As the clouds cleared from the sky over the Crimean Peninsula, the storm that had been so long cursed by the Coalition soldiers finally came to an end, and the sun reappeared on the wasteland, much to the relief of the entire army. Pen % fun % Pavilion www.biquge.info

With the arrival of the sun, not only the morale of the army has been greatly boosted, but the transportation of materials, which had been almost stagnant due to the storm, has finally returned to normal, and the continuous transport fleet has brought a large number of supplies and munitions ashore, and the almost empty defense on the shore has been strengthened, and now the shore is no longer a group of poor people who are soaked in mud and rain and wailing, they are re-energized and armed, and become an army with high fighting spirits, or so to speak- A horde of beasts hungry for slaughter and victory.

And their desires are destined to be answered soon.

Just after the storm had subsided, Marshal Treville, who had recently been recuperating on the ship because of ill health, finally recovered a little, and walked down from the battleship Napoleon with his retinue and staff officers, and took his French troops ashore to take command of his French troops, where the commander of the British army, Marshal Raglan, was already waiting.

The convergence of the two coalition commanders heralded the ripeness of a new round of large-scale operations. After a short discussion, the two of them immediately came to an agreement to send troops as soon as possible to fight the Russians, and at the same time isolate the fortress of Sevastopol and prepare to take it.

After the commanders reached a consensus, the military machines of the two countries were running at breakneck speed, and after just two days, they were ready to attack. The army then began to pour out of the makeshift base in Kalamita Bay and advanced along the coast towards the fortress of Sevastopol in the south.

The Crimean peninsula was sparsely populated and the roads were poorly developed, but because of its proximity to the coast, the terrain was mostly flat, so the coalition forces were able to form formations, and the various units pressed south with a well-organized appearance.

Unlike the era of the future, the artillery fire of this era was not accurate and dense enough to make people think only of escape, so the armies of various countries have used their vanity to the limit, and they have to dress their armies as shining heroes.

Escorted by the bright sun, tens of thousands of troops marched along the flat wasteland, their uniforms gathered together, bright red and indigo, forming a phalanx. In the center of the procession, the commanders of the two armies rode together on their horses, while they and the senior officers around them were draped in purple and red ribbons and medals, which shone in the daylight, and in front of the army were a large group of light cavalry on tall horses, dressed in ornate hussar uniforms, and holding sharp sabers.

What a grand spectacle!

The whole army, tasseled and light-footed, swept away the previous depression and regained its confidence, and almost every one of them was convinced that after the two most powerful nations of Western Europe were united, no power on earth could stop them.

Half a century later, the European nations marched into Russia, and everyone felt that they were participating in a grand cause, as if they were carrying the history of the whole world on their shoulders at this time.

In fact, they are indeed making history, the three most powerful countries in the world are fighting each other, and they are determined to fight it out in the wilderness of Crimea, the winner will receive all the glory, and the loser will have to acquiesce in the catastrophe and be tied for at least a generation, and will no longer be able to carry out their ambitions on the European continent, and the world history will always remember this moment, and they will decide the direction of Europe and the world for the next generation in just a few months, if not days.

At this time, Colonel Lucien-Leflaire was also riding his war horse and marching south with his troops. The 2nd French Division, to which his unit belonged, was at this time on the right flank of the army, on the coast.

The young colonel, like his subordinates, was as excited and restless, and the hormones secreted in his body made his attention more focused than usual, and his blood boiled. He had been in the army for many years, both in France and in the deserts of North Africa, and he knew that all the wars he had fought so far in his life would be less grand and less important than the one that took place today.

However, he knew more that for an officer, passion is important, but more important is reason, and he has not only history on his shoulders, but also the lives of his subordinates, and he can only act prudently.

It was the hottest time of summer, and the previous storms, though tormenting, at least blocked out the sun, but now that the storm had cleared, the blazing sun began to scorch the earth without hesitation. The temperature has begun to rise rapidly in the past few days, and he has to think about the dangerous consequences that the heat can bring.

At this time, his troops were marching in the heat of summer, so they could not avoid the blazing sun, and heat stroke spread like a plague in the troops, but fortunately, most of the French officers and soldiers, including Lucien, had spent time in North Africa and had endured the scorching heat of the North African desert, so most of them finally survived and did not affect the movement of the army.

However, because of the cholera and other diseases that were prevalent in the barracks before, the attrition of the troops was still shocking, and almost a quarter of Lucien's troops were now unusable, and he could only stay at the base in Kalamita Bay to recuperate.

