Chapter 24: So Close… Yet so Far.
It has been nothing more than a few weeks since the confernces between the two alliances, Francis managed to annex Burgundy and release the Netherlands as its own country. Germany dropped out of the war with status qoe. The Only two still fighting were Triestan and Francis, Francis dead set on taking Italy from Triestan knowing it would crush his resolve, While Triestan was determined to reach Paris before the end of the war and take the next step in bringing his brother back.
The two powers were dead locked in the European Alps. As Triestan had built a huge wall blocking of the only plains enterance to his lands. The French would eventually call it the Gate to Victory, as the fall of this would lead to the defeat of the Byzantines in the first major war of the Napoleonic era. Though the soliders that were sent against it and survived called its hells gate.
The French grand army (1) waited outside hells gate, on top of this huge fortress wall was thousands, hundreds apon thousands waiting atop manning cannons and guns ready to rain down hell fire if the French made a bad move. Inside were even more troops aiming outside firing slits. On top of the Wall in the middle was Triestan, "Come if you dare Francis, come to your uncles arms, you'll never breach these walls!" Triestan was fully armored laughing as he stood atop the walls. His armor shined in the sun of the cold morning.
Napoleon who was leading this army looked up at the giant monster of a wall its length streached out from the mountains to the sea. It towered over like a lurking giant waiting to trounce any oppents that it may face. Napoleon then shouted in retort, "Your wall is big, but the bigger they are the harder they fall!" Napoleon moved his artillery up to the front of his army ordering it to fire upon the wall which was at least thick enough to store a whole fort inside of it.
The artillery shelling was leaving small dents in the extremely thick walls, but the army firing down and from the inside of the fort was leaving huge wholes in the French army. This went on tell both armies had run out of munitions for their artillery however this left both sides once again at a stalemate. The two sides waited for their armies to be resupplied, but this came after a few days and the shelling on both sides continued. Both still doing the same amount of damage. This continued for several days leading into a whole week of trading blows, when the French finally blew a hole into the fort, allowing the troops to charge in, but the Troops inside were stationed so that they could easily pick of any one who got inside the fortress, with interlock lines of fire at the hole, thousands of men aiming eagerly for any stray French troops, while there were still millions prepared for the invasion of Byzantium once they made it through hells gate.
The French troops streamed through the whole many dieing as they entered from the major firing, many fleeing from the wall, but still more troops than the Byzantines had ammo. This cycle continued for another week then the Byzantines ran out of ammo for their troops guns, and yet their were still at least a million or two troops left on the French side. However this had taken a major effect on Francis who now looked very sick after loosing such a large amount of his population, he had even thrown up after the first million died, he didn't even look fit to fight as the time the Byzantines had run out of troops.
Triestan however only looked exhausted, without supplies to fight the enemy who still out numbered him at least 3 to 1 he had to rely on moral and better training. Francis and his troops charged in on this second week of the battle of hells gate. Napoleon stayed back smilling as his hordes charged through the gap filling the huge wall. The Byzantines used the stair ways as a gap to hold the lines, but the French troops still had ammo for their guns while the Byzantines did not. The Byzantines were being slaughtered as they held the stairs.
The French quickly overwhelmed the Byzantines and charged up the stairs to the top of the wall, With Triestan and a couple thousand troops standing in a very thick line, they had been conserving their ammo incase of this, Triestan had charged which was the signal for the troops to fire at the tired French troops. Francis however had charged out to meet him. The two meet it the middle of the two huge masses. Triestan 's blade met Francis' with a huge clash leaving sparks in the air. Triestan yelled at him, "You may have taken the interior and crushed the army here, but do you really think you can take my whole country? Do you really think you can win? Give up here and now and allow me to take your lands it will be easier for both of us!" Francis spat on the ground near Triestan, "Never!" the two back stepped and prepared for another strike as the two armies prepared to clash against each other.
The murderous entent in the air was even deadly itself practically killing several men from suspense, but then finally the two countries clashed again and the two armies met up in the same place as the two countries were. Triestan's sword met with Francis' as they continued to duel several times before it land a blow on the French man. "Ha Francis I still am the better swords man, even waited under this armor!" Francis however took this opening and stabbed at Triestan's plate piercing through but not striking Triestan as he pulled back before Francis could get a full striking to the gut in. Triestan slashed at the French mans leg landing a good hit on it drawing blood on it as Francis kneeled down, "Bow to your better!" Francis again took the opening and stabbed in the same spot this time landing drawing blood, Triestan screamed in pain and brought his double edged sword down on Francis' rapier breaking it in two, one end in him the other in Francis' hand. Triestan ripped of his helmet to get better breathing after that gut renching painful stab he received. He brown hair in a mess from the helmet, and his eyes filled with a blood thirst. He brought his sword down on Francis' shoulder letting go as it stuck in, pulling out a dagger. "Should of wore some armor child." Triestan taunted as Francis fell on the ground in pain. Triestan brought the dagger down where Francis' head would be, but instead met the ground. Francis was back on his feet and kicked the blade that was in Triestan deeper into him. Triestan fell to the ground on his back blood staining the white stone he lying on. He tossed his dagger at Francis, but missed instead landing in the back of a soliders head. Triestan had only one weapon his pistol, as Francis drew near Triestan pulled out his pistol and fired right into Francis' shoulder, but that only got a scream of pain, not the desired effect of getting Francis to pass out. Francis instead picked Triestan up and looked him in the eyes, "You lose." And threw him off the edge of the huge wall, falling at least fifty feet. With a bone shattering crack Triestan hit the ground bouncing at least once. Triestan raised his hand with what little energy he had left and said, "Every time… So close… Yet so far…" He passes out, his army and him defeated.
(1) The grand army I am refering to is pretty much the same size as the one Napoleon used to unsuccesfully invade Russia, which if I remember right was around nine million men.
Now how they lost so many was troops ,in this reality,is that being packed in a concentrated whole and being shot at from pretty much all angles, while the enemy has large amounts of ammo recervies while not enought to kill all of the French troops enough to out last any siege... or so they thought is going to kill alot of men.
As to Francis being sick, I mean he's lost a crap tone of troops of corse he's going to feel like hell, I meen thats at least, Now I dont know the population of France at the time, a tenth if not then at least a large amount of his population that was getting slaughtered as they tried to breach that gap.