From his vantage point atop the castle, Otto barked orders to his men, directing them to position the cannons at precise angles aimed directly at the advancing Belgian and Danish armies. With a sharp gesture, he commanded them to fire in alternating volleys. Half of the cannons roared to life, their thunderous blasts sending chaos rippling through the enemy lines. As the first wave of cannons began to reload, the second half fired, maintaining a relentless barrage that left the enemy no time to regroup. For two unyielding minutes, the cannons thundered, their firepower decimating roughly 700 men and injuring another 1,200. The sheer devastation forced the enemy into a hasty retreat, convinced they had stumbled into a deadly ambush.
As the cannons roared, Otto turned his attention to the city gates. Men, women, and children from the surrounding villages had flocked to the city for refuge, seeking shelter from the encroaching enemy. Otto ordered his men to guide the citizens into the vast network of catacombs beneath the city. These catacombs, meticulously designed and expanded over 300 years by Bavaria's previous kings, were a masterpiece of wartime ingenuity. Capable of housing between 200,000 and 700,000 people, the catacombs were equipped with underwater streams that provided clean drinking water and ventilation systems that regulated the temperature. Food and supplies had been stockpiled to sustain the population for several days. At the edge of the nearby woods, hidden caves served as escape routes in case the catacombs were breached. These exits were strategically placed and interconnected, allowing for easy navigation across the Bavarian landscape.
As the citizens descended into the catacombs, Otto's men identified able-bodied individuals to bolster their ranks. These recruits were assigned tasks such as moving supplies and handling smaller weapons, depending on their experience. Within half an hour, 5,000 new soldiers had been enlisted, their loyalty secured with promises of wealth if they could help repel the enemy.
Amid the flurry of activity, a messenger arrived with welcome news. "Your Majesty, Klaus's army has returned!" he announced. "Their numbers have doubled since they left."
Otto's eyes lit up. "That's excellent. How many casualties?"
"Fewer than 500, Your Majesty, with a few hundred injured."
"Take the injured to the catacombs for treatment and send the able men straight to the front lines. Tell Klaus and Friedrich to hurry—we need them here now," Otto commanded. As the messenger departed, another arrived, his face pale with urgency.
"Your Majesty, Napoleon's army is closing in. They number between 70,000 and 100,000 men."
"How far are they?" Otto demanded.
"Approximately half a day's march, sire."
Otto cursed under his breath. "They're waiting for the other armies to weaken us before delivering the final blow. We can't let that happen." He turned to the messenger. "Tell the men to load the cannons and move them to the castle towers and the hill outside the city. Napoleon isn't like the others—he'll wipe us out if we're not careful. Bring Klaus and Friedrich to me. We need to strategize immediately."
The messenger bowed and rushed off, returning shortly with Klaus, Friedrich, and the leaders of the Serpents. They gathered at the base of the castle, where Otto outlined his plan. As he spoke, a deafening explosion shook the ground—a cannonball had struck the castle, sending debris flying.
"They're firing back!" Otto shouted. "Move the cannons to the castle towers and the hill outside the city. Let's crush these bastards!"
The men sprang into action, positioning the cannons as enemy fire continued to rain down. The Bavarian soldiers responded with their own volleys, dividing into four firing groups to maintain a continuous barrage. The relentless cannonfire decimated the Danish and Belgian forces, forcing them to retreat.
Friedrich then dispatched 20,000 men to the fields to ambush the remaining enemy forces, while the cannons turned their attention to the Corsican and Italian armies, who were nearing the river. The enemy, wary of another ambush, advanced cautiously. Once the cannons were in position, they unleashed a devastating barrage that obliterated the front lines of the Corsican and Italian forces. The precision and coordination of the attack left the enemy in disarray, their return fire haphazard and ineffective. However, a few stray cannonballs struck the city, killing several Bavarian soldiers still preparing for battle.
After five minutes of relentless firing, the cannons fell silent, their ammunition spent. By then, they had wiped out a tenth of the Corsican and Italian armies. Otto, receiving the report, ordered Friedrich to take the Serpents to a storage room a kilometer into the battlefield, where thousands of cannonballs were stockpiled. As the Serpents retrieved the ammunition, a force of 15,000 Bavarian soldiers advanced to counter the confused enemy forces still wandering the forests. The Corsican and Italian armies, battered and disorganized, began to retreat toward the border under heavy fire.
With the immediate threat neutralized, the Bavarian forces regrouped, their ranks bolstered by looted weapons from the retreating enemy. Otto watched from the castle as Napoleon's army, now visible on the horizon, accelerated their advance. They would arrive sooner than expected, and time was running out.
The Bavarian soldiers quickly repositioned the cannons at elevated points, with long-range musketeers standing ready alongside them. They braced themselves for Napoleon's arrival, their resolve unwavering.
***
Napoleon arrived at the battlefield where Otto's forces had clashed with the Danish and Belgian armies. The sight of shallow graves and the remnants of Otto's strategy impressed him, but he had no time to dwell on it. Suddenly, hundreds of mice with burning rags tied to their tails scurried into his ranks, igniting the dry underbrush and setting the surrounding woods ablaze. Trees toppled, and the flames illuminated his army, making them easy targets.
Cannonfire erupted from all directions, raining down on Napoleon's men for ten unrelenting minutes. Chaos erupted as soldiers screamed, "Ambush!" and scrambled for cover, their formations breaking under the relentless assault.
Napoleon, ever the strategist, remained calm. He ordered his men to retreat 200 meters, out of range of the cannons. From this safer distance, he began to devise a new plan. He knew Bavaria's strength lay not in numbers but in their advanced weaponry and cunning tactics. While he couldn't split his forces in enemy territory, he could surround them. However, the random and unpredictable cannonfire made it difficult to pinpoint the Bavarian positions. He turned to his scientists and observers, demanding they locate the source of the shots, but the firing had ceased as soon as his army retreated, leaving them with no clear target.