Flowers, Swords and France

Under the orders of the two commanders of the coalition forces, the coalition forces that were rolling southward stopped one after another. It was already afternoon, and the golden glow made the group of people in bright clothes look more solemn.

Colonel Lucien Leflair faithfully carried out the orders of his superiors. He knew that the coalition forces were close to the Russian positions and could not move forward easily.

Under his urging, his troops quickly set up camp on the spot, and he and Conze also got off their horses.

"It seems that the Russians are more active. They want to stop you here." Conze took out the topographic map he drew and carefully calculated the current position. "They probably want to use the terrain of the Alma River."

Lucien was silent, scanning around with a telescope.

Although most of the light cavalry at the forefront of the array have been dispersed in various directions to detect the movements of the enemy, and he does not need to collect intelligence nearby, his professional habits for many years still make him carefully observe the surrounding terrain, so as not to panic if something really happens.

What appeared in front of him through the telescope was a farm in the wilderness. The houses in these farms were very simple, and it was obvious that no one lived in them. Around the farms were large tracts of vineyards.

It was summer, the most active time for all living things. Looking around, there was lush green everywhere. The houses were hidden among the vines and lawns of the vineyards. For a moment, Lucien actually recalled his hometown in France - his hometown was also a very beautiful farm.

And after the sight passed the farm, there was a river flowing horizontally. It was not wide, and the water was not turbulent. It seemed that it should not be difficult to swim. At the same time, the river bent back in the central part of the coalition formation, forming a concave-shaped river surface. Under the illumination of the setting sun at this time, the river surface was silvery and sparkling, which was very beautiful.

However, on the other side of the river, there was a long, towering cliff. These cliffs lay in front of the coalition front, like a natural defense wall.

This cliff made Lucien frown slightly. Obviously, this was an insurmountable obstacle, and the Russians wanted to use it as a support to resist the coalition forces.

He couldn't help but raise the telescope and try to observe the opposite side. In his sight, the cliff in front of him was bumpy, and the water was beating it, and the figures in various military uniforms were looming in it. It was just like coming to a theater in ancient Rome and observing the towering auditorium from the low-lying part of the theater.

The terrain at the top of the cliff was very flat, and it should be the main position of the Russian army, with their main force deployed. At both ends of the cliff, there were cliffs and slopes on the edge. If he were the commander of the Russian army, he would definitely deploy artillery and cavalry there, so that he could use the terrain to bombard the coalition forces trying to cross the river, and let the coalition forces suffer between the river and the cliff.

In the shadows, he tried to estimate the number of Russian troops, thinking about how to fight with the Russian army next, and also thinking about how to defend against the coalition forces if he were a Russian.

The terrain has given them enough obstacles and troubles, and the Russians obviously came here earlier than them, and are now ready to fight against the coalition forces. Obviously, the terrain advantage is on the Russian side, and even now they are still being tortured by some unfavorable factors...

"Oh my God, if the Russians bring enough troops, how can we break through here?!" After a while, he couldn't help shouting. "As long as they have enough artillery, we can't break through here at all!"

This is indeed a very serious problem.

Because of the transportation difficulties caused by the previous heavy rain, the coalition did not transport large heavy artillery ashore. Moreover, because these artillery were too heavy and would slow down the march, the coalition did not intend to carry them forward, so now each unit only carried light artillery. These artillery were still effective in field battles, but if they were to bombard the enemy's strong fortifications, they would probably be unable to do so.

How could the 12-pound and 6-pound field artillery fight against the Russian heavy artillery on the cliff platform? If the artillery fire from the opposite side could not be suppressed, then even if the coalition officers and soldiers were forced to attack forward, it would only be a waste of the lives of the soldiers. Moreover, the Russians could use cavalry to sweep the slopes and valleys between the riverside cliffs and repel all the coalition soldiers who rushed over.

Lucien became more and more anxious as he thought about it, and finally he could only turn his head to look at Kong Ze. "How many people do you think the Russians can deploy here?"

"According to the situation we have obtained, about 30,000 to 40,000 people." Kong Ze finally answered after a long silence. "They don't have any more forces to call upon now."

"Do you dare to take responsibility for your words?" Lucien changed his previous gentleness and asked him harshly, "You should understand what your answer means, right?"

The estimation of the Russian army's strength will directly affect the coalition's next deployment, whether to attack, bypass the river to the west, or stay put.

Therefore, Kong Ze's answer will be related to the next actions of the entire army and the lives of many people. This is something that cannot be taken lightly.

Under Lucien's stern gaze, even Kong Ze, who was always indifferent, sweated on his forehead.

"I cannot be responsible for the lives of tens of thousands of people. I am not the commander of the Russians. I cannot guarantee how many people he brought here." After a long time, Kong Ze finally spoke slowly. "However, please rest assured that our estimates are based on accurate intelligence, and I am definitely not talking nonsense... I think there is a greater degree of certainty that the number of Russian troops is within this range."

Lucien kept staring at Kong Ze, his eyes a little scary.

After a while, he withdrew his gaze. "I'm sorry... I'm a little out of control. I shouldn't have put such a heavy responsibility on you. This is not something you should bear. You have done enough. You are not a soldier. You may not understand our Mood, the most helpless thing for soldiers is to be driven to death by insensitive commanders... I have seen too many such things, so I can't tolerate myself doing the same. My soldiers can die in battle, but they should Die meaningfully.”

