Kornilov's face was very serious. He had just received news that the British, French and Turkish coalition forces had landed in Kalamita Bay. The initial estimate was that the number of troops was more than 50,000. At this time, he only had 35,000 troops on hand, and
Most of them were wounded soldiers who had experienced the Battle of Ineada, and only less than 20,000 people could actually fight.
This small amount of troops was far from being able to drive the enemy into the sea, and even holding on to Sevastopol was a bit cramped. Therefore, he could only watch the enemy land leisurely and there was no other way.
"Ask for reinforcements from Kiev, and also mobilize troops from the direction of Kherson, at least 20,000 to 30,000 troops. I suspect this is just the enemy's vanguard!"
Nakhimov agreed with this. More than 50,000 enemies are not a small number, but all fools know that it is impossible to capture Sevastopol with such a small number of people. It is conceivable that the enemy's reinforcements are at sea, and the follow-up is likely to continue.
The ground came over.
If you want to defend Sevastopol and Crimea, they will definitely not have enough people.
However, Nakhimov also knew that the soldiers in the country were actually very nervous. Duke Mikhail's side was a bottomless pit. More than 90% of the supplies and reinforcements must be provided to him first. Otherwise, once the Danube defense line collapsed, it would really be a loss of soldiers.
What a defeat!
The domestic force that can be used to reinforce them is definitely very limited, so it is necessary to make long-term plans.
"We cannot wait for reinforcements from Kiev and St. Petersburg," Nakhimov suggested. "We can consider recruiting volunteers in Crimea. We must increase our strength as soon as possible. The battle in the future may be very difficult!"
Kornilov deeply agreed and immediately ordered Nakhimov to recruit young men of suitable age to form a volunteer army. In addition, he also specifically ordered the walls to be cleared and no one to sell food and other supplies to the enemy.
However, Kornilov also knew that orders were orders, but the effect was hard to say. With the wealth of the British and French forces, there was really no stopping him from spending real money to buy grain and other supplies.
The only thing he can do is to increase the difficulty as much as possible to make it difficult for the enemy to obtain supplies from Crimea.
On the other side, after the three-nation coalition successfully landed in Crimea, they occupied Yevpatoria without firing a shot. The mayor of the city agreed to surrender to the coalition on the condition that the coalition must send cholera-stricken people
Soldiers are isolated in isolation.
I have to say that this mayor is quite capable and knows that the most terrifying thing in this war is not guns but bacteria. If coalition soldiers infected with cholera are allowed to come into contact with citizens, it will definitely be a disaster.
What's interesting is that the coalition readily agreed to this request. Compared with the anti-intellectual behavior of their descendants more than a hundred years later when facing the new virus, I don't know whether it should be said whether their descendants' intelligence has deteriorated or their brains have been damaged.
The door is jammed.
However, the lethality of cholera and other plagues far exceeded the coalition's expectations. On the third day after the landing, more than a thousand coalition soldiers were infected with cholera.
You must know that the coalition forces only landed a total of 55,000 people, which means nearly 2% of the soldiers were infected. At this pace, God knows how many people will be infected in the end.
It was not just cholera that caused headaches for the coalition forces. There was also a supply problem. The 150 tons of biscuits that had just been unloaded from the ship were burned due to management errors. Although the entire army was not starved, it did affect some soldiers.
In order to cope with the lack of food, they had to excuse themselves from the navy, so the landlubbers who had just landed were treated to the Royal Navy's unique meal of oatmeal stewed corned beef. To be honest, the taste of this thing was really unappetizing. If you weren't hungry,
Even the panicked dogs won't eat it.
Of course, for Britain and France, which have deep pockets, this is a minor problem. The joy of the coalition's successful landing in Crimea can outweigh everything. In fact, when the news of the successful landing reached London and Paris, the people of the two countries
It's rejoicing.
The French, in particular, are really overjoyed. After all, the pain of the Napoleonic era is still fresh in their minds. The French hate Russia from the bottom of their hearts as the culprit of the Emperor's defeat. It's so easy for France to be beaten again.
Isn’t it worth celebrating that polar bears have become their home?
As for other trivial issues, what’s the big fuss? Let’s just be happy first!
The British and the French were indeed happy, but Nicholas I was very unhappy. He finally managed to collect enough military expenditures, and he wanted to fight to the death with the other party. As a result, the enemy came to his doorstep before he even made any move.
.
Although Sevastopol is a coastal city and far away from St. Petersburg, it is not good news that the enemy has entered the house. It is really embarrassing!
The last time Russia was so embarrassed was during the Napoleonic era. Nicholas I always believed that he was at least on the same level as his eldest brother Alexander II, if not better. Under his wise rule, Russia was moving towards unprecedented glory.
But who would have thought that in the blink of an eye he would be blocked by someone at the door and slapped in the face, what a shame!
"Tell me what you think of the latest developments in Britain, France and Turkey!"
As Minister of War, Chernyshev was naturally the first to express his experience in the French interview: "Your Majesty, I think this is just a feint!"
"Feint?"
Nicholas I was noncommittal and turned to Duke Ordolph: "What do you think?"
Duke Oldorf did not expect that Nicholas I would ask him suddenly. He was stunned for a moment and quickly replied: "I think the possibility of a feint attack is unlikely!"
"Why?" Nicholas I asked.
"The reason is very simple. This kind of feint attack has no meaning? Sevastopol is a solid fortress. We only need a small number of troops to hold it for a long time, so what is the use of feinting here?"
Chernyshev was immediately unconvinced: "Maybe their purpose is to encircle the spot and call for reinforcements?"
Duke Ordorf shook his head and said: "What's the point? Even if we can eliminate some of our reinforcements, we can neither capture Sevastopol nor distract our energy in Wallachia. It will do nothing to change the situation of the war."
Meaningless.”
"Tens of thousands of troops are alone overseas. How much supplies are needed and how much investment is required? Are they crazy just to eliminate a few of our reinforcements? I wouldn't do such a stupid thing anyway!"
Chernyshev's face turned red and blue due to the rebuke, and he was speechless for a long time. It was certain that he was not convinced, but before he could continue to be stubborn, Nicholas I spoke: "I think it's a feint.
The possibility is really low. It is obvious that the enemy came specifically to humiliate us! But now their purpose has become less than half..."