"Hurrah! Long live the Russian Empire! Long live His Majesty the Tsar!"

"Long live the French Empire! Long live His Majesty the Emperor!"

"Long live Britain! Long live Her Majesty the Queen!"

The fierce battle between England, France, and Russia formally began around six twenty in the evening.

At this moment, the sky above the Sevastopol Fortress was only left with a strip of red sunset, as if embellished with a red border for the evening sky.

The soldiers of the Zuav Corps and the Highland Brigade no longer cared about any casualties, as if they were mad, charging forward recklessly.

The Russian Army in the trenches likewise desperately blocked the advance, and the attackers and defenders fought with all their might, like two ferocious beasts tearing into each other. Gunfire, the clash of metal, and screams echoed across the entire battlefield; on average, dozens of soldiers died every minute.

After approximately twenty minutes, darkness completely fell, yet the fighting did not cease. Now, the three armies on the battlefield could only see the silhouettes of each other.

Gradually, the Russian Imperial Army began to fall into a disadvantage in the darkness, with more and more Russians retreating under the cover of night.

The Russian officers in the dark had no solution to this. Influenced by the fleeing Russian Imperial soldiers, those stationed behind the front lines followed them in retreat. (The actual number of engaged forces was around 6000)

Soon, chaos engulfed the Russian Imperial Army on the battlefield.

"Commander, we must retreat! We can’t hold this position anymore!" A subordinate officer pleaded with Pavlov, "If we hold any longer, we risk becoming their captives!"

"Damn it!" Pavlov gritted his teeth, slamming the wall in frustration, and grumbled, "Why hasn’t the army from Bakhchisaray arrived yet! If they had come earlier, we would have already stormed into Sevastopol!"

It had been nearly five hours since the Russian Empire occupied the position, and over two hours since his officer returned seeking aid from Bakhchisaray, yet no reinforcements had arrived.

This made Pavlov skeptical, wondering if they had been abandoned by Bakhchisaray, otherwise why would there be no reinforcements!

"Commander, now is not the time to discuss this! Please give your orders!" Pavlov’s staff officer continued to urge him.

Pavlov thought for a moment before gritting his teeth and issuing the order, "Order all units to withdraw in sequence, and instruct officers at all levels to restrain their men! The retreat must not turn into a rout!"

"Yes!" The staff officer quickly saluted Pavlov before leaving.

Subsequently, Pavlov summoned the adjutant he had sent to Bakhchisaray to once again inquire about the situation in the area, and the reasons for the delay in reinforcement!

The adjutant shook his head as well, indicating he was completely unaware of the situation.

"Forget it!" Commander Pavlov sighed, then ordered his adjutant to bring over the captured Duke of Cambridge.

Upon receiving the order, the adjutant likewise turned to leave.

After a while, the adjutant and two Russian soldiers "escorted" the Duke of Cambridge to Pavlov.

"Your Highness! (The title of Duke can be addressed as Your Highness, or Duke!)" Major General Pavlov courteously bowed to the Duke of Cambridge.

"Hmph!" The Duke of Cambridge snorted coldly, displaying an arrogant demeanor.

Faced with the Duke of Cambridge’s arrogance, Pavlov was not angered at all. He still responded courteously, "Your Highness, our army has been defeated, so you may return! Not only you, but your subordinates and the flags of the Guard Division can also rejoin your forces!"

"Oh?" The Duke of Cambridge suspiciously glanced at Pavlov, asking, "What do you want me to do?"

"Your Highness, I do not wish for you to do anything! I simply intend to let you return," Pavlov still replied with a smile to the Duke of Cambridge.

"Can you be so kind?" The Duke of Cambridge was still somewhat skeptical of Pavlov’s words.

"Your Highness, we Slavs have always been a warm-hearted people!" Pavlov shrugged, sincerely responding to the Duke of Cambridge, "It is merely due to some misunderstandings between our two countries that we are forced into conflict. On the battlefield, we are mortal enemies. But off the battlefield, our identities allow me to continue to respect you. You are a true noble!"

Pavlov’s response made the Duke of Cambridge feel a sense of comfort from within, and he no longer looked at Pavlov as unfriendly as before.

"Truthfully, if it weren’t for Turkey’s sudden collapse, it would have been impossible for Your Highness to be captured by us!" Pavlov continued speaking to the Duke of Cambridge, and then bowed again, "I hope that next time our armies can fight a proper battle, like the knights of old. Please forgive my offense towards you!"

