As Napoleon and his men strategized, Friedrich devised a clever plan to streamline communication across the battlefield. He ordered the placement of white archery targets at key posts, each representing a specific unit of the army. The best archers from both the main army and the Serpents were selected to deliver messages using hollow arrows. The gunpowder and copper fillings were removed, and small scrolls with written orders were inserted in their place. Otto would issue a command, which would be quickly transcribed and shot to the designated targets. The system allowed orders to reach their destinations within seconds, eliminating the need for messengers. Soldiers were instructed to stay clear of the targets to avoid stray arrows, ensuring the system's efficiency and safety.
This ingenious method was put into action just as Napoleon's army began to split into multiple divisions, forming a C-shaped formation around Bavaria. The formation consisted of a double line: 10,000 archers, 12,000 long-range shooters, and 5,000 cannon bearers positioned at the rear. The enemy unleashed a relentless barrage, targeting the city walls and picking off soldiers stationed at the highest points. Otto, quick to adapt, ordered his cannons to fire at an angle, focusing on the enemy's cannon bearers. The strategy proved effective, as the cannon bearers were swiftly neutralized. However, in their focus on the cannons, Otto's men overlooked the 22,000 archers and long-range shooters closing in on the city. The enemy's precision fire took a heavy toll, intensifying the battle.
Otto sent urgent messages to his posts, deploying 30,000 fresh soldiers to counter the advancing enemy. Their mission was twofold: repel the attackers and locate Napoleon's position. After forming the C-shaped formation, Napoleon had retreated to the rear, splitting his back line into seven groups. The captured French soldiers, stripped of their weapons and badges, were held in a camp outside the castle. Despite their capture and the loss of more than half their number, they had inflicted significant casualties, killing over 5,000 of Otto's men. This enraged Otto, who devised a plan to use the 5,000 captured French soldiers as leverage.
Unlike Hellsing, who would have executed the prisoners, Otto sought to negotiate. He sent two carrier pigeons with letters to Napoleon's camp, proposing a retreat in exchange for the captured men. The pigeons returned 30 minutes later, bearing Napoleon's reply scrawled in blood:
**"LE LION NE SE RENDRA PAS JUSTE PARCE QUE VOUS AVEZ SON PETIT CAPTIF, J'AI LES COUILLES DE FAIRE PLUS DE PETITS !"**
Translated, it read:
**"THE LION WON'T SURRENDER JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE ITS CUB CAPTIVE. I HAVE THE BALLS TO MAKE MORE CUBS!"**
The response infuriated Otto. Before he could react, Napoleon's second battalion reached the river and began advancing rapidly toward Bavaria. A cavalry force of 17,000 men was now dangerously close. Otto couldn't reposition his cannons in time, so he dispatched 20,000 fresh soldiers to intercept the new threat. Meanwhile, Friedrich and Klaus approached Otto with a daring plan: they would lead the Serpents on a covert mission to ambush Napoleon himself.
Otto agreed, promising them a substantial reward if they returned unharmed and an even greater prize if they succeeded. The Serpents donned their masks, leaving only their eyes exposed, and slipped into the shadows. By then, it was evening, and the exhausted soldiers on both sides retreated to their camps. The Bavarian forces carried their wounded and dead back to the city, having suffered their heaviest losses yet—half of the 20,000 men sent into battle had been killed.
Otto ordered food to be sent to the captured French soldiers in the camp outside the city. He hoped to win their loyalty by treating them humanely and even read them Napoleon's dismissive message. Despite his efforts, most prisoners remained steadfast in their loyalty to Napoleon, declaring they had joined his army willingly and were prepared to die for him. Otto, though frustrated, was impressed by their resolve and promised to release them the next morning if Napoleon agreed to retreat.
***
The scorched woods made stealth difficult for the Serpents, but Klaus devised a solution. He ordered the men to spread out, maintaining a distance of five meters between them to minimize noise from the dry, crackling leaves. They moved swiftly and silently, reaching Napoleon's camp after a two-hour march. From a distance of 200 meters, they observed the guards' patrol patterns, deciphering their schedule within 20 minutes.
The Serpents split into three groups: 200 men to the west, 200 to the east, and 100 led by Klaus and Friedrich advancing directly toward the camp. Using quinine-laced darts and chloroquine-soaked cloths to spread a sedative odor, they incapacitated the guards without killing them. Like shadows, they infiltrated the camp, neutralizing 2,000 men before reaching the emperor's tent at the center. Five hundred Serpents surrounded the tent, while 150 entered to confront Napoleon and his generals.
Friedrich and Klaus stepped forward, removing their masks to reveal their faces. "Your Majesty," Friedrich said with a slight bow, but Klaus cut in. "We are generals of Otto's army. We've infiltrated your camp, and you are now at the mercy of our flintlocks. However, we were not ordered to kill. Your men have been sedated and will wake soon. Before they do, there's something you need to understand."
Napoleon sneered. "And what will that be, you bastards? Can't I speak to Otto himself?" His arrogance prompted the Serpents to raise their weapons, but Friedrich gestured for them to lower their arms. Klaus continued, "You are deep in Bavarian territory. Otto requests that you agree to retreat. If you do, we will leave you unharmed and return your captured men. If you refuse, we will capture you and use you to lure your army into a trap."
Napoleon scoffed. "You dare rewrite war with poems and peace? This Otto seems like a coward. A real man sheds blood. To hell with your peace talks!"
Klaus smirked. "Your insults mean nothing when you're at the wrong end of a gun. Luck is a fickle mistress, and you're lucky this time. If I were in command, your entire army would fall tonight. I suggest you retreat to Paris. Your Corsican, Italian, Belgian, and Danish allies have already fled with heavy casualties. An emperor like you should die a hero, not as a prisoner of mere men. Think carefully."
With that, Klaus turned and left, the Serpents melting into the darkness as swiftly as they had come. Napoleon stepped out of his tent, surveying the scene. Thousands of his men lay unconscious, their bodies sprawled across the camp. Though alive, they were unresponsive to his attempts to rouse them. That evening, he convened with his generals and agreed to retreat the next morning. The skill and precision of his unseen assailants left him both terrified and impressed. He returned to his tent, sleeping fitfully for a few hours before dawn.
***
The next morning, Otto awoke to find Napoleon's army retreating. No letter or formal agreement had been exchanged, but the enemy's withdrawal was unmistakable. Otto dispatched his elite task force and the Serpents to scour the kingdom for any remaining enemy soldiers. After a thorough two-hour search, they found none. True to his word, Otto released the 5,000 captured French soldiers, escorting them to the border with 25,000 Bavarian troops. Once there, the prisoners were handed over to French jurisdiction.
Later that day, Otto ordered the citizens to emerge from the catacombs. They returned to their homes unharmed, their faith in Otto's leadership stronger than ever.