The heavily armed Western Army lined up in a long snake-like formation and was marching struttingly on the River Avenue not far from Riverrun.
These Western soldiers also carried several marching pots on their backs, and they made loud collision sounds when they moved around, which attracted people's attention.
"Lord Brynden, I just received a report from the scouts. This group of Western troops led by Davon Lannister has a number of about 20,000. Judging from the direction they are heading, they should want to support the Golden Tooth City.
"
On the west wall of Riverrun, Earl Tytos leaned forward and whispered to Brynden, who was observing the enemy.
"The army of the Western Region passed in front of us casually like this. It seems that they are very sure that we in Riverrun City do not have the strength to fight outside the city.
Support the Golden Tooth City... Is there any news from His Majesty Robb? Also, is there any news from the other three cities?"
Brynden still had the emotionless expression on his face, but his eyes were filled with thoughts. After pondering for a while, he turned around and asked about Count Tytos.
"There is currently no news from His Majesty Robb. Ravenstree City has sent a letter reporting that everything is normal. Darry City has investigated the crossroads and there are still 10,000 Western troops stationed there.
As for Shili City... there is still no news."
When Count Tytos heard the question, he answered directly, but his voice gradually weakened at the end, as if he guessed that the situation in Shili City was not very good.
Before the start of the second round of the war, under the operation of the Northern Intelligence Organization, information flow was relatively timely and comprehensive. However, after the war actually started, various information delays and asymmetries would have a crucial impact on the war situation.
"There has been no news of the 20,000 troops led by Jaime Lannister. They should be besieging Stonehedge.
However, Shili City has more than 6,000 soldiers defending the city, and it can still hold on for a long time.
The current battle situation is to see which side can open up the situation faster and take the initiative!"
Brynden speculated on the situation in Shili City based on the known information, and finally summed up the key points of the northern and western battlefields in one sentence.
…
Edmure brought nearly 11,000 troops to Stonehedge City. The Stonehedge City at this moment was completely different from what he remembered. It had long been turned into a pile of charred ruins.
A large area of Shili City's city wall collapsed. The originally mud-red outer wall was now scorched black, and some wall bricks were actually in a melted state.
As the horses entered the former school grounds of Shili City, in the center of the ruins, a large area of charred corpses was shocking.
These charred corpses burned by the fire have long been beyond recognition and cannot be identified. Most of the charred corpses are in a stiff posture, while a few of the charred corpses are in a curled up posture.
In fact, it is a bit cruel to say that the charred corpses in a stiff state indicate that they were burned in the fire after death. Those who were instinctively curled up due to the high temperature were burned alive.
well!
Looking at the many charred corpses still emitting a peculiar smell in the school grounds, Edmure showed an unbearable look on his face and sighed heavily.
"Wow! Miles, Paul, captain..."
Among the soldiers behind him, a young soldier looked at the charred corpse in front of him and cried out heartbroken.
"Lord Edmure, when we broke out of Stonehedge, Jaime Lannister was already injured and unconscious. Since they are not stationed here to recuperate, they should have returned to Harrenhal.
Moreover, we were originally going to Riverrun. But who knew we would encounter the Western Army led by Kevan Lannister. Their soldiers were extremely large in number. Judging from the direction of travel, they were probably going to attack Riverrun.
"
In the team behind Edmure, Earl of Lins of Cave City rode forward and said to him.
The nearly one thousand extra men in Edmure's ten-thousand-strong army were none other than Earl of Lins, who took advantage of James' coma to escape from Stonehedge with some northern soldiers.
On their way to Riverrun, they were blocked by Kevan's 20,000 Western Army. They were blocked to the west, Stonehedge City was to the north, and to the east was a crossroads where troops were still stationed.
Finally, on the advice of a northern captain, Earl of Lins led them south to Acorn Hall to join Edmure's army.
But they did not reach Acorn Hall. On the way, they encountered Edmure's army who had received news that Stonehedge City was under siege and came to support them.
