As Marshal Trevier had told General Conrobert, after the coalition had begun to land in Calamita Bay, he left a transport ship with a large number of soldiers and ordnance and a small number of frigates here, and then sailed south with a large number of warships. Pen ~ fun ~ pavilion www.biquge.info

Because there was no obstruction from the Russians here, it was of little significance for the battleships to stay here, and they could not play a covering role, so according to the plan of the commanders of the two armies, the coalition fleet would turn around and go south to the open sea of the fortress of Sevastopol. The first is to reconnoiter the defense of the fortress, and the second is to make the best use of the fleet and contain the defenders of the fortress, so that they do not affect the landing of the coalition forces in Kalamita Bay.

Under the orders of the two commanders-in-chief, 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 towards the south violently, these behemoths crossed the sea, leaving patches of white waves, because the trees were continuous, and the battleships descended one after another, so these white waves have not dispersed, it is like a brush leaving a long white mark on the black sea.

Britain and France were both countries with a long naval tradition, and these warships were carefully built and maintained to become the most sophisticated and dangerous weapons of war in the world at this time. Under the eager gaze of the scorching sun, the admirals and colonels on the deck of the battleship were full of ambition, bent on proving that they had lived up to the huge budget that their government had invested in them and the ardent expectations of their people on them.

Located in the middle of the Crimean peninsula, Kalamita Bay, only a few dozen kilometers away from Sevastopol, after just over two hours of sailing, the fleet completed a short voyage and came to the fortress of Sevastopol in a big way.

By this time the sky was approaching dusk, and the color of the sun had gradually changed from blazing white to golden yellow, dyeing the white sails of the battleship with a solemn appearance, and this solemn fleet slowly slowed down, and then began to move separately under the command of the commander of the fleet, Admiral Dundas of England, and gradually took on a fan-shaped formation, and then stopped in front of the mouth of the sea in Severnaya Bay.

It is by this bay that goes deep inland that the Sevastopol fortress is divided into the southern and northern districts, which juts out of the land for almost a dozen kilometers, and the bay is lined with hills on both sides.

The long and narrow harbors forced any enemy forces to encircle the fortress to stretch their battle lines very long, and the hilly terrain became natural forts for the Russians to build forts on both sides of the coast at a relatively small cost.

And in the depths of the harbor, some of the remaining warships of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Navy are hiding inside, enjoying the protection of the batteries on both sides of the strait.

The allied fleet fanned out, carefully keeping a safe distance from the shore, while on the battleship Napoleon, the flagship of the French fleet, Marshal Tréville, the commander of the French army, carefully observed the situation around the fortress.

The batteries on the shore had spotted the sights of this huge fleet, and they immediately opened fire to meet it, and although the shells were too far away to pose any threat, they showed the courage and determination of the defenders without reservation.

The sporadic rumbling sound did not affect the old man's attention, and in the lens of the telescope he saw the cold rocks that formed the fortresses in which a large number of cannons and defenders were hidden.

On the north shore there are a number of large fortresses, built according to the polygonal fortification system. These fortresses are neatly shaped and have a good view, and in the golden light, they present a strange geometric beauty. On the side of the fortress, you can faintly see some dark forts, and around the dark forts, there are some low vault fortifications, some of these fortifications can be seen to have been completed in the recent time, the color of the soil is different from other places, and near the center of each side of the quadrangular shape of these bunkers, there are some trenches, these fortresses built by modern means, are the crystallization of modern military engineering.

Even Field Marshal Trevier, a cavalry general, understood that it was basically impossible to bombard the fortress directly with field artillery fire until his own trenches had been dug to the edge of their trenches.

These fortifications support each other, and as long as they don't cut corners while building, they can put up a long-term resistance against a strong enemy force. Since the fortifications were close to the main fort and could be used as a powerful sortie base for the attack, the coalition forces had to clear the north bank of the fortifications and fortifications before they could calmly move south and encircle the entire fort.

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

A resolute commander, as long as he is willing to fill in his life, will be able to break through such a front after all. However, there can be no doubt that if the Russian forces are strong enough inside the fortress and outside the Crimean peninsula, they will be able to surprise the defenders of the fortress from the perimeter in the event of a coalition attack on Sevastopol.

This is a fortress that has been carefully managed by the Russians for generations, and it must have a very strong defensive force, and in order to take it, it is necessary to concentrate forces, which will weaken the defenses of other places, so it is necessary to guard against the lifting of the siege by the Russian army.

This seems to be an unsolvable problem, and the only solution can only be a lot of time, and a lot of lives, provided that the country can always be stable, while maintaining a huge supply of munitions...... Heavy responsibilities.

You can't win in a month, you can't win in three months, and it takes half a year...... No, it's winter in half a year, maybe next spring or summer.

The old marquis closed his eyes slightly, only to feel that his eyes were sour, and his steps were a little vain, but he mustered himself up, stood upright on the side of the ship, and looked at the vague fortress opposite him with a challenging look.

"Bombardment of batteries on both sides of the strait." Then, in an unquestioning tone, he said to the adjutants next to him. "After suppressing their batteries, let's go in and have a look!"

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

And then, the actions of the battleships will be under the responsibility of the commander-in-chief of the coalition fleet, Admiral Dundas of Britain.

