Flowers, Swords and France

As the dark clouds gradually dissipated from the sky over the Crimean Peninsula, the long-lasting storm that was collectively cursed by the allied soldiers finally ended, and the sun reappeared in this wasteland, which made the whole army feel relieved.

With the arrival of the sun, not only the morale of the army was greatly boosted, but the transportation of materials that had been almost stagnant due to the storm finally returned to normal. The continuous transport fleet brought a large amount of materials and munitions to the shore, and also strengthened the almost empty defense on the shore. Now the shore is no longer a group of poor people wailing in the mud and rain. They have been re-motivated and armed, and have become a high-spirited army, or a group of beasts hungry for slaughter and victory.

And their desire is destined to be responded to soon.

Just after the storm stopped, Marshal Treville, who had been resting on the warship due to poor health, finally recovered a little and walked down from the battleship Napoleon with his entourage and staff officers of his headquarters, leading his French army on the shore, while the British commander Marshal Raglan had been waiting here for a long time.

The meeting of the two allied commanders indicated that the time was ripe for a new round of large-scale operations. After a brief discussion, the two of them immediately reached a consensus to send troops as soon as possible to attack the Russians, while isolating the Sevastopol Fortress and preparing to take it down.

After the commanders reached a consensus, the military machines of the two countries started to operate at a very fast speed, and in just two days, they were ready to attack. Then, the army began to pour out from the temporary base in Kalamita Bay and marched along the coast to the Sevastopol Fortress in the south.

The Crimean Peninsula is sparsely populated and the road development is very weak. However, because it is close to the coast, the terrain is mostly flat, so the coalition forces were able to deploy their formations, and the various troops pressed towards the south with a strict military appearance.

Unlike the future era, the artillery fire in this era is not accurate and dense enough to make people only think about escaping, so the armies of various countries have taken their vanity to the extreme and must dress their troops as shining heroes.

Under the escort of the bright sun, tens of thousands of troops marched along the flat wasteland, their uniforms gathered together, bright red and indigo, forming a square formation. In the center of the queue, the commanders of the two armies rode their war horses and marched forward together, and they and the senior officers around them were wearing colorful ribbons and medals, which sparkled in the sunlight, and in front of the army was a large group of light cavalry riding tall war horses, wearing gorgeous hussar uniforms, and holding sharp sabers.

What a grand scene!

The entire army, with bright tassels and light steps, swept away the previous dejection and regained confidence. Almost everyone of them was convinced that after the two most powerful countries in Western Europe united, no force on earth could stop them.

This was another European advance against Russia half a century later. Everyone felt that they were participating in a grand cause, as if they were carrying the history of the entire world on their shoulders.

In fact, they were indeed making history. The three most powerful countries in the world were fighting each other and were determined to fight it out in the wilderness of Crimea. The winner would get all the honors, while the loser could only acquiesce to the coming of disaster and be bound for at least a generation, and would no longer be able to display their ambitions on the European continent. World history will always remember this moment. They will decide the direction of Europe and the world in the next generation in just a few months or even a few days.

At this time, Colonel Lucien Leflair was also riding a warhorse and leading his troops southward. The French Second Division, to which his unit belonged, was on the right wing of the army, close to the coast.

The young colonel was as excited and uneasy as his subordinates. The hormones secreted rapidly in his body made him more focused and more passionate than usual. He had been in the army for many years, and had traveled all over France and the deserts of North Africa. He knew that all the wars he had participated in so far in his life would not be as grand and important as the one that happened today.

However, he knew even more that for an officer, passion was important, but reason was more important. He was not only responsible for history, but also for the lives of his subordinates. He could only act cautiously.

This was the hottest time of midsummer. Although the previous storm was torturous, it at least blocked the sun. Now that the wind and rain had dissipated, the scorching sun began to scorch the earth without scruples. The temperature began to rise rapidly in the past few days, forcing him to consider the dangerous consequences that high temperatures might bring.

At this time, his troops were marching in the hot summer heat, so they could not avoid the scorching sun at all. Heatstroke spread like a plague in the troops. Fortunately, most of the French officers and soldiers, including Lucien, had been in North Africa and had endured the scorching test of the North African desert. Therefore, most of them finally survived and it did not affect the army's operations.

However, due to diseases such as cholera that were previously prevalent in the military camps, the troop attrition was still shocking. Lucien now has almost a quarter of his troops that cannot be used and can only stay at the base in Kalamita Bay to recuperate. , even among the officers and soldiers who are now able to follow him, many of them have sallow complexions and weak strength, which makes people worry that they will not be able to keep up with the march of the large army, let alone fight against the enemy.

