Flowers, Swords and France

Under the gloomy sky, the waters at the western end of the Black Sea seemed quite restless.

From three o'clock in the afternoon, with the sky getting darker and darker, a warship was sailing alone on the sea. The tide was surging and rolling under the strong wind, blowing the sails and making a dull hum, accompanying the warship to patrol the sea at full speed.

Compared with the solid earth, the endless ocean can always make humans feel abnormal anxiety and fear, even the weathered sailors are not immune to this.

Moreover, unlike the sunny Mediterranean, the sky over the Black Sea is covered with dark clouds, making the sea surface look more gloomy, the air is dull and depressing, and people feel that a storm seems to be just around the corner. The white waves it drew on the sea surface were soon swallowed up again by this dark ocean, like bait falling into the mouth of the devil.

However, unlike the gloomy and depressing sea and sky, this cruiser, which was just launched, brought a bit of brightness to the gray world with its dazzling orange appearance.

The ship has elegant lines and is generous. The whole shape seems to have been carefully carved by craftsmen. The long and narrow hull allows the sharp bow to run on the sea at a speed that large battleships can hardly reach. The double-layer deck is polished to a shine under the careful maintenance of the sailors, and even the sails connecting the towering masts have a bit of beauty.

And at the top of the mast, a large tricolor flag is flying high, proudly announcing its ownership to the world.

In the eyes of its captain, Major Eugene de Treville, his ship is as beautiful as the richest and most elegant ladies in Paris, and it fully deserves the elegant name of "Princess Charlotte".

The major was tall and thin, with golden hair. His manners showed the reservedness of the children of the nobles in the capital. However, because he had served at sea for a long time, his face had turned dark, like most sailors, and the muscles on his arms were very developed. With the navy uniform, this handsome young man unexpectedly had a bit of military toughness.

He was the cousin and uncle of Charles de Treville, an important minister of the empire.

As a member of the Treville family and the second son who had never had the trouble of inheriting the family business, he could have enjoyed the most leisurely and relaxed life in the world in Paris, indulging in debauchery like many of his friends. However, Eugene did not find such a life interesting. Instead, he wanted to join the navy and enjoy the fun of fighting the sea and the enemy - just like some of his ancestors.

Of course, he did not want to waste time starting from the bottom, but just wanted to experience the feeling of mastering a warship and firing at the world with it as soon as possible. In order to achieve this goal, he specifically begged his sister and brother-in-law to help him realize his ideal.

Although she initially found Eugene's dream somewhat incomprehensible and persuaded him to give up, Charlotte finally couldn't resist her brother's will and had to agree. Then, Charlotte used her friendship with the Minister of the Navy to help her brother realize his dream - in Paris, people always help noble ladies, especially those powerful noble ladies.

In this way, after a short career as an apprentice officer, Eugene soon got a warship and became a young captain in the Imperial Navy - this was also thanks to the fact that since the reconstruction of the empire, His Majesty the Emperor and the Minister of the Navy have attached great importance to the development of the navy, so there are so many warships to be allocated.

And the name of this warship is "Princess Charlotte".

Some people in the navy teased Eugene that he was promoted to captain early because of his sister's relationship. However, Eugene didn't care about it and went to take up the post happily. Anyway, it didn't matter to him what others thought, as long as his wish came true. So he came to the ship soon and started his career as a captain.

Although this was just a small cruiser, not only was its size not comparable to that of a large battleship, but even the firepower on the ship was very shabby, with only about 40 guns, and most of them were nine-pound or twelve-pound guns, and the power was not comparable to that of a large battleship, but Eugene was already very satisfied.

And just after he was initially familiar with his battleship, the war between the Empire and the Russians broke out.

This war made the navy very excited, because the Empire and the Russians did not border each other, so the status of the navy would definitely be raised very high, at least it would fight side by side with the army instead of being in a subordinate position. The navy, which had undergone a preliminary expansion, was full of vigor and enthusiasm, and wanted to win honors and make contributions in the battle.

