Chapter 486: Chapter 480: Cossacks and Zuav
March 6th, 4 a.m.
The Balkan Peninsula, under a sky full of stars, exudes a sense of tranquility and peace. Yet, in a certain hilly area within this tranquil and peaceful environment, a highly organized army is marching with torches, traversing the narrow gaps between the hills.
Illuminated by the torches and starry sky, one can clearly see a unit composed of light infantry and cavalry, with the infantry marching in several rows in the center of the road. The soldiers, wearing uniforms of different colors (French in blue and white, British and Ottoman in red, and Sardinian in green), are arrayed in neat order, with serious expressions on their faces. The cavalry moves ahead and to the sides of the infantry, tasked with gathering reconnaissance and securing the flanks, while a few cavalrymen dart back and forth acting as messengers.
The entire army, like a swift fire serpent, winds through the hills. Major General Canrobert, dressed in a blue uniform and red riding pants, leads the charge on a tall white warhorse, riding slowly at the head of the column.
Beside him is Captain Jerome Patterson, serving as Canrobert’s aide, followed by the flag bearers of England, France, Sardinia, and the Ottoman Empire. These flag bearers are all exceptionally selected soldiers, each holding the flag of their respective armies, marching alongside General Canrobert.
This army, silently marching from Varna, has been on the move for nearly two days and nights, during which it encountered several unforeseen challenges such as command disarray and unfamiliar terrain. However, as a rapid-response unit carefully selected for such missions, they overcame these difficulties brought on by human and environmental factors in an extremely short time.
Currently, the rapid marching unit is less than fifteen kilometers from the Silistra Fortress, which means they are one step closer to danger.
As the commander of the army, General Canrobert has to be even more vigilant, as the Russian Empire’s army could spring a surprise on them at any moment.
When the army traversed the wild valleys and reached a relatively flat open space, Canrobert issued the command to set up camp on the spot.
After a few hours of speeding, the army finally had time to take a breath, and they rested together as units.
Meanwhile, to prevent a possible attack by the Russian army, Canrobert deployed a large number of cavalry units around the area. These cavalry were dispersed within a radius of five kilometers centered around Canrobert to conduct patrols.
Thus, the marching force rested less than ten kilometers from the Silistra Fortress for nearly five to six hours. It wasn’t until the noon sunlight spread over the land that Major General Canrobert ordered the troops to march again.
During this period, Canrobert summoned the commanders of the English, Sardinian, and Ottoman forces and issued orders for the next tasks.
When the troops resumed their march, they switched from a column formation to a two-row formation based on company units. At the forefront of the troops was the Zuav Corps led by Brigadier General Bazan, followed by the Scottish Rifle Corps led by Lieutenant Colonel Somerset Calthrop (Lagren’s nephew and one of Lagren’s aides), marching in three rows. Behind the Scottish Rifle Corps was the Sardinian Hunting Legion, also marching in two rows, led by the nephew of Minister La Marmora. The previously dispersed cavalry were swiftly regrouped, with most continuing to escort the infantry, while a few reconnaissance units spread out within a three-kilometer radius centered on the infantry for scouting.
The troops continued advancing towards Silistra, and when they were less than eight kilometers from the fortress, Canrobert’s "Four-Nation Alliance Army" met their enemy for the first time.
Upon hearing a gunshot, General Canrobert, mounted, immediately ordered Brigadier General Bazan of the Zuav Corps to be on alert: "Inform the troops behind us to be ready for battle at any moment!"
Upon receiving General Canrobert’s order, Brigadier General Bazan shouted for his messenger and handed him the orders.
The messenger, upon receiving Bazan’s order, quickly spurred his horse to the rear.
Watching the messenger depart, Brigadier General Bazan turned to suggest to General Canrobert that they should retreat.
Standing in the first row, General Canrobert shook his head, refusing Bazan’s suggestion to retreat. Insisting on staying in the first row, he took the binoculars from his saddlebag and raised them to look in the direction of the gunfire.
After a while, a few blurry yellow phantoms appeared in the lenses of the binoculars.
As time passed, the yellow phantoms in the lenses grew larger, with their outlines becoming more distinct.
It wasn’t until the phantoms were less than a kilometer away from Canrobert that he could approximately discern their situation.
