Chapter 562: Capturing Luxembourg
The moment the first light entered the sky, the Austrian Artillery, which was entrenched within the borders of the siege camp, fired upon the city of Luxembourg"s multiple gatehouses. The thunder of the shots resounded in the air, and thoroughly awoke all within the vicinity, including the young king of Austria himself.
Having been awakened by the sound of combat, Berengar rubbed his weary eyes before taking a sip from the wine chalice that sat atop his bed stand. After taking a small gulp of his liquid courage, the monarch rose from his bed, and dressed himself in his battle attire.
Considering that he was on the European mainland, Berengar wore a black and gold uniform, with gilded epaulettes, and a black lacquered Cuira.s.s. His helmet was in the fas.h.i.+on of the royal guard. In other words, it was a blackened steel pickelhaube with a black plume atop its spike.
Was this the most efficient armor Berengar could design? Obviously not, however the technology for his most advanced equipment which was issued to his specialized units was not capable of being ma.s.s produced just yet, and thus as a man obsessed with aesthetics, he felt it was more important for his standard soldiers to have attire that fitted with the theme of their antiquated weapons.
The moment he could ma.s.s produce nylon, ceramic plates, and more modern weapons such as a.s.sault rifles, which were more suitable for the look of a modern uniform, then and only then would he equip his average soldiers with such advanced equipment. After all, though his current arms and armor were not the best he could field, they sufficiently protected his soldiers against most threats that they would come across in this feudal world.
However, such things were not important at the moment, instead he pushed these thoughts of future modernization to the back of his mind, before equipping his flamboyant helmet and grabbing his sword belt which lie next to his bed. After fastening to belt around his waist, he climbed out of his hole in the ground and walked through the vast trench network, which acted as the siege camp for his army of 30,000 men.
By the time the King regrouped with his commanders, he noticed that the city"s gatehouses had been reduced to rubble by the overwhelming firepower of his army"s artillery. With a smile on his face, Berengar gazed upon his soldiers before giving a speech to his men, who were gathered, awaiting their orders.
"Men of Austria, the b.a.s.t.a.r.d of Luxembourg, hides within his city, forcing his citizens to fight against us all in a poor attempt to flee from the crimes he has committed against our people! By harming our Princess, he has invoked a war between the South German Confederation, and the Northern Alliance. History will remember this as a war we did not start, but one that finally unified the German people into a single cohesive Empire.
As we all stand here, prepared to take the Capital of Luxembourg, our armies spread out across the Northern States, pus.h.i.+ng towards their objectives! When we take this city and bring the b.a.s.t.a.r.d of Luxembourg to justice, the rest of the German lords will surrender.
No matter what you might witness in this city, remember to protect yourselves at all times. If someone dares to open fire upon you, no matter who they may be, you have my permission to fire back! Now go forth and conquer! For King and Fatherland!"
The 30,000 Austrian soldiers raised their weapons into the air as they repeated the battle cry their King had just stated.
"For King and Fatherland!"
Berengar immediately unsheathed his sword and charged on foot out of the trenches and towards the city"s ruined walls, acting as the spearhead among his forces who sought to take the city. The moment the King charged into battle, 30,000 men followed him towards the target of their a.s.sault.
Atop the city"s walls, the defenders of Luxembourg lit their slow burning matches, and placed them onto their serpentines. They waited for the Austrian soldiers to enter firing range before squeezing the levers which acted as their weapons triggers.
A volley of fire rained down towards Berengar, and his Royal Guard as they charged towards the fray. Miraculously, the projectiles missed their targets entirely. When Berengar saw this, a wicked smile formed on his face as he withdrew his 1422 Service Revolver from its holster and pulled back the hammer before squeezing the trigger, sending a.38 SPC projectile upward into the air and towards the defenders.
Unlike the Austrian King, who was unharmed from the attack against him, Berengar"s shot quickly hit its mark, as the bullet pierced through the steel helmet of his target and out the other side. Splattering blood and grey matter across the ramparts.
