Make France Great Again-Chapter 646 - 637 Negotiations

Chapter 646: Chapter 637 Negotiations
August 19, 1854, early morning.
A torrential rain engulfed the capital of Crimea, Simferopol. In the southern region of Crimea, influenced by the Mediterranean climate, such thunderstorms were extremely rare.
It was in this weather that a small group of six people, dressed in simple raincoats, set out on horseback from Simferopol. They hurried eastward along the gravel-paved official road, eventually reaching the vicinity of the Voronov Path by the Kach River.
When the party stepped onto the Voronov Path leading to Sevastopol, the rain began to gradually ease, and the heavy clouds that blanketed the sky grew thinner as the group advanced.
After riding for nearly an hour and a half, the sky started to clear as the envoys removed their raincoats.
Three hours later, the group arrived near the first defensive line of the Allied Forces—Fedorovsk, and promptly raised their prepared white flag overhead.
At this moment, the French troops stationed in the high ground fortifications on both sides of the Voronov Path near Fedorovsk saw this white-flagged group.
They put down the hard, tooth-aching bread they were enjoying for lunch, raised their guns, and pressed their bodies against the cover, questioning the group on the Voronov Path: "What are you here for?"
"Don’t shoot, we are a delegation from Simferopol!" A leader-like figure waved the white flag in his hand and shouted in French to the French soldiers on the Tide Road Heights: "We are here on the orders of the Governor of Crimea to negotiate with your Commander Pelissier!"
"What proof do you have of what you say?" the French soldiers at the Tide Road Heights shouted back loudly.
"I have a letter from our Commander Gorchakov to Commander Pelissier on me! If you don’t believe me, you can send someone down! I won’t deceive you!" The "leader" shouted loudly.
The French lieutenant on the Tide Road Heights heard this and turned to ask the sergeant beside him what should be done now.
After some discussion, they decided to send a team down from the Tide Road to negotiate with the self-proclaimed envoys on the path and to dispatch a soldier on horseback to the Second Division command post at Fedorovsk to inform the commander of the news.
"Wait a moment!" the lieutenant on the Tide Road Heights shouted to the leader below, and then, with three soldiers holding Minie guns at the ready, ran down from the Tide Road Heights alongside him.
"Where’s the letter?" The lieutenant, pointing a flintlock pistol at them, extended his hand to inquire.
The "leader" quickly took out the letter and handed it to the lieutenant, who, after glancing at the envelope and seal, solemnly returned it to the "leader," saying, "Please wait here for a moment!"
"Alright! I hope you can hurry up!" The "leader" shrugged and turned his head to order the others to dismount and rest.
With the crisis averted, the lieutenant kindly inquired if they had eaten lunch, and if not, whether they would like to dine with them.
"Thank you very much! We are honored to accept!" The "leader" replied with a smile.
Invited by the lieutenant, the "leader" and his group climbed up the Tide Road Heights to dine. Upon entering the heights, the "leader" quickly displayed his charming ability and mingled with the soldiers.
In a friendly tone, he asked the soldiers for their thoughts on fighting in the Crimea Peninsula. Other than a few soldiers complaining about difficulties adapting to the environment, most were not averse to fighting the Russian Empire on the Crimea Peninsula.
"Do you not miss home?" The "leader" asked the soldiers in a congenial tone.
"We do!" The soldier nodded, "However, we are more eager to return home with honors!
Moreover, our officers told us that by next spring, we would be able to return!"
"Is that so!" The "leader" showed a thoughtful expression on his face. He shook his head and said, "But I don’t think our Russian Empire’s army will be defeated by you so quickly! Although your army is superior in training and equipment, the fighting spirit of our two armies is almost the same, as we are both fighting for God and the Monarch!"
"Sir, that’s just your wishful thinking! We can definitely defeat you quickly!" The soldiers retorted spiritedly.
"My friend, it seems we have a difference of opinion!" The "leader" spread his hands and said helplessly, "So I suggest that we set aside our differences and discuss something else! I’ve heard that your French food is excellent, is that true?"
Without any sense of counterintelligence, the soldier proudly replied, "It’s true! You’ll see in a moment!"
Then, the soldiers prepared bread, biscuits, and hot vegetable soup for them and thoughtfully provided coffee.
"Sir, this is our lunch!" The lieutenant introduced to the "leader," "If you find it too bland, we also have a small piece of pork fat!"
