"Sometimes we have to be a little reckless. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ”

Marshal Trevier's words were very plain and concise, but it was impossible for Lucien not to understand the meaning, and this made him tremble even more and more.

"You mean, in order to stabilize the country, we must achieve victory as soon as possible?" He asked in a low voice.

"Even if we can't win soon, we should make progress as soon as possible." "The war has been going on for several months now," replied the marshal in a low voice, but we have not achieved enough to boast of anything but to frighten the Russians...... When this news is transmitted back to China, it will not be able to calm people's minds. ”

Lucien felt a little uncomfortable in his head, so he had to listen quietly.

If it was a purely military issue, he could have put forward his opinion anyway, but when it came to such an issue, he was a complete layman, so he did not know what to say.

"Now, we have domestic journalists and British Times journalists...... These reporters accompanying the army are pouring news from the front line to the rear, so that those in the rear who do not have to go to the front can enjoy breakfast leisurely at breakfast time, and treat us as people in a stage play. Marshal Trevier's tone carried a hint of sarcasm, "People don't like trivial things, they want to see concrete actions, and results!" They simply do not understand the predicament we are facing, and only see us hesitating in the Crimea; And what about the journalists? They are all born bad seeds, and as long as they can sell the newspaper, they will do anything! They will set off this atmosphere, hey, we were fighting for the emperor for the empire, and now we are fighting for the military reporters! ”

Under the marshal's explanation, Lucien finally understood the current situation a little.

The empire has only been established for two years now, and although it has suppressed the opposition with strong oppressive means and exiled a large number of dissidents, the opposition is still very deep among the people and public opinion, so when the war is not going well, these people will make loud noises, shake the hearts of the people, and let the empire's rule begin to shake it, which the empire cannot bear.

What's more, such a thousand-mile expedition consumes huge amounts of wealth every day, and no matter what, it is necessary to act as soon as possible so that the empire can give an account to the country.

"I ...... I understand your political considerations. Lucien replied, "But, Lord Marshal, I remind you that defeat is more terrible than no progress, and that if we had acted recklessly and then been thwarted, it would have been a greater blow. ”

"That's up to me to think about." The marshal directly interrupted him, "Now, your task is to launch an attack, clear the forward positions of the Russians on the riverbank, and then try to cross the river and occupy an area on the opposite side. ”

"If this is your order, I will carry it out." Lucien nodded helplessly, the other party was a marshal, and also the commander-in-chief, and he was the one who had always carried him, and he could not disobey the other party's orders in any way. "But...... I beg you to have the front-line commander order a retreat when the situation allows. ”

The marshal frowned.

Lucien's words were tantamount to showing that he had no confidence in this at all, and this was not something that a subordinate should say to his commander. If it weren't for the fact that Lucien was one of his henchmen, I'm afraid he would have reprimanded him to his face.

Under the marshal's grim gaze, Lucien lowered his head.

"Your Excellency, please believe that I will faithfully carry out your orders to the end, and I will not retreat until I have to. I just want to stop the offensive as soon as possible when the situation is not good, so as not to lose time when I ask you. ”

"Okay." Marshal, "Then go back and organize the attack as soon as possible, and don't wait until it gets dark." ”

"Yes!" Lucien stood up, gave a military salute to the marshal, then turned and left the commander's tent.

It was close to dusk, and bonfires had been erected everywhere, and the soldiers were either looking for fuel or boiling water around the fires, and the atmosphere was quite relaxed, even though they were on the verge of enemy positions. Lucien, on the other hand, was much more nervous, and he hurried all the way back to the camp of his troops.

Immediately after dismounting, he gathered all his officers and announced to them the marshal's order.

As he had expected, the order caused an uproar among the officers.

"Again, I emphasize, this is the marshal's order!" Lucien stopped their whispering, "No matter what you think in your hearts, an order is an order, and we must obey!" Now, gather all the soldiers, we must hurry up and attack! ”

"At least let everyone have a saliva." An officer said gloomily.

"Soon, maybe we'll never have to drink water for the rest of our lives." Another officer replied in a joking tone.

However, no one laughed, and everyone dispersed in a heavy and gloomy attitude to the temporary station of their troops.

Because of the usual training, Lucien's men quickly gathered all their soldiers, and they put aside the bonfires they had built and rearranged them into the tight formations they had made on the march.

Lucien rode his horse and marched in front of the formation of the troops of these battalions.

The phalanxes were lined up in perfect order, with their bayonets shining brightly in the setting sun, and their uniforms and almost identical flat-barreled caps, even for officers, were only decorated with ornamental feathers. The uniform and weapons made them look almost identical from afar, and the army seemed to obliterate the commonality of humanity.

