Abyss The Vale, Eyrie
With the addition of the Swift Horse Company and the Iron Anchor Company, the Vale's allied army, which had been on the verge of collapse, finally stabilized. However, they still couldn't escape the misfortune of being covered by Dragon Breath.
What surprised Marco the most was that these guys' infantry formation was actually carrying huge Two-Man Crossbows, and they used them multiple times to repel the dragons' attacks.
By the time they charged into the two sides' battle lines, they had only lost nearly a hundred soldiers. The addition of the Swift Horse Company and the Iron Anchor Company caused the balance of the war to return to stability.
Seeing that the enemy reinforcements had arrived, Marco directly signaled his high-level system soldiers to charge forward. Then, he took out the Titan's sealing item and threw it to the rear of the team.
The tall system soldiers quickly attracted the attention of the Vale's allied army soldiers, and ranged weapons flew towards them relentlessly.
Unfortunately, under the effect of the group Light Magic, these attacks were completely ineffective. Instead, they angered Marco's system soldiers, and the Abyssal Hydra directly disrupted the formation of the middle Vale allied army.
"Crack...Boom..."
A terrifying thunderbolt slammed into the melee of cavalry, its dreadful power instantly blasting over a hundred Vale soldiers into ash.
The sounds of horses neighing and men roaring echoed through the cavalry ranks. Suffering heavy casualties, the cavalry began to falter, and some of the smaller family's riders started to consider retreat.
These strange creatures and their bizarre abilities frightened many. When numerous Elementals and Crystal Monsters appeared, they became the final straw that broke the camel's back.
Marco summoned them directly into the Vale allied forces' ranks before riding his dragon down from the sky. The situation on the battlefield was becoming clear, and the Vale allied forces' defeat was only a matter of time.
Marco glanced at the women around him, who were eager to participate, and could only say helplessly,
"Go! Be careful not to hurt your own people. Their troops are on the verge of collapse!"
At this moment, only Moonshadow remained. By nature, she disliked fighting and would not take action unless Marco specifically asked her to.
Facing Marco's monster army, the Vale allied forces' soldiers completely broke down. Those minor noble knights, to protect their soldiers, began to contract their forces.
And this further fractured the already battered formation, splitting it into several parts. Marco's Valyrian Empire soldiers effortlessly completed the encirclement.
"Run!"
At that moment, a soldier couldn't handle the pressure and shouted. Following his yell, more and more soldiers began to retreat.
Those nobles and soldiers trapped within the encirclement didn't have such good luck. Those who stubbornly resisted were killed on the spot, while many more threw down their weapons and knelt in surrender.
The two newly arrived mercenary companies, after losing nearly half their soldiers, chose to surrender. Although they valued their contracts, their sense of honor couldn't save them in such a desperate situation.
Then came the welcome capture of prisoners. More than 3,000 clan warriors pounced on the Valley Alliance like starving wolves. In the past, they were always chased by these Valley knights, and only by escaping into the deep mountains would they have a chance of survival.
This chase continued until evening. A large number of Valley soldiers were captured, along with the seven noble families who had participated in today's battle.
"The Hutton Family of Eyrie, the Hunter Family of Longbow Hall, the Marco Family of Old Anchor, the Redfort Family of Redfort, the Royce Family of Runestone, the Waynwood Family of Ironoaks, and the Wickly Family of Candlekeep - seven families in total. It perfectly aligns with your 'Will of the Seven,' but I'm curious. Didn't your gods protect you?"
Marco, astride Silverflash the Unicorn, asked those kneeling before him, a hint of mockery in his tone.
"Faith has always been in our hearts, Your Majesty! It is the source of strength that has supported us throughout our struggles. Even though our god has not shown any miracles, we all know it is watching over us."
Lord Yohn Royce of Runestone replied to Marco, his voice neither servile nor arrogant. His appearance was also completely different from the image Marco had in his mind of that fat, Mediterranean actor.
This caused Marco to look at him a few more times. Bronze Yohn, the famous lord of the Vale, looked at Marco with some surprise. To be honest, Marco's appearance was indeed very young, almost too young for an emperor.
Then, Marco turned his gaze to all the Vale nobles present and said:
"I'm not very interested in you all at the moment. Let's go to Gulltown directly!"
