The defeat of Kerch was an extremely huge blow to the coalition forces. When they had easily defeated Menshikov's offensive before, they all agreed that the Russian army was nothing more than that. If Sevastopol's city defense had not been strong, they would have wiped out the Russian army long ago.
Anyway, the coalition generals believed that the Russian army in the field was just a plate of food, and they could eat two tables at a time!
However, the tragic defeat of Kerch wiped out this optimism, because the city's defense was simply not comparable to that of Sevastopol, but here, when the coalition forces had naval support, they were still defeated.
What does this mean? It shows that the coalition's ability to attack fortifications is not ordinary rubbish. It is difficult to say anything when faced with solid fortifications. But now, unless the Russian army foolishly takes the initiative to run out of the fortifications to seek abuse, they may not be able to do anything to these polar bears.
Anyway, the senior leaders of the coalition are generally not optimistic about the prospects, believing that this war will evolve into a long-term war of attrition, and require the country to quickly send more reinforcements and more supplies.
But as soon as they finished their request, the three brothers of the stubborn Grand Duke Constantine on the other side foolishly rushed towards the guns of the coalition forces. After a whole day of fierce fighting, Grand Duke Constantine left 10,000 people in embarrassment.
Eight thousand corpses were evacuated to Simferopol.
This time, the Russian army's final offensive in Crimea almost exhausted the last Russian mobile troops. Especially the cavalry suffered heavy losses. Ten thousand light cavalry were killed on the spot. It can be said that the Russian army's cavalry has been completely consumed.
All!
This defeat dealt a heavy blow to Nicholas I. He was really happy when Nakhimov reported that he had defeated the coalition attack on Kerch and annihilated thousands of enemy soldiers.
He also thought that this would be a turning point in the Crimean War, and that his troops would defeat the coalition again and again until they won the final victory.
It's just that this joy came and went faster. Before he could be happy for three days, the battle report from Grand Duke Constantine poured a basin of cold water on his head, which made him feel very cold!
There were nearly 20,000 casualties, and the remaining troops were scattered in all directions. Only more than 20,000 people fled back to Simferopol. This meant that the Russian army was no longer able to launch any offensive and could only be passively beaten!
"Kostya, Kostya!"
Nicholas I kept himself alone in his study throughout the night. From time to time, you could hear his deep breathing and angry roars. It was obvious that he was very disappointed with Grand Duke Constantine. This could be said to be his favorite son.
He personally destroyed his last hope for this war and extinguished his last light of life.
When Nicholas I appeared in front of everyone again, the arrogant, energetic and triumphant tsar was gone. He was replaced by an old man with dull eyes, gray skin and no energy.
"A decree was given to Kornilov, ordering him to take over the overall command of the Crimean war from Grand Duke Constantine, and also told him that he must defend Sevastopol!"
This decree almost drained Nicholas I of all his energy. He put his hands on the table and panted for a long time before he said again: "Minister of Foreign Affairs, your mission is very important. Go to Vienna to see what the Austrians are doing. Before
Aren't they very active jumping up and down all the time? Just go and take a look and find out their attitude, but you can't give them any promises, we haven't been defeated yet!"
Neserrodie's heart was full of bitterness, and even he did not expect that the situation would develop to this point. He knew very well that even though Nicholas I said that Russia had not surrendered, in fact sending him to Vienna was a matter of course.
Such a gesture, if you don't want to make peace, why go through this trip?
However, he did not reject this task. He knew very well that it would be difficult for Russia to continue to persist. If the fight continued, the last drop of Russia's blood might be drained. At that time, there would be no other way but to fight to the end sincerely like in 1812.
But even though Russia won in the end in 1812, it was also a miserable victory. It took Russia ten or twenty years to get out of this pit. If it happened again now, only God knows how long it would take for it to climb out.
What's more, the enemy this time is much stronger than last time. Last time it was just France, and now it also includes Britain, Turkey, and Austria, who are eating everything but everything. If you think about it, you know how big the pit is this time.
How deep.
Anyway, Nicholas I thought that he might not be able to climb out, and this was also the source of his pain. As the most arrogant king in Europe, he looked down on other royal families from the bottom of his heart, but this time he
He made a big joke and was humiliated at his grandma's house. Whenever he thought about how those guys he once looked down upon would laugh at him, he wanted to kill himself with his own hands to avoid being humiliated!
Anyway, now he is hopeless, and the only belief that can keep him alive is that Sevastopol has not yet fallen, and this last fig leaf has not been stripped away.
However, Nicholas I also knew that this piece of cloth would be ripped off sooner or later if he didn't do anything, so he immediately ordered Chernyshev: "Deploy all the troops that can be mobilized in the country and send them to Sevastopol immediately.
, the remaining supplies should also meet Kornilov’s needs as much as possible, this is a death order!”
Chernyshev couldn't cry even if he wanted to, because he still had troops on hand that could be mobilized. The ones he mobilized before had already been picked out from between his teeth. Where could he get them now?
We can’t remove the defense forces from Moscow and St. Petersburg, right?
"Take it from the Baltic Fleet. We can't go out to sea now anyway. It's useless for those sailors to stay on the ship. Let them defend Sevastopol!"
Chernyshev was shocked, because the Baltic Fleet was Nicholas I's treasure, but now such treasures are being transferred away without hesitation. It can be seen that his majesty is willing to risk everything.
Although this approach can mobilize tens of thousands of people, is it really worth it? After all, these sailors are valuable talents who have been trained with a lot of effort. It is a pity to let them be used as cannon fodder.
Got it!
Who would have thought that Nicholas I sighed: "What a pity? What's a pity? A fleet that cannot go to sea is meaningless. The Minister of the Navy misunderstood me! If we could build more steamships before, now we can only be beaten and cannot fight back."
Really? Those warships we spent a lot of money to build have all become decorations and are completely useless!"
The more Nicholas I thought about it, the angrier he became, especially when he thought about Menshikov's poor performance and his trust in him!
He slammed a table and roared: "Remove Prince Menshikov from his post as Navy Minister and let him go home to retire!"