Struggle in Russia

Telegraph Hill is of great significance to Sevastopol. If it had not thwarted the coalition's offensive here, I am afraid that the coalition would have sent its troops south to take Sevastopol. The position on this line forced the coalition forces to land a second time, indirectly buying Sevastopol nearly a month.

Not only that, Telegraph Hill is in the hands of the Russian army, which means that the connection between Sevastopol and Simferopol has not been cut off. Sevastopol can continuously receive reinforcements and supplies from deep in Crimea and even from Ukraine and other hinterlands of Russia.

And this is the key to Sevastopol's ability to hold on. It is conceivable that once Telegraph Hill is lost, the coalition forces can cut off the connection between Sevastopol and Simferopol, completely turning Sevastopol into an isolated city.

As a result, the situation in Sevastopol will become even more unfavorable, and it can even be said that it is only a matter of time before it falls.

But this time Archduke Constantine and others insist on attacking, so they can only mobilize a large number of troops on the front line of Telegraph Mountain. Once these are all gone, how can Telegraph Mountain hold on?

Thinking of this, both Kornilov and Nakhimov had trouble sleeping and eating, and they wanted to talk to Grand Duke Constantine again and ask him not to deploy too many troops, but the guy's attitude was clear that he would not listen.

Anyway, Kornilov and Nakhimov were so angry and furious that they couldn't even eat.

It was at this time that Li Xiao arrived in Sevastopol.

"Your Excellency, why are you here?"

Kornilov was not only surprised by Li Xiao's sudden arrival, but even more surprised by how he came. If he came by land, the mountainous road would be difficult to walk, and the risk would be quite high. After all, the coalition forces were on the Alma River line. The troops are not sitting around doing nothing. In the past two months, their light cavalry have been attacking in all directions and constantly harassing the Russian army's supply and communication lines. With the current morale of the Russian army, they will collapse at the first touch.

Moreover, looking at Li Xiao's rosy face, he didn't look like he was tired at all, and he didn't look like he had come through a bumpy road.

"I came here by boat!" Li Xiao replied with a smile.

Nakhimov and Kornilov were so surprised when he heard this. The reason is very simple. Since the control of the Black Sea changed hands, not to mention the Black Sea Fleet, even Russian fishermen have had problems going to sea. The British and French fleets have continued to In patrolling and blockading the sea, it can be said that no boat can even think of going to the sea.

Unless someone can swim across, there is no way to take the sea route.

"Why not?" Li Xiao asked with a smile, "I not only took the sea route, but also came ashore from Kamish. The coalition forces treated me well along the way!"

Kornilov and Nakhimov's eyes almost popped out. Kamish was in the hands of the French army. Needless to say, someone who came ashore from there was active on the territory of the coalition forces. How could this be possible?

Are the French blind?

Of course the French are not blind. It can only be said that Li Xiao's identity is disguised very well. He has a passport and other supporting documents that David Leboeuf helped to obtain. There is no problem at all in directly pretending to be a Frenchman.

"In fact, it doesn't matter if you don't have a fake passport. The French are not strict at all. Greeks and even Russians are welcome as long as they transport the supplies they need to Kamish. When I landed, I saw many Russians It’s a pleasure to have a prosperous life there!”

Kornilov and Nakhimov's eyes almost popped out. They never expected that someone would bring such breaking news.

"The supply problem of the coalition forces is very troublesome," Li Xiao told them. "The French army is a little better. They can basically have enough food and clothing. The British side suffers. Although I also went to Balaclava, The inspection procedures are very strict, but the British guys are too busy and just show off!"

Kornilov and Nakhimov looked at each other, wondering how to evaluate this news. It's fine, but it doesn't have much to do with them. After all, what Li Xiao can do doesn't mean that others can do it. It's very likely that someone else would have been caught on the spot.

Call it bad, knowing the actual situation on the British and French sides is also rare information. After all, their own scouts, especially those damn Cossacks, are useless. They will run away as fast as they see the enemy, resulting in The information they receive is often full of errors and useless.

"What do you think of the current situation? Is it possible for us to hold Sevastopol?"

Li Xiao's answer was very direct: "I'm not optimistic. Although the coalition forces are currently facing a lot of troubles and problems, and even the British army can be said to be basically useless, this is only temporary. As long as they calm down, once spring comes next year, the flowers will bloom." when……"

No need for Li Xiao to finish Kornilov and Nakhimov also know what spring means. At that time, General January and General February returned to their hometowns, and it was the Russian army's turn to taste the iron fist of the coalition forces.

"I suggest you stockpile as much supplies as possible, whether it's food or ammunition, yes! There are also critical water resources. It seems that Sevastopol's water supply completely depends on the canal outside the city, right?"

Kornilov and Nakhimov were surprised, because they really hadn't paid much attention to the ditch, but now that Li Xiao mentioned it, they couldn't help but be surprised when they thought about it carefully!

Sevastopol is actually the outlet of the Chornaya River. It is true that this fjord is a natural harbor, but all fresh water in the port area depends on the supply of the Chornaya River.

The Inkelman Highlands are still under the control of the Russian army, so there is no problem in diverting water from the Chornaya River. But the coalition forces are not stupid, and the focus of their next attack is likely to be Inkelman Mountain.

As long as the Inkelman Mountain is captured, firstly, you can occupy the favorable terrain to directly bombard the port of Sevastopol from the Inkelman Mountain, and secondly, you can also cut off the water supply of Sevastopol.

The troops can survive without food, but who can endure without water?

The Sevastopol city defense army is fully equipped with 40,000 to 50,000 people. Plus the people in the city, drinking water for so many people is a big problem!

Nakhimov blurted out: "The defense of the highlands outside the city must be strengthened and the safety of water supply must be ensured!"

Kornilov shook his head and said: "With our current strength, it is simply impossible to hold on. As long as the enemy is willing, sooner or later they will be able to capture the position outside our city."

"What should we do? Do we have to give up Sevastopol as the old eunuch said?" Nakhimov was anxious.

Kornilov did not answer him, but turned to ask Li Xiao: "Your Excellency, since you pointed out the problem, there should be a way to solve it, right?"