Fortunately, according to the intelligence obtained by the coalition forces, the Russians at this time were also suffering from weather and disease, and their situation was definitely no better than that of the coalition forces. Moreover, because of the procrastination style of the Russian bureaucracy, although they had recently been going to Croatia Rimea increased its troops, but However, the logistics supply was so poor that the newly arrived troops immediately fell into trouble. They lacked necessary supplies and medicines, and even the ordnance could not be replenished. They could only endure the torture of the harsh environment and were unable to exert themselves. combat effectiveness.

These good news gave the coalition forces the confidence to continue marching to fight the Russians. They knew that the Russians had a vast land and great potential, but they were always procrastinating and lazy in doing things, so the best strategy was to take advantage of them before they recovered. Give them a heavy hand when they come, win a huge victory, force them to sue for peace as soon as possible - otherwise, the recovered Russians will realize their huge potential and wear down their enemies.

Yes, we must go south as soon as possible to seize Sevastopol, at least isolate and surround it, and cut off its connection with the Russian interior. Only in this way can the Russians lose their foothold in the Crimean Peninsula, and only in this way can they Put the Russians into an untenable situation, otherwise this war will be difficult to fight.

The weather was hot and his thoughts were complicated. Lucien, who was wearing a military hat, had just wiped sweat off his forehead. Within a few minutes, it was covered with sweat beads again, and his mouth felt dry.

He picked up the kettle from the saddle and gave himself another sip. It wasn't until the sweet and cool liquid flowed down his throat and into his stomach that he felt much better.

"Where are we now?" After moistening his throat, Lucien immediately turned his head and looked at the people who were also following him on horseback.

This is a young man about his age, tall, with pale skin and a very stiff expression. He sat tightly on the saddle and held the horse's rein tightly with his hands. It was obvious that his riding skills were not superb.

Surprisingly, he was only wearing a white linen shirt, and the cuffs and collar were open because of the hot weather. The attire was very unserious. Among this large group of people wearing military uniforms, he was only wearing civilian clothes, and his expression was calm, as if he was not embarrassed at all.

After hearing Lucien's question, the young man calmly picked up his hand-drawn terrain map, and then looked at the surrounding terrain carefully.

"We have arrived near the Alma River." Then he replied in a stiff tone that was almost inaudible. "In a few hours, we will be able to touch the edge of the Russians - if you so hope. ”

Although his attitude and tone were not very appropriate, Lucien smiled and expressed his heartfelt thanks to him.

"Thank you, Mr. Kongze, you have really helped us a lot... France will be grateful to you. You will definitely get our gratitude for this, and His Majesty will reward you."

"What else can your Majesty reward me with? I hope he doesn't know that I'm better off." Kong Ze just shrugged. "Your Majesty had the opportunity to obtain my services, but unfortunately he missed it. This is a huge loss for him."

Since the empire decided to declare war on the Russians as soon as possible, Charles immediately began to prepare for his grandfather to send troops. He sent his confidant Kong Ze to Crimea to contact those Russians who were dissatisfied with the Tsar. Stealing intelligence about the Russian army, on the one hand, surveying the terrain on the spot, so as to serve as first-hand information after the army's expedition.

Read the original text in Liu#9@书/吧!

After accepting the order, Kongze immediately led a group of people to Ukraine and Crimea, secretly carrying out the employer's tasks in the name of doing business.

With his unique meticulous spirit, he had already traveled around this area a long time ago, and after the war really broke out, he came to Marshal Treville and began to use him as a secret adviser, guide and provide intelligence.

He had already demonstrated his skills during the initial coalition bombardment of Odessa. Based on the intelligence he provided, the coalition fleet severely bombarded the once prosperous port of Odessa, along with the forts and ships in the port. Caused serious damage - of course, the warehouses and trading houses related to the Treville family basically survived, and were ready to take advantage of this opportunity to monopolize the market and turn the cruel war into a beautiful feast.

After the coalition forces landed on the Crimean Peninsula, he acted as a guide, and through his friends, he continuously passed on information about the Russian army on the opposite side. All in all, he has become an indispensable helper for the coalition forces and has played a greater role for the coalition forces than almost anyone else.

So it was only natural that Lucien was so grateful to him.

However, Kong Ze was very indifferent to the possible reward from His Majesty the Emperor. This was not because he was pretending to be reserved, but because he had become a subordinate of Minister Treville, and he knew very well that this minister would never allow a subordinate like him to change his job. What's more, the minister had made proper arrangements for him, helped him to create an identity, and used this identity to occupy a director position in the French Shipping Federation. As long as he could complete the work assigned by his employer, he could live in the sun as an ordinary wealthy businessman in the future.

Therefore, he did not want to attract the attention of His Majesty the Emperor and make his envisioned plan for a wealthy and prosperous second half of his life come to nothing.

Just as Lucien was about to say something, there was a commotion next to him, and a large number of heralds rode out from the center of the army to the surroundings, and one of them came to him.

"The whole army stopped advancing."

After receiving the order from the commander-in-chief of the coalition forces, Lucien immediately gave orders to his subordinates.

It seemed that the enemy was already in sight.