Bab 231: Chapter 232: Fierce Battle
The deep night shrouded the earth, and the dense forest exuded an eerie, oppressive atmosphere.
Thankfully, hundreds of campfires illuminated the camp, keeping the darkness at bay from the army's encampment.
"Who goes there!" a night guard, startled by sounds above, drew his scimitar, only to find himself under a massive shadow.
Nearby campfires suddenly flared, as if in welcome or in homage.
"Lord Caesar!" The soldier recognized the white dragon and quickly sheathed his blade, bowing.
Samwell leapt down from the dragon's back, nodded at the soldier, and asked, "Where is the commander's tent?"
"I'll take you there."
"Good." With the darkness this thick, Samwell would have had a hard time finding it himself.
Cleopatra, meanwhile, seemed utterly spent, lying down as if she couldn't move.
Samwell patted her head. "Alright, you stay here and rest. You've done well today."
After instructing the night guard to keep an eye on the dragon, Samwell headed to the command tent.
Inside, Lord Randyll was still awake, studying a map. When he noticed Samwell enter, he stood up and asked, "Why are you back so late?"
Samwell got straight to the point, relaying his latest discovery. "I've found Lannister reinforcements. They're moving south down the Kingsroad and have just reached the Wendwater. It looks like there are about fifty or sixty thousand of them."
"Fifty or sixty thousand?" Lord Randyll was taken aback, but he quickly frowned. "Where would the Lannisters find so many troops? Have they abandoned their northern defenses?"
"I captured two prisoners who said most of these troops are newly recruited conscripts Kevan raised in King's Landing. I checked for myself; their discipline is terrible, and they're poorly equipped. It's an army thrown together hastily and likely won't pose much of a threat in battle."
"That makes more sense." Lord Randyll rose and paced the tent, muttering, "Kevan must be using this new army to hold a position and relieve pressure on King's Landing. With the loss of the Riverlands and Reach, the Lannisters must be facing severe supply shortages."
"Yes, Father. I think we should abandon Felwood and intercept this new southern force instead. They're weak in the open field, but if they hide behind walls, they could cause us significant trouble."
After a moment of thought, Lord Randyll slowly shook his head. "No. We will indeed abandon Felwood, but our course must remain eastward."
Samwell was puzzled. "But the King's forces are to our northeast…"
Just as he began to speak, he realized something and asked, "Father, are you planning to go east and then turn north?"
"Yes," Lord Randyll nodded. "Heading east will get us out of the Kingswood as quickly as possible, which is our primary objective. We can't alter it due to the appearance of a new enemy. But once we're out, we won't assault Felwood; instead, we'll turn north and intercept the King's army at Bronze Gate."
"Will we make it in time?"
"It's the safest option," Lord Randyll emphasized. "Don't let a new problem distract you from the one you're already solving. The Kingswood remains dangerous for us, and we must pass through cautiously."
"And since the enemy knows we're aware of their presence, the Stormlanders' harassment will only grow more intense."
"Once our army leaves the forest, I want you to lead all the Reach's cavalry northward to harass the King's forces and delay their arrival at Bronze Gate."
"Simply delay them? And wait for you to bring up the army for a joint attack?" Samwell asked. "I worry that they may enter the town before you arrive."
"You can decide whether to engage. Though their numbers are large, if your intelligence is correct, their fighting strength should be poor. Test their resolve and see if an opportunity presents itself."
"Understood!" Samwell nodded firmly, a spark of determination in his eyes.
…
In the days that followed, the Reach army faced increasingly fierce harassment.
The Stormlander scouts began attacking in larger numbers and more frequently, even attempting night raids on the camp.
However, night operations were risky for cavalry, especially in a dense forest. Horses could not run at full speed and were prone to stumbling. Thus, these raids were mostly noisy distractions meant to prevent the Reach soldiers from resting properly.
Lord Randyll set up a two-tiered defense, with the outer ring keeping watch while those in the inner ring blocked out the noise and slept.
After three days, as the Reach army neared the forest's edge, the Stormlanders grew desperate.