In fact, when Edmure saw their 'brown and green white badger' flag, he immediately wanted to attack. Fortunately, Patrick who was following him stopped him with words.
Back at Harrenhal, Lord Lins did express his goodwill to Patrick that he wanted to join the King in the North. Moreover, he had a big appetite and asked Robb for the position of the future Guardian of the West.
Later, Robb agreed through a secret message sent to Patrick by the Northern Intelligence Organization. After all, he was the first nobleman from the West to surrender, so he treated it like buying horse bones for thousands of dollars.
And for Earl of Lins, the risks he suffered were proportional to the benefits he gained.
During the intermission of the war, Earl Lins continued to send Robb the movements and specific information of the Western Army through the Northern Intelligence Organization.
Of course, Robb would not directly trust Earl Lince, but with the continuous investigation and verification by the Northern Intelligence Organization, it was confirmed that the intelligence was true and effective.
Therefore, when the second round of war began, Robb launched a targeted strategic layout for the Western Territory. However, judging from the current situation, Tywin also had a very clear grasp of the movements of the northern army.
"Lord Edmure, I trust Earl of Lins's judgment. We must return to Riverrun to aid as soon as possible!"
Patrick drove his horse forward and suggested to Edmure who was thinking.
"Patrick is right. We should return to Riverrun to reinforce the city. However, Lord Edmure, please let me take the cavalry troops first to find out the specific information for you."
Ser Marko also supported returning to Riverrun, and at the same time, he took the initiative to ask Edmure to conduct reconnaissance first.
Edmure pondered for a while, then looked up at the miserable situation in Stonehedge City, and said resolutely: "I have decided to return to the aid of Riverrun! I will never allow Riverrun to become the miserable state of Stonehedge City!
The enemy army numbered 20,000. We, the 11,000 men, were surprised and attacked from the rear. When the time comes, the 6,000 defenders of Riverrun will definitely send out troops to attack.
If both sides are attacked at the same time, the enemy's military morale will definitely be in chaos, and our winning rate will be very high!
Sir Marko, you lead a thousand cavalry to conduct reconnaissance first. We will return to the aid of Riverrun!"
"yes!"
…
Riverrun, the third day after Da Feng's army passed through.
"The entire army was ordered to set up camp, and the defense fortifications were arranged according to pre-arrangements. The logistics personnel began to make siege ladders."
As soon as he arrived at Riverrun with the 5,000 western vanguard troops, Lord Swyver issued his order to the messengers.
After receiving the order, these soldiers from the Western Region immediately began to set up camp and make siege equipment. They did not pay attention to the defenders on Riverrun City who were watching them closely.
"Lord Brynden, the 20,000-strong Western Army a few days ago must have deliberately pretended to go to Golden Teeth City, but was actually hidden somewhere we couldn't see. Therefore, these 5,000 people must have been the bait to lure us out of the city!
"
On the wall of Riverrun, Count Tytos gently rubbed the hilt of his sword with his right hand and said to Brynden next to him.
"Hmph, don't worry about whether they are bait or not! Anyway, we will never take the initiative to go out to fight in the city before receiving orders from His Majesty Robb.
Tywin and tens of thousands of people failed to capture Riverrun before, now, do we still need to be afraid of these thousands of people?"
Upon hearing this, Brynden let out a cold snort. After saying this, he turned around and left from the wall of Riverrun.
For the next two days, Brynden and others went about their normal routines in Riverrun, completely ignoring the thousands of Western soldiers outside the city. Of course, these Western soldiers could not attack the city, so the two sides faced off peacefully.
Boom, boom, boom!
At noon on the fifth day, Brynden, who was taking a nap, was suddenly awakened by a rapid knock on the door. He quickly put on his fish scale armor and opened the door.
"Huh, Lord Brynden, Lord Tytos asked me to report to you that Lord Edmure's troops are fighting the Western Army outside the city."
When a panting messenger saw Brynden open the door, he immediately told the reason for waking him up.
"Walk!"
After hearing this, Brynden quickly led the messengers towards the west wall of Riverrun.
