Wild North America 1846

a moment later

The officer left with three local old men, and a cloud of sadness appeared on the foreheads of the officers of the expeditionary force. These local old men relied on their experience to bring the worst news.

There is a 30% chance that there will be heavy snowfall this evening.

There is a 70% chance that there will be a heavy snowstorm tomorrow afternoon.

There is a 99% certainty that this heavy snowstorm will come unexpectedly the day after tomorrow and will rage for at least 1 to 2 days.

The longer it waits, the bigger the snowstorm will become. This may be the biggest snowstorm since the beginning of winter this year.

Who will go and who will follow?

An almost suffocating silence enveloped the scene. Several division commanders and expeditionary force officers all had solemn expressions on their faces, looking at the stacks of towering mountain peaks in the distance in silence.

a moment later

Major General Duan Debiao, commander of the expeditionary force, sighed heavily and said decisively;

"Gentlemen, the most arduous test for the expeditionary force is now in front of us. I have decided that no matter how raging the wind and snow are, it cannot stop the iron will of the expeditionary force to cross the mountain tops. The whole army continues to go deep into the mountainous areas, no matter how heavy the wind and snow are.

We are not allowed to stop our progress.”

"As ordered, sir. No matter how strong the wind and snow are, we will not stop our progress." A group of senior officers replied in unison with solemn expressions, with solemn and determined expressions on their faces.

Does anyone know what this means?

However, based on the high sense of honor and spirit of sacrifice of the military, no senior officer retreated. Even if he froze to death on the top of the mountain, he still maintained his forward attitude.

Major General Duan Debiao's eyes met with the deputy commander, Major General James Kahn, and expressed satisfaction with the answers of the officers. He pondered for a moment and asked, "Lieutenant Colonel Fan Pengfei, commander of the Fifth Division, once made a suggestion; that is, on steep cliffs

Set up climbing ropes everywhere and fix them against the mountain so that the soldiers can use their strength when climbing. This is a very good suggestion, what do you think?"

"Your Excellency, Commander, I think it can be implemented immediately. Any measures that can reduce the loss of personnel when climbing over steep peaks should be taken seriously and implemented."

"Very good, pass on my order; immediately collect the ropes on all ships and deliver them to Mount Achamond as quickly as possible." Major General Duan Debiao looked up at the cloudy sky and said resolutely; "This battle

A heavy snowstorm is coming, so let it come more violently. The iron will of the expeditionary officers and soldiers will defeat everything and trample the snowy peaks under their feet."

"As ordered, collect all the ship's ropes immediately and deliver them to Mount Achamond as quickly as possible."

After the superior's order was conveyed, the long queue deep into the mountainous area suddenly accelerated. A team of ten people carried a long rope forward, and the soldiers in front gave way to avoid it.

That night, the cold wind howled, and snowflakes were scattered in the gloomy sky. However, it ended quietly after more than two hours. This seemed to be a sign of disgrace.

The mountainous area has turned silvery white, and a large number of emergency ropes were quickly fixed on the boulders and trees on the mountain peaks. The soldiers followed the traces. Although the road was slippery and difficult to navigate, the speed of climbing over the steep slope was greatly accelerated.

Just when the expeditionary force was secretly rejoicing, at noon on the second day, the cold wind howled in the mountains, and heavy snowflakes fluttering in the sky fell. The most severe test came...

The officers and soldiers of the 8th Division and the 1st Division of the Expeditionary Force who were crossing Achamond Mountain endured the raging wind and snow and staggered on the steep snow slope. From time to time, some soldiers slipped and fell, tying up other soldiers who were tied together.

Dragging them off the cliff together.

Like rice dumplings tied together, no one is immune.

The tragedies that happened one after another in front of them could not shake the iron will of the officers and soldiers to move forward. Many officers and soldiers immediately gathered at the place where they had just slipped and began to build roads with shovels in their hands mixed with ice and snow.

The soldiers at the rear walked forward hand in hand despite the wind and snow. Many soldiers wrapped their arms around the ropes on the edge of the cliff, slipping every step and stumbling forward.

The cold wind howled with the goose feathers and heavy snow. In front of me was a vast expanse of white sky. When I opened my mouth, a cold wind rushed in, making me unable to make a sound.

At the foot of Arkhamund

Major General Duan Debiao and Deputy Chief of Staff Brigadier General Lei Jueshen stood side by side, looking at the long team advancing in the wind and snow on the mountain, their faces turned livid.

He turned back, waved his hand to the long team, and shouted loudly: "Brothers, follow me. I still don't believe it. How can a mere snow mountain stop the advancement of the expeditionary force?"

"Your Excellency, Commander, please allow me to lead the 1st Division to attack the snow peak first. You can wait until the wind and snow calm down and lead the follow-up troops up."

"Fart, I am the commander of the expeditionary force appointed by His Majesty. When encountering the most difficult situation, I should lead the troops up. Don't say anything more. You follow the troops of the 3rd Division back up."

Major General Duan Debiao waved his hand without any explanation and followed the team forward despite the heavy snow.

Brigadier General Lei Jueshen, deputy chief of staff, quickly waved his hand for others to follow him and said: "No matter what the circumstances, you must protect the commander, otherwise you will be asked."

"Don't worry, sir. As long as we are still breathing, we will not let the commander-in-chief make any mistakes." The soldiers of the military headquarters and the officers responded decisively, and then hurriedly ran forward and sent Major General Duan Debiao to the front.