"General Pavlov, you are a man who knows how to seize opportunities!" The Duke of Cambridge also acknowledged Pavlov, "I, too, look forward to our next encounter!"

After being escorted out of the temporary command post by General Pavlov, the adjutant standing beside Pavlov curiously asked why Pavlov had so easily released the Duke of Cambridge.

"Do you want us to take the Duke of Cambridge with us? Or do you suggest we execute him outright?" Pavlov asked his adjutant.

"Of course, it’s..." The adjutant opened his mouth but couldn’t complete his sentence.

Whether to bring the Duke of Cambridge along or to execute him carries certain risks.

If he brings the Duke of Cambridge along, he must ensure his safety, which means diverting limited troops to protect the Duke. This action will undoubtedly cause him significant trouble.

Killing the Duke of Cambridge is even more reckless. Nobles can die on the battlefield but never off it. Currently, the Duke of Cambridge is equivalent to being off the battlefield. Pavlov executing him would only incur the wrath of the Kingdom of Britain and Emperor Nicholas I, with no benefits whatsoever.

In fact, it would drag him into deeper trouble, possibly even getting him executed by Nicholas I.

Since he can’t take him away or execute him, Pavlov had no choice but to release the Duke of Cambridge into the wild.

"Releasing the Duke of Cambridge actually has an advantage!" Pavlov continued.

"What advantage?" the adjutant curiously asked.

"When we retreat later, the British Army will surely relent from pursuing us on account of the Duke of Cambridge!" Pavlov confidently replied to the adjutant.

"Will Marshal Lagren truly not pursue? I recall that just a few hours ago, when you sent someone to negotiate..." The adjutant was somewhat skeptical of Pavlov’s statement.

"Time has changed!" Pavlov wore a profound smile and patted the adjutant’s shoulder, saying, "Just wait and see!"

...

The Duke of Cambridge, along with his few remaining subordinates and the Guard Division’s banner, descended from the position and soon arrived at Marshal Lagren’s location under the escort of soldiers!

"Your Excellency, the Duke is back!"

"Who?"

"His Excellency the Duke of Cambridge!"

"Let him in!"

Upon entering the room, the Duke of Cambridge saluted Marshal Lagren and Marshal Renio separately, also expressing gratitude to Marshal Renio.

Omar Pasha stood awkwardly at the spot, understanding that the Duke of Cambridge ignored him simply because his Turkish Army had trapped the Duke of Cambridge on the battlefield, leading to his capture.

"Why did Pavlov let you return!" Marshal Lagren immediately asked the Duke of Cambridge in a stern tone: "Did you promise him anything?"

"Report Marshal, I did not promise him anything!" The Duke of Cambridge responded firmly to Marshal Lagren: "And Pavlov himself did not propose any conditions!"

"That’s good! That’s good!" Marshal Lagren breathed a sigh of relief. His greatest fear was that the Duke of Cambridge had agreed to Pavlov’s demands.

If the Duke of Cambridge had agreed to Pavlov’s demands, his military career would likely be completely ruined.

Although the reporters in the British Army were restricted by Marshal Lagren using Jerome Bonaparte’s name, it did not mean they could do nothing.

If the Duke of Cambridge indeed had any dealings with Pavlov, the transaction would surely be uncovered, and the Duke would be engulfed in public opinion.

At that time, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert would not be able to provide any assistance to the Duke of Cambridge, and he would have no choice but to leave the military.

"Pavlov is doing us a favor!" Marshal Lagren softly responded.

"So we..." the Duke of Cambridge inquired.

"All we need to do is retake the position!" Marshal Lagren said while glancing at Marshal Renio.

Marshal Renio slightly nodded, agreeing with Marshal Lagren’s viewpoint.

By 8:00 PM, the British Army and the French Army had fully occupied the position.

Meanwhile, Pavlov’s Russian Army had long fled and stationed near the Kach River.

After the battle for the position ended, Britain and France tallied their casualties, with France suffering 1,100 casualties and the Kingdom of Britain 1,630.

The Russian Army at the Kach River also assessed its casualties, totaling 3,209 wounded, 4,235 missing, a combined loss of 7,444, equating to one-fifth of the entire unit.

Meanwhile, on the side of Inkman Mountain, a large-scale encirclement battle also concluded.

Nearly 60,000 troops of the Russian Imperial Army were annihilated under the combined assault from Conrobel, Bosskay, and Trocch. Soyinov and his adjutant were killed on the spot.

According to later statistics, the Russian Army lost about 40,000 soldiers on Inkman Mountain, with less than 20,000 Russian troops breaking out.