I'm not a lord

Chapter 370 Count Schulz in Despair
At this time, castle walls on the continent of Dievas typically had a double-layered structure.

The inner layer is generally a mixed structure of gravel and clay, mainly composed of corner gravel produced from quarrying stone blocks, mixed with clay, lime and sand.

This mixture has high strength after natural air drying and also has a certain degree of toughness, which can mitigate the impact it suffers.

The outer layer is mainly made of rectangular stone blocks, often using locally sourced materials such as granite, limestone, and sandstone.

The outer walls, constructed of stone blocks, are extremely hard and can effectively withstand the bombardment of catapults.

River Bend, as the fortified city in the North, naturally adopted this two-layer structure. If you include the rammed earth foundation, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a three-layer structure.

Moreover, the castle has undergone more than two hundred years of continuous repair and reinforcement, and its walls are more than six meters thick at their thickest point and nearly fifteen meters high at their highest point.

From a distance, it looks exactly like an ultimate turtle shell made of giant rocks.

Earl Schultz and the garrison soldiers were afraid of cannons, but the walls themselves were strong enough that they wouldn't be destroyed by Lynn's cannons anytime soon.

Moreover, after experiencing multiple rounds of artillery bombardment, Count Schulz's fear of artillery was somewhat alleviated.

What a show of force! They made such a big fuss, but they were still stopped by the walls of River Bend Fort.
After overcoming his initial fear of the unknown, Count Schulz's years of accumulated combat experience finally began to come into play.

He had indeed never experienced artillery bombardment before, but he had extensive experience in countering catapults.

The counterweight catapult could also destroy the towers and battlements on the city wall, and could also smash the city wall with dents of varying depths, but its power and accuracy were not as good as Lynn's long-barreled bronze cannon.

However, solutions to counter both types of weapons are universal.

In this situation, the most important thing for the defenders to do is to repair the defects in the city wall as soon as possible, so that the city wall can withstand the bombardment of cannons for as long as possible.

Moreover, at the crucial moment, Schulz remembered Otto III's kindness to him, and he did not back down again, choosing to step forward and take on the responsibility of the commander.

His slogan was "Follow me!" instead of "Go for it!"

When Count Schulz arrived at the city walls, at his call, the soldiers on the west wall finally began to carry out the repair work on the walls and gates in an orderly manner.

“I can see very clearly that the enemy’s cannons positioned at the bow of the ship fire at intervals of about fifteen to twenty minutes. As long as we seize the gaps in their firing, we can take the opportunity to reinforce the breaches in the city walls!”

“There are sandbags and wooden frames readily available in River Bend Fortress. His Majesty also ordered us to prepare a batch in advance, which is fully capable of dealing with the enemy's offensive!”

Meanwhile, the young noble officers from the southern border gradually got used to the booming cannon fire and put forward many feasible suggestions.

"Very good, let's do it this way. You and the other three, immediately lead the soldiers and craftsmen to repair the city walls. As long as we can hold River Bend Fortress, I will definitely report your achievements to His Majesty! Be quick!"

After promising the officers and soldiers a rosy picture, Count Schulz continued to lie behind the battlements, observing the ships and cannons on the water.

After observing for a while, he couldn't help but curse inwardly: Where did that damn Lynn get his hands on this artillery technology? This thing is much smaller than a catapult, yet its power, range, and accuracy are far superior. Is this something that should exist on the continent of Dievas? I've never heard of it in the Southern Territory!

Half of the cannons Lynn used to bombard River Bend were newly cast long-barreled bronze cannons this year. These cannons had a longer range than bronze mortars and made a more frightening sound when they were fired.

Moreover, this long-barreled cannon could be used on both land and water. It could be mounted on ships to bombard enemy ships and also to bombard castles. Its range of use was wider than that of mortars. Its biggest drawback was that it was too expensive to manufacture, since it was made entirely of bronze.

Count Schulz had been hoping to launch a counterattack and disrupt Lynn's artillery rhythm, but his heart sank at what he saw.

All the cannons were mounted on the ships, more than 300 meters away from River Bend Fort, completely out of range of the crossbows. Without the navy, how could River Bend Fort possibly fight back?

After much deliberation, Count Schulz had no choice but to devote more troops to the repair of the city walls and gates.

There's no other way, let's just start by removing the ashes.

The soldiers at River Bend Fort were clearly not very professional when it came to applying ash.

