A brightly armored contingent of troops was patrolling and lingering a dozen leagues east of Darry City.
The young man leading them listened to his subordinate's report, silent as ice.
His face was expressionless, but his gaze was heavy, as if he was repeatedly pondering something.
This person was Jon.
Based on his prior reconnaissance of Darry City, he had already identified several main roads and wilderness paths that could be used for attack and retreat.
Although Jon didn't know the Mountain's exact troop strength, he knew the Mountain would surely come.
Since the Mountain would come, it was highly probable that the Westerlands' heavy cavalry would appear.
If he wanted to encircle and eliminate this heavy cavalry, he had to be cautious and plan meticulously.
For this battle, Jon prepared a large quantity of wildfire, caltrops, and earth-filled sandbags.
"My Lord, this is just a small path; if we scatter some caltrops and dig some hoof traps, we should be able to block the enemy. But the main road to the southwest is the most critical.
If it really is heavy cavalry like those at the Green Fork, we might not be able to stop them with just us," Old Yorek earnestly suggested.
After all, even the regular Northern army couldn't stop them that day, so Jon's current forces would have even less of a chance.
However, the tribal warriors clearly disagreed; now that they wore such fine armor, even if Jon asked them to duel a dragon, they would probably feel they could try.
"Find a way to get some wildfire jars and bury them."
"Fire attack? That's a good idea, but My Lord, how should we ignite them then?" Old Yorek raised another practical question.
"I know!" Sola said excitedly, "Jon is planning to use flaming arrows to ignite these wildfire jars, right?"
Jon considered the possibility of a fire attack and nodded.
"But how to lure the enemy here will still require some thought," Jon added. In fact, there was one more thing he didn't explicitly say, which was that to attract the enemy, sacrifices would likely be unavoidable.
Jon still didn't trust those tribal warriors.
After all, he had personally witnessed theImpact force of the Mountain's heavy cavalry that day. It would be troublesome if these men ran away scared before even engaging the enemy.
The only reliable ones were the old veterans from the mountain clans.
These men had long since become indifferent to life and death.
Despite some reluctance, this was a decision Jon had to make as a commander.
His primary goal this time was not to rescue House Darry, but to kill the Mountain.
The Mountain was Tywin's sharpest claw.
Removing him would make his future plans smoother.
Moreover, many people would live because of it, escaping the fate of dying at the hands of this murderer.
Ultimately, Jon set the final battlefield on the main road to the southwest.
At the same time, he arranged for two hundred veterans and one hundred tribal warriors to act as bait to lure the enemy.
"The Mountain..."
Jon muttered the name softly.
If he could turn him into a 'Bio-Mountain,' that would be the most cost-effective.
Unfortunately, he didn't have that skill.
So he could only settle for the next best thing: after killing him, send his head along with that of Amory, whom he had captured earlier, to Sunspear in Dorne.
And exchange them for some money with House Martell.
Both of these men were murderers of Martell blood relatives.
Whether it was Doran or the Red Viper, they dreamed of killing them.
As long as they could personally slay their enemies, they would surely be willing to pay more.
After all, he would have tens of thousands of people to feed in the future...
As evening fell, the cold moonlight spilled onto the city walls.
A noble boy strolled accompanied by his attendant.
Martin, the acting lord, was already resting.
But because of that nightmare, Lyman had been sleeping poorly these past few days.
The young boy always felt something was about to happen.
"Ser."
"Ser."
The soldiers guarding the city greeted him, and Lyman responded to each of them.
Speaking of which, the commoners from the original House Darry lands, hearing that they had returned, had all come back to their homes.
At least the distant mill seemed to be working again.
Seeing these familiar sights, Lyman's heart seemed to calm down slightly.
"Ser, let's go back. It's cold outside."
Lyman's attendant reminded him, and he nodded, preparing to return.
But just then, as if sensing something, he suddenly turned his head to look into the distance.
He saw a group of armored soldiers, their armor glinting with a cold light, rapidly approaching his castle!
Like a torrent, they charged towards Darry City, this crumbling dam.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack! Someone is attacking the city! Someone is attacking the city!"
Lyman's legs went weak, and he cried out in alarm. The soldiers on the city walls frantically rang the alarm bell.
The urgent, piercing sound of the bell woke the entire castle.
Martin, roused from his sleep, quickly had someone arm him.
"What's wrong! Which army is attacking?"
"Unclear, My Lord. Their equipment is very fine; they all seem to be wearing heavy armor, and the commanding officer leading them is extremely burly, practically a small giant!"
