More than 4,000 heavy cavalrymen wearing the refined heavy armor of the Lannister family, armed with steel lances, launched a group charge towards the camp of the northern army outside the Neck.
Outside the northern camp, hundreds of light cavalry were specially arranged by Robb to patrol back and forth. When they saw the opponent's charging momentum that seemed to crush everything, they immediately discarded all unnecessary items, pulled the reins of the horses and headed towards Cailin Bay.
Run for your life in a hurry.
Puff, pff, pff!
The Lannister heavy cavalry, which looked like heavy tanks, entered the northern army camp without any hindrance.
The thick tents stationed in the camp were directly blown away by them with lances, or they were directly knocked down.
But inside these opened tents, there were neither northern soldiers nor any supplies. They were completely empty.
Da da da!
Thousands of Lannister light cavalry surrounded by two flanks also broke into the northern camp with ease.
Behind these tens of thousands of cavalry was a central army of nearly 30,000 elite infantry. Tywin, who was at the very rear, frowned and looked at the empty camp that had been turned upside down by his own cavalry, thinking about the whereabouts of the northern army.
"Lord Tywin, these northerners must have discovered our attack and hurriedly abandoned their camp and fled back to the Neck."
Kevan, who had not waited for Robb at the Twins, received Tywin's letter and led the ambushed soldiers to join Tywin at the King's Road.
He looked at the empty camp ahead and expressed his judgment.
"Haha, when they saw Lord Tywin's 40,000 troops, I believe they were frightened out of their wits.
When they escape back to Cailin Bay, there will be an even bigger surprise waiting for them."
Lord Walder's eldest son, Stevron Frey, who joined the Lannister camp with four thousand family soldiers, smiled and catered.
Tywin, who had been expressionless and thinking quietly, suddenly rode his horse past the central army and headed towards the northern army camp.
Kevan and Stevron looked at each other and immediately drove their horses to follow. Behind them were Lannister generals at all levels.
After arriving at the razed northern army camp, Tywin dismounted from his horse, uncovered the remains of a campfire among the messy ruins, and squatted down to examine it.
Suddenly, he stood up suddenly and said in a hasty tone: "No! They didn't abandon the camp in the past two days!
Oops! There must be something wrong with Cailin Bay!"
…
Blah, blah!
As the flagship of the Iron Fleet, the Invincible Ironborn took the lead and rode the wind and waves. Behind it, more than a hundred Ironborne longships followed in their 'triumphant return'.
During the voyage from Bright Flame Bay to Pyke Island, any ship that saw the Iron Fleet would immediately speed up and avoid it, for fear of being approached and robbed by them.
In King's Harbor on Pyke Island, due to the fighting that took place against the ships in the port a few days ago, the entire port is now under martial law and is no longer the lively scene it was during the free trade period.
At the outlet of King's Harbor, dozens of Ironborn longships were parked sideways, and they were arranged neatly to block the sea.
An ironborn who was cleaning the mast looked up and saw the returning iron fleet in the distance. He squinted his eyes and saw the ironborn standing on the deck in the distance, as well as some figures dressed in mail from the Green Land.
He lowered his head and shouted to the other ironmen below: "Lord Victarion's Invincible Ironborn is back, and they are bringing a ship full of Greenland slaves.
It seems that the price of slave labor is going to drop!"
"Oops! The price of the slave workers we captured during the previous robbery of the passenger ship has been reduced before they are sold out? What bad luck!"
"Hey, my farm just needs slave workers. I'll have to pick a few strong ones then."
Hearing his shout, the other ironmen immediately started talking, some complaining, some happy.
Ironborn longships are highly maneuverable ships designed for raiding, and they can travel twice as fast as ordinary commercial flat-bottomed ships.
In a very short period of time, the Invincible Ironbred and its iron fleet quickly approached the seaport of King's Harbor.
"Eh? Why don't they lower the sails and slow down!"
