Eagle's Glory

If their commander-in-chief decides to spend their lives here, it can only be left to him, and he has the right to make such a decision.

"Well, Your Highness, since this is your opinion, I can only follow it. I am only your advisor, and all decisions rest with you, and I will never interfere with your actions." Major Hench finally nodded, "I pray that you are doing well, and that the Count of Monte Cristo will return safely."

He originally admired this young man quite a bit, but after getting along with him for this period of time, he became even more sincerely admiring for His Highness—this kind of admiration did not come from his high military level, but from Although he is only this age, he dares to fight against fate, and he has actually come this far.

The kind of courage to do what you say, and the perseverance to never give up until you reach your goal, are extremely difficult to see among young people today, let alone those princes and grandchildren who have been pampered since childhood?

He was an enemy of Napoleon back then, but he didn't hate that great commander; now, after witnessing what his son did, he believes even more that perhaps the fate of the Bonaparte family did not end with Napoleon's death .

Maybe God really felt sorry for this unlucky kid, so he wanted to make it up by giving him a throne?

Of course, Egron couldn't hear these thoughts in his heart. In fact, all his attention had been focused on the distant battlefield.

Just as their conversation had just ended, the artillery positions that had been silent for a day began to bombard again.

Because of the close proximity, Aigron felt the ground under his feet tremble slightly, and the continuous roar made his eardrums ache a little, and he could no longer hear the words of the people next to him clearly.

In fact, he didn't want to say anything more.

He quietly stared ahead, waiting for that moment to come.

The shelling did not last long, and the defenders, accustomed to recent shelling, did not react.

Next, as if the tide was gushing from the ground, soldiers in black military uniforms rushed out of the trenches everywhere, and rushed towards the bastion along the last open space.

Because Aigron's army has been carrying out small-scale attacks recently, the defenders did not respond at first, but soon someone discovered that the scale of this attack was much larger than before—even larger than the previous one. the previous sum.

Although there was no change on the surface of the opposite fortress, Egron, who was standing on the high ground, felt that the fortress was also suddenly tense.

Aegron's army is located in the east, attacking from east to west, so if they attack them in the morning, they will advance with their backs to the sun. Like the halo.

They were already prepared, and they launched an attack almost simultaneously across the board, with the momentum to swallow the entire fortress in one go.

Such a huge momentum, such a magnificent momentum, almost captured the momentum of the defenders' front, but after a moment of stupefaction, they also began to fight back under the shouts of the officers.

As has happened many times in the past, when the attacking troops approached the walls and ditches of the bastion, the sound of guns on the walls also rang out. In the dense rain of bullets, someone must have been shot and fell down.

But today is different, the soldiers who launched the charge kept rushing forward amidst the shouts, completely ignoring the fallen robes, and even disregarding their own lives - Egron's death order had already been conveyed to everyone through the senior officers There, today's general attack must be carried out by the entire army, no one is allowed to back down, and anyone who is timid will be severely punished.

They don't know that His Majesty has other plans, they only know that today is the day of the general offensive, and the outcome depends on one action. Therefore, under the military law and the majesty of His Majesty, these officers and soldiers have to use their best strength to fight Order to win the victory for His Majesty.

Because almost the entire army was on the offensive in this attack, fighting was carried out on almost the entire front. In just a short while, a large number of corpses were distributed from between the forward positions, to the open space under the bastion and in the trenches. .

Recently, Aigron's army has been using small-scale feints to consume the spirit of the defenders, and they will retreat as soon as they are slightly frustrated. The defenders are already used to this kind of routine "attack" and have no fear.

But what they experienced today was such a crazy offensive, they were caught off guard almost immediately, and were quickly rushed to the front of the city wall.

However, they quickly stabilized their position, relying on the low city walls at an angle to keep firing, and then kept harvesting the lives of the attackers.

Because of the footsteps of the attackers and the bombardment of the artillery shells, the smoke and mud were swept into the air, and the muddy smell also scattered, and the pungent smell of gunpowder was also caught in it. The smell of blood mixed together became an indescribable smell, which would linger in the minds of all survivors and become a nightmare for their entire lives.

Along with the pungent smell, the smoke from dust and gunpowder also permeated the trench, and then quickly spread on the wall of the bastion, and then engulfed the walls everywhere.