Fortunately, according to the information obtained by the coalition forces, the Russians at this time were also suffering from weather and disease, and the situation was definitely no better than that of the coalition forces, and because of the procrastination style of the Russian bureaucracy, although they have been increasing their troops to the Crimea recently, the logistics supply was very poor, so that the newly arrived troops immediately fell into a predicament, lacking the necessary supplies and medicines, and even the armament could not be replenished, so they could only endure the torture of the harsh environment, unable to exert their combat effectiveness.

These good news gave the coalition forces the confidence to continue marching into war with the Russians, who knew that the Russians had a vast land and great potential, but they had always been procrastinating and lazy, so the best strategy was to give them a heavy and great victory while they had not yet come to their senses, and force them to sue for peace as soon as possible - otherwise, the Russians who had recovered from their senses would use their great potential and drag down their enemies.

Yes, it is necessary to go south as soon as possible, seize Sevastopol, at least isolate and surround it, cut it off from the Russian interior, only in this way can the Russians lose their foothold in the Crimean Peninsula, and only in this way can the Russians fall into an untenable situation, otherwise the battle will be difficult to fight.

The weather was hot, and his thoughts were complicated, and Lucien, who was wearing a military cap, had just wiped sweat on his forehead, and after a few minutes, it was covered with beads of sweat, and he only felt that his mouth was dry.

He picked up the kettle from the saddle and poured himself another sip until the sweet, cool liquid ran down his throat and into his stomach, and he felt much more comfortable.

"Where are we now?" Immediately after moistening his throat, Lucien turned his head to look at the man who was also riding beside him.

It was a young man about his age, tall, pale-skinned, and with a stiff expression. He sat tense in the saddle, his hands pulling the reins tightly, and it was evident that his riding skills were not skilled.

Surprisingly, he was wearing only a white linen shirt, and because of the hot weather, his cuffs and neckline were open, and his dress was very unserious. In the midst of this large number of people in military uniform, he was only dressed in civilian clothes, and his expression was calm, as if he did not feel embarrassed at all.

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

"We're near the Arma River." Then, in a stiff tone that was almost inaudible, he replied, "In a few hours you will be touching the side of the Russians, if you so wish." ”

Although his attitude and tone were not very appropriate, Lucien smiled and thanked him from the bottom of his heart.

"Thank you, Mr. Kong Ze, you have really helped us a lot...... France will be grateful to you, and you will be grateful to us for it, and Your Majesty will reward you. ”

"What more can Your Majesty reward me? I wish he hadn't known I'd been better. Kong Ze just shrugged his shoulders. Your Majesty had the opportunity to get my services, but unfortunately he missed it, which is a great loss for him. ”

As soon as the Empire decided to declare war on the Russians as soon as possible, Charles began to prepare for his grandfather's army, sending his henchman Kong Ze to the Crimea, on the one hand, to contact the Russians who were dissatisfied with the Tsar and steal information from the Russian army, and on the other hand, to survey the terrain on the spot, so as to serve as first-hand information after the expedition.

Immediately after receiving the order, Kong Ze led a group of people to Ukraine and Crimea, secretly carrying out the tasks of his employer in the name of business.

With his characteristic meticulousness, he had already wandered the area, and when the war really broke out, he came to Marshal Tréville and began to use it as a secret adviser, acting as a guide and providing information.

He had already shown his skills in the initial coalition bombardment of Odessa, and according to the information he provided, the coalition fleet had severely shelled the once prosperous port of Odessa, causing serious damage along with the port's batteries and ships - of course, the warehouses and trading houses associated with the Tréville family had largely survived, and were ready to take advantage of the opportunity to monopolize the market and turn the brutal war into a beautiful feast.

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

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

However, Kong Ze was very indifferent to the possible reward of His Majesty the Emperor, not because he was pretending to be reserved, but because he had become a subordinate of the Minister of Trevil, who he knew would never allow a subordinate like himself to change his court. What's more, the minister has made proper arrangements for him, helped him create a fictitious identity, and used this identity to occupy a directorship in the French Maritime Federation, as long as he can complete the work assigned by his employer, then in the future he can live under the sun as an ordinary rich businessman.

Therefore, he didn't want to provoke the attention of His Majesty the Emperor and let his expected plan for the second half of his life of wealth and prosperity come to naught.

Just as Lucien was about to say something, there was a sudden commotion beside him, and a large number of heralds on horseback flew out from the center of the army in all directions, and one of them came to him.

"The whole army stopped advancing."

Immediately after receiving the order from the commander of the coalition forces, Lucien gave orders to his men.

It seems that the enemy is already at hand.