CHAPTER 549: CHAPTER 541: ENGLAND AND FRANCE WITH DIFFERENT DREAMS IN THE SAME BED

"Report, Sir! Those Zouave bastards (a derogatory term used by the Russian Empire) have made their way up!"

The adjutant, standing on the walls of the Star Fortress, saw the Zouave Corps soldiers steadily advancing beneath the walls and hurriedly ran down to report to the fortress commander.

At this moment, the fortress commander was reorganizing the remaining soldiers inside the fortress. After listening to the adjutant’s report, he calmly turned his head and said to the adjutant beside him, "I know, thank you for your hard work."

Having said that, the fortress commander turned his head back and looked again at the soldiers.

The more than 300 soldiers before him were the only remaining force within the fortress, yet they were to follow him, an incompetent officer, to their deaths. He felt a sense of guilt towards them.

"If any of you wish to surrender, you may do so now! I won’t blame you, truly! You have already worked very hard to save this fortress, this city! I have no right to bind you to this sinking ship!" The fortress commander said sincerely to everyone present, "I only hope that after you surrender, you do not act like that shameless fellow we saw earlier! You must always remember that you are an honorable Russian Imperial! Even if we lose this war, so what!? As long as His Majesty the Tsar’s banner flies in St. Petersburg, we still have a chance.

Three years, five years, even ten years, we must believe that under the leadership of His Majesty the Tsar, the final victor will be us.

Therefore, we do not wish for you to be captured and grovel like the Turks! Always remember, you are honorable Russian Imperials... Alright! I’ve said my piece. Anyone wanting to surrender, you may go now! I won’t stop you!"

With those words, the fortress commander stepped aside to allow the soldiers who wished to surrender to the French to pass.

None of the soldiers present chose to leave; they stood firmly where they were.

After 30 seconds, seeing that no one moved, the fortress commander smiled. He gave a final reminder to the soldiers present: "I am gratified that you’ve made this choice, but you should understand the consequences of such a decision. It’s not too late to regret it now!"

"We do not regret it!" The captain leading this remnant force resolutely replied.

"That’s right! We do not regret it!"

"No regrets."

...

Among the soldiers, there were continuous shouts of "No regrets," and it seemed that none of the soldiers present regretted their choice.

"Very well!" The fortress commander once again nodded to everyone present.

At that moment, outside the fortress came the Russian language exhorting to surrender: "Those inside, listen to me! You are surrounded. Brigadier General Bazan hopes you will lay down your arms and surrender immediately! Do not resist stubbornly... your officer has already abandoned you, and you will not receive any other aid!"

The Russian exhortation did not have much effect, as led by the fortress commander, over three hundred Russian soldiers slowly walked out of the Star Fortress.

Standing at the gate of the Star Fortress, the commanding officer looked at the French Army at the foot of the hill, in the trench, and behind the rampart, and solemnly declared, "Russia never surrenders!"

The Russian Imperial soldiers standing with the fortress commander also shouted in unison, "Russia never surrenders!"

At this moment, the fortress commander, like Don Quixote challenging the windmill, drew his command saber from his waist and shouted, "For His Majesty the Tsar!"

He then led the charge towards the location of the Zouave Corps, and the surrounding soldiers, hearing the commander’s shout, also raised their rifles and charged forward with him.

"Do not shoot!" Watching these Russian warriors making a desperate charge at the Zouave Corps, Brigadier General Bazan, also on the front line, ordered his Zouave troops not to shoot, intending to bid farewell to this honorable opponent with bayonets.

Though their army was not a match for the Zouave Corps in terms of combat strength, their courage and will instilled a sense of spontaneous respect in Brigadier General Bazan and the Zouave soldiers.

Under Brigadier General Bazan’s command, all Zouave soldiers removed their fingers from the triggers.

Then, Brigadier General Bazan also drew his command saber from his waist and shouted, "For the French Empire!"

The surrounding Zouave soldiers also charged at the remaining Russian Imperial soldiers.

The two sides clashed on a slope in front of the Star Fortress.

Ultimately, the experienced Zouave Corps achieved victory, with over 300 Russian Imperial soldiers all falling to the Zouave Corps.

The final wave of casualties for the Zouave Corps was 121 (48 dead, 73 wounded), a significant portion of which resulted from the compassion shown by Zouave soldiers during the fight, intentionally avoiding vital areas in their first attacks, enabling the Russian Imperial soldiers still to retaliate, causing some unnecessary casualties.

