Chapter 480: Chapter 474: The Defeatist Advisor Paskievich
As Admiral Dundas had noted, the coastal defenses’ cannons were entirely ineffective against the Allied Fleet due to their range limitations. The coastal artillery shells fiercely flew toward the sea where the Allied Fleet was stationed, but fell short of the target area by about 20 meters.
The explosions echoed from the seabed, spewing up sheets of spray, but left the United Fleet unharmed.
Moreover, due to the nature of the surprise attack by the United Fleet, the ships docked at the port were equally unprepared for battle.
When the Anglo-French Combined Fleet suddenly appeared in the port, the Russian Imperial Navy displayed its inferior capacity for improvisation. Without coordinated command, the Russian fleet was thrown into chaos before they even engaged in proper combat. Some of the Russian Imperial ships collided with each other, causing a temporary loss of control.
The confusion within the Russian Imperial Navy further increased the confidence of the Anglo-French Combined Fleet to annihilate them. Sailors on every ship were desperately loading spherical explosive shells into the breeches of their front-loading cannons, then wheeling the guns along tracks to the ready firing positions, awaiting orders from the main fleet.
Once the cannons on both sides of the Anglo-French Fleet were fully loaded, Major General Edmund quickly ran over to Admiral Dundas and General Brue to ask if they should launch an attack on Odessa.
"Attack!" General Brue replied nonchalantly, and Admiral Dundas nodded in agreement, ordering Major General Edmund to commence the attack.
On the lookout, the signalman waved two flags in his hands, transmitting the attack orders to the surrounding fleet.
All gunships, ironclads, and steam frigates simultaneously turned their broadsides in one direction, aiming their dark barrels toward the batteries and the Russian Fleet.
Then, under the command of the fleet’s flag, the cannons of the Anglo-French Alliance seemed to release all their shells at once. The immense cacophony and white gunpowder smoke shrouded the sea surface simultaneously, sending a violent tremor through the ships that caused the sailors onboard to sway slightly.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The subsequent loud bangs erupted from the fleet at Odessa Port, followed by the fierce flames engulfing the port’s fleet. The Russian Navy, which once used explosive shells to destroy the Ottoman Empire Navy, now had to taste the destructive power of explosive shells themselves.
Wooden sailing ships, struck by the explosive shells, had the projectiles embedded forcefully in their structure. The blast killed several bears within the interior cabins on the first hit and then produced another explosion. The secondary damage from the blast led to a massive loss of sailors inside the cabins, while those few who survived lay on the floor groaning in agony. The entire Odessa Port transformed into a hell in an instant, with only a small number of Russian Imperial ships surviving the first bombardment.
Even those lucky enough to escape could not avoid a second strike following the initial devastation. Two rounds of bombardment altogether incapacitated the Russian Fleet docked at Odessa Port, the flames from the burning wooden ships illuminating the entire port in red.
This was not the end. When the Anglo-French Alliance saw that the ships anchored at the port were entirely annihilated, they immediately turned their cannons towards the coastal defense batteries.
Soon, these few coastal defense guns were subjected to concentrated attacks by the Anglo-French Fleet and lost their ability to retaliate. Although there were still many brave and fearless gunners around the batteries trying to operate the guns for counterattack, they were blown to pieces under the saturated shelling of the Anglo-French Combined Fleet.
With no capacity to resist, Odessa Port became like a lamb waiting for the slaughter; after the Anglo-French Fleet breached the port, the warehouses, granaries, residential areas, and the Governor’s Mansion would all perish under the cannons of the Anglo-French Allied Army.
"Report! Admiral Dundas, Admiral Blyu! Our fleet has completed the full clearance of the Odessa Port Fleet and coastal defenses! Do you require us to advance into the port?" Major General Edmund shouted to report to the two generals Dundas and Brue.
"Since we’ve come this far, why don’t we leave them with a lasting impression?" General Brue obviously agreed to advance into the port.
After all, Odessa Port had lost all its ability to retaliate.
Even if this city did indeed hide sixty thousand Russian Army personnel, as long as the naval forces chose not to land, this assembly of sixty thousand would be nothing more than a display.
"General Brue is right! Show those arrogant Russian Imperialists just how formidable we are!" Admiral Dundas nodded in agreement, responding to Edmund.
Upon receiving the highest command from the Anglo-French Combined Navy, Major General Edmund swiftly issued orders for the surrounding fleet to enter Odessa Port.
The instructed gunships charged into the interior of Odessa Port at full speed.
They launched attacks on the residential areas, arsenal, and Governor’s Mansion within Odessa Port.
