Wild North America 1846

Chapter 228
A moment later
The officer left with three local old men, and a cloud of gloom floated on the foreheads of the officers of the expeditionary force. These local old men really brought the worst news based on their experience.

There is a [-]% chance that there will be a heavy snowstorm this evening.

There is a [-]% chance that there will be a heavy snowstorm tomorrow afternoon.

With a 9% certainty, this blizzard will come unexpectedly the day after tomorrow, and it will last at least 9-1 days.

The longer the time is held, the bigger the snowstorm will be, which may be the biggest snowstorm since the beginning of winter this year.

Which one to go and which one to follow?

An almost suffocating silence enveloped the scene. Several division commanders and expeditionary army officers all looked solemn, looking at the layers of towering peaks in the distance in silence.

A moment later
Major General Duan Debiao, Commander of the Expeditionary Force, sighed heavily, and said in a resolute tone;

"Gentlemen, the most difficult test for the expeditionary army is now ahead, and I have decided; no matter how the wind and snow rage, it cannot stop the iron will of the expeditionary army to cross the mountain. The whole army continues to go deep into the mountains. It is not allowed to stop moving forward."

"I obey, sir. No matter how heavy the snowstorm is, I will never stop moving forward." All the senior officers replied in unison with solemn expressions, with tragic and determined expressions on their faces.

Anyone know what this means?
However, based on the lofty sense of honor and sacrifice of the soldiers, none of the senior officers flinched.

Major General Duan Debiao touched his eyes with the deputy commander, Major General James Kahn, and expressed his satisfaction with the answers of the officers. It is a very good suggestion to set up climbing ropes and fix them against the mountain so that soldiers can use their strength when climbing, what do you think?"

"Your Excellency, Commander, I think it can be implemented immediately. Any measures that can reduce the loss of personnel when crossing the steep peak should be paid attention to and implemented."

"Very good, pass on my order; immediately collect the ropes on all ships and send them to Mount Arkamonde as quickly as possible." Major General Duan Debiao looked up at the cloudy sky and said firmly; "This battle The blizzard is coming, let it come more violently, the iron will of the officers and soldiers of the expeditionary force will overcome everything, and step on the snow peak."

"Obey, collect all the ship's ropes immediately, and send them to Mount Archimonde as quickly as possible."

After the superior's order was delivered, the long queue that went deep into the mountain suddenly accelerated, and a team of dozens of people carried a long rope forward, and the soldiers in front gave way one after another to avoid it.

The cold wind howled that night, and snowflakes were floating in the gloomy sky, but it ended quietly after more than two hours of falling, which seemed to be a warning.

The mountain area has become a silvery white, and a large number of emergency ropes were quickly fixed on the boulders and big trees on the mountain peak. The soldiers followed the trail. Although the road was slippery and difficult, the speed of climbing the steep slope was greatly accelerated.

Just when the expeditionary army secretly rejoiced, at noon on the second day, the cold wind howled in the mountains, and the heavy snow of goose feathers fluttered in the sky, and the most severe test came...

The officers and soldiers of the 8th Division and the 1st Division of the Expeditionary Army, who were crossing the Archamond Mountain, endured the ravages of wind and snow, and staggered on the steep snow slope. Dragging and falling into the cliff together.

Like zongzi tied together, no one will be spared.

The tragedies that happened one after another 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 held hands against the wind and snow and marched forward. Many soldiers looped their arms around the ropes on the edge of the cliff, slipping and staggering forward like this.

The cold wind came whistling with goose feathers and heavy snow, and there was a vast white world in front of him. When he opened his mouth, a gust of cold wind rushed in, and he couldn't even make a sound.

at the foot of mount archamond

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

He turned his head and waved at the long line, and shouted loudly: "Brothers, follow me, I just don't believe it, a mere snow mountain can stop the advance of the expeditionary army?"

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

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

Major General Duan Debiao waved his hand involuntarily, braved the heavy snow and followed the team forward.

The deputy chief of staff, Brigadier General Lei Jueshen, hurriedly waved his hand for others to follow up, and said, "No matter what the situation is, you must protect the commander, otherwise we will ask you."

"Don't worry, sir, as long as we still have breath, we won't let the commander make any mistakes." The soldiers of the military department and a group of officers answered decisively, and then hurriedly ran forward to kill Major General Duan Debiao. The guards are in the middle of the line.

On the cold and windy Mount Arcamonde, the soldiers of the Expeditionary Army embarked on the journey one after another. Those soldiers who slipped from the mountain from time to time disappeared silently under the snow-ravaged cliff without calling for help. Exuding endless tragedy.