"Kill!"
"Hold them off!"
"Whoa!"
As soon as Brynden stepped onto the city wall, he heard a loud cry of killing, and then saw the brutal fighting going on in the Western Army camp outside Riverrun City.
Edmure's nearly 10,000 troops are frantically attacking the Western Army camp. Thanks to the fortifications that the Western Army has built with all their strength in the past two days, Edmure's troops cannot all spread out and launch an attack at the same time.
Only a few hundred people in direct contact between the two sides were engaged in close combat. The rest of the soldiers were shooting with bows and throwing spears. Anyway, the scene was very fierce and bloody.
"Are you sure it's Edmure's army?"
Brynden, who had always been more cautious, scanned the battle ahead, walked a few steps to Count Tytos, who was watching intently, and asked.
"Yes! I saw Lord Edmure. He did not personally participate in the battle, but was directing the battle from behind. Look, he is on the back of that familiar white horse."
When Count Tytos heard Brynden's question, he turned around and answered with certainty.
"Well. Through this period of time, it can be seen that Edmure's scout cavalry is quite capable. Therefore, after knowing that the Western Army is coming towards Riverrun, it is completely reasonable for him to lead troops back to support.
However, in my opinion, Edmure's response was too reckless and even a bit stupid.
If Davon's 20,000 men are ambushing nearby, now should be the best time to enter. They can eat Edmure's 10,000 men in one fell swoop."
Following the direction pointed by Count Tytos, Brynden also saw a familiar figure riding a white horse in the distance. Then he glanced around the battlefield and spoke.
After hearing Brynden's analysis, Earl Tytos also looked around with a stern expression.
The people on the walls of Riverrun were watching, while the fierce battle below the walls of Riverrun began to heat up.
Although the number of Edmure's troops in the surprise attack was twice as large as that of the soldiers in the West, the outcome of the war was always determined by numbers alone.
The battle situation under the city wall was changing. The Western soldiers who were raided were all veterans of the battlefield. After the early raids, they gradually stabilized their position and began to have a tendency to counterattack the enemies outside the camp.
"No, most of Lord Edmure's troops are new recruits. It would be fine if this raid successfully caused the enemy's formation to collapse. But now that they have reached a stalemate, their morale has plummeted, and their casualty rate is obviously higher than that of the enemy."
Count Tytos, who was experienced in the battlefield, saw the problem at a glance. He asked Brynden anxiously to ask for help.
"Lord Brynden, let me lead the soldiers of Riverrun to rush out! The enemy army is completely defenseless against our side. Under attack from both sides, they will definitely be defeated."
"It seems that Da Feng's 20,000 troops are not ambushing nearby. So are these 5,000 Western soldiers really just to scare us and prevent us from leaving the city?
Now, the other side has no defense against us. We only need to go out of the city to attack, and they will definitely fail.
I feel something is not right..."
Brynden did not agree to Earl Tytos's request to fight, but fell into deep thought.
"Lord Brynden, are you worried that Lord Edmure will betray us and act with the soldiers of the West?
But the two sides fought fiercely, and they were indeed fighting for their lives!"
Count Tytos heard the meaning of Brynden's words. He turned his head and glanced at the battlefield full of corpses and blood, and answered.
"No, Edmure is indeed not smart enough and is very arrogant. But he is not stupid enough to seek refuge with Tywin. This will not benefit him in any way.
Forget it, the battle situation below the city is tense. If there is any further delay, Edmure's troops may collapse. Count Tytos, you will lead 3,000 men to guard Riverrun, and I will lead 3,000 men to attack from the city."
Brynden did not think any further and directly gave his order to Count Tytos.
"yes!"
Blah blah blah!
Bang!
The iron chain on the city gate of Riverrun made a series of noises, and the heavy iron-skinned oak door quickly fell down.
"Kill!"
As soon as the door opened, Brynden held a long sword and rushed towards the enemy directly in front.
Since all the horses in Riverrun had been destroyed by Edmure in the past few months, Brynden and his three thousand men could only charge on foot.
