"I remember that the Black Sea Fleet has more than 40 large and small warships, and the French fleet only has more than 20 ships. How can there be no chance of winning?" Lieutenant General Yevgeny, the head of the 24th Army Corps, curled his lips with disdain asked.

Sergey and the three of them looked very ugly after hearing this. That's right, the number of battleships in the Black Sea Fleet is indeed twice that of the French fleet, but the "Alexander the Great", the most powerful first-class battleship in the Black Sea Fleet, may not be as powerful as the "Iberia" class of the French fleet. There are only two first-class battleships in the entire Black Sea Fleet. The remaining 5 second-tier battleships, 8 third-tier battleships, 15 gunboats, and 16 three-masted clippers are no match for the French fleet.

"What do you know? Even the 'Iberia' class battleship with the smallest combat effectiveness in the French fleet is stronger than our most powerful battleship." The deputy commander of the Black Sea Fleet said displeased.

Yevgeny didn't refute any more, but in his heart, he had already confirmed the incompetence of the commanders of the Black Sea Fleet.

"The French fleet will arrive tomorrow, tell me how we should resist the attack of the French army?" Sergey asked.

"Now, we don't have too many choices. Either go to sea and fight the French fleet to the death, or rely on the fortress to resist the French fleet." The chief of staff of the Black Sea Fleet said.

"The Sevastopol fortress has deployed 112 large-caliber fortress guns and 232 cannons, and has 15,000 fortress troops stationed all year round. If our fleet relies on the fortress to block the French fleet, we may be able to succeed. And the sea and the French fleet In a decisive battle, we have no chance of winning," said the deputy commander of the Black Sea Fleet.

"The fortress of Sevastopol is certainly strong, but have you ever thought about it? If the French army landed elsewhere and then attacked the fortress from both sides, then we would have nowhere to escape." Sergey said, frowning.

"Isn't there still General Yevgeny's army? I believe that if the general is there, the safety of the rest of the peninsula will be guaranteed." The Chief of Staff of the Black Sea Fleet said with a smile.

Yevgeny's heart was bristling, he knew he was being tricked again. But he didn't dare to express his position forcefully. Could it be that he said that his army was simply incapable of defending the Crimea Peninsula? In that case he will definitely be fired. "Of course, my 24th Army is the most elite army in the Southern Front, so it can naturally ensure the safety of the rest of the Crimea Peninsula." Yevgeny was completely swollen to make himself fat.

"If that's the case, I'll thank you, General. The Sevastopol Fortress will definitely be the focus of the French fleet's attack, and our Black Sea Fleet will be responsible for its defense. The rest of the peninsula will be handed over to the General's 24th Army. "Sergey said hastily.

Yevgeny could only nod a little depressed.

Subsequently, Sergey issued a mobilization order, and the entire Crimea peninsula entered a state of first-level combat readiness. All the soldiers entered a state of emergency, a large amount of ammunition was moved out of the warehouse, and all the warships of the Black Sea Fleet also sailed into the military port, ready to be used as fixed forts with the support of the fortress artillery.

At 9 o'clock in the morning on June 14, the French fleet, led by Admiral Paul, commander of the Mediterranean Fleet, arrived in the waters of the Crimea Peninsula, about 15 or 6 kilometers away from the Sevastopol fortress.

"Damn it, those cowards of the Black Sea Fleet seem to be planning to defend the Sevastopol fortress." Paul put down the binoculars in his hand and said angrily. From the binoculars, he saw all the battleships inside the Sevastopol fortress officer, with hideous muzzles exposed, and he knew that the Black Sea Fleet was planning to hide in the military port.

"General, what should we do? Do we want to attack? The fortress of Sevastopol is the strongest fortress in the entire Black Sea region and even the entire eastern Mediterranean region. It is equipped with more than 100 large-caliber fortress guns and more than 200 cannons If we attack by force, our losses will definitely be very large." asked Rear Admiral Antonio, the captain of the 'Brave' and also the chief of staff of this temporary fleet.

"Strike? No way. We can't afford the damage. Send a message to Istanbul to have the marines start boarding. Now that they've turned the Sevastopol fortress into a tortoise shell, we'll have to start from the Other places have started." Paul said with some helplessness, in this case, the previous strategy of destroying the Sevastopol fortress and then landing will not work.

After receiving Paul's order, the 8th Marine Division assembled in Istanbul began to board the ship. After them, the 2nd Marine Division and the 3 infantry divisions of the 1st Iberian Army were waiting, and the other troops were stationed. Near the Turkish Strait, control the strait.

