In the cool breeze of a summer morning, the Gallipoli Peninsula welcomes a new sunrise. Pen, fun, and www.biquge.info

It is a long and narrow peninsula that juts out from the European continent into the Mediterranean, and together with the land of Asia Minor, it creates a narrow entrance. At this time, the sea is calm, and only the rhythmic sound of waves crashing against the shore is constantly heard.

The waves crashed against the reef and the sand, splashing a few feet high in white and crystal water, and then reluctantly retreating, sweeping again and again without stopping, leaving patches of silvery white foam on the beach, and the mist filled the sea, enveloping everything in an illusory realm, as if concentrating eternity in this moment.

But soon, this calm was shattered.

In the mist, a fleet loomed, a large fleet surrounded by a large group of warships, and in the middle were transport ships, in which their figures were vaguely tangled together, and seemed to cover the entire sea.

As the sun rose in the sky, the fog gradually dissipated, and the full view of this huge fleet was finally clearly visible in the sunlight, and their long journey had come to an end for the time being.

On this narrow peninsula, the transports cut through the fog, slowly emerging their silhouettes in the shadows, and then slowly approached the shore before finally coming to a halt.

Originally, this beach was not a port, and it was difficult to carry the docks of the fleet, but after the efforts of the previous workers, a temporary trestle had been erected on the sea, and the warships gave way to the sea, and the transport ships with a deep draft slowly docked to the trestle.

Then, the transport ships docked in the front row lowered the ladder, and the soldiers inside, who were already ready to go, walked out of it in a neat queue when they were inspected. After they got off the boat, they crossed the boardwalk to the shore and assembled, and then readjusted their formation under the orders of the officers on the shore.

After these soldiers, the transport ship loaded with a large amount of supplies and ordnance also began to approach the shore, and under the orders of the officers, the soldiers who had already disembarked helped the transport ship unload the goods and move the supplies off the ship.

In the midst of this busyness, the warships of this fleet also docked to the shore and quietly looked at the calm sea in front of them.

On the flagship battleship Napoleon, Field Marshal Tréville, commander-in-chief of the expeditionary forces, stood on the deck, holding a telescope, calmly looking at everything in front of him.

His gaze wandered over the soldiers and transport ships on the beach, and then fell to the narrow waterway on the side of the Gallipoli Peninsula. After many days of sailing, the advance fleet of the French Expeditionary Force finally reached the Turkish soil, where they were to assemble and prepare for the battle on the Black Sea coast.

Just enter the Dardanelles, which is only a kilometer or two from this narrowest place, and then cross the waterways of the Sea of Marmara, and then cross the Borprarus Strait on the other side of the continent, and you will come to the Black Sea, to the place where they are destined to fight the Russians.

It is very desolate, with cliffs all around, leaving only a short sandy beach for the expeditionary force to land, and in the distance you can see some small Turkish buildings, which are neat and unassuming, and have a touch of exoticism that is different from that of Europe.

Looking back from here, the glorious city of Constantinople – now called Istanbul, which unfortunately is now called Istanbul – at the junction of East and West, is in sight.

Since the fall of Constantinople in 1453, it would be the first European army to cross the strait.

However, this army has come to save the country that has destroyed the holy city of Christen.

But what a great thing it is! The old man sighed in his heart.

Surrounded by the old marshal was a group of soldiers in army and navy uniforms, all of whom were in high spirits, dressed in fine costumes, and clearly confident in the next career.

"We are here at last, Marshal." A middle-aged man with a dazzling medal on his chest whispered in the marshal's ear, "May the Turks welcome us!" ”

He was about forty years old, with a dignified appearance, a thick beard, and he looked energetic.

His name was Michel-Louis Felix Ney and he was a general in the French Army.

The mere surname of Ney speaks for himself - he was the son of Marshal Ney, whom was particularly valued during the lifetime of Emperor Napoleon, and inherited his title as Duke of Elchingen.

In the era of complete victory in his military career, Marshal Ney once followed His Majesty the Emperor in the southern and northern wars, participated in important battles one after another, and made great meritorious deeds, and received a large number of rewards - he once participated in the Russian campaign, and led his troops to break into the city of Moscow, and received the title of Prince Moscova.

However, when Napoleon's career collapsed and the anti-French coalition invaded France, Marshal Ney reversed course, persuaded His Majesty to abdicate, and immediately returned to Louis XVIII and his Restoration dynasty.

Louis XVIII encircled the former marshal who had taken refuge in him, making him commander of the military district and awarding him the highest medal of honor, but when Napoleon sneaked back to France to restore the empire, he wavered and returned to the command of His Majesty the Emperor.

Unfortunately, this time, God did not favor Napoleon again, this genius was defeated at Waterloo, and there was no chance to turn over, and several repeated Marshal Ney was also hated by Louis XVIII and the Restoration, and after a short interrogation, the dynastic government announced that he had been executed near the gardens of the Luxembourg Palace (now the Senate), but in order to preserve his dignity as a field marshal, he was allowed to order firing squads himself, and he died at the age of 46, leaving behind four sons.

His eldest son, Joseph, succeeded him as Prince of Moskova, and his second son, Michel, who inherited the title of Duke of Elchingen, were depressed during the Restoration and did not return to their careers until the time of the July Dynasty. However, it was not until their beloved leader, Louis Bonaparte, returned to France and returned to power in the country that their era finally came.

Joseph became a member of the Senate and was reinstated by His Majesty the Emperor, while the Duke of Elchingen became a general and had the ambition to carry on his father's business and bring the name Ney back to life.