Shells, like raindrops, crashed into the Odessa Port. Then, near the Odessa Port weapons depot, a deafening explosion erupted, and the billowing black smoke from the explosion invigorated most sailors on the fleet. A few conscientious sailors closed their eyes in guilt and prayed quietly.
After the Anglo-French Fleet destroyed one of the Russian Imperial weapon depots in Odessa, they immediately and relentlessly shot towards another weapons storeroom.
...
Under the ample ammunition of the Anglo-French fleet at Odessa Port, the bombardment lasted for nearly more than six hours.
Under the vast expanse of stars, the Tsar’s Pearl wept and wailed; cries in Russian resounded from the residential areas, seemingly accusing the Anglo-French invaders.
The Anglo-French fleet, with ammunition exhausted, showed no nostalgia and immediately turned their ships to leave Odessa Port.
The Russian troops, hidden in the residential areas waiting to strike back upon the landing of the Anglo-French fleet, gazed with hatred at the receding fleet.
Later, those Russian troops scattered in the city began to gather under their commander’s orders, and their main task became extinguishing the flames in the residential areas.
In this battle, the Anglo-French fleet undoubtedly displayed the might of the world’s first and second navies. The poor Russian fleet and coastal batteries barely inflicted any harm on the Anglo-French fleet.
Every inch of coastline at Odessa Port suffered ravaging from the Anglo-French fleet; nearly thirty percent of the residential areas were destroyed, five-layered weapons, and forty percent of food supplies were obliterated. Even the statue of the first Governor, Duke Richelieu, and the Governor’s Mansion were blown to bits, making it impossible to fully calculate the property losses.
Every resident and noble living at Odessa Port harbored an immense hatred for the Anglo-French Allied Forces in their hearts.
As a result, months later, in a public donation held by the Ministry of Finance, the amount collected by Odessa Port residents was second only to Moscow and St. Petersburg.
...
With their ammunition depleted, the Anglo-French Allied Forces finally returned to the Varna Port Base after several hours of sailing, at around seven in the morning.
Immediately, Admiral Dendas and Admiral Blyu reported the situation at Odessa Port to Marshal Saint Arno and Commander Largren.
Although both commanders were mentally prepared, there was still some regret after receiving the intelligence.
After all, the plan to attack and occupy Odessa Port was easier than taking over the Sevastopol Fortress.
Since the first plan faced failure, the two commanders could only initiate the second plan.
However, before proceeding with the second plan, they needed to dispatch a team to Silistra.
In the following period, the Allied high command reorganized the army and awaited the reinforcements from the Sardinian Kingdom and the Ottoman Empire, while also gathering intelligence from the Silistra Fortress to prevent the Russian Empire from launching a desperate onslaught against Silistra.
On the other hand, the Russian Empire stationed northeast of Silistra Fortress received intelligence on the Odessa Port attack by the morning of the third day after the assault.
As the Commander of the Danube Alliance Army, Prince Paskevich immediately realized that Britain and France had already begun their actions.
Never having been too concerned about capturing Silistra Fortress, Paskevich had even less intention of continuing to fight with Omar Pasha at Silistra Fortress. With a defeatist mindset, Paskevich only wished to withdraw from the Danube Duchy to exchange for the cessation of attacks by Britain and France on the Russian Empire.
This war should not have started at this time; ending it quickly would be the best outcome for the Russian Empire.
So, in the ensuing days, Paskevich unabashedly criticized the Russian Imperial Army, even feigning illness to avoid attending several military meetings.
It was clear to any discerning person that Paskevich was unwilling to continue fighting, and his subordinates secretly conveyed Paskevich’s situation to Nicholas I in Moscow.
Meanwhile, General Gorchakov at the Ruse Fortress rushed overnight to Silistra Fortress upon hearing about Commander Paskevich’s condition.
Entering the tent, General Gorchakov looked at the feigning-illness Paskevich lying on the bed and asked helplessly, "Your Excellency Commander, what exactly do you want to do?"
Lying on the bed, Prince Paskevich had no intention of moving. He expressed to Mikhail Gorchakov that the battles currently being fought by the Russian Empire in the Danube River Region were mistakes from the start; there was never a sliver of possibility for them to take Constantinople.
In Paskevich’s words, even if the Russian troops had captured it, so what? As long as the Russian Empire’s fleet couldn’t defeat the Anglo-French fleet, all their victories would be nothing but illusions!
With the Anglo-French Allied Forces having control of the sea, they could land at any point to launch attacks on the Russian Empire, leaving the latter to only passively engage in battles.