Eagle’s Glory

Under the sunny and clear sky, Aegron marched towards Mesolonghi with his own army.

This army is well-organized, and its morale is high because of the previous victories. From the officers to the soldiers, everyone thinks that the next victory will definitely belong to them.

After setting off from Nafpaktos, they traveled more than half of the distance of dozens of kilometers. After two days, the army could already see the outline of the fortress on the front of Messolonghi.

Along the way, they encountered a small group of enemy troops, but as Major Hench had expected, they did not make any resistance at all, but fled directly to the rear.

Obviously, these troops are only used to detect the enemy's situation. Their real intention is to retreat to the fortress, then rely on the fortified city to hold on, and then wait for the arrival of reinforcements.

Although he fully understood the other party's intentions, at this time Aigron could only act according to the plan.

At noon that day, they were outside the city of Messolonghi almost without firing a shot.

Under Aigron's orders, the advancing army stopped at a high ground a few kilometers away from Mesolonghi, and then camped on the spot. Then he sent people to sweep the surrounding area, while spying on the movement inside the fortress.

At this time, not only him, but almost everyone in this temporary camp was observing the opposite fort with binoculars or naked eyes.

Aegron stood on the high ground and carefully observed the fort with a telescope.

Strictly speaking, Messolonghi is a peninsula deep into the bay, showing a conical shape, only the solitary east side is the front connected to the land, and then blocked with walls and fortresses.

In other directions, there is an endless sea, with only some sandbars and small islands scattered around the fortress.

Such a terrain means that the defensive pressure of the defenders will be greatly reduced, and it was also the biggest reliance on which the Greek insurgents could repel the Turkish army many times at that time.

It is indeed a solid fortress... No wonder it was able to create such a prominent reputation before.

But now, this fortress has fallen into the hands of the Turks, and the difficulties they faced at that time have instead become a problem for Egron.

But despite all the difficulties, Aigron is not without confidence.

first,

The Turks are unpopular in Greece, and the massacre they launched in Messolonghi cut off the possibility of them getting any help from the locals. On the contrary, they can get the sincere support of all the local Greeks under the banner of liberating Greece.

Secondly, he had already severely damaged the defenders in the siege of Nafpaktos before, and the connection with the Turkish army has also been cut off. These defenders will inevitably fall into a situation of isolation and help, and their morale will definitely be severely affected The attack will definitely not have the fearless spirit of the previous Greek uprising army.

Many battles in history have already proved that no matter how strong the fortress and defense line are, if the defenders have no morale and courage, they will only be reduced to decorations.

And the same history has long proved that Ottoman Turkey at this time is strong outside but has become the sick man of Europe. Its army is as decadent and weak as its politics. It may still show some blood and courage when defending its own homeland. , but when fighting outside the homeland, they can't show any outstanding performance at all.

It is precisely because of this that he is so confident that he must let himself gnaw on this hard bone.

No matter what, now that we have taken this step, we must finish the rest of the road.

Now, what he needs most is a clear plan, and if he wants to formulate such a plan, he must get clear information—and this information cannot come from himself or people around him, only Energy comes from those who fought and fought here.

And Egron also believed that in the city of Mesolonghi, there must be many eyes full of hatred or fear staring at him and his army at this time. They will also try their best to fight against themselves, so that their army will return without success.

It is conceivable that the flames of war will inevitably burn between the two parties in the near future, but at this moment, everything seems to be so peaceful.

At dusk, he called several of his confidants into his tent and held a small military meeting.

After they took their seats one by one, Aigron carefully observed their expressions, and found that everyone looked dignified, and they were no longer as relaxed as when they just started.

Obviously, after seeing the terrain and defense facilities of the Mesolonghi Fortress, their original high enthusiasm has been cooled down by reason.

"Everyone, Messolonghi is right in front of us." After the personnel arrived, Egron spoke first, "For us, taking it is of extraordinary significance-I believe that before we set off, you have already I understand this. Now I want to ask you, is there any way for our army to capture it as soon as possible?"

After his words fell, there was another silence in the tent. It was obvious that everyone present had no good idea now.

Everyone looked at each other, and finally everyone's eyes fell on the Supreme Commander Michel Ney.

Michelle Ney was clearly on pins and needles, but under everyone's gaze, he had to speak reluctantly.

"Your Majesty, after seeing it with my own eyes, I have to admit that it is stronger than I imagined before. Its terrain is superior and its defense facilities are quite complete. It is definitely not easy to capture—especially, we are now There is also a lack of heavy artillery, and it is difficult to destroy their fortifications..."

The more he talked, the lower his voice became, obviously lacking in confidence.

As the supreme commander of the entire army except Aigron, Michel Ney knew that he shouldered a huge responsibility, so he was very unwilling to take unnecessary risks and sacrifices, and he was even more unwilling to forcefully launch an attack regardless of casualties.

He knew that although his own troops may be more than the defenders in the fort at this time, such a small force advantage cannot overcome the defensive advantages brought by the fort facilities; in addition, he lacks heavy firepower and it is difficult to destroy these fortifications.

"You lack confidence?" Aigron asked the other party directly.

"Your Majesty, my judgment of the situation comes from objective reality, not from blind fanaticism, so you can't expect me to be full of confidence every time." Michel Ney admitted in a tactful way I really lack confidence.

