"Okay! Then you should respond to the emperor!" Archduke Constantine said angrily, scratching his neck, "I want to see if you alone can cover the sky with one hand, or if those of us here are more important!
"
Paskovich was actually just trying to scare Grand Duke Constantine, because he knew that Grand Duke Constantine was in a very bad state recently and was almost walking on thin ice. He figured that as long as he was tough enough and put on a fight-to-die attitude, he would be able to
Can scare away Archduke Constantine.
But who would have thought that Archduke Constantine was not only not intimidated, but was infuriated and confronted him directly, which made him feel troubled.
Especially what Grand Duke Constantine said, Paskovich really had to weigh it carefully. Among the people present, his weight could only be tied with Menshikov, but there was Grand Duke Constantine on the other side.
, Kornilov and Nassimov, even though he has a few minions on his side who can help him out, the gap with the opponent is still too big.
If this turmoil really comes to Nicholas I's court, he is not necessarily 100% sure of winning.
But what if he is forced to retreat by Constant's words as Grand Duke? It's very humiliating, and he really has no room for retreat. What should he do?
Just when Paskovich was considering whether to fight to the end and simply fight with the opponent, his adjutant rushed in in a hurry, with panic written on his face.
"Dear Marshal, the third secret agent of Constantinople has sent the latest reconnaissance report! According to their reconnaissance, the British army has arrived in Constantinople with 30,000 people, while the French army has arrived in approximately
One hundred thousand people!”
This news made everyone in the room change their minds. Even Paskovich was stunned. If there are no errors in this secret report, it means that his plan to capture Istanbul has been aborted!
The frightened Paskovich threw away his crutches and rushed to the adjutant in two steps. He pulled the secret report over and scanned it at a glance. Suddenly his old face turned purple.
Although Menshikov and Grand Duke Constantine were shocked enough, they were not responsible for directing the battle after all, so the impact of this secret report was naturally not that great. At this moment, they were more gloating about the misfortune, and it was rare for the two of them to talk to each other.
Look at it and smile, ready to start reading jokes.
The ones who were really anxious were Kornilov and Nassimov. After a simple calculation, they knew how bad the situation facing the landing troops was. They were originally surrounded by more than 100,000 enemy troops, and now the British and French coalition forces were close to 100,000.
Thousands of people have arrived in Constantinople and may arrive at Ineada at any time to join the battle. At that time, they will face 200,000 elite enemy troops. Isn't this fatal!
Kornilov suddenly became anxious and asked the adjutant sharply: "When did the secret agents of the third unit discover that the main force of the British and French forces arrived in Constantinople?!"
The adjutant was stunned when asked. He didn't quite understand what was important about this time, and he didn't pay attention to it at all. When he received the news, he was stunned. He just wanted to inform his boss quickly, and he had no time at all.
Pay attention to other details.
At this time, Paskovich sighed quietly: "The time was half a month ago..."
Kornilov and Nasimov suddenly became even more expressionless, because if this information had been obtained half a month ago, with the organizational capabilities and marching speed of Britain and France, I am afraid that they would soon arrive at Ineada, that is,
Said there was not much time left for them!
"Your Excellency, Commander-in-Chief, we can no longer hesitate. We must retreat immediately, otherwise we will be in danger of being annihilated!"
Paskovich held the secret report with an old face full of unwillingness and loneliness. With his military knowledge, it was not difficult to see that the danger was approaching. Once the main force of the British and French forces arrived on the battlefield, a comprehensive attack on them would soon begin.
Siege, they might not be able to leave at that time!
But he was really unwilling to make up his mind to retreat now. He spent so much effort to seize this opportunity. He lost a large number of gray animals and consumed a lot of supplies before making any achievements, and it ended in such a hasty way.
?
Thinking about it, he was unwilling to give up, but his reason told him that if he continued to stay in this ghost place of Ineada, the losses would probably be even greater, and the outcome would be even worse at that time.
How to do it?
For a moment, Paskovich felt in a dilemma and stood there without any reaction.
This made Kornilov and Nassimov very anxious, and they quickly advised:
"Your Excellency, we must make up our mind now. The sooner we retreat, the safer it will be! Otherwise, once the enemy's main force arrives on the battlefield, it will be almost impossible for us to safely evacuate this ghost place!"
"That's right, Your Excellency, retreat quickly! It's really hard to leave if it's too late!"
At this time, you can see the true mentality of several people in the room. Although Paskovich was stunned and silent, looking at his worried look, you can tell how worried he is about the situation of the war.
As for Kornilov and Nassimov, there is no need to say anything. Looking at their anxious looks, there is no need to say anything more.
But Menshikov and Grand Duke Constantine were completely different. They mostly watched jokes and gloated over misfortunes, and didn't care much about the situation of the war.
This also indirectly illustrates the real purpose of their inspection in Ineada, which is just to make a gesture, so as to tell Nicholas I how much they care about the war situation and how loyal they are to serving the country.
It's a pity that it's just a pretense, and if it really doesn't work, everything will show up at the critical moment.
Just as the two men were secretly laughing, Paskovich finally spoke up: "Stop the attack plan and order the troops to stand by to reinforce the fortifications!"
"Your Mightiness!"
Kornilov and Nassimov were so anxious that their voices changed, because although Paskovich gave up the attack plan, he did not issue an order to retreat immediately. This shows that the other party is still not completely willing and wants to wait.
Wait and take a look.
But how can they afford to wait? Once the main force of the British and French forces arrives, it will be almost impossible to retreat completely!
They said anxiously: "We must prepare to retreat immediately and evacuate as soon as possible. Your Excellency, we cannot hesitate!"
As they said this, they also looked at Menshikov and Grand Duke Constantine, meaning to ask them to help persuade Paskovich and let Lao Qiu Ba retreat quickly.
But as mentioned before, Menshikov and Grand Duke Konstantin did not really come to help. They spoke to Kornilov before because they had no choice but to do so. Now that Paskovich has given up on seeking death,
They can explain the attack plan. As for the retreat, it's up to you to figure it out yourself!