of the world to me! I would like to stay where I am.” Major Nuri put his hand on the eye that was twitching; he looked like he was in pain. He said, “I want the Sergeant to bring the rifle today. I need 50 bullets as well. If there is not enough ammunition I will get twenty. That’s enough for a person who knows how to shoot.”

Farouk asked shyly, “Are you a good marksman, Sir?”

“I was. I don’t think I have lost my ability. During the last combat, I did well. My hands didn’t shake. I wasn’t a war officer but when you are actually in combat…” Jamil and Selahaddin left the room quietly. Nuri was deep in thought. He didn’t even notice them leaving.

 

“Jamil! Get ready! You are going to Kirmasti! Selahaddin said suddenly.

“Why?”

“Because you are ordered to go get the 172^nd Regiment Commander, Osman.”

“What does that mean? Can’t you communicate with him? Is there something wrong with the telegram cables?”

“No, we need to talk to him face to face! The Commanders of the Army Corps are trying to get him to fight against Anzavour without our knowledge!”

“Are they crazy? We know what happened to the 176^th Regiment.”

“I don’t know! When they heard about Rahmi, the troops in Bandirma became restless. Osman the Butcher is really mad about this. He sent a cable that was way out of line to the Regiment. He was always like that. He says he will attack Bandirma! You have to go see him and try to convince him to come here.”

“That’s confusing. Anzavour is attacking us in the name of the Sultan. General Yusuf Izzed doesn’t listen to the orders of Ankara. Then he decides to attack Anzavour with whatever troops he has! This is all so crazy…” He thought for a while then asked, “When am I going to go?”

“Right now! I told Shaban to get the horses ready. The Commander wants Osman to come alone; meaning he doesn’t want Osman’s gang here. He says we have enough thugs here. Don’t let Osman get suspicious. If he wants his bodyguards to accompany him, you know what to do!”

“I’ll think of something.”

“Tell Osman the situation is serious. Yusuf Izzed wants him here no matter what. If he doesn’t want to come, then you have to arrest him. Now, you should go to the Office and get some money.”

Jamil went to the Office, got the money, and bid farewell to the Commander. Then he motioned Shaban to bring his horse.

The sun was rising on the Sea of Marmara.

Jamil planned on spending the night at one of the villages that he was passing through. That’s why he didn’t have his blanket with him. But he had a fur jacket and thick boots. He had his holster and Circassian knife on his belt, accompanied by his binoculars hanging on his neck. He looked like one of the warlords rather than a Military Officer.

Shaban brought his black horse ‘Karaoglan”. This Arabian horse was a gift from Ethem. He presented this gift to Jamil, after their first combat together. When the horse heard Jamil’s voice, he neighed and showed that he was happy. He was a young horse who was well taken care of. He had long slim legs, a long slim neck, and smart eyes.

Shaban took good care of him; he brushed the tail and even polished the silver on the horse’s head. The rifle case was attached to the saddle. Jamil petted the horse before mounting it. They decided to stay in a village with people they could trust. Shaban didn’t ask any questions. Jamil figured, he already knew why they were going to Kirmasti. Jamil knew from past experience that privates had a way of learning secret information. Sometimes they just guessed correctly. He lit a cigarette.

“Shaban, you haven’t brought your blanket.”

“No, I haven’t since you don’t have yours.”

“I thought you were going to give up colpack?”

“You have yours on.”

“You know Anzavour wants his men to kill people like us.  People with colpacks! He orders them to kill the Unionists!”

“What does he want from us? What did we do to him? Damn! I don’t understand all this. It is confusing. Why is he accusing us of treason when he was the one who tried to join the Nationalists in the first place? You know he tried to join the Nationalists in Balikesir, don’t you?”

Jamil answered, “I didn’t know that!”

“That’s what I heard. He insisted on joining them but the Nationalists didn’t want him. That’s why he is mad at us. If he was accepted he would be fighting against the Sultan now.”

“Did you hear that from the people who came from Bursa?’

“No, they are all supporting Anzavour; reactionary people support him. If what I hear is correct, the Commander of the Army Corps in Bandirma also supports Anzavour.”

“That’s a lie! Who said that?”’ Jamil asked.