The soldiers waiting in the valley silently watched all this and the warriors who resolutely threw themselves into the snowstorm, they were silent.

Under the extreme environment of raging wind and snow, this expeditionary force is undergoing a quiet transformation. Its will has become stronger, full of honor and sacrifice, and it has condensed into a steel-like military force.

The blizzard raged for a whole day and night, and it gradually subsided at about 9:00 am the next day.

After the heavy snow, the wind in the mountainous area is gradually weakening, and it is covered with snow, presenting an amazingly beautiful scenery.

The forward camp in the valley has been buried by thick snow, and the heavy snow that fell that day and night buried the calf, which brought a lot of inconvenience to the expeditionary army who wanted to cross the snow mountain.

But the officers and soldiers of the expedition soon discovered that the thick snow was the best building material, which could quickly build safe snow ladders on steep cliffs, and turn the cliff trails that were easy to fall into relatively safe climbing ladders.

Sprinkle cinders and broken branches and leaves on the snow ladder, and use the rope on the side of the cliff to climb over to save effort.

This discovery inspired the other soldiers, and all of them got busy together, and soon paved a passage in the snow-covered mountainous area, allowing the large troops to pass through smoothly.

In the evening of February 2th

About 4.4 expeditionary troops successfully arrived at the weakly defended mountainous area on the west side of the Sevastopol Fortress, which is less than 4 kilometers away from the Russian camp, only separated by rolling hills and large forests. .

In just over two hours, the soldiers of the expeditionary army can appear in the Russian camp without anyone noticing, like a heavenly soldier, and start a crazy killing.

Post-mortem
The expeditionary force lost 2217 officers and soldiers and a large number of livestock in the process of crossing the mountainous area, and [-]% of them died when they were blown off the cliff during the day and night of the blizzard.

Especially the 1st Division and the 8th Division suffered the most losses. The two divisions almost accounted for more than 7% of the overall loss.

all of these

The officers and soldiers of the expeditionary army all put blood debts on the head of the Tsarist Russian army, hid in the depths of the dense forest valley, silently gnawed dry and cold pancakes in the snow, and looked at the west with hatred from time to time.

The flickering campfires there are dotted with dots, which is the camp where the Russian army hoarded heavily. 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 headquarters of the expeditionary force deep in the valley

Major General Duan Debiao had a large bruise on his head, which he fell while crossing the dangerous peak. His expression and complexion looked much better, and Major General James Kahn, Deputy Commander, Major General Wu Degao, Chief of Staff Major General Tian Mantun Sitting together, they are discussing the offensive deployment of the expeditionary force tomorrow morning.

"When will the German division arrive?"

"The Germans and Poles had already crossed Mount Arkamonde 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 full-scale attack launched tomorrow morning."

"That's good, so our deployment of troops will be more prosperous. This battle will be launched on time at 8:30 tomorrow morning. I ask the troops belonging to the expeditionary force to use a fierce attack to crush all the resistance of the Russian army. As soon as possible It is possible to break through the battlefield in a short period of time, and here..."

Major General Duan Debiao slammed his fist on the map. The place where he punched made the south bank of the slender Venaya Bay north of Sevastopol city. There are two strong iron bridges connecting Sevinaya. The northern shore of the bay and the Bebek Canyon are the key defensive positions of the Russian army, stretching for more than ten kilometers.

On the opposite side of this position is the French army, the main force of the coalition forces. The strategic intention of the expeditionary force is to completely smash and wipe out the main force of the Tsarist Russian army like an iron block hammered on an iron felt through internal and external attacks.

If so
The main force of the Russian army led by Prince Menshikov will suffer a fatal blow, which will lead to the retreat of the entire line of the Sevastopol Fortress and fall into a desperate situation of complete collapse.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned combat intent, the expeditionary force must have sufficient strength and wave after wave of ferocious attacks, regardless of casualties, rush forward bravely, penetrate the depth of the Russian army camp more than ten kilometers in a short time, and rush forward all the way Go to the south bank of the slender Venaya Bay north of downtown Sevastopol, control and occupy the two large iron bridges.

Only in this way can the retreat route of the Russian front-line forces be completely blocked, and together with the French army, the Russian army will be blocked from the north shore of the narrow Vinaya Bay to the Bebek Canyon area.

by then
The Russian army is like a turtle in a urn, but they can't escape even if they want to. If they don't want the whole army to be wiped out, they have to raise their hands and surrender, otherwise they will die.

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

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

(End of this chapter)