The soldiers could most feel that the officer was different from usual. The entire Sedan Fortress was filled with the tragic atmosphere before the decisive battle. The soldiers who had put down their breakfast began to gather around the officer and quietly watched him sharpen his sword devoutly.
"Is this the last battle?" the veteran asked.
"No... this is my last battle, it may not be yours!" the officer said calmly.
"Why?" the veterans asked
"Because today, I will be the first one, and I will die before you, not after..."
Everyone was in an uproar!
"Brothers! This damn war should be over. I've had enough! But there are many options for ending it!"
"The easiest thing is to hang up the white flag, walk into the enemy's prison camp in shame, and work like a slave for the Prussians!"
"Or...or we can be a little more crazy and exchange our deadly battle for huge casualties from the enemy!"
"Use our unyielding fighting spirit to earn the enemy's respect and our fair armistice agreement!"
The officer raised the sharp saber and watched the blade reflect the morning light in the east and said calmly, "Why are we fighting? Is it for the motherland and honor?"
"Yes, of course! But we are ultimately fighting for our own interests!"
"Look in the mirror and look at ourselves. We have dedicated our lives to the army. What else can we do after leaving the military camp? Who still has the skills to make a living? What will we eat after leaving the army!"
The officer said emotionally, "It's not just you, but me too. Three generations of my family have been in the army. I know nothing but fighting. If the empire collapses, I will soon be reduced to abject poverty!"
"It would be better for you not to go there. If the empire is finished, you will all become prisoners of war... Even if you are lucky enough to get out of the prison camp, will there still be a place for you in the huge France?"
"Without skills and fields, you can only end up working as coolies in factories... But many of you are already quite old, so how long can you keep working as coolies?"
"The Great Revolution is about to break out again! Once the empire collapses, who can guarantee that they will not counterattack and take revenge? You must know that we are the direct descendants of His Majesty the Emperor. Who in the new government will trust our army?"
"There is no longer a stable iron rice bowl to eat from, and there is no longer a warm military camp to live in. Each of us has to face the wild torrential rain outside the military camp alone!"
"I still have some family property to eat from, what about you? Apart from the ability to fight, what else do you have? How do you live?"
These words made all the soldiers in the company dumbfounded. These are the truths that they usually understand but don't understand clearly. In other words, they hide their heads in the sand like ostriches and are unwilling to face the reality.
But today, the commander put the cruel truth in front of us!
"Sir... we... what can we do? Do we have any choice? The battle has come to this point..."
"Of course there is a way! No matter how desperate the situation is, we can't give up hope!"
"In this current situation, there is only one way, and that is to continue fighting to the death... fight until the Prussians are scared, and use war to force them to negotiate on an equal footing!"
"Promote peace through war, rather than surrender without a fight!"
"As long as we can reach a ceasefire agreement with the Prussians, we will immediately receive supplies and support from new troops. By then, the Bazan Army will be united with ours, and those careerists in Paris will no longer be able to cause trouble!"
"As long as the empire exists, our jobs will remain. If the empire dies, we will have no hope!"
This sentence rekindled the hope in the hearts of the soldiers. Countless veterans were excited when they recalled the years of fighting in Crimea and the great achievements of the Eastern Conquest of the Qing Empire.
"It's just a fight to the death! It's just a fight to the death!"
"The veterans will never die! The empire will never fall!"
Desperate situations can often make an army famous. The 100,000 French troops in Sedan Fortress have been forced to a dead end. Encouraged by noble officers, they actually broke out with unimaginable fighting power at this most critical moment.
The previous decadence was swept away, and the entire fortress entered an atmosphere of tense preparations for war. Countless soldiers were stacking sandbags to build layers of shooting positions, and countless soldiers carried ammunition boxes to transport weapons back and forth.
There was the sound of whetstones rubbing bayonets everywhere, and all the soldiers looked at the Prussian troops outside the city with eyes full of hatred and anger!
At seven o'clock in the morning, the soldiers in the Prussian camp also finished their breakfast, and the formations began to gather in the camp. Xiao Letian climbed to the highest observation tower in the north of Sedan City at five o'clock in the morning, paying close attention to the battle situation. .
"This is the last battle! French people, don't let me down. Fight harder and harder! The more your officers and veterans are lost on the battlefield, the harder it will be for France to recover its military vitality in the future!"
"Be good! Be obedient... and be reduced to a second-rate military power. That is your fate!"
Suddenly, a loud bugle sounded from the Prussian army position. This was not a bugle blowing, but hundreds of bugles blowing at the same time. At that moment, the Prussian troops in strict formation in the camp began to march outside the camp. Moving, the first wave of offensive formation was soon formed within an encirclement of more than ten kilometers.
All the soldiers are ready, their bayonets are like a forest, and the cold light of the blades is heart-stopping!
As soon as he saw this, Xiao Letian quickly took out two balls of cotton and stuffed them in his ears. "The artillery battle is about to begin! Hahaha... The largest artillery battle in the 19th century has begun!"
For the Battle of Sedan, Moltke prepared 700 Krupp breech-loading steel cannons, and four special trains were organized just to transport the artillery shells!
For this decisive battle, the Prussians spent all their money!
At 7:35, following an order from the general headquarters, the seven hundred cannons surrounding Sedan City began firing at the same time!
Boom, boom, boom... There were gunshots everywhere between heaven and earth, gunpowder smoke rose from the ground like dark clouds, and artillery shells flew towards Sedan City like heavy rain.
Xiao Letian felt that the watchtower under his feet was about to collapse. Even with cotton stuffed in his ears, he could still hear the rumbling sound of the gunfire very clearly.
The city of Sedan turned into a sea of fire almost instantly. These improved artillery shells used the latest weapons, and their power was different from the previous weapons.
The flames of the explosion filled the city. Countless French soldiers were blown up into the sky in the shock wave, and their limbs were broken. The sharp shells cut the soldiers' stomachs, and their intestines flowed all over the ground. They couldn't be saved!
"Look for cover...the enemy's artillery fire will not last long...the enemy's infantry will launch an attack soon..."
"Take cover...dodge shells..."
Boom boom boom... amidst the explosion, the city of Sedan shivered as it was bombed!
