The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Things didn't go as Jenny expected. Surprisingly, everything went smoothly afterward. They passed two more villages without encountering any threats or incidents.

Each village they passed was filled with people, their hostility palpable. They eyed the Mountain and his men like wolves eyeing lambs, many eager to pounce, their eyes gleaming at the sight of the long line of wagons laden with supplies. Yet, each time, they passed without incident.

The crowned stag banner and the three-headed dragon banner evoked memories of loyalty and friendship on the Claw Peninsula.

The Mountain led three hundred cavalry, their military bearing disciplined and imposing, clearly seasoned and fierce warriors. The villagers were savage and warlike, but not true tribal warriors. A village would find it difficult to win a battle against such a cavalry force.

The Mountain, walking beside the wagons, was a terrifying figure, like a giant from legends. The villagers, seeing such a massive and fierce man for the first time, held strength in high regard and were wary of the Mountain.

As dusk approached, the company chose a spot at the foot of a mountain to rest. The army's tents were pitched with their backs to the mountain, preventing attacks from both sides. Tents were erected, sentries posted, and the night was spent without unsaddling the horses or removing armor, passing peacefully.

The next day, everyone continued to advance slowly, a pace that best conserved energy, keeping the entire force at peak combat readiness and preserving the stamina of the warhorses.

In the morning, the army passed the fourth village. Just one more valley to cross, and they would reach the army's first destination: the lands of House Warner.

After midday, two high mountains appeared ahead, the terrain treacherous, with a mountain road winding between them. As the company entered the road and looked up, the two mountains seemed to press down from the sky. The trees blocked out the sun, which only reached the mountainside, leaving the road in shadow.

The air turned cold and damp.

According to prior intelligence, this mountain road would pass through a valley entrance, and inside the valley was a plain where a large tribe resided. If they could pass through the valley entrance safely, the next destination would be the lands of House Warner.

The mountain road could barely accommodate the passage of wagons. The rocks on either side nearly met in mid-air, and if anyone were to ambush them here, the Mountain's army would be in great danger.

The Mountain recalled what Jenny had said—that no ground invasion of the Claw Peninsula had ever succeeded—and he believed he understood why. For conquerors to fight through these treacherous mountain roads to conquer the dozens of large and small tribes within was indeed as difficult as ascending to heaven.

On roads like these, at the foot of two high mountains, the enemy only needed to ambush from the mountainside, pushing down rocks, and the entire army would be annihilated.

Or, after the invaders had all entered the mountain road, they could seal the road by pushing down rocks from the front and rear, and then roll logs and stones down the mountain, ensuring that none of the invading enemies escaped.

Jenny sat in the wagon: "Duke, the road is treacherous. You should put on your plate armor."

The Mountain agreed, and with the help of two strong guards, he donned his plate armor.

"Everyone, advance slowly, take out your shields, and be ready to defend," Jenny added.

The soldiers responded, taking out their shields. The generals gripped their sword hilts, the cavalrymen raised their lances, everyone alert and vigilant, the army advancing slowly.

As they advanced, a whistle sounded from the mountainside ahead, a unique whistle produced by the mountain people by holding a leaf in their mouths. The whistle traveled far through the ravines, and soon, the sound of approaching hooves could be heard.

Then, the leaf whistle shrieked, and archers clad in foliage appeared on both sides of the mountain, their green arrows aimed at the foreign army.

The soldiers were all shocked.

Suddenly, a commotion arose from the rear supply train. A band of men appeared from behind, cutting off the Mountain's army's retreat, the shouts of 'Doro loro doro loro!' echoing from behind.

Doro loro doro loro!

On the mountainsides, under the trees, and on the rocks, warriors wearing foliage and animal skins appeared, each with a bow and arrow, all aimed at the Mountain and his company.

Ahead, the cries of 'Doro loro doro loro!' continued, along with the urgent sound of hooves, rushing towards them.

"Don't panic, everyone! Standard-bearers, lead the way! Advance!" Jenny shouted sternly, her voice resounding with authority!

The black stone standard-bearer and the six standard-bearers were already apprehensive. They were not afraid of death, but in this situation, with enemies in front and behind, and hundreds of archers on the mountains aiming at them, such a formation could not help but inspire fear.

Not only Black Stone, but all the soldiers paled. However, seeing Lady Jenny so calm and composed, her authority evident in her brow, a woman who had never practiced martial arts, with such courage in such an unfavorable situation, the soldiers were all ashamed in comparison.

Black Stone roused himself and, with the six standard-bearers, led the way.

"Ser Angai, General Denson, protect the flag!" Jenny stood on the wagon, her voice audible to every soldier.

The lady's fearlessness in the face of danger revived the soldiers' courage.

"Yes, Lady," Angai and Denson replied respectfully, moving to protect the flag in front.

"All soldiers, advance at a steady pace," Jenny ordered again.

