Wild North America 1846

since winter

Snow had fallen several times in the mountainous areas. In mid-February of 1855, the climate in the Crimean mountains was extremely cold, with clouds covering many days in a row, and a heavy snowstorm seemed to be brewing.

on the rugged road in the mountains

Ottoman slaves wearing sheepskin jackets were laying roads, and their pointed pickaxes hit the ground hard. The ground was frozen hard, and they could only dig out a small mud pit.

Lieutenant Colonel Fan Pengfei, commander of the 5th Division of the Expeditionary Force, was wearing an ear-covering cotton hat, fully equipped with cotton-padded clothes, and a revolver on the belt around his waist. He was leading the advance team on a trek through the mountains.

He was breathing heavily and stretched out his hand to indicate that he should take a short rest.

looking back

On the steep mountain road passing through, there were only a few Ottoman slaves working hard in the cold weather. They felled the big trees that blocked their progress, used axes to cut off the branches to cushion the narrow parts of the mountain road, and then covered them with cinders and snow.

, after it is solid, it will be able to pass through for the army.

The markings left by the advance team along the way, where should be widened? Where should be padded down, the markings are quite clear.

The 6,700 Ottoman coolies were obviously not enough. After going more than 20 kilometers into the mountainous area, it was basically difficult to see these coolies, and they were all stranded in the rear working.

Lieutenant Colonel Fan Pengfei frowned;

Now that the military situation is urgent, there is no more time to waste. From the port of Alushta to the west, crossing 71 kilometers of high mountains, you can reach the mountainous area on the west side of the Sevastopol Fortress with weak defense.

But that is a straight line distance on the map. After entering the mountainous area, the distance is more than doubled by opening roads along the towering mountains. The ice and snow trails in the mountainous area are even more rugged and difficult to navigate due to the steep mountains.

Seven mules and horses in the advance team have already fallen into the cliff. Fan Pengfei himself almost fell down several times. As a last resort, he could only take safety rope measures.

In other words, a rope is used to connect 4 to 5 soldiers together. Once there is the danger of falling off the cliff, the other soldiers crawl on the spot, which plays an extremely important preventive role.

have to say

This smart idea saved many people's lives, but it was a pity that it could not be used on large animals such as mules and horses. Once these large animals slipped off the cliff, no matter how many people were there, they would not be able to hold them back.

After careful consideration

Lieutenant Colonel Fan Pengfei issued the order with a serious expression;

"Record the order; Fan Pengfei, the advance team of the 5th Division, reported to the military headquarters that after on-site investigation, it was found that the rugged road about 20 kilometers deep into the mountainous area was barely passable after simple repairs. It is urgent to mobilize all local coolies to work forward, and the more we enter,

Deep in the mountainous area, the mountain roads become steeper and precipitous. I believe that axes, pickaxes, knives and other supplies should be immediately raised and assigned to the advance troops, and dangerous cliff roads should be built along the way to ensure the smooth passage of the follow-up army. Only rely on the local area

The coolies may not be enough, and the opportunity to fight may be wasted. This order will be sent back to the military headquarters immediately, and there must be no mistakes."

"As you command, sir."

The communications soldiers of the advance team immediately saluted solemnly, received the order, and then turned back and left.

Fan Pengfei raised his head and looked at the gloomy sky, frowning. The order issued by the coalition forces cannot be doubted, and a full-line offensive is scheduled to be launched on February 18.

Today is already February 12th, less than a week before the full-scale offensive.

It takes local shepherds three to four days to cross this mountainous area in autumn when the climate is fine. This is because they live here all year round and are familiar with the mountainous terrain.

To be more relaxed, taking into account the harsh winter weather factors, it would take at least 5 days for the entire army to cross the mountainous area.

The Fifth Division serves as the vanguard of the entire army. Commander Fan Pengfei personally leads the 107th Infantry Regiment as the vanguard of the entire division, leading the way in cutting mountains and opening roads, thus motivating the officers and soldiers of the entire division to move forward bravely.

Lieutenant Colonel Fan Pengfei knew that if he continued to climb the mountain road for more than ten kilometers, there would be a large valley area, about five or six kilometers long. There was also a surging stream along the bottom of the valley, which could be used as a temporary station for the entire army.

advance base.

Go further

You have to climb the steepest Mount Achamond, which the locals call "Pilgrim's Mountain". It is a steep mountain with an altitude of more than 1,770 meters and is also the most dangerous natural obstacle on the entire journey.

This is part of the Crimean Mountains, which is about 50 kilometers wide and 150 kilometers long. It is located at the southern end of Crimea Island, straddling the Sevastopol and Alushta regions. It is a natural place between the two places.

The barrier has been inaccessible since ancient times and the cliffs are steep and precipitous, making it a paradise for wild animals.

When the British troops were crossing the Achamond Mountains, they were suddenly hit by heavy rain and flash floods. As a result, a large number of personnel and equipment were swallowed up by the flash floods, causing heavy losses and having to return without success.

Now, with this precipitous mountain peak lying in front of us, the expeditionary force from the Tang Kingdom must level the mountain, climb over the dangerous peaks, overcome many difficulties, reach the designated starting point for the attack, and cooperate with their allies to defeat the stubborn Tsarist Russian defenders.

Think of this

Lieutenant Colonel Fan Pengfei had a determined look in his eyes. He raised his arms and shouted to the long team behind him, "Brothers, please use more strength and climb over the mountain in front and down to the valley. Then everyone can take a breath. There will be no difficulty."

