Flowers, Swords and France

As Marshal Treville and General Canrobert had explained, after the coalition forces began to land in the Bay of Kalamita, he left the transport ships carrying a large number of soldiers and weapons and a small number of frigates here, and then sailed south with a large number of warships.

Because there was no obstruction from the Russians, it was meaningless for the warships to stay here and they could not serve as a cover. Therefore, according to the plan of the commanders of the two armies, the coalition fleet would turn south and come to the sea outside the Sevastopol Fortress. One is to investigate the defense of the fortress, and the other is to make full use of the fleet to contain the defenders of the fortress to prevent them from affecting the landing of the coalition forces in the Bay of Kalamita.

Under the orders of the two commanders, this huge war machine began to operate in an orderly manner. The fleet was divided into two, and then a large number of warships turned south and pressed forward aggressively. These behemoths crossed the sea, leaving white waves. Because of the continuous masts and oars, and the warships followed one after another, these white waves have been delayed for a long time, just like a brush leaving a long white mark on the black sea.

Britain and France are countries with long-standing naval traditions. These warships have been carefully built and maintained, and have become the most sophisticated and dangerous war weapons in the world at this time. Under the eager gaze of the scorching sun, the naval officers on the deck of the warship were full of confidence, and they wanted to prove that they did not live up to the huge budget invested by their own government and the earnest expectations of their own people.

The Kalamita Bay, located in the middle of the Crimean Peninsula, is only tens of kilometers away from Sevastopol. After just over two hours of sailing, the fleet completed the short journey and arrived outside the Sevastopol Fortress in a menacing manner.

At this time, the sky was approaching dusk, and the color of the sun gradually changed from blazing white to golden yellow, dyeing the white sails of the warships solemnly. This solemn fleet also slowly slowed down, and then began to move under the flag command of the fleet commander, British Admiral Dundas, and gradually formed a fan-shaped formation, and then stopped in front of the entrance of Severnaya Bay.

The Sevastopol Fortress was divided into the South and North Districts by this bay deep inland. This bay extends into the land for nearly ten kilometers, and there are hills on both sides of the harbor.

The narrow harbor forced any enemy who wanted to surround the fortress to stretch the battle line very long. These hilly areas also became natural defensive fortresses, allowing the Russians to build artillery batteries on both sides of the coast at a relatively low cost.

In the depths of the harbor, some remaining warships of the Russian Navy's Black Sea Fleet were hiding inside, enjoying the protection of the artillery batteries on both sides.

The fan-shaped coalition fleet carefully maintained a safe distance from the shore, and on the French fleet's flagship battleship Napoleon, the French commander Marshal Treville was carefully observing the situation around the fortress.

The artillery batteries on the shore had discovered the traces of this huge fleet, and they immediately opened fire to meet them. Although the shells could not pose any threat due to the distance, they showed the courage and determination of the defenders without reservation.

The sporadic rumbling did not affect the old man's attention. In the lens of the telescope, he saw a piece of cold rock, which formed a fortress, hiding a large number of cannons and defenders in between.

There are some large fortresses on the north bank, which are built according to the polygonal fortification system. These fortresses are regular in shape and have good visibility. Under the golden light, they present a strange geometric beauty. On the side of the fortress, some dark bunkers can be vaguely seen, and around the dark bunkers, there are some low dome fortifications. It can be seen that some of these fortifications were completed in a hurry in the recent time. The color of the soil is different from other places. There are some trenches near the center of each side of the quadrangle formed by these bunkers. These fortresses built in modern ways are the crystallization of modern military engineering.

Even Marshal Treville, who was born as a cavalry general, understood that before digging his own trenches to the edge of their trenches, it was basically impossible to use field artillery to directly bombard the fortress.

These fortresses support each other and echo each other. As long as they do not cut corners when building, they can resist the powerful enemy for a long time. Since this kind of fortification is close to the main fortress and can be used as a strong attack point and base for attack, the coalition forces must first clear the fortifications and fortresses on the north bank before they can calmly move south and surround the entire fortress.

And clearing the fortifications here means that it is necessary to attack again and again, invest a lot of troops, and waste countless blood and flesh, and let a large number of young people sleep here.

A determined commander, as long as he is willing to fill in the lives of people, will eventually be able to break through such a front. However, if the Russian army's forces inside the fortress and outside the Crimean Peninsula are strong enough, they can attack from the outside to support the defenders of the fortress when the coalition forces attack Sevastopol. There is no doubt about this.

This is a fortress that has been carefully managed by Russians for generations. It must have a very strong defense force. In order to take it, it is necessary to concentrate troops, and concentrating troops will weaken the defense of other places, so it is necessary to guard against the Russian army's relief.

This seems to be an unsolvable problem. The only solution is a lot of time and a lot of lives. The premise is that the country can remain stable and maintain the supply of huge military supplies... There is a long way to go.

It is impossible to win in one month, and three months should not be enough. It will take half a year... No, it will be winter in half a year, or maybe next spring and summer.

The old marquis closed his eyes slightly, only feeling sore eyes and a little weak steps, but he forced himself to stand upright on the side of the ship, looking at the blurred fortress opposite with a challenging look.

"Bombard the artillery on both sides." Then, he said to the adjutants beside him in an unquestionable tone. "After suppressing their artillery, let's go in and take a look!"

"Yes!" The adjutants immediately conveyed his order, and then began to convey it to other warships through flag signals.

And then, the action of the warship will be the responsibility of the commander-in-chief of the Allied Fleet, British Admiral Dundas.

