そのようにする + Recognizing a compound

Question

そのようにしてこの巨城は、二年の長きにわたってゆっくりと攻略されてきた。

The first thing I had kind of a problem with, is そのようにして... I just have no idea how to translate it.

Also, as for 巨城, 巨 doesn't have a prefix form, nor there is the work 巨城 in the dictionary. Therefore, how is this compound read, and how is it possible to tell?

Thank you!

And once again, this sentence is taken from the novel "sword art online 1".

Answer 1

1. I think そのようにして(その様にして) is similar in meaning to そんなふうにして(そんな風にして). (The former sounds more literary than the latter to me.)
   Eg: そんなふうにして事故が起こったのです。
   That is how the accident occurred.
   (From http://ejje.weblio.jp/sentence/content/%E3%81%9D%E3%82%93%E3%81%AA%E3%81%B5%E3%81%86%E3%81%AB%E3%81%97%E3%81%A6 )
   

2. I think it's read as きょじょう, though I couldn't find きょじょう(巨城) in online dictionaries, 明鏡 nor 広辞苑. (Correct me if I'm wrong... ) 　

Answer 2

I think one needs to see the previous sentence, as そのようにして perhaps refers to the state of the 巨城 that is not made clear from the information at hand.

そのようにして

そのよう sonoyou = adjectival noun → conjugation: that kind of;  of the sort;  of the kind;  such

そのようにして is a pretty common construction, sometimes translated as simply as just "So,...".

I will break it down literally for you:

そのよう that way にして was done

Put together it can be read as, "In that way..."

(して in the middle of the sentence is expressing the past tense of する, in accordance with the されてきた at the end of the sentence)

My attempt at translation:

そのようにしてこの巨城は、二年の長きにわたってゆっくりと攻略されてきた。

In the state it was/In this way/In this state 巨城 was slowly captured over the course of two long years .

I think the よう is this one:

【容】 noun: 形 · 容：form;  shape;  figure

rather than this one:

よう 【様】

But perhaps someone better informed can tell us?

Here are a number of examples if the expression you asked about:

http://eow.alc.co.jp/search?q=そのようにして

(copy and paste whole link)