Chapter 312: Fall of Zurich

While the Austrian supply caravan had suffered many losses on their journey to the city of Milan due to the enemy ambush, Adelbrand had been marching towards the rally point of the Swiss forces within the city of Zurich. Until now, the Swiss had not tasted the power of steel and shot, and as such, they were fairly arrogant.

Aside from the Mercenaries who were wiped out during Berengar's rise to power, the Swiss had not become aware of the effectiveness of Berengar's weaponry and refused to believe that the Austrians had become superior to their mighty forces.

As such, there was a degree of arrogance among the Swiss armies gathered in Zurich as they witnessed the Austrian soldiers clad in their black and gold equipment arriving outside their city's borders.

The commander of the Swiss forces gathered in Zurich was the Duke of Zurich; he was the current head of the Swiss Confederation and was a man of renowned power within the alpine state as he gazed upon the gathering Austrian army below his ramparts, a smug smile formed on his face. As he boldly declared the city's impregnability.

"I don't care what wonder weapons these Austrians have allegedly created; they will not be able to penetrate through the mighty walls of my city!-"

However, the moment the man said this, the echo of the 1417 12 lb artillery pieces roared through the air as the shells whistled by and detonated upon the mighty stone walls of the city. In a fit of cosmic irony, the section of the wall that the Duke of Zurich was standing upon was struck by one of these shells; the explosive impact crushed the ramparts and sent him spiraling below to his death.

With each barrage fired, the stone walls were rapidly chipped away as the explosive blasts engulfed the material that they were comprised of. With 140 cannons unleashing hell upon the cities walls, it was only a matter of hours before they were brought to rubble, much to the chagrin of the Swiss Defenders.

As the Austrian soldiers came pouring over the rubble that was once the mighty walls of the city, deemed impregnable by the Duke of Zurich, the Swiss could hardly believe the sight. In such a short period, the city walls were brought to ruin, and the enemy had rushed into the fray; with their bayonets affixed, they formed ranks and fired on the stunned Swiss defenders.

Adelbrand gazed upon his army from afar as they advanced into the city and engaged in battle with the Swiss soldiers who had gathered within its gates. Unfortunately, they arrived early and were battling only half of the troops the Swiss Confederation could manage to field.

Without a shadow of a doubt, Zurich would fall on this day, and with it, half of the Swiss Army. With this in mind, Adelbrand approached the front lines of the battle, where he witnessed the Austrian soldiers gunning down the Swiss spearmen who rushed towards the Austrian lines.

They had not been informed that human wave tactics did not affect the Austrian army; as the Swiss stepped every closer to the Austrian lines, smoke filled the air, and thunder echoed in the distance as thousands of guns went off in unison, shredding through the armor of the Swiss soldiers like a knife through butter, and tearing apart their internal organs.

Blood and bone scattered across the battlefield with each volley, creating panic among the Swiss forces; in the height of their hubris, they had not believed for a moment that the Austrian weapons could so easily pierce through their high-quality armor.

The Duke of Zurich was now buried beneath the rubble of the wall he was standing on, his head squashed like a melon as the giant piece of stone debris replaced where his skull once was. He had not survived the initial barrage and therefore could not rally the city's defenders behind him.

With their chain of command broken, it did not take long for the Swiss soldiers to break ranks and flee from the city's rear gates, struggling to break through at the expense of their comrade's lives. Unlike in Italy, the plan was not to raid and plunder the cities of Switzerland for their worth.

Instead, it was a matter of conquest and annexation. Thus while Swiss Soldiers fled the city rapidly, the Austrians secured the critical areas while leaving the civilians to their own devices. After a few hours, the battle had come to a close, and all resistance within the once-mighty city of Zurich had fallen.

The Austrian flag was slowly raised above its walls as Adelbrand gazed upon the setting sun with a stoic expression. While gazing off into the distance, his second in command approached him and relayed the information that he had received.

"Out of the 10,000 soldiers of the swiss army who were stationed in Zurich, over half of them were killed in battle. As for our casualties, less than 1,000 men were wounded or killed in action. What are the plans for the deceased?"

Adelbrand sighed before shifting his attention from the beautiful sunset towards his executive officer.

"Bring the Austrians back to the fatherland and have them buried in the national cemetery. As for the Swiss soldiers, bury them most fittingly. We are here to rule over these people, and thus we should not make a mockery of their dead."

The officer nodded his head in response to these orders; while he did so, he prepared to leave before remembering he had a note in his pocket that had arrived from the Italian front. With this in mind, he retrieved the letter and read its contents to General Adelbrand.

"The supply Caravan tasked with providing logistical support to Berengar's Army has been ambushed; they suffered minimal casualties, and a few dozen muskets were looted. Berengar has advised all forces that the enemy may disguise themselves as refugees or merchants and that we should remain vigilant. It would appear the enemy has realized that they can not contend with us in the field and thus are utilizing some unconventional tactics."

After hearing this, Adelbrand sighed heavily before giving his orders to the officer.

"Double the protection of our logistical network, and relay these orders to the officers in charge. I don't want any mishaps here on our campaign. If the Italians have adopted such tactics, it is only a matter of time before the Swiss do as well."

After hearing this, the officer saluted General Adelbrand before responding in the affirmative.

"Yes, sir!"

General Adelbrand returned the man's salute before giving him one last order for the day.

"Dismissed!"

With that having been said, the officer left the area where Adelbrand was standing, and the General was left by his lonesome, gazing off into the beautiful sunset that filled the sky with a unique blend of orange and purple light.

Only one thought escaped the man's lips as he reflected on this new information he received.

"Looks like things won't be so boring after all..."

With these events, the war for Austrian independence had taken a new turn, the days of significant field battles and human wave tactics would soon come to an end, as the Italian and Swiss forces would engage in unconventional warfare against the numerically and technologically superior forces of the Royal Austrian Army.

The Austrian occupation and annexation of Switzerland would become a long and brutal conflict, as the non-German population was sure to retaliate against the forces who presided over them with an Iron fist.

Berengar had no use of those who did not toe the line, and rebellion could not be tolerated. Despite the Austrian conquest of Zurich, the war for Switzerland had only just begun. Whether General Adelbrand could adapt to the new tactics employed by the enemy had yet to be seen.