While Javad Pasha was considering how to deal with the incoming Italian army, Durres, which had just been captured by Italy, was also very busy.
In the port that was destroyed by the Ottomans, a large number of engineers in military uniforms were busy repairing the pier. They did a good job. In one morning, they repaired a simple pier plank road, which was able to move everyone around. Ships that were crowded in the port were given direct access to disembark.
Due to insufficient structure, this pier plank road that has been repaired can only unload less heavy items such as soldiers and light artillery. This of course cannot meet the needs of the army, so these engineers are repairing a real high-strength plank road. Used to unload various heavy equipment.
On the other side of the pier, Simone, who had just landed, looked at the busy situation at the pier and spoke to the officer responsible for repairs at the scene. "Thank you for your hard work these days. The port must be repaired within three days, and follow-up troops need to land, so your burden is not light."
"As you command, Your Majesty Commander."
In the city defense headquarters of Tirana, Lieutenant General Javad Pasha was listening to a report from the commander of the 16th Division, Major General Hashem. "Lieutenant General, the defense we currently deploy in Tirana is mainly divided into two parts. One part is deployed at the key points of the mountain passes of the Dinara Mountains, Wola and Vachali. This is mainly responsible for my 16th Division, and the other Part of it is deployed in Tirana as a mobile force, which is under the responsibility of Major General Halder's 31st Division, and is ready for reinforcements at any time."
When Major General Hashem was talking, he couldn't help but glance at the Lieutenant General. After seeing that he had no objections, he continued to speak.
"The reason for this arrangement is that although the Dinara Mountains are not high and not very wide, only about five kilometers, there are only small roads in the mountains and heavy weapons such as artillery cannot be passed at all, so we only need to send a small number of troops to monitor ."
Major General Hashem then explained the weapons and ammunition reserves of the garrison in Tirana, as well as the training of new recruits.
As he introduced these situations, Lieutenant General Javad Pasha, the supreme commander of Albania, had a preliminary understanding of the situation in Tirana.
"Very well, you did a great job."
After praising the two men, Jawad Pasha continued. "Next, you need to consider your retreat arrangements if the war goes wrong in the future."
Lieutenant General Jawad Pasha's direct words made the two of them look at each other.
In fact, Lieutenant General Javad Pasha said this? It was out of necessity.
Early this morning, after receiving the news that Major General Ataturk had returned with the 21st Division, Javad Pasha was shocked by the huge number of casualties.
There were over 10,000 casualties? Only over 6,000 people came back? How could he not be surprised by such huge casualties.
Although Durres is located on the seaside, which is not conducive to defense, such heavy casualties made Lieutenant General Jawad Pasha feel that he could no longer fight like this.
When facing their immediate boss? The two of them were very moved. Who wants to see their opponent suffer heavy casualties? And as generals, they also know that Tirana, where they are stationed, is not a place to stay for a long time.
So after hearing what their boss said, the two nodded at the same time after a brief silence.
After seeing the actions of the two men, Javad Pasha was also very satisfied. As long as the two men can cause little loss to the troops, this will be very beneficial to the subsequent defense based on the Dinara Mountains.
Just when Javad Pasha wanted to continue chatting with the two, there was an announcement outside the door. "Your Majesty Commander, Major General Ataturk has arrived."
Now that the person the boss wanted to summon had arrived, the two of them would not have lost sight. They immediately chose a reason and ran away.
When he walked out of the door and met Atatürk, he stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder to show encouragement.
Atatürk took a deep breath and stood at the door and spoke loudly. "Report? Ataturk, commander of the 21st Division, is here to report."
"Come in."
The tone is obviously different from the previous two division commanders.
Faced with this situation, Atatürk could only bite the bullet and walk in.
"Do you know why I called you here immediately?"
Jawad Pasha, who was sitting motionless on his chair, asked him in a calm tone.
Facing Jawad Pasha's question? Atatürk lowered his head and answered apologetically. "Know."
"why?"
"I didn't lead the troops well this time."
Facing Atatürk? Jawad Pasha stood up immediately and threw the documents aside. His head was covered with scattered documents, and Ataturk stood there without daring to move.
"Atatürk, you are very capable, right? Have I ever taught you before that you should not be so desperate in Durrës? If the terrain is at a disadvantage, be smart and withdraw as soon as possible. How did you lead the 21st Division? Casualties So big."
Faced with Javad Pasha's scolding, Ataturk was ashamed. "Teacher, I was wrong."
Yes, Jawad Pasha was the former commander of the 21st Division, but this happened several years ago, but after all, there is still such a thing as feelings. Seeing that the troops he had led before were beaten to a semi-crippling state, it was inevitable to get angry.
As for Atatürk, although he was scolded by his old superior, he felt much more at ease inside. It's better to be scolded than to be polite. This means not treating yourself as an outsider, but still treating him as a confidant.
Sure enough, his confidant was different. After some scolding and after Jawad Pasha had calmed down, he spoke. "Next, you take the 21st Division and retreat to Prilep. I will ask 6,000 people from the newly sent batch of supplementary troops to give priority to the 21st Division. The same goes for the weapons and equipment."
Prilep is already in the North Macedonia region. It can be said that the 21st Division only needs to restore its combat effectiveness as soon as possible, because they are already about to withdraw from the Albanian region.
This is the kind of treatment that can be replenished as needed. If the motley crew of future generations of anti-Japanese war fighters see it, they don’t know how their eyes will turn red.
But you still have to do something after taking advantage, and then Jawad Pasha said again. "This time I will replenish you with soldiers and equipment. You must train these new soldiers within a month and be ready to be recruited by me again at any time. By that time, if the 21st Division's combat effectiveness cannot be improved, I don't think you, the division commander, will do it. ”
Give a sweet date and sound the alarm. Jawad Pasha holds the key to hiring people.
Faced with his encouraging words, Ataturk stood up and made up his mind as if he had been given a shot of blood. "Teacher, don't worry. If something goes wrong here, you don't have to ask, I'll take off the uniform myself."
"Very good. I see your determination. It depends on your performance next."
Javad Pasha, who put on a friendly expression, then pulled Major General Ataturk down and sat down. "Currently, the 21st Division is the only unit that has fought against the Italian army. Tell us about your experience of fighting against the Italian army."
Faced with the teacher's inquiry, Ataturk certainly knew why. Although the situation of the Italian army has been known from the data, the paper and actual feelings are two different concepts. It is obvious that Javad Pasha needs the information his client knows.
So regarding the specific situation of the Italian army, Ataturk told his superiors based on his own feelings. This lasted for more than half an hour. Most of the time he was talking, and Jawad Pasha was listening and taking note of it. Sometimes he would also think about what he said and ask questions that interested him.
After Atatürk finished speaking, Javad Pasha said to him. "You haven't slept all day, so you're probably very tired. Go get some rest."
After sending Atatürk away, Javad Pasha summed it up. In total, Ataturk said a few points. The first Italian army had very good weapons and equipment, and the Italian soldiers had a higher shooting accuracy than them at medium and long distances.
