Surrounded by a large group of officers, the two commanders of the French and British armies arrived at a temporary French camp on the Gallipoli Peninsula. The cooks in the pen ~ fun ~ pavilion www.biquge.info barracks had prepared a sumptuous lunch for this group of officers according to the marshal's previous richness, and after the two marshals were seated, the reception banquet held by the French for the British on Turkish soil also officially began.

Before coming, the initial dispute between the two commanders had made the generals of these two countries suspect that the two commanders-in-chief would fight, but the strange thing is that although both of them were furious just now, they both calmed down again when they arrived at the banquet, smiling and talking with each other, and from time to time they made a few jokes to each other, and the speed of the meal was also very fast, and they seemed to be in good spirits, and did not look old at all for the age of sixty or seventy.

They had just had some tentative thoughts about each other, but soon saw in each other's tough answers that there was no doubt about their determination, so that they had a little more sympathy for each other between their old rivals, and now they no longer quarreled - in the final analysis, their disputes were not due to personal grudges, but only to give their own armies the upper hand in front of each other, and since neither side could help the other, they had to unite as much as possible.

Under the gaze of everyone, the two commanders picked up their glasses and touched each other, and then shouted a toast in unison.

"Cheers to Her Majesty the Queen!"

"Cheers to His Majesty the Emperor!"

At this time, the generals also picked up their wine glasses and joined the toasting crowd.

After the cultivation of the fine Bordeaux wines, the two commanders and the generals of the two armies became a little smoky, and the atmosphere here became more enthusiastic under the catalysis of alcohol.

"Thank God and Your Majesty that I may once again appreciate the glorious moments in the twilight of my life." At this point, Baron Raglan spoke again, "I am glad that I will have the opportunity to prove to the Russians that the Britons will not be afraid of any challenge. ”

"All I can say is that this moment is too late, and the civilized world should have banded together to deal with the insatiable polar bears." Field Marshal Tréville calmly commented, "It is fortunate that now everyone has finally woken up and seen what we need to do to defend Europe, and I hope that God will continue to bless us so that the two of us can fulfill our task with honor." ”

"Even for the Duke of Wellington, I will do whatever it takes to complete this task, because the British army is the treasure he has given me." Baron Raglan picked up his glass and poured himself another sip of wine, "I must do my duty to guard this treasure so that this treasure of all its might not be damaged." ”

There is no doubt that he has something to say, no matter how you look at it, it seems that he is continuing the controversy just now, indicating that he will never obey the instructions of the French, and will insist on the independence of the British army command, but compared with just now, his tone has been much relaxed, and he no longer has the aggressive momentum just now.

"Our Imperial Majesty has entrusted me with so many young Frenchmen, and this is also an invaluable trust, and I cannot fail his trust, I must bring back as many people as possible while achieving victory, and both goals are equally important to me."

"Well, it looks like none of us have anything to do with anyone." Baron Raglan shrugged, "That's a bit tricky. ”

Although they have upheld the dignity of their own armies, they have also made the command and coordination of the coalition forces a big problem -- if the two sides fight separately and fight according to their own plans, then they will certainly not be able to give full play to the maximum capabilities of the coalition forces, so what is the point of forming a coalition army?

After a long silence, Marshal Tréville looked at each other inquiringly. "So, a few staff officers on each side of us will form a joint staff meeting, and then these staff officers will draw up a plan and present it to the two of us for review, until we both approve it, and then the armies of the two countries will carry out the operation according to their respective tasks?"

"I think your proposal is excellent." Baron Raglan pondered for a moment, then nodded in agreement with the marshal.

There is no doubt that such an enforcement process will reduce efficiency and create problems of communication and coordination between the two militaries, but it is the safest thing to do politically.

The two armies jointly draw up plans and then submit them to their respective commanders-in-chief for approval, and there is no reason for domestic opinion on either side to say that their armies are being driven by foreigners to become cannon fodder for their allies - and this is the accusation that these generals fear most from behind. They would rather shed more blood in the front than be seen as traitors in the rear.

"If we can, I hope we have similar military coordination as soon as possible." Seeing that Baron Raglan was finally convinced, Marshal Tréville's mood became more relaxed, "Time is of the essence for us, and we should not waste them on quarrels anymore." ”

"Okay, I agree with you." Baron Raglan drank the wine from his glass, "Now that we are in Gallipoli, Bulgaria and Moldova are at hand, and the Russians are there now, I think we should set off to meet them at once...... Their Danube regiments are marching on Europe, and we must stop them. ”

Since the start of the war against Turkey, Russia has launched an attack on the two principalities of Moldova and Wallachia, and now a large number of Russian army corps have crossed the border into the territory of these two principalities, and the Turkish army is basically unstoppable in the face of the Russian army, which has long been prepared and superior in numbers, and they can only give up the field battle, shrink the main forces into some fortresses, and prepare to rely on these fortresses to delay time and wait for changes in the international situation - it is clear that the Anglo-French army marched into Russia, It's the change they want.

