The main army moved out, leaving Earl Titus and a thousand cavalry, commanding nearly three thousand captives to attack Lannisport, continuing to confuse Davos Lannister.
Eddard assigned this task to the Lord of Raventree Hall.
For no other reason than to have him send all the unimportant captives to the walls of Lannisport.
The method was simple: use arrows to force these captives to carry sandbags and fill the ditches below Lannisport's walls along the tunnels.
Those who refused would be shot dead on the spot, serving as a warning to others.
Those who went would also be mercilessly shot dead by the defenders on the city walls.
Either way, it was a quick death.
Robb was strongly against this method, but Eddard told him that if these captives were not to die, then the warriors of the North would have to do the job.
Afterward, the young King of the North compromised.
It was a week later when the others arrived near Golden Tooth along the River Road.
As the sun set, orange-red light squeezed between the mountains, falling over the fortress.
At this moment, earth-shattering shouts of battle echoed through the valley outside the west wall.
"Loose arrows!"
Eddard, wearing an arched great helm, plate armor over chainmail, a shield in his left hand, and a battle-axe in his right, stood behind a low wall built of logs.
He directed the archers to unleash covering fire upon the city walls.
Originally, he intended to participate in the night raid with the cavalry of House Karstark, but he was rejected by both Robb Stark and his adoptive father.
Now, he could only direct the archers to provide covering fire on the city walls.
However, he had arranged for his subordinates to go with his adoptive father, leaving only Doren, the spy, by his side.
Arrows rained down from the sky, piercing through shields and then embedding themselves in the neck of a defender who, before losing consciousness, was struggling to string a giant crossbow.
"Ah~"
After a scream, the half-strung crossbow string lost its tension and snapped back with a "bang," sending a soldier carrying crossbow bolts flying, his arm instantly broken by the crossbow arm, the stark white bone splinters faintly visible through the flesh.
Blood mixed with screams, splattering everywhere.
An officer in gold and red armor sharply commanded, "Replace him! Drag the wounded away, quickly!"
The defenders of Golden Tooth were well-trained, executing orders expressionlessly even in the face of such a brutal scene.
On the city wall dozens of meters away, a giant crossbow was ready to fire; the soldier operating it merely aimed hastily before kicking the trigger, and the crossbow bolt flew like lightning towards the base of the wall, directly piercing a shield emblazoned with the Running Wolf Flag and striking a Northern soldier who was continuously advancing while carrying a scaling ladder.
There wasn't even a scream; the man was directly pinned to the ground.
The soldier next to him pushed away his dead comrade, holding up a shield already riddled with arrows, and along with the others, continued to carry the scaling ladder towards the city wall.
Around them, at least five hundred elite soldiers from Winterfell, carrying bags filled with sand and scaling ladders, charged towards the city wall.
Hundreds of bodies lay haphazardly beneath the city wall; each held a shield and wore at least two layers of chainmail, but facing giant crossbows and a rain of arrows, casualties were still inevitable.
Black arrows, like leeches covering the sky, shot from the towers, arrow slits, and behind the battlements on the city wall.
They struck the wooden shields emblazoned with the white Running Wolf Flag with a "clink-clank."
Ooh~ ooh ooh~ ooh
The sun finally sank completely below the mountains, and the retreat horn sounded at this moment.
The Northern soldiers, holding their shields, directly abandoned their scaling ladders, carried their wounded brothers, and orderly formed ranks, quickly leaving the attack range of the Golden Tooth defenders.
Eddard also led his exhausted archers back to the main camp.
The entire plan had now completed its first step.
Starting in the afternoon, Robb Stark had commanded five thousand dismounted cavalry, having them wear double armor, carry shields, and scaling ladders, to feign attacks on the city in batches.
Eddard, meanwhile, commanded several hundred archers to exchange fire with the defenders on the city walls, attempting to inflict casualties on the enemy, put pressure on them, and attract their attention.
Last night, Earl Rickard of Karhold, Lady Maege of Bear Island, and Earl Galbart of Deepwood Motte had already led their family cavalry onto the mountain path, and, taking advantage of the Northern army's distraction of the Golden Tooth defenders, successfully returned to the Riverlands.
Jon Umber and Owen Norrey, on the other hand, had selected the most skilled and fearless warriors from their families, hidden them in the mountains, waiting for the night signal to immediately begin their planned actions.
Time passed minute by minute.
The sky gradually darkened, and Aryssane Leyford, standing on the city wall, wore a heavy expression.
She was the sister of Earl Leo Leyford and the temporary castellan of Golden Tooth.
