Ramsay struggled hard among the corpses of several war horses and finally squeezed out half of his body. He immediately spat out a mouthful of mud mixed with blood.
A group of Winterfell infantrymen holding torches, who were inspecting the corpses and performing last-ditch attacks, saw Ramsay squeezing out of the pile of horse corpses, and immediately came forward with their spears in hand.
"I am one of my own, Ramsay Bolton of the Dreadfort!"
Ramsay also saw the Winterfell soldiers. He immediately wiped the blood from his face and shouted loudly.
A Winterfell soldier recognized Ramsay by the light of the torch. He nodded and confirmed: "It is indeed Earl Ramsay. Brothers, please help him out."
Hearing this, the other Winterfell soldiers immediately moved away the pile of horse carcasses and pulled out Ramsay, who was covered in thick blood and couldn't see clearly.
"Earl Ramsay, His Majesty is outside the camp. Some brothers may not recognize you because of your appearance. Why don't I take you to see him?"
"Okay, thank you very much. I will remember you, and I will definitely thank you very much in the future."
Looking at the Winterfell soldier who recognized him, Ramsay nodded and thanked him.
Under his leadership, Ramsay walked around the Dreadfort camp, which was covered with blood and corpses, and saw Robb standing outside the camp from a distance.
At this moment, outside the Dreadfort camp, a group of Ironmen knelt on the ground in a dark mass, surrounded by nearly a thousand cavalry and infantry armed with weapons.
Robb was discussing something with several ironmen who looked like leaders.
After Robb nodded to confirm, Owen, the commander of the Winterfell infantry beside him, led the cavalry and infantry to escort all the Ironborn prisoners to King's Harbor.
"Ramus, just hope you're okay! I was very worried about you just now and asked them to find you!"
Robb looked up and down and saw Ramsay, who was extremely embarrassed, and said with a smile.
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I led the soldiers of the Dreadfort, without fear of death, bravely fought against more than twice the number of enemies, and finally succeeded in delaying time for you to annihilate them!"
Ramsay thanked him and said that his status as a tactical decoy was the key to victory in this battle.
Robb raised his eyebrows when he heard this, and then replied: "Of course, thanks to Lord Ramsay's credit. Well, the soldiers of the Dreadfort fought bravely, and there are no more than a hundred soldiers.
Then...these fifteen hundred prisoners will be treated as rewards and placed under the command of the Terror Fortress, just to replenish your troops."
This time, the ironmen were lured deep into the city and then encircled and annihilated them. The cavalry and infantry in Winterfell suffered very few casualties.
The besieged Ironborn regarded the enemies in the Dreadfort camp as their main targets. There were more than a thousand Dreadfort soldiers and slave laborers, but less than a hundred survived.
Of course, the more than 2,500 Ironmen present suffered more casualties. The tough and fearless Ironmen, under the disadvantage of being surrounded, died more than a thousand, almost half of them, before they finally surrendered.
Hearing that Robb gave the captured Ironborn to him as a reward, Ramsay forced a smile and thanked them: "Thank you, Your Majesty, I will tame them well and continue to fight for you!"
"Well, thank you for your hard work. Let's go back to King's Harbor first! When you are ready, you can go to Owen at any time to accept the prisoners."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
After the soldiers on the side brought them horses, the two of them rode towards King's Harbor.
As for the cleaning of the battlefield here and the Botley family fortress that has been unable to defend, there will be specialized personnel to clean and receive it.
When Robb and others arrived at King's Harbor, the new popularity of King's Harbor was reflected. The bonfires and lights reflected each other, as if the entire port came to life at once.
Xue Feng sensed Robb's approach early on. As soon as he entered the port, the terrifying giant wolf that was feared by countless people acted like a huge Erha, asking Robb for credit coquettishly.
Playing with Bloodwind was more strenuous than killing the enemy. Robb played with it for a while and then began to make the final arrangements for the day.
After this battle, there is absolutely no possibility of a comeback for the entire Iron Islands. The surviving leaders of Great Wyk Island and Salt Cliff Island have just chosen to surrender.
Robb learned about it and learned that Great Wyk Island is the largest island in the Iron Islands. Their strength is only weaker than King Balon. The other small islands that have not yet participated in the war can only gather up to 3,000 Ironborn warriors.
Robb doesn't need to do anything now. He only needs to stay in King's Harbor for a few days. By then, except for the 2,000 men who stayed in Moat Cailin, the other 20,000 soldiers will all come to the Iron Islands.
When nearly 30,000 troops invaded the territory, the remaining small islands in the Iron Islands had to either surrender or be destroyed.