Like other colleagues, Eugene was also very excited and expressed his desire to join the war as soon as possible to his superiors. Perhaps considering his relationship with the Treville family, his request was quickly approved, and he was listed as a member of the first fleet to escort the expeditionary force and head towards Russia.

After a period of sailing, this fleet full of soldiers and warships finally arrived outside the strait and landed on the land at the eastern end of the continent. At this time, a large number of officers were eager to try, and wanted to show their skills in the war as soon as possible.

Respecting the order of Marshal Treville, the French army temporarily stopped its activities on land, and aimed to expand the camp and strengthen its strength at this stage. It would not rashly fight the Russians when its strength was insufficient. However, it was not so conservative at sea. Almost after completing the early escort transportation mission, the French escort fleet was ordered by the marshal to rush into the Black Sea first.

The navy went to war first, first of all, as a political gesture, which could show the determination of the French to the world and also reassure the allies and those countries that secretly sympathized with and supported France; secondly, it could also disrupt

After receiving the order from the commander-in-chief, the naval staff issued additional orders after discussion. The large battleships in the fleet were left in the Mediterranean to assemble and deter the Russians, while some small cruisers were the first to enter the Black Sea to explore the real situation for the main fleet, and at the same time harass Russian merchant ships and commercial ports in the Black Sea, so that the Russians could first taste the pain brought by the war.

So, a squadron mainly composed of small warships such as cruisers crossed the narrow Bosphorus Strait and came to this black sea.

After arriving in the Black Sea, these warships dispersed and looked for targets worth attacking - their goals were clear, using their high speed to search around, and started to attack when they found valuable targets. If they encountered strong resistance, they would leave immediately and not fight with the Russians.

What gave the naval staff such confidence was a brand-new invention - these cruisers were new warships equipped with steam propellers.

In the navies of various countries, equipping ships with steam engines has a long history, but in the past, those paddle steamers needed to install huge boilers and mechanical equipment on board, which squeezed the use space of cannons, and the safety was also worrying, so the navies of various countries did not equip their main battleships with steam engines, but mainly tugboats and transport ships and other non-combat ships.

As the Industrial Revolution deepened, the door of knowledge continued to open to the Western world, and the development of science and technology was also changing with each passing day. Just about ten years ago, a steam propeller device that could be installed below the waterline and did not occupy deck space was invented. From then on, the use of steam power on warships became feasible and became something that must be done as soon as possible.

Steam, this epoch-making power, freed people from the shackles of mules and horses on land, and made railroad tracks all over Europe. On the sea, it also allowed warships to break free from the restrictions of wind, giving naval wars a new look and turning them into a comprehensive competition of human wisdom and technology.

For various reasons, Russia's scientific and technological strength, industrial and technological development, and even financial strength were far behind those of Western European countries where the Industrial Revolution had already flourished. When France had already built and modified steam warships in large numbers, the Russians had not yet been able to make similar modifications to their navy. They still used traditional sailing battleships.

Therefore, the technological gap has allowed French warships to establish an unparalleled speed advantage at least at this moment. They can calmly choose the fighter plane and have absolute initiative - this is the source of the confidence of the French Navy to let small and medium-sized warships fight the Russians first.

And the reason why the French Navy is so impatient and wants to take the initiative is that Britain has also declared war on the Russians. Their fleet has also begun to assemble and is heading to the Strait, preparing to join forces with the French Army and Navy to launch the most violent attack on the giant bear in the East.

No matter how high-spirited the French Navy is, they still have to admit with jealousy that they are not as good as the British for the time being, whether in terms of the quality of officers and soldiers, combat experience or fleet size, so when the British fleet arrives, the French fleet will definitely be dwarfed.

Therefore, they must grab the limelight first anyway to let His Majesty the Emperor see that his huge investment in the navy has not been in vain.

The officers of each warship also understood the arrangements above, and they executed this order with the same enthusiasm.

