CHAPTER 519: CHAPTER 511: STEPS FOR LANDING IN CRIMEA (PART 1)

We are about to head towards Odessa, a few dozen leagues (one league equals 4 kilometers) away from the Varna Region, to liberate the Turks and Tatars who have long been enslaved by the tyrant of the Russian Empire... According to the commander of the company I belong to, our first battle will be against the Turks and Russians (note: it is strange, why do we also have to fight against the Turks?)... However, besides the British troops among our allies, there are also 30,000 Turks willing to help us and 20,000 soldiers from the Kingdom of Sardinia. (Note: I don’t quite understand which country Sardinia is, but my superior says their country seems to be our puppet)... The battle will soon commence in the jungles of Odessa, and I think once the enemy sees our formidable firepower, they will immediately lay down their weapons and surrender.

I hope that God will bless us with the successful liberation of those Turks. After the war ends, I will return home and recount this battle to you in full detail.

— Sergeant Jacques Michel Jean Baptiste of the French Zouave Corps, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Company (May 18, 1854, on the Black Sea)

Sergeant Baptiste finished writing the letter in the storage room at the bottom of the troopship. He packed the ink and quill pen into his knapsack, then folded the letter and sealed it in an envelope, before leaving the storage room to return to the rest area on the upper deck, where his battalion was resting.

Upon returning to the deck where his battalion was, Baptiste saw that most people were resting on the deck, each French soldier covered with a thin sheet.

These sheets were provided by the quartermaster of their battalion before boarding the troopship, allowing them to lie down and sleep on the deck. Besides the sheets, every French soldier received an eight-day ration, including rice, sugar, coffee, pork fat, and biscuits, as well as a can of food and two inferior cigarettes.

It can be said that every day that the French Army spends at sea is backed by France’s powerful industry, precise rail scheduling, and a comprehensive naval logistics system.

If they didn’t have these guarantees, the food for the French soldiers on the ship would be greatly diminished, if not entirely unavailable.

Of course, these issues are not something a mere sergeant like Baptiste is concerned about.

All he wants now is to return to his designated spot, take a good nap, and wait for the fleet to arrive at the Odessa Port.

Sergeant Baptiste quickly found his sheet, greeted his colleagues on both sides, took off his knapsack, and lay down on the sheet.

In a daze, Sergeant Baptiste drifted into sleep. In his dream, he found himself in a dense forest, with distant sounds of wild beasts’ roars (the hissing roars were somewhat noisy). Holding a Minie Rifle, Baptiste cautiously observed his surroundings, guarding against possible ambushes, and ventured deeper into the forest. A mysterious premonition "told him" that Odessa lay within the depths of the forest.

Unfortunately, in his dream, Sergeant Baptiste was unaware that the place they were about to reach was not Odessa’s capital but the Crimea Peninsula.

What he understood as landing at Odessa was merely one of the rumors released by the Allied Forces to the troops under the guise of secrecy.

Of course, even if Baptiste knew about the Allied Forces’ war plans to land on the Crimea Peninsula, it wouldn’t make any difference.

Whether it’s Odessa or the Crimea Peninsula, it was uncharted territory for Baptiste.

Without a map and without direct knowledge of the Russian terrain, even if Baptiste set foot on the land of the Crimea Peninsula, he might mistake it for the coast of the African Continent.

...

While Baptiste was dreaming, less than 200 meters from the troopship Baptiste was on, on the French command ship, the commanders of the Four Nations of England, France, Sardinia, and Turkey were debating the landing site in Crimea.

As the commander of the British forces, Commander Largren proposed that the Allied Forces should directly attack the Sevastopol Fortress port, utilize the powerful naval advantage of the leading forces to annihilate the remaining naval units of the Russian Empire in the port while destroying the defense system of the Sevastopol Fortress, thus ensuring a smooth landing for the Allied Forces near the Sevastopol Fortress.

However, Marshal Saint Arno held a different view from Commander Largren, advocating that the Allied Forces should not initially appear overly aggressive, as this would frighten the garrison at Sevastopol Fortress, prompting them to flee.

The strategic goal of the Allied Forces was not just as simple as capturing Sevastopol Fortress, but to use it as bait for a pincer movement, luring the Russian Empire to deploy its troops from the Caucasus and Ukraine into a meat grinder designed by them specifically for the Russian Empire.

