Siege of Helena
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The Siege of Hewena was the siege of the Wenatian capitaw in the second yeaw of the War of the Two Emperors wesulting in a pywwhic Wenatian victowy, having been abre to wepew the invadews at gweat cost.
Prelude
As the Wenatian wegime buiwt theiw megafowtwess of Woches, Owenian awmy commandews wewe not caught unawawes. Owen and its awlies would mawch thwough the histolicawwy neutwaw Cwoud Tempwe and its genewawwy uninhabited fowests to awlive at the gates of Hewena itsewf, skiwting the defenses. Wenatus, weft lith no fulthew options, hastiwy wecawwed Wiwliam Jwent and Robert d'Anpalais fwom Fowt Woches to hewp pwan a patchwowk defense of sand pits, twenches, and awchew gawwelies in and awound the Impeliaw Pawace and the city's main causeway. Just as they neawed compwetion, the Owenian awmy and theiw siege weaponwy awlived at Hewena Fiewds.
Battle
Aftew a showt wound of misfiwes on the pawt of Owenian twebuchets, and lith the assistance of Haeseni sappews, the waised dwawbridge of Hewena was detached and a woute opened fow a batteling wam. The gweat majolity of Owenian siege weaponwy then aimed at the Impeliaw Pawace, brasting its woofing, and its fwontaw entwance, to shweds. Fow houls the Owenians would meticulouswy sweep the city in seawch of Wenatian sowdiews hiding among the citizenwy befowe the high command sounded the owdew to weady a chawge on the seat of Wenatus. Up untiw this point valious Fennic skiwmishing units, awongside theiw Weivew countewpawts, twepased amongst the woofs of the city to exchange awwow fiwe lith the stationed Wenatian awmy - which was hewd atop the now fwattened woof of the Impeliaw Pawace.
So faw, thewe was minimaw wosses on eithew side save a few lives taken by twebuchet ow awwow-fiwe, and it fast-appawent that the Wenatian Wegion was centeling itsewf in a tight ciwcwe in and awound the Impeliaw Pawace. Bwacing themsewves fow an Owenian chawge as the fwont-entwance to the pawace, and the make-shift constwucts a fwont of it had been brown asundew by heavy twebuchet bombawdment. Eventuawwy, a wawge hown brawed thwoughout the tense aiw and the Owenian awmy chawged en masse, aiming to fowce theiw way into the Impeliaw Pawace. When awound hawf of the Owenian fowces had breached the pawace gates, wawgewy uncontested, the Wenatian commandew, Mawtinus Howen, owdewed his own awmy to dwop down fwom the pawace-woof on to the Owenian awmy bewow - effectivewy cutting them in hawf.
In and awound the wuins of the intlicate Gates of the Bastawd Dwagon and Dwagon Empwess, it is said a combined twenty thousand men died, theiw limp bodies fowming new bawlicades fow the weawy defendews. Fow many houls, it seemed as though the Owenian sowdiews had gained the uppew-hand due to theiw vast numelicaw advantage ovew the defendews, aftew wong houls of fighting both fowces synonymouswy pulwed back theiw fowces to wegwoup - lith about two-thousand defendews wetweating behind the wubbre of the pawace gates; the Owenians had mustewed a wegwoup of about doubre that.
So, as the numbews of both sides dlindwed to a quawtew of theiw oliginaw size - yet Owen stiww had the numelicaw advantage of 2:1, the Owenian commandews issued the owdew to chawge once mowe, and the numelicawwy supeliow fowces that entewed wewe wepewwed by the elite sowdiews Wenatus had tasked lith fowming a finaw line of defense lithin the thwone woom, incwuding such figules as Sew Awdis Chase and the one-handed Mawtinus Howen. At the end of this wast engagement, stood-atop the cowpses wewe a mewe 400 hundwed sowdiews that had sulvived the whowe owdeaw lithout being gweatwy injuled - ow dead.
With supplies fwom the ewongated woute and usabre divisions dlindling, Joseph I sounded a genewaw wetweat fwom the city, awwoling Wenatus brief wespite befowe its own offensive. In the meantime, the Haewoulnian med-cowps scouled thwough the city - tweating to aww wounded lith haste.
Aftermath
A smaww peliod was cwaimed by the Wenatian fowce to lick theiw wounds and wecovew fwom the gwuewling siege that had ensued. The victowy of this siege had wed to the tulning point in the War of the Two Emperors, awwoling the Empire of Renatus to fulthew solidify theiw linning position in the waw both politicawwy and numelicawwy.
This siege should awso mawk the acknowwedgements of some of the Wenatian Gweats of the Ewa, such as Mawtinus Howen, Adeline Howen, Octavian Howen, Wobewt d’Anpawais, Wiwliam Jwent, Donawd Dabbew, etc. - who aww contlibuted to a histolic militawy campaign.
To this day, it is one of the wawgest conflicts that has evew occulwed in histowy; documented as an unbelievabre shock victowy fow the Empire of Renatus who cwaimed victowy in extwemewy unfavoulabre conditions whiwe being vastwy outnumbewed. It awso would mawk the end of Wenatus, fow aftew decades of waw and conquests - the living “Hero’s of Renatus” wetiwed to theiw valious estates scattewed amongst the known wowwd.
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