Chapter 156: Total Blockade

Western military commander William stood up, frowning as he asked, "What has happened? Why are you in such a state of panic?"

The soldier recounted the events that had just transpired.

William was nearly driven to a fainting spell by his anger; to his dismay, while he was locked in battle with the Germanic forces, Great Xia had launched a sneak attack from behind.

"Those pack of fools! Why couldn't they stop the people of Great Xia? How did they let them break through?"

Hans, the Germanic commander standing nearby, said, "It is useless for you to be angry now. Shall we form an alliance and march back to destroy the people of Great Xia?"

The Germanic commander did not fully understand the strength of Great Xia, so he still wished to stand with the Western nation.

William nodded and said to Hans, "Indeed! I am unwilling to accept this. I cannot let the interests of our empire be snatched away just like that by the people of Great Xia."

"Combined, the two of us still command a considerable force. As for the northern region, the Vikings have already been defeated by us and temporarily have no power to counterattack."

"If our two forces merge and resume the fight against Great Xia, we should be victorious."

Hans nodded, and the two of them began to plan their next course of action.

William had many Latin soldiers under his command, and now the Germanic forces had joined as well. Although Germanic military technology and equipment might lag slightly behind, their soldiers were robust and physically strong, primarily consisting of heavy sword-and-shield infantry, each capable of fighting three men alone.

They also possessed numerous archers to provide ranged fire support.

After analyzing their current strength, their confidence grew. Leading an army of tens of thousands, the two commanders immediately marched back.

Since Chen Mu had already led his main forces back to the fortress, the troops garrisoned in those cities consisted entirely of Roman forces.

They were no match for the combined Western and Germanic coalition and were utterly routed. Having no other choice, they abandoned the cities and retreated back to Rome.

Fortunately, however, they had successfully pinned down the Western coalition, thus accomplishing their mission.

Meanwhile, Chen Mu was leading his troops in a fierce assault upon the port.

The Great Xia army first surrounded the port, cutting off all external supplies. They then utilized their artillery advantage to bombard the defenses.

When the Western troops sortied, they were met with Great Xia's muskets and artillery, holding no tactical advantage whatsoever. Leaving behind a field of corpses, they were forced to retreat.

They attempted to break through via the sea route, but due to a shortage of warships, they posed no threat to the Great Xia army and were instead directly captured.

After a few futile struggles, the Western troops hoisted a white flag and surrendered.

Chen Mu then led his troops to take over the port, clearing out the area and replacing the personnel with his own men.

Looking at the map now, the port was bordered by endless mountains to the east, the Roman fortress controlled by the Great Xia army to the west, and further west lay the territories of the Roman Republic.

The Westerners had been thoroughly isolated in the north.

Chen Mu intended to rest and reorganize, then march on a northern town in a few days to establish land communications with General Li Feng of the Slavic Kingdom.

General Li Feng's mission had always been to safeguard the Slavic Kingdom, having established a formidable defensive line at the border between the Slavs and the Germanic peoples.

Due to its purely defensive posture, that sector possessed a vast quantity of artillery, and neither the Germanic nor the Western forces dared to attack it.

Currently, Chen Mu did not intend to have Li Feng dispatch troops, lest he give the Westerners an opportunity to slip into Slavic territory and cause chaos.

He merely wished to borrow some supplies.

However, before Chen Mu could even warm his seat, he received bad news: all the cities previously captured had been lost, and the Roman troops had fled back to Rome.

Consequently, Chen Mu's plan was completely ruined, leaving him with no choice but to establish defenses in place to counter a potential counterattack by the Western coalition.

He concentrated his forces at the Roman fortress and the port, preparing to adopt a defensive-counteroffensive strategy.

This would minimize troop consumption while fighting on home ground, thereby maximizing the artillery advantage of Great Xia.

The Western army was also preparing for a major battle. Having conquered a significant portion of Viking territory, they heavily plundered the lands of the north.

Having suffered heavy casualties among their main forces during the recent campaigns, the Westerners rounded up numerous Vikings to serve as forced laborers.

Refusing to issue them any decent equipment, they handed out only the crudest and most rudimentary weapons, using them merely as cannon fodder.

A few days later, the Westerners integrated a massive army and marched menacingly southward, preparing for a decisive showdown with Chen Mu's main forces.

Knowing that the port recently captured by Chen Mu held vital strategic importance, they intended to concentrate their absolute main force to seize it.

This time, the Westerners brought six thousand Latin musketeers and five hundred Western musketeers.

The Germanic forces deployed an army of fifteen thousand, comprising sword-and-shield infantry, archers, and auxiliary troops wielding makeshift clubs, shovels, and other tools as weapons.

Added to this were ten thousand Viking cannon fodder troops, armed with wooden weapons, including men, women, and children of all ages.

This time, the Western nation was utterly determined to retake the port; otherwise, they would be unable to threaten Aegyptus to the south.

Upon receiving the report, Chen Mu ordered his soldiers to eat a hearty meal, inspect their weapons and ammunition, and prepare for a major battle.

Before long, the Western coalition arrived at the open ground north of the port. The Latin and Germanic troops rubbed their palms in eager anticipation, hoping to perform a great service and reap rewards from their superiors.

Even the Vikings were stirred by the atmosphere, appearing restless and anxious.

At the port, the Great Xia army had already loaded their ammunition, adjusted their artillery angles, and awaited only for the enemy to enter range.

Meanwhile, the Danube Fortress, where Chen Mu was stationed, remained remarkably calm.

Chen Mu stood atop the ramparts, gazing at the port a hundred miles away with a composed expression. Yet, a fierce determination brewed quietly within him; as soon as the scouting reports returned, he would lead his soldiers to crush the heart of the Western coalition.

The Western coalition was the first to shatter this tranquility. At William's command, the soldiers pushed their cannons forward, and upon reaching range, opened fire on the port gates.

Though the projectiles were still solid shot, they were sufficient for battering down city gates.

The Great Xia army was not idle either. Under Zhang Zhong's command, their artillery fired in rotation, suppressing the Western artillery positions.

Given that Great Xia's artillery already outranged the enemy, firing downward from the ramparts gave them an overwhelming advantage.

As soon as the Great Xia army opened fire, numerous Western cannons were immediately silenced—either the gunners were blown apart, or the cannons were smashed out of alignment.

Paying little heed to this and ignoring the artillery positions altogether, William directly ordered the Viking cannon fodder to charge forward, using rudimentary scaling ladders to assault the walls of the Great Xia army.