The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Chapter 375

(Although the update is late, I've actually been writing and revising all along. I feel like I wrote a bit too much action; time for some character development.)

*

"Good idea," said the Mountain.

Joffrey smiled brightly, glanced at the Imp, then at the Mountain, his gaze shifting back and forth between the two, eyebrows raised: "Hound, take a squad of guards down and cut the iron chain."

"Yes, Your Grace."

The Mountain said: "Your Grace, cutting the iron chain might allow Stannis's forces to cross the Blackwater Rush more quickly and attack King's Landing."

"Why?"

"At the mouth of the river outside the Water Gate, there's a rearguard of Stannis's naval fleet."

Joffrey chuckled: "Mountain, if Stannis still has a navy, why doesn't he order it to come and ferry them across the river?"

"Perhaps Stannis, like us, doesn't know that his naval commander, Ser Imry Florent, has a rearguard fleet at the river mouth."

Joffrey gave him a deeply suspicious look: "Mountain, Stannis doesn't know, but you do?"

"Your Grace, I have mounted archers secretly guarding the Stone Tower. They have scouts along the riverbank all the way to the river mouth. I've known for a long time that there's a naval rearguard fleet of Stannis's at the river mouth, and the number of warships isn't small, about the combined total of two royal fleets."

"If that's true, Stannis must know as well."

"Of course he'll know, it's just a matter of time. But as long as the iron chain is cut, he'll discover the rearguard fleet as quickly as possible. And cutting the iron chain won't stop Stannis from crossing the river; instead, we'll lose a good opportunity to snipe at his soldiers."

Joffrey didn't think much of it, but he feared the Mountain and didn't dare to push too hard. He looked at the Imp with a disgruntled expression: "Uncle Tyrion, what do you think?"

"I think Stannis must have been panicked and lost his composure in the wildfire explosion. He didn't think that Ser Imry Florent had left a rearguard fleet at the river mouth."

"If there really are warships at the river mouth, why hasn't that fleet moved yet? Why aren't they coming up through the Water Gate now to help?"

"There are many reasons for that, Your Grace. Perhaps the naval fleet's general is cowardly, or perhaps the hired pirate ships aren't willing to risk their lives. I know most mercenaries are like that."

Bronn shrugged, glanced at the dwarf, and looked relaxed.

The Mountain interjected: "Your Grace, if the warships at the river mouth are hired pirate ships, then each ship the pirates lose is their livelihood. The tragic scene of the wildfire burning over two hundred warships must be very clear to them. Without sufficient reason, or unless they feel safe enough, they'll never come up willingly."

Tyrion said: "It's also possible that they're waiting for orders."

The Hound grunted: "Your Grace, should I go or not? Should the iron chain be cut or not?"

Joffrey looked at the Mountain, then at the Imp, and was about to speak when the Mountain said: "Your Grace, military matters are my responsibility."

The right corner of Joffrey's mouth curled upward: "Alright, Mountain, what do you say we should do?"

"I've already sent Anguy with a hundred mounted archers to reinforce Julie at the Stone Tower. Stannis's men will become targets for Anguy and Julie as they come across the pontoon bridge."

"How many people are guarding the pontoon bridge? One hundred? Two hundred? Too few!" Joffrey said decisively.

"Two hundred bows are enough to cover the width of that pontoon bridge. More people aren't allowed by the terrain."

"We can send troops to line up behind the Stone Tower. We'll kill one Stannis man for every one who comes up."

"Anguy and Julie's two hundred mounted archers are all sharpshooters, their arrows never miss. The enemy can't cross the pontoon bridge unless they run out of arrows. By that time, the enemy's corpses will surely be piled up into another pontoon bridge."

Tyrion's mind raced: "Mountain, if Anguy and Julie's two hundred bows hold the pontoon bridge and Stannis can't cross, with his tough personality, he'll definitely open up a second point."