"We have to stop the Reach forces!" Hayward Fell shouted.
Lord Fell, lord of Felwood, had a long, horse-like face with a grizzled beard and tangled, wild hair.
"We won't be able to hold them back," said Ser Quentyn Buckler, the knight from Bronze Gate, looking somber.
He was always somber, having discovered that this demeanor seemed to attract the ladies.
"Hold them back or not, we must! We can't let the Reach forces enter our lands!" Lord Fell spat at Ser Buckler as he spoke.
"Lord Fell is right," said Arstan Selmy.
This lord of Harvest Hall was a nephew of the famous Kingsguard commander Ser Barristan Selmy. Sent by the Duke of Storm's End to rally the northern Stormlander lords, he may not have had his uncle's fame but was highly experienced in military command.
"Let's not harbor any illusions," Selmy reminded the others solemnly. "If the Reach forces capture your castles, they won't give them back. You're not fighting for Lord Edric or King Tommen this time; you're fighting for your castles, your lands, and your titles."
Lord Selmy's blunt words sent a chill through the Stormlander nobles.
They had indeed been hesitant. The current Lord of Storm's End had little authority and a questionable lineage, and few Stormlander lords were willing to fight for him.
As for the king on the Iron Throne, even fewer recognized his legitimacy.
But Selmy was right. Regardless of their political stance, they couldn't afford to lose their lands and titles.
"For the Stormlands!" Lord Fell shouted.
"For the Stormlands!"
"For the Stormlands!"
The Stormlander lords had made their decision to fight with everything they had.
Shortly after noon, the forest skirmishes escalated into an all-out battle.
The Stormlanders didn't just send light cavalry to harass; they launched a full assault, raining a hailstorm of arrows down on the Reach forces.
The Reach army had long been prepared. The outer ring of shield-bearers raised their shields and continued their steady advance. Behind them, archers returned fire while maintaining their forward movement.
Even now, Lord Randyll held firm to his primary objective: Get out of the Kingswood as quickly as possible.
In their march, gaps inevitably formed in the shield wall. Despite the protection of shields and armor, there were still casualties under the heavy barrage.
But Lord Randyll refused to halt the advance, even in the face of the enemy's fiercest assault yet.
When the arrow barrage failed to stop the Reach army, the Stormlanders adjusted their formation.
As flags waved and drums beat, the Stormlander archers withdrew, and axe and sword troops advanced.
They were preparing to charge.
Seeing this, Lord Randyll issued new orders:
"All cavalry to assemble in the center. The entire army will slow its pace but continue advancing!"
As the messengers spread the orders, the Stormlanders launched their charge.
The first wave of attackers was often expendable, intended to exhaust the Reach's arrows, dull their swords, and shake the formation in hopes of finding a weakness.
It was brutal, but such tactics were the law of warfare in this era.
Samwell noted that few in the first wave wore armor. Most seemed to be conscripted peasants, hastily trained, armed, and sent into battle. Yet their numbers were overwhelming; at a glance, there were at least two or three thousand of them.
The Stormlanders were making a substantial sacrifice with this assault.
In response, the Reach forces had to hold their formation.
As long as they held steady, the enemy would likely break and retreat after suffering enough casualties.
This would have been an ideal time for the Reach army to halt and stand their ground, but for reasons Samwell couldn't understand, Lord Randyll insisted on keeping the army moving forward, albeit slowly.
As cries and screams echoed through the forest, the two forces clashed in brutal close combat.
The dense Stormlander troops crashed into the Reach lines, a tide of red spraying across the battlefield.
The Reach's disciplined formation inflicted heavy losses on the Stormlanders, but the enemy's fierce determination surpassed expectations. They forced their way forward, pressing dangerously close to the ranks of the crossbowmen.
Fortunately, the crossbowmen were also wearing leather armor, and those with the strength to handle a bow were typically capable fighters. Even without their bows, they could still fight with short swords.
However, this limited the Reach army's effectiveness at long range.
More and more Stormlander soldiers broke through into the formation, and the battle turned bloodier and more ferocious by the moment.
(End of Chapter)
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone