"Not naval artillery? The power isn't much different? Could it be that France has developed a new type of artillery?"

Prince Menshikov furrowed his brow and muttered softly. In his impression, the artillery of France has always been at the forefront of Europe. Some European countries, including the Russian Empire, relied on imitating French artillery and then gradually improved to develop their own artillery. Therefore, it isn't particularly surprising for the French Empire to have developed new artillery.

However, it is unfortunate for Prince Menshikov that the French Empire chose this critical moment to put artillery into battle, which is simply terrible news.

The thought of the upcoming Sevastopol fortress battle, facing French Empire artillery, made Menshikov feel extremely uncomfortable.

"Commander, Commander!" The cries from a herald cuirassier pulled Menshikov back to reality from his daydream.

Menshikov realized that his current situation was no longer tenable. The 36,000 soldiers of the Russian Imperial Army deployed around Kurgan Mountain were now isolated, and staying there would only mean death.

The only plan now is to retreat the troops in batches from Kurgan Mountain, return through the Sevastopol Path to the Sevastopol Fortress, and rely on the fort's defenses to effectively strike the Anglo-French Army.

However, all of this relies on the Sevastopol Path not being occupied by the Allied Forces. Once they occupy it, the Russian Imperial Army will have to abandon the Sevastopol Fortress, divert to Perekop, ensure the road between Crimea and the Russian Continent is not cut, and wait for reinforcements there.

As for crossing the hills back to the Sevastol fortress, it is even more of a fantasy.

After all, not every general is named Suvorov, and not every Tsar speaks like Empress Catherine.

With this in mind, Menshikov turned to the cuirassier solemnly and said, "Return immediately to Admiral Kiriyako and tell him to hold the path to Sevastopol! As long as he can hold until the main force arrives, I will overlook all his actions on Telegraph Hill! Otherwise, if Admiral Kiriyako escapes without orders, he will be sent to St. Petersburg to face the Holy Judgment of His Majesty the Tsar! Understood?"

"Understood!" The herald cuirassier hurriedly assured Prince Menshikov that he would convey Menshikov's words verbatim to Admiral Kiriyako.

"Go!" Menshikov waved to the cuirassier.

The cuirassier, crouching low to avoid artillery fire, left Menshikov's sight and returned to the Sevastopol Path.

Watching the departing herald cuirassier, Prince Menshikov sighed for the ill-fated Russian Imperial Army and then ordered his adjutant to call for General Peter Gorchakov.

This General Gorchakov is the elder brother of General Mikhail Gorchakov, who is currently serving as the commander of the Danube Alliance Army. Born in 1790, he had long fought against the Ottoman Empire and represented the Russian Empire in signing the Adriatic treaty with the Ottoman Empire in 1829. Therefore, after the start of Crimea (before the entrance of England and France into the war), Prince Peter Gorchakov was recalled by Nicholas I at the age of 64 (he had retired in 1851) to serve as the commander of the Fourth Army stationed in Koria.

Now Prince Peter Gorchakov is acting as the chief firefighter on the front lines, constantly reinforcing likely breached defenses.

When Menshikov's adjutant found Peter Gorchakov on the left flank of Kurgan Mountain, he was personally leading two battalions out of the trenches to launch a bayonet charge against a battalion of the Scottish Rifle Corps belonging to the First Division.

It should be mentioned that in this era, whether in the Anglo-French Army or the Russian Imperial Army, commanders liked to be at the frontline charging with their soldiers, unlike strategists like Napoleon or Old Maoqi. This resulted in the consistently high casualty rate of generals in European armies until the advent of rifles and cannons allowed them to focus on decision-making instead of charging.

The surprised soldiers of the Scottish Rifle Corps barely had time to fire before engaging the sudden Russian Army in hand-to-hand combat.

In close combat, the Slavic Nationals used their strong physiques and advantageous terrain to repel the Scottish Musketeer Battalion, leaving more than ten corpses on the hillside.

Watching the retreating British Scottish Musketeers, Prince Peter Gorchakov sighed and led his remaining troops back into the trenches.

Returning to the trenches, Prince Peter Gorchakov was about to lead his soldiers to support another battlefield when he was stopped by Menshikov's adjutant.