"Upstream on the Blackwater Rush, rafts to cross the river," said the Mountain. "Now that he's reached the Stone Tower, his scouts will soon discover the rearguard fleet at the river mouth, unless that fleet has already fled."

"Then what should we do?"

"We have no warships, no wildfire. The small boats by the river are just a feint. Although Stannis is wary of them, they can only delay him for a while. Once Stannis realizes this, he'll try to cross the Blackwater Rush on rafts. We can't stop him."

Joffrey shouted: "No, no, no, we should send troops to the riverbank. We'll intercept them wherever they cross the river."

The Mountain pondered for a moment: "Your Grace, Stannis's army is several times larger than ours. We must cherish every soldier and never trade lives with them. We must use the thickness and height of the city walls to our advantage, using the power of the catapults for long-range attacks. First, we must preserve as many of our own soldiers as possible from suffering losses, while eliminating as many of Stannis's soldiers as possible, and only then face them in a life-or-death battle."

Joffrey opened his mouth, looked at the Mountain and the Imp several times, and finally his grand strategy turned into boredom, saying: "Uh, okay!"

The Hound stared at the Mountain, then returned to the ranks of the Kingsguard.

*

Anguy led the mounted archers to the Stone Tower.

"Soldier, where's Captain Julie?"

"Sir, Captain Julie is on the south bank!"

Anguy was startled. The torches on the south bank shone as brightly as the stars in the sky. Clearly, the Stone Tower had fallen.

"Listen to my orders, dismount, take arrows, form ranks," Anguy shouted.

Soon, the two hundred mounted archers became infantry, unloading bundles of arrows from their horses and forming two squares.

The warhorses were placed in the rear, and all the winch operators were evacuated.

"Stick the arrows in the ground," Anguy ordered.

So, arrows were stuck in the ground one by one, in front of each soldier's toes.

On the opposite bank, Robin Ryger—the Earl of Willow Wood—with sword and shield, helmet and armor, was the first to jump onto the pontoon bridge.

He was as nimble as a cat, jumping from the wreckage of one ship to the wreckage of another, quickly climbing over obstacles, accurately stepping on each plank. The planks groaned under his feet, and one plank was broken by his foot. As the plank broke apart, he had already jumped forward.

Behind him, soldiers like ants, shields, helmets, armor, fully armed, crossed the chaotic pontoon bridge.

More and more rafts, densely packed, layer upon layer, made the pontoon bridge more solid and less likely to fall apart.

"Second team!" Stannis ordered personally.

So, the second team of fully equipped infantry jumped onto the pontoon bridge, with some soldiers starting to walk on the rafts.

"Third team!" Stannis pointed forward with his long sword.

The third hundred-man team set off immediately! This was a team of longbowmen, responsible for providing long-range support to the first two teams.

"Fourth team, follow up!"

More and more rafts, and the pontoon bridge became wider.

The fifth and sixth teams set off at the same time, one team walking on the wreckage of warships pontoon bridge, and the other team walking entirely on the raft pontoon bridge.

From a distance, the soldiers were like ants climbing over uneven rocks, densely packed, connected from front to back, crawling all over the pontoon bridge.

Plop!

A soldier lost his footing and fell into the water, fully armored, and immediately sank into the water, unable to struggle.

"Watch out for wildfire!" a centurion reminded his soldiers.

The wildfire was gradually extinguished, but there were still many small fires, glowing green and curling up in the corners like sparks. That substance was almost completely burned out, seemingly extinguished but not extinguished, but sticking to it was a nightmare. The wood that had not been stained with wildfire material was soaked in water and would not burn.

On the opposite bank, Anguy stood in the shadow of the Stone Tower. The bow he used was longer and stronger than everyone else's, which was conducive to long-range shooting.

Robin Ryger was getting closer and closer, and almost two hundred brothers' eyes were fixed on him. Robin saw the soldiers on the opposite bank, the shadows of two squares. He mustered his courage and strode forward, his pace faster.