Baron Raglan had just said that he did not want to be controlled by the French army, and now he immediately encouraged the French army to land in the Balkans, which naturally displeased Marshal Treville, but he did not want to discourage his allies, but thought it was a good thing. "We must land in the Balkans to meet these Russians - but we must also consider the possibility of their retreat, after all, the Russians must have preferred to meet us on their soil, and they have mountains and rivers to rely on......"

"If the Russians really want to be so cowardly, then I'm a little disappointed!" Baron Raglan replied coldly, apparently not without consideration for this question, "If they do flee back, we will attack their native hinterland directly, and we must force them to fight us until the decisive battle." ”

"So have you chosen your next step?" Field Marshal Trevier replied tentatively.

"In the best-case scenario, we will try to land directly in Odessa," Baron Raglan did not have the idea of keeping it secret from the marshal, "I would like to ask your opinion. ”

"If everything could be so good...... Of course I'll be happy, but I don't think the enemy will leave us much of a chance in Odessa. The marshal replied cautiously, "so we can undoubtedly test it, but it would be better to make some other plans first." ”

Baron Raglan's plan did not surprise the marshal, in fact, for the coalition forces, the best landing place is Odessa, if they can land here, it is possible to cause the Russian army to suffer the greatest losses, because this is the supply base of the Russian army entering the territory of Turkey, and it is also the richest and most fertile region in Ukraine, if you can occupy Odessa, you can get not only the resources of a large city, but also the granary of all Europe, It is more able to force the Russian army, which has been cut off from the supply line, to return to the country and fight a decisive battle with the coalition forces in a lost position.

However, it is clear that as long as His Majesty the Tsar and his military staff are not stupid, they will certainly be able to see the great risks of the rear of the front-line army after the coalition forces have mastered the sea power, so they will definitely do their best to strengthen the defense of the Odessa region, even if they weaken the rest of the city, they will defend Odessa, so even if the coalition forces have the absolute initiative, a direct landing seems unlikely - at most they can only try, but no one will expect much.

"I agree with you, in fact we also don't think the tsar will give us much of a chance." Baron Raglan was very good at speaking this time, "But we can try, and if it doesn't work, we will land in the Crimea and seek a decisive battle with the Tsar there." ”

The marshal did not answer, but continued to look at the baron, as if waiting for his explanation.

"Crimea is the central part of Ukraine, the main passage for control of the Black Sea, and more importantly there is a fortress where a large number of Russians are stationed—" Baron Raglan replied word for word if we could threaten the Russians there, "and the Tsar will not endure this humiliation if we can threaten the Russians there, and they will do everything they can to send troops over to fight us in a decisive battle, and then we can defeat them and force him to make peace with us...... The road to victory is over. ”

Under the gaze of the baron, Marshal Tréville listened to his narration in silence, and then, suddenly, he smiled slightly, and looked at the commander with some respect.

"Wonderfully, I coincide with you at all, and I intend to do the same, the first goal is Odessa, the secondary goal is the Crimea, both of which can make the tsar's heart ache and, more importantly, be able to play our superiority at sea."

"I'm glad that at least at the beginning, our thinking was completely compatible......" Seeing that there was no need to quarrel with the French on the first day, Baron Raglan also breathed a sigh of relief, "In that case, let's make plans for our joint operations according to this basic strategy." ”

"I personally suggest that before making a plan, it would be better for the combined Anglo-French fleet to make the most basic test of the defense of Odessa." Marshal Trever said unhurriedly, "If Odessa is empty and weak, then we will land directly in Odessa, and if not, at least we can let this port suffer losses that are difficult to recover, so that the Russians will remember the lesson we gave." ”

Baron Raglan froze for a moment, then looked at the naval officers next to him, who all nodded their heads in a sign that they were eager to strike at the Russians as soon as possible.

As the ruler of the oceans on Earth at this time, the pride and dignity of the Royal Navy certainly did not allow them to back down in the face of such a challenge.

"In order to show this coalition operation, I think it can be left to the British." Field Marshal Tréville looked full of sincerity, "Of course, during this time, our French fleet has not done nothing, we have quite a few ships sweeping over the Black Sea for a long time, they are already familiar with the situation on the Black Sea and the coast, I advise you to cooperate with them in the shelling......"

Baron Raglan consulted with his admirals again, but Marshal Tréville was at ease, knowing that the English would not be unappreciative of such an indication.

"If that's your opinion......" Sure enough, after only a moment, Baron Raglan nodded, "I have to say that you are a very good general, Your Excellency Marshal, and I am full of confidence in our future cooperation." ”

================================

In order to implement the strategy discussed by the two commanders-in-chief, a large number of army officers and soldiers walked out of the barracks, ready to enter the transport ships again, and landed in Bulgaria to meet the Russian army deep into the territory of Turkey, and the sea power of the two countries was even more imposing, directly through the strait into the Black Sea, and then pressed towards the port of Odessa.

