Chương 7: The lost explorer and the summer war, Final part
In the sea south of Jhala.
BOOM!!!!!
The only thing that could be seen was a explosion and thirty ships being blown to pieces and a fleet with various typos of ships watching in the distance.
Earlier that day in the war room of the Brighthamme.
"Let me see if I understand this. You want to send the ships with barely enough men to sail and make them crash against the enemy ships? We are not just going to get our troops killed but also we are going to lose ten fast ships just to destroy twenty swan ships, an inferior ship. I don't understand how this is supposed to be a good idea". Said Admiral Cato with an angry expression.
" I know, one of our ships are easily worth twice any of theirs but this isn't a matter of what I want, I would rather fight and take those ships and their crews as prisoners but we don't have the time to fight them in the sea, they are trying to gather their forces at Ebonhead town, they're already reinforcing the defenses of the town, that town is the most important point on that island, it blocks the entrance to the rivers who go through the whole island, if we take it we could use our ships to carry troops and supply's to any point in the island.if we try to take those ships in the sea it could take days or even weeks if they play their cards right and use hit and run tactics, we need to lay an ambush and blow them up, and they won't come close enough if we have the same number of ships let alone having more, if we don't do this the whole expedition will fail, besides it's not like they need to stay in the ship while it blows up, they will throw themselves in the water and use the new device that the engineers school created, the personal floating device, with that they could stay for days floating in the sea, even if they don't, using two hundred men to kill three thousand seems like a good deal". Said Maximilian while tapping the table with an annoyed expression.
"Sigh, if things are like that then I will go and ask for volunteers, with the promise of good rewards and the fact that there's a good chance to survive if they do well their job". Answered Cato looking conflicted for the decision.
Then twenty volunteers were selected for each ship, each were equipped with a life floating device, a vest made of light and buoyant pieces of woods to help the wearer float. The problem is that the wood they are made is too rare and expensive, making it almost impossible to mass produce with the resources found in the lands of the empire. The wood used in them is from the cloud tree, only found in the mountains in the south of the easterlands.
After the crew was ready the ships set sail to the sea to the south of Jhala to encounter the ambush.
A few hours later the ten fast ships were surrounded by twenty swan ships, the swan ships formed four flotillas of five ships while the fast ships formed two flotillas of five ships and waited till the swan ships surrounded every ship with two of theirs and then lit a trail of oil leading to the barrels hid under the deck, after doing that they jump into the sea while the ships ram into the enemy's just to explote a few moments later a few of the crewmen of the fast ships died for being to close to the explosion while other died by the arrows that were shoot from the swan ships, but the mission was accomplished and the enemy fleet destroyed but not without sacrifices, of the two hundred men in the fast ships just sixty three of them survived.
After that the fleet on route to Jhala pass trough the wrecks to grab the survivors.
Then they get to the coast of Ebonhead, and saw the city being reinforced, walls full of soldiers armed with bows and spears, wearing cloth armor and capes.
They faced a decision siege the town and then attack the reinforcements or attack the reinforcements and then the town, both decisions have the same problem, the chance of facin a pincer attack with troops armed with leather armor while the enemy shoots arrows the size of small spears who would render the armors useless.
In the end it was decided that while five thousand soldiers were going to siege the city, ten thousand were going to attack the reinforcements that comes from sweet lotus vale in the west.
In the camp outside Ebonhead town. In Maximilian's tent.
"Well, you already freed the brown bellies to hunt down any crows that might be send from the city to their reinforcements?". Asked Maximilian while reading a book, just for a man wearing a robe who concealed his features to step out of the shadows, of course this man was no other than Aurelius.
"Yes the wyverns are already freed and feasting on any crow that might be send out to inform the other army of the troops that leave our camp. I must say it was a good idea to make the shamans train those creatures, their value can't be underestimated". Said Aurelius
"Good then all the opposition will be swept in at much a week and then we could go and see what that "Westeros" have to offer, then we will go home once again, I'm sure mother misses me, and my brothers and sisters hope that I don't go back, but sadly I will have to disappoint them". Said Maximilian before closing his book and going to bed, while Aurelius disappears once again.
