CHAPTER 518: CHAPTER 510: MARCHING INTO CRIMEA

Under the blatant threat of Major General Canrobert, Omar Pasha had no choice but to abandon plans to raid the Austrian army on the northern shore.

In the following days, numerous figures of the Austrian Empire appeared on the northern shore of the Danube River.

At the same time, the Austrian Empire’s Commander-in-Chief of the Danube River, Albrecht, and the commander of the First Army arrived on the northern shore for inspection.

Meanwhile, the commander of the Turkish army at the Silistra Fortress, Omar Pasha, also appeared on the fortress tower at Silistra, gazing through a telescope at the northern shore.

"The fellow watching us through a telescope across the river is probably the traitor Omar!" Albrecht said lightly, pointing at Omar Pasha on the Silistra Fortress from the walls of the fortress on the northern shore.

The commander of the First Army, Benedek, raised his telescope, observing Omar on the opposite side while responding to Albrecht, "That’s right! It’s Omar!"

"Judging from his defense against Prince Paskevich’s attack, he should be considered a competent general! Why was he not utilized in Austria, but instead became a traitor to the Empire? Omar was once a part of the Ogulin Corps, and I remember you were also in the Ogulin Corps at that time! Is there some unknown story behind this?" Albrecht curiously asked Benedek beside him.

Benedek pondered for a moment and then replied cautiously, "Actually, this isn’t an insider story at all! It merely involved a deputy commander embezzling public funds, and that deputy commander happened to be Omar’s father. When Omar joined the Austrian army, he only served in clerical positions, never showcasing any outstanding skills, so his clerical work ended with his father’s forced retirement. However, before leaving the army, he stole some public funds, which is why he was labeled as a traitor to the Empire.

Omar achieved such feats mainly due to his efforts within the Ottoman Empire."

After listening to Benedek’s words, Albrecht stroked his chin and said lightly, "Listening to you, it seems Omar is a self-taught military genius!"

"Rather than calling Omar Pasha a military genius, it would be more accurate to say that the person who designed this bastion fortress complex is the truly remarkable one!"

Specializing in defensive combat, Benedek explained the mystery of this bastion to Albrecht, stating, "To break such a fortress, one must mobilize a force over four times larger than the bastion, and continuously attack for two months to potentially overwhelm the fortress! According to the Russian Imperial Army military officer, Prince Paskevich did not properly assault the fortress from the beginning, which is why there has been no progress for such a long time!"

"Unbelievably, in such a short time, the Russian Imperial Army has become like this!" Albrecht couldn’t help but lament.

"Actually, during their initial assault in the Hungarian Region, the Russian Empire already exposed some shortcomings! However, the Russian Imperial Army at the time made up for those shortcomings with sheer numbers!" Benedek, who had participated in joint operations with the Russian Imperial Army, added once again.

Albrecht sighed again at the "downfall" of the Russian Empire.

Back then, Albrecht also grew up listening to his father, Grand Duke Carl, recount tales of the grand battles between the Russian Empire and Napoleon in Eastern Europe and the German Region.

Their generation generally held a perception of the Russian Empire much higher than the current reality of the Russian Empire.

The "bulldozer of Europe" myth was completely shattered in Albrecht’s mind, and he too began to wonder if his Austrian Empire army shared the same flaws as the Russian Empire.

It wasn’t until Albrecht’s adjutant reported that Bucharest was fully occupied, reacting to which, Albrecht descended from the fortress tower and set off for Bucharest that night.

The day after Albrecht’s departure, the Allied Command in the Varna Region also sent their next instructions to them.

Since the Danube Duchy was now occupied by the Austrian Empire, and the Austrian Empire was currently on the side of the Allies,

Omar and Canrobert’s forces stationed at the Silistra Fortress no longer needed to remain there. The Turkish and Allied forces at Silistra were instructed to make their way to the Varna Region to join the Allied forces as quickly as possible (the Allied Command mentioned in their letter that they would send troop transport ships to fetch the Silistra Fortress troops to Varna).

Upon receiving the order, Omar immediately selected 20,000 Turkish soldiers from the Silistra Fortress and handed over the city’s defenses to Musa Pasha.

