Chapter 156: A Foreign City Conquered

General Lasalle's bold plan was the catalyst for the downfall of Hunyuan. The defenders could withstand the Luxenberg troops as they rushed into melee. Their melee experience paled in comparison to that of the Luxenberg soldiers, especially General Lasalle.

His sabre danced effortlessly around him. Blood would spray everywhere while his sabre would clean itself by flying through the air. Bodies were left in Lasalle's wake as he pushed further into the defensive line. Over a dozen Gu defenders had already died by the general's hand.

This inspiring display emboldened the Luxnberg soldiers as they slaughtered the defenders. There was nothing the Gu soldiers could do but run. If they could regroup at a secondary defensive position, then maybe they would have a chance. Some of the defenders were already fleeing, while others had to fend off the violent wave of Luxenberg soldiers.

Within an hour, General Lasalle had secured the port and began to marshal his troops for a secondary assault. Thousands of soldiers began to rally at the port under General Lasalle. With a bolstered force, the Hussar General led his army throughout the city, capturing many important areas and killing a plethora of defenders.

By the day's end, Hunyuan had fallen into Luxenberg's control. Lasalle had seen to it personally that the city was secure enough for Victor and the rest of the army to occupy it. Most of the citizens were holed up in their homes while the captured garrison soldiers were gathered in the city square.

The defenders had most of their cannons during the assault, but only had 10 remaining. Most of their infantry was killed, while 5,000 out of the initial 20,000 infantrymen had been captured. Many of them were bandaged up and shown compassion. These men were not soldiers, but militiamen. In regard to the Luxenberg casualties, General Lasalle's 14th Corps lost 4,000 infantrymen in the assault.

Victor's biggest struggle was the language barrier between the locals and his soldiers. There were only a dozen translators at his disposal, and none of the locals could speak Bulgartic. This problem was much more complex than you would think. The language barrier could create multiple misunderstandings and would allow rebels to openly communicate with one another in secret.

Despite that issue, there were more pressing matters to deal with. Victor and his generals began to plan the city's defences and organise the full disembarkment of the invading army. If they could swiftly complete this, the troop transports could be escorted back to Bulgar to pick up another batch of invading soldiers to reinforce the army in Simbar.

If they could ferry back another 5 corps, the war with the Kingdom of Gu would be less difficult. At the moment, Victor's army still possessed almost the full strength of 5 corps, while in comparison, the Gu army still had around 650,000 soldiers. The difference in numbers was formidable, but Victor's army was better-trained and more experienced. 

The next week was full on for the Luxenberg Army. They swiftly unloaded all their troops and supplies into the city and began preparing the defences. Cannons were positioned along the wall, and local supply depots were taken over. Troop patrols and guard assignments were dispatched.

During the week, King Gu had received news of Hunyuan's capture. He was still mourning the death of his sons, and his sorrow turned to anger. His invasion had failed miserably and cost him the lives of his two sons, and now he has learned of an enemy invasion that has already succeeded in taking a city. 

King Gu Tian's rage knew no bounds. Slaves were beaten, and pieces of artwork were destroyed in his fit of anger. Crown Prince Gu Lintian could only try to soothe his father's anger, but it was pointless; his father was too consumed by it. As a result, King Gu began issuing orders for his army to gather at the capital, Xiangyang. 

It would take almost 3 and a half months for the full Gu Army to gather at Xiangyang, then it would take an additional month to reach Hunyuan. That would give plenty of time for the Luxenberg invaders to not only prepare thoroughly for a siege, it gave them time to hopefully get a batch of reinforcements.

Victor made sure that a fraction of the warships, including all ten rocket ships, stayed to protect the Hunyuan's harbour, in case the Gu Navy appeared. Grand Admiral Nelson would take charge of the invasion fleet and see to it that they return swiftly.

While the week was coming to an end, Victor received a message from the system.

'Hidden Quest Completed!: Conquer A Foreign City!'

'Rewards: 2x 10,000-Man Infantry Unit Summon, 50,000 Store Points, and a Language Mastery Skill Book,'

These rewards were a welcome sight for Victor. In particular, the Language Mastery Skill Book was intriguing. It was not specified by any quality, and it had the potential to be an incredible asset for Victor. 

Intrigued by the Language Mastery Skill Book, Victor quickly redeemed it. In an instant, an intense migraine began to ravage Victor's head. Thousands upon thousands of new information poured into his brain. This was unlike any experience he had faced when using other skill books. 

After 20 minutes of suffering, the migraine had disappeared, leaving Victor in a sweaty and exhausted state. There was no telling how effective the skill book was, but the was an easy way to test the theory. 

Victor delayed using his summons and went to find the prisoners. He would hopefully be able to converse with them. If he had fully learned Simbarnese, then he would have a much easier time trying to ease the unsettled citizens of the city.

Victor was escorted to the dungeon where all the 5,000 enemy soldiers were held. He selected half a dozen young soldiers to talk to, hoping that they would be interested in talking with a foreign king. The prisoners were escorted into an interrogation room that was filled with a dozen soldiers of the Royal Guard. 

A sense of unease filled the prisoners' minds; had they been taken for torture, or would they simply be executed? These thoughts plagued their minds, but when Victor spoke, their fears disappeared.