Instructing his men to keep an eye on the forty Ironborn longships, Robb asked Clay's dozens of Winterfell soldiers to take the heads of King's Harbor Lord, Shavon, and the leader of Saltcliff Island, Dorno.
, and his handwritten letter in a box to take to Park City.
It was already late at night when dozens of Winterfell soldiers carried torches and arrived at Clay Camp in front of Pike City.
When Clay heard them relaying Robb's orders, he asked a messenger holding a white flag to deliver the wooden box containing the two heads and the letter to Pike City.
Quinton and several other longship captains in the city gate tower had different expressions on their faces and had various thoughts in their hearts when they saw the head and the letter.
However, without King Balon's order, they would not be able to surrender even if they wanted to.
Quinton, who was still young and still had many ambitions in his heart, gritted his teeth, quietly called out to several crew members of his longship, and disappeared into the darkness of the city gate tower while no one was paying attention.
…
Late at night when the full moon was in the sky, in front of Carlin Bay, a group of soldiers kept their mouths shut and grabbed the collars of their comrades in front with one hand. Under the bright moonlight, they groped extremely slowly on the only causeway to the north.
.
Like monsters in the dark night, the three towers standing on the left and right sides of the causeway suddenly lit up many bonfires.
The archers on these three towers lit hundreds of special rockets on the bonfires and fired them at the soldiers on the causeway who wanted to attack at night.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
These rockets caused great harm to the soldiers who were marching intensively. Those who were killed directly by the rockets were relatively painless.
Those soldiers who were shot in the body and survived, but whose leather armor was ignited, screamed on the ground while rolling left and right in an attempt to extinguish the flames.
Some rockets were fired into the rotten swamp next to the causeway and extinguished, but a very small number of rockets ignited the methane in the bubbles just before they burst, and a large open fire suddenly ignited.
Although these flames are not supported by subsequent biogas and burn very briefly, their power is very scary.
This group of soldiers who originally wanted to attack at night were suddenly attacked in this environment. How could they care about charging to attack the tower and maintain their formation.
Suddenly, he was like a headless fly, running away in all directions, trying to survive as much as possible.
Plop!
Since there was still a supervisory team blocking the rear, many soldiers who could not retreat jumped into waist-deep rotten swamps and circled towards the rear.
But some unlucky soldiers stepped on the natural traps in the swamp, struggled with fear on their faces, and slowly fell into the deep pit of the swamp.
In the darkness of the rotting swamp, there are more than just these natural traps. Many are like "black wood" with eyes and teeth, half floating and half sinking in the water.
These black logs are lizards that look somewhat like crocodiles. They hunt by sight and smell.
When they saw the soldiers jumping into the swamp, they used their long tails to swim in the water. When they got close, they suddenly used their big mouths full of dagger-length teeth to bite the prey that came to them.
They quickly bite these panicked and screaming prey, and then drag them into the muddy water of the swamp, leaving only balls of bright red blood floating on the water.
Stevelen stood behind the causeway and saw bonfires lit in the three towers. Soldiers dressed in obvious northern attire were shooting arrows to kill the enemy.
As for the soldiers of the Frey family, they only knew how to run for their lives in a hurry, and even the supervising team at the rear could not stop them.
He sighed heavily, gave the order to retreat to his subordinates, and then turned back to the camp to revive Lord Tywin, who had placed high hopes on him.
In the commander's tent in the Lannister army camp, Tywin listened quietly to Stevron's report.
After listening, he nodded and did not blame Steve Lun. Instead, he gave a few words of encouragement, which made the flattered Steve Lun walk out of the handsome tent very excitedly.
"Sure enough, there is something wrong with that idiot Baron. Carlin Bay is still in the hands of the little wolf cub. If he stays behind closed doors now, then our plan will be completely in vain."
Seeing Tywin sending away the simple-minded Stevron, Kevan said with a solemn expression.
"I'd be fine with it if it was just Moor Cailin. I'm worried about the Iron Islands...
Probably not, Balon was able to burn down our Lannisport back then, and he is a mature king of predators after all."
There was no emotion or anger on Tywin's face, he just analyzed it rationally. As he spoke, he changed the topic and ordered to Kevan,
"Kevan, bring your army tomorrow morning and continue to besiege Riverrun. You have been away for so many days, and I am worried that something will happen to Riverrun.
As long as you can capture Riverrun, we will be invincible in this battle!
When the time comes, the wolf cub will have no choice but to hide in the North, and the wealth of the Riverlands will be at our disposal."
"Yes, I will try my best to capture Riverrun City as soon as possible!"
Whether it's Carlin Bay or Pyke Island, for them, this long and bloody night is gradually passing.
The next day, the sun rose above the sea, driving away the darkness of Westeros.
"Ah! Someone come quickly..."