At this moment, she wore an elegant green silk gown, with a slender figure and a dignified, pretty face.
Looking at the re-gathering enemy, she asked a knight in gray plate armor beside her, "Ser Wendelin, do the enemies intend to attack us day and night without rest?"
"My lady, to my knowledge, Lord Tywin is only three to five days' journey from Golden Tooth. I presume these enemies below also know this news, which is why they intend to fight to the death and attack the city overnight."
Wendelin Hill was the bastard son of House Crakehall of Crakehall in the Westerlands, and a half-brother to the current Lord of Crakehall, Earl Roland.
However, Wendelin Hill was not acknowledged, so the relationship between the two brothers was very poor.
In the morning, Robb Stark brought the captured Earl Roland to attempt a surrender, but Wendelin refused in harsh terms, using crude and violent language, seemingly trying to provoke Robb's anger and then have Earl Roland killed.
This little trick, of course, no one fell for.
Aryssane Leyford also had great trust in this knight, whom her husband had left in charge of defending the city, and asked, "I see there are four or five thousand people down there, and we only have at most five hundred soldiers inside the city. Can we hold it?"
Wendelin Hill waved his hand dismissively and said, "Don't worry, my lady. Golden Tooth is built in a valley. Although the west wall is not as high as the east, it is sturdy enough, and the facilities and ammunition are very complete."
"Let alone five thousand enemies, even if there were ten or twenty thousand, without enough space for them to deploy their formations, it would be useless. They don't have trebuchets or siege towers, so we can hold out for at least half a month."
"After half a month, Lord Tywin's army will have already arrived, and that's twenty thousand men, enough to force the enemy to retreat."
"Good, then I will trouble you, Ser Wendelin."
After hearing this, Aryssane Leyford's expression softened, and she prepared to return to the inner keep. As a woman, it was proper for her to order servants to bring food and do some condolences work after the battle.
But the battlefield, in the end, had to be left to these men.
"It's my duty, my lady. Please be careful not to slip on the blood on the ground."
Wendelin Hill bowed and saw his lady off, then turned to look at the distance outside the city, where the enemy numbers were growing.
Clearly, the night assault would surely be stronger than the afternoon's.
Wendelin Hill's brows furrowed. Just now, he had spoken very casually, but the enemies attacking Golden Tooth at the moment were the elite of the elite.
Every single one of them was tall and powerfully built, and despite wearing two layers of armor, they could still carry scaling ladders and sandbags, launching siege attacks with remarkable speed.
If it weren't for the sufficiently wide moat below the city wall, perhaps the enemy would have already started an ant-like assault.
Since when did these bumpkins from the North become so rich?!
"Go, convey my orders: transfer fifty archers and fifty spearmen from the east wall. Tell the city's commoners and servants to quickly boil hot oil, and bring up all the rolling stones and battering rams. If anyone dares to slack off, I will personally hang them on the city gate!"
Ser Wendelin sternly instructed his attendant beside him.
"My lord, in that case, there will be no archers on the east side. Will that be alright?"
"Follow orders!"
With a sharp rebuke, the questioning attendant quickly nodded and left, while Ser Wendelin looked gravely at the scene outside the city.
The night deepened, and numerous torches were lit on the fortress walls, dispelling the darkness and illuminating the entire wall as if it were daytime.
"Whoo~" "Whoo~" "Whoo~"
The Stark siege horns, accompanied by the thin night fog, echoed through the valley, breaking the previously tranquil atmosphere with shouts and screams.
On the cliff above Golden Tooth.
Owen Norrey, dressed in light black civilian clothes, tied a linen rope thicker than his thumb around his waist and whispered, "Fager, Mata, you two hold the rope and slowly lower me. Once I'm on the ground, slowly lower the rope ladder. Slowly, don't rush, understand?"
Two dark-skinned, serious-faced young men nodded.
Owen Norrey walked to the edge of the cliff, lightly leaped down, and as the rope tightened, he quickly adjusted his posture in mid-air, then lightly touched the cliff face with his feet.
The soft soles of his shoes collided with the hard rock, making a slight sound.
The most difficult first step was completed. Owen Norrey let out a soft breath, and as he descended, he looked at the city wall dozens of meters below him.
Based on the torches and the figures on the towers, he determined that the number of defenders would definitely not exceed a hundred!
The strategy devised by Eddard Karstark, who was about his age, truly worked. Most of Golden Tooth's soldiers had been drawn to the west wall, and the defenses here were weakened by more than half.
Even the towers had no one on guard.
Living in the mountains for years had honed Owen Norrey's exceptional climbing and tree-climbing skills. Each time his feet touched the cliff face, his body descended several meters.
