The soldiers could feel the difference between the officer and the usual ones. The whole Fortress was filled with the tragic atmosphere before the decisive battle. The soldiers who put down their breakfast began to surround the officer, quietly watching his pious sharpening sword.

"Is this the last battle?" the veteran asked.

"No... this is my last battle, and it may not be yours!" the officer said calmly.

"Why?" the veterans asked

"Because today, I will rush to the first one, I will die before you, not after..."

Everyone was suddenly in an uproar!

"Brothers! This damn war should be over. I've had enough of it long ago! But there are many options to end!"

"The easiest thing is to hang up the white flag, walk into the enemy's prisoner of war camp in shame, and do hard labor for the Prussians like slaves!"

"Or...or we can go a little more crazy and exchange our death battle for huge casualties to the enemy!"

"Use our unyielding fighting spirit to exchange for the respect of the enemy and for our fair armistice agreement!"

He raised his sharp saber and looked at the morning light reflecting the blade in the east and said calmly, "Why are we fighting? Is it for the motherland and honor?"

"Yes, of course! But we end up fighting for our own interests!"

"Look in the mirror and look at ourselves. We have devoted our lives to the army. What else can we do if we leave the barracks? Does anyone have the skills to make a living? What do we eat after leaving the army!"

The officer said excitedly, "It's not just you, but me, all three generations of my family have joined the army. I can't do anything except war. If the empire collapses, I will soon become destitute!"

"You are better off going there. If the empire is over, you will all be reduced to prisoners of war... Even if you are lucky enough to get out of the prisoner of war camp, will the huge France still have your foothold?"

"No craftsmanship and no land, you can only sell coolies in the factory... But many of you are no longer young, when can you sell coolies be sold?"

"The Great Revolution is about to break out again! Once the empire collapses, who can guarantee that they will not counterattack? You must know that we are the emperor's direct descendants, and who will be at ease with our legion in the new government?"

"There is no more stable iron rice bowl to eat, and there is no more warm military camp to live in. Each of us has to face the wild rainstorm outside the military camp alone!"

"I have some family property to eat. What about you? What else do you have besides the ability to fight? How do you live!"

All the soldiers in the company were stunned by what they said. These are the truths they had realized but were not very clear about in their daily lives. Or they hid their heads in the sand like ostrichs and were unwilling to face reality.

But today the commander put the cruel truth in front of him!

"Sir... 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 we are, we cannot give up hope!"

"There is only one way to do this situation, that is, to continue fighting to the death... and fight until the Prussians are terrified and use war to force them to negotiate equally!"

"Turn peace with war, rather than surrender without war!"

"As long as we can reach a ceasefire agreement with the Prussians, we will immediately receive supplies and support from the new forces. By then, the Bazan Legion and our troops will be united, and those ambitious Parisians will have no chance of causing trouble!"

"The empire is here, our job is here, and the empire is destroyed, and we will have no hope!"

A sentence rekindled the hope in the soldiers' hearts. Countless veterans recalled the years of the war in Crimea and the great cause of the Qing Empire in the Eastern Expedition, and were very excited.

"There is only a fight to the death! There is only a fight to the death!"

"The veterans will not die! The empire will not perish!"

Desperate situations can often make the reputation of an army. The 100,000 French troops in the Fortress have been forced to the dead end. Inspired by the noble officers, they actually burst out with unimaginable combat power at this most critical moment.

The decadence of the previous one was swept away, and the entire fortress entered a tense atmosphere of preparation 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.

The sour sound of whetstones rubbing against the bayonets everywhere, and all the soldiers looked at the Pu army outside the city and were filled with hatred and anger!

At seven o'clock in the morning, the soldiers from the Pu Army camp also finished their breakfast, and each team began to gather in the camp. Xiao Letian climbed to the highest observation tower in the north of Sedang City at five o'clock in the morning, paying close attention to the situation.

"This is the last battle! The French don't let me down. You fight harder, and you'll be more ruthless! The more you officers and veterans lose on the battlefield, the harder it will be to recover France's future military vitality!"

"Be good! Be obedient... Be obedient to a second-rate military power, that is your destiny!"

Suddenly, a loud military trumpet sounded from the Pu army's position. It was not a military trumpet sounding, but hundreds of military trumpets were blowing at the same time. At that moment, the Pu army with a solemn formation in the camp began to move outside the camp, and soon formed the first attack queue within the encirclement of more than ten kilometers.

All the soldiers were ready for battle, bayonets were like forests, and the cold light of the sharp blade was breathtaking!

As soon as he saw this, Xiao Letian quickly took out two groups of cotton and stuffed them into his ears, "The artillery battle is about to begin! Hahaha... The largest artillery battle in the 19th century has begun!"

For the battle of seduction, Lao Moltke prepared 700 Krupp's rear-loaded steel cannons, and four special trains transporting shells were organized!

For this decisive battle, the Prussians have taken out all their assets!

At 7:35, with the order of the General Command, the seven hundred cannons surrounding Sedang City began to shoot at the same time!

Boom boom boom... The sound of cannons is everywhere between the heaven and earth, the smoke of gunpowder rises flat like dark clouds, and the cannonballs fly towards Sedang City like rainstorms.

Xiao Letian felt that the watchtower under his feet was about to collapse, and the sound of cotton stuffed in his ears was still very clear.

Sedang City almost instantly turned into a sea of ​​fire. These improved shells are all the latest, and their power is incomparable to the previous ones.

The explosion of fire filled the whole city. In the shock wave, countless French soldiers were blown into the sky, broken their hands and feet. The sharp shells cut the soldiers' stomachs, and their intestines flowed all over the ground and could not save them!

"Looking for cover... The enemy's shelling will not be too long... The enemy's infantry will attack immediately..."

"Look for cover...Do not to shells..."
Chapter completed!