Unlike the sporadic artillery bombardment of the defenders, a large number of Anglo-French warships were much more well trained, and in accordance with the orders of the flag, some small battleships with mortar guns and fast cruisers with three sails ignored the artillery fire from the opposite side and forced their way towards the battery, and then a large number of battleships approached.

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

At this moment, his ears were suddenly shocked by the rumbling sound and almost deaf, it turned out that the fleet in front was opening fire on the fortress under the orders of Admiral Dundas.

The light battleships at the forefront fearlessly rushed to an extremely dangerous distance, and then risked firing at the batteries on the hills on the shore. Armed only with large mortars, these light warships were designed to bombard solid targets on the shore, and they had a short range but were powerful.

And these large battleships were not far behind, and the heavy artillery they used opened fire intensively, attacking without reservation.

In the incessant roar, countless shells poured down on the batteries on both sides, and the iron-clad shells received a terrible impact from the speed at which they were carried out of the barrel. When the shells hit the outer walls and breastwork of the fort, they let out a giant's roar, shattering and exploding, blasting large swaths of masonry out of the gaps. The scattered shell fragments and bricks collided back and forth with a sharp hiss, and soon all parts of the battery were destroyed beyond recognition.

The brick walls everywhere had been deeply scratched, twisted into strange shapes, and in some places there was even blood mixed in with it. Under such ferocious shelling, dust and mud drifted in the sky all around the fort, mixed with the smell of bloody dust seemed to be able to reach the battleships on the sea, and the whole miserable situation was as if it had been plowed dozens of times by an iron plow.

Every time you hit an enemy battery, you will provoke "Long live the Empire!" on the command ship. The young officers looked with great interest at the area shrouded in death and war as if they were enjoying a grand drama.

Field Marshal Trevier, however, was much calmer, and he could see that such an artillery bombardment, although it suppressed the opposite battery and caused some losses, was nothing to the defenders, and it would not take long for them to repair it.

It's just gnawing at the skin, and the whole monster, even enraged by its small wounds, must be vowing to fight to the death, to fight us to the last breath...... The old man thought to himself.

"Ah, we're probably going to be here for a long time!" In the rumbling smoke of artillery fire, Marshal Tréville thought to himself again.

Looking at this fortress that seemed to stand still on land, he couldn't help but feel a sincere 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 it was a war of attrition, it would definitely be possible to drag the Russians to defeat, and even if it cost a lot, they could win the war.

However, with a few months, maybe a year, in this ghost place, will I be able to return to France alive?

The old man lowered his gaze, he felt as if his eyelids were weighing a thousand pounds, he had been in this inexplicable dizziness from time to time lately, and today, because he was on a ship that was constantly shelling, the deafening sound of the shelling made him seem more dizzy than usual.

However, he knew better his duty as commander-in-chief, so he clung to the railing of the ship, and did his best not to show any pain or weakness.

No one saw the exhaustion and weakness of the commander-in-chief, and everyone was immersed in the roar of the bombardment of the fortress, both amazed by the strength of the coalition forces and fleets, and shocked by the terrible power of modern weapons, these ships, which had gathered the most powerful scientific and technological achievements in the world today, were pouring shells from their cabins on the opposite fortress without mercy.

Thanks to their efforts, the counterattack of the opposite battery gradually subsided, and the coalition warships, including Marshal Tréville's ship, approached the bay more boldly, and then simply rushed into the bay of Severnaya.

This is a narrow bay, and they will face the risk of being pinched by artillery on both sides of the strait, so they have no intention of fighting, but just rush in quickly and observe the situation on both sides of the strait. A large group of military engineers on the battleship are constantly recording the defense system and the layout of the fortresses on both sides of the strait, and at the same time drawing military maps that will play an important role in the next war.

When this artillery battle continued until the sun was about to set, the Anglo-French fleet left the sea area of the fortress of Sevastopol on the orders of Marshal Trevill, and their reconnaissance for the day was completed and gave the defenders a sufficient warning.

Marshal Tréville's heart, however, was heavier than it had been before.

By the time the fleet returned to the coalition landing ground in Kalamita Bay, it was already completely dark, and in the darkness of the night, a large number of warships had gathered in the harbor, like a pack of beasts hidden in the shadows, they had brought enough fear and death today, but this was only the beginning.

Field Marshal Tréville, having received several important officers, was ready to rest, and he only felt exhausted.

The knight who had once galloped across the German and Russian plains, seemingly never-ending, no longer had the seemingly inexhaustible energy, and now he only wanted to rest.

However, things are not always so satisfying.

At this moment, a dinghy approaching the Napoleon brought an urgent telegram to the marshal, which was sent by Charles to his grandfather, after Gallipoli had been translated, and since the marshal had already led his army to the Crimean peninsula, a small sailing ship could only be sent there to expedite the delivery of telegrams and letters.

"We have to get the telegraph line here as soon as possible, otherwise everything will be too slow to communicate with the country." The marshal, who was already accustomed to the telegram, thought to himself.

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

At first, Charles was very satisfied with his greetings, and he missed his grandson very much, but later on, his demeanor was not so relaxed.

"Your Majesty will send the Prince?" He muttered to himself, his brows furrowed, and his heart had even heavier worries.

I can't sleep anymore.

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