CHAPTER 548: CHAPTER 540: FORTRESS MEAT GRINDER

"The North Shore... is finished!"

Gazing at the battleship bombarding from the South Shore, the adjutant uttered a cry of despair, then turned and hurried towards the barracks on the northern bank of Sevastopol.

Since artillery support could no longer be counted on, at least he could gather the remaining thousand or so troops from the barracks to the Star Fort.

In this way, at least the Star Fort could hold out for a while.

However, when the adjutant arrived at the barracks on horseback, there were already not many people left, just a company of less than 250 men and a militia unit of fewer than 100.

Looking at the empty barracks in front of him, along with the remaining soldiers inside.

The adjutant’s head felt like it had been hit hard with a fist, ringing with a humming noise.

Where are they? Where have all my men gone!

Cries erupted in the adjutant’s heart, and his expression grew even more desperate.

Now the plan to seek artillery support was dashed, and the reinforcements in the barracks were also nowhere to be seen.

What on earth should he do now?

"Sir... is there anything I can help with?" Just as the adjutant was plunged into despair, a voice sounded next to him.

The adjutant came back to his senses, looked up at the remaining troops in the barracks, and hastily inquired, "Where have the others in the barracks gone?"

The company commander of this last remaining unit explained to the adjutant that over a thousand soldiers who originally resided in the barracks had left the North Shore on small boats an hour ago, leaving only them behind.

"Who! Who ordered them to leave! Why wasn’t I notified!" The adjutant, with a hint of a cry, questioned the company commander.

"Admiral Nakhimov’s orders!" The company commander responded to the adjutant with a phrase.

"Admiral Nakhimov... Admiral Nakhimov..." The adjutant murmured a few times, then a self-mocking smile appeared on his lips.

He knew that the Star Fort... no, the entire North Shore had been abandoned by Admiral Nakhimov!

What nonsense about connecting the north and south banks for easy support! (Kornilov’s propaganda to appease the soldiers on the North Shore)

It was just a trick from the South Shore to fool them; they were abandoned by the South Shore from the start!

"Why didn’t you follow them over?" The adjutant glanced at the company commander and asked.

"Reporting in, sir!" The company commander replied to the adjutant in a firm tone, "I don’t think we should flee from here. Every inch of this land was built by us with hard work! Even if it means death, we will die here!"

"You..." The adjutant’s voice choked slightly; he didn’t know how to comment on the "foolish" company commander and his "foolish" soldiers in front of him.

From them, the adjutant seemed to see the Russian Empire of 1812. Perhaps the ancestors then fought with the same thought!

"Very well!" Having been taught a lesson by the soldiers, the adjutant’s hesitant eyes turned firm. He nodded to the company commander and praised him, "You and your men are brave!"

"You flatter us!" The company commander responded to the adjutant with a self-assured smile.

The adjutant then explained the current situation at Star Fort and inquired whether they would be willing to head to Star Fort.

As the adjutant expected, none of the soldiers present backed down; they resolutely assured the adjutant that they were willing to fight to the last moment.

"You are true Russian soldiers!" The adjutant nodded, then saluted these brave men before him.

The soldiers in the barracks likewise returned the salute, and under the adjutant’s leadership, the remaining 326 men in the barracks followed him to the Star Fort.

At this moment, the artillery barrage at Star Fort had ceased, and the Russia and France armies had entered a meat grinder mode.

One by one, the French soldiers climbed over trenches under their officers’ orders, arriving at the slope in front, where there were breastworks. Each breastwork was about 2 meters high. Though not thick enough to resist cannon fire, it was enough to fend off Minie Gun shots.

Russian Imperial soldiers, hiding behind the breastworks, continuously fired down upon the French soldiers at the slope’s bottom. When the French soldiers fired back, they could quickly duck behind the breastworks, quietly listening to the sound of Minie Balls hitting the breastworks.

Once the sound ceased, the Russian Imperial soldiers would peek half their bodies out from beside the breastworks and shoot at the French Army.

In just half an hour, over 100 French soldiers fell on their way up the slope.

Each assault was repelled by the Russian Imperial Army behind the breastworks.

Of course, the Russian Imperial Army that repelled the assault was not unscathed either.

While the front-line French soldiers advanced up the slope, the rear-line French soldiers already had their Minie Guns aimed at the Russian Imperial soldiers behind the breastworks, ready to eliminate them as prime targets as soon as they poked their heads out.

Additionally, some French soldiers aimed their guns at the cannons on the fortress walls. Whenever anyone from the Russian Empire appeared by the cannons, they quickly pulled the trigger to eliminate the Russian artillerymen.

Since the beginning, six artillerymen on the fortress walls had been killed by the French Army.

Approximately 200 Russian Imperial soldiers hiding behind the breastworks had been taken out by the French.

The casualty ratio between the Russian Empire and the French Empire stayed around 1 to 2.

Such an exchange ratio was the worst for the French throughout their conflict with the Russian Empire.

Previously, the French often achieved exchange ratios of 1 to 7, or 1 to 8, against the Russian Empire.

This time, the French Army indeed encountered a particularly tough nemesis.

When yet another wave of French assaults was repelled by the Russian Empire, General Conrobel, positioned about one kilometer from Star Fort, used binoculars to observe the fort’s situation. He frowned and said to his adjutant, Jerome Patterson (who was both the adjutant of the headquarters and the First Division), "Let the regiment responsible for the attack step down! Send the Zouave up!"