After the fleet dispersed, Eugene led his warship to cruise in the western waters of the Black Sea for several days, experiencing several large and small battles, which also added a lot of fun to this slightly monotonous life at sea.

"Okay, you old guys, quickly reinforce the ropes! If the storm breaks the sails, you will be hung on the mast and blow the sea breeze!"

This afternoon made Eugene feel a little stuffy. He loosened the buttons to let the wrinkled military uniform breathe a little, then joked with the sailors on the deck and ordered them to prepare for the possible storm.

"It's already reinforced, Captain!" The boatswain not far away shouted in response, "Don't worry, we are more afraid of death than you!"

The words of the boatswain immediately caused a few laughs.

The boatswain was already in his forties or fifties, with a dark complexion with a hint of red, and his face was covered with wrinkles from years of hardship, but his sturdy body and muscular upper arms still revealed that he still had endless energy.

In the increasingly strong sea breeze, the ship was shaking a little, and his words were not clear even though he was so close.

"Damn it! This damn place is so uncomfortable!" Ou Ren couldn't help but cursed, and then shouted to the sailors, "We can go back in a few days. When we get back to the shore, I will take you to eat meat. ! The best Bordeaux! They all come from the Commander-in-Chief!”

"Oh! That's great!" The sailors shouted immediately, even moving a little faster.

Eugene knew very well that no matter what kind of achievements he wanted to make, maintaining a good relationship with the No. 200 officers and soldiers on the ship was the most basic condition. Therefore, after arriving on the "Princess Charlotte", he He deliberately got closer to his subordinates and dealt with each other as people from the sea, without any trace of the arrogance of the children of aristocratic families.

Because of his efforts, Ou Ren has been getting along very well with his subordinates over the past few years.

However, even if they get along well, these veterans still find it difficult to understand something about their captain.

"Captain, we still don't understand why a young master like you comes here!" The boatswain came to Ou Ren's side and asked with a smile, "This is a place of hardship, why bother to come and suffer with us! You live so comfortably in the capital, if I lived like you, I would never come here..."

Eugene was about to answer when he suddenly heard a shout coming from the forward mast.

"An enemy warship was found in front of us!"

As if they were electrocuted, Ou Ren and the sailors, who were originally a little lazy, became tense in an instant. They interrupted their chat and ran to their respective positions.

Eugene quickly picked up the telescope and looked at the sea. The gray sea seemed to melt into the sky and the visibility was very low. But even so, he could still vaguely see the Russian navy flag hanging.

It's actually a Russian warship?

Ou Ren did not feel fear, but instead felt a sense of excitement rising from the bottom of his heart, as if even his movements were faster. He blinked hard, distinguishing the blurry images on the opposite side, hoping to get more information through his sight.

He had waited too long for this moment.

He has been cruising in the western waters of the Black Sea recently, trying to harass the port of Odessa with other warships.

Odessa, located in the western part of the Black Sea, is the largest port of the Russians besides St. Petersburg. It is also the main outlet for the transportation of goods from South Russia to other places. It should have been busy originally, but after the outbreak of the war, the originally busy business It has almost come to a standstill, with a large number of merchant ships anchored in the commercial port and unable to move.

Some lucky ships tried to leave the port, but after the French fleet arrived in the Black Sea, they ushered in bad luck, and Captain Eugène de Treville's first achievements were obtained from merchant ships. .

However, Eugene's purpose in joining the navy was never to bully merchant ships with his warships. He wanted to do a job more like a soldier - to fight against enemy warships.

However, perhaps because of the huge gap in strength, after the French Navy arrived in the Black Sea, the Russian Navy has been implementing a strategy of avoiding war and shrinking to avoid fighting with the French Navy. At this time, the strength of the French Navy's squadron entering the Black Sea was It was not enough, and he did not dare to rush directly to seek a decisive battle, which also greatly disappointed Ou Ren.