Most of the soldiers were mercenaries, bandits, and ordinary serfs from the royal territory. They were barely enough to build ordinary houses, but it would be quite difficult for them to repair a ten-meter-high city wall.

There are generally two methods for repairing city walls during wartime.

One method involves lowering a person carrying sandbags down using a rope, who then fills the depression with pre-prepared sandbags.

The second method involved making a simple hanging basket using ropes and long planks to slowly lower people down from the city wall. The basket could carry many people and undertake more complex repair work, such as building a wooden frame in the depression and filling the frame with planks and stones.

This kind of work not only requires a high level of professionalism, but also the courage to face enemy fire.

"His Majesty Otto is never stingy with rewards for true warriors. Anyone who voluntarily goes down to repair the city walls, whether they succeed or fail, will be rewarded with two Northern Silver Shields!"

A generous reward always attracts brave men. Tempted by the gleaming gold and silver in Count Schulz's hands, a group of soldiers and craftsmen immediately volunteered.

Lynn was standing on the stern deck of the flagship White River, surveying the battle situation.

This most advanced ship in the North was equipped with sixteen cannons, four of which were newly cast long-barreled bronze cannons.

The two long-barreled cannons at the bow of the ship also participated in the first wave of the siege and have already fired eight shells.

To prevent the gun barrel from overheating and exploding, the Shirakawa has now been moved to the second line of the siege formation for repairs.

Hawke, as the captain, stood beside Lynn. With his sharp eyes, he was the first to spot the movement on the city wall. He raised his hand and shouted, "Your Majesty, the enemy seems to be repairing the city wall!"

Lynn looked in the direction he was pointing and saw a dozen soldiers hanging from the city wall by ropes. Each soldier was carrying a large cloth bag, and their purpose was obvious.

"Order the two warships on the left and right of the rear row to move forward, and have the artillery at the bow pay attention to the enemy troops repairing the city walls. While maintaining distance, focus on firing at these enemy troops."

Lynn naturally gave the order decisively.

Do you think you can repair the city walls during wartime without my permission? Do you think that will make your wishes come true?
"Furthermore, to prevent the enemy from repairing the city walls overnight, the cannons on the ships must maintain bombardment and suppression of the city walls around the clock, even in the dead of night. I have ordered the soldiers on land to prepare a large number of torches, and we must make sure to illuminate the Jinghe River so that the enemy has no chance to launch a surprise attack on our ships at night!"

Lynn clearly understood that River Bend Fortress was far too sturdy; to breach its walls with cannonballs, they would have to be prepared for several days of continuous bombardment. Therefore, he had ordered the fleet to launch bombardments in several waves, ensuring that a shell landed on the walls every five minutes, achieving uninterrupted firing.

Moreover, during the hours-long shelling, the gunners had adjusted the muzzle angles to keep the number of impact points to within ten, thus saving on the consumption of gunpowder and shells.

Speed ​​is of the essence in war. Lynn is indeed short of time right now, but if he can take River Bend within two weeks, he will most likely be able to seize the initiative in this war.

As Lynn made his adjustment, Count Schulz, who was watching the battle from the city wall, immediately changed his expression.

"Ahhh! Help! Help!"

He could even hear the screams of soldiers repairing the city walls as they faced artillery fire or fell to the ground.

But for the time being, he was helpless.

Being surrounded by water on all sides was originally Hewanbao's greatest advantage, but now it has become its greatest disadvantage.

Because his navy was defeated, Count Schulz didn't even have a chance to launch a counterattack.

If River Bend Fort were on the ground, he could at least organize a cavalry charge, and even if it failed, it would at least reduce Lynn's artillery frequency.

As evening approached, the young general in charge of repairing the city wall reported the situation with a grim face:
“Your Excellency, the enemy has specifically deployed two warships to target the craftsmen and soldiers building the wall. Thirty men have already died from the shelling, and now very few soldiers are willing to take on the mission.”

Earl Schultz brushed the dust off his shoulders from the shockwaves of the cannon fire, his face equally grim. He gritted his teeth and said, "Let's talk about it tonight. The walls can still hold out for now. Lynn can't possibly continue the attack under the cover of darkness, can he?"
Also, immediately prepare three hundred soldiers who are good swimmers. If Lynn continues to keep his ships anchored outside the castle, I will launch a night raid on the enemy fleet tonight!

Cavalry cannot fight on water, but people can.

