Chapter 478: Chapter 472: Charge! United Fleet!
"...We must cut off their bear claws attempting to dominate the Eastern region and drive them out of the Near East..."
Marshal Saint Arno and Baron Lagren reached a consensus on the depiction of the Russian Empire, and both burst into laughter, which prompted all the officers inside the camp entrance to laugh along with their commanders.
After the laughter subsided, Marshal Saint Arno and Baron Lagren raised their glasses once more, and the crimson liquid within shimmered back and forth with a crisp clink, then drained completely.
After several rounds of drinks, the slightly tipsy Baron Lagren explained to Marshal Saint Arno that the British Army could not engage in high-intensity combat in the short term.
Already aware of the basic situation of the British Army from Envoy Valvesky, Marshal Saint Arno immediately assured Baron Lagren that the Allied Forces would not engage in large-scale battles shortly, and the British Army only needed to send a small cavalry team to act alongside France.
"What do you intend to do?" Baron Lagren inquired of Marshal Saint Arno.
"Mr. Lagren, our troops have been stationed in the Varna Region for nearly several months, it’s time to ’greet’ the Russian Imperial Army near the Silestra Fortress!" Marshal Saint Arno shrugged, revealing a meaningful smile to Lord Lagren: "After all, Paris is also waiting for our news of victory!"
"Well, it seems we all have to face our respective governments!" Baron Lagren sighed softly to Marshal Saint Arno.
"No!" Marshal Saint Arno quickly corrected Baron Lagren, stating that the French Army was not pressed by the government; they voluntarily wished to bring triumph to the Empire.
After all, every French soldier wants to redeem the failures they once suffered at the hands of the Russian Empire.
Upon hearing Marshal Saint Arno’s explanation, Baron Lagren also displayed a meaningful smile.
Next, the British and French Armies discussed the deployment of troops soon to head to the Silestra Fortress.
Among them, the French Army would dispatch a 10,000-strong force (including the Zuav Corps), led by the commander of the First French Division, Conrobel, to "reinforce" Omar Pasha within the Silestra Fortress, while the British side would lead a cavalry unit of 1,000 and an infantry force of 3,000, under the guidance of the Duke of Cambridge, to set off with the French Army to the Silestra Fortress.
When Baron Lagren inquired when Marshal Saint Arno would depart for the Silestra Fortress, Marshal Saint Arno replied that they needed to wait until February 25th to set off.
Baron Lagren questioned Marshal Saint Arno again for the reason, to which Marshal Saint Arno responded: "Mr. Lagren, we are not the only main characters in this war! There are two more armies yet to arrive on the battlefield, we need to patiently wait for a few days!"
Baron Lagren suddenly remembered that both the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Sardinia had declared war on the Russian Empire, and the Anglo-French military alliance, in reason and fairness, should wait for them to arrive in Varna before setting out together.
However, Baron Lagren remained cautious and skeptical regarding the combat capabilities of the Ottoman Empire and Sardinian Kingdom forces.
Especially the Sardinian Army, whose inept performances in 1848 still lingered in Baron Lagren’s memory.
"Mr. Lagren, rest assured! Although the entirety of the Sardinian Kingdom’s army is debatable, certain units among them have battle resolve not inferior to our two nations’ armies! I believe the leaders of the Sardinian Kingdom will carefully choose their finest soldiers and then send them to us for our use!" Marshal Saint Arno unreservedly referred to the Sardinian troops as expendable material.
"Indeed!" Baron Lagren pondered for a moment before nodding in agreement with Marshal Saint Arno: "I think the Kingdom of Sardinia wouldn’t send over the defective parts of their army!"
"As for the Ottoman Empire’s army..." Marshal Saint Arno sighed: "We’ll have to leave it to fate!"
Though Omar Pasha has held off the Russian Army at the Silestra Fortress for several months, this does not mean the Ottoman Army itself possesses capabilities comparable to the Russian Army.
The fortress allows the Ottoman Empire to defend more easily against the Russian Empire’s offense, but it cannot turn the defensive advantage into an offensive advantage.
Not to mention the immense quality disparity in the Ottoman Empire’s forces; many regional military units (Egypt, Tunisia) have much greater combat capabilities than the Ottoman Empire’s native forces.
"I hope the Ottoman Empire does not disappoint our expectations!" Baron Lagren shrugged his shoulders, responding to Marshal Saint Arno.
