Chapter 158: Besieged In Hunyuan

It had been almost five months since the arrival of Victor's new summons. The Luxenberg army was working diligently to prepare for the impending assault of the Gu Army. 

The city of Hunyuan was thoroughly prepared for a prolonged siege. Dozens of cannons lined the city's walls, and supply depots were overstocked. Soldiers regularly patrolled atop the walls, and scouts were dispatched to survey the land, awaiting the sight of the Gu Army.

The sky dimmed, though the sun had not yet set. Above the stone edge, shadows stretched longer than they should. In the heart of the place, the wind carried dust and distant conversations. Hundreds of soldiers marched along the streets, keeping the peace and ensuring that there was no suspicious activity happening.

Victor's reinforcements had arrived a few weeks prior, bolstering their number to the strength of 10 corps along with 20,000 summoned Simbarnese soldiers and the Royal Guard. There were multiple attempts to recruit the citizens into the garrison, but they were not soldiers, and given their lack of experience, they would not have been able to make an impact.

Marshal Soult, Marshal Lefebvre, General Osten-Sacken, General Rapp, and General Gimborn were all brought over with their soldiers, thanks to the work of Grand Admiral Nelson and his fleet. In total, the Luxenberg Army numbered 370,000 infantrymen, 50,000 cavalrymen, and 1,500 guns. There is also the fleet under Grand Admiral Nelson present in the harbour.

Victor and his commanders greatly appreciated the reinforcements, especially when they could see the mighty Gu Army in the distance. Their ginormous procession of Gu soldiers made even Victor's most steadfast commanders twitch with anxiety. 

King Gu Tian had mustered an army comprised of 650,000 infantrymen, 50,000 cavalrymen and 1,500 guns. This total made Victor question his spies' abilities. They had informed him through multiple messages that the Gu Army only had 600,000 soldiers; they somehow missed an extra 110,000 soldiers. 

It was a formidable force, and their leader was Crown Prince Gu Lintian. The King had no trustworthy generals to lead the behemoth of an army, so he put his trust in his son and heir, Lintian.

Gu Lintian may not have had any active duties in the military due to him being the Crown Prince, but he was highly capable and thoroughly trained. Lintian was the King's most capable son; he was astute at administrative duties and was a well-rounded military commander, although he did not have any track record to back that up.

The Crown Prince was devastated to hear about the loss of two of his brothers, yet he did not let that affect him. His judgment was clear, and he remained poised to lead his army. Gu Lintian had many adequate adjutants around him; they were all sufficient enough to lead divisions of men, but they could not handle anything on a larger scale, hence why Lintian was appointed the Supreme Commander of the army.

Upon arriving at Hunyuan, Gu Lintian ordered his army to set up camp and form a perimeter around the city. They would position themselves across all 3 fronts that were covered by the wall. 

Hunyuan's wall looked like a trapezoid; the western and eastern sides of the wall ran as a diagonal that was long and did not have any gatehouses. The southern wall was slightly more than half the size of the other wall and possessed a gatehouse. At each of the four corners was an extended part of the wall that stretched outwards in an arrowhead shape; these extensions housed additional cannons.

The Crown Prince ordered that the nearby trees be chopped down and turned into sudes and spikes. They would protect their siege camp from all angles with these so that no enemy cavalry could run through and cause chaos. Additionally, artillery placement construction was underway. Sandbags and wood were used to create cover for the Gu Army's cannons.

Victor did not bother to waste his ammunition on the labourers constructing these artillery positions. There were no cannons in them yet, and it would be pointless to try to bombard labourers.

Many Luxenberg soldiers spectated as the besiegers set up their camp and perimeter. They had arrived before dusk, so they hurriedly began to get all the essential tasks done before they lost the sunlight.

"Your Highness. All the soldiers have finished setting up the tents. Many have begun preparations for our camp's defences and are forming a perimeter," reported Gu Lintian's adjutant. 

The Crown Prince smiled and dismissed the adjutant. He stood outside his tent, gazing at the city of Hunyuan. Gu Lintian was confident in his ability to take the city, his army nearly doubled that of the defenders. He would approach this siege with caution and patience, something his brothers lacked during the invasion.

Gu Lintian had already prepared multiple strategies for taking Hunyuan. The first strategy was to starve the city. He had ample men to form a blockade around the city; however, his father did not grant him any ships as they were needed to defend the other port cities of his kingdom. Not having any naval support rendered this plan useless, since Luxenberg ships could procure supplies unimpeded by the Gu Army.

The second idea was to focus solely on one section of the wall and bombard the living hell out of it until it collapsed. It was a good idea and a simple one, but it had multiple flaws, especially when he thought about clumping all of his cannons together in a singular line. They would be easy pickings for the Luxenberg artillerymen.

Gu Lintian's best idea was to launch an all-out attack on each section of the walls. He knew his infantry outnumbered the defenders almost 2 to 1. If he could spread the Luxenberg soldiers out, they could use their superior numbers to overwhelm and capture their positions.

With this being his plan of attack, Gu Lintian and his army worked hard for a few days to solidify their position. Once that was done, the siege of Hunyuan would truly begin.