The ironman standing on the mast looked at the rapidly approaching Invincible Ironborn and muttered to himself in confusion.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
There was a faint sound of breaking through the air, and the ironman on the mast looked dull, watching the dense black spots in the sky heading towards him.
Bah!
Bang!
The unsuspecting ironborn was directly stabbed into a hedgehog by the dense rain of arrows, and then fell freely from the tall mast to the deck of the longship.
"Enemy attack, enemy attack!"
Suddenly under attack, the ironmen of the dozens of longships blocking the entrance to the sea sounded a shrill alarm.
Duh duh duh!
The continuous rain of arrows covered the Ironborn longships at the seaport, and countless sharp arrows filled these longships.
Make them look like those straw boats borrowing arrows from Chinese allusions.
Some of these unsuspecting ironmen were killed directly in the dense rain of arrows, while others hurriedly hid in cabins and hiding spots that could block the arrows.
But they were all attacked by the covering arrows and were so suppressed that they did not dare to move at all.
Boom!
The two-hundred-foot-long (about 60-meter-long) Invincible Ironborn took the lead in approaching these Ironborn longships through the impact of its high-speed sailing.
Its hard bow ram plunged straight into the side hull of an Ironborn longship lying across the mouth of the sea.
The ironborn longship was pushed nearly over by the powerful impact.
Bang, bang!
After the two ships collided, the shaking of the two ships calmed down. The northern soldiers carried on the Invincible Ironborn directly put the long springboard from the Invincible Ironborn to the Ironborn longship, and began to jump along the springboard to engage in a boarding battle.
.
On the Ironborn longship, the Ironborn who were hiding in the cabins and hiding spots saw that the rain of arrows had stopped and the enemy jumped to their side. They had never been afraid of a broadside battle, and they immediately took their weapons in hand and faced the Northern soldiers.
Although there were many soldiers from the North who jumped into gangs, their combat effectiveness on the long boats that swayed with the waves was completely inferior to that of the Ironborn.
Tear!
An ironman holding a sharp ax looked at the northern soldier who was shaken a little unsteady, and took the opportunity to hit him on the head with an ax, directly cutting off half of his head.
This northern soldier's head was violently split with a sharp ax. Blood suddenly splattered on his incomplete head, and a stream of blood splashed directly onto the mouth of the ironman.
"Ah, come on! bitches of the green land!"
The Ironborn was very perverted and licked the blood on his mouth with his tongue, then looked up to the sky and roared.
It seemed that his ferocity was aroused by the blood. After roaring, this ironman who was not afraid of death simply walked along the gangplank and counterattacked towards the Invincible Ironborn.
Aww!
As soon as this Ironborn rushed onto the Invincible Ironborn, his eyes were blurred when he was bitten in the waist by a huge and terrifying wolf, and was picked up sideways.
"Ah, ah, help..."
The Ironborn, who were so crazy and fearless just now, fell into the mouth of the terrifying giant wolf. They were so frightened that they asked for help.
However, before he could finish his words, the terrifying giant wolf's mouth swung hard, and its jagged teeth directly bit the ironman in half.
Ouch!
After killing the invading enemies, Xue Feng stood on the bow of the Invincible Ironborn and suddenly let out a wolf howl.
Due to the weight, Bloodwind, who was not wearing armor this time, after howling, obeyed Robb's order, jumped directly from the Invincible Ironborn to the longship, and joined the battle.
On this long boat, the ironmen who were shocked by the bloody wind were unable to resist, so they were mercilessly slaughtered by it.
"Wolf God, spare my life!"
An Ironborn was so frightened that he collapsed due to Bloodwind's bloody killing. When he saw Bloodwind bit the Ironborn next to him in two pieces, and then came in front of him, he immediately threw away his weapon, raised his hands and knelt down, and loudly begged for mercy.
With Robb's advance message of permission to surrender, Bloodwind saw Robb kneel down and surrender, changed his attack posture, and headed towards the other Ironborn.
