Under the sunny and sunny sky, Aigron led his army to march towards Mesolonghion in a mighty manner.
This army has a neat appearance, and its morale is high due to several previous victories. From officers to soldiers, everyone believes that the next victory will definitely belong to them.
After setting off from Nafpaktos, they quickly covered more than half of the dozens of kilometers. After two days, the army could already see the outline of the frontal fortress of Mesolongion.
Along the way, they encountered a small group of enemy troops, but just as Major Hench expected, they made no resistance at all and fled directly to the rear.
It is obvious that these troops are only used to detect the enemy's situation. Their real intention is to retreat to the fortress, rely on the fortified city to hold on, and then wait for the arrival of reinforcements.
Although he fully understood the other party's intentions, at this time Aigron could only act according to the plan.
At noon that day, they arrived outside the city of Mesolonghion almost without firing a shot.
Under Aigron's order, the advancing army stopped at a high ground a few kilometers away from Mesolonghion, and then set up camp on the spot. Then he sent people to sweep the surrounding area while peeking at the movements inside the fortress.
At this time, not only him, but almost everyone in this temporary camp was observing the opposite fortress with telescopes or naked eyes.
Standing on the high ground, Aigron carefully observed the fortress with a telescope.
Strictly speaking, Messolonghion is a peninsula deep into the bay, showing a cone shape. Only the solitary east side is the front that is connected to the land, and is then blocked by walls and fortresses.
In other directions, there is an endless sea, with only some sandbars and small islands scattered around the fortress.
Such terrain meant that the defensive pressure on the defenders would be greatly reduced, and it was also the biggest reliance that the Greek rebels relied on to repel the Turkish army many times at that time.
It is indeed a strong fortress... No wonder it has achieved such a prominent reputation before.
But now, this fortress has fallen into the hands of the Turks, and the difficulties they faced at that time have become a problem for Aiglon.
However, despite all the difficulties, Aigron is not without confidence.
First of all, the Turks are unpopular in Greece. The massacre they launched in Messolonghion has further cut off the possibility of them getting any help from the locals. On the contrary, under the banner of liberating Greece, they can win the sincerity of all local Greeks.
support.
Secondly, he had previously severely damaged the defenders in the siege of Nafpaktos, and the Turkish army had been cut off. These defenders would inevitably fall into an isolated and helpless situation, and their morale would definitely be severely affected.
The attack will definitely not have the fearless spirit of the Greek rebels who share the same hatred with the enemy.
Many battles in history have already proven that no matter how strong the fortresses and defense lines are, if the defenders have no morale and courage, they will only be reduced to decoration.
And the same history has long proved that at this time, Ottoman Turkey was strong on the outside and incompetent on the inside. It had long been reduced to the sick man of Europe. Its army was as decadent and weak as its politics. It might still be able to show some blood and courage when defending its homeland.
, but when fighting outside the homeland, there is no outstanding performance at all.
Because of this, he is so confident that he must let himself chew this hard nut.
No matter what, now that we have taken this step, we must finish the rest of the road.
Now, what he needs most is a clear plan, and if he wants to formulate such a plan, he must get clear information. And this information cannot come from himself or the people around him, but can only come from
To those who have fought bloody battles here.
And Aigron also believes that in the city of Mesolonghion, there will definitely be many eyes filled with hatred or fear, staring at him and his army. They will also try their best to fight against him and make him
The army returned without success.
It is conceivable that the war will inevitably burn between the two parties soon, but at this moment, everything seems to be so peaceful.
As dusk approached, he called several of his closest men to his tent and held a small military meeting.
After they sat down one by one, Aigron carefully observed their expressions and found that everyone's expressions were solemn, and they were no longer as relaxed as when they just set off.
Obviously, after seeing the terrain and defense facilities of Mesolonghion Fortress, their originally high enthusiasm had been cooled down by reason.
"Everyone, Messolongion is right in front of us." After everyone arrived, Aigron spoke first, "For us, capturing it is of extraordinary significance. I believe you already understood it before we set off.
On this point. Now I want to ask you, is there any way for our army to capture it as soon as possible?"
After he finished speaking, there was another silence in the entire tent. It was obvious that everyone present had no good ideas.
Everyone looked at each other, and finally everyone's eyes fell on the supreme commander Michel Ney.
Michel Ney was obviously on pins and needles, but with everyone watching, he had to speak reluctantly.
"Your Majesty, after seeing it with my own eyes, I have to admit that it is stronger than I thought before. Its terrain is superior and its defense facilities are quite complete. It is definitely not easy to capture. Especially, we still lack
Heavy artillery is difficult to destroy their fortifications..."
The further he spoke, the softer his voice became, clearly lacking confidence.
As the supreme commander of the entire army except for Aigron, Michel Ney knew that he shouldered a huge responsibility, so he was very unwilling to take unnecessary risks and sacrifices, and he was even less willing to launch an attack regardless of casualties.
He knew that although his side might have more troops than the defenders in the fortress at this time, such a slight advantage in troops could not overcome the defensive advantage brought by the fortress facilities; in addition, he lacked heavy firepower, making it difficult to destroy these forces in front of him.
fortifications.
"You don't have enough confidence?" Aigron asked the other party directly.
"Your Majesty, my judgment of the situation comes from objective reality, not from blind fanaticism, so you can't expect me to be confident every time." Michelle Ney admitted in a tactful way.