Shaban said, “ It must be a lie…I didn’t think that an Army Commander would support Anzavour. What kind of…” Jamil understood what Shaban was going to say, ‘fool’; but he stopped short. So Jamil asked, hiding his smile, “You were saying? What kind of…?”

“I was saying…What kind of a Commander would support a person like Anzavour? The people from Bursa think that Anzavour was sent here by the Sultan. He is killing all those officers. Those Officers are also Sultan’s Officers. Aren’t they? He is saying he has the Sultan’s Decree, and he is reciting the Quran and he is faithful. He has the Sultan’s decree. Did the Sultan want him to kill us?”

“No, this is all nonsense! He wants to loot, that’s all! He is trying to deceive people so he can get away with it.”

“Yes, he is trying to deceive people. He is spreading rumors that we are having parties with naked ladies in the bathhouses. Never mind women, we haven’t seen a bathhouse for a long time. Why do you think Anzavour is mad at the Nationalists, Sir? Why are the people of Bursa against us? Perhaps the ignorant villagers don’t know about us. But the religious scholars should know better. The Commanders have difficulty finding new recruits. Everyone says it is because of the hodjas. The privates are deserting the army because of discouragement from the hodjas. They are telling the soldiers not to obey the orders of Young Turk Officers. They are calling us “Freemasons”. They are saying that all we care about is money. The hodjas are spreading those rumours and our soldiers believe them. The other day, when I was playing backgammon in the coffee house, I heard them talking. It was the same topic. And all the soldiers agreed. I got angry and interrupted. I asked them, ’ Don’t you all know how little our Officers are earning? They are barely surviving. Why would they want the war to continue?’ They understood. However, the next day it was the same discussion all over again. They are deserting, saying that the Officers are getting their salaries and the soldiers still have to live in poor conditions. They are asking why they have to still serve when the Sultan doesn’t want them to. They don’t see why they should fight against Anzavour and risk dying. You know what I think, Major?”

Jamil asked, “What do you think, Shaban?”

“In the past we witnessed some soldiers deserting the Army. However, they never took ammunition. Now, it is different. Now, they take their rifles and bullets with them when they are deserting. Because times are different, now there are all kinds of illegal activities going on. Instead of being a soldier, they prefer to be a gang member and earn money. The warlords are giving them monthly salaries if they join with their rifles. Anzavour gives a monthly salary of 100 to 150 Liras to the mounted soldiers. It is a question of life or death.”

“There is no guarantee that they will survive by joining the gangs.”

“I know, but some are stupid. First, they complain that the Officers take such large salaries. Then they go join the gangs for more money. If they were not so stupid, Anzavour wouldn’t have any chance to take action. What is the world coming to? I think the Commander is right to summon Osman. We need Osman to teach the people of Bursa a lesson.”

“Is that the rumor now?’

“Yes, that’s all they talk about these days. They say the people of Bursa are really worried now. Some are leaving the city because ‘Osman the Butcher’ has quite a reputation! Is that right?”

Colonel Osman was a short, stout man. He had a tough, rigid face. He had a tired look in his eyes. He was pulling on his mustache as he was talking. He looked like he was planning something. It was as if he was deciding on hanging someone. The Regiment was very disciplined. The security was tight. The main doors were guarded by soldiers and gang members. No one could have entered without permission. Jamil didn’t have to wait long to see him. When he entered the room Osman stood up and greeted him. “Jamil, welcome! I remember you well. I received a cable from Selahaddin yesterday. Did you have a good trip? Everything was all right?”

“Yes, everything was all right, Colonel.”

“I see that only your orderly is accompanying you. That’s unsafe. We have to take precautions. You know Rahmi acted courageously, but…I liked him so much. I am saddened by his death.” He was adjusting his gun in the holster. Then he said, “Jamil, now I have some business to attend. If you like you can wait for me here or if you wish to accompany me you are welcome to do so.”

“Sir, did Selahaddin explain in his cable why I was sent here?”

“No, he said you would tell me. After I attend to this business I will talk to you.”

“If it is going to take a long time, I would like to talk to you before you go.”

“It won’t take long. The division Commander gave this job to me. He insists that we should not execute anybody without proper court proceedings. Well, I should go preside over the court now!”

“Are there court proceedings right now?”