Woo!~~
Just as Brynden led the Riverrun soldiers to charge to the front of the Western Army camp, a loud horn sounded from the Western Army camp.
The moment the horn sounded, Brynden's heart skipped a beat. He looked behind him at the Riverrun soldiers who had not yet come out of Riverrun City, and immediately shouted loudly: "Close the door quickly, close the city gate quickly!"
Da da da!
At the very rear of the battlefield where the battle was still going on, more than a thousand cavalry troops belonging to Edmure no longer paid attention to the enemies in the Western Army camp.
They quickly divided into two columns and bypassed the Western Army camp, heading straight towards Brynden's troops from the left and right sides of the moat that had been filled in during the previous siege.
"Enemy cavalry, rapid defensive formation to protect the city gate!"
Following Brynden's loud orders, the nearly two thousand Riverrun soldiers at the gate of Riverrun, after a commotion, reluctantly formed two defensive squares on the left and right sides of the city gate.
If there were more than a thousand cavalry, Brynden's troops would definitely be able to hold them back and allow the gates of Riverrun to be closed smoothly. But thousands of Western troops turned around and charged towards them.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
The archers in the Western Army camp no longer targeted Edmure's troops, but began to draw their bows and fire volleys at Brynden's troops.
ah!
Among the Riverrun soldiers who were lined up on the left and right sides of the city gate, some were constantly hit by arrows and fell to the ground. This caused loopholes to appear in the already weak defensive formation.
Boom, boom, boom!
After two rounds of volleys, more than 600 enemy cavalrymen rushed from the left and right sides of the moat and rushed directly into the loophole-filled formation of Riverrun soldiers, instantly piercing the formation.
Bah!
Brynden crouched down to avoid a slash from an enemy cavalry, and cut off his horse's hind legs with a sword.
Oops!
The enemy cavalry immediately fell to the ground from the wailing horse. Before he could get up, he was directly stabbed through the throat by a river soldier.
Blah blah blah!
Behind the riverland soldiers who could no longer form a defensive formation, the iron-barred oak doors of Riverrun were being lifted up by chains.
Tear!
A large group of soldiers from the West joined the chaotic battle at the gate of Riverrun. The soldiers of Riverrun, who had barely managed to hold out in front of the enemy cavalry, were instantly put at a disadvantage and were suppressed by their offensive and kept retreating.
Snap!
Some Western soldiers who had cut down the enemies in front of them saw the hanging door being closed upwards. They jumped very simply and lay down on the edge of the hanging door, trying to prevent it from closing with their own weight.
Blah blah blah!
The actions of these Western soldiers were not in vain. After adding these weights, the closing speed of the hanging door dropped significantly, and the sound of the hanging door chain became louder and louder.
Bah!
Bang!
Brynden turned around and thrust his sword into the back of a Western soldier who was lying on the portcullis, and then tore him off with all his strength.
He glanced at the increasing number of enemies around the portcullis, then raised his head and glanced at the city wall.
By chance, Brynden's eyes met the anxious-looking Count Tytos on the wall of Riverrun. Then, Brynden smiled and nodded to him.
call!
Count Tytos on the city wall instantly understood what Brynden meant. He took a deep breath, and then ordered the soldiers around him decisively: "To the enemy at the target city gate, shoot arrows and throw stones!"
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Puff, pff, pff!
A large number of arrows and rocks as big as heads fell from the sky, and the soldiers on both sides at the gate of Riverrun City suffered heavy casualties. The Western soldiers lying on the portcullis were the key targets.
Blah blah blah!
Bang!
Under the cover of the attack on the city wall of Riverrun, the hanging door was successfully pulled up to 90 degrees by the iron chain and closed heavily.
At the same time, Count Tytos, who saw that the city was successfully closed, immediately stopped the attack on the city wall.
Haloxylon ammodendron!
Among the piles of corpses under the city wall of Riverrun, Brynden, who had an arrow stuck in his left shoulder, used his right hand to pull away the corpse that was pressed against him, and struggled to get up.