The guard is in the middle of the team.

On the Achamond Mountain where the cold wind was howling, the soldiers of the expeditionary force embarked on the journey one after another. Those soldiers who slipped from the mountain from time to time, no one shouted for help, and just disappeared silently under the wind and snow-raged cliffs.

Exuding endless tragedy.

The soldiers waiting in the valley watched everything in front of them silently, and they were silent as they looked at the warriors who resolutely threw themselves into the wind and snow.

In the extreme environment of raging wind and snow, this expeditionary force is undergoing a quiet transformation, becoming stronger in will, richer in honor and sacrifice, and condensed into a steel-like military force.

The blizzard raged all day and night, and it gradually subsided around 9:00 a.m. the next day.

After the heavy snowfall, the wind in the mountainous areas gradually decreased, and the mountains were covered with snow, presenting an amazingly beautiful scenery.

The advance camp in the valley has been buried under thick snow. The heavy snow that fell all day and night buried it up to the calves, which brought a lot of inconvenience to the expeditionary force who wanted to cross the snow-capped mountains.

But the expedition officers and soldiers soon discovered that these thick snows were the best building materials, and they could quickly build safe snow ladders on steep mountain cliffs, turning easy-to-fall cliff paths into relatively safe mountaineering ladders.

Sprinkle cinders and debris on the snow ladder, and use the ropes on the side of the cliff to make it easier to climb.

This discovery inspired other soldiers, and everyone got busy together, and soon paved a channel in the mountainous area with thick snow to allow the large troops to pass smoothly.

In the evening of February 17th

The expeditionary force of about 44,000 people successfully arrived at the weakly defended mountainous area on the west side of the Sevastopol Fortress. It was less than 4 kilometers away from the Russian camp and was only blocked by rolling hills and large forests. For the expeditionary officers and soldiers, it was just a smooth road.

.

In just over two hours, the soldiers of the expeditionary force appeared in the Russian camp unnoticed, like divine soldiers descended from heaven, and started a crazy killing spree.

After-the-fact inventory

The expeditionary force lost 2,217 officers and soldiers and a large number of livestock during the process of crossing the mountainous area, 90% of which were blown off the cliff during a day and night of blizzards.

In particular, the 1st Division and the 8th Division suffered the most serious losses. The two divisions accounted for almost 70% of the overall losses. It was a bad year!

all of these

The expeditionary officers and soldiers all bore their blood debt on the heads of the Tsarist Russian army. They hid in the depths of dense forest valleys, silently gnawing on dry and cold pancakes under the snow water, and looked towards the west with hateful eyes from time to time.

There are dots of flickering campfires there, which is a camp where the Russian army has heavily stocked up. There are not only soldiers but also a large number of prostitutes and traders in the camp, just like a lively small town.

In the expeditionary force's headquarters deep in the valley

Major General Duan Debiao had a large bruise on his head. He fell while climbing over a dangerous peak. His expression and complexion seemed much better. He was with Deputy Commander Major General James Kahn and Major General Wu Degao, and Chief of Staff Major General Tian Mantun.

Sitting together, they were discussing the expeditionary force's offensive arrangements for tomorrow morning.

"When will the German divisions arrive?"

"The Germans and Poles have crossed Mount Achamond at noon today and marched overnight as ordered. It is estimated that they will arrive one after another around 12 o'clock in the middle of the night. After a short rest, they will be able to participate in the all-out attack launched early tomorrow morning."

"That's good. This way our troop deployment will be more abundant. This battle will be launched on time at 8:30 tomorrow morning. I ask the troops of the expeditionary force to use a fierce attack to crush all the resistance of the Russian army. At the end of the day,

It is possible to penetrate the battlefield in a short period of time and defeat this place..."

Major General Duan Debiao punched the map hard. The place where he hit was on the south bank of the slender Vinaya Bay north of the city of Sevastopol. There are two solid iron bridges connecting Svinaya.

The northern shore of the bay and the Bebek Gorge are the key defensive positions of the Russian army, stretching for more than ten kilometers.

Opposite this position is the French army, the main force of the coalition. The expeditionary force's strategic intention is to crush and eliminate the main force of the Tsarist Russian army through a pincer attack from inside and outside, just like an iron block beaten on an iron felt.

If so

The main force of the Russian army led by Prince Menshikov will suffer a fatal blow, causing the entire battle of Sevastopol Fortress to collapse and fall into a desperate situation of complete destruction.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned combat intentions, the expeditionary force must have sufficient strength and fierce waves of attacks, regardless of casualties, and rush forward bravely, penetrate more than ten kilometers of the Russian camp in a short time, and advance all the way forward.

Go to the southern shore of the slender Vinaya Bay north of Sevastopol city and control and occupy the two large iron bridges.

Only in this way can the retreat path of the Russian frontline troops be completely blocked, and together with the French army, the Russian army can be blocked from the narrow north shore of Vinaya Bay to the Bebek Gorge area and beaten hard.

By then

The Russian army is like a turtle in a urn and cannot escape even if it wants to. If they don't want the entire army to be destroyed, they have to surrender obediently, otherwise they will die.

Across a river bank more than 200 meters wide, the Mini rifle with a range of up to 500 yards can exert considerable power, while the old-fashioned muskets equipped by the Russian army have a range of no more than 200 yards, and can only be beaten passively with their eyes closed.

At that time, a glorious victory will be at your fingertips, and it will be wonderful to think about it.