Enraged by the attack on their King"s life, the Austrian Royal Guard raised their G-22 rifles and fired a volley onto the city"s defenders, the.45-70 projectiles that struck their targets pierced through the medieval armor as if it were made of b.u.t.ter and reaped the souls of the city"s defenders.
The Austrians who fired these weapons quickly reloaded their rifles before s.h.i.+fting their targets to the men standing within the gaps of the former gatehouse. These hostiles were already preparing another volley to fire, thus the Austrian Royal Guard quickly reacted by shooting another round at the enemy"s location, riddling the Luxembourg defenders with bullet holes.
By the time Berengar arrived at the ruins of the city gates, he found the survivors hiding behind the rubble too afraid to poke their heads out, thus he slashed forth with his sword towards the nearest hostile, and knocked the arkebuse out of his hands, before sticking the tip of his Damascus steel blade into the weakest point of the man"s armor.
When the man was on the floor with a blade in his shoulder, Berengar raised his revolver to the enemy"s skull and squeezed the trigger, sending a resounding echo into the air, which splattered the man"s brains out the back of his helmet.
Berengar"s Royal Guard quickly entered the scene and fired their shots at the defenders, before raising their bayonets against them. The soldiers of Austria and Luxembourg had now engaged in a grand melee at the entrance of the city.
Unbeknownst to the city"s defenders, the moment the two sides met in melee combat, a group of civilians within the city"s gates exited their homes, with needle rifles in hand. These young men quickly rushed through the streets, as they advanced behind the City"s defenders, forming a firing line as they pulled the triggers of their rifles, sending the.458 caliber bullets down range and into the backs of the Luxembourg men at arms.
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While the battle was occurring in the city below, Hartman gazed from the ledge of his balcony in horror as the enemy caught his troops between two separate forces. Just when had these rebels infiltrated his capital? The very idea that he had been outplayed by Berengar drove him mad with rage. Thus, he turned away from his balcony in a fit of fury and gave his orders to Hilmar who stood by his side.
"Tell my citizens if they do not take up the arms I have given them and fight back against these filthy rebels, then I will kill them all!"
When Hilmar heard this, he sighed heavily in defeat. He had not wanted it to come to this, but apparently his liege was driven mad with fury. Thus, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a revolver, where he quickly fired two shots into the air. These projectiles flew out of the barrel of the gun and entered the torsos of the two guards who protected their liege.
Hartman stood dumbfounded as his guards collapsed around him, and was visibly trembling with rage. He could not believe his old friend had betrayed him. Before he could voice his fury, Hilmar pointed the revolver at the Duke and spoke in a voice filled with confidence.
"Your Grace, it is over. Surrender now, and no further bloodshed need to occur. Resist, and it will force me to subdue you. No matter what happens, Berengar"s troops will reach these gates, and when they do, they will capture you. Do the right thing and spare the deaths of your people!"
When Hartman heard these words, he realized his world was crumbling down around him. Rather than submit fully to the Austrian crown, he broke out into a mad fit of laughter before sighing heavily.
"At least my sisters were spared... No Hilmar, I do not believe I will surrender!"
Hartman immediately turned around and began walking towards the balcony. When Hilmar saw this, he immediately reacted by aiming his revolver towards the Duke"s calf, and shooting it. He could not allow his former master to jump off the ledge. Berengar needed to exact his vengeance, and without a clear target to vent his fury upon, he would surely turn his wrath on the people of Luxembourg. As a man who cared about his people, Hilmar would never allow this to occur.
When the bullet struck through Hartman"s calf, he fell to the ground, and gazed up at the ledge mere feet in front of him. He tried to crawl his way towards it, but Hilmar stomped on his back, preventing him from moving any further. The two men gazed into the distance and watched as the armies of luxembourg crumbled beneath the Austrian onslaught. It would appear that war was already over...