Arrows and lead shot rained down upon the Venetian soldiers in the moat like a storm, halting the momentum of the assault team.
"Sound the horn, signal retreat!" Antonio bellowed from the ramparts, and the trumpeter promptly sounded the horn for retreat.
Juan, the lieutenant responsible for the eastern attack, immediately led his soldiers to climb out of the moat and sprinted towards their own ramparts. Muskets and crossbows from the city walls struck down several men, but the majority of the hundred-strong unit retreated safely.
However, Captain Doria, who was in charge of the western assault, was unwilling to give up. His vanguard was less than twenty meters from the city gate, and the opportunity seemed too good to miss; maybe they could capture Tachi in one fell swoop.
He roared, "Advance! If the enemy opens the gate, we charge in! Victory is within reach!"
But the city gate didn't open, and the roar of cannons crushed his valiant dreams.