However, in Lucien's eyes, everyone's face and height were different, and he glanced in front of the soldiers in the front row, they had been together for a long time, he knew too many people here, he could even read their eyes, he knew, everyone had their own lives and dreams.

And perhaps, tonight, many people here will never have the opportunity to realize their dreams again.

These nervous or expectant glances meant great trust, and the soldiers did not complain about the hasty attack launched by the marshal and their brigade commanders, but were ready to obey their orders.

He opened his mouth, only to find that he didn't know what to say, he had never been a man of words.

What's more, this is still an attack that he is unwilling to launch.

"Soldiers, the commander-in-chief has entrusted you with the task of firing the first shot, please repay his trust!" Until finally, as soon as he was sideways, he immediately drew his sword and pointed forward. "It's time to fight, it's here! Now, follow us on the attack! ”

Then he urged his horse to march forward, and behind him, the drumbeat of the march suddenly sounded, and the soldiers, following the swaying flags, strode forward at the shouts of the officers.

In the golden light, their dark blue uniforms became gray-green, and the red pants on their feet became more vivid. In the midst of the neatly organized camp of the army, an army suddenly appeared and advanced towards the village on the bank of the river, breaking the original tranquility almost instantly.

The two artillery batteries attached to the 2nd Division also advanced south with Lucien's troops. Although these cannons are relatively light twelve-pounder guns, the caliber is not too large, but because the barrels are made of bronze, the weight of the cannons is still heavy, and the cannons are slowly moving forward, this clumsy appearance, it is hard to believe that it is a monster that can easily devour human life.

The Russians, who were also resting before the battle, apparently did not expect that at this time, the coalition forces would launch an attack before they had yet to gain a firm foothold, so that when the drumbeat of the French advance sounded, there was a slight commotion in the forward positions.

However, many of the officers immediately regained their composure, and then raised their guns and began to fire back at the French officers and soldiers who pressed over.

"Bang!" "Bang!"

Gunfire rang out in the villages and vineyards, shielded by earthen trees, vines, and even makeshift fortifications that had been erected in advance, and the gunfire soon turned the village into a smoky place.

However, although the concealment was good, the accuracy of the bullets was not flattering, and Lucien and his soldiers approached the cottages without hurrying at the speed of the march, and although some of the hapless soldiers fell to the ground due to stray bullets, the overall casualties were minimal, and the soldiers behind them quickly filled the empty places.

In the midst of this disruptive fire, the French column array passed through the clearings at the forefront and came to the front of the cottage. The road had become narrow and divided by cramped houses, and they soon dispersed into stragglers and advanced deeper into the village.

And at this time, the slow-moving field artillery was also pushed into the predetermined position. After a short period of adjustment and calculation, the gun carriages began to adjust their angles, and the muzzles of the black holes were aimed at these cottages in the distance.

"Boom!" Thunderous artillery fire suddenly rang out.

In the midst of a shrill whistling, the shells flew into the village, and the bursting shells soon set the wooden houses and dry vines on fire, and the fire began to spread everywhere, and the already smoky villages and vineyards were now severely damaged, and the thick smoke spread everywhere, making it doubtful that there were any survivors alive in them.

After the fire began to engulf the entire village, the shelling finally stopped, and this was the most opportune time to attack. Lucien immediately urged his men to attack, he knew that the Russian army would not have many defenders left in the forward positions, and they now had an advantage, and it should not be a problem to drive the defenders away.

"Attack!" In the front of the stragglers, the commanders, company commanders, and platoon commanders drew their command knives and danced forward, desperately driving their men into the smoky village.

In such an environment, it is difficult to see the surrounding situation clearly, and there is no time to shoot slowly and leisurely, so it quickly turns into a short white-knuckle battle. The scattered ash quickly covered the faces of the soldiers with a layer of black powder, and the choking smoke made them even more uncomfortable, but now they didn't care, and they roared and rushed into the burning village.

From time to time someone fell in the midst of stray bullets, but the others were unaware, and they rushed to every house and ravine, frantically searching for the enemy, and the defenders were obviously outnumbered by them, but these Russians were just as stubborn, and they also fought with guns and roaring at the enemy troops who invaded the position.

The smoke and the artillery were saluting them, no one could see the whole picture, everyone was only concerned with searching for the enemy around them, and then going crazy and desperate, being killed or killed, all it took was the courage to die and the luck of being favored by God, and the blood was soon flowing everywhere in the villages, full of stains and houses destroyed by artillery fire.