The British and French Armies maintained a skeptical attitude towards the combat abilities of the soon-to-arrive Ottoman Army.
After the discussion of the land actions by the British and French Armies, British Navy General Dendas and French Navy General Bruea deliberated on the bombardment of the Odessa capital.
"I suggest both of our naval forces depart tomorrow and set out for Odessa!" Navy General Bruea said to General Dendas.
"This..." General Dundas hesitated a bit, wondering if General Bruea might be acting too aggressively. He responded tactfully, "Isn’t this a bit too hasty? Our troops haven’t even rested yet!"
The troops General Dundas referred to naturally meant the British Army.
General Bruea discerned the undertone in General Dundas’ words and told him that the British and French Navy’s mission to Odessa was merely to survey if the defenses of the Odessa capital were lax and to attack the naval fleet stationed at Odessa, without needing the accompaniment of the army.
After listening to General Bruea’s explanation, General Dundas glanced at the commander of the British Expeditionary Army, Baron Lagren.
With Baron Lagren’s approval, General Dundas agreed to General Bruea’s plan.
After the banquet was over, General Dundas was called into the tent by General Lagren for a discussion.
Early the next morning, nearly 2000 British infantrymen marched out of the camp towards Varna Port.
When this British force arrived at Varna Port, they saw that many French soldiers had already gathered at the port. These French soldiers, under the leadership of their officers, orderly boarded small boats, with French soldiers floating on the sea being transported to troop ships. The person in charge of commanding the troops onto the boats was the commander of the Second Division, Bo Ke Si.
After all the French soldiers were transported onto the ships, Bo Ke Si respectfully approached Baron Lagren and responded, "Commander Lagren!"
"Weren’t you saying yesterday that this operation was merely a preliminary skirmish and didn’t require many people? How come you’ve changed your mind today?" Baron Lagren asked Bo Ke Si, half-jokingly, half-seriously.
"Our Marshal believes that if our infantry doesn’t fight alongside the navy, it would be difficult to seize fleeting opportunities in battle!" Bo Ke Si responded logically, then blinked and pointed at the troops behind Commander Lagren, retorting, "Commander Lagren, I suppose your troops aren’t here just for a spectacle!"
"Looks like both our armies had the same thought!" Baron Lagren answered tactfully, then self-mockingly added, "However, it seems neither of us is quite honest!"
"Indeed!" Bo Ke Si nodded sympathetically.
Both, knowing well the reasons for their mutual lack of honesty, tactfully avoided the topic.
After all, Britain and France had been hypothetical adversaries far longer than they had cooperated.
Even though Marshal Saint Arno and Baron Lagren spoke of honest collaboration, in reality, they still regarded each other as enemies.
This time, it was merely because both sides thought alike, causing the current awkward situation.
Subsequently, under the command of Baron Lagren, the British troops boarded the small boats one after another and then entered the troop ships via those small boats.
By noon, the clouds that originally shrouded Varna Port suddenly cleared. The gentle sunlight broke through the thin clouds, casting its brilliance over Varna Port and the Black Sea, illuminating sails akin to creamy white. The entire Varna Port, under this sudden sunshine, now appeared exceptionally warm and inviting.
When the last two small boats carrying the naval commanders and leading generals of both British and French armies embarked, the flag signal soldier, having climbed the lookout tower, waved flags to signal surrounding fleets.
This marked the first sincere cooperation between the navy of the Kingdom of Britain and the French Empire since the 19th century. Every naval sailor had a face full of confidence, believing that the combined forces of the world’s number one navy and the second would leave no force able to contend against them in the world.
As they assumed, ever since the navies of Britain and France continually gathered near the Bosphorus Strait and experienced a naval battle, the once ambitious Russian Navy, hoping to rival the British and French fleets, seemed to have its backbone forcibly broken. It completely paralyzed near the Sevastopol Fortress and the Odessa capital, not daring to directly confront the British and French fleets.
The entire Black Sea became monotonous following the Russian Empire Navy’s withdrawal from the war.
Even with frequent provocations from the British and French fleets near the Sevastopol Fortress, the Russian Empire Navy remained unwilling to leave the fortress’s port.
Lacking orders to attack the port, the British and French Navy lingered around the Sevastopol Fortress for a long time, ultimately undergoing a journey of coming high-spiritedly but leaving despondently.
Now, they have received offensive permissions from their respective supreme commanders.
Soon, with impassioned enthusiasm, they intend to unleash their battle fervor upon Odessa Port.