“Yes! Please come with me, and be a witness to the proceedings. They think I don’t care about the Law…”

Colonel Osman adjusted his fur cap over his right eyebrow. He walked away with heavy steps. When they entered the corridor, all the soldiers and the Officers stood up and saluted him with fear. There was no noise at all. Not even a fly buzzed. Osman the Butcher liked the fact that he was an intimidating figure. He walked with even more pride now. A soldier and a gang member were guarding the door. He asked with a voice like thunder, “Are the members of the Court Marshall present?”

Both the private and the gang members were so scared they were not brave enough to answer the question. Osman thundered again, “What happened to you? Are you deaf?” The private attempted to talk, and he opened his mouth. However, he didn’t have any voice. The other was stuttering. Osman said, “Damn you”, and pushed the door open, the door banged against the wall. The members of the Court Marshall stood to attention right away. “Everyone is present. That’s good!” He said to Jamil, “This is the Court Marshall’ and introduced the members to Jamil. “ Lieutenant Selami, he is an Artilleryman, Ahmed Gokgoz and the batman. Gentlemen, this is the famous Artillery Officer of our Army, Captain Jamil. He is with the Division and he is going to observe the proceedings so he can tell the Commander how thoroughly we are doing our job. How many cases do we have today?”

“There are three cases, Commander.”

“Is the preliminary investigation done?”

“Yes, Sir”

“What is the first case all about?”

“The first case is animal theft; the second is abating a crime, harboring gang members and the last one is about a suspect who is accused of being an informant to the British.”

“Good! Let’s start. Jamil, please be seated.” He appeared preoccupied for a minute then he said, “Jamil, would you like to join the panel?”

“No, thank you. There is no need.”

“As you wish.”

Osman sat down and the other members took a seat on both sides. One sergeant was a court reporter and the other was acting as bailiff.  The first suspect was an old man accused of animal theft. His face was wrinkled. He was skinny and his breathing was laboured. He had self-confidence though. He didn’t look scared. He had a lunch bag with him; he placed it on the floor and stood respectfully. Colonel Osman ordered, “Read the accusation!”

“Two cows were stolen from the Division. It was suspected that they were seen near the place where Rajab’s animals were grazing. Rajab was a shepherd and he gave a good description of the lost animals, however, he was not able to identify the men who took the cows.”

Colonel Osman started to interrogate, “What is your name?”

“Rajab.”

“What is your father’s name?”

“Ismail…He was a famous wrestler, Sir.”

“Where are you from?

“We came from the Balkans, Sir; from the Danube region. We came when….”

“How old are you?

“Fifty-five, I think.”

What do you do for a living?”

“I am a shepherd in Karayaka village.”

“Did you see the animals that had been stolen?”

“Yes, Sir, I did. One of them was dark, and the other was yellow. One had big horns…”

“Did you see what was wrapped around the cow’s necks?”

“Yes, Sir, one had a red woolen cloth around its neck. The men were pulling them away. The other had something leather…”

“Did you see who stole them?”

“It was early in the morning, still dark. I couldn’t see them.”

“You saw every detail but couldn’t see the faces of the thieves?”

The old man bowed his head; he was assuming that the Commander would understand that he was afraid of the men who stole the cows. That’s why he hoped the Commander would forgive him. He smiled.

“Why are you smiling? You Gypsy, tell me the names of the men or else!”

The shepherd was scared.“I couldn’t see them, Commander. I was trying to help the Army by being a witness, please let me go.”

“I am asking you for the last time! Tell me who stole the animals?”

“I don’t know!”

“That’s enough!” Osman asked the Court Recorder, “Did you write everything down? No! You didn’t! Write it now. It is understood that Rajab is protecting the men who stole the animals. Because of that, we find him guilty of theft. Since he can give an accurate description of the stolen animals and refuses to describe the thieves, it is clear that he is lying. He is going to be executed. Write that down!” …Military Criminal Law…Article…Approved! Tomorrow morning in the town square… Security Division is ordered. Take him away!”

Rajab didn’t realize what was happening.“Am I free, Sir?”

“Go away! You will see me tomorrow morning!”

“Tomorrow? Thank you, Sir! God Bless You!”

