Make France Great Again-Chapter 644 - 635: The Russian Army in Grave Crisis

Chapter 644: Chapter 635: The Russian Army in Grave Crisis
When Gorchakov and his adjutant arrived near the hotel, they immediately noticed two Imperial Guard soldiers, clad in green buttoned uniforms and green tall hats, standing at the entrance of the hotel.
Seeing the Guard Army, Commander Gorchakov and his adjutant dismounted and walked to the gate of the hotel.
"The hotel is no longer accommodating other guests!" Despite wearing a regular military uniform, Commander Gorchakov was instinctively perceived as a low-ranking veteran by the Guard soldiers (although Russian Empire’s sixty-plus-year-old senior officers were rare, they were not unheard of). They responded arrogantly to Gorchakov with heads held high.
"You..." The adjutant couldn’t help wanting to argue, but was stopped by Gorchakov’s hand.
"I am Mikhail Gorchakov, appointed by His Majesty Nicholas I to be the Commander-in-Chief of Crimea. Could you inform them inside?" Gorchakov smiled as he introduced himself to the two Guards, pulling out the medal from his pocket.
Upon hearing Gorchakov’s introduction and seeing the medal in his hand, the previously arrogant expressions of the two Guards transformed into fawning admiration.
"Commander-in-Chief of Crimea! That’s a person who could crush them effortlessly!"
"I will immediately!" the soldier guarding the left of the entrance hastily said, then turned around to enter the hotel.
The soldier on the right side of the entrance maintained a fawning smile, explaining obsequiously, "Commander, we truly did not know you had graced us with your presence! Please wait here for a moment; I am sure the Crown Prince will soon invite you in!"
"I understand!" Gorchakov did not show any anger at all, continuing to smile and nod, "Thank you very much!"
"It’s my honor to serve you!" the Guard soldier replied to Commander Gorchakov, bowing his head.
After a while, the Guard soldier who was guarding the left side of the door appeared in front of Gorchakov and ed, "General Gorchakov, His Highness invites you in!"
"Alright!" Gorchakov nodded slightly, then followed the soldier into the hotel, stopping at the second floor.
"Commander, His Highness is inside! I’ll escort you here!" The Guard soldier pointed to the hotel and then turned to leave.
Standing at the door, Gorchakov gently knocked on the room’s door, and the voice of Crown Prince Alexander II came from inside: "Please come in!"
Gorchakov entered the room and saw Crown Prince Alexander and Imperial Marshal Jomini near the sofa by the window.
"Your Highness, Marshal!" Gorchakov saluted both Alexander and Jomini and responded to them.
"Commander Gorchakov, you made it!" Alexander II said kindly, extending his hand to invite Gorchakov, "Come, sit down!"
"Yes, Your Highness!" Gorchakov straightened up and walked with steady steps toward Alexander II.
Sitting on the sofa, he still kept his back straight, putting his hands neatly on his thighs, looking ahead seriously.
"Commander Gorchakov, do you smoke?" Seeing Gorchakov was stiff, Alexander II asked.
"Occasionally!" Gorchakov replied without hesitation.
Alexander II immediately took out a cigarette and matches from his pocket, tossing them to Gorchakov: "Smoke!"
"Thank you, Your Highness!" Gorchakov took a cigarette from the pack and lit it with the match.
White smoke drifted from Gorchakov’s fingertips, and a look of comfort appeared on his face. Then, he respectfully offered the cigarette to Alexander II.
"All yours!" Alexander II waved his hand and then took out another pack from some pouch, taking out two sticks, handing one to Jomini.
Before long, the entire room was filled with swirling smoke.
Halfway through his cigarette, Alexander II also began conversing with Gorchakov. He briefly explained the purpose of his visit: "Commander Gorchakov, by orders of His Majesty Emperor Nicholas, I am here to assist you with military matters, hoping our cooperation in the upcoming period will be pleasant!"
After hearing this, Gorchakov felt a tinge of grievance in his heart.
Why was it that when Menshikov served as the Commander-in-Chief of Crimea, there were no restrictions, and he even held two positions simultaneously?
But when it was his turn to serve as Commander-in-Chief, not only was the Caucasus Region no longer under his control, but Crown Prince Alexander was also sent to him.
Of course, Gorchakov did not blame Alexander; he just felt that Nicholas I indeed had some lack of trust in him.
Nevertheless, blame aside, Gorchakov wouldn’t fail to show due respect. If he didn’t give Alexander II face, he himself might find it hard to maintain face.
So, Gorchakov put on a warm smile and said, "Your Highness, on behalf of the Russian Imperial Army in Crimea, I welcome you! I believe the army on the Crimea Peninsula will defeat the Allies under your and Marshal Jomini’s command and reclaim Sevastopol!"
"Gorchakov, the command of the Crimean army is still yours! Marshal Jomini and I will follow your leadership!" Alexander II quickly corrected, "The reason I chose to meet you here in advance was to avoid misunderstandings!"
Gorchakov nodded, and his slight feeling of blame gradually vanished under Alexander II’s explanation.
Afterwards, Alexander II inquired of Gorchakov about the true state of the Russian Imperial Army and whether an attack on Sevastopol could be launched in late August.
"As of now, the army should be able to attack, but it’s best to wait a while..." Gorchakov said tactfully.
"So, you’re saying it’s still not ready!" Alexander II candidly said to Gorchakov, then comforted him, "Rest assured, I am not here on behalf of His Majesty Nicholas to urge you. I am willing to solve these problems with you! If absolutely necessary, I can write to St. Petersburg and ask His Majesty Nicholas to postpone the attack!"
"With your words, I’m relieved!" Gorchakov sighed with relief and then said to Alexander II with a bitter smile, "Your Highness, what I said earlier was just for appearances. Our army isn’t at all ready for an attack!"
"Not ready at all?" Alexander II asked gravely, "I remember you had been preparing for two months; why are you still not ready?"
"Your Highness, although His Majesty the Emperor gave us two months, we still face immense pressure in materials and personnel supplies. Especially after the Empire lost its maritime transportation routes, we’re solely reliant on land transport! You should know that on-land transportation loss, speaking euphemistically, costs more than sea transport. Right now, there are 260,000 Russian Imperial Army troops on the Crimea Peninsula, but less than half the necessary weapons, equipment, and food supplies have been delivered," Commander Gorchakov lamented to Crown Prince Alexander, "Even if I dispatch soldiers to scavenge Tatar villages in the Crimea Region, it’s nowhere near sufficient!"
"What about the Odessa Region? I remember they should have a few large granaries there! Those grains should be enough to supply!" Alexander II asked Commander Gorchakov.
"The people in Odessa said they need to supply food to Bessarabia and the Caucasus Region, leaving no surplus to supply us!" Gorchakov replied to Alexander II.
"Bessarabia? Caucasus?" Alexander II frowned, "I remember when the Ministry of War was allocating, it should have been..."
"Your Highness, allocation is allocation!" Marshal Jomini, who had been silent, reminded.
Alexander II immediately understood Jomini’s meaning. Once the Ministry of War issued tasks, it didn’t mean everything was settled.
The bureaucrats in the Odessa Region could also exert their "subjective initiative," embezzling food under the pretense of losses, which had become an unspoken rule within the Russian Imperial Army.
"A bunch of parasites! Can’t they see what time it is now?" Alexander II couldn’t help but curse.
As Crown Prince, he wished he could rush to Odessa and hang all those war-profiteering embezzlers on the gallows, but reason told him such methods wouldn’t work.
The Imperial Government’s control over the southern regions was far less than in St. Petersburg. With one wrong move, the Odessa bureaucrats might really set fire to the imperial emissary.
Furthermore, even if a batch of people were dealt with, would the ones who step up afterward really be any better? Probably not!
"Your Highness, my army is currently suffering from both hunger and disease, and the training is far inadequate, with an average of only one bullet per day for live firing each soldier!" Gorchakov continued to Alexander II, "If we recklessly attack, there might be a repeat of past failures!"
"Alright! I understand!" Alexander II responded to Gorchakov with a frown, "I will truthfully the situation you mentioned to His Majesty Nicholas! By the way, could you write down everything you’ve said?"
"Of course!" Gorchakov nodded to Alexander II.
"Ah! I never thought the situation of the Imperial Army would be this dire!" Alexander II sighed, "It’s fortunate that His Majesty didn’t forcefully demand us to proceed; otherwise..."
Gorchakov hurried to inquire if something happened in St. Petersburg and why His Majesty would come.
"Nothing happened in St. Petersburg; it’s just that something occurred here in Crimea!"