Make France Great Again

Chapter 490: Victory Rendezvous


The already anxious Turkish Army, upon seeing such a large scale of land forces, instinctively pushed the cannons out from within the fort. Many soldiers held their rifles level, aiming at the distant army, ready to let these Russian soldiers know their strength once they got closer.

As this army drew nearer to the vicinity of Tabiaron Castle, the defensive officer at Tabia Fortress saw the military flag and national flag of this army through his telescope.

The tricolor flag symbolizing the French Empire and the Union Jack symbolizing the Kingdom of Britain fluttered in the wind.

"Hold on!" The defensive officer shouted the order for his men to lower their weapons. He knew that this army before them had come to aid them.

"Sir, why aren't we firing? They've killed so many of us!" shouted an Egyptian soldier who knew nothing about national flags towards the officer.

"Fool, they are here to help us," the defensive officer yelled angrily.

"Huh! Is it possible that there are enemies willing to help us? Aren't they on the same side?" The Egyptian soldier scratched his head and muttered to himself.

In the hearts of the vast majority of Ottoman Empire subjects, there were only the Ottoman Empire and the Russian Empire, and the rest were either against the Russian Empire or were its lackeys.

Some even believed that there were only the Ottoman Empire and the Russian Empire, and the lackeys of the Russian Empire left in the world.

No matter which type, for them, the understanding of international relations had only two options: permanent friends and permanent friends. Under binary thinking, an extreme form of religiousism emerged (a nation with unified nationalism breeds fervent nationalism).

"Fool!" The officer cursed at the soldier again in Arabic.

When the Allied Forces had approached within 500 meters of Tabia Fortress, the scene in front of them indeed surprised Major General Canrobert.

A trench running parallel to Tabia Fortress had obstructed the advance of the Allied Forces. Looking along the parallel trench, the zigzag trench extended beneath the Tabia Fortress moat. This seemed to be the tactic used by the Russian Imperial Army to approach the fort, which bore little difference from the tactics used by Marshal Vauban two hundred years ago, except that Marshal Vauban did not have such precise artillery units like in the 19th century.

Under such tactics, the Russian Imperial Army had not yet broken through the fort. In his heart, Major General Canrobert felt a bit of admiration for the defending Turkish troops.

With the road ahead cluttered with Z-shaped approach trenches, Canrobert could only order his troops to enter the trenches and move towards the fortress.

Entering the Z-shaped trench, the Allied Forces, driven by the strong smell of gunpowder and stench, quickly reached the moat beneath Tabia Fortress. Here, the Allied Forces witnessed an even more shocking scene.

In the moat beneath the castle, behind the earthen parapets, were piled masses of bloodied corpses. Most of the fortress' battlements and cannon ports had been destroyed, fragmented bricks scattered wildly on the ground. Blood splattered on the city walls, staining the bricks black and red, and a segment of intestines, detached from an unknown corpse, lay quietly at the corner of the fortress... The entire scene looked as if hell had descended upon earth.

Even battle-hardened soldiers couldn't help but want to vomit at the sight before them.

Under the intense stench and gunpowder odor, Captain Jerome Patterson, with almost no combat experience, could no longer hold back and vomited: "Ugh!"

Major General Canrobert looked at the scene before him with a calm face. Having been through countless battles, he had seen even more gruesome scenes while following Marshal Biron in quelling the Algerian insurgents.

"My name is Canrobert, Commander of the First French Division, I have come by the order of Allied Army Headquarters to support you!" Major General Canrobert announced in French to the Turkish soldiers on the fortress.

The translator standing beside Major General Canrobert quickly translated his words into Turkic to repeat to the Turkish soldiers on the fortress.

Upon hearing that Canrobert had arrived here representing the Allied Command, the Turkish officers on the fortress hurriedly opened the fortress gates to welcome this reinforcements.

"Welcome! My friend! I am Hedem, the acting garrison of Tabia Fortress!" said the middle-aged man donning a Turkish military cap and sporting a large beard, grasping Canrobert's hand tightly in welcoming.

After months of fighting alone, they finally welcomed a new ally. Hedem promptly expressed his gratitude to General Canrobert.

Thanking him for providing them with selfless support during the toughest times at Silestra Fortress.

Hedem knew that part of the reason for the resolution at Silestra Fortress was the arrival of Canrobert and his men.

If it weren't for the timely arrival of the Allied Forces, causing the Russian Empire besieging the Silistra Fortress to feel a prickling sensation and abandon their siege intent, the Russian Empire would likely not have let it go easily.

