Chapter 119: A New Vassal For The Kingdom

Jozef gave a warm almost creepy smile. His mission was a success, and now it was time to leave. "Excellent, I shall relay your acceptance to the King right away. I shall also join you and your army when you depart. You do not need to wait for me I will be in contact with you again soon enough. I hope you manage to get some more sleep, my lord," Jozef muttered before slipping out of the room and back into his own.

Duke Godert did not get much sleep after that. His mind raced, trying to figure out how he was going to leave the capital. It would be suicide to outright announce his defection, so a carefully constructed lie was required, otherwise he would not live to see his family again. 

As the golden sun's warm touch embraced the city of Osterbon, Duke Godert was preparing to announce his departure at a joint breakfast of all the noblemen. He was one of the first figures to arrive and patiently waited until the breakfast was almost over before giving his announcement. 

With the breakfast almost concluding, Duke Godert arose from his seat and began to speak to the Grand Duke. "Grand Duke Fontaine, forgive me for saying this, but I plan to march my men to retake Auderbrast." His short, yet simple statement caused a state of bewilderment to erupt.

Dukes Verdant and Hirschmann were flabbergasted at their peer's audacity. To openly declare that he was going against his orders was bold, to say the least. Grand Duke Fontaine did not make a scene but sternly glared at his ally. "And why would you do that? Our forces are needed here. Half of the Luxenberg army rests at the border of this region. The capital must be defended," Simeon said, his words sharp and serious.

"Grand Duke, that man from yesterday as well as many scouts have confirmed that Victor and his army have left a light garrison in my city. My family is attainable if I act now. They should not suffer captivity any longer. I already informed my officers before coming here, within hours my men will march for Auderbrast," Albus stated.

"You dare defy me! We are in this war together!" Grand Duke Fontaine shouted angrily, his face beginning to show a rosy hue. Duke Godert's patience was running thin, he did not think the Grand Duke would make a big deal out of it considering that the Godert army was slightly more than a tenth of the total faction's army.

"Defy you? I am sorry, but you are not my king. I thought the whole point of this war was to oppose the crowning of King Victor. Actually, can this even be called a war? We have spent months staying cooped up in this city while the enemy conquers our lands."

"Duke Hirschmann, your city of Joltz was conquered and many of your citizens were killed in a rebellion. My city was captured along with my family, even your city of Doulon will be taken soon, Grand Duke. Instead of hiding away in your capital, I am going to reclaim my land, otherwise, I shall remain a landless duke." Albus replied, before excusing himself from the table.

As he left the dining room, all Albus could hear were the angry insults of Grand Duke Fontaine. It did not bother him, his decision to side with King Victor was one that benefitted his family. As the Godert family patriarch, it was his duty to ensure the survival and prosperity of the family.

With the descent of the afternoon sun, the Godert Amry was fully mobilized and departed from Osterbon. The Godert coat of arms flew in the wind as many standards were raised by the infantrymen of the army. A yellow group of wheat was displayed on a field of beige. 

Duke Godert was at the head of the army, leading them to Auderbrast, and riding beside him was none other than Jozef. They had a 3 and a half week march ahead of them and it would not be long until Duke Godert was reunited with his beloved family. 

While the Godert army was marching to Auderbrast, the siege of Doulon was well underway. Roaring cannons and screaming soldiers performed a symphony for the men spectating in the rear.

Victor wished to not rely on his rockets, so he unleashed the power of his 12-pounder cannons. They fire volley after volley after volley, weakening the western walls of Doulon. The garrison of the city tried their best to return fire, however, half of its original force was conscripted to join the Fontaine army. In other words, the city of Doulon was undergarrisoned and lacking half of its cannons.

Doulon's walls were not as thick and strong as Joltz's, with each blow dealt to it, chips of debris began to crumble off it. For Victor, he hoped it would not be a long siege. He wanted to quickly take this city and then further consolidate his forces, and maybe send terms for a potential peace with the Fontaine Faction.

A peace with the Fontaine Faction seemed unrealistic, but Victor wished to show compassion for his enemies, especially when they were letting him and his army run rampant in their lands without challenge. If Doulon fell, there were only three cities left in the Fontaine Faction, Osterbon, Amsardam and Bismarck. 

The walls of Doulon barely held for the first day, both sides knew that the walls would collapse the following day. One side began developing a plan of attack, while the other frantically prepared for it's defenses to be breached.

As the night passed, Victor decided to reward his men with an extra hours rest. The city would be theirs by the end of the day, so having properly rested soldiers would ensure a decisive victory. 

By 10 o'clock, the sound of cannon fire began. The Luxenberg cannons did not relent in their barrage. Their sole purpose was to collapse sections of the western wall, but before they could do that, Victor ordered his cannons to cease their fire.

King Victor peeked through his spyglass to see white flags raised upon the battlements of the wall. The garrison was well aware that they did not stand a chance, as such, they thought surrendering would spare them a similar fate as to what Joltz suffered.

Under the banner of surrender, the garrison of Doulon threw down their weapons and opened the gates for Victor and his. They were able to march into the city uncontested, their only losses were a dozen or more cannons and their crew.

Just like that, Victor had captured two-thirds of the Fontaine Faction's territory.