Rajab was taken out of the courtroom by two sergeants. They were pushing him roughly. Jamil was stunned. The Court Reporter presented the verdict to Colonel Osman and he signed it with anger. He said, “That stupid man is afraid of the thieves, yet he is not afraid of us! We know how to kill too!”He had a spark in his eyes now. He ordered, “Bring the second criminal!”

The second criminal was deathly pale. Two sergeants were pushing him into the room. If it wasn’t for them, the suspect would have collapsed. He was about 35 years old, had dark looks, and was handsome. He looked well off. He took pride in the way he dressed. His vest had gold trim on and he had embroidered clothes. Colonel Osman was accustomed to seeing men so frightened in his court that he didn’t care about the suspect’s condition. He asked, “What is your name?”

The suspect mumbled something that no one understood. Osman asked again, “What is your name?”

“Suleiman.”

“What is your father’s name?”

“Jan Polat.”

Osman asked the court Reporter, “Are you writing?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Are you Circassian?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Did you give food to Shevket’s Gang?”

“Yes Sir! Our walnut chicken is famous around here. Sevket Bey came…”

“Are you calling him a ‘Bey’? He is a thug! He is not a ‘Bey’. Be careful how you talk!”

“His father was a “Bey”, Commander. That’s why…”

“Did you give them food?”

“Yes, Sir. I had to. If I refused them they would have killed me. I had no choice.”

“Yes, you were afraid but didn’t you know that I am here? Don’t you know I can also kill you?” Osman ordered the recorder, “Write! The suspect confessed to giving food to the Gang. He is found guilty by our Court. He is saying that he did this because he was afraid of Sevket’s Gang; however, the suspect is known to be a dissident. He is against the National Forces and pro …”The man collapsed on his knees, he was begging. “It is clear from his actions….”

“Please, Commander, I beg you…Don’t you know how things are in the village? We are like slaves to the Beys. We can’t say no. We have to obey their orders.”

Osman said, “Take him away! Now!”

“On Judgement Day… God will…”The poor man was asking for help. “Please help me! Is there no one to help me? This man is killing me, Brothers!”

“Take him!”

The guards shoved the poor man down the stairs.

The last suspect came. He was a very tall Hodja with a big belly. His face was red and his eyes were bloodshot. He was coming from Osman the Butcher’s jail, yet his clothes were clean, his turban was white. His coat was made of English material. His pants and shoes were new. He saluted the Judges calmly. He didn’t look scared. He showed no signs of fear. Colonel Osman looked at him from head to toe. He looked like he was disgusted by what he was seeing and he started to interrogate him, “What is your name?”

“Ziya Hodja.”

“What is your father’s name?”

“Selahaddin.”

How old are you?”

“Fifty-one.”

“Where are you from?
“My family is from Bursa originally, but I was born in Damascus.”

“Were you educated in a Madrasah?”

“Yes.”

“Why are you here?”

“I was going to Bursa, my hometown.”

“Where are you coming from?”

“From Istanbul.”

“The road from Istanbul to Bursa doesn’t pass through Kirmasti!”

“I have family and friends here. I came to see them.”

“Who are your friends?”

“I can’t tell you.”

“Why you can’t tell me?”

“Because this is not a real court! You do as you please here. There is no Appeals Division either. I don’t want to drag anyone’s name into this. I don’t want my friends to get into trouble.”

“What were you talking about at the Coffee house in the Marketplace? You were talking about the Officers, weren’t you?”

“I was saying the same things as everyone else.”

“What do people say about the National Forces? Are they calling us ‘Traitors’?

“The National Forces are nothing but a bunch of Bashi-books. They are not real Officers! His Majesty, The Caliph, doesn’t want any more wars.”

“Do you think we want war, you bastard?”

“Don’t swear at someone who is handcuffed.”

“You are saying bad words as well.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“You called us ‘Traitors’; that’s worse than swearing!”

The turbaned suspect didn’t look as confident as when he first entered the courtroom. He didn’t answer. Osman said, “Now you are silent. Now you understand. How come the Caliph forbids us from fighting the Greeks and he is not forbidding Muslims from fighting Muslims?”

“I don’t understand, Sir.”

“You don’t understand? We are fighting against all kinds of enemies here. As if it is not enough the Caliph is sending Anzavour to fight against us! You should be talking to Anzavour to tell him the orders of the Caliph.”