Burly! Small giant!
Martin immediately realized who the attackers were – the Mountain.
Previously, Lyman's father, his uncle Lord Raymun Darry, had been ordered by Eddard Stark to intercept the Mountain.
But for some unknown reason, the information was leaked.
They were caught off guard by the Mountain instead.
Lord Raymun fought the Mountain but had his sword and arm severed by the Mountain.
The Mountain was also an enemy of House Darry!
Martin, of course, wanted to avenge Lord Raymun, but he knew he didn't have the ability.
All he could do was defend this castle!
By this time, Monde had also finished arming himself, and the two brothers came to the city wall together.
The Mountain's heavy cavalry had already begun to array below the city, preparing to attack.
This terrifying army made one's heart pound just by looking at it.
The height of Darry City's walls was only six or seven meters, and their thickness was average.
And it seemed there was more to it; in front of this heavy cavalry, there was actually a group of disheveled commoners.
The enemy's intention was already obvious.
'Are those commoners to suffer twice?!'
Jon's scolding suddenly echoed in Martin's ears, making him feel guilty.
However, he still struggled to compose himself, preparing to intensify the city's defenses.
But then he suddenly noticed something amiss.
"How..." Martin suddenly realized that the direction the Mountain chose to attack from was somewhat unusual—the southwest? Wait!
At this moment, as if something struck him, a thunderclap seemed to explode in his mind, followed by cold sweat streaming down his face.
"Monde, that damaged section of the wall you told me about..."
Monde also realized what Martin was worried about; he too was struck as if by lightning.
Because yesterday, the artisans had reported to him that they had just barely blocked the breach with rammed earth.
But such a defense, in the face of such a terrifying army, was no different from paper-thin.
Immediately, a sense of despair spread through Martin's heart.
He suddenly regretted not listening to Jon.
Of course, what he regretted even more was bringing Lyman back to Darry City.
He dared not imagine how he would face Ser Raymun, who treated him like a son, after death.
"We must hold! Only by holding out might we be able to wait for reinforcements!"
"Fight to the death!"
Monde also realized the seriousness of the problem, drawing his sword to encourage the surrounding soldiers.
"Fight to the death!"
The defenders on the city wall echoed, but without much conviction.
End of Chapter 61PreviousNext ChapterAll chapters
Chapter 61
The Mountain Comes
A brightly armored contingent of troops was patrolling and lingering a dozen leagues east of Darry City.
The young man leading them listened to his subordinate's report, silent as ice.
His face was expressionless, but his gaze was heavy, as if he was repeatedly pondering something.
This person was Jon.
Based on his prior reconnaissance of Darry City, he had already identified several main roads and wilderness paths that could be used for attack and retreat.
Although Jon didn't know the Mountain's exact troop strength, he knew the Mountain would surely come.
Since the Mountain would come, it was highly probable that the Westerlands' heavy cavalry would appear.
If he wanted to encircle and eliminate this heavy cavalry, he had to be cautious and plan meticulously.
For this battle, Jon prepared a large quantity of wildfire, caltrops, and earth-filled sandbags.
"My Lord, this is just a small path; if we scatter some caltrops and dig some hoof traps, we should be able to block the enemy. But the main road to the southwest is the most critical.
If it really is heavy cavalry like those at the Green Fork, we might not be able to stop them with just us," Old Yorek earnestly suggested.
After all, even the regular Northern army couldn't stop them that day, so Jon's current forces would have even less of a chance.
However, the tribal warriors clearly disagreed; now that they wore such fine armor, even if Jon asked them to duel a dragon, they would probably feel they could try.
"Find a way to get some wildfire jars and bury them."
"Fire attack? That's a good idea, but My Lord, how should we ignite them then?" Old Yorek raised another practical question.
"I know!" Sola said excitedly, "Jon is planning to use flaming arrows to ignite these wildfire jars, right?"
Jon considered the possibility of a fire attack and nodded.
"But how to lure the enemy here will still require some thought," Jon added. In fact, there was one more thing he didn't explicitly say, which was that to attract the enemy, sacrifices would likely be unavoidable.
Jon still didn't trust those tribal warriors.
After all, he had personally witnessed theImpact force of the Mountain's heavy cavalry that day. It would be troublesome if these men ran away scared before even engaging the enemy.
The only reliable ones were the old veterans from the mountain clans.
These men had long since become indifferent to life and death.
Despite some reluctance, this was a decision Jon had to make as a commander.
His primary goal this time was not to rescue House Darry, but to kill the Mountain.