In the main castle of Pike City, a scream of a slave worker broke the calm of the dark and damp main castle.
Since most of the ironmen in the city were at the city gate tower, it took a while before Quinton led five longship captains to the city lord's palace in the main castle.
In the middle of this gorgeous palace, half of a rope was hung on a beam. Under the rope, Baron, who had been lowered by several slave workers, was lying quietly on the ground. There was half of his body cut off next to him.
rope.
At this time, apart from his bulging eyes and ferocious face, Baron was actually very quiet. He was no longer the crazy and fierce look he had before.
"King Balon couldn't bear the pressure of the army sieging the city, and he has committed suicide by hanging from a rafter!"
Quinton looked at Baron's body and came to a conclusion with a firm tone.
As soon as he finished speaking, the other four ironborn captains looked at each other and chose to remain silent.
Finally, the older captain frowned and walked forward. After carefully inspecting Balon's body, he said to Quinton: "Quinton, it's too much for you to say that King Balon committed suicide."
Too hasty.
For people who commit suicide by hanging from a beam, the strangulation marks will be in a figure-eight shape just below the jawbone.
King Balon's strangulation marks were in the middle of his neck and formed a straight line at the back, which is obviously the result of being strangled to death!"
When Quinton heard the captain's analysis, he immediately limped forward, looked around Baron's body, then came to the captain and said softly: "As expected, it seems..."
Bah!
Before Quinton finished speaking, he took out the dagger he had prepared with his right hand and stabbed the captain in the abdomen.
"Ah You……"
The captain who was attacked by Quinton only had time to scream, and then lost his life under the opponent's stormy thrusts.
Quinton picked up the captain's body, threw him from the seaside window sill of the city lord's palace, and threw him into the sea that could accommodate everything.
After doing all this, Quinton, covered in blood, turned to the other four captains and said: "You should have seen the result of last night's battle through the wooden box sent by the King of the North.
The leaders of other islands have surrendered. Rather than being put into boxes too, we might as well surrender to the King of the North and follow him to plunder the south of the Green Land.
Now, I say that King Balon committed suicide by hanging from a beam, does anyone have any objections?"
"No, no!"
The four captains, who participated in the defense of the city gate tower and had seen the power of Winterfell soldiers and the wooden boxes with heads, swallowed nervously and answered in unison.
In the Blood Keep prison, Xion, who was frustrated by his father, sat in the prison blankly.
He regretted very much now that he had improperly served as the commander of Winterfell and had to worry about his cold and heartless father, who was still imprisoned by him.
Yesterday, he commanded thousands of soldiers and had a higher status than some northern earls. Now he was a prisoner. This sense of gap really gave him various thoughts.
Ta, da!
There was a sound of footsteps of different sizes, and Quinton, who had changed into a leather armor again, came to the prison with a sad face.
He opened the cell door with the key, walked into the prison, and knelt down on one knee to the puzzled Theon: "Your father couldn't bear the pressure and committed suicide by hanging himself. Euron was banished, and Victarius
Ang and Aeron were killed in the battle, and Aara was imprisoned in Deepwood Motte.
Now, as the only legal heir to the Seastone, Theon Greyjoy, I, Quinton Greyjoy, pledge my allegiance to you. Please ascend the Seastone and conclude an alliance with the King in the North."
My father is dead? Will I become King of the Iron Islands?
The news from Quinton's mouth made Theon feel sad and happy at the same time. However, for him who was imprisoned by his father himself, waiting to be exchanged for Yara, he was definitely more happy than sad.
After regaining his composure a little, Xion is about to obtain the throne that he has dreamed of for these years.
He puffed up his chest, nodded to Quinton and replied: "I accept your allegiance! From now on, we will be brothers sharing salt and iron!"
Now let me out, I want to see the King of the North!"
…
Robb had no idea that Theon would come to him with such a big surprise so early in the morning.
In the inn in King's Harbor, Robb listened quietly to his slightly sad story about how his father had imprisoned him, and then he was very excited and said that he would become the King of the Iron Islands.
Seeing Xion constantly sharing his joys and sorrows with him, Robb nodded secretly in his heart. Apart from anything else, Xion indeed regarded him as a brother.
"Xion, don't worry, I will help you clear all obstacles and let you ascend to the sea stone position. Then together, our brothers will conquer the West and enter King's Landing!"
Robb showed a smile on his face, stretched out his right hand, and said to Theon in a sincere tone.
Hearing this, Theon nodded heavily, held Robb's hand with his right hand, and said very excitedly: "Robb, even if I become the King of the Iron Islands, you are still my brother and my king!
I will fight with you and help you sit on the Iron Throne in King's Landing!"