The Ottoman Empire's army might have had many more casualties.

"It is your bravery and perseverance that saved you!" Major General Canrobert directly praised Hedem: "It was your relentless resistance that made the Russian Imperial Army retreat in the face of difficulty. You've saved everyone within this fort, as well as the fortress and nation behind you. I believe your efforts will be richly rewarded, and you will receive the medals you desire!"

Canrobert's words of praise brought an embarrassed smile to Hedem's face.

After all, they knew their own situation best. If the Allies hadn't truly arrived, they probably wouldn't have been able to hold out for many days before succumbing. Even if this place had already turned into an occupied zone, as long as the main forces of the Allied units could arrive smoothly, the battle would still be fought. The Ottoman Empire was far from being on the brink of destruction; however, their role for the Anglo-French Alliance Army at that time might be far less significant than it is now.

"We thank the Anglo-French Alliance Army for their contribution against the Russian Empire; those within the fort will never forget!" Hedem once again expressed gratitude to General Canrobert.

At Hedem's invitation, Canrobert and others entered the interior of the Tabia Fort.

Seeing the devastated ground within the fort, Canrobert sighed once more.

Inside the fort, Canrobert was informed by Hedem that Musa Pasha, originally stationed at the Tabia Fort, remained at the Silistra Fortress and had yet to return. If Major General Canrobert wished, he could lead Canrobert and others to the Silistra Fortress to meet with its commander, Omar Pasha.

Major General Canrobert agreed to Hedem's suggestion, and Hedem led Major General Canrobert to the Silistra Fortress to meet with Omar Pasha.

Upon entering Omar Pasha's residence, Major General Canrobert was informed that Omar Pasha needed some time to recover from overindulgence in alcohol the previous night.

"I can wait!" Canrobert nodded and responded to the servant.

"Please follow me!" Under the servant's guidance, Major General Canrobert entered the guest room.

After approximately half an hour, Omar Pasha, clad in military uniform, appeared before Canrobert.

"General Canrobert, I've long been aware of your great reputation!" Omar Pasha extended his hand and politely spoke to Canrobert.

"Omar Pasha, I am honored!" Major General Canrobert modestly responded, then praised with a lively tone: "To hold the Russian Empire at bay with a 4-1 disadvantage for several months (at that time, Europeans viewed the Two Danube Principalities as complete puppet states of the Russian Empire), your capability truly impresses me!"

"It was nothing!" Omar Pasha humbly downplayed himself: "I'm merely a mediocre person who understands a bit of defense techniques! If it were General Canrobert defending, you would likely have done much better than I."

Major General Canrobert chuckled as he compared his observations of the Russian Imperial Army and the Turkish soldiers within the fort; if he were in charge of commanding this battle, he would likely have been much more aggressive than Omar Pasha.

Because the overall quality of troops stationed in Turkey exceeded that of the Russian Empire's serf army, mere defense would only lead to a passive situation everywhere.

After a brief exchange of compliments, Omar Pasha and Major General Canrobert immediately got to the point, discussing the current situation faced by the Silistra Fortress.

Omar Pasha believed the Allied Forces should join with the Turkish army to advance northwards to expel the Russian Empire from the Danube Duchy.

Major General Canrobert relayed the strategy devised by Marshal Saint Arno to Omar Pasha in full detail, "Based on our observations, Silistra Fortress and its surrounding areas are utterly incapable of supporting a large army, which means all our equipment and supplies must be transported from Varna, taking on various risks along the way! Our military believes that rashly advancing north is an exceptionally risky strategy; instead, we should leverage our naval superiority to land at the Sevastopol Fortress and eradicate the garrison there in one swift move to secure peace for the European Continent!"

"Will this method truly work?" Omar Pasha asked doubtfully, "Would the Russian Empire really go all out for the Sevastopol Fortress?"

"They definitely will!" Major General Canrobert responded assuredly to Omar Pasha: "The Sevastopol Fortress embodies all of Tsar Nicholas I's dreams; he will certainly not abandon it!"

"What about the Silistra Fortress? And what should we do about the Russian Imperial Army on the North Shore?" Omar Pasha continued to inquire of Major General Canrobert.

"The Russian Imperial Army on the North Shore won't be able to undertake significant actions in the short term! Once our forces attack Sevastopol, there's a strong possibility the Tsar will dispatch them there to fight!"

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