For at Valievo is the terminus of a light railway which joins with
the main line running from Belgrade down to Saloniki. The Teutons
were in a hurry to open this highway, for it meant opening a means
of communication with the Turks, who were to become, and later
did become, their active allies. These are political matters of
significance here insomuch as they explain the special importance
of the railway from Belgrade south along the ancient highway of
the Crusaders.
Before following this route farther south, a few words should be
devoted to Montenegro. Between Serbia and Montenegro lies the Sanjak
of Novibazar. This small territory nominally belonged to Turkey
before the Balkan War, but it was in fact garrisoned by Austrian
troops, the civil administration being left to the Turks. Austria
had gone to special trouble to establish this arrangement, so that
it might have a wedge between the territories of the two little
Serb nations. Anticipating this war long ago, Austria had counted
on having a large enough force in Novibazar to prevent a union of
the two armies. But, when it actually came, she was in no position
to prevent it, so much of her strength being required to meet the
Russians.
Montenegro is the natural refuge of the Serbs. Whenever in the
past they were especially hard pressed by the Turks, they would
flee to the mountain fastnesses of Tzherna Gora, the Black Mountain,
for here military operations, even in this day of modern artillery,
are absolutely impossible, and when it came to mountain guerrilla
fighting, the Turks were no match for the Serbs.
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