Chapter 44: Setting the Stage

“You learn far more from negative leadership than from positive leadership. Because you learn how not to do it. And, therefore, you learn how to do it.” – Norman Schwarzkopf.

Sohag, Fatimid Caliphate. April 1076

Luke was once again looking at entrenched Egyptian forces. It hadn’t taken him long to chase them out of Minya, but Luke couldn’t chase the retreating Egyptians as hard as he wanted due to slow supplies. Luke would be glad when the Nile flooded so he could get deeper hulled boats upriver. Meanwhile, the British had to make do with shallow draft boats and wagons, not the infrastructure that could support a lightning campaign.

So far, the Egyptians had stayed on the east side of the Nile, thus allowing the British to raid the river’s west bank freely. As the enemy had been driven south, Luke wondered if the Egyptians would stay along the Nile or change directions and head east. If he were them, he would head east to reach the Red Sea.

If the Egyptians were to travel down the coast of the Red Sea, Luke would lose his naval advantage. The Egyptians could burn or confiscate any boats they came across, which would stop the British Army in their tracks. They wouldn’t be able to keep their artillery supplied with shells or their large army supplied with food and drink.

Luke would then have few choices, and none of them were good. He could send a naval force around Africa, which would take months, or dig a Suez Canal, which would take years. He could build a railroad, but that would mean tearing it up when they left; Luke would be damned to leave thousands of kilometers of track behind. The last option would be to use camels, which would be slow and inefficient, leaving his supply lines open to raiding.

Fortunately for the British, the Caliph’s army was sticking to the banks of the Nile. In many ways, the Egyptians stayed tighter to the river than the British. Luke could only reason that the supply problems that plagued his army must also plague the Egyptian Army.

Luke’s supposition was more accurate than he assumed. The Egyptian Army was on half rations, with many men eating their horses and camels to avoid starving. Even Caliph Al-Mustanṣir was forced to cut back. Not for the last time, he was glad he hadn’t brought his whores with him because the last thing he wanted was to listen to a bunch of women bitching. Like the British, the Egyptian soldiers were anxious for the river to rise. The rising river would allow more food to arrive from further upriver.

General Baker found Luke napping in a hammock when she was ready to present her next raiding plan. The Grenadiers often mounted the raids since they had the heaviest firepower in the British Army. She looked at him and smirked, grabbing a nearby canteen. Luke flew out of his hammock and landed on the ground when Madeline dumped the water on his face. He looked at her with murder in his eyes, but Madeline laughed. Eventually, Luke smiled and got to his feet.

“Do you have a death wish, Private Baker?” Madeline tipped her head back and laughed. Luke shook his head. “What is your plan, general?”

“Two platoons go downriver several kilometers before crossing and heading back upriver to a spot above the enemy camp. They will use four boats painted dark grey. There, they will cross back after dark, and one platoon will guard the boats. The other platoon will hit the rear of the enemy camp to drive off the rest of their livestock. Air recon showed only a single corral with livestock left. If we drive off the rest of their livestock, the Egyptians won’t be able to run very fast, and it will reduce their available food supply. After the raid, everyone will retreat to their boats and go straight downriver until they reach our camp.”

“Shotguns for the raiding team?”

“Shotguns for everyone since it’s almost a new moon. Last night, you could barely see anything, and it’ll be darker tonight. Thankfully, there will still be enough light so my people can see what they are doing.”

“With it being that dark, how will you coordinate your troops?”

“That’s why I’m keeping the raid small, as coordinating will be easier. Unfortunately, we don’t have those radios you talk about.” She gave Luke a superior look.

“Hey, I’m a chemical engineer, not an electrical engineer. The only thing I knew about radio was how to use them, not how they worked. So, get off my back!”

“Easy Luke. You have made so many improvements to this world already that anyone who complains about having something they have never thought of before is a fool. I was only teasing.” Luke took a deep breath.

“I’m sorry, Maddie.” Madeline turned bright red hearing Luke’s nickname for her. Hearing that, she knew Luke had accepted her as a trusted friend. “I’ve been away from home too long and have gotten homesick. Also, I don’t care for the idea of fighting another war in the Middle East.”

“I didn’t think Egypt was in what you would consider the Middle East.”

“Technically, it’s not, but it feels like it,” Luke took a deep breath. “But I digress. How will you protect the boats as they come downriver? The river isn’t wide enough for the boats to get out of range of Egyptian muskets from the shore.”

“How about the Vulcan guns of a patrol boat? Those things will shred any Egyptian who dares to show themself. However, I need your help with that. They plan to return to base later today, and the squadron commander doesn’t like me.” Luke barked a laugh.

“Their squadron commander doesn’t like anyone. How he got promoted is beyond me. Having them stick around for 12 hours won’t hurt them. Besides, it will allow them to sail downriver in daylight.”

Luke brushed the dust off his arse and grabbed his hat before heading to the river to talk with the patrol boat squadron commander. The squadron was due to shove off within an hour, but Luke was only ten minutes from the dock where they were tied up. Madeline wasn’t confident Luke would get the squadron commander’s cooperation since the squadron commander was very uncooperative.

Lieutenant Commander Sampson hated every minute he was in Egypt. The weather was too hot and dry, while the region was too primitive. Sampson also hated the darker skin of the local women, and the further south they went, the darker the locals became. To Sampson, it looked as if the people were filthy barbarians, and he hated being around them. That was one of the reasons he liked the navy; it kept him away from the locals.