As if afraid of being accused of cowardice by Aigron, he immediately explained to himself, "Please don't misunderstand, I have already sworn to be your heart and soul, and I am absolutely not afraid of going to the front, but I think our soldiers are your precious property, It should not be spent pointlessly on futile consumption--soldiers will die generously if they know that their death will open the way to victory for you, but if they know that they die only for the sake of Add rotten dirt to the trenches, and they'll lose all enthusiasm—"

From the other party's words, Aigron heard that after seeing the situation of the Mesolonghi Fortress with his own eyes, he doubted whether he could win.

"Like you, I don't want my soldiers to bleed in vain, and that's why I use you people—your duty is to help me win the victory with the least number of casualties." Aigron looked at the other party, and then Ask, "Michelle, tell me, how do you feel confident enough to take it?"

Under Egron's gaze, Michel Ney hesitated for a moment, and finally replied in a low voice, "If you can give me another 10,000 people, or give me a few more months, I am confident that I can win it for you." .”

"It is impossible for me to recruit another 10,000 people for you in a short time. Although I have already asked our Greek allies for help, they certainly cannot spare so many people. They can send me one or two thousand people." I am thankful..." Aigron shook his head regretfully, "Besides, I can't give you a few months, the Russians are about to start a war against Turkey, and I can't let the halo of the victor fade away from me. Move to him again, and within a month I shall see Mesolongion fall into my hands!"

"In this case...then I can only ask you to give me a little more time." Michelle Ney lowered his head, as if he didn't dare to look directly at Aigron anymore. "let me try."

In his heart, he felt that His Majesty's request was a bit overwhelming, but he didn't dare to say it in person, so his face became a little ugly.

And after seeing his face, Aigron probably guessed what he was thinking in his heart.

Seeing that his number one general behaved like this, he felt a little disappointed, so he turned his head to look at the others, only to find that everyone no longer responded eagerly to him as usual, but avoided their eyes one after another. Dare to look directly at yourself.

Now he understood that almost everyone present had the same idea as Michel Ney, and felt that there was little hope of winning Messolonghi in a short period of time.

Seeing their behavior like this, Aigron couldn't help feeling a little anxious, but he also knew that this was a normal reaction.

After a moment of silence, he spoke again. "Everyone, since we met on the island of Monte Cristo, you have been following me for a long time. You should all know that I am by no means a person who gets hot-headed easily. All my strategic decisions are made after careful consideration. It was put into practice.”

Then, he stood up directly, and pointed to the map on the table, "You can understand without me saying too much, as long as we take down here, we can clear a large area of ​​enemies and put them on the ground." In our pockets, this will be the biggest harvest since we landed, and this victory will surely make us famous all over the world!"

After impassionedly speaking of its great significance, he took the initiative to lower his tone, "Yes, I admit that Messolonghi is a dangerous peak. It is not easy to climb over it. It is strong and tenacious, and it has geographical advantages. There have been brilliant achievements before, these are the reasons that make you feel difficult; but don't forget that at this moment we are fighting for a just cause, we have beaten them all once, it is us They are forced to never dare to fight us again, and can only hide and shiver in the tortoise shell, and it is they who are afraid, not us!"

As if to increase his persuasiveness, he slapped the table heavily, "Mesolongion looks solid, but it's just a broken house. As long as we kick it hard, it will definitely collapse. !"

Under his hoarse shouting, the atmosphere in the tent finally became more enthusiastic, and the dignified expressions of the officers also began to loosen.

If other people say such things, they may only regard them as meaningless empty talk, but during this period of time, Egron has established prestige in their hearts because of his victories, so under his mobilization, the short-term Guilt is indeed enough to make these people take courage and ignite the desire to win.

Seeing that his mobilization before the battle had an effect, Aigron finally felt a little more comfortable.

He looked again at Michelle Ney.

"Michelle, you launch a tentative attack as soon as possible. I want to show some Turks our courage and determination."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Now that Egron had already said this, Michelle Ney could only bite the bullet and agree.

"Give me a few days, and I will arrange for the soldiers to dig trenches and wait until they are close before launching an attack. At that time, the artillery will also coordinate together to see how the effect is..."

"Okay, so be it." Aigron nodded, finally agreeing with the other party's arrangement.

Seeing that his proposal had finally passed, Michelle Ney also secretly heaved a sigh of relief.

But even so, he was still apprehensive, not sure about the effect of the next attack.

For Aigron, although this meeting did not satisfy him, it was enough to at least temporarily unify his thoughts.

He had to find a way to boost the morale of his men before they all started to retreat; but at the same time, he didn't want to push too hard now and make everyone feel like he was dominating others.

He also knows that officers are the backbone of the army and the guarantee of combat effectiveness. If even the top officers under him have doubts, then the outcome of the next battle will be doomed.

And he himself knew that it was definitely the most stupid way to simply attack from the front like the Turks, because he didn't have so many troops and time to consume.

If Messolonghion can be taken at a terrible cost, then all his plans will be meaningless.

So, what better way did he find to open the door to victory.

While he was sitting in the tent thinking hard, his guard finally told him a piece of good news—his loyal subordinate, Count of Monte Cristo Edmund Dantès, asked to see him.