The mine-laying tactics initially achieved results, leaving the British and French fleets to be disappointed. However, the trouble was not without its problems, that is, the first victims were civilian ships. Although the British and French could not figure out how these ships exploded, the murderer was
Who still knows it clearly, naturally launched a new wave of strong offensive in international public opinion, condemning Russia's illegal attack on merchant ships, saying that it is a pirate and so on.
However, they could only live with their words for the time being. Without being able to step over the minefield, they had nothing to do with Russia. What's more, the two countries were not ready to declare war with Russia immediately, so they did not think of ways to clear mines or force them to do so.
Crossing the Black Sea is just a matter of sitting on the dock in Istanbul.
The Turks were naturally very angry about this. Before, they thought that with the British and French fleets backing the Russians, there was nothing they could do to them. But who would have thought that the British and French fleets would arrive in the blink of an eye, but they could only rest on the dock, and the Russian Black Sea
The fleet went around in a showy manner, constantly hunting down Turkish ships, causing them heavy losses.
"We are also very sympathetic to your country's experience, but now there are unknown dangers outside the strait. It is too risky to send a fleet to rush in... Please be patient for the time being, and we will find a way to solve this problem as soon as possible!"
Such a response naturally made the Turks more and more disappointed, and the weak people in the country began to sigh or complain. They condemned the officials who had been tough before for harming the country. They also suggested that the Sudan quickly renegotiate with Russia and cede territory and pay indemnity to solve the problem.
This voice cannot be said to be small, but its influence is not that great. There are two main reasons. First, although Britain and France are a bit unreliable, their support this time is still enough. When Russia declared war, Britain and France both passed
We passed a resolution condemning Russia. The momentum was really great and it was really good to be emboldened.
Secondly, Russia's attitude was very clear before, that is, it clearly wants Bulgaria, and there is no need to negotiate other conditions. But Bulgaria is Turkey's last barrier. Once Bulgaria is gone, Russia's military base will be directly pointed at Istanbul. Sudan will definitely
This result is unacceptable.
Finally, the hardliners in Turkey have been working for Sudan, hoping that Sudan will have a fight with Russia to give them a chance to frustrate Russia. If they can weaken Russia, maybe Russia will not be so aggressive. Later,
Is it easy to negotiate?
Based on these reasons, Sudan temporarily maintained a strong attitude and further sent troops to Bulgaria, preparing for a good collision with Russia. Of course, this was actually a gesture, which was made to show Britain and France, which meant: the two great leaders
You guys have all seen it, right? This time I am risking my life to fight with Russia. You can't turn a blind eye, right? Even if you are pitiful, we should give you more help!
Turkey acted relatively quickly. On the day Menshikov and the Russian minister boarded the ship to leave Istanbul, nearly 30,000 new Turkish troops began to move towards Bulgaria.
This is just the vanguard. The troops gathered from the Asian Peninsula are continuously crossing the Bosporus and marching towards Bulgaria. According to preliminary estimates, Turkey has mobilized nearly half a million troops.
Among the 300,000 troops preparing for war in Bulgaria, there are almost one million Turkish troops gathered in small Bulgaria. One can imagine how difficult it is for Russia to achieve a quick victory!
In fact, the Russian army had already discovered that something was wrong. After Menshikov broke off diplomatic relations and declared war, Duke Mikhail commanded 300,000 Russian troops to forcefully cross the Danube River in three groups, and then immediately found that he had kicked the iron plate.
The target of the most powerful middle route army was Ruse, but just crossing the river cost more than 10,000 casualties. Then the Turkish defense line surrounding Ruse was helpless.
Even with the support of heavy artillery clusters, the offensive was extremely unsuccessful. Every step forward required human lives. It can be said that every footprint was soaked in the blood of the Russian army.
The troubles encountered by the West Route Army and the East Route Army were no less than those of the Central Route Army. Near Pleven, the West Route Army encountered a strong counterattack by the Turkish army, and the forward was directly defeated. If the main force of the Russian army had not responded in time, it would have immediately occupied the favorable terrain.
To defend, I am afraid that the Western Route Army will be driven directly back to Wallachia.
As for the Eastern Route Army, they also encountered big trouble in Constanta. They organized several strong attacks but were resolutely pushed back by the Turkish army. Anyway, the Russian army was so aggressive before the launch and now it is so distressed. They suddenly discovered that the Turkish army was in trouble overnight.
The army is completely different from before. The sick man from the Near East seems to have disappeared!
Duke Mikhail also had a headache. According to his plan, the 300,000-strong army should be able to break through the Turkish defense line, and the following 200,000-strong army would only need to drive straight through the opened gap and sweep deep into Bulgaria.
But who would have thought that the Turkish army's defense line would be so strong and stubbornly blocked his strong attack, causing his battle plan to fail from the beginning.
To make matters worse, Li Xiao also told him that the main force of the Turkish army was pouring into Bulgaria, with an initial estimate of more than 300,000 troops. If he could not defeat the Turkish army along the Danube River as soon as possible, then once the main force of the Turkish army arrived,
Once on the battlefield, the Russian army will be in an extremely disadvantageous situation, and it will be very dangerous for them to fight with their backs against the water!
Duke Mikhail knew that Li Xiao would not make such a joke with him. He really had to urge the troops to step up their actions, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous!
"Adjust the strategy and move the main force to the direction of Constanta to occupy this area as soon as possible. The troops on the Danube River line will temporarily switch to defense and be prepared to hold on to the defense line!"
In fact, this adjustment is far from enough. The Turkish defense line is unexpectedly strong, which shows that it is extremely unwise to attack the Danube line. It is best to withdraw the troops crossing the river and rely on the Danube to launch defenses, which is safer.
It's just that doing this will put Duke Mikhail under a lot of pressure. After all, almost everyone in the country thought that this war would be very easy and enjoyable, but who would have thought that the Russian army would hit a big snag as soon as it entered the battle and was ignored all the time.
The Turks who had an eyelid look disgraced.
How could Nicholas I, who was particularly concerned about face, stand this? If Duke Mikhail really withdraws his troops to the north of the Danube, it is estimated that after this news is transmitted back to St. Petersburg, Nicholas I will greet his eight generations of ancestors!
Therefore, Duke Mikhail cannot withdraw no matter what. Even if he just crosses the river and occupies a bridgehead, he still has to hold on to this bridgehead and can only hold on to the end!