"Contact the 'Grand Duke' and 'Peninsula' and let them follow the flagship to start bombarding the Sevastopol fortress. Anyway, the landing force will not arrive until three days later. During this time, the Russians should also taste our strength." Great." Paul said with a smile. The range of the main guns on the "Dreadnought" and "Pre-Dreadnought" class battleships has reached more than 10 kilometers, which is far beyond the range of the Russian fortress guns. If there is Fortress Al, then they will not be in any danger. The 'Bonaparte' class warships and 'Iberia' class warships could not join the bombardment due to their range.

Under the leadership of the "Brave", the three "Dreadnought" class battleships in the French fleet and the "Pre-Dreadnought" class battleship Sevastopol are about to start bombardment. Amidst the huge roar, they weigh more than 200 kilograms Heavy shells roared towards Sevastopol, and then slammed down heavily, raising mushroom clouds one after another.

Since it is shelling at the maximum range, the accuracy cannot be grasped. But Sevastopol is so big, it is still possible to ensure that every shell falls into the fortress. The destructive power of large-caliber naval guns is terrifying. Every shell that falls can form a large crater with a diameter of more than ten meters. And all creatures within that range were all strangled, leaving no bones left. Under the constant bombardment of the French fleet, a large number of Russian soldiers hid in the fort and shivered, praying that God would bless the shells from falling on their heads. They really doubt whether the fortress made of concrete can withstand the bombardment of such terrifying shells.

Compared with the Russian soldiers hiding in the fortress, the experience of the sailors of the Black Sea Fleet was much more tragic. Their warships are not as strong as the fortress. If they are hit by a shell, they will definitely die. Once, when the French fleet was shelling for about an hour, an unlucky gunboat was directly hit by a large-caliber shell on the bow. At that moment, the entire bow part disappeared in the explosion, and other parts of the hull were also severely damaged. A large amount of water entered the battleship and sank to the bottom of the sea within two minutes. Hundreds of people were all pulled into the bottom of the sea by the vortex formed by the sinking of the battleship, and no one could escape.

Under such circumstances, the morale of the Russian soldiers dropped rapidly. The feeling of being beaten passively is really uncomfortable.

Sergey scolded the French fleet as "despicable" and "shameless" in the headquarters, but the French fleet would certainly not change its strategy just because of his curses. He seemed to have forgotten that all of this was caused by themselves. It was good to hide in the military port with the protection of a fortress, but at the same time, they had to endure the torture of being beaten.

Soon, three days passed. During these three days, the French fleet sent almost 2,000 tons of artillery shells into the fortress of Sevastopol. The Black Sea Fleet was sunk with 10 warships, and no one was injured. The defense system of Sevastopol was also severely hit. Half of the large-caliber fortress was destroyed, and many cannon positions were also destroyed. It can be said that the Black Sea Fleet has suffered heavy losses in the past few days.

On the morning of June 17 ~lightnovelpub.net~ the convoy carrying the 8th Marine Division rendezvoused with the French fleet. After discussions between Paul and General Kalil, the deputy head of the Iberian 1st Army, the landing site was chosen at the border of Ukraine on the Crimea Peninsula, which is a narrow isthmus with a maximum distance of 20 kilometers. To the west of the isthmus lies the Gulf of Karkinit, and to the east is the Sea of ​​Azov. Occupying here can cut off the connection between the Crimea peninsula and Ukraine. The strategic location is very important. Because of this, Yevgeny, the commander of the 24th Army Corps of the Russian Army, also deployed 4 infantry regiments in this area, with tens of thousands of troops. Among them, 1 regiment was deployed in the beach area, 1 regiment was deployed in Krasnoperekopsk (Khan, this place name is so **** long!), and the other two regiments were deployed in Armeniask.

On the afternoon of June 17, the 8th Marine Division, headed by the "Grand Duke" and escorted by 3 "Bonaparte"-class warships and 5 "Iberia"-class warships, began to sail north. The fleet should not only protect the 8th Marine Division during the voyage, but also give them the necessary fire support when they land, and clear the obstacles for them to land. Other warships are still here to contain the Russian Black Sea Fleet. Paul made up his mind that since the Black Sea Fleet was huddled in the military port and did not dare to come out, then let this military port be their burial place.

"Come on, tell General Yevgeny that the French landing force has begun to move to the north. The specific destination is unknown, so let him defend carefully." Sergey called a communication soldier and said.