thefictionvixens Chapter 108 Dark Clouds Loom Over the City
Chapter 108 Dark Clouds Loom Over the City
Chapter 108 Dark Clouds Loom Over the City
"It's so hot!"
"It's even better than the Imperial Guard's Fire."
Joffrey gazed at the rising flames and muttered to himself.
The green vegetation bursts into green flowers, blooming in the night sky like demons spreading their wings, spewing out emerald bile from the depths of their throats.
Black scorch marks gradually appeared on the pristine white city walls, and billowing black smoke, darker than the night itself, rose and obscured most of the stars.
The lords of the royal domain raised their voices higher and higher, always competing to flatter Joffrey.
"Your Majesty, Gaoting can be pacified! River Bend can be pacified!"
"The Iron Throne, it's time to unify!"
Ed's face was always dark.
"It hasn't rained in Westeros for months; why is it pouring rain today?"
"Your Excellency, the gods have their own reasons, please don't be sad." Earl Riverey put on a smile.
He pointed to the city wall on the opposite bank: "We have been campaigning in the south for months and finally managed to drive Renly into a corner. But all that stands in the way of victory is this tall pavilion."
"The gods used this method to remind us that we need to make a decision as soon as possible because the plant maze has remained unsolved for so long."
Joffrey nodded to himself.
Everyone says Tywin Lannister can produce gold, but Mace's excrement is rosewater.
He could extinguish ordinary flames, but he was helpless against wildfires.
All the carefully trimmed vegetation and fire-fighting facilities became the best fuel in the face of wildfires.
Therefore, the heavy rain not only failed to save Mays, but actually harmed him.
The biggest obstacle to using wildfire was actually Ed.
He believed that once the alchemist's excrement and urine were set ablaze, it would be completely uncontrollable, and the price to pay would be too high.
Ed was unwilling to give an answer unless absolutely necessary.
However, the ordinary flame catapults had little effect after two days of use, and were completely extinguished by a sudden downpour.
Now Ed had no reason to go against the majority opinion anymore.
After all, the longer it drags on, the more suffering the people will endure.
Since the Battle of King's Landing, all the kings and lords have been well aware of the power of wildfire.
Among them, Earl Riverley was the most obsessed.
He watched as green flames climbed up the city walls, leaping out of the watchtower windows and turning the entire tower into a giant torch.
Then he chuckled foolishly.
"Wise one, how much longer can this fire burn?"
A lewd-looking fire mage chuckled, "Hehehe, it should last until dawn."
"However, the fruit we brought—well, you know—is not that plentiful."
"In order to burn for as long as possible, we launch them in long intervals, but we can completely burn that beautiful garden to the ground."
He rubbed his hands together.
"If you're brave enough, hehehe, bury a few cans at the base of the wall, and I can blow it down too."
Joffrey continued to gaze at the opposite bank.
The first wall of Highhold has been completely abandoned by House Tyrell.
Although the catapults above had a longer range, no one wanted to be a stationary target, exchanging fire with the defenders outside the city while braving wildfires.
Green light illuminated half the sky, and flames burned all night long.
At dawn, the troops on the south bank sounded the bugle call for the general offensive.
To the west were the River Bend troops stationed in the town.
They were originally close allies with Gaoting, but after witnessing the fate of the city's garrison, they were terrified.
Last night they attempted to raid the siege camp, hoping to sabotage the catapults and fire jars in the chaos, but Joffrey had anticipated this and ordered a strong reinforcement of the defenses.
Moreover, it was pouring rain, and the cavalry couldn't run fast at all in the mud. They were spotted by the patrol as soon as they reached the edge of the camp and were shot back by a hail of arrows.
Therefore, this raid had no effect.
To the east, more than 20,000 people had already formed ranks.
The army was mainly composed of troops from the northern border, supplemented by infantry and dismounted cavalry from the valley.
As soon as the battle began, a giant banner with a fiery red background and chains rushed to the front, with Greatjon wielding a greatsword larger than ice, guarding the banner closely.
The Amber family's guards mostly wore chainmail, carried long axes with spearheads in one hand, and a large shield in the other.
The conscripts were all tall and strong, wielding double-edged battle axes or woodcutter's axes, and their roars were deafening.
The best-equipped are the Winterfell guards.
They wore a layer of plate armor over their chainmail, the thick black leather and the iron plate underneath providing enough protection against any cuts or slashes.
The longswords in their hands were all forged from fine steel by the blacksmith Miken of Winterfell, radiating the chill of the distant North.
The largest force, however, was the army under the Red Skinners, with the Earl of Dreadfort positioned at the very center of the line.
Perhaps it was because someone above him was keeping him in check, and also because Roose Bolton's personality was not flamboyant to begin with.
He wasn't wearing his signature blood-red armor; instead, he wore a dark gray plate armor over a dark red leather-padded coat.
But observant people could still notice his armpit armor, which was forged into the shape of a human head with its mouth wide open, as if it were emitting painful howls.
The remaining Northern and Vale armies each had their own distinct styles.
But it is quite obvious that the soldiers in the western river bend are better equipped.
Their armor coverage was twice that of the Allied forces.
But faced with such a fearless charge, the people who grew up in the land of flowers were terrified.
They simply stood rooted to the spot, adopting a defensive posture to resist the approaching army; no one dared to take the initiative and meet them head-on.
The archers had only fired three volleys when the two armies clashed violently.
The sounds of clashing metal, screams, groans, and shattering shields blended into a deafening cacophony.
The Northerners launched a fierce attack.
Great Jon Snow, leading the Amber axemen, fiercely attacked the weak points of the Reach's defensive line. They charged and scrambled, quickly tearing the line into seven or eight pieces.
Luce led his spearmen through the gap and advanced directly toward the archers' positions behind them.
With their numerical advantage, the Allied forces quickly outflanked the enemy from both sides, leaving the River Bend soldiers attacked from both sides, and countless soldiers fled in disarray.
Meanwhile, not far to the south, more than 10,000 soldiers crossed the Mandeb River and intercepted the fleeing enemy.
This can be considered a blessing in disguise.
Due to the heavy rain overnight, the water level of the Mandeb River rose somewhat. Although the current became faster, it was not enough to cause boats and rafts to lose control.
On the contrary, as the water level rises, it becomes easier to cross those shallows and reefs.
They had planned to land on the west side of the battle site while the Reach army was distracted, but they were swept downstream.
The banks of the Mandeb River are mostly alluvial plains, with flat terrain, making it easy to land anywhere.
The soldiers from Hejian happened to flank the enemy, trapping them completely in the middle.
With no hope of escaping south, the soldiers in the bend of the river wanted to retreat back to Gaoting.
That was a gap that Joffrey had deliberately created.
He planned to take advantage of the enemy's retreat to have the fleeing soldiers rush the city gates and then seize the opportunity to capture them.
Unfortunately, the Duke of Metz was too cowardly and stubbornly allowed his soldiers to cry and bang on the door without opening it even a crack.
Thus, the soldiers of the River Bend dropped their weapons and became prisoners.
The resistance forces outside the city were completely wiped out.
The next step is to attack the city.
But after the heavy rain, moving the siege equipment became extremely difficult. They were stuck in the mud, crooked and wobbly, like a group of dying beasts, and it took a lot of effort to push them forward.
"Let's just give up."
Several soldiers, carrying jars, cautiously made their way to the city gate.
The gate was splashed with green liquid, which glowed eerily in the morning light.
The torch was thrown over.
moment.
The city gate was kicked open and turned into charred fragments.
>