Looking at the meal in front of him, the "leader’s" face revealed a hint of anxiety. From the French Army’s current meals, it was clear that their army hadn’t been impacted by logistical issues as the Russian Empire had, meaning their morale would not decline in the short term.
Defeating an army with complete logistical support is very difficult.
Not to mention that now France holds the offensive while Russia stands on the defensive.
"Sir, sir!" As the "leader" pondered, the lieutenant’s voice reached the "leader’s" ear.
The "leader" who realized what was happening quickly responded: "What is it?"
"Someone from the division command has arrived!" The company commander pointed to the people in the valley not far away and replied to the "leader".
Due to the distance between the valley and the Tide Road Heights, the company commander couldn’t clearly see who was coming.
After a while, the figures gradually became clearer, and the company commander shouted: "It’s General Bosskey! He’s actually come here in person!"
Bosskay? The commander of the Second Division of France?!
The "leader" couldn’t help but show a change in expression upon hearing Bosskay’s name; he had long heard from battle s about the Second Division’s extreme maneuvers on Alma Heights.
So the Second Division’s command must be nearby! the "leader" thought to himself.
"Are you the ones sent here under Gorchakov’s orders?" Bosskay curiously studied the "leader" before him, always feeling like he had seen him somewhere, but couldn’t place it.
"Yes!" The "leader" nodded, responding calmly.
"Where’s the letter? Let me see it!" Bosskay extended his hand to the "leader".
The "leader" took out the letter again and handed it to Bosskay, who carefully examined the envelope before returning the letter to the "leader".
"Aren’t you going to look at the contents of the letter?" the "leader" asked curiously.
"As this letter is written by Gorchakov to Marshal Pelissier, how could I read it in advance?" Bosskay responded to the "leader" and then issued orders to the soldiers on the Tide Road Heights, "Since you were the ones who discovered them, send out a team from here to safely escort the mission to Sevastopol, and do nothing unnecessary along the way!"
"Yes!" The company commander quickly replied to Bosskay after hearing this.
The "leader" understood that by "unnecessary things," Bosskay meant not letting them see too much of the Sevastopol defense system.
Since Bosskay had hinted at this, the "leader" also knew what actions to take.
He quickly bowed to General Bosskay and said, "General Bosskay, we shall depart first for Sevastopol!"
"Hmm!" General Bosskay still maintained a smile as he nodded to the "leader".
The "leader" and his group returned from the Tide Road Heights to the Voronov Path and gradually distanced themselves from the causeway under the escort of soldiers led by the company commander.
Watching the figures of the "leader" and his entourage gradually vanish into the distance, General Bosskay’s smile slowly faded, replaced by a gloomy expression.
"You bunch of fools, who allowed him up here?!" General Bosskay cursed furiously.
The sudden outburst from General Bosskay filled the soldiers on the Tide Road Heights with fear.
"It was... it was the company commander!" The soldiers replied to General Bosskay with trembling voices.
"That idiot!" General Bosskay cursed again, "Doesn’t he know that doing so could expose our defensive fortifications ahead of time? Luckily he didn’t lead them to the divisional command, or I would have dealt with him on the spot!"
Having vented his frustration, General Bosskay felt his anger gradually subside. He issued orders to the soldiers on the Tide Road Heights to rebuild the fortifications and publicly announced that the company commander was dismissed.
The soldiers on the Tide Road Heights fearfully accepted General Bosskay’s verdict. None dared to defy General Bosskay’s decision.
"Alright! I’m leaving now! I will return in a few days to check on your progress! I hope you take heed of your actions!" General Bosskay turned and left the Tide Road Heights, muttering to himself: "Who is that person? Why do I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before?"
...
Elsewhere, unaware of his dismissal, the company commander accompanied the Russian envoy along the Voronov Path, quickly arriving near the Great Rhombus Fortress.
Here was the last line of defense before Sevastopol, and the French garrison guarding the Great Rhombus Fortress asked which unit they belonged to.
The company commander hurriedly explained the mission’s origins to the guards and informed them that they had already met with General Bosskay.
"Since General Bosskay has already inspected, there’s no need for us to do so again. Proceed!" The guards withdrew the barriers between the breastworks.
The mission was allowed to enter the Sevastopol Fortress.
Just to add a note, while passing through the barriers, the "leader" specifically glanced at the obstacles, which were not traditional cheval de frise but were constructed from barbed wire and wood.