Now that he finally saw the opportunity, how could he not be excited about it.

He looked carefully and saw that these were two light battleships, about the same size as his ship, approaching him at an angle. However, these boats were somewhat shabby and did not appear to have been carefully maintained.

It seems that the Russians have discovered that there are not many French warships now, so they want to come over and attack them.

It's a shame they found me.

"Go forward at full speed and get close to the Russians!" he immediately gave the order. "Prepare to attack!"

The captain's order was carried out without reservation. The helmsman steered the battleship and fearlessly rushed towards the two enemy ships. On both sides of the ship's side, the wooden gun ports on the bottom gun deck of the battleship were blasted. It was opened nervously, and the cannons loaded on the ship also slowly appeared, like black spikes suddenly piercing out of the body of a huge sea monster.

These copper cannons, which have been turned black by years of smoke and fire, shine with a cold metallic light under the gloomy sky.

In the roar of the sea wind, the distance between the three ships was getting closer and closer, and the outline of the opposite ship became clearer and clearer. Eugene could almost clearly see the blurry figures of a group of Russian sailors on the protruding deck of the enemy ship's forecastle. .

Ou Ren frowned and carefully watched the speed of the opposing battleship approaching, judging the speed of the other side sailing at full speed.

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"Full right rudder!" he ordered.

"Full right rudder!" the helmsman repeated loudly, and then steered the ship to the right.

Under the repeated orders of the helmsman, Princess Charlotte slowly drew an almost regular white arc on the sea, and then rushed towards the depths of the Black Sea.

The two oncoming ships seemed to have had a premonition that the French warship would choose to escape, so they quickly turned to the left and wanted to pursue the warship. However, when the wind direction was unfavorable, the speed of their warships was limited. But they were unable to keep up with the Princess Charlotte, and the distance between the three ships began to widen.

However, leaving the battlefield was not Eugene's idea.

After he suddenly turned, the two Russian warships wanted to chase him, but they could no longer maintain coordination, and the previous pincer attack turned into a pursuit in one direction.

At this time, at a higher speed, on this windy and rough sea, the Princess Charlotte had already made a zigzag route and got ahead of their enemies.

It's time.

Eugene's right hand tightly grasped the telescope in his hand, almost as if he wanted to crush it.

"Full left rudder, meet the attack!"

"Full left rudder!" The helmsman repeated loudly, and then manipulated the rudder to make another right-angle turn.

Eugene had already concentrated all his attention, as if the blood flow speed had increased several times. At this time, the anxious shouts of the sailors, the swaying of the cannons, the roar of the sea, and the wild storm all rang in his ears, as if the entire battleship was cheering before the battle.

His warship re-carved a track, and then blocked the front of the two ships with a stern attitude, with the cannons on the side, and the black muzzles pointed forward.

Under the telescope, the Russians, who did not expect the French warship to be so fast and so courageous, were obviously a little flustered. They hurriedly adjusted their course and prepared to meet the French. At this time, their enemies were already ready.

Eugene looked ahead, and the original exchange of sounds could no longer be heard. Everything seemed to have stopped. In the telescope, the Russian sailors were still busy, and he seemed to see desperate eyes...

"Fire!" With a hint of calmness that was almost indifferent, Eugene shouted loudly.

"Fire!" The officers on the two decks issued the order almost at the same time.

"Boom!" The roars came from the two decks at the same time. The sound was so intense that it could almost make people deaf immediately. The whole ship shook suddenly, and a large amount of smoke mixed with gunpowder dust instantly rose from the muzzles, and then quickly gathered into a gray smoke, almost covering the entire field of vision.

"Bang!"

One by one, shells whistled out from the muzzle. The sailors on the mast tried to observe the effect of the bombardment in the smoke and then passed it to the ship. The officers on the ship also adjusted the firing angle and parameters of the cannons based on these reports. The smoke brought by the gunpowder filled the two decks, choking people to the point that they could hardly think. Then the officers shouted so hard that people could instantly become unconscious.