The continuous shouting almost overwhelmed the roar of the guns, and the red-eyed soldiers ignored their own casualties and desperately climbed along the wall.

Many people fell into the ditch because they were shot while climbing, but a small number of lucky ones rushed to the wall and fought frantically with the oncoming defenders.

In order to expand the troops as much as possible, Aigron's army launched a full-line attack along the front, but after all, there were only a few places that could break through the walls of the bastion, so the soldiers who had spare power quickly gathered in these breakthroughs, constantly taking over Pao Ze, who died in battle, continued to attack.

The black frenzy that was originally flooded by floods gradually converged into several breakthrough points, as if it had encountered a flood from a flood outlet.

At this time, the first wave of troops to attack had already suffered heavy casualties.

While the soldiers of the two sides were fighting, according to the scheduled plan, the second wave of troops had slowly entered the trenches at the front and launched again.

Compared with the previous wave, this time they are much more purposeful. Through the commander's observation on the high ground, several breakthroughs have been identified, so their goal is to continue to attack those locations and continue to expand their own battle results.

Time passed slowly until the scheduled time, and these soldiers charged again under the orders of the officers, so a new group of fresh troops appeared on the smoky battlefield.

With their arrival, the already extremely bloody fight has now reached a fever pitch. The shouts and gunfire continue, as if the Death Orchestra is celebrating and playing.

The fierce battle continued, and Messolonghi seemed to be crumbling, but it still seemed to be as firm as a rock. The balance of the battle began to shake, and perhaps God was also hesitating, which side would bestow the crown of victory.

Aigron remained on the high ground where the camp was located, carefully observing everything in front of him.

The continuous attack had consumed almost all the horses he had at hand, leaving only the last of his guard as a general reserve.

Time passed unconsciously, and it gradually came to dusk.

Under such a fearless impact, Aigron's army finally achieved some results. They destroyed and occupied several bastions at the front of the fortress, and caused a large number of casualties to the enemy.

However, paying such a high price for such a victory is not a good deal, and he can't afford to squander a few lives.

Although the defenders were frightened by the opponent's fearless attack and were exhausted in the fierce battle, they still had confidence.

After many days of fighting, they can also see that the opponent is not much more than themselves. As long as they can hold on and consume like this, sooner or later they will be able to wait until the moment when the opponent's energy and strength are exhausted.

The sky gradually darkened, and the originally fierce firefight gradually subsided.

Aigron knows that what he can do now has been done, and then it is up to fate to judge—not only the judgment of himself, but also the judgment of that person.　　

201, sneak in

As night fell, the battle around Messolonghi finally came to an end.

Throughout the day, the two armies were fighting bloody battles, especially Aigron, who was on the attacking side. Under his death order, the officers and soldiers showed terrifying courage and fought desperately without fear of casualties, especially in A breakthrough area was formed, almost stepping on the corpse of Pao Ze to launch wave after wave of charges.

Under the impact of their fearless death, Messolonghi, which originally looked solid as a rock, couldn't help showing some flaws in the tremors.

After their bloody battle, they finally took down several bastions surrounding the front, and several sections of the city walls also fell into the control of the attackers.

Although the attack had to come to an abrupt end with the arrival of night, the frightened defenders believed that they would face the same impact the next day. The earth shook them.

It is precisely because they believe that the frontal impact will undoubtedly come tomorrow, so most of the exhausted defenders take the time to rest and wait for the battle to come again tomorrow.

Although the situation has become unfavorable, these defenders firmly believe that as long as they continue to hold on, the attacker will run out of strength sooner or later and will eventually have to retreat.

And whether it is Aigron or his senior officers, they also know that this kind of attack regardless of casualties is absolutely unsustainable, and the power in their hands cannot withstand such consumption.

The siege battle that has been delayed for many days has already drained everyone's patience and confidence. The sacrifice spirit and courage shown by the officers and soldiers today is the last remaining effort they have exerted under Egron's forced order. However, if it continues to procrastinate, the result can be imagined.

Fortunately, their hopes were not placed on a strong attack. Right now in the camp, Egron and all the officers are silently watching Messolonghi, waiting for the final result.

At this time, Edmond Dantès was gathering all his men on the beach east of Messolonghi.

He has been quietly paying attention to the battle situation during the day, and he can come to the same judgment as others—he is the one who shoulders the ultimate mission.

Such a heavy mission made him excited and disturbed, but he was the only one without fear.

