Chapter 159: Cannons And More Cannons

A few days after arriving at Hunyuan, Gu Lintian finally ordered his cannons to bombard the city. They had been patient and made sure to fortify their positions. Spikes and sudes were spread around the siege camp's perimeter; furthermore, the city was fully surrounded on land.

Hunyuan was more than ready for this siege; they had spent months preparing for it. Their walls were thick and tall, while they boasted a fierce army to garrison the city. Ever since the Gu Army had arrived, each side waited in suspense, wondering when the first shot would be fired.

The sound of over a thousand cannons sang out on the 4th morning of the siege. Hundreds upon hundreds of thunderous roars echoed throughout the area. Cannons from the Gu Army targeted the walls, hammering them with their ammunition. In return, the Luxenberg defenders peppered the enemy cannons with their own barrage.

A downside of defending Hunyuan was the lack of room for all of the Luxenberg cannons. In total, they could only fit a third of their artillery on the wall. It was better than having no cannons, but it meant they were outgunned, 3 to 1. 

Crown Prince Gu Lintian decided to pay no mind to the Luxenberg artillery, at least just for now. His main focus was breaching the walls; he did not need to target the enemy cannons unless his artillery began to suffer heavy losses.

With each shot from the Gu cannons, the walls of Hunyuan slowly began to weaken. No matter how thick and formidable they were, it did not mean they were impenetrable. If the Gu cannons persisted in their focused bombardments, it would not be long until the walls of Hunyuan began to collapse. 

Both sides worked tirelessly, neither side was willing to ease up on their cannon fire. There was no rest for them, nor was there any room for them to waver. If the Gu cannons did not breach the walls, their army would just be twiddling their thumbs outside of Hunyuan's walls. If the Luxenberg cannons were unable to pick off the Gu cannons, the walls would likely fall within days.

Gu Lintian found a comfortable seat outside his tent to spectate the action. He knew the city's walls would not fall in a day. It would require multiple days, if not a week, for the walls to collapse. Their army had an ample supply of ammunition, so their cannons could go all out and not need to concern themselves with limited ammunition.

The entire 4th day of the siege was just a long and deafening exchange of cannonfire. The defenders suffered small casualties, with only a dozen or two cannons being out of commission. These could easily be replaced, as there were plenty of cannons held in reserve.

On the other side of things, the Gu army had lost 150 cannons and their crews. The losses were to be expected since they did not aim for the Luxenberg artillery. Gu Lintian was not worried about the losses. His careful preparation had resulted in many of his artillery pieces withstanding the Luxenberg barrages.

Victor and his generals grew concerned with the lack of casualties inflicted on the enemy. They would have hoped for at least double the amount of losses for the Gu Army. Their enemy's fortifications around their cannons had proved to be greater than expected.

The cannon fire stopped as the light began to fade. There was no point in continuing throughout the night. Each side needed to rest their artillerymen; they had fought hard throughout the day and warranted a decent night's rest.

All of the Luxenberg commanders gathered upon the southern gatehouse to discuss the results of today's assault. "Gentlemen, if today was any indication of what is to follow, it is safe to say that the walls will crumble within the week. Do we have any alternative solutions to this behemoth of an army?" Victor stated in a concerned tone, emphasising a level of worry.

General Lasalle offered a brazen plan to the group, "My Liege, could we not sally out and destroy the cannons. I will volunteer myself to lead the vanguard and charge into their artillery positions. We may be riding to our deaths, but it would put pressure on their army, especially if we can take a few hundred cannons down with us." 

Many commanders disputed this idea; they needed to keep casualties to a minimum. The Gu Army was massive, and if they lost half their cavalry while only destroying a couple of dozen cannons, it would be a waste of men.

General Osten-Sacken put forth an idea that stuck true to his commanding style. "Could we not continue as is? I understand that the walls might collapse, but if we continue to remain steadfast and bombard their artillery, then surely we will be able to diminish their strength greatly."

As a commander who adhered largely to the established military doctrine of the Russian Imperial Army, he favoured discipline, strong defensive positions, and methodical engagements rather than bold or revolutionary tactics. He wasn't known for flamboyant strategy but rather for reliable execution.

His idea garnered support from General Hill and Marshal Lefebvre, as they had similar commanding styles that favoured defensive capabilities. The rest of the group was adamant that sitting around and doing nothing was not the right idea. Small disagreements in strategies caused the commanders to bicker amongst themselves.

Sensing that this was a pointless meeting, Victor discreetly stepped away from the group and looked out upon the Gu Army's siege camp. Hundreds, if not thousands, of campfires could be seen flickering in the distance. Almost three-quarters of a million men were outside their gate. It was the largest Victor had ever seen or faced.

"I guess we will have to weather the storm tomorrow and hope that we can destroy a lot more of their cannons," Whispered Victor as he slowly walked away from the edge of the wall, rejoining his bickering commanders.

In the Gu Army's siege camp, Gu Lintian was going over the reports from today's skirmish. He was studying the list of casualties carefully, remembering all those who had died in his first skirmish. He did not necessarily grieve or feel sorrow; he felt gratitude. Their deaths had pushed his army closer to victory. 

He knew that if things continued as is, the city walls would be breached, and his wave of soldiers would storm the city. They had not lost a lot of cannons during the day, so their continued bombardment would still be effective. His cannons exceeded expectations, their fortifications limited casualties, and they were able to batter the Hunyuan walls.

The next day would result in more of the same.