“Yes, of course. I will go to talk to him!”

“You are not going anywhere!” Colonel Osman ordered the Court Reporter, “Write: The suspect confessed to speaking against our war efforts. He is supporting Anzavour as well as the enemy armies that are invading our country. He is trying to spoil this Nation’s efforts to fight the enemy under these unfavorable circumstances and all the poverty we are facing. The suspect had another friend in Kirmasti who was helping him, however, he refused to reveal his identity to the court. He should be executed according to the relevant articles of the Military Criminal Code…”

The suspect protested, “No, you can’t hang me like that. You don’t have a right to. I need a lawyer…I will send a telegram to the War Office…”

“Shut up, now! You act like a priest supporting Greeks. Did Colonel Rahmi have any lawyers? You killed him. Did you send a telegram to the War Office for Colonel Rahmi?” Osman ordered the guards, “Take him away! Put him in jail. Tomorrow morning he will be executed! Throw his bones to the dogs. I don’t want to talk to him anymore. Take him away! I don’t want to see him!”

Colonel Osman signed the Court Order that was presented to him. He threw away his pen and wiped his hands on his trousers as if he had handled something dirty. He asked, “Anything else?”

The member of the Judiciary panel who was seated beside him, answered calmly, “No Commander! That’s all we have for today. Actually, we have three men who are deserters…”

“Yes, we will hang them tomorrow!” He stood up and lit a cigarette. “ That’s the way it is Captain Jamil. I see that you are surprised.”

Jamil answered, “A little.”

“If they didn’t murder Colonel Rahmi I wouldn’t have given the execution order for the man who gave food to the Gang. Now, let’s go and have a cup of coffee. Then tell me what the Division wants from me.”

When Colonel Osman learned that the Army Corps had issued an arrest warrant for him; his self-confidence evaporated. He asked Jamil twice, “Did they really say ‘hand-cuffed’? Are they really going to arrest me?” His eyes twitched. His hand was shaking as he was holding the coffee cup. Jamil understood that the reason behind Osman’s merciless behaviors was in fact, his profound sense of fear. He felt sorry for the man. Colonel Osman got ready to go to Bursa right away, even though he was not sure what to expect once he reached Bursa. He even accepted the condition that he was not going to be accompanied by his men during the trip. He left his responsibilities with the Regiment to the Captain in charge. When the man asked him when he was expected to return, he looked to Jamil for an answer. Jamil said without hesitation, “The Colonel will be back in four days, if not, he will send you a telegram.”

When the Captain left the room, Osman stood up and said to Jamil, “Let’s go.”

“Do you have enough money for the trip?”

“I have some. But just in case, I have to stay longer, let me get some more money. Is there any decision concerning me? Is there anything bad? Please just tell me. Can I trust you that you are not hiding anything from me?”

“Yes, of course, you can trust me. Bursa really doesn’t take the Army Corps seriously anyway. If you are ready we should be on our way now. Shall we go?”

“Shall we bring a couple of soldiers along? I can arrange …”

“No, it’s OK. We don’t need any soldiers to travel with us. We will try not to get ambushed. If we are going to get into a dangerous situation a couple of soldiers would not be enough to protect us anyway.”

“You are right.”

On their way out the army personnel jumped to their feet and saluted them. They were still fearful of Osman. Jamil was thinking that even though the Colonel was thinking that he was going to his death he was still capable of invoking fear in his men. The turmoil that the country was in had weird effects on people.

As Jamil was mounting his horse, a Lieutenant came running to bring a telegram to Jamil. It was from Bursa. Selahaddin used the secret code that only the two of them knew. He asked Osman’s permission to go upstairs and read the encrypted message.” Ankara has decided to attack the 12th Army Corps Commander Fahri in Konya. Demirji Efe will aid Refet Bey on this mission.”

Jamil ripped up the paper as usual. They were heading straight towards turmoil. Since they needed the help of warlords to defeat an Army Commander, they needed to think about the situation that they were in thoroughly.

Colonel Osman was looking at Jamil with suspicion. He asked Jamil what was going on. Jamil assured him that there was nothing to worry about and he jumped on his horse.

Jamil was preoccupied all the way to Bursa. He chain-smoked. The more he thought about it, the more the situation seemed complicated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.