"Hah!" the soldiers shouted, the unparalleled glory and courage of the Clegane army restored, their morale soaring.

With the Duke and Duchess facing danger together, what was there to fear?

At worst, they would die protecting their lord.

Doro loro doro loro!

The cavalry warriors rushed forward, their shouts echoing through the valley.

Behind them, the valley warriors echoed their shouts from the mountainsides, their cries of 'Doro loro doro loro' rising and falling, chilling to the bone.

A band of men blocked the way, without flying any banners. The general on horseback was a youth, his skin bronze, wearing only a loincloth, combat boots, and his face and body painted with cloud and flower patterns. Beside him was a female witch, a silver plate hanging on her chest, the plate bearing the image of a coiled venomous snake.

The youth held a long spear, the spear painted with snake patterns, as if a colorful venomous snake were coiled around the spear.

The youth looked at the three-headed dragon banner and the crowned stag banner, raised his spear, and the shouts of 'Doro loro' ceased. The young general and the witch beside him pointed to the two banners and said something, then the young man pointed his spear, and several riders charged out, one team of four with scimitars, and another team of four with long spears, forming two teams, charging towards Black Stone and his six men.

Their goal was clear: to seize the banners.

"Ser Angai, General Denson, kill them!" Jenny shouted sternly.

Whoosh!

An arrow flew out, puff, like a shooting star, hitting the throat of the scimitar warrior in front. The warrior fell backward violently. The three riders behind him, skilled horsemen, split and charged from both sides, continuing to advance, waving their scimitars and shouting 'loro'.

On the other side, Denson drew his longsword and rode to meet the enemy. In the blink of an eye, the two horses met, the long spear like a venomous snake, stabbing fiercely at Denson. Denson dodged the opponent's spear, and his longsword slashed out, the two horses extremely fast, the sword sharp, and a head flew up.

The warrior's body remained on the horse, passing the flag-bearing team, before the corpse finally fell.

Puff! Puff!

Angai sat still on his horse, firing two arrows in quick succession, one hitting a scimitar rider in the forehead and the other in the chest, each falling off their horse. The last scimitar warrior finally rushed in front of the banner, raised his scimitar, and slashed at the flagpole, but Black Stone blocked it with his sword.

Puff!

Angai fired a third arrow, hitting the scimitar warrior in the eye socket. A miserable scream echoed eerily through the valley, and the cavalryman fell off his horse. His warhorse charged forward, turned a corner, and ran back past the Mountain.

On the other side, three spearmen surrounded Denson. Denson blocked with his shield, his longsword flickering like silver light, cutting off a cavalryman's arm. Before the opponent fell, he thrust his sword, piercing the opponent's throat. The soldier's eyes bulged, his face filled with horror, unable to believe that the other's sword was so fast.

Puff puff!

Two spears stabbed fiercely at Denson like venomous snakes, one stabbing at his head and the other at his horse's head. The two spears coordinated perfectly, their tactics flawless, and their attacks swift.

Denson protected his head with his shield, the spear striking the shield with a clang and sliding off. The shield of the Westerners, the Mountain had reinforced the bracers with iron, two layers inside and out, to prevent longbow hard arrows from piercing the shield and piercing the arm and shield.

Shielding his head and deflecting the spear, he slashed with his longsword, cutting off the head of the spear that had stabbed at the horse's neck. He squeezed his legs, the warhorse charged forward, breaking into the middle of the two spearmen, and slashed with his longsword, cutting off the hands of the warrior with the broken spear. The spearman screamed and fell.

Denson rammed with his shield, knocking the other cavalryman off his horse. He squeezed his legs, the warhorse understood, stomping its hooves, hitting the chest and abdomen of the spearman with the severed hands, instantly killing the spearman.

The other spearman, who had fallen off his horse, had just gotten up when a sword whistled towards him, like a silver flash, and the spearman's head flew up, blood spraying and scattering a shower of blood.

Denson fought four riders alone, both man and horse covered in blood, but it was all the blood of his opponents.

He himself and his warhorse were unharmed.

Angai had already finished his work, but Denson's close combat was even more moving, both sides of the soldiers were stunned, afraid to blink.

Denson's evasion, shifting, defense, counterattack, slashing and stabbing, each was accurate to the extreme, the sword light like lightning, fast as the wind. The opponent often made an evasion or defense, but it was all useless, because it was too late.

For a time, eight warhorses lost their masters and ran back to their formation. The young man was furious, pointed his spear, and just as the shout of 'Doro loro loro' came out, a wagon rumbled to his front: "Dragon Warrior, why do you want to break my king's flag?" Jenny questioned.

The youth choked!

Dragon Warrior was a title that the Claw Peninsula people had always been proud of, and it was also a glory they had conferred on themselves: to prove that they were the most loyal model subjects of the Dragon family. This was to distinguish them from other nobles who were loyal to the Targaryen family.

Whoever called them Dragon Warriors was their friend. No noble in the outside world had ever called them Dragon Warriors, they all proudly called themselves that.