"Yes!" Jerome Patterson rode to the foot of the Star Fortress and delivered Canrobert’s orders to the regiment commander!

"Why!" The regiment commander exclaimed with a mix of anger and tears, "Why are you pulling me back when I’m so close to success! Major Jerome, could you please tell the divisional commander for me! Just give us a little more time, all I ask is for half an hour! If I can’t capture this fortress in half an hour, I’ll resign and leave the army! My troops have already crossed a line with those across, they won’t be satisfied unless we take them down!"

Jerome Patterson listened quietly to the commander’s lament and then replied coldly, "I’m just a messenger; whether or not to follow the divisional commander’s order is entirely up to you!"

Jerome Patterson’s words cut off the commander’s emotional appeal. He knew what fate awaited him if he disobeyed General Canrobert’s orders.

So, even though he was extremely unwilling in his heart, he still couldn’t defy General Canrobert’s command.

The consequences of not obeying an officer’s orders are extremely serious!

After Jerome Patterson left, the commander reluctantly looked at the fortress before him and issued a retreat order to the chief of staff beside him.

The regiment responsible for the main attack began to withdraw. The defenders on Star Fortress, seeing the French Army retreat, assumed that the French were reconsidering due to casualties and smiled.

At that moment, over 300 soldiers led by the adjutant also arrived at Star Fortress.

Once inside the fortress, the adjutant reported the situation at the port to the fortress commander.

"I had a rough guess!" The commander said to the adjutant with a helpless smile.

Then the adjutant explained their current predicament to the fortress commander.

"Now, our fortress has completely become an isolated city!" the adjutant quietly told the fortress commander.

"Even if it’s an isolated city, we must hold on!" The fortress commander’s attitude was equally resolute.

Subsequently, the fortress commander allocated the soldiers brought by the adjutant to reinforce the depleted units.

About 10 minutes later, an officer wearing a Russian uniform limped towards the French troops; he seemed to be a Russian officer captured at the Battle of Alma.

As he approached the slope, the Russian Imperial Army aimed their muskets at this Russian officer.

"Don’t shoot! I’m from the Seventeenth Division! I have something to say to your fortress commander!" the Russian officer shouted, raising his hands as he walked up the slope.

When he reached the first parapet, two Russian soldiers appeared and escorted this officer into Star Fortress.

Inside the fortress, the Russian officer saw the fortress commander.

The fortress commander looked at the captured Russian officer with disdain and said mockingly, "What do you want with me?"

"It’s like this! General Canrobert wants you to lay down your weapons and surrender; he can guarantee the safety of your entire fortress!" the Russian officer replied with a hint of arrogance in his tone.

"Tell Canrobert, in this world, there are only Russian soldiers who die in battle, not ones who surrender!" the fortress commander sneered coldly.

"You..." The captured Russian officer was so enraged that his voice trembled, pointing a finger at the fortress commander.

"Get out! I fear I might not be able to resist killing you!" the fortress commander loudly rebuked the captured officer.

The Russian officer left the ground awkwardly, and Star Fortress erupted in mocking laughter.

Upon returning to the French camp, the Russian officer exaggerated the report to Canrobert, who then resolved to utterly annihilate these stubborn foes.

Once again, the Napoleon Cannons roared, this time targeting the parapet on the slope.

After about 20 minutes of bombardment, 60% of the parapet still stood despite the artillery onslaught.

This round of shelling killed or wounded over a hundred people in total.

After the artillery barrage ceased, Brigadier General Bazan led the Zouave Corps to reappear at the foot of Star Fortress.

The Russian Army atop Star Fortress, seeing the uniquely dressed French Army below, exclaimed in shock, "They’re the Zouave soldiers!"

"Zouave soldiers? Who are they?" a nearby soldier asked curiously.

The soldier explained the origin of the "Zouave," and upon hearing the history of the Zouave Corps, the soldiers around him felt equally uneasy.

Riding his horse, Brigadier General Bazan took a glance at Star Fortress, determined to capture it in the shortest time possible.

He intended to use this achievement to make a name for himself.

Thus, Brigadier General Bazan decided to lead from the front himself, dismounting, he grabbed a Minie Gun and told the soldiers beside him, "In this battle, I’ll climb with you! No one is permitted to retreat. No matter who it is, even if it’s me, we will face military punishment! Understand?"

"Understood!" the Zouave soldiers shouted back.

"Very good!"

With Brigadier General Bazan leading the charge, the Zouave Corps surged forward like a giant beast awakening from slumber, quickly crossing the trenches and reaching the slope.

The Russian soldiers, using the parapet on the slope as cover, quickly realized that these soldiers before them were on a completely different level from the previous troops after witnessing the skills of the Zouave Corps.

Reaching the slope, the Zouave soldiers dodged left and right, and within a few minutes, charged to the first parapet.

In close-quarters combat, these Russian soldiers with little combat experience were no match for them, and the constantly advancing Zouave soldiers quickly dispatched the Russians behind the parapet.

Subsequently, they effortlessly advanced toward the second parapet.

In merely fifteen minutes, the vanguard of the Zouave Corps had already completely reached the open ground before Star Fortress.