Eagle’s Glory

Under Aegron's watchful eye, his artillery began to bombard the Mesolonghion Fortress, which meant that his offensive had officially begun.

Amidst the deafening bombardment, a large number of solid shells were accelerated by the gunpowder and the barrel, and rushed into the midair with a howling sound, then fell rapidly, and finally landed in the opposite fortress in a perfect parabola.

The shells fell like raindrops on the outer walls and open space of the fortress, and then stirred up waves of mud that floated into the air, and then fell like raindrops. Among the black mud and dust, there were some dazzling red stains—— Obviously, some unlucky enemy soldiers became victims of this round of shelling.

However, the continuous bombardment did not bring a particularly heavy blow to the fortress, because on the one hand, Aigron does not have heavy artillery, which is not powerful enough to directly destroy the fortress; secondly, the well-designed bastion, its walls are not high , and the masonry structure is inclined, so it is difficult for shells to penetrate.

With the help of a telescope, Aigron observed the results of the bombardment—except for the smoke and dust that filled the front, the shells only left some large and small craters on the city wall.

Obviously, the effect is slight.

Although he was disappointed, Egron was not surprised. He knew in his heart that if Messolonghi hadn't been such a strong fortress, the Turks wouldn't have had to besiege it for so long before taking it.

In essence, he was experiencing the mood of the Turks at the time.

After the bombardment lasted for a period of time, it gradually subsided, and then it was time for a frontal charge.

Standing on the high ground, Egron watched his soldiers lying in front of the ditch close to the bastion, waiting for the final order.

Although he couldn't see the faces of the soldiers clearly, he could clearly feel the chill that permeated the entire front—that was the atmosphere before the death god was about to come.

They were doomed to a bloody struggle.

Even though he knew that the next attack would not have any obvious results and would definitely bring heavy sacrifices, he still didn't say a word, just silently watching the battle ahead.

As long as there is a war, there will be sacrifices, and he has long been used to letting his soldiers make sacrifices-all he can do is to make this sacrifice as worthwhile as possible.

Following a few sharp whistles, there was a deafening roar in the trench, and then a group of soldiers with rifles, under the command of the officer,

Jumped out of the trench, and then collectively rushed towards the multi-faceted fort ahead.

In this situation, the soldiers had no formation to speak of. A group of soldiers in black uniforms charged forward scatteredly. Like a herd of buffalo on a gallop.

Amidst their roars, the distance between them and the bastion was getting closer and closer. For a moment, in some people's minds, victory seemed to be close at hand...

However, just as they were approaching the front of the bastion, the fortress, which had been silent for a long time during the previous confrontation and shelling, suddenly made dense noises.

Like giants waking up, these bastions poured firepower at the enemy troops rushing towards them in anger. In an instant, the shooting holes in the bastion and the soldiers on the city wall began to fire, and the soldiers hiding behind the city wall began to fire. The cannon also began to return fire.

Cannon fire and bullets flew wildly in the open space in an instant, harvesting life like the scythe of death. To the soldiers who charged forward, the muffled sound of bullets hitting and passing through the human body was endless, as if some terrible monster was attacking Playing the piano and celebrating.

People kept falling down, but because of the restraint of military discipline, the remaining people were still charging forward. They crossed the open space full of stones, and then rushed into the ditch in front of the bastion wall.

There was not much water in the trench, so they jumped in easily, but then they found that how to climb out of the trench from the other side became a problem again.

Some tried to climb up with guns tucked under their arms, while others held guns and fired back at the distant city walls.

Because the walls of the bastion have a star-shaped structure, the soldiers in these trenches will inevitably have to bear the firepower from the other two angles. Bullets are constantly pouring down from the walls to fight back against the attackers. .

The lucky soldiers were shot by the bullets at low altitude or hit the stones under their feet, while the unlucky ones had to use their bodies to bear the kinetic energy carried by the bullets.

The bloody light kept bursting out in the trench, and the screams continued to echo in it. After a while, the trench was filled with bloody corpses, and the blood from their wounds instantly covered the bottom of the trench red. , as if it was a carpet laid to welcome the arrival of the god of death.

In this tragic scene, some soldiers began to break down. They either stood there blankly, not knowing what to do, and then were knocked down by ruthless bullets; move back.

But even so, there are still some soldiers who still maintain their courage. They try their best to climb up from the trench, and then climb up the sloping city wall, while using the gap created by the shelling just now to cover themselves.

However, after these bravest soldiers climbed to the wall, they were greeted with bullets and bayonets from the defenders.

Alone, they were pushed down amidst screams, and then fell heavily into the ditch on their backs, facing their own death with their eyes open.

The intensive death turned this attack into a one-sided massacre, and seeing the constant sacrifices of fellow soldiers, even the most determined warriors could not help but be dominated by fear at this moment.

Then, the surviving soldiers began to retreat involuntarily, one step or two at first, and then ran quickly. No one paid attention to the wounded soldiers who were still howling in the battlefield. Trench during the attack.

As a result, this anticlimactic attack seemed unable to sustain it at the beginning, and the attackers returned to the original point, as if nothing had happened-but the corpses left in the open space and the ditch under the bastion are enough to prove that The tragic killing that happened before.

It was the first time Eggron's army retreated before the enemy.

Seeing the cowardly performance of his subordinates, the commander-in-chief Michel Ney, who was watching the battle in the artillery position, jumped with anger.

In his opinion, the subordinates are disgracing themselves and making themselves ashamed of their surname.

"Go! Order them not to retreat! Officers are obliged to maintain order and continue to attack! Anyone who dares to retreat without authorization will be shot!" He shouted at the orderlies angrily.