I really don't have enough confidence.
As if he was afraid of being accused of cowardice by Aiglon, he immediately explained for himself, "Please don't misunderstand me. I have already sworn to do everything for you. I am absolutely not afraid of charging into battle, but I think our soldiers are your valuable property.
There should be no pointless waste in useless consumption. If soldiers know that their death can open the way to victory, they will die generously, but if they know that their death is only to prepare for the trenches, they will die generously.
Add rotten mud and dust, and they will surely lose all enthusiasm."
Aigron could tell from what the other party said. After seeing the situation of the Mesolongion Fortress with his own eyes, he had doubts about whether he could win.
"Like you, I don't want my soldiers to bleed in vain. That's why I use you people. Your duty is to help me win with the least casualties." Aigron looked at the other party, and then asked,
"Michelle, tell me, how do you feel confident enough to win it?"
Under Aiglon's gaze, Michel Ney hesitated for a moment, and finally replied in a low voice, "If you can give me another 10,000 people, or give me a few more months, I am confident that I can win it for you."
.”
"It is impossible for me to recruit another 10,000 people for you in a short period of time. Although I have asked our Greek allies for help, they certainly cannot spare so many people and can send me one or two thousand people.
I'm so thankful to God..." Aigron shook his head regretfully, "Besides, I can't give you a few months. The Russians are about to go to war with Turkey, and I can't let the aura of the winner slip away from me.
Move to him again, and within a month I will see Messolongion fall into my hands!"
"In this case...then I can only ask you to give me a little more time." Michelle Ney lowered his head, as if he was afraid to look directly at Aigron. "I'll give it a try."
He felt in his heart that His Majesty's request was a bit too much, but he did not dare to say it to his face, so his face became a little ugly.
After seeing his expression, Aigron probably guessed what he was thinking.
Seeing that his number one general behaved like this, he felt a little disappointed, so he turned to look at the others, only to find that everyone no longer responded to him as eagerly as usual, but avoided looking away.
Dare to look directly at yourself.
Now he understood that almost everyone present had the same idea as Michel Ney, and felt that there was little hope of taking Mesolonghion by force in a short time.
Seeing them acting like this, Aigron couldn't help but feel a little anxious, but he also knew that this was a normal reaction.
After a moment of silence, he spoke again. "Everyone, since we met on Monte Cristo Island, you have been following me for a long time. You should all know that I am by no means a person who gets hot-headed easily.
All strategic decisions are implemented after careful consideration."
Then, he stood up directly and pointed to the map on the table, "You can understand without me saying too much. As long as we capture this place, we can clear a large area of enemies and put them away."
In our pocket, this will be our biggest gain since landing, and this victory will definitely make us famous all over the world!"
After speaking impassionedly about its great significance, he took the initiative to lower his tone, "Yes, I admit that Mesolonghion is a dangerous peak, and it is not easy to climb it. It is strong and tenacious, and it has geographical advantages.
We have had brilliant achievements before, and these are all reasons that make it difficult for you; but don’t forget that at this moment we are fighting for a just cause, and we have beaten them all once. It is us
We have forced them to never dare to fight with us again, and can only hide in their turtle shells and tremble. It is they who are afraid, not us!"
As if to increase his persuasiveness, he slammed the table, "Messolonghion looks solid, but it is just a broken house. As long as we give it a hard kick, it will definitely collapse.
!”
Under his hoarse shouting, the atmosphere in the tent finally became a lot more enthusiastic, and the officers' originally solemn expressions began to loosen.
If others said this, they might just regard it as meaningless talk. However, during this period, Aigron has established prestige in their minds due to his victory after victory. Therefore, under his mobilization, in a short time
Guilt is indeed enough to give these people courage and a desire to win.
Seeing that his pre-war mobilization was effective, Aigron finally felt a little more comfortable.
He looked at Michelle Ney again.
"Michelle, you launch a tentative attack as soon as possible. I want the Turks to see our courage and determination."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Since Aiglon had already mentioned this, Michel Ney could only bite the bullet and agreed.
"You give me a few days, and I will arrange for the soldiers to dig trenches and wait until they are close before launching an attack. At that time, the artillery will also coordinate together to see what the effect is..."
"Okay, let's do that." Aigron nodded, finally agreeing with the other party's arrangement.
Seeing that his proposal finally passed, Michelle Ney secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
But even so, he still felt uneasy and unsure of the effect of the next attack.
For Aigron, although this meeting did not satisfy him, it at least temporarily unified his thoughts, which was enough.
He had to find a way to boost the morale of his men to prevent them all from retreating; but at the same time, he didn't want to push too hard and make everyone feel that he was forcing others to do something difficult.
He himself also knew that officers were the backbone of the army and the guarantee of combat effectiveness. If even the highest-ranking officers under him had doubts, the outcome of the next war would have been doomed.
And he himself also knew that simply attacking from the front like the Turks was the most stupid method. He simply didn't have that many troops and time to waste.
If it took a heavy price to capture Messolonghion, then all his plans would be meaningless.
So, he found a better way to open the door to victory.
While he was sitting in his tent thinking hard, his guards finally reported good news to him. His loyal subordinate, Edmond Dantès, Count of Monte Cristo, asked for an audience.