Such a great battle with the Russians encouraged the Duke in two ways - first, he would finish his father's unfinished business and fight the Russians to the end; Second, he was convinced that he would make a mark in the war, becoming a field marshal again after his father.

The ambitious Duke of Elchingen was a microcosm of the military aristocracy that now dominated the French Army. From the very beginning of Napoleon I, and further from the beginning of the Revolution, the rulers of France relied extremely on the military to rule the country, whether it was the Directory or Napoleon, or Louis XVIII, or Louis Philippe, and every French ruler in these 80 years repeatedly waged war against foreign countries, so much so that it was ridiculed as "the country on the bayonet wrapped in the tricolor".

They depend on the army, and the army depends on them to seize honor, grace and rewards - in the Napoleonic era, a large number of former revolutionary soldiers were rewarded by Napoleon to become nobles, and these new military aristocrats have a greater desire to win new victories, and their juniors are very keen on the "glory" of their predecessors, and continue to want to follow the old path of their predecessors, relying on military victories to fight for personal wealth.

The army that once swept through Europe and took the revolution as its own responsibility, after the end of the revolution, after the deliberate edification of two emperors and three kings, it became a fortress again. They practiced militarism, believing that the monarchy was necessary to save the country, and that socialism was nothing more than a poison to destroy the country, and that the whole country should be built in a military and subservient order.

One of the reasons for the fall of the Bourbon Restoration and the July Dynasty was that the officers of the stalwart of the army believed that the monarch was too weak, and that the vienna system had reduced the glory of France, so they were unwilling to suppress the revolution and would rather watch them fall.

Because of this, His Majesty the Emperor swept away the restrictions imposed on France by the Vienna system, re-expanded the armament of the war, and then declared war on the Russians, which was cheered by the whole army, and this tough posture finally won him the heartfelt support of the army. Spurred on by the glory and martial prowess of the Emperor, these soldiers were all ambitious, bent on making themselves famous in history, and for the sake of their own fame and wealth, they could not hesitate to burn the flames of war to every corner of the world, and they did not even care how much such a war would benefit France itself.

And Gallipoli will be the first step in their journey.

The excitement of him and his colleagues was also felt by Marshal Treville, who, in fact, as a marquis of Emperor Napoleon, was himself part of this group of military aristocrats. Today, when the famous marshals and generals appointed by the Emperor Napoleon have withered away, the remaining old generals themselves are already one of the idols of the army and enjoy high prestige. Like his men, he was eager to accomplish what he hadn't done forty years ago.

But he knows even more that if you want to lead a large army, the most important thing is to keep a clear head at all times.

"The Turks will undoubtedly welcome us." He calmly looked ahead, then replied in a low voice, "But this welcome will undoubtedly be more verbal." ”

"What? We came to save their lives, do they dare not be happy? The Duke smiled disdainfully.

"I don't doubt their sincerity, but they are a slow-moving, dying sick man who can give us too little support." The old man put down his binoculars, then turned his head to look at his men, "We'd better not expect anything from the Turks, we have to find a way to solve all problems on our own, understand?" ”

In front of these officers, the old marshal stood erect with a solemn face, wearing a two-horned hat, and the knight of the Order of Saint-Louis, made by His Majesty the Emperor Napoleon, on his chest shone in the sun, as if it were a repetition of that great era.

"Understood." The officers replied at the same time.

"Urge, let the front speed up, transport the tents and living supplies first, and set up camp before the evening, so that the soldiers who disembark from the ship have a place to live." Under the watchful eyes of the officers, the old man calmly ordered, "Fortunately, it's summer, so we don't have to worry about the cold at night...... By the way, a search team will be sent along the coast to recruit some people to come and assist us as soon as possible, so we don't have to wait for the Turkish government. ”

"Yes, Your Excellency Marshal!" A herald saluted, then went to shore in a dinghy to convey the instructions of the commander-in-chief.

There is no doubt that the so-called requisition is to send troops to search inland, and see young men directly tied up as servants, so that they can help the expeditionary force set up camp as soon as possible.

Although Turkey is now an ally of France, it may seem inappropriate to do so, but it is a military necessity and no one disputes it.

"Your Excellency Marshal, it is estimated that the officials of the Turkish government will come over soon, how should we deal with them?" Duke Elsingen asked.

"Let's deal with the Turkish government, since we're here, we should always go to Byzantium......" A smile appeared on the old man's face, as if in a reverie for the city.

"Do you want to be there, too?" The Duke laughed, "Many of our officers want to go over and have a look...... Why don't we bring a military delegation along? The Sultan must have been happy to receive us. ”

"Constantinople can be gone at any time, now it's important to set up camp, let those young people hang out on the beach for a few days." The old marshal shook his head, "Let's go first." ”

"Yes, Your Excellency." The duke accepted his orders.

After giving one order after another, the old marshal regained his composure, picked up his binoculars again, and looked at the outline of the shadowy holy city in the distance.

"What a beautiful place...... Michelle, my ancestors went there...... Now that I'm on their footsteps again, it's really exciting. The old man's tone was full of emotion.

"Your ancestors?" The Duke was a little puzzled. "When?"

At that time, they joined the crusade and ransacked it with everyone. He brought back some of our family heirlooms, but unfortunately they were robbed during the Revolution. The old man replied with some wistfulness, "I still remember when my father explained those things to me." ”

This is the real aristocracy, the ancestors participated in the Crusades! The Duke thought with envy.