Marco's words left everyone present looking at each other, completely baffled by what he meant. Only a few Vale nobles grasped the problem.
"What do you mean? I can tell you clearly, Gulltown will be your burial ground. We have..."
Lord Yohn Royce roared, his voice trembling slightly, as if he had foreseen something terrible.
"Alright, take them away! Order the troops to rest, then we'll head to Ironoaks."
Watching as Yohn Royce was forced to the ground by the rioting soldiers, Marco said calmly. The soldiers of the Valyrian Empire then took the Vale nobles away.
One month later, the Vale, Gulltown.
Duke Robin Arryn was looking at the people coming and going in the streets through the silver-inlaid windows of his luxurious carriage, although the smell outside was a bit unbearable, he was still enjoying himself.
Robin Arryn didn't look like a lord who had lost his castle at all; he looked more like a noble heir out for a tour. Looking at the excited Robin Arryn, Sansa Stark sighed inwardly.
Although Sansa herself was in a precarious situation, she still felt some sympathy for her cousin. He'd been unlucky enough to be with his perverted mother, and now, after going around in circles, he had fallen into Littlefinger's clutches again.
The great battle a month ago was called the "New War of the Seven Stars" by the people of the Vale. Thousands of years ago, the Andals relied on the famous "War of the Seven Stars" to defeat the First Men at the "Giant's Lance," thus establishing their rule in the Vale.
The Valyrian Empire also declared its dominion over the Vale on that very day. After the news of the Vale coalition's complete defeat reached Ironoaks, Littlefinger led a mercenary force he had recruited to Gulltown to seek refuge.
The Belmore Family of Heart's Home and the Royce Family of Moon Door, originally tasked with guarding Eyrie, announced their allegiance to the Valyrian Empire upon hearing the news. They also dispatched a unit in advance, preparing to seize Ironoaks.
The Belmore Family and the Royce Family had declined in recent years. When Littlefinger took control of the Vale, they were among the first to support him.
But now, facing a behemoth like the Valyrian Empire, they, who were always fence-sitters, unhesitatingly abandoned their liege lord and allies.
"Knock, knock, knock..."
A soft knocking interrupted Sansa's thoughts. She then realized that the carriage had stopped, and Robin Arryn was once again suckling on one of his wet nurses.
Littlefinger never intended to correct Robin Arryn's bad habit, and his indulgence led to Robin Arryn being privately called "Suckling Eagle" by others. Many commoners and even nobles believed that his character was not suitable for being the Guardian of the Vale.
At Sansa's urging, Robin Arryn reluctantly raised his head. After a quick grooming, Robin Arryn led Sansa out of the carriage.
At this moment, Littlefinger, Petyr Baelish, dressed in a noble suit and cloak, was waiting outside with a middle-aged man. Seeing the yellow burning tower emblem on the man's right shoulder, Sansa knew that the person in front of her was very likely Gerold Grafton, the Earl of Gulltown.
After the group entered the hall of the Grafton family's castle, a large number of people arrived shortly. Among them, the ones that interested Sansa the most were the Shett family and a branch of the Arryn family.
Sansa could see that the people present today were mainly from these two families. Littlefinger had told Sansa that only Earl Gerold Grafton of Gulltown was an ally, and the others were untrustworthy.
"Petyr! How dare you come to Gulltown? How did you serve as 'Guardian of the Vale' if you let the enemy take Eyrie!"
Rolland Arryn shouted at Littlefinger. Rolland Arryn was a pot-bellied, Mediterranean-looking man, but he seemed very tall, different from the other Arryns.
The Arryn family members were generally of medium build and lean, while Rolland Arryn looked very much like a merchant; or rather, he was originally a merchant.
"Lord Rolland, you have really misunderstood me. The ones who truly betrayed the Vale were the Belmore family and the Royce family of Moon Door. I protected the Duke all the way here."
Facing the menacing Rolland Arryn, Littlefinger replied with a smile, looking like a knight loyal to his lord.
"You..."
"Alright, alright, Lord Rolland, don't be angry. The most important thing now is to protect Robin Arryn, and then figure out how to defeat the invaders, so that the Vale can return to the embrace of the Will of the Seven, instead of letting that heretic king salt our lands."