The red glow of the sunset bathed the Star Fortress, lending a mournful feeling to this ruined Star Fortress.

Looking at these Russian Imperial soldiers who chose death over surrender, Brigadier General Bazan sighed deeply and then ordered his adjutant to have them all buried.

"Yes, Sir!" the adjutant quickly responded to Brigadier General Bazan and then inquired whether a tombstone should be erected for them.

"If you want to, go ahead!" Brigadier General Bazan replied, then returned to the foot of the hill to report to General Canrobert.

Standing at the foot of the mountain, closely observing the movements of the Star Fortress, General Canrobert began to criticize Brigadier General Bazan the moment he appeared before him.

"When unnecessary casualties could have been avoided, why did you still engage them in close combat?" Canrobert inquired of Brigadier General Bazan.

"I believe it is a sign of respect to the garrison inside the fortress," Brigadier General Bazan replied to Canrobert.

"Respect? This is war, not a duel between knights!" Canrobert loudly emphasized.

"Even in war, we ought to show them enough respect!" Brigadier General Bazan retorted.

After a moment of argument between Canrobert and Bazan, the discussion ended with General Canrobert’s concession.

"You and your troops have worked hard!" Canrobert said to Brigadier General Bazan.

"This is what we should do!" Brigadier General Bazan answered Canrobert.

Subsequently, Canrobert ordered Brigadier General Bazan’s Zuav Corps and the First Division to continue approaching the residential area on the north shore of Sevastopol, with the First Division to spend the night on the north shore of Sevastopol.

...

The battle report from the north shore of Sevastopol reached the French Command twenty minutes after the end of the struggle for the Star Fortress.

By this time, the French Command had already gathered commanders from England, France, Turkey, and Sardinia.

As for why the commanders of the other three countries were present, it had to be traced back to the beginning of the struggle for the Star Fortress.

As soon as the battle for the Star Fortress began, Canrobert had mobilized over a hundred Little Napoleon Cannons to fiercely bombard the Star Fortress.

The noise generated by the Little Napoleon Cannons immediately alarmed the commanders of the other three countries, and thus England, Italy, and Turkey dispatched personnel to investigate the situation.

After some investigation, the commanders of the three countries realized that the French Army had attacked the Star Fortress without informing them (Commander Largren had vaguely known why the war was initiated).

Faced with such a sudden situation, all they could do was to head to the French Command to inquire about the situation.

After the explanations from the French Command, the commanders of the three countries finally understood why the French Command suddenly initiated the war.

Since France had already begun the offensive against the Star Fortress, England, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia had nothing further to say.

They could only wait quietly at the French Command for the news of the Star Fortress being conquered.

When Jerome Patterson delivered the battle report of the Star Fortress being conquered to the French Command, England, Turkey, and Russia once again marveled at France’s formidable strength.

From the moment France officially launched the offensive (5:00) to now (7:30), only two and a half hours had passed.

Sitting in the French Command, Commander Largren immediately felt a surge of pressure.

Although England and France were fighting closely together in Crimea against the Russian Empire, one could not guarantee that current allies would not become enemies in the future.

Moreover, the Kingdom of Britain and the French Empire were already arch enemies, only joining forces due to the situation.

Now, seeing the combat power displayed by the French Empire far outpacing Britain, Commander Largren could not help but become cautious.

Commander Largren even began to question whether it was wise for the London Government to form an alliance with the French Empire to resist the Russian Empire.

Given the strength displayed by the Russian Empire, they seemed more like an ally Britain should attract rather than guard against.

France is truly terrifying!

At this moment, Commander Largren had secretly resolved that after conquering the South Shore of Sevastopol, he must send a telegram to London, urging them to reform the existing military system of Britain as soon as possible.

Since stepping onto the Crimea Peninsula, numerous issues have been exposed in the British Army.

If solutions are not implemented, Britain risks being utterly defeated.

In contrast to Commander Largren’s unease, Commander La Malamor of the Sardinian Kingdom, who also serves as the Minister of War, and Omar Pasha, the commander of the Ottoman Empire, were exceptionally pleased.

The stronger the combat power of the French Army, the more relaxed they became.

Ideally, the French Army would independently resolve the Russian Imperial Army, sparing them from action!