Seeing the usefulness of surrender, the other ironborn rushed to throw away their weapons and knelt down to surrender. After Bloodwind took care of this longship, he used the short distance between the longships to jump to other longships.
With calculated calculations and unintentional intentions, coupled with the suppression of several times more troops, and most importantly, the addition of Bloodwind's participation in the battle, the battle at the seaport of King's Harbor ended quickly.
The first batch of soldiers brought by the Iron Fleet were all elite Winterfell soldiers, so they were able to follow the orders and prohibitions and did not first search for loot after the victory.
Instead, he assisted the ironmen who had surrendered and allowed them to remove the longship blockade here and clear the way to King's Harbor.
Standing on the deck of the Invincible Ironborn, Robb turned his head and found Theon looking at the ironborn broken in two, with a look of unbearable expression on his face.
Robb spoke directly to him and said: "I sincerely invite your father to form an alliance, but he wants to take the opportunity to attack the North and cut off our retreat.
If I hadn't arranged my backup in advance, you and I, as well as the 30,000 troops from the north, would have all died before Carlin Bay by now."
"Your Majesty is right, that's what Balon Greyjoy said when I was in the Great Hall at Pyke City,
As long as he takes Moat Cailin, Tywin's 30,000 to 40,000 troops will surround him, and our northern army will be completely destroyed by then."
Ramsay, who followed Lord Herman and joined Robb's army at the Redang River, made a timely excuse.
"Luo...Your Majesty, can you please give me a chance to persuade my father to surrender?"
Xion bit his lower lip tightly and spoke suddenly as if he had made a decision.
"Of course, that's what I mean, otherwise I wouldn't have brought you to Pike Island with me.
As long as you can persuade your father to surrender and give you the position of King of the Iron Islands, we can still be allies of the same camp."
When Robb heard this, he nodded seriously and replied.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Seeing Robb agreeing, Theon immediately thanked him with excitement on his face.
Ramsay, who was standing next to him, had gotten to know the King of the North better and better. He looked at Theon's simple and excited expression and curled his lips in disdain.
The iron fleet that has been owned by Robb has a total of one hundred and ten ships. Ordinary longships that regularly go to sea can usually accommodate hundreds of people. Large longships like the Invincible Ironbred can accommodate up to about three hundred people.
This time, in addition to the hundreds of ironmen who were responsible for steering the sails and steering the ship after surrendering, the rest were 5,500 infantry and 100 cavalry with war horses.
Among them, 4,500 and 1,000 cavalry are the direct troops of Winterfell, and the other 1,000 infantry are recruits from the Dreadfort.
After getting rid of the Ironborn longships blocking the entrance to the sea, the Iron Fleet headed straight towards King's Harbor.
As early as the battle at the seaport of King's Harbor started, most of the Ironborn at the port had already fled to the square castle of the Lords of King's Harbor, the Portley family.
At this moment, there are only some ironmen left in King's Harbor who are too old to run, and some slave workers with dull eyes and numb expressions.
Therefore, Robb's army successfully landed in King's Harbor without encountering any resistance.
When Robb stepped into King's Harbor, he discovered that the living conditions in the Iron Islands were indeed difficult. This bustling port, with frequent ships, was made up of bungalows with old stone walls and turf roofs.
The only three-story building made of bricks and stones, judging from the sign, it should be a hotel.
Let five hundred northern soldiers guard the return of the iron fleet and continue to transport other northern soldiers. Robb entered the inn and occupied the entire King's Harbor.
Through the captive ironmen, Clay interrogated a lot of information. The 4,600 ironmen who invaded the north are already King Balon's entire strength. At this moment, there are at most a few hundred guards left in Pike City.
Therefore, for Robb, he has no worries at all about them abandoning Pike City and coming to King's Harbor to attack.
Theon, who was anxious in his heart, asked Robb to find a slave worker in King's Harbor who knew Pike City. The two of them rode a war horse and galloped towards Pike City.
"Count Ramsay, take a thousand men from your Dreadfort to attack the Botley family."