Count Schulz was not willing to be a spinning top that could only take hits. As a veteran who had experienced countless battles, he naturally wanted to bite back.

But as night fell, looking at the countless torches that shone like stars on the river, the soldiers moving back and forth on the enemy ships, and the small patrol boats crisscrossing the river, and listening to the still roaring cannon fire, a trace of despair finally flashed in Count Schulz's eyes.

A general ran up to him and asked, "Your Excellency, shall we continue preparing for the night raid?"

Count Schulz sniffed the air, the strong smell of water mixed with the acrid smell of gunpowder filling his nostrils. He clenched his fist and slammed it against the city wall, laughing angrily: "Night raid? Tell me how to launch a night raid in this situation? Let the soldiers take turns resting first."

However, Schulz was not completely desperate. Although there were several large dents on the west wall of River Bend Castle, and broken stones were constantly falling off the wall, the stone layers in two of the dents had been completely destroyed, exposing the inner layers of gravel and clay.

The western city wall still stands, this formidable city in the north withstood a bombardment that lasted for half a day.

This is only the first day of Lynn's army's siege, so it is to be expected that they will remain vigilant.

But as time went on, Count Schulz believed that the enemy would eventually become complacent and reveal their weaknesses.

He would then have the opportunity to launch a surprise attack. If he could destroy a few warships equipped with long-barreled guns, the pressure he faced would be greatly reduced.

Of course, all of this is on the premise that the walls of River Bend Fort can hold out for a few more days, and that the defending soldiers can maintain their morale, fighting spirit, and energy amidst the continuous artillery fire.

Count Schulz had certainly considered these problems, but he had no solution.

When he returned to the main castle building for dinner, he sat at the table and, like Otto, made the gesture of 'maiden's prayer' with his hands clasped together.

In this situation, what else can he do besides beg for divine favor and protection?

Meanwhile, Lynn had already eaten a simple dinner in the army and was reviewing various documents by the light of an oil lamp in his tent.

Although he was commanding the war on the front lines, he still had to handle some administrative work in the rear.

It is now the end of mid-April, and spring planting in the territory is coming to an end, with all counties having completed the plowing and sowing work on time.

Everything was normal at Golden Deer Castle as well; Queen Chloris and several of her lovers even wrote a joint letter home.

Just as Lynn was reading the letter home with a smile, Victor returned to his military tent and brought back news from the front lines.

"Your Majesty, I just went to the riverbank for a while. Under the cover of night, the city's garrison sent out a large number of men to repair the city walls. Although the fleet has shot down quite a few with its cannons, the garrison still filled in the dents in the walls. The city's garrison is really tenacious."

Victor was actually a person who loved watching excitement. After dinner, he left the camp to ride around and watched the 'fireworks' by the river.

To be honest, the artillery fire at night was even more spectacular and awe-inspiring than during the day. He even noticed that many residents on the south bank were gathered around the river to watch the battle.

“According to intelligence provided by prisoners of war from North Shore Castle, the current commander of River Bend Castle is Earl Schultz. He has followed the Otto family for decades and is an experienced veteran. Even if this is his first time facing artillery fire, he can still make some effective responses.” As he spoke, Lynn put down the letter and casually pulled out a military report.

Victor strode over, took the document with both hands, and saw that it contained Count Schulz's detailed resume.

This evening, the North Shore Castle, lacking reinforcements, was breached by the combined forces of the Third Prince Yang and the Younger Soward, who also captured the remaining three hundred defenders.

Through interrogating these garrison soldiers, Lynn obtained a considerable amount of useful intelligence.

Victor examined the report, frowning, and said, "Your Majesty, if this trend continues, it seems that this siege might turn into a protracted war of attrition. Otto is quite good at using people."

"The tug-of-war won't last long. No matter how strong the walls of Hewanbao are, they won't be able to withstand the long-term, fixed-point bombardment of artillery. In two or three days, the clay layer of the walls of Hewanbao will break and fall off, and the walls will then have breaches."

Even so, Lynn knew very well that the appearance of a breach in the city wall did not mean that the wall would become useless.

A breach would simply reduce the effective defensive height of the city wall, for example, reducing a 15-meter-high wall to 7 or 8 meters.

However, the defenders inside the city walls could still defend themselves using the damaged walls.

Historically, there have been instances where the city walls were breached, yet the defending troops still bravely repelled the attackers.

Rather, the appearance of the breach was the beginning of the real bloody battle.

(End of this chapter)