"I understand your feelings very well, Colonel." Kong Ze nodded.

"Well, judging from your usual performance, since you said so, I think it should be acceptable enough." Lucien nodded, looking much more relaxed, "Thank God, the weakness of the Russians gives us a chance Breakthrough here."

Then he suddenly reached out his hand and patted Kong Ze on the shoulder, "Please don't mind what happened just now and continue to work hard in the future, sir."

Kong Ze frowned, knowing that the other party was trying to show kindness, but Kong Ze was still very unhappy.

"I will."

At this time, the messenger rode to the temporary camp where Lucien's department was located, and then conveyed the order of Marshal Treville - the Marshal invited him to go to the headquarters to discuss the next battle.

"I will convey your words to the commander." Lucien left these words, then hurriedly mounted his horse and followed the herald towards the central camp of the army.

There were soldiers who gathered in twos and threes to drink water and chat everywhere along the way, so Lucien and others moved very slowly, but they finally arrived at the tent where the headquarters was located.

Because this was where the two marshal commanders were, they were all surrounded by soldiers on patrol. Fortunately, there was a herald leading the way. Lucien quickly passed the checkpoint and came to the tent where Marshal Treville was. among.

When he came here, he found that many French generals had gathered here. With these people gathered together, the tent immediately became cramped, and the marshal himself was sitting on a small stool, watching A map laid directly on the ground.

"Lucien, are you here?" After seeing Lucien, he waved to Lucien and motioned for him to come to his side.

Lucien passed through several envious glances, then walked to the side of the marshal and squatted down directly.

"We should really thank that gentleman." After he sat down, Marshal Treville said calmly, "The map he gave us helped us a lot, and it has been error-free so far."

"He is indeed a very smart and capable man." Lucien nodded immediately.

Read the original text in Liu#9@书/吧!

"My grandson has found a good helper. He is always very good at using people." The marshal's tone contained a show-off attitude.

Then, he immediately returned to seriousness, "As you can see, the terrain seems to be very unfavorable to us. The Russians want to choose this place to stop us."

"Yes, the terrain is very unfavorable, Marshal." Lucien replied immediately. "In fact, I think if the Russians had enough troops, it would be a very unwise choice for us to attack by force."

Marshal Treville raised his head and glanced at him in slight surprise, then couldn't help but smile and shook his head.

"Sometimes you are so forthright, I don't even know if this is a weakness or an advantage."

"I'm sorry, Your Excellency. But... the matter is so important that I can only... I can only express my opinion frankly." Lucien lowered his head.

"Well, you are not wrong, you just need a good boss who is willing to listen to unpleasant words." Marshal Treville made a gesture, "So, do you think their troops are enough?"

"I just asked that gentleman, he thinks... he thinks the Russian army should have around 30,000 to 40,000 troops, which is far less than us." He knew that what he said was of great significance, so he did not dare to say it to death. , "However, this is just our rough judgment based on intelligence, and I cannot guarantee that this is a clear fact."

"That gentleman has been very close to the truth so far, and I hope it will be the same this time." The old man replied calmly. "If the enemy forces are this number, do you think we can attack?"

"If we have a huge advantage in numbers, I think we can launch an attack and overcome the disadvantage in terrain." Lucien stopped, and then immediately replied, "Marshal, I can't guarantee victory to you here, but I It can be guaranteed that I and my men will do our best to fight for victory - of course, the premise must be that we really have such an advantage.”

"Very good." The marshal nodded, and then fell into deep thought again. Others did not dare to speak, waiting for the marshal's decision. The tent suddenly became extremely quiet.

"It's still early, and there are still a few hours before dark, Lucien, you guys go and give it a try." After a long time, the marshal finally spoke, he looked at Lucien, his eyes were filled with unquestionable courage, "I want you to attack from the right wing first."

"What? Attack now?" Lucien was greatly surprised. "Now... the whole army is not ready yet?"

However, from the calm expression of Marshal Treville, Lucien discovered something. "You mean..."

"Yes, make a tentative attack to see how strong the Russians' defense is." The marshal nodded, "I trust you, Lucien, your troops should be one of our fastest-moving troops, so I want you to give it a try. The ideal situation is that you forcefully swim across the river and then occupy a position on the other side of the river. Then our next task will be simple. We will attack with our entire army, expand this position, and then break through the enemy's line. Of course, I don't have too high requirements for this. You just need to try your best to make an attacking gesture and let us see the Russian army's deployment."

Now it was Lucien's turn to be silent. Although the marshal's words were optimistic, Lucien knew that the so-called ideal situation was extremely rare on the battlefield. It was more likely that his troops suffered a huge blow in the attack, lost some troops, and then had to retreat in defeat in front of the enemy.

He didn't want to waste energy on illusory hopes.

"Marshal... I'm definitely not questioning your orders, but I wonder if we can be more cautious? We don't know much about the enemy right now..." Lucien couldn't help asking.

"Lucien, the domestic situation doesn't allow us to delay any longer." The marshal said coldly with a gloomy face, "We have two battlefields, one in Crimea and one within the borders of the empire. It can even be said that the other one is more dangerous. We must calm down the empire in the rear, Lucien, we must do this. Only victory can dilute people's doubts about the empire, because our empire is too young. So, sometimes we have to be a little reckless."