After Theon left, Robb issued his orders in the comfortable inn.
"Yes, Your Majesty! I will dedicate their castle to you as soon as possible."
Ramsay nodded, expressed his loyalty, and immediately went out to gather his men.
"Clay, you take two thousand Winterfell infantry and go to besiege Pike City. You don't need to attack the city, just besiege it.
Then, shoot down all the ravens Pike City releases."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Clay nodded in agreement, and then asked with some hesitation,
"Your Majesty, if we don't attack the city, are we waiting for Theon to persuade his father to surrender?"
Robb smiled and shook his head, and answered his doubts to his trusted subordinate: "Over the years, the Ironborn have always been able to plunder the west coast of the North because of their flexibility.
If there are few enemies, they will plunder; if there are many enemies, they will retreat.
Therefore, this time I used a long enough time and a large enough stage to fool Balon, and then beat them to death completely in one go.
When his iron fleet abandoned its ships, set foot on land, and was killed and captured by us, they had already lost."
Seeing Clay's thoughtful expression after hearing his words, Robb nodded secretly and continued,
"As for why Pike City was not attacked, it is because its location is easy to defend and difficult to attack. His Majesty Robert and my father paid a great price to be able to attack it.
Apart from iron ore resources, the Iron Islands are very poor and not suitable for long-term occupation.
Our strategic target in this war is not the Iron Islands, but the Lannister family and King's Landing in the West.
So it doesn't matter what Theon says. What I want... is all the ships in the Iron Islands.
Surround Pike City, and ships from other islands will automatically arrive."
After listening to Robb's story, Clay nodded with enlightenment and praised from the bottom of his heart: "Your Majesty, I understand now. It is really unwise for them to be your enemy!"
…
After not riding for long, Xion, under the guidance of his slave workers, returned to the castle he had been away from for nearly ten years.
At this time, Pike City already knew about the fall of King's Harbor and was already in a state of war readiness.
The city gate tower is at the forefront of Pike City, separated from the main castle by a bridge. The city wall is like a black stone crescent connecting the cliffs on both sides.
A rusty iron gate protected the city wall from attack. There were three square towers on each side. At this time, dozens of Ironborn archers were on top of these towers, aiming their bows at the two of Xion.
"I am Theon Greyjoy, King of the Iron Islands, and the only son of Balon Greyjoy!
I want to see my father!"
Theon raised his hands in the air, approached the gate tower of Pike City, and shouted loudly.
These ironborn archers heard Xion's words and did not relax their vigilance. They sent people to report, and their bows and arrows were still aimed at them.
After waiting for a long time, King Balon slowly came to the city gate tower.
Seeing Xion below, he waved his hands to the archers, and then the archers relaxed their vigilance and loosened their bow strings.
"This young master of the Stark family, what do you want to say?"
Balon looked at Xion, who was dressed as a noble young master, and said sarcastically.
"Father, I am Theon, your only son. This time, I bring the goodwill of the King in the North.
Let me go in and talk!"
When Xion saw his father, he didn't pay attention to his sarcasm, but joy appeared on his face and he answered.
"My child, now there is only Yara, what kindness do you bring? Just say it here!"
"His Majesty Robb promised that as long as you surrender, he will still make an alliance with you."
When Xion heard Balon's words, he spoke directly.
"Surrender? Haha, how could an ironborn surrender? Besides, I don't believe what that little wolf cub said at all."
"Father, don't worry. Robb and I are as close as brothers, and the promise he made to me will definitely be fulfilled. Yara has been imprisoned in Deepwood Motte. Since you think you only have one child, you should also think about her."
Theon tried his best to persuade his father. Knowing Robb's military strength, he didn't think his father had a chance to make a comeback.
"Haha, we are as close as brothers! Okay, I want to think about it, you come in first and then talk about it."
Balon sneered, spoke to Xion, then turned to the ironborn beside him and ordered,
"Open the door, wait for him to come in, and put him directly in jail."