If we can stop our 5th Division from continuing to advance, the 5th Division is mighty."

"The 5th Division is mighty!"

"If you advance, never retreat, use me in the first battle."

Encouraged by the division commander, the officers and soldiers of the 107th Regiment shouted excitedly in unison, passing in front of Commander Fan Pengfei one after another and embarking on the rugged trail.

on steep roads

The officers and soldiers of the 107th Regiment drilled blast holes, cut down trees, built bridges across streams, and quickly opened up a road over the mountains, extending deep into the mountains...

three days later

Port of Alushta

The second batch of large expeditionary forces that arrived here were densely packed at the pier. Due to the urgent military situation on the front line and time constraints, the soldiers who had just disembarked from the ship took a short rest and then marched deep into the mountains in formation.

From the dock to the town, there was a long stretch of hundreds of large, steaming iron pots on the roadside. Next to the big iron pots were piles of flour cakes like a hill, for the soldiers to take.

Beef and mutton soup was boiling in the large tumbling iron pot, and the aroma made people salivate. The soldiers who had just disembarked from the ship could take a mouthful of hot soup and eat it with pancakes to fill their bellies.

Arrived at the front

Each soldier can receive a cloth bag, which contains 14 pieces of bread and a small amount of salted meat and fish. This is the soldier's ration for the next week. Food supplies can only be obtained after crossing the mountainous area.

Some soldiers were very experienced and carried a few extra pieces of bread in their arms. Other soldiers followed suit and tried to bring as much food as possible.

The officers turned a blind eye to this. Since Alushta is located in the coastal port area, the supply of supplies is very convenient. It is not as difficult to supply as our own positions deep in the enemy's territory in the Sevastopol theater, so the soldiers can take it freely.

As long as you can carry it, nothing is a problem.

Major General Duan Debiao, commander of the corps, stood on the hills outside the city with a serious look on his face, looking at the advancing army holding high flags and heading deep into the mountains. There was no end in sight, and the long queue stretching for more than 10 kilometers was extremely spectacular.

From time to time he looked up at the cloudy sky, his face filled with worry.

What are you really afraid of? What's coming?

Today is already February 15th, and more than 18,000 forward troops are crossing Mount Achamond. The news coming from the front is not optimistic.

until yesterday

During the climb, more than 300 mules and horses and more than 140 soldiers had fallen into the deep cliff, which made the advance of the forward troops more difficult and seriously hindered the speed of the entire army.

Seeing that the weather has been gloomy for many days, according to local descriptions, the mountainous areas may usher in rare heavy snowstorms, which will be no less than a heavy blow to the expeditionary force.

Major General Duan Debiao could only pray secretly in his heart that this snowstorm would come later!

Even if it is delayed by two or three days, it would be really thankful to God if most of the expeditionary force can successfully cross Mount Achamond.

The 5th Division of the Forward Army at the forefront has been deep in the mountainous area for three days. Today, most of it should cross the Achamond Mountain and enter the western mountainous area where the Russian army is weakly defended.

By tomorrow evening

The more than 18,000 men in the vanguard, including the 5th and 6th Divisions of the 2nd Division, were supposed to break through Mount Achamond and survive the most difficult moment.

The later this blizzard comes, the better it will be for the expeditionary force.

"Report to Commander, the three most experienced old men in the town have been brought here. According to what they said, this snowstorm should fall in the next two days. The specific time depends on the wind strength along the coast."

An officer came forward with three local old men with white beards and hair, raised their hands in a military salute and reported.

His report made Major General Duan Debiao's heart sink. He looked at Major General James Kahn beside him with a solemn face. Both of them had ugly faces.

If what the locals say is true, then the expeditionary force is in big trouble.

The Russian troops in the Sevastopol Fortress were not just two or three large and small troops, but an army of more than 130,000 people. Based on the steep mountains, the fortress bastions and city walls faced off against the coalition forces.

The battle, which was originally planned to take six weeks, has now dragged on for nine months with no outcome determined. Both sides suffered more than 500,000 casualties. It was a bloody battle with corpses everywhere and rivers of blood flowing.

Nowadays, the coalition forces, relying on their artillery superiority and minion rifle superiority, have been suppressing the Russian army in frontal confrontations, at the cost of consuming millions of artillery shells and countless bullets.

But the Russian army was not a vegetarian. In a dense formation, the Russian army launched an overwhelming hand-to-hand combat, repelling the attacks of the British and French forces time and time again.

As long as there is a piece of black bread, the serf soldiers of Tsarist Russia who came from the ice and snow are like tough animals, enduring huge casualties and sticking to the trenches, like nails without taking a step back.

With only the 18,000 troops of the forward army, it is difficult to tear through the Tsarist Russian position that is like cowhide paste.

Once the Russian army reacts, the Russian army fighting on the inside can quickly concentrate its forces to counterattack ferociously. The 18,000 troops invested in the front line are very likely to be trapped in a tight encirclement, and eventually they will run out of ammunition and food, and the entire army will be annihilated.

This damn blizzard came at the wrong time. Once the snowstorm raged, it blocked the subsequent investment of troops by the expeditionary force, and the 18,000 troops invested in the front line became a lonely force.

The problem is that the all-out offensive planned by the Allied High Command to be launched on the Crimean battlefield on February 18 has been communicated to all coalition forces. Hundreds of thousands of troops are waiting for the attack, and it is impossible to be delayed due to weather factors.

The expeditionary force is facing a severe test, and it has reached a point where life and death are at stake.