Anguy drew his bow and nocked an arrow in the shadow of the Stone Tower: "Brothers, leave the leader to me."

"Hah!" Two hundred brothers roared in unison.

Anguy shot an arrow, and with a whoosh, it hit Robin's helmet right in the center.

Robin was shocked. The arrow pierced through his helmet and stuck in it. He was scared into a cold sweat.

Anguy felt sorry. The other side's shield defense was tight and cautious, only revealing a bit of helmet.

Robin paused for a moment, then continued to move forward, his speed not diminishing at all.

The other side had a sharpshooter, and he should have been more careful and slower.

Whoosh!

Anguy's second arrow, an armor-piercing arrow, accurately pierced through Robin's shield, pinning Robin's left arm holding the shield to the shield.

Robin didn't say a word and continued to move forward.

Arrows were stuck in front of Anguy's toes, making it very convenient to take arrows.

While Robin was jumping, with a whoosh, Anguy's third arrow hit his outstretched right calf right in the center, and the arrow pierced through his calf.

Robin cried out and fell behind a piece of wreckage. The soldiers behind him were shocked and rushed forward to help him. Robin shouted: "Be careful and stay low, I'm fine!" He waved his sword to cut off the arrow tail, reached out and grabbed the arrowhead, roared, pulled out the arrow shaft, and threw it out with force. The short arrow shaft fell into the water with a soft splash and immediately disappeared.

Robin tore off his cloak to bandage the arrow wound, and stood up again: "Attack, soldiers." He ordered sternly and jumped out again, as if nothing had happened, as if his right leg was not injured at all.

The soldiers were encouraged and shouted, rushing forward bravely.

Anguy in the shadow of the Stone Tower was dumbfounded.

He clearly knew that he had shot through that guy's right calf with an arrow. Without a doubt, he believed in his archery, but in just a short while, that guy popped up again and continued to move forward.

Behind Robin, the soldiers on the pontoon bridge shouted madly, overwhelming the rolling torrent of the Blackwater Rush.

Anguy took a deep breath. He felt that Lord Mountain might have made a mistake. Two hundred archers didn't seem to be able to stop such a group of soldiers.

The Mountain should have sent Big Head Chiswyck, Big Black Bear Rolger, the Burned Men's Thistle, and others to guard the pontoon bridgehead, or set a fire.

Anguy drew his bow and nocked an arrow, his fourth arrow, aiming at Robin's figure. He knew that guy was a general and had to shoot him to death, otherwise he wouldn't be able to kill the enemy's spirit.

Under Robin's encouragement, the soldiers accelerated and entered the range of fire.

"Draw bows!" Anguy shouted.

So, two hundred bows clicked and creaked, full as the moon.

"Release!" Anguy shouted.

The sound of arrows breaking through the air was sharp and piercing, the whistling sound was sharp, and the black spots were dense, covering down indiscriminately.

Puff! Puff! Puff!

The soldiers were shot one after another, and screams rang out immediately.

"Shield defense!"

Robin shouted.

"Messenger, quickly report to Lord Mountain that infantry reinforcements are needed," Anguy shouted.

"Yes, sir!"

After a round of arrows, Robin reappeared and rushed to the front again.

Anguy's arrows kept following him closely: "Is this guy not human? Does he have dark magic? Or is he Big Head Chiswyck's brother?" Anguy muttered, his arrows aimed at Robin's figure, not relaxing for a moment.

Robin desperately moved forward, raising his sword and shouting: "Brothers, charge."

Whoosh!

Anguy shot an arrow, hitting the wrist of his raised sword right in the center, the arrow piercing through his wrist, and both sides of the bracer were cracked.

The power of Anguy's divine arrow was also extraordinary.

Robin roared and dropped his long sword. He quickly bent down and hid behind the rotten planks. He gritted his teeth, and his left hand forcibly broke off the arrow tail stuck in his right wrist, and pulled out the arrow shaft.

"Sir!" the soldiers behind him shouted. The family guards were eager to protect their lord and rushed forward.