Unlike the sporadic bombardment of the defenders, a large number of warships of the British and French coalition forces were much more well-trained. According to the flag order, some small warships equipped with mortars and three-sail fast cruisers ignored the opposite side's artillery fire and forced their way to the fort. Then, a large number of battleships approached.

The old man, who had regained some energy, picked up the telescope again and looked at the fortress in the distance.

At this moment, his ears were suddenly almost deafened by the rumbling sound. It turned out that the fleet in front was firing at the fortress under the order of Admiral Dundas.

The light warships in the front fearlessly rushed to an extremely dangerous distance, and then took the risk to fire at the fortress on the hill on the shore. These light warships only carried large mortars, which were specially used to bombard solid targets on the shore. They had a short range but great power.

And these large battleships were not much behind. The heavy cannons they used fired intensively and launched an attack without reservation.

Amidst the endless roar, countless shells poured towards the turrets on both sides. The iron-shelled shells received terrible impact force because of the speed at which they were taken out of the barrel. When these shells hit the outer wall and breast wall of the turret, they roared like a giant, shattered and exploded, and blew a gap in a large piece of brick and stone. The scattered shell fragments and bricks collided back and forth, making a sharp hissing sound, and soon all parts of the turret were beaten beyond recognition.

The brick walls everywhere were deeply scratched and twisted into strange shapes, and some places even had blood mixed in them. Under such fierce bombardment, dust and mud were floating in the sky all over the turret, and the smell of dust mixed with blood seemed to be able to reach the warships on the sea. The whole miserable situation was like being plowed by an iron plow dozens of times.

Every time the enemy's artillery was hit, cheers such as "Long live the Empire!" would be heard on the command ship. The young officers looked at the area shrouded by the god of death and the god of war with great interest, as if they were enjoying a grand drama.

However, Marshal Treville was much calmer. He could see that although such artillery bombardment suppressed the opposite artillery and caused some damage, such losses were nothing to the defenders, and they would be able to repair them in a short time.

This was just gnawing at the surface. The whole monster was even enraged by the small wound. It must have vowed to fight to the death and fight with us until the last breath... The old man thought.

"Ah, we will probably stay here for a long time!" Marshal Treville thought again in the rumbling smoke of artillery fire.

Looking at this fortress that seemed to be unmoved on land, he couldn't help but feel a kind of genuine uneasiness and anxiety.

Of course, he was not doubting the victory of the coalition forces. He knew that with the strength and wealth of Britain and France, even if they fought a war of attrition, they could definitely drag the Russians to defeat, and win the war at any cost.

However, after staying in this hellhole for a few months, maybe a year, can I still return to France alive?

The old man lowered his eyes. He felt that his eyelids seemed to be weighed down. Recently, he often fell into this inexplicable dizziness. Today, because he was on a ship that was constantly firing, the deafening sound of the artillery made him seem more dizzy than usual.

The original text is in the six # 9 @book/bar!

However, he knew his duties as the commander-in-chief even more, so he grabbed the railing on the ship and tried his best not to show pain or show signs of weakness.

No one noticed the fatigue and weakness of the commander-in-chief. Everyone was immersed in the roar of the bombardment of the fortress. They were amazed at the strength of the coalition forces and the fleet, and were shocked by the terrible power of modern weapons. These ships, which assembled the most powerful scientific and technological achievements in the world today, were pouring the shells in the cabin onto the opposite fortress without mercy.

With their efforts, the counterattack of the opposite artillery gradually declined, and the coalition warships, including Marshal Treville's ship, approached the bay more boldly, and then simply rushed into the Shevernaya Bay.

This is a narrow bay, which will face the risk of being sandwiched by artillery on both sides, so they have no intention of fighting, but just rushed in quickly to observe the situation on both sides. A large group of military engineers on the warships kept recording the defense systems and fortress layouts on both sides, and at the same time drew military maps, which will play an important role in the next war.

When the artillery battle lasted until the sun was about to set, under the order of Marshal Treville, the British and French fleets left the waters of the Sevastopol Fortress. Their reconnaissance work for the day had been completed, and they had given the defenders a sufficient warning.

However, Marshal Treville was in a heavier mood than before.

When the fleet returned to the Allied landing site in the Kalamita Bay, it was completely dark. In the dark night, a large number of warships gathered in the harbor, like a group of beasts hidden in the shadows. They had brought enough fear and death today, but this was just the beginning.

After meeting with several important officers, Marshal Treville was ready to rest. He just felt exhausted.

The knight who once galloped across the plains of Germany and Russia, seemingly endlessly, no longer had the seemingly inexhaustible energy. He just wanted to rest now.

However, things in the world are not always so easy to satisfy people.

At this moment, a small boat approaching the Napoleon brought the marshal an urgent telegram - this was the telegram Charles sent to his grandfather. After the telegram was translated in Gallipoli, because the marshal had already led his troops to the Crimean Peninsula, he could only send another small sailboat to deliver the telegrams and letters in an urgent manner.

"We must pull the telegraph line here as soon as possible, otherwise everything will be too slow, and there will be no way to communicate with the country." The marshal, who was already accustomed to telegrams, thought.

Then, he took the telegram and began to read it in detail.

At first, Charles's greetings made him very satisfied, and he missed his grandson very much, but later, his demeanor was not so relaxed.

"Your Majesty will send a prince?" He said to himself, frowning, and his heart was even heavier.

There was no way to sleep now.

The old man struggled to get up from his tired body and began to instruct his adjutant to quickly pass the news to several generals.