On the battlefield with the roar of gunfire, Lucien stared blankly at the tragic scene in front of him, from the open space to the trenches at the front, from the ramps to the bastions, to the positions everywhere...... Everywhere there were soldiers lying on the ground, all of them dying in different ways, some of them with faces alive from the fire. The pen & fun & pavilion www.biquge.info was burning everywhere, illuminating the originally gloomy earth, even though it had been in service for many years, but this tragic scene of blood flowing into a river of corpses all over the field, he had seen it for the first time.

The snowflakes sent chills all over his body, and also extinguished the blood that surged into his mind, and he wisely thought that now the situation at the front had been stabilized by the Russians, and now that his troops were close to exhaustion, and in the case of the Guards delaying the introduction of new troops to continue the onslaught, even if he brought the remaining men of his own troops to rush to the front line together, it would not change anything, it was just a waste of death.

Besides, it's snowing now, and the weather is only getting worse, and there's no point in continuing to fight.

In that case, let's stop. Lucien finally calmly made her decision.

"Let the troops on the front line all stop and hold on to the positions they have taken." He sighed, then gave a new order to his herald. "If some positions are difficult to hold, allow a small retreat."

Although, according to military law, he could not give the order to stop the attack or retreat until he had received an order to stop the attack, but now the situation was different, and as a commander, he had to make a decision according to the situation on the ground - after all, even the Guards were now hesitant, and who would hold him accountable, his troops had already paid the price.

His order soon reached the front line, and most of the troops, including the remaining Guards soldiers, stopped the attack with relief, turned to the defense on the spot, and consolidated their positions, although some small units were unable to organize a defense because of the death of their officers, and had to retreat in the face of the Russian counteroffensive.

The fighting continued, but the battle had come to an end, and both the French and Russian armies had a feeling of exhaustion, and perhaps as Lucien thought, the timely arrival of the heavy snow could be used as a decent reason to stop the fighting.

The snow began to fall heavily from the afternoon of the same day, and soon a thick blanket of snow spread out on the ground, which extinguished the flames of the battlefield and covered the terrible ruins of the previous battlefield. It can't take away sin and blood, but it can make people forget all that is terrible.

In such an environment, neither army was able to carry out large-scale military operations anymore, and the two sides returned to calm, the only difference was that the French front extended thousands of kilometers forward, and captured several fortresses that belonged to the Russian army as the fulcrum of their new front - and this was all at the cost of thousands of French casualties.

Although I can comfort myself with this result, the French army was undoubtedly defeated by the effort, strength and prestige invested in this offensive, but fortunately they still surrounded the fortress and were able to continue to wear the ropes around the Russians' necks in a war of attrition.

Of course, the front was calm again, but in the rear of the French front a stormy controversy was still raging.

Under the orders of the commander-in-chief, Field Marshal Tréville, the generals of the French army were once again united.

It was already cold, and outside the tent was a howling wind and snow, and although it was daytime, visibility was low. Fortunately, there were now braziers with charcoal burning in all corners of the tent, barely resisting the terrible cold wave. However, in the bright light, Marshal Trevier, with a gloomy face, made everyone's hearts chill.

The previous offensive was organized by His Excellency the Commander-in-Chief with great effort, but with only a few successes, it was over, and although the propaganda to the officers and men in the army was that bad weather hindered the next offensive, the senior officers present knew that this was a setback.

So, everybody knew that they were about to face the wrath of His Excellency the Commander-in-Chief, and they were silent for fear of provoking the wrath of the stern old general.

And in this strange silence, Marshal Tréville glanced at everyone, and everywhere he went, everyone looked away in horror, and his gaze finally rested on a man dressed in the uniform of a general-of-the-ordinary of the Guards.

"Your Royal Highness, have you figured out how to explain your previous actions?" After a palpitating silence lasted for a few moments, the marshal asked in a deep voice.

Even though he was a prince, Prince Joseph-Bonaparte could not help feeling a little uneasy under the gaze of such a gaze, but for the sake of his dignity, he tried to calm himself so as not to show his timidity in front of the other generals.