Menshikov's adjutant informed Prince Peter Gorchakov that Prince Menshikov wished to meet him.

After pondering for a moment, Prince Peter Gorchakov ordered his adjutant to proceed to the next location for support, while he followed Menshikov's adjutant to meet Prince Menshikov.

"General Peter, finally, you're here!" Seeing the returning Peter Gorchakov with his adjutant, Prince Menshikov walked up eagerly and warmly shook his hand.

"Commander, is there anything you need me to do?" Prince Peter Gorchakov asked Prince Menshikov straightforwardly.

"It's like this..." Prince Menshikov recounted everything that had happened on Telegraph Hill to Prince Peter Gorchakov.

"That damn Kiriyako! Truly despicable!" Prince Peter Gorchakov said through gritted teeth, seething with anger at Menshikov.

As the main officer in charge of a position, he so easily abandoned it.

A person like him holding the rank of admiral is simply an insult to the army.

"I know Kiriyako is despicable too, but now is not the time to deal with him! He currently commands three regiments of armed forces, and the Sevastopol Path is also our necessary route for retreat." Menshikov sighed and then solemnly said to Prince Peter Gorchakov, "I hope you can lead troops to provide support! Only by holding the Sevastopol Path can we escape smoothly!"

"Understood!" Prince Peter Gorchakov nodded in response to Menshikov, "I will lead eight battalions to provide support!"

"Great! Our successful escape from here all depends on you!" Prince Menshikov released Peter Gorchakov's hand and watched him leave.

After Peter Gorchakov left Menshikov's sight, Menshikov retracted his gaze and quickly hurried back towards the main battlefield.

At that moment, Prince Menshikov was unaware that after he left, the Kazan Infantry Brigade on the frontline was also facing a precarious situation.

Leading the attack against the Russian Imperial front-line troops, the British Highland Brigade, under Sir Cambening's command, was advancing swiftly. The once orderly formation quickly became disorganized. Every British soldier was trying to avoid the Russian Imperial Army's musket bullets while launching an attack on the Dome Fort held by the Russians.

As the British Army drew closer to the Dome Fort, their troops grew increasingly scattered. Seeing the impossibility of reforming the troops, Sir Campbell chose not to attempt to reorder them. Mounted, Sir Campbell brandished his command saber and shouted, "For Her Majesty the Queen, for victory! Charge!"

The officers of the Highland Brigade heard Sir Campbell's words and desist from attempting to regroup the forces, charging towards the trenches instead.

The officers' desperate charge spurred the soldiers, and more and more soldiers began charging the Russian Imperial Army on the Dome Fort.

In the clash of two armies, morale is the most important contest.

The Kazan Infantry Brigade around the Dome Fort saw the British infantry brazenly charging at them despite the intense artillery strikes from the Russian Empire, and for a moment, the soldiers guarding the trenches were stunned. The Highland Brigade quickly seized this opportunity to rush to the trenches where the Russian Imperial Army was posted.

By the time the Kazan Infantry Brigade's soldiers reacted, nearly 2,000 British soldiers had charged into the trenches.

The Kazan Infantry Brigade and the Highland Brigade, two elite units from different nations, were engaged in brutal hand-to-hand combat in the trenches.

With bayonets, daggers, flintlock pistols, to fists, feet, teeth, and even fingernails...both sides exerted maximum effort to inflict harm on each other.

The death toll surged as the British Army entered the trenches. In just five minutes, casualties from the English and Russian armies had reached 600, with the Russian Empire accounting for 320 and the Kingdom of Britain 280. The battle seemed to have reached a stalemate.

Amidst the fierce struggle for dominance, a shout suddenly emerged from an unknown source: "France! The French Army will support us soon!"

Hearing the news of "French support," the morale of the Highland Brigade soared, while the Kazan Infantry Brigade's morale sunk to rock bottom.

A portion of Kazan Infantry Brigade soldiers began consciously retreating, while the Russian Imperial artillery units at the rear urgently withdrew their cannons.

Soon, the Dome Fort was occupied by the Highland Brigade soldiers, and dozens of cannons became trophies in their hands.

The British Army's flag slowly rose above the Dome Fort.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.