He looked up to the west, the night was getting deeper and deeper, and Messolonghi in the distance had already disappeared, swallowed by the dark night, and even the beach where he stopped now was already pitch black, leaving only The dim firelight in the camps in the distance was the only source of light.

With the help of the remaining light, he scanned his men again.

They were lining up neatly and looking at themselves at the same time. Although they were very few in number, they were still imposing because their eyes were full of terrifying sights.

They really have reason to be so excited-spiritually, they shoulder a heavy responsibility, they can take revenge on the invaders with the hatred of the country and the family; and materially, Aigron has done enough-he promised that as long as the action is successful, then every A personal reward of 3 francs is given. Such a high reward is enough for any soldier to work hard for it.

At this moment, including Edmund himself, they are all wearing Turkish military uniforms. The red jacket is somewhat conspicuous on the white sand, but the dark night is the best concealment, and they can sneak into the fortress under the eyes of the fortress defenders. , and do your best to wreak havoc within it.

The more damage they wreak, the weaker the defenders will be, meaning the better Eggron's chances of victory.

At this time, everything was silent, and the guns that seemed to never stop during the day had also entered dormancy.

There was hardly any sound to be heard, save for the gentle sloshing of the sea, lapping the sand and sandbars.

In the unbearable silence, Edmond Dantès quietly looked at the sea to the east, as motionless as a stone sculpture.

Although the sea surface and the sky had almost merged into one in the dark night, he could feel that those star-studded sandbars in the sea surface were silently waiting and resisting him.

He had to wait now—not just for the darkest hour of the sky, but for the night tide as well.

When the evening tide comes to the top, the sea level will be a little higher than it is now, submerging part of those sandbars, and raising the waterline accordingly. In this case, the difficulty of sailing between sandbars will be greatly reduced.

Hilos Antonios, his deputy, had lived in Mesolonghi before and made a living fishing, and this was also a valuable experience he had as a local.

However, relying on the rising tide only slightly reduced the difficulty of sailing. Hilos, who has been a fisherman for many years, is still not sure that he can complete the final task.

However, for Edmond Dantès, he has no other choice, not even a chance to try again, he can only succeed, and must succeed.

In the midst of this silent gaze, time passed by every minute and every second, so slow that it seemed uncomfortable. Edmund Dantès only felt that the flame in his heart was burning violently, and the evaporated blood formed The heat flow spread to his limbs and bones, making his whole body suffer from it.

Gradually, the moment finally came, and Edmond Dantès felt that maybe a century had passed.

Originally standing like a stone statue, he finally looked at his subordinates again, and then spoke coldly.

"I'll reiterate the discipline once again—" he said word by word, "in the next operation, until we successfully infiltrate it, only Heros and I are allowed to talk on the way, and the rest must remain silent throughout. This rule is Without any conditions, even if someone falls into the water or even the ship sinks, I will not say a word, if anyone dares to violate it, I will execute him on the spot."

Although his tone was not intense, no one doubted how serious the Count of Monte Cristo was.

After teaching his subordinates a lesson, he led them across the beach to the sea, where there happened to be two wooden stakes, each of which was tied with a cable to a small flat-bottomed sailing boat.

These two flat-bottomed boats were recruited by him from the local area. They were originally used as small offshore transport ships. After the recruiting, he carried out careful refitting, cleaned up all unnecessary items in them, and opened up the compartments so that They have become props for simply transporting people.

And this is the biggest reliance for him to complete the task.

While estimating the time from the height of the tide, he waved his hands and let his men board the boat.

Because they had rehearsed countless times in advance, these people walked into the cabin very quickly in order.

After they boarded the ship, Edmund also walked on board, while his deputy Helos walked on another ship-he would also control a ship and complete this task with Edmund.

Edmond Dantès stood in front of the rudder, gently touching the handle of the rudder with his hand, and the sailor's instinct in his body was gradually recovering.

He squinted his eyes slightly, emptying out all the distracting thoughts in his mind, and at the same time felt the ups and downs of every wave on the sea surface, and every touch of the sea breeze blowing on his body.

Only those who have been riding the wind and waves at sea all year round can get this subtle induction.

It's time, he said to himself, and his eyes widened.

"Action!" he yelled softly, as if it was just a trivial matter.