"Your Excellency...... We...... We faithfully carried out the tasks you gave us, fought bravely against the enemy, and in their desperate struggle, we achieved great results. The prince straightened up, and then replied in as calm a tone as possible, "Although in the end our troops did not achieve much success because of bad weather, I think they deserve a credit for their bravery. ”

"Their bravery is indeed commendable, but their commander is a disappointment!" What the prince did not expect was that the marshal actually interrupted him unceremoniously, "They fought hard, but their commander hesitated, and as a result, the fighters they had desperately obtained were lost in vain...... Please tell me why! Why didn't you carry out the plan after breaking through the forward positions of the Russian army and go on the offensive ?! ”

Under the marshal's fierce questioning, the air in the camp became more and more tense, and the others did not dare to come out, and they were happy that someone had finally resisted the thunder.

Such a harsh questioning certainly made the prince feel very uncomfortable, but he did not dare to attack, so he had to hang his head.

"The situation at that time was ...... There is a deviation from the ideal state of the plan, and judging by the actual situation, I think it is ...... I don't think we'll be able to achieve the results we want, and that continuing to invest more troops will only increase casualties in vain. So, Your Excellency, I have weighed it for a long time and finally made the decision to suspend the offensive, and I beg your understanding......"

Perhaps not convincing enough, he immediately plucked up the courage to add, "At the moment, at least we have expanded our occupation zone and further squeezed the enemy's front, and I think that if we make one more effort in the next offensive, we should be able to achieve victory......

"If it will work next time, then why not this time?" The marshal immediately interrupted him again, "You are not a professional soldier, you have never led soldiers, what basis do you have to judge the situation on the battlefield?" As a subordinate, you were supposed to obey my orders, and then you didn't do it! The children risked their lives to charge and break the enemy's front line, and all they needed was to continue to charge...... Rush! And then at such a critical moment, you hesitate! Excuse me, are you worthy of the people you represent?! What would His Majesty the Emperor of Heaven think if he saw that you, as a nephew, behaved like this in war? ”

Prince Joseph-Bonaparte's fat body trembled slightly, and such shameless criticism really hurt his self-esteem, and he only felt that the anger in his heart had been ignited.

"It is precisely because it is in consideration of His Majesty the Emperor that I ...... That's how I made my decision! Our Guards are too precious, they are the essence of the whole army, and they should shine in a decisive battle with the enemy, instead of throwing them between the cliffs and the valleys to force their charge against the well-held positions, which will only cost us the best soldiers, and we cannot afford such irreparable losses...... Your Excellency, you are right, I have no military experience, and I dare not question your decision, but what is the need for us to force the attack on this fortress all the time? We can destroy it with siege and starvation, and there is no need to consume so many precious soldiers in vain. ”

"You have once again exposed yourself as an outsider, Your Highness." Field Marshal Trever stared at him, and then said word for word, "Fortresses are never breached by siege alone, and besides, none of us know how many reserves are in them, so how can we end the war if we just wait?" If we keep dragging on the war, there will only be more deaths! All right...... I don't want to listen to your excuses, the reality says it all, and you must take responsibility for your hesitation and delay, Your Highness! ”

"It was not only our troops that stopped, but so did the others...... "Perhaps sensing some danger, the Prince immediately defended himself," perhaps sensing some kind of danger, "for example, Colonel Leflaire, who ordered his troops to defend in place. ”

"Before doing so, Colonel Leflaire's troops had already suffered heavy casualties, and had already thrown in all his reserves, and even he himself was ready to lead the charge! And you? You take most of your men to the rear and watch the battle to the end! If you have shown such courage and determination, I will not criticize you! The marshal immediately interrupted his argument, "Your accusations against him are completely untrue, and you must not shirk your responsibility in this way." ”

"I have reason to suspect that you are favoring him, Your Excellency." The prince was already very dissatisfied, and he looked at the marshal with a straight face, "If you think his approach is acceptable, then you have no reason to accuse me so harshly." ”

"Who else thinks the same way?" The marshal raised his hand and pointed at the prince.

No one answered, as if they had all become idols of clay and wood carvings.

Indeed, this has already involved factional struggles within the army, and everyone must weigh their own ability to withstand the marshal's wrath before interjecting.