The lieutenant commander’s sour mood soured further when he saw the army commander headed his way. Many of the procedures for promotions were put in place by Luke and these procedures worked against the lieutenant commander. He was old school, where a person could buy and sell officer commissions. Under the new policies, commissions were awarded based only on merit, with seniority as the tie-breaker. Since Lieutenant Commander Sampson came from a very wealthy family, he couldn’t leverage his wealth.

“What can I do for you, field marshal?” Sampson managed to get out between his teeth.

“I need one of your boats to stay one more day.”

“I’m afraid that is impossible. You see, we were ordered back to Alexandria, and our timeframe is tight. If one boat lagged behind, they wouldn’t make the deadline.” Luke shook his head sadly.

“I was hoping to avoid this, but you have forced my hand.”

Luke handed the lieutenant commander a letter from Admiral Ewing. In it, she ordered all navy personnel to aid him in any way possible, and anyone who didn’t cooperate would face severe punishment. When the lieutenant commander finished reading the letter, his face was bright red, and it wasn’t from the sun. The lieutenant in charge of the boat they were standing on looked on with interest. He knew the fastest way to promotion was to see as much combat as possible.

“Excuse me, field marshal. I volunteer to stay behind.” Luke looked at him and chuckled.

“Haven’t you learned the first rule about being in the military yet? Don’t volunteer for anything. In this case, it wouldn’t do any good because I have already selected my volunteer.” Luke walked down to the fourth boat in line and kicked the side. The lieutenant commanding that boat popped her head up and looked at the field marshal questioningly. “Ah, lieutenant, I need a volunteer for a special mission tonight, and you are it. Be ready to shove off an hour after sunset. General Baker will go with you and explain everything when she gets here.” The lieutenant looked at the field marshal with her mouth open. She didn’t volunteer for anything. As Luke turned to walk away, he looked back at the lieutenant. “Thank you for volunteering. I know you will not let the queen down.” And he left.

The lieutenant shook her head and ordered her crew to check the guns as she poured herself a cup of coffee. She didn’t know what the mission was, but it was guaranteed to get exciting with General Baker aboard. The lieutenant, whom Luke rejected, threw his hands up and retreated into the boat. The rest of the squadron prepared to leave in under an hour.

Coffee had been increasing in popularity among soldiers and sailors because the caffeine boost helped keep them awake and alert. With regular trade missions to China, India, and East Africa, a study stream of coffee beans made its way to Britain; however, tea was also becoming popular, especially with the wealthy. The coffee and tea were paid for using profits from trading manufactured and agricultural goods. Once sugar started flowing from the new world, the British would have even more to trade.

When Luke returned to his tent, he did the same thing the volunteered lieutenant did. Luke sat and enjoyed his coffee while watching the army camp’s life. Sometimes, when Luke was stressed, he felt like people-watching. The raid being prepared for had much that could go wrong with it, but the reward for the raid going correctly made it worth it. Madeline had been waiting for Luke.

“Why did you select the boat you did instead of the one which volunteered?”

“The lieutenant volunteered too quickly. Always be careful with people like that because they are overly ambitious and thus prone to making stupid mistakes if they think it can earn them glory or recognition. A general in the German Army of World War Two once eloquently put it.

There are four types of officers. Bright, lazy officers are the best line officers as they can be counted on to make decisions that keep the work to a minimum while achieving their objectives. Intelligent, enthusiastic officers make the best staff officers, as these are the ones who keep the supplies coming and the army functioning at peak efficiency. Stupid, lazy officers are mostly harmless; put them in charge of a museum or something like that. Then there are stupid, enthusiastic officers. These officers are toxic and should be disposed of immediately, as keeping them will only lead to disaster. These people can be counted on to pull defeat from the jaws of victory.

I get the feeling the first lieutenant was a stupid but enthusiastic officer, and that is the last thing you will need.”

As the sun set, the grenadiers began moving. General Baker didn’t want them to move too early in the day to keep their movements secret. If the Egyptians saw the dust being kicked up from their activities, they could arrange their forces to counter.

Madeline watched her forces row across the river, glad the river was low. Since it was just before the flood season, the river was at its lowest, which meant the current was at its weakest. The grenadiers were across the river in fifteen minutes and quickly picked their boats up so they could travel upstream. As they moved, scouts stayed ahead of the main body to warn of any enemy troops.

Walking upstream took several hours, but to their surprise, they hadn’t seen a soul. As the two platoons arrived at their launching point, the officers noticed it looked precisely as Madeline had described. She had noticed the beach several days before from the air and took the time to sketch it.

Once the grenadiers reached their objective, they took time to rest before rowing back across the river and attacking. Based on the fires from the enemy camp, they were upstream, just as they had planned. After their break, the grenadiers reapplied charcoal dust to their faces and moved out. While there wasn’t much light, they didn’t want what light there was reflecting off their faces.

Rowing back across the Nile only took them ten minutes as the river was narrower where they crossed the second time. Once they landed, the commander decided to change things. Based on the lack of opposition, he decided only to leave a squad guarding the boats.

With the larger striking force, the grenadiers moved out. They moved silently, not believing the Egyptians would be so stupid as to leave their camp unguarded. It wasn’t until the Grenadiers were in the camp that they saw why everything was so quiet. The Egyptian Army was gone and only left a few badly wounded men to stoke the fires.