Chapter 221: Defend the Capital [3]

The smoke of the cannons billowed through the battlefield. He was watching the brutality unfold on the battlefield. Tens of hundreds of soldiers were being killed with each passing moment. Despite the initial losses, they made progress and reached the gate.There was nothing too crazy going on for him to handle. The commander in charge of Karnavati was trying to get the situation under control. The archers were skillfully sniping off their troops on the walls using the cover.

Askar watched as the flanking army closed in on the walls. The siege towers closely followed behind them.

'I wonder what he will do now.'

He thought.

*BOOM*

*BOOM*

Thunderous roars echoed through the area as the cannons hurled the iron shell right at the base of the siege towers. The cannons that were bombarding their cannons under the cover of the palisade quickly shifted their target to the much more lethal enemy of the siege tower.

Siege towers would allow hundreds of soldiers to swarm on to the walls of the fort, which was the last thing they wanted in this battle.

The siege towers and the soldiers pushing them took the brunt of the artillery shower. The soldiers were torn into pieces by the shelling. The siege towers held their weight under a few shots of artillery

Cannons on the wall targeted its wheels mostly. The continuous shelling cracked it's wheels and base, causing it to fall down with an ear-splitting crash. The siege tower crushed hundreds of soldiers under it's weight, killing and injuring many in the process.

The archers on the wall began to rain flame arrows, while the catapults chucked flaming projectiles at them. It set the fallen tower on fire. The remaining injured and alive soldiers under the siege tower would be charred by the flames.

Screams of agony filled the air as the injured soldiers began to burn under the siege towers. The burnt smell of human flesh permeated the air. It was pungent and rotting.

Askar watched as multiples of the siege tower fell in the same way. Not all of them fell from the continuous artillery shower from the cannons. As soon as the siege tower closed it, the cannons couldn't move into the angle to target it.

The cannons quickly shifted to the target, the palisades.

Askar was pretty impressed by Shivaji's intuitive counterattacks.

'No wonder that bastard sent him to protect the capital. He is going to be a pain in the back.'

Askar thought.

At Askar's signal, the cannon's aim shifted to the top of the walls and they began to shell the top of the wall to hit the crude cannons.

*BOOM*

*BOOM*

*BOOM*

Explosion rocked the walls as the Mughal cannonballs hit the mounted cannons of the Marathas. This set the loaded gunpowder on fire and it exploded, killing the cannon crews and melting the cannon's barrel.

Some parts of the walls were chipped off by the shells and others were cracked very badly, also revealing the second layer of fortifications.

Tens of soldiers were killed and their bodies severed from limb to limb from the shelling.

Meanwhile, the palisades of the Mughals were relentlessly shelled and splintered into small shards of wood.

Askar's side was definitely amassing a higher toll of deaths. He was sieging a huge fortress. The losses considering the fortress were lower than he initially expected. They dealt a huge chunk of damage for a small price.

The first layer of walls began to crumble. A small hole began to form in the wall of the right flank. Soldiers began to scale the fort with the ladders. The archers provided as much cover fire as possible. The Marathas poured boiling oil and rocks on the scaling soldiers. They also used torches to light the wooden ladders on fire by covering them in oil from the oil pots.

Askar ordered the cannon crew.

"Aim for the opening in the wall. Make it larger."

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*BOOM*

*BOOM*

The left flank's wall left a huge opening in the wake of the shelling. The second layer of walls was exposed clearly to all the soldiers.

Askar smiled as he saw a significant breakthrough. The strategy to weather down their defense in this way was working fine. He planned to deal as much damage to the fort on the first day.

Karnavati had triple-layer walls. They barely cracked one layer and it was already past noon. Time passed as Askar watched from afar; his strategy kept working as their artillery damaged their walls.

Every death for the Marathas was heavy as they had lower numbers. Askar could see multiple attempts from the commander to deal damage. Although some managed to deal damage, most of them were anticipated by Askar and quickly dealt with, even before they manifested in reality.

Askar was serious about the battle this time around. He didn't fool around or take any chances by being overconfident. He analysed every means to win the battle and ensure he could take his revenge.

'Hmm. Something is strange. What is it?'

He thought.

Something was surely strange. He couldn't really pinpoint it; Askar kept his eyes on the battlefield. His mind worked overtime to see the threats.

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*BOOM*

*BOOM*

Explosions rang in his ear; the debris of the aftermath showered on the backline, where Askar stood. Dust covered the backline as his bodyguards and a few units in the back looked surprised at the sudden explosion.

The wails of agony filled the air; they could hear bloodcurdling screams from the soldiers. Smoke and the smell of burnt flesh covered the area.

Dust began to clear to reveal the grim scene on both sides.

Askar's army cannons were burning on both the right and left flanks. The gunpowder was targeted with flame arrows and the cannon crew were all dead as a result of the explosion. The palisade collapsed, making it easier for the fort archers to pick off the survivors.

He froze at the sudden attack. He quickly reeled himself back to reality.

Askar saw the crossbowmen and archer unit peeking through the rocks.

"Kill those scum." He yelled to the soldiers stationed in the back.

The archers were quick to retreat back. They wore light armor and covertly targeted the cannons. Thanks to his own compliance in thinking the other sides won't be used to ambush due to steep slopes.

He didn't consider the sally ports.

'Fuck. I messed up. He got me good.'