Jenny was the first noble woman from the outside world to call them Dragon Warriors.

"The three-headed dragon flag is the royal flag of the Targaryen family, the military flag that the Dragon Warriors have been loyal to for three hundred years; the owner of the other crowned stag flag has also been very kind to the Claw Peninsula people, generous, and respects the loyalty of the Dragon Warriors, and refuses to send troops to wipe out the peninsula. The two flags are as important as life in the hearts of our soldiers, and cannot be humiliated, let alone have their flagpoles cut down."

The youth shouted: "Do the Dragon Warriors only have the three-headed dragon in their hearts, and not the crowned stag?"

Jenny sneered: "Without the crowned stag, why would we bring two hundred carts of supplies to the Claw Peninsula? Because the Royal Navy fleet died protecting the Iron Throne of the crowned stag, and many of the warriors in the Royal Navy fleet came from the Claw Peninsula."

The youth looked at the witch.

The witch nodded slightly.

The youth said: "Okay, just now we were just testing your determination to protect the royal flag. Those who do not have people who will defend the military flag to the death are not worthy of holding these two flags, and are not qualified to enter the Claw Peninsula. We know very well that, apart from King Robert, the nobles in the outside world are all hypocritical and cunning, trying to sneak into my peninsula with a flag. Just now, we had to do this."

"The general is right."

"Now, we have paid the blood of eight warriors to dye the flag red, proving the loyalty of our Dragon Warriors, now it is your turn to prove it."

"How does the general want us to prove it?"

"Of course, it is blood."

"There has been enough blood just now."

"No, we have already paid the blood to sacrifice the royal flag, now it is your turn."

*

Blood sacrifice!

Primitive and barbaric blood sacrifices originate from people's prayers in the face of war, harvest, and natural disasters. People often kill people in blood sacrifices to pray for victory in war, a good harvest of food, or to avoid disasters.

Jenny was not surprised that the people here worshiped blood sacrifices.

Jenny had also seen that the teeth of the witch on the opposite side were black, which was the mark of the most basic blood witch. In Lannisport, when her grandmother, Witch Ji, did not live in Clegane Castle, she often showed her black teeth to hide her higher level, both to make her peers despise her and avoid jealousy, and to scare away inquirers who did not understand witchcraft.

The lower the ability of a witch, the more mysterious her appearance and frightening external characteristics.

Jenny does not wear witch robes, has no external signs of a blood witch, she likes to be clean, elegant and beautiful, and does not like to follow the mysterious set of witches. From the outside, no one can tell that she is actually a blood witch, and has been carefully taught by her grandmother Witch Ji, but she herself has not fully understood that she has been tricked by the Mountain.

Witch Ji has no apprentices of her own, Jenny is her only successor.

After Jenny understood the other party's intentions, she knew that this tribe respected the blood witch next to the young man, and the blood sacrifice must be the blood witch's idea to judge whether the outsiders were guests (passers-by) or friends.

*

Jenny looked back: "Black Stone Standard-bearer."

"Yes, Lady."

"Your Clegane's sons and daughters, we will adopt them, and they will grow up with my future children, they will be my and the Duke's own flesh and blood."

Black Stone turned over and dismounted, knelt on the ground, kowtowing: "Thank you, Lady."

The Mountain was surprised by Jenny's unexpected fortitude and courage. He remained silent.

The Mountain remembered that before Jenny learned blood witchcraft, she had learned medicine from the family scholar, and had done dissections and leg amputation surgeries, her beauty and elegance concealing her extraordinary courage hidden deep in her bones.

Jenny came here with him, not only to assist the Mountain in entering the Warner territory, but also to obtain something for the Mountain, which was a prophecy seen by her grandmother.

"Lady, I have a request," Black Stone said.

"Speak," Jenny's eyes were slightly red, turning slightly, not letting anyone see her weakness. She controlled the trembling of her voice, and no one could hear it.

The peninsula warriors would not respect a soft-hearted person, and the soldiers would not like a Duchess who was fragile in the face of battle.

"I want the Duke to cut off my head with the Ice Sword."

"Good!"

Clang!

The magic mountain's Ice Sword was drawn, its silver light shimmering like a serpent dancing along the blade's spine.

"Truly worthy of being called Ice!" Black Stone exclaimed. "Duke, come! It is my honor."

A flash of silver light, *schick*, a light sound like cutting through thin paper, and Black Stone's head flew off. The sword was too fast, the blade too sharp. As Black Stone's head flew, his thick black beard still managed to shout out a deep voice: "What a fast sword!"

When he shouted, his head was still on his neck; everything happened too quickly. Only after his head flew off did the sound emerge.

It was as if time and space paused for a moment, and after half a heartbeat, hot blood finally spurted out.

*

ps: Would chapters with over 4,000 words be tiring to read? Should I make them 2,000 words per chapter?

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