What's more, in the hearts of others, it is indeed understood that Colonel Lucien-Leflair and his troops have indeed done their best, and are secretly dissatisfied with the actions of His Royal Highness.

In this atmosphere, the prince, who had been full of hope, was stunned to find that there was no one to echo his words, that is, they silently chose neutrality. And in this situation, neutrality is already on the side of the marshal.

"Is there anything else to say?" With a grim smile, the marshal continued to press the Prince, "Your Highness, you must face your responsibilities. ”

"I ...... I'm just for the empire, and everything I do is for the empire! The prince finally couldn't bear it anymore, and directly stood up and shouted to the marshal, "You only think about fighting, fighting, attacking, attacking, making so many excellent soldiers fall in a pool of blood, and now you still want to stretch out your hand to our guards!" Haven't you thought that they are the pillars that hold the dynasty together! When I left France, His Majesty told me that this force was the essence of our empire, and that I must do everything in my power not to let it be defected, and that all my judgments were made on the premise of one thing, and I do not think you have the right to accuse me! ”

In the silence of the crowd, the prince roared loudly, and it was evident that he had been really angry when his dignity had been violated.

All he got with his roar was silence, no one spoke, including Marshal Tréville.

When he had finished speaking, the prince exhaled heavily, and suddenly felt a moment of unease in the boss, he looked at the marshal, and then sat down nervously.

"Well, you're right, you're the Prince, and your judgment may indeed be based on your Majesty's instructions......" After everything had calmed down, Field Marshal Tréville spoke unhurriedly, "Yes, but even so, I will temporarily deprive you of your command, and I hope that Your Majesty will give me clear instructions at your disposal, and I will not be able to work with you until His Majesty's instructions come, Your Highness!" ”

"Well, if you have to, then I have nothing to say." The prince sighed.

He understood that, however correct his motives, he had already broken with Field Marshal Tréville, and that his hesitation would indeed become a stain. Under such circumstances, His Majesty the Emperor could not have acted as if nothing had happened, and he would have been punished or even recalled to France.

Hmph, Lao Tzu didn't want to stay in this ghost place for a long time, and he will return to China when he returns to China! He thought indignantly, and for a moment he even suddenly felt extremely nostalgic for his life in Paris.

…………………………

It was not until after dark that the fierce meeting of the French high command came to an end, and the storm inside the camp was no less than the wind and snow howling outside the camp.

However, when everyone left the headquarters, Marshal Trevier, who had been furious, quickly calmed down, as if the previous anger had vanished in an instant.

Or rather, he wasn't so angry in the first place.

This offensive was launched by him in order to respond to domestic demand, and he himself did not have the confidence to win in his own heart, so when the offensive only achieved a few results and faced an unsustainable dilemma, he also ordered the offensive to be stopped.

Although the failure of the offensive would have caused disappointment at home, compared to the previous Marshal Raglan, he had achieved results and the losses were not so staggering. In addition, bad weather is also a good excuse, and people cannot deny these negative factors.

However, he soon discovered that he could easily use this defeat as an excuse for his rage, and use the failure of the offensive to shift the blame to Prince Joseph-Bonaparte, who was ineffective in battle.

He doesn't deny that the other party's idea may indeed be justified, but that doesn't prevent him from passing the blame, which is a bonus.

With the special status of the prince, and the superior position of the guards under his command, after he came to the battlefield in the Crimea, he always gave the marshal a sense of threat, and now he took this opportunity to deprive the prince of his command in one fell swoop, and even took the opportunity to attack the prestige of the prince and the entire Bonaparte family within the army, and also to protect his confidant Lucien Leflaire.

It was with this thought in mind that he rarely became angry in his life and denounced a prince in front of everyone.

As he said, the military is not just a military, it is a kind of politics, and with decades of experience, he has masterfully manipulated it all, for himself and for the greater good of the Tréville family.

Just as the marshal was about to fall asleep with a rare good mood recently, a news suddenly reached his camp, which made him feel at rock bottom in an instant.

The commander of the British army, Field Marshal Raglan, who had been a deputy to the Duke of Wellington for many years, had just died.