Osgood Shett said to Rolland Arryn. The Shett Family was also an ancient and historic family, comparable to the Royce Family, and they were once the masters of Gulltown.
However, the current Osgood Shett was a man without great ambitions. He only wanted to guard his family's land and enjoy himself, never thinking about restoring the glory of his ancestors.
The Shett Family had been constantly switching allegiances between the Royce Family and the Grafton Family, serving whoever was the strongest. This was also the reason why their family had always remained standing.
After hearing Osgood Shett's advice, Rolland Arryn snorted coldly and closed his mouth. He wasn't usually like this, and he was quite amiable to others.
The noble bloodline of the Arryn Family had always been his proud capital, even though in the eyes of his peers, he was always a nouveau riche.
After learning of the disaster that had befallen the main family, Rolland Arryn was truly a little angry. After all, he had initially supported Petyr, and their relationship, both openly and secretly, had been quite good.
After everyone had quieted down, Gerold Grafton, as the host, asked everyone:
"Alright, gentlemen, since the Duke has arrived in Gulltown, let's discuss what we should do next. Lord Petyr, what do you think?"
Following Gerold Grafton's question, everyone turned their attention to Littlefinger. After all, he was still Robin Arryn's foster father and the nominal "Protector of the Vale."
Littlefinger looked at Gerold Grafton, his eyebrows slightly raised, as if he sensed something unusual about this man, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong.
Littlefinger knew that Gulltown was Gerold Grafton's everything. Although Robert Baratheon had pardoned their family, King's Landing and the Vale had been subtly suppressing Gerold Grafton over the years.
Littlefinger knew that Gerold Grafton wanted to restore his family's power, which was why he considered allying with him, even though he had also considered that the Grafton family might betray him.
However, after thinking about the Valyrian Empire's system, Littlefinger abandoned this idea. In his opinion, it was impossible for Gerold Grafton to give up Gulltown.
Littlefinger understood his old friend's personality and knew that this man had been working hard to reclaim Gulltown for all these years.
In a flash of thought, Littlefinger considered many possibilities. After reorganizing his thoughts, he addressed the crowd:
"My lords and ladies, I can assure you that we cannot eliminate those three dragons and that army. However, I prepared a plan before I even arrived here.
As you all know, during the recent 'protection movement,' we gathered a large amount of funds from the various families in the Vale. I used these funds to recruit several mercenary companies and a fleet on the Eastern continent."
Littlefinger's plan was rather ruthless. He intended to implement a scorched-earth strategy around Gulltown. He planned to burn all the crops near Gulltown and drive the villagers to Ironoaks.
He would have the mercenaries carry out this task, trying to do it without anyone knowing and blaming the Valyrian Empire's army.
Then, he would dispatch troops to pollute the water sources, increasing the Valyrian Empire's army's logistical pressure. Meanwhile, Gulltown would organize defenses, bringing out the Two-Man Crossbows Littlefinger had prepared in advance and using Gulltown's population and resource advantages to stop the Valyrian Empire's army's attack.
Once both sides reached a stalemate, Littlefinger's mercenaries would attack the Valyrian Empire's army's supply lines from the rear, launching a series of attacks on the Valyrian Empire's army's rear.
"My lords and ladies, this is my plan. Only in this way can we seize the initiative in negotiations. I can guarantee that as long as you follow my plan, I can secure more benefits for you."
After saying this, Littlefinger looked at the stunned nobles of Gulltown. His plan was indeed ruthless, driving out the people to obstruct the advance of the Valyrian Empire's army; he didn't care about the losses of the people at all.
"Clap, clap..."
With the applause of Lord Gerold Grafton, the nobles present recovered from their shock and followed suit.
Among those present, although most were merchants, even the most unscrupulous merchant couldn't speak of murder and arson as casually as Littlefinger did.
Lord Gerold Grafton looked at Littlefinger with a strange expression, but as the applause ended, everyone found that Gerold Grafton still seemed to be clapping his hands with lingering interest.
Everyone looked at Lord Gerold Grafton's strange actions and expression, and they were all curious about what he was doing, while Littlefinger's heart skipped a beat when he saw his expression.
Just as Littlefinger was about to have his guards at the door rush in, he saw the door of the meeting hall being "BOOM"-
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