Chapter 170: Artillery Siege
The next day.
"Move out!"
At Caelum’s command, eight hundred Wardens began marching toward Valdren.
To capture the city, Caelum brought sixty light cannons and most of Newhaven’s ammunition, leaving only a small reserve for the two hundred Wardens guarding Newhaven.
Their firepower was formidable.
Several bamboo tubes hung from every Warden’s body. Some contained gunpowder, some held iron balls, some carried water, and others were filled with white sugar.
The distance was only fifty li.
They could cover it in less than half a day.
As the saying went, supplies had to move before the army.
That was usually the greatest factor slowing a march.
Caelum intended to end the battle quickly.
Compared with millet, white sugar was lighter and more convenient to carry as military rations. Of course, this only worked for short campaigns.
If Valdren had not fallen before the sugar ran out, they would withdraw immediately without lingering.
Caelum had spared no expense for this battle.
Each Warden received twenty rounds of ammunition. Eight hundred men carried a total of six hundred and forty pounds of black powder.
Each light cannon was supplied with forty powder charges.
Every charge used two hundred grams of powder.
That came to nine hundred and sixty pounds in total.
Enough for two thousand four hundred cannon shots.
In addition, every soldier carried one bamboo bomb.
Each bomb contained one hundred grams of powder and a large number of steel pellets.
Anyone caught near the blast would be torn apart.
No army or city wall from the age of cold weapons could withstand this kind of firepower.
Caelum had invested heavily in this campaign.
By the time the battle ended, they would have consumed one thousand seven hundred and sixty pounds of black powder.
Unless a miracle occurred, Valdren was certain to fall into Caelum’s hands.
Valdren.
From a great distance, a vast and imposing city could be seen standing upon the land.
Its massive walls extended outward from the central gate in both directions, with no end visible at a glance.
Valdren’s walls stood roughly eight meters high.
They were about five meters wide at the top and ten meters wide at the base.
The interior was made of rammed earth, while only the outer surface was built with bricks.
Even so, the walls were remarkably strong.
Arrow towers rose at regular intervals.
If either the Grand Concord Dynasty or Thalric attempted a direct assault without destroying them first, the cost would be devastating.
The scene outside Valdren alone was livelier than anywhere else along the Grand Concord frontier.
Caravans and civilians arrived from every direction, passing through inspection at the gate before entering the city.
"So this is Valdren. It truly is magnificent."
"Even within the Grand Concord Dynasty, it is rare to see a city this imposing."
"Of course. This place was once the capital of the old dynasty."
"If there is one truly safe place on the frontier, it must be Valdren. Here, there is no need to fear Thalric raids or Grand Concord armies at the gates. Life is peaceful."
Travelers constantly praised Valdren’s grandeur and prosperity.
Merchants filled the streets.
Vendors called out from both sides of the road.
Everywhere the eye turned, people moved through the city in dense crowds.
On the city wall, one of the soldiers on watch looked into the distance.
Several hundred meters away, he saw a disciplined group of people arranging something he could not identify.
Alarm rose in his heart.
"Who are those people?"
"Send someone out and find out what they are doing!"
Five hundred meters away, sixty light cannons stood in neat rows, all aimed toward Valdren’s gate.
Cold steel reflected the clear daylight.
"Begin loading!"
At the artillery commander’s order, the Wardens swiftly poured black powder into the barrels and then rammed iron cannonballs into place.
Every movement was uniform and practiced.
Once loading was complete, the commander shouted without hesitation.
"Fire!"
In an instant, the earth shook.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The blasts thundered across the land.
Caelum watched Valdren from afar.
It was not that he did not want a more elegant way to take the city.
With the weapons currently available to him, however, a direct assault was the only practical option.
Iron weapons were forbidden inside the city.
Smuggling firearms through the gates was impossible.
Besides, with the limited performance of flintlock muskets, trying to approach the walls and then launch a surprise attack would be foolish.
Valdren’s archers and arrow towers were not decorations.
Within the same range, arrows, bolts, and bullets were equally deadly.
The Wardens were too few in number.
Caelum would not send them to die needlessly.
A direct assault was the only viable method, and the arrow towers had to be destroyed first.
After that, the defenders on the walls had to be suppressed.
Only then could the Wardens approach Valdren safely.
As long as they seized the walls and avoided being surrounded by Valdren’s archers, Caelum would have already won half the battle.
The soldiers stationed on Valdren’s walls saw clouds of white smoke rise in the distance.
Before they could understand what was happening, deafening explosions erupted behind them.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Cannonballs smashed into the gatehouse.
Others struck the walls directly, sending shattered stone flying through the air.
The impact was overwhelming.
The defenders of Valdren nearly lost their senses from fear.
They had no idea what kind of weapon could create such destruction.
But one thing was perfectly clear.
The soldiers on the wall screamed at the top of their lungs.
"Enemy attack! Report it immediately!"
"Raise the drawbridge! Do not let them enter the city!"
The sudden assault threw the civilians both inside and outside Valdren into chaos.
The gate guards immediately raised the drawbridge.
Those still outside the city could only flee in every direction.
"Wait, I have not entered yet!"
"Move! Get away from the wall!"
"Was Valdren not supposed to be the safest place on the frontier? Why is there a battle now?"
"Abandon the goods! If we do not run, we will lose our lives!"
"What terrible luck. They could have attacked any other day, but it had to be now. Hurry, head south. Whatever you do, do not go north!"
The artillery commander judged that the first volley had landed slightly off target.
"Adjust elevation. Clean the barrels. Begin reloading!"
Valdren had only just raised the drawbridge.
The arrow towers on both sides had not yet begun returning fire when the Wardens launched a second bombardment.
This time, the shots struck the towers directly.
Sixty solid cannonballs hammered both arrow towers in a concentrated barrage.
The accuracy was not especially high, but there were more than enough cannonballs, and the towers were large targets.
A single volley was enough to inflict serious damage.
Boom!
Broken bricks flew through the air.
Holes appeared across the shutters covering the tower windows.
No one outside could see the destruction within.
Only cries of pain could be heard.
Although the Wardens had struck both arrow towers effectively, two volleys were not enough to completely destroy the defenders inside.
After the second bombardment, the heavy crossbows in the towers finally returned fire.
A rain of bolts flew toward the Wardens.
The distance was several hundred meters.
The powerful crossbows could reach that far, but hitting anyone was far from easy.
All Wardens outside the artillery crews remained concealed.
The artillery positions were also spread out.
Not a single bolt found its mark.
"Clean the barrels. Begin loading!"
Faced with Valdren’s counterattack, the Wardens showed no fear.
They continued working in perfect order.
"Fire!"
At the command, thunder erupted once more.
Cannonballs tore through the air.
Both arrow towers were struck again.
Boom!
One cannonball flew through a firing slit and smashed into the interior of the tower.
It destroyed a heavy crossbow and punched straight through the soldier loading it.
The power was terrifying.