The Mountain was Tywin's sharpest claw.
Removing him would make his future plans smoother.
Moreover, many people would live because of it, escaping the fate of dying at the hands of this murderer.
Ultimately, Jon set the final battlefield on the main road to the southwest.
At the same time, he arranged for two hundred veterans and one hundred tribal warriors to act as bait to lure the enemy.
"The Mountain..."
Jon muttered the name softly.
If he could turn him into a 'Bio-Mountain,' that would be the most cost-effective.
Unfortunately, he didn't have that skill.
So he could only settle for the next best thing: after killing him, send his head along with that of Amory, whom he had captured earlier, to Sunspear in Dorne.
And exchange them for some money with House Martell.
Both of these men were murderers of Martell blood relatives.
Whether it was Doran or the Red Viper, they dreamed of killing them.
As long as they could personally slay their enemies, they would surely be willing to pay more.
After all, he would have tens of thousands of people to feed in the future...
As evening fell, the cold moonlight spilled onto the city walls.
A noble boy strolled accompanied by his attendant.
Martin, the acting lord, was already resting.
But because of that nightmare, Lyman had been sleeping poorly these past few days.
The young boy always felt something was about to happen.
"Ser."
"Ser."
The soldiers guarding the city greeted him, and Lyman responded to each of them.
Speaking of which, the commoners from the original House Darry lands, hearing that they had returned, had all come back to their homes.
At least the distant mill seemed to be working again.
Seeing these familiar sights, Lyman's heart seemed to calm down slightly.
"Ser, let's go back. It's cold outside."
Lyman's attendant reminded him, and he nodded, preparing to return.
But just then, as if sensing something, he suddenly turned his head to look into the distance.
He saw a group of armored soldiers, their armor glinting with a cold light, rapidly approaching his castle!
Like a torrent, they charged towards Darry City, this crumbling dam.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack! Someone is attacking the city! Someone is attacking the city!"
Lyman's legs went weak, and he cried out in alarm. The soldiers on the city walls frantically rang the alarm bell.
The urgent, piercing sound of the bell woke the entire castle.
Martin, roused from his sleep, quickly had someone arm him.
"What's wrong! Which army is attacking?"
"Unclear, My Lord. Their equipment is very fine; they all seem to be wearing heavy armor, and the commanding officer leading them is extremely burly, practically a small giant!"
Burly! Small giant!
Martin immediately realized who the attackers were – the Mountain.
Previously, Lyman's father, his uncle Lord Raymun Darry, had been ordered by Eddard Stark to intercept the Mountain.
But for some unknown reason, the information was leaked.
They were caught off guard by the Mountain instead.
Lord Raymun fought the Mountain but had his sword and arm severed by the Mountain.
The Mountain was also an enemy of House Darry!
Martin, of course, wanted to avenge Lord Raymun, but he knew he didn't have the ability.
All he could do was defend this castle!
By this time, Monde had also finished arming himself, and the two brothers came to the city wall together.
The Mountain's heavy cavalry had already begun to array below the city, preparing to attack.
This terrifying army made one's heart pound just by looking at it.
The height of Darry City's walls was only six or seven meters, and their thickness was average.
And it seemed there was more to it; in front of this heavy cavalry, there was actually a group of disheveled commoners.
The enemy's intention was already obvious.
'Are those commoners to suffer twice?!'
Jon's scolding suddenly echoed in Martin's ears, making him feel guilty.
However, he still struggled to compose himself, preparing to intensify the city's defenses.
But then he suddenly noticed something amiss.
"How..." Martin suddenly realized that the direction the Mountain chose to attack from was somewhat unusual—the southwest? Wait!
At this moment, as if something struck him, a thunderclap seemed to explode in his mind, followed by cold sweat streaming down his face.
"Monde, that damaged section of the wall you told me about..."
Monde also realized what Martin was worried about; he too was struck as if by lightning.
Because yesterday, the artisans had reported to him that they had just barely blocked the breach with rammed earth.
But such a defense, in the face of such a terrifying army, was no different from paper-thin.
Immediately, a sense of despair spread through Martin's heart.
He suddenly regretted not listening to Jon.
Of course, what he regretted even more was bringing Lyman back to Darry City.
He dared not imagine how he would face Ser Raymun, who treated him like a son, after death.
"We must hold! Only by holding out might we be able to wait for reinforcements!"
"Fight to the death!"
Monde also realized the seriousness of the problem, drawing his sword to encourage the surrounding soldiers.
"Fight to the death!"
The defenders on the city wall echoed, but without much conviction.