The French had gradually gained the upper hand in numbers, and the roars and artillery fire echoed everywhere, and the once beautiful village had been reduced to a burning ruin, with people lying on the ground everywhere, most of them dead, and the rest groaning in pain on the ground.

Lucien remained outside the village with the rest of his reserves, and he kept a close eye on the situation with his binoculars, ready to devote his reserves to the battle.

Just as the sun was setting on the cliff on the opposite bank of the river, the battle of the village was gradually coming to an end, most of the defenders had died in the battle, and the rest of the people had finally begun to retreat towards the riverbank, and when they left the village, Lucien finally couldn't bear it anymore, and he ordered the rest of the men to follow the retreating Russian troops in pursuit, and to cross the river in one fell swoop.

There was only a narrow pontoon bridge over the river, and the retreating enemy troops were soon crowded together on the pontoon, a few of them opened fire on the pursuing French troops, and most of them fled desperately on the opposite bank. The French officers and soldiers, led by the officers who shouted orders, frantically rushed towards the pontoon bridge, and soon pursued to the pontoon bridge, and then rushed onto the pontoon bridge despite the return fire from the opposite bank.

The river was about waist deep, and the current was not rapid, but the water still slowed their movements, but no one complained, and they walked forward steadfastly, little by little, approaching the opposite bank.

And at this moment, the earth trembled slightly.

"Boom!" Then, a deafening sound suddenly resounded between heaven and earth, and then continued to reach the ears of the French on the other side.

Accompanied by such a terrible sound were the whistling cannonballs, which were so powerful that they either exploded on the ground, swept around with a single flying shrapnel, or simply exploded in the air, and the steel ball shotgun inside smashed to the ground.

The dense shrapnel fire immediately turned the blood-soaked riverbanks and villages into hell on earth, shrapnel flew everywhere with flesh and blood, screams were endless, and the stumps and fragments of corpses fell to the sky and then to the ground, staining the river red.

This kind of artillery bombardment was several times more powerful than the shelling of the French field artillery just now, and it almost made people suspect that God was sending heavenly punishment on the world.

Lucien, who was in the rear, quietly watched everything on the front line with binoculars, he knew that this was a Russian artillery counterattack, and judging from the power of their artillery fire, it should be a large-caliber eighteen-pounder or even a thirty-two-pounder gun, such an artillery bombardment was enough to suppress any possible attack, not to mention that they also had the cliffs and slopes of the river bank as cover.

He gripped his telescope so tightly that his hands began to turn white because he was pushing so hard.

Right in front of him, a company commander he knew was hit in the head by a shrapnel that fell from the sky, and almost silently, his brain suddenly splattered, and the headless body slowly fell to the ground, and the fragments of the original head were no longer known where they were taken.

You died like a true soldier, rest in peace. Lucien thought silently.

He'd seen too much of the war to be sentimental.

Under such shelling, the French officers and soldiers, who were already scattered, became even more confused, most of them hesitated between the river bank and the river, and only a few brave people, or whose minds had been swallowed up by the flames of war, withstood the oncoming artillery fire and forcibly crossed the small river.

They were quickly knocked down by the artillery fire and bullets on the other side of the river, and only a handful of them, with a brute force and luck, rushed madly up the slope. Then they found that on the high platform of the slope, several multi-sided forts of the Russian army were lying in front of them, and these fortresses were frantically tilting their artillery fire towards them.

No matter how much they killed the red eyes, what little sanity they had left told them that it was impossible to break through these fortresses with their current strength.

Courage was gradually swallowed up by despair, and the warriors who had been so brave suddenly became extremely cowardly, they ran backwards with a shout, and then many people fell to the ground forever in the process of retreating.

They ran all the way back to the riverbank, and their retreat terrified the rest of the people, and the attacking force finally gave up the courage to attack on the riverbank, and they retreated irrepressibly, even as the commanders brandished their sabers and shouted hoarse orders to return to the battle, but the retreat took place irrepressibly, and the officers were wrapped in the soldiers, and then retreated back into the village.

Lucy watched quietly as his troops retreated in front of him, he was not ashamed of it, his troops were brave enough.

It's time to give up on the offensive.

"Ah, unfortunate children!" Seeing this tragic scene, Field Marshal Raglan, the commander of the British army, lowered his binoculars.

It was already dark now, and there was no way to launch an organized attack in such a situation.

Today's war can only end here.

"It's true that they have some misfortunes, but their misfortunes have created the conditions for our luck." Field Marshal Trevier, who was next to him, replied, "At least they took the forward positions for us, and gave us a little look at the strength of the Russians." ”

"Hopefully their sacrifice will be worth it." Marshal Raglan sighed.