Chapter 806 A Helpless Move

Soon under the order of Nicholas I, Chernyshev had to agree to immediately purchase a batch of new rifles for emergency use, numbering approximately 30,000.

This number is really not that big of a deal, at least it is just drizzle for this war. But there was nothing we could do about it, because the finances were very tight, and even the money for these 30,000 rifles was squeezed out by the Ministry of Finance through gritted teeth.

In fact, Nicholas I himself knew that such new rifles could not save the increasingly collapsing war situation, but he always had to find an excuse and could not tell the people of the country that the reason why Russia was in such a mess in this war was because of him, the Tsar. If the leadership is incompetent, then the army will be overstaffed and vulnerable, right?

It would be much easier to explain to the subjects that the failure was due to the inferior weapons and talents, and only a symbolic remedy could be used to deal with it.

Yes, purchasing a small number of new rifles was Nicholas I's remedy. In his view, this was a typical example of spending small money to do big things.

It's just that the generals who were actually on the front line were not so convinced by this. Especially the group of people who were truly patriotic and responsible were very dissatisfied with Nicholas I's way of confusing things.

For example, Prince Mikhail wrote to his brother and complained: "After the war broke out, I told the Ministry of War and the Imperial Council more than once that we need to purchase new rifles. Otherwise, our soldiers will have to be bullied by the enemy. But who will Did you hear that? That idiot Chernyshev kept saying that spirit triumphs over guns and let us use our courageous fighting spirit without fear of death... His Majesty is always blabbering about new things and saying that new weapons are lies and conspiracies of liberal elements. …”

"Damn it! I don't understand what's wrong with them. Well, now they are suffering a lot and know they have changed? But they only purchased 30,000 new rifles. Who is this enough for? We have millions of troops on the front line. ah!"

"Not to mention how long this damn procurement process will take. Based on my understanding of the damn buggers at the War Department, they won't let go without enough benefits, not to mention that Chernyshev himself is very likely to interfere with it. !”

"This war makes me feel more and more exhausted. I really can't imagine that we can finally win. Maybe you diplomats can play a role in advance..."

Not only was Duke Mikhail dissatisfied, Kornilov was even more angry, because according to the distribution plan given by the Ministry of War, his Crimean theater could only be allocated 5,000 new rifles in the end. What is this enough for? of?

What's even more irritating is that the Ministry of War is still convincing about this. They say that Crimea has been equipped with enough new rifles. At least one-third of the troops have this new weapon, while Duke Mikhail's company It’s less than 10%, so isn’t it obvious who gets more first and who lasts?

This statement almost made Kornilov angry to death. The reason is very simple. If we talk about the proportion of equipment, the popularity rate here is indeed higher. But the problem is that although Duke Mikhail has few new rifles, he has many troops!

He has nearly 700,000 troops on hand, and they are protected by solid fortifications. Most of the enemies he faces are Turks with worse equipment. There is not as big a difference in equipment as there is in Crimea.

What Crimea is facing is the main force of the British and French coalition forces. Their weapons and equipment are much better than Turkey's. Originally, Crimea's military strength was not superior. Now there is still a gap in weapons. How can this battle be fought? Fight?

The Crimea side, which has naturally endured more pressure from the British and French coalition forces, is in more urgent need of new rifles, not the other way around.

It's just that the people in the Army Department didn't listen at all. They were just used to making decisions without thinking about the actual situation.

Kornilov could not bear this painful situation. He could only explain the situation to Nicholas I over and over again, and constantly protested to the War Ministry.

Of course, he himself knew that this was meaningless. Anyway, the War Department had many ways to shirk the blame, so in the end he had to let it go.

"What's the situation over there in Kerch?"

Nakhimov sighed and replied: "It's not bad. After the reorganization in the previous period, the troops have restored their morale and combat effectiveness. After repelling the coalition's landing operation, the morale of the officers, soldiers and residents is high, but..."

"Only what?" Kornilov asked eagerly.

"Most of the fortifications were temporarily repaired. After this battle, the damage was relatively serious. Although I ordered to speed up the work, firstly, manpower and various materials are limited. Secondly, the enemy may not give us so much time. If the enemy organizes A larger-scale offensive than the last landing operation, the outcome is hard to say!”

Kornilov sighed after hearing this: "Just do your best. You will be in charge of the command over there for the time being. Follow Archduke Andrei's request to conduct a feint as soon as possible to cover the Danube fleet to break through the blockade. Maybe our The fleet can only be of so much use!"

As a pure naval admiral, Kornilov felt very heavy when he said these words, because once Kerch makes a mistake, it is only a matter of time before the Black Sea Fleet will truly become a turtle in the urn and be destroyed. Now we can only use the fleet to freely enter and exit the Sea of ​​Azov to do some operations, which can be regarded as "waste utilization"!

Nakhimov also understands this truth, but he still wants to defend Kerch as much as possible, but he also knows that this is very difficult. For example, the garrison of Kerch is still too few, and there must be at least 10,000 people. ?

But now it's only just over five thousand, which is nearly half the difference. But how can it be so easy to get more troops at this moment?

Which part of Crimea is not lacking in people now? Including Sevastopol, there is a serious shortage. We can't let the local women go and let them join the army!

"I will try my best to fight with His Majesty, and I will give priority to you when the new batch of reinforcements arrive," Kornilov sighed, "but the number is definitely not enough. I estimate that it will only be one or two thousand at most..."

Nakhimov also smiled bitterly, but if you can, just have more. If it doesn't work, he plans to transfer sailors from the navy. Anyway, most of the sailing battleships are now just decorations. Rather than letting them do nothing, it is better to go ashore to help fight.

Soon they finalized the details, and then Nakhimov once again rushed to Kerch. His next task was very important, not only to strengthen Kerch's defense, but more importantly, to organize a feint to attract the coalition forces. attention.

This is no joke. After all, the Black Sea is like a bathtub. With the maneuverability of the coalition forces, they will definitely take action immediately after discovering that the Black Sea Fleet has made a move. A bad feint will turn into a meal...