Chapter 103: Luxenberg Feet On Fontaine Soil

A month after the war's opening skirmish, Victor's army had been busy.

General Gimborn and Hill led their corps to capture the surrendered city of Inglefeller. The city did not put up a fight due to the light garrison stationed there and the citizen's hatred for the people who killed their previous ruler. Both corps now held the city and could be considered a threat to push towards Osterbon.

General Kamensky and Rapp captured the city of Konitz while sustaining a total of 5,000 casualties, most of which were infantrymen. Konitz could not handle the barrage of cannon fire. It's walls were quick to fall and the militia acting as a garrison could not fend off the battle-hardened soldiers of 1st and 8th Corps 

General Kamensky and 8th Corps were left to garrison the city while General Rapp and 1st Corps moved to join the other corps at Inglefeller. With their combined strength they would be able to begin an incursion into the Grand Duchy of Fontaine's core regions.

If they moved east they could try and take the capital of Osterbon. If they moved south they could move towards the city of Amsardam, and if they journeyed further south they could join up with Victor's army and take Joltz. However, their orders were to hold and pose a threat to the capital.

Meanwhile, the Fontaine army regrouped at the city of Auderbrast. Their defeat at the hands of Victor's army left them realising they could not go head-on against Victor's army. Duke Hirschmann proposed that the army should resort to guerilla tactics, using the lay of the land to their advantage and pestering their enemy.

Grand Duke Fontaine was all for the idea until news of Inglefeller and Konitz reached him. With both cities falling his capital was exposed, he had no information on how many troops they had, nor did he have any idea of what their next move was. If Osterbon was to be captured, it would be the biggest blunder in his family's history.

Simeon's ancestors built Osterbon from the ground up. There was at least a millennium's worth of history in Osterbon. It had risen from a small fishing village to the continent's most prestigious city. Simeon could not afford to risk the capture of his capital, to counteract the movement on the western front, Grand Duke Fontaine began moving his army to Osterbon, despite the protests from his advisors.

With Grand Duke Fontaine moving his army further north, Victor and his army with the combined strength of 5 corps, could move to Joltz and not fear being attacked while en route to the city. 

Victor could only smile at how well he had anticipated Grand Duke Fontaine's movements. He knew how important Osterbon was and used it as a weakness, causing the Grand Duke to be paranoid about an attack that would never come.

Victor and his forces were able to march to the walls of Joltz uncontested, it was only a month since the first skirmish and now they stood besieging the most formidable city in the Fontaine Faction.

Joltz's walls were as high as Archenshien, they would prove to be difficult to breach and near impossible to scale. The city itself was more bustling and prosperous compared to the former Maldenberg capital. Its people may not have been wealthy like those in Osterbon but they were content with the comfortable life they had.

The city's garrison numbered around 40,000 militia infantrymen and 100 guns that could be posted along the walls. In a field battle, they would get crushed, but in a siege defence with towering walls, they could prove to be a challenging opponent.

In charge of the city's defences was the only living family member of Duke Hirschmann, his 25 year old son, Gerhard. His mother and the former duchess died due to a stroke, most likely caused by her obesity. 

Gerhard looked like his father, he had thick black hair and eyes as grey as the morning mist. He was of average height and well put together. Like his father, he was well-versed in defensive tactics and was a trusted aide to his father, hence why Duke Hirschmann entrusted Joltz's defences to him.

Victor studied the city before him, there were a handful of ways to approach this siege, but there were many variables to factor in. The biggest was whether or not Grand Duke Fontaine would grow a pair and lead his army away from its defended position in Osterbon.

Turning to his advisors for counsel, Victor asked, "What do you think men? Now that you have seen the city, how should we go about taking it?" A few advisors already had formulated ideas on how to take Joltz.

"My liege, from what we know about the city and its defenders, we can rule out any attempt at trying to secure a surrender. Duke Hirschmann has raised some stubborn and defiant bastards to defend his city. I recommend we bombard the city and overrun them with our superior number," General Vandamme suggested.

"I recommend we go for a prolonged siege, we surround the city and starve them until they are too weak and hungry to resist us. It may take many months or a year, but we are well provisioned, Jenkas is only 2 weeks away if we need more supplies. Let us save our ammunition for future engagements," General Bertrand pitched in a calm tone.

"I agree with General Vandamme, let us bombard the city we have more than 500 cannons with us let us unleash them upon the city's walls. Let their citizens hear the roar of our metal beasts. If we focus on a few specific sections of the wall we can capture this city before the week is over," General Bülow stated confidently. Field Marshal Schwarzenberg and Marshal Lannes also voiced their support for Vandamme's strategy. 

With the majority of the advisors suggesting to follow General Vandamme's strategy, the Luxenberg army began its preparations. Cannons were positioned along the southern and eastern wall fronts. 

The city had its two gates situated on the northern and eastern gates. Victor was worried about a garrison sally out from the north gate, so he ordered sudes and trenches deployed along the northern front of the Luxenberg position. 

Everything was prepared for the siege, and with the rising sun, cannon fire began.