Then, he couldn't hold back anymore, he walked out of the position, and prepared to charge with the orderlies around him.

However, Aigron, who was standing on the high ground watching the battle, also observed Michel Ney's actions.

"Tell Michelle, hurry up and stay where I am, I don't need him to charge!" He quickly ordered to his guards.

The guards quickly led away, and finally held up Michel Ney, who was already furious.

At this time, the soldiers who had retreated to their original positions tried to continue to retreat towards the camp, which was about to turn into chaos spreading across the entire army.

Aigron and Michel hurriedly ordered the officers and guards to suppress, and after a while of confusion, they finally let the

At this time, everyone knew that the attack could no longer continue.

So Egron ordered the attack to be suspended and all troops returned to their starting positions-the first attack on Messolonghi was thus declared a failure within an hour.

Aigron let his officers and soldiers rest for a noon to recover their wounded spirits, and then he called his main officers again.

These officers came quickly, and they were all a little downcast at the moment, and it could be seen that they no longer had the high spirits they had before.

Agron was not surprised by this.

Since he led his men to land in Greece and go into battle, they have ended in victory in every battle. Although these victories were not large, they were enough to make his men develop a feeling that "victory is so easy to get" romantic ideas.

Therefore, they have not been tested by real setbacks, so they are not mentally prepared for temporary difficulties.

In this sense, the current offensive setback can be regarded as a necessary remedial lesson—after all, no army has ever won every battle in history, so how to maintain cohesion in the midst of setbacks is extremely important. important topic.

Compared to the calm Egron, Michel Ney seemed much more uncomfortable.

He walked up to Aegron, tears almost welling in his eyes, his face twitched with shame, and he could hardly speak.

"Your Majesty, I'm sorry... I have let you down. I never thought that my subordinates would retreat on their own in such a shameful manner... I have failed my name! Please punish me!"

"No, I won't punish you, Michelle." Aigron shook his head, "From the very beginning, we knew that this is definitely not an easy fortress to take down, and you have already explained it to me. So - it's not a surprise to lose the first attack, I'm very satisfied with the performance of all of you. If you feel shame, then the most you need is to pick yourself up and continue to perform the same as before. Serve."

"Your Majesty..." Michel Ney was even more grateful to see Aigron being so reasonable, "Even if the conditions are difficult, it is intolerable to withdraw without authorization before receiving an order to retreat. This is a serious shame! Ordinary soldiers, we They can no longer be held accountable, but the officers should be demerited and deprived of their medals. They must remember their shame! Let them show their due sacrifice in future battles and set an example for all subordinates."

"They are your subordinates, you decide." Aigron was noncommittal.

Although he understands the difficulties of his subordinates, in any case, retreating without an order is intolerable, and he also agrees with punishment and deterrence.

For the army, no matter how many objective reasons there are, discipline is always a truth that cannot be violated.

After the conversation between the two was over, Aigron's eyes fell on the faces of the other officers present.

And he soon discovered that almost everyone had a very ugly expression.

Obviously, the failure of today's offense was a heavy psychological blow to them.

At the last collective meeting, everyone had already lost confidence in attacking Messolonghi head-on, but because they hadn't practiced it yet, some people would be lucky. After today's attack, the bloody The fact is already in front of everyone - although their strength has an advantage over the defenders, the possibility of taking this fortress by storm is very slim.

How can this not be depressing?

"Cheer up, everyone!" Aigron increased his volume, trying to cheer them up. "Although we did encounter setbacks today, my determination has not changed. I must take down Mesolonghi!"

His words did not arouse everyone's response, but made them look at each other in blank dismay.

After staring at each other for a while, Prince Charles, his cousin, finally whispered, "Your Majesty...with all due respect, we suffered huge casualties today, but they are still within an acceptable range. But if we keep attacking here If so, the soldiers in our hands may not be enough to consume, you have already seen that the fortress is very strong, so I ask you to think again, don't spend our most precious power here and get nothing..."

Although no one responded to him, it was obvious that other people were also secretly nodding, obviously this was what everyone was thinking.

Seeing this scene, Aigron also sighed in his heart.

He didn't blame his cousin for disturbing the morale of the army, because in this environment, people with normal logical thinking ability would come to the same judgment, but Charlie dared to tell him face to face because he was his cousin.

Obviously, if they don't boost their morale, maybe their army will be disbanded from the top level-a commander who is reckless and wastes the lives of his subordinates is not worthy of respect and love.

So, it's time to show them off,

"You are right. Attacking Mesolongion from the front has little chance of winning. Today's attack also proves this." Egron first nodded and admitted the reality.

Then, he quickly changed the subject, "But that doesn't mean we can't try something else."

Then, Aigron took out Edmund Dantès's sketch from his arms, and then began to explain his plan to the sketch.

All listened to his plan in silence, and did not whisper to each other until Aggron had finished speaking.

"What do you think?" Aigron looked at Michelle Ney.

"Your Majesty, I think it is feasible, but there are too many variables." Michel Ney replied, "First, we don't know the internal defense of the enemy army, and second, the difficulty of sailing between the sandbars is too great. , it’s hard not to alarm the enemy...so, I’m a little skeptical.”

Even though he said so, his spirit was visibly cheered up a lot - just like a person who sees some hope in the midst of despair.

"Yes, I admit that it is very difficult, but I choose to take the risk because we have no other way." Aigron replied loudly. "The Count of Monte Cristo is the first nobleman I canonize. I have placed great trust in him. I believe he can do it for me!"

"Then... what if he fails?" Prince Charles asked in a low voice.

"I promise you, if the Count of Monte Cristo's operation fails in the future, then I will take you back and never fight again." Aigron looked at everyone and made a promise, "Is there anyone else who has any questions?"