Arrows rained down, and the soldiers were shot one after another, falling into the water with a plop, plop, plop.

However, more soldiers fearlessly climbed forward, high and low, like ants.

With the help of the family guards, the arrow wound on Robin's wrist was wrapped with cloth strips, and the arrows that pierced the shield were also pulled out one by one.

He raised his shield again, crouched down, and moved forward.

Anguy was anxious. His divine arrows were invincible, and it was the first time he had encountered someone who couldn't be shot to death.

He knew that as long as he didn't shoot the leader on the other side to death, the dense soldiers on the pontoon bridge would rush ashore, because no one would retreat.

They were already fearless.

"Free fire, brothers, do not let any enemy come ashore, leave the leading general to me."

"Hah!" Two hundred soldiers burst into shouts.

The arrows stuck in front of their feet doubled the soldiers' rate of fire.

The other side's fierce momentum stagnated and was finally curbed. They couldn't move an inch. Anyone who dared to step forward would be shot into a hedgehog.

However, Robin reappeared, holding the shield with both hands, and continued to move forward.

He was like a flag!

As soon as he appeared, the soldiers on the entire pontoon bridge shouted together, the crowd was surging, and they bravely moved forward. Behind them, on the increasingly wide raft pontoon bridge, the soldiers began to jog forward, one after another, more and more, more and more, more and more.

Anguy felt his hands trembling slightly.

This made him very angry and hate himself.

Anguy's blood surged, he strode out, jumped onto the pontoon bridge, and shot a volley of arrows at Robin.

Robin squatted down, half-squatting, his shield protecting his whole body.

Du! Du! Du! Du!

Anguy's long arrows kept shooting at Robin's shield, preventing him from standing up, and at the same time, the long arrows kept shooting to death the soldiers who rushed to Robin's side one by one.

Whoosh!

An arrow flew and the sound of breaking through the air warned Anguy. He leaned to the side, and an arrow grazed past him. Anguy immediately counterattacked, and with one arrow, the guy standing on the side of a ship screamed and fell down after being shot.

Angai stood alone at the head of the pontoon bridge, firing arrows in rapid succession, killing each soldier who surged forward to support Robin. Those with shields were shot through them, the long arrows pinning the shields and the soldiers' arms holding them together, the accuracy impeccable, with no deviation.

However, more soldiers surged forward. For every one he shot down, two more came. For every two he shot down, four more appeared. In the darkness, enemy archers also arrived, arrows constantly whizzing past Angai.

I can't hold them back!

Angai thought despairingly, "Why is there an unkillable man on the other side? Even after being hit by multiple arrows, he just won't fall!"

Robin's shield was riddled with Angai's armor-piercing arrows, his left arm pinned to the shield by several arrows, yet he still crouched low and advanced towards Angai. His nerves were like steel wire, his will like black iron. He and his rectangular shield were a banner, constantly urging the soldiers forward, never falling!

Angai finally retreated!

The reinforcements Angai wanted had not yet arrived, but Robin led his soldiers across the bodies of their fallen comrades, approaching the head of the pontoon bridge. Behind Robin's team, more soldiers followed, densely packed.

Infantry ashore, archers collapse!

"Mount up, retreat!" Angai shouted, the words filled with shame that almost brought him to tears.

For the first time, he tasted the bitterness of defeat. In the Battle of the Green Fork, he was high-spirited, showing off in front of tens of thousands of soldiers.

At the Great Tourney of the Seven Kingdoms, his archery skills surpassed all the masters, even Balon Swann of the Kingsguard was his defeated opponent.

But the pontoon bridge ambush on the Blackwater Rush… he had met a madman named Robin…

"If the battle goes badly, protect the brothers and retreat first." This was the Mountain's order to him.

Hooves thundered as Angai led two hundred brothers speeding towards King's Landing!

Behind him, Robin led his brothers onto the north bank, and then, he collapsed, never to rise again!

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