At the same time he gave the order, the cables of the two ships were cut off at the same time, and the sailboats were also gently floated into the sea under the sea breeze.

The sails on the ship had already been painted with black oil as a cover. At this time, because of the night, they could not be seen clearly from the outside, and there were no lights on the ship for illumination.

Right now, the only things that can help Edmond Dantès are the extremely sparse starlight and the experience he has accumulated as a sailor for many years.

He used to be a merchant sailor in the Mediterranean Sea. He was highly regarded by the captain at a young age, and everyone believed that he would become an excellent captain in the future. Breathing is generally natural.

Although he has suffered in the dungeon for more than ten years and suffered tragic disasters in his life, everything he was familiar with once again came back to his mind through memory.

Under his control, the flat-bottomed boat was drifting on the sea surface, constantly changing directions with the help of the sea wind, and slowly approaching the direction of Messolonghi.

In the darkness, the boat began to approach the sandbars and pass through the gaps between the sandbars.

Although the sea surface is as calm as ever, under the sea surface, the turbulence is slow and fast, and because of the blockage of the sandbar, the direction of the water flow is very chaotic, and it will yaw if you don't pay attention. Even if it is a flat-bottomed boat, if it hits these reefs, I am afraid that it will no longer be able to sail.

It was indeed a difficult voyage. Edmond Dantès had to use all his body and mind to steer the ship desperately. He breathed heavily, felt every wave of the sea surface, and carefully manipulated the rudder as if Like a samurai fighting a heavily armed opponent.

When he has spare time, he will also pay some attention to observe the boat driven by his second-in-command.

It was the darkest time of the day, and the visibility was very low. Even though the two ships were very close together, Edmond Dantès could only see a vague shadow. Fortunately, this shadow was always following him. Aft of the ship, apparently his second officer managed to steer that ship as well.

Helos-Antonios really did not live up to his expectations... It would be great if he could always be by his side and serve His Majesty together.Edmond Dantès couldn't help but sighed inwardly.

However, he didn't have time or space for boring emotions, and soon he focused all his attention on manipulating the sailboat.

As he ordered, all the soldiers on the two ships did not talk to each other, did not even make any noise, and let the small boats lead them to unknown places, while the sea wind and waves were constantly clamoring, providing them with Best cover.

In the sea breeze, the boats passed through the narrow waterways between the sandbars. If someone could see them clearly through the night at this time, they would be amazed at the confusing movements of these boats, as if they were being manipulated by a drunk.

But, despite the continual detours of their course, and even occasional turns in place, the two ships, with unstoppable determination, slowly approached Mesolonghion, near their ultimate goal.

Time is not infinite to them, because in the second half of the night, the moon will begin to appear in the night sky, and at that time, with the greatly increased visibility, the sentinels in the fortress should be able to clearly see the two ships approaching them. Sailing away.

Edmond Dantès was very anxious, but the more anxious he became, the more steady his hands became. He manipulated the rudder with both hands, both heavy and light, as if he had inexhaustible strength.

He was fighting with the sea wind, waves and fate. Every time the boat was about to lose control, he used his hands to force it back from the hands of fate, overcame the undercurrent, and passed by the reef. No matter how far away, there are only the nearest obstacles in my eyes.

With such strong hands and such a strong will, fate finally began to succumb to him, and he loosened the noose that choked fate.

At an unknown moment, Edmund suddenly felt that the water flow under his feet suddenly became calm and orderly. The violent sea beast seemed to have given up on him and his subordinates helplessly.

He found that his back was drenched in cold sweat.

But the ecstasy in his heart could no longer be suppressed.

Although it was still pitch black in front of him, Edmond Dantès stopped his hands suddenly, tears streaming down his eyes silently.

At this moment, he has surpassed himself.

"Your Majesty... I succeeded..." He had no way to shout out cheers, so he could only silently reward him for his victory in his heart.

At this time, other people also felt that the ship had begun to stabilize. Although no one cheered, Edmond Dantès clearly heard the carnival that existed in the dark.

Don't get too complacent, it's still early... It's just the beginning... He quickly reminded himself in his heart, forcibly extinguishing the uncontrollable ecstasy.

He knew that there was a breakwater between the city wall of Messolonghi and the sea, but with the help of his deputy and other locals, he had already drawn a topographic map around the fortress and carried out a survey. Countless drawings or practical drills, so he is not in a hurry.