The phantoms turned out to be a Turkish reconnaissance cavalry unit sent by General Canrobert. Originally, a group of five riders, only two remained.
Behind them was a group, not very orderly yet skilled in horseback riding.
Wearing dark green fitted uniforms, with black tall caps, holding a flintlock pistol and with sabers strapped to their waists, they bore a strong resemblance to the Cossack cavalry that Canrobert had once seen depicted in a Russian newspaper.
"General, it’s the Cossacks!"
Standing beside him, Captain Jerome Patterson also shouted out the name Cossack, inhaling sharply.
"Your Highness, you know them?" Conrobel asked, glancing in surprise at Jerome Patterson beside him.
Jerome Patterson told Conrobel that when he was very young, his grandmother had told him stories about the Cossacks.
"General, now is not the time to speak about this!" Jerome Patterson said gravely, "As far as I know, these are a tough lot!"
"Indeed!" Conrobel remarked, looking with a complex expression at the approaching Cossack cavalry unit.
For Conrobel, who had heard stories of Emperor Napoleon’s campaign against Russia from a young age and later studied the campaign against the Russian Empire at Saint-Cyr Military Academy, the Cossack cavalry was an opponent he longed to face in battle.
When Emperor Napoleon was campaigning against the Russian Empire, it was precisely this group of cavalrymen, skilled in horsemanship and possessing a savage nature, who served as the Tsar’s most loyal guards. With their unyielding spirit and tenacious character, they left a deep impression on the originally attacking French cavalry, buying sufficient time for the Russian Empire’s main army to retreat.
When Emperor Napoleon found himself trapped in the freezing snow and began his retreat, they reappeared like death hidden in a blizzard, once again blocking the path of the French Army. The starving and freezing French troops were forced to engage in battle but, unaccustomed to the Moscow winter, they were no match for the Cossacks. The Cossack army, like slicing a sausage, divided and surrounded the hundreds of thousands of French Corps, eventually annihilating them entirely.
In every subsequent battle, the Cossack cavalry always led the charge, breaking through one French army after another with their daredevil tactics (though most of these armies were newly reorganized corps).
When the Cossack army led Count of Provence (Louis XVIII) into French Mainland, their plundering style, reminiscent of 19th-century bandits, left a lasting impression on the French people.
It could be said that the Cossack cavalry was not only the opponent that Major General Canrobel longed for, but also his nightmare, and indeed a nightmare for the vast majority of the French people.
However, Canrobel did not fear nightmares. He believed that his Zuav Corps was equally unafraid of nightmares, and they were determined to shatter the "myth" of the Cossacks.
With this thought, Major General Canrobel composed himself and then asked Brigadier General Bazan about the ammunition status of the Zuav Corps.
"All members of the Zuav Corps have completed loading," Brigadier General Bazan responded firmly to Major General Canrobel.
"Very good!" Major General Canrobel nodded and proclaimed loudly, "Zuav Corps, step forward!"
With the order from General Canrobel, the military band struck up the battle tune, and the Zuav Corps advanced under the direction of their company commander.
The remaining teams stood silently in place, observing. Many among them (Somerset) wanted to seize this opportunity to see just how strong this so-called elite infantry force of France truly was.
After advancing about 100 meters, the Zuav Corps stopped. The soldiers of the first row of the Zuav Corps leveled their guns, ready to fire all their bullets toward the Cossacks behind the Turkish cavalry on General Canrobel’s command.
At a distance of less than 600 meters, this group of Cossack cavalry had no chance of escape.
Seeing the French Army before them with their guns aimed at them, the Cossack cavalry put away their cat-and-mouse game and raised their guns toward the retreating Turkish cavalry.
Several gunshots rang out, and the Turkish cavalry, who thought they could escape death, fell from their horses instantly. The warhorses carrying the Turkish riders let out a neigh and fell as well.
Behind them, the Cossack cavalry halted at what they believed to be a safe distance, wearing expressions of mockery as they looked at the Zuav Corps, as if ridiculing the Zuav Corps soldiers on the opposite side for being unable to protect their comrades.
Each Zuav Corps soldier, upon seeing the provocation from the Cossack cavalry, couldn’t restrain their burning anger and yearned to fight to the death with these Cossack cavalrymen.
"General Canrobel, let’s do it!"