In these rounds of bombardment, the new shells showed their excellent effectiveness. They pierced the gloomy sky with a whistling sound, touched the enemy's warships, and then suddenly exploded, bringing almost unbearable disasters to the wooden ships.

After enduring the first two rounds of bombardment, the Russians finally adjusted their positions, and then also launched a bombardment on the French warships with the cannons on the side. Then the Russian warships, which had lost the initiative, counterattacked very weakly and did not bring much effect.

However, they had the advantage in numbers after all. In Eugene's sight, there were flashes of gunpowder flashing from the opposite side, and shells whistling towards him.

The small naval battle between the three warships soon came to the most intense place. The shells passed through both sides without scruples, bringing the fear of death, making the entire black ocean truly devour life. The waves stirred up by the shells drove the warships to shake, and the effects brought by the cannon bombardment were superimposed together, as if the whole world was shaking...

Eugene stared at the opposite side desperately, constantly giving orders, manipulating his warship to fight the enemy, and the sea water was bombarded from the sea surface onto the deck, like an endless downpour. The fishy and salty smell would have made him nauseous, but at this time it could only make him feel sincerely excited.

"Fire!" he shouted.

"Fire!" The deputy captain who was urging the gunners below the deck shouted at the top of his lungs.

Rounds of bombardment made the burning Russian warship increasingly weak. It was already engulfed in flames and seemed to have suffered heavy damage. Eugene carefully looked at the situation on the opposite side and assessed the remaining combat power of the opposite warship. Under his observation, people were constantly engulfed by flames, and some sailors even jumped directly into the water.

Finally, the warship stopped, and most of the cannons stopped firing, as if giving up the battle, and the warships next to it also hesitated and slowed down, as if they wanted to protect their companions and receive the sailors who fell into the water.

Did they win? Until this moment, Eugene finally regained some of his usual calmness.

He had not yet felt that kind of heartfelt joy.

The reserve of shells was insufficient.

He could choose to return and pursue, but this seemed a bit risky. The Russians might have heavy warships chasing behind.

He was not a person who was afraid of taking risks, but he did not want to take risks with the two hundred people on his ship.

"Let's go back!" He finally made up his mind, "Let's go back and drink Bordeaux! Long live the Empire!"

Under the captain's order, the warship readjusted its direction and headed for the Bolshoi Strait. They were already satisfied with their victory.

The Russian warships seemed to have no intention of pursuing them. They seemed to have been somewhat dazed by this blow.

In the fishy sea breeze, Eugene suddenly panted violently. The excessive energy he had squeezed made him feel extremely tired.

"Long live France! Long live the Emperor!" Many people were still lying on the deck, screaming, venting their last remaining energy in this way, and looking forward to the enjoyment after returning to the shore.

Of course, Eugene would reward his subordinates, because they had helped him win the initial victory.

A victory against the enemy warship, a victory he wanted.

And there were still people on the ship who remained calm. Under the command of the old boatswain, a group of sailors were constantly draining seawater on the bottom.

In the sea area with high winds and rough waves, the surging seawater would penetrate into the cabin along the gaps of the gun ports on the side of the low bottom deck, and then flow along the road inside the ship into the bottom cabin, not to mention that there was a fierce artillery battle just now, so the seawater seeped in more.

If left alone, the bottom cabin would accumulate water, and then the food stored in the storage room would deteriorate, and the bottom hull and keel would be eroded and soaked by seawater, which would be an absolutely unbearable result for the hull. Therefore, the best and most necessary way at this time is to immediately organize the sailors to take shifts and pump out the bilge water continuously.

With a smile of admiration and pride, Eugene walked up to him. "Thank you for your hard work."

"Congratulations, Captain!" The boatswain looked at his young boss with a smile on his face, "You won!"

"We won." Eugene corrected.

Then he laughed again, "Just now you asked me why I came to the sea... Now you know, right?"