Building the glory of the Allied Forces with the blood and flesh of Russian Empire soldiers.

Additionally, there was another point that Marshal Saint Arno did not explicitly state: the terrain near Sevastopol Fortress was too advantageous for the Russian garrison defending the fortress.

The high-positioned artillery could enable the 24-pound cannons fixed on the emplacements to fire shells into the waters surrounding the Sevastopol Fortress.

As long as the Russian Empire stationed at the Sevastopol Fortress can blow up their own large ship docking port piers in the first instance, the Allied Forces would only be able to use small vessels for landing operations, causing casualties beyond estimation.

Not to mention that after the Allied Forces land, they would have to face the fort groups on the coast, which would be another nightmare.

"I agree with Marshal Saint Arno!" The Sardinian Kingdom’s Minister of War, La Malamor, firmly supported Marshal Saint Arno: "Our goal is not just to occupy the Sevastopol Fortress, but to turn it into a wound the Russian Empire can’t heal, forcing Nicholas I to commit enough soldiers to prevent its fall. As long as the Russian Empire draws some forces from the Caucasus region, I believe the Turkish Army can open a new front in the Caucasus."

"I also support Marshal Saint Arno’s opinion!" Upon hearing La Malamor’s words, Omar Pasha also expressed his agreement.

Although Sardinia and the Ottoman Empire appeared as two insignificant pawns in Commander Largren’s eyes, these pawns can often play a significant role at crucial times, especially when the Anglo-French Alliance Army is deadlocked over different routes, making the support of the Sardinian Kingdom and the Ottoman Empire extremely valuable.

"Commander Saint Arno! In your opinion, where do you think our troops should land?" Commander Largren asked Marshal Saint Arno.

"My suggestion is here!" Marshal Saint Arno pointed towards Kalamat Bay, approximately 35 miles from the Sevastopol Fortress, "This place is very close to the Sevastopol Fortress, and Menshikov would never expect us to land here! He would have already concentrated all his forces on the Crimea Peninsula in Sevastopol Fortress, so capturing an almost deserted port is a piece of cake for us."

Marshal Saint Arno paused, glanced around, and continued, "However, before that, we need to capture this place first!"

Marshal Saint Arno pointed to Yevpatoria on the left wing of Kalamat Bay, "We must ensure the safety of our flank troops!"

"Then who should we send to carry out this mission?" Commander Largren asked Marshal Saint Arno.

The generals lined up, eager to be chosen for the mission.

"France will take the first step!" Marshal Saint Arno proposed to Commander Largren in a negotiating tone.

Commander Largren glanced over his generals, nodded, and responded to Marshal Saint Arno: "Alright! But I hope you can act swiftly!"

"Of course!" Marshal Saint Arno nodded at Commander Largren’s words, then turned his head towards his own generals.

After some careful consideration, Marshal Saint Arno pointed at Brigadier General MacMahon of the Zouave Corps, "Brigadier General MacMahon!"

MacMahon, signaled by Marshal Saint Arno, stepped forward and responded confidently, "Here, sir!"

"A thousand days of raising an army, a moment’s use in battle! Lead your Zouave regiment in the vanguard and make sure to seize Yevpatoria Town!" Marshal Saint Arno commanded with an indisputable tone.

"Rest assured, Marshal! I guarantee the mission will be completed by tonight!" MacMahon replied confidently and pledged, "If I don’t complete the mission by tonight, I’ll take off this military uniform and leave the army!"

"Good! Remember your words!" Marshal Saint Arno said seriously to MacMahon, then waved his hand, "Don’t keep us waiting too long!"

"Understood!" MacMahon turned and left Marshal Saint Arno’s command ship.

He quickly reached the Zouave regiment’s transport ship by boarding a steam fast boat.

"Colonel!" Two Zouave members on patrol immediately saluted MacMahon.

"You two, go down and call all officers above company level for me!" Brigadier General MacMahon commanded urgently.

"Does the regiment have a mission?" A Zouave soldier asked excitedly.

"The Marshal has assigned us the task of covering the main force’s landing! Our regiment will not only cover the main landing force but is also the first batch to set foot on the island!"