In just two or three minutes, he successfully descended from the hundred-meter-high cliff to the base of the city wall.
Midway, not even a single pebble fell.
"Buddy, do you think that cold-faced freak Wendelin can hold off the attack?"
"Who knows? I heard the enemy has over five thousand men, and a large group of bloodthirsty wolves. Maybe we'll have to go defend the city too soon. By the way, do you still have any wine? Give me a sip, my mouth's so dry I could spit out birds."
"Here, make it last."
The sound of conversation traveled from far to near, from blurry to clear, reaching Owen Norrey's ears. He hastily looked towards the tower on the city wall; through the crack in the wooden door, a firelight grew brighter and brighter.
The patrolling soldiers had arrived!
The defenders of Golden Tooth were well-equipped and well-trained. Wendelin Hill was also highly capable; the soldiers' patrols had no discernible pattern, their speed varied, and their shift changes were unpredictable.
Owen Norrey had long discovered this situation and had prepared a countermeasure.
He moved nimbly, quickly darting to the edge of the city wall, and with a flip, hung his entire body outside, leaving only his hands firmly gripping the wall's edge.
If one didn't look closely, they wouldn't notice anything unusual.
Fager and Mata also realized something was wrong and immediately pulled the rope up more than ten meters.
"Hey, don't drink it all! This is from Dorne; it cost me a lot of money when I bought it."
"Alright, alright, I'll buy you a drink after the battle, won't I?"
Two soldiers, holding torches, clad in elite iron armor, and armed with long spears, walked along the city wall to the edge of the cliff.
At this moment, Owen Norrey, pressed against the city wall, could even discern the texture of the stone in front of him by the light of their torches. Listening to the footsteps so close by, he slowly slowed his breathing.
The Northern soldiers on the cliff also slowly raised their bows.
"Alright, let's go."
The two guards briefly scanned their surroundings, found nothing unusual, and then turned to leave. As they entered the tower, they didn't forget to close the wooden door.
This was a habit they had formed over many years.
Because soldiers often slept inside the tower after their shifts for convenience, and with the door open, the valley wind was strong, making it easy to get sick.
In those days, getting sick was akin to gaining the Stranger's favor.
Revere the Seven Gods, but stay far from the Stranger.
Owen Norrey carefully climbed back up from the edge of the city wall. In just a few minutes, his face was covered in sweat, his legs trembled slightly, and his arms shook.
Besides the tension, his previous maneuver was also very physically demanding.
At this moment, rustling sounds came from the cliff above. First, a section of rope quietly dropped down, with a rope ladder about fifty centimeters wide tied to it.
Owen Norrey grabbed the rope, guided the rope ladder to rest on the city wall, and then used his body to secure it. One after another, agile dark figures quietly climbed down from the cliff using the rope ladder.
These elite warriors of House Norrey, dressed in black and armed with short daggers, quickly took key positions on the nearby city wall after descending.
Especially at the tower entrance, two men hid in the darkness, ready to ambush.
Watching the men of House Norrey slowly climb down, Jon Umber tightened the straps binding his armor, with two battle-axes on his back, and grabbed the rope ladder, slowly climbing down as well.
Seventy brave warriors from the Umber Family were also ready.
Time trickled by.
"Clatter!"
The Umber Family soldiers, large and armored, were not as nimble as the men of House Norrey, and problems quickly arose during their descent.
Loose rocks tumbled down the cliff face, creating a series of noises.
"Something's happening over there!"
"Come on, let's go check it out!"
The unusual noise quickly drew the attention of nearby defenders. They called out to nearby comrades, woke up sleeping colleagues, gathered more than thirty men, and, armed with weapons, quickly walked towards the cliff.
Meanwhile, the defenders responsible for guarding the city gate mechanisms, armed with large shields, short spears, and long spears, remained at their posts, though their expressions became tense.
A figure ran along the winding stairs into the city, clearly going to report.
Hearing the commotion, Greatjon turned to Owen Norrey and said, "Don't wait. The longer we drag this out, the more enemies will gather."
At this moment, about thirty armored soldiers had already gathered around him, and with the men of House Norrey, there were a total of sixty or seventy. Soldiers from the cliff were still continuously climbing down.
"Mmm."
Owen Norrey also knew that they couldn't delay in this situation.
He nodded and took a short dagger from Fager's hand.
"Alright, you without armor, follow behind my men and act as the situation dictates."
Jon Umber drew two battle-axes from his back, his eyes coldly fixed on the nearby tower, his expression turning both fierce and terrifying.