The weather was quite good today, and the Black Sea, which had always been overcast, was now clear, and after a thin cloud, the sun selflessly sprinkled its rays like golden cream on the white sails, and cast its blessings on these human creations, and as far as the eye could see, this fleet was lined up in a majestic formation on the sea, as if it were an armed parade.

They were indeed full of self-confidence, since the two countries began to continuously assemble fleets in the strait, the Russian Black Sea Fleet, which was already alone and technologically backward, did not dare to kill itself in the face of the combined fleets of Britain and France, so they withdrew from the west coast of the Black Sea long ago, hid in safe areas such as Sevastopol and the Sea of Azov, and gave up control of the Black Sea without resistance.

Under such circumstances, the combined British and French fleet, which was seeking a decisive battle with the Russian fleet, could only vent its high war spirit elsewhere.

After several hours of sailing, when the sun began to set slowly from the top of the sky, the fleet rushed beyond the port of Odessa.

Since the outbreak of the war, this busy commercial port has been silent, as if it were an empty city, but this is of course only an illusion - since the outbreak of the war, the Tsar was well aware of the importance of Odessa, so the tsar gave it to General Osstein Saken, and there were a large number of troops stationed here, and Odessa itself had its own defenses, and it had forts on both sides of the port, which had been carefully designed and repaired, and had dozens of cannons capable of firing twenty-four or forty-eight pounds, enough to resist their imaginary enemy of Turkey.

However, to the surprise of the original designers, the current enemy was not Turkey, but from two of the most powerful countries in Western Europe, and their ships had cannons more powerful and long-range than the cannons on the batteries, enough to deal the most severe blows to these batteries.

Approaching the distance of the battery, close to its maximum range, the fleet slowed down and remained silent, while the commander of the fleet, Admiral Dundas of the Royal Navy, was standing on the deck of his battleship Roland, observing the situation on the other side with a telescope.

On the opposite side of the telescope was the peninsula deep into the ocean and the forts above, these forts were covered by breastworks, so he couldn't see the specific defense deployment clearly, but judging from the shining muzzles, these cannons were already in full array, although Gu Ying couldn't see how many people there were, but they must have been ready for battle.

Next to the admiral was a large group of allied warships, and among these warships, one of them was the battleship "Princess Charlotte" under the command of Major Eugène de Treville, who was carefully observing the situation of the enemy on the opposite side as he had done in the previous battle, but the difference was that this time there was an extra person standing beside him.

"We have already drawn the specific maps, and the location and firepower of the batteries are also marked on them, so you can follow these maps to guide the shelling." Kong Ze whispered to Eugène, "When the fort has been suppressed, please lead them into the bay, and then ...... You can sweep away all the warehouses and arsenals on the shore, and destroy as many as you can......"

"I see." Eugène calmly responded.

Since the last time he received the order from his uncle, he understood his mission, and for him, it was an opportunity to serve his country and his family at the same time, and he certainly did not want to be left behind.

And this time, after a special request from Marshal Tréville, the entire fleet will also use the Princess Charlotte as a guide ship to coordinate the shelling of this port.

His battleship firepower was weak, and only a few heavy guns could deal a blow to the opposing side, but the firepower of the other ships was fierce and sufficient to suppress the enemy's batteries, so he was full of confidence.

Just as Eugène was still patiently observing and checking the map, an order for the flag suddenly came from the flagship.

He immediately ordered his battleship to prepare for a bombardment, and at the shouts of the officers on board, the whole battleship seemed to be suddenly energized, and the two decks also shook, and one cannon after another stretched out from the cannon doors, ready to pour fire and steel on the opposite target.

These battleships, full of huge sails, turned almost at the same moment the moment they saw the flag, and then followed a regular course around the battery, their sides already aimed at the opposite battery, ready to attack at any moment.

Then, after completing the final deployment, the battleships faced the opposite battery and began a silent confrontation, as if they were looking at the giant's children from afar.

Then, as if in an instant, a large number of flashes of light accompanied by a thunderous roar resounded throughout the sky and the sea, and the violent and harmonious shaking caused the ships to shake rhythmically at the same time.

"Bang!"

A loud bang echoed across the sea, and the screeching cannonballs fired from hundreds of cannons flew mercilessly towards the giants on the other side, and then smashed into the breastwork and the ground.

The artillery on the turret began to roar, but because the range of the cannon was shorter than that of the Allied naval guns, the shells fell into the water one after another, causing no damage to the Allied fleet.

Seeing that they were in such a superior position, the coalition fleet was even more excited, and the sailors on all ships were desperately reloading their cannons, and these high-explosive shells bombarded the opposite battery without any scruples, bringing a terrible shock that made the heavens and the earth tremble......

Soon, the batteries had lost the power to fight back, and although there were still many brave gunners who continued to fire, they could no longer pose any threat.

Eugène took the binoculars and looked at the looming warehouses and houses in the harbor, these people who could not move were already lambs who could not resist at this time, as long as the fleet drove in, the whole port was like a hard-boiled egg with its shell peeled, waiting for the baptism of blood and fire.

"Then blow them all up!" He shouted out loud.