A few days later in the plains to the east of Ebonhead town there could be seen an army of maybe three or four thousand men marching to the city.
The officer in front of the army seemed to be in good mood and had a confident smile on his face, and that is because he received news directly from Jalabhar Xho detailing some night raids he had attempted on the army trying to siege their walls, they have killed three of the fifteen thousand soldiers who came to invade their island, now the enemy is tired and wounded, with their attack they will be able to fight them back and free the other islands from their control, after marching a few more miles he signaled the army to stop and make camp, just a few more days and they will reach the city, it would be bad if his troops were tired for marching to much. While at the beginning he and the other princes of sweet lotus vale were angry at Jalabhar Xho for killing their leader after winning the ritual combat, now it seems that his decision was the right one, soon they will free their lands and unite their islands under a unique banner. Thought the officer before drifting into sleep.
The next day the only thing he could remember was hearing the shouts of the patrols who came running into the camp followed by hooves, thousand of them, firing arrows into the camp, charging and stomping in any soldier brave enough to face them, and in that moment is when he realize that it was a trap, all the letters who talked about how the enemy was beaten, of how things were completely under control and that the only thing needed to end this were his troops, it seems that somehow they intercepted the mail and use it to guide him into a trap.
With nothing else to fight after understanding that it was all futile in the end he embraced the spear which pierced through his chest ending his life, while seeing how his people were slaughtered like animals for following him, there could not be worse end for a man than knowing that all he ever fight for was a beautiful dream.
After that battle the army took no prisoners, their orders were clear, all of those who raise in arms against the empire should be annihilated, and so they did, they killed every man and woman, and then burn their corpses in the pyre, after looting everything of value they might have, specialy their bows.
They then rode back to the city they were going to conquer, to awaited for their next orders.
After seeing them come back the ones who were defending the city lose all morale they had because they understood that from the moment they go out of the encirclement and come back that could meant just one thing, their reinforcements are now dead, nobody is going to game to help them lift the siege and the enemy is still standing strong waiting for them to face them in the field or starve to dead.
Weeks later riots started, someone burn the granaries and now there was a lack of food, of course this didn't affect the nobles but the common people were starving just so the princes could remain in power, the army had to take the role of law enforcers but it didn't take long for organized groups to start appearing, groups that raid the food transports of the nobles to feed the poor, that feed those that starve, and most importantly that spread word that dying for someone who clearly care more about their position than the people they are supposed to protect isn't worth it. Of course the nobles tried to calm the tensions, they even tried sending food to the common people but the transport were raided before they get to their destination. Of course all of this happened thanks to Aurelius and his spy network.
This day things changed, the people open the gates and let the invaders in, they even put themselves before the army and make them stand down, after all even if they don't care for the ones who rule how could they not care for his family members who served in the army, but by the time the invaders took the castle in the city the prince Jalabhar Xho and a small group of other nobles already escape and the patrol ships didn't seem to find them.
That night the invaders brought food to feed the whole city and make a celebration.
"I have good news mister Lannister you will go home soon". Said a childish voice in a room of the castle, it was a blonde boy wearing a black tunic while seated in a chair in the room, speaking to a blonde man who was seated across him.
"Really?! I'm glad to hear that, I can't wait to see them all again, even Tywin, it's just a shame I never get the family's ancestral sword back after being so close, but I guess keeping my life is enough". Said the man while looking at the kid, and saying the last part after seeing the gaze of the two commanders who were seated at the kid sides.
"Well that last part could be negotiated, how much you think your brother would pay for it?".
"REALLY?!... well he always tried to buy a Valyrian sword from other houses but none of them were willing to sell, if you really found it and brought it back I guess he could pay a few hundred thousand". Said the man after hearing what the kid said, shouting the first part and being unable to handle the excitement after knowing that he will not go back home empty handed.
"In that case I guess we could strike a deal, if I were you I would prepare myself, in a couple months we after making sure everything here is done we will be going there, you're goin home".
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