But as soon as he stood up, he was captured by several Western soldiers carrying shields and roughly dragged towards the Western Army camp.
Seeing that there was no longer an attack on the walls of Riverrun, these Western soldiers carried all the injured friendly troops back to the Western Army camp and captured all the surviving Riverland soldiers.
"Brynden 'Blackfish' Tully!"
In the Western Army camp, Earl Swyver recognized the very famous Brynden at a glance. Although he failed to capture Riverrun directly this time, it was a great achievement to capture the enemy's well-known general.
"Pooh!"
Brynden didn't even look at Lord Swyver, and spat a mouthful of blood to the side.
Ta-ta-ta!
On the other side of the Western Army camp where the fighting had long stopped, Edmure, with his hands behind his back, slowly walked to Brynden with Sir Marco, Earl Piper and others.
Looking at Edmure, who seemed to be walking like a victor, Brynden couldn't help but cursed: "You are a fool and beast who betrayed the monarch and the family. We should never have agreed to exchange prisoners in the first place to rescue you!"
When I asked you what Tywin told you, you didn't want to tell me! Sure enough, you betrayed us as early as Harrenhal, right?"
"Tywin said at the time, 'I will not advise you to betray your family and dedicate Riverrun to me. You are not a brainless fool. But I will agree to this prisoner exchange and let you go back. And, you will spend the rest of your life
It’s going to get better!'”
Hearing Brynden's scolding, Edmure had a sad look on his face. He first told what Tywin had said to him, then nodded and continued,
"Uncle, you are right! I am indeed a fool. You have already warned me that there is something wrong with my victory during this period. But I was blinded by those honors and prestige and did not see the people around me clearly.
But I will never betray you!"
As soon as Edmure finished speaking, he turned around and showed his hands that had been behind his back in front of Brynden.
I saw that his hands were tightly tied with a thick rope, and at the same time, his left hand was wrapped with layers of blood-stained gauze. Except for the thumb and index finger, the other three fingers disappeared.
"Haha, Brynden, Edmure. Back then, you two deprived me of my honor and imprisoned me in a dungeon. I never thought I would be here today!
Let me tell you! I am the one who planned everything you have ended up in now!"
Earl Piper, who was behind Edmure, came out laughing. Seeing the miserable situation of Brynden and the others, he showed an expression of successful revenge on his face and said,
"When my son heard about me, he returned to the Riverrun dungeon to visit me, and I asked him to join Lord Tywin and become Lord Tywin's secret chess!
Edmure, do you really think you are a military genius, winning consecutive battles? Huh, that's not the military exploits that Lord Tywin gave you through my son!
As expected, our careful Lord Brynden doubted you because of these things, and this created a gap between the two of you.
Then, you Edmure can only come to consult me or my son and follow our ideas step by step."
After hearing what Earl Piper said, Brynden and Edmure looked at each other, seeming to see the guilt in each other's eyes.
Indeed, if the two uncles and nephews could sit down and communicate calmly and eliminate the barriers between them, they would not fall into other people's schemes so foolishly.
"Okay, father. It's useless to say more. We made a mistake today if we didn't capture Riverrun in time. Before Lord Tywin arrives, we must capture Riverrun first."
Sir Mark, who had been standing quietly by the side with an expressionless face, seemed to be displeased with his father's expression, so he interrupted him directly, then turned to Count Swiffer and said,
"Lord Swiffer, Lord Tywin thinks that I am more familiar with Riverrun. So, do you have any objections to letting me serve as the commander-in-chief of this siege?"
"Of course, I will obey Master Marco's instructions in everything."
"Well, let the new prisoners serve as cannon fodder and attack the city first..."
In the Western Army camp, Sir Mark began to make arrangements to attack Riverrun. In the woods not far from them, Patrick, who still had dried blood stains on his face, and the Northern recruit Tomad were quietly observing the situation.
.
"Oops, Lord Patrick, we are still late. What should we do?"
"Go to the Golden Tooth City, where is His Majesty Robb!"
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
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