"Okay, then let's advance and retreat together."
After the two confirmed their offensive and defensive alliance, Robb asked Owen to bring up the Great Wyk Island nobles who were captured yesterday.
Regarding the news that King Balon had committed suicide and that Xion would ascend to the throne of Seastone, the leaders headed by Geold had no objections. According to their explanation, it meant that the winner was the king and the loser was the loser.
Now that Balon is dead, it proves that he has lost the ability to lead the ironborn. As the only legal heir to the current throne of Seastone, Theon should ascend to the throne.
However, in Robb's opinion, God and others knew how to assess the situation and knew that after the Iron Fleet changed hands, the current Iron Islands were unable to resist the entire Northern Territory's forces.
After gaining the support of Gord, Theon immediately sent letters to all the noble families on several other islands in the Iron Islands, asking them to come to witness his coronation and baptism within three days.
Otherwise, after he is crowned, he will personally lead the army to destroy their family in the name of a traitor.
On the second day after sending the letter, the Iron Fleet once again brought tens of thousands of northern soldiers to King's Harbor. I wonder if the nobles from other islands saw the northern troops.
On the third day, all the nobles of the Iron Islands gathered in King's Harbor. They landed in King's Harbor, and after seeing Robb's troops and the mighty bloody wind, most of the Ironborn nobles chose to remain silent.
Even if some nobles have dissent in their hearts, they will not show it now.
At noon that day, Theon's coronation and baptism was held in a bay filled with squid flags on Pyke Island.
"Today, we are here to witness the baptism by drowning of Theon Greyjoy X. Does any ironborn raise any objection?"
A priest of the Drowned God, whose body was decorated with iron ore and salt blocks, pointed at Theon beside him and spoke.
When the Drowned God Priest finished speaking, an old man with snow-white hair and thick beard sitting on a chair, with a strong build, finally waited for the opportunity to speak: "I, 'Anvilbreaker' Airi, Airi Emei
There are differences..."
Aww!
As soon as Airy finished speaking, he received the blood wind sent by Robb and quickly jumped back and forth on the rocks a few times.
He came to the chair where he was sitting, and bit off the head of the 'Anvil Breaker' Airy with a wolf's mouth full of jagged teeth, killing the rest of his words.
"Ask again what you just said!"
With a smile on his face, Robb looked around at the livid-faced Ironborn nobles and spoke loudly to the Drowned God Priest.
"Oh, oh, today..."
Looking at the Anvilbreaker's head that Xue Feng was chewing, the Drowned God priest nodded and repeated what he just said loudly.
As soon as the Drowned God Priest finished speaking, the entire bay was filled with only the sound of sea breeze and waves, and there was no voice of opposition.
"Theon Greyjoy, please come and be baptized by drowning!"
Seeing that there was no objection, the Drowned God priest spoke to Xion.
Theon turned to look at Robb gratefully and came to the side of the Drowned God Priest.
The Drowned God Priest pushed Theon down into the sea and chanted loudly: "Let your servant, Theon Greyjoy, be reborn from the sea like you!"
Give him the blessing of sea salt, give him the blessing of solid stone, give him the blessing of steel...
The dead will not die, but they will rise again with greater force!"
This ritual is a test from the Drowned God. The drowned person must drown in the sea. If you cannot survive and drown, you are not qualified and the Drowned God does not recognize you.
Only those who can survive it can officially inherit the position of Haishi. However, the difficulty of this ritual actually depends on the speed of the Drowned God's priest's chant.
The Drowned God priest, who was specially instructed by Robb, finished chanting at a very fast speed, and pulled Theon up, who had just choked on a mouthful of sea water and kept coughing.
Seeing that Xion was fine, the Drowned God priest put a wooden crown called the 'Crown of Sea Salt and Rock' on his head and said loudly: "The dead never die!"
"The dead never die!"
The surrounding Ironborn nobles echoed loudly at the same time.
At this point, the Iron Islands ushered in the tenth generation king of the Greyjoy family, a new king who was influenced by Robb and was different from the previous traditional iron thinking.
The day Theon sat on the Seastone, he ordered the recruitment of the remaining longships and ironborn warriors of each family. He promised to lead them to plunder wealth they had never imagined before.
When these Ironborn nobles saw the powerful Northern Army, they also had the idea of taking advantage of the situation and donated their family's longships and troops.
A few days later, more than 310 Ironborn longships, plus 25 large combat longships, carrying more than 33,000 Northern soldiers and Ironborn coalition forces, moved toward the
Go to the west.
At the same time, Tywin's army was still near the Neck, Kevan's army re-sieged Riverrun, and the Mountain's cavalry continued to burn, kill and loot in the Riverlands.