Of course, rather than giving command to Musa Pasha, it was more like transferring all authority of the Silistra Fortress to Colonel Rach, who was once his assistant. However, due to Colonel Rach’s Prussian identity, he was not advantageous in leading this motley army, so Omar Pasha chose Musa Pasha as the nominal leader.

As long as Musa Pasha was willing to listen to Colonel Rach’s command, the Silistra Fortress would not fall.

Having completed all arrangements, Omar Pasha quietly awaited the fleet’s arrival alongside Major General Canrobert.

On the morning of May 15th, a massive fleet composed of gunships, steam-driven sailing battleships, and troop carriers appeared on the Danube River beside Silistra Fortress.

The Turkish soldiers, noticing the ships flying the tricolor flag, hurriedly reported the news to Omar Pasha and Major General Canrobert. Before the fleet even fully docked at the shore, both of them quickly began to assemble the troops.

After three hours of organization, a force of over 26,400 neatly formed into two columns, with cavalry at the front and infantry at the back, marching to the port near Silistra Fortress.

Under the coordination of French Helen, the entire troop spent nearly another two hours boarding the ships.

By this time, the sun had gradually moved from east to south, with the time quietly approaching around 2 PM.

Once boarding was complete, the French Navy sailed away from the Danube under the scorching sun and reached the outskirts of Varna Port around 4 PM, where they were to wait for the Allied Forces within Varna Port to board and set off together.

Standing at the bow of the steam-driven sail battleship, with a telescope in hand, Omar Pasha witnessed the most awe-inspiring scene of his lifetime.

The Allied Forces within Varna Port were neatly aligned, forming a forest of masts in the harbor, with black smoke and steam billowing, resembling a massive industrial city floating on water.

Such a scene was unimaginable in the Ottoman Empire, or even in the Austrian Empire; only in the Kingdom of Britain and the French Empire could one witness such a spectacle, and this was merely the tip of the iceberg of England and France’s capabilities.

What lay before him shattered the pride Omar Pasha had in his achievements against the Russian Empire, making him realize the vast disparities between the Great Powers themselves.

If the fleet before him had advanced on Silistra Fortress via the Danube River, Omar Pasha feared he wouldn’t have lasted even a few days.

Amidst Omar Pasha’s state of shock, Major General Canrobert’s voice reached him: "Isn’t it breathtaking!"

Omar Pasha instinctively nodded, then gulped.

"When I first saw a fleet of this scale, I, too, was amazed that our navy could stand shoulder to shoulder with the Kingdom of Britain (exaggerating)!" Major General Canrobert recalled the expression he had when he first saw the ’ship forest’ docked at Toulon. His expression was much like Omar’s back then.

Subsequently, Omar asked Canrobert if the Anglo-French fleet docked at Varna Port was the entirety of England and France’s forces in the Mediterranean.

Canrobert informed Omar that what he saw at Varna Port was merely half of the Anglo-French fleet’s naval power in the Mediterranean, with the other half positioned in Malta (Britain) and Toulon (France).

Not to mention the fleets beyond the Mediterranean, including the La Manche Strait Fleet, the Pacific Fleet, the Far East Fleet, and others.

Once more, Omar Pasha was astounded by the strength demonstrated by the Anglo-French fleet, while also feeling fortunate that the Ottoman Empire maintained good relations with both the Kingdom of Britain and the French Empire.

Time passed quickly, and soon another two hours slipped by.

The fiery sun moved from south to west, touching the horizon and casting a crimson halo around it. The white clouds floating in the sky turned scarlet under the aura, transformed by its rendering.

Under the bewitching sunset glow, the grand fleet, carrying 60,000 French Army, 30,000 British Army, 20,000 Sardinian Army, and 20,000 Ottoman Empire (led by Selim Pasha) Army, as well as over 400 cannons, officially set sail.

Bleak masts hoisted sails so vast they seemed to blot out the sky as the steam engines issued a deep "roar," as if declaring their awakening to the world.

"It’s time to set off!"

After the steam engine within Varna Port issued its first roar, the fleet outside the harbor stowed its anchors submerged underwater, activated steam engines idle for over two hours, and a thick black smoke appeared from the chimneys of the steam-powered sailing ships’ rear sections, while the propeller beneath the water silently stirred the clear sea...