*
Riverlands, Riverrun
Night fell, stars dotted the deep sky, and as darkness descended, a profound tranquility gradually enveloped the ancient castle of Riverrun.
And with the arrival of night, the soldiers guarding the city walls finally got a moment's respite. Few could remain calm under the high-intensity pressure of the day.
Although Emmon Frey demanded all guards strengthen their patrols, after midnight, most of the guards began to feel tired.
Since nothing unusual happened during the first half of the night, at this time, these guards, whether on patrol or dozing, were clearly completely immersed in the peace of the night.
Suddenly, an unusual gust of wind broke the silence, attracting the guards' attention.
"Hey, what's that thing?"
At the shout of a House Frey soldier, everyone's gaze followed the direction he pointed.
Immediately after, one giant light spot after another appeared in people's vision, shining like the moon at night.
And soon, these giant light spots began to move, making the guarding soldiers think they were dreaming.
"Go quickly and call the sers out!"
"Prepare bows and arrows!"
"Quickly ring the alarm bell!"
"Hurry, hurry!"
...Amidst the shouts of some officers, more and more guards began to run towards the towers. Before long, some knights, hastily donning their armor, were escorted by their squires and guards to the city walls.
They looked up and saw several huge shadows in the sky. As they drew closer, these shadows gradually became clear.
"What is this thing?"
"I've never seen them either!"
"Is this another magical trick from that bastard king?"
"The Seven will protect us!"
"Don't be afraid..."
...People unconsciously become afraid when facing the unknown. In this situation, these soldiers, already terrified by magic, didn't know what to do!
They were hot air balloons, but in this era, such flying objects were unprecedented.
Although Jon couldn't research gunpowder, something as simple and easy to understand as a hot air balloon could still be researched by Jon, who wasn't an idiot.
Especially with the augmentation of magical power, the manufacturing of some things became much simpler, especially this hot air balloon. The Alchemists would research a kind of 'Fire Oil' that could provide heat for a long time.
Mages with various magic books could also assist the Alchemists at any time in manufacturing hot air balloons. Many substances in this world are different from those on Blue Star. For example, the adhesive Jon found before is very suitable for sealed bonding.
As more and more hot air balloons ascended, the space west of Riverrun seemed to be filled with countless small suns, or perhaps small moons.
Jon's hot air balloons were different from the compressed gasoline spray burners on Blue Star. They used a special 'Fire Oil' that could burn for a long time. Once ignited, a chimney-like burner would continuously supply hot air upwards.
Its heat is very high, and it burns continuously, generally lasting for about an hour.
All these equipments were the result of Jon's command for the Alchemists to conduct long-term testing and experiments. When there are no dragons, this kind of weapon is most suitable for sneak attacks.
After a period of time, ten hot air balloons, tied with huge coarse hemp ropes, slowly ascended above Riverrun.
Jon Umber, sitting in the largest hot air balloon, gave orders to the soldier beside him with a slight tremble, and that soldier took out an oil lamp made of special red glass.
And soon, with the appearance of the signal lamp, signal lamps also appeared on the other hot air balloons.
So very quickly, these hot air balloons, having received their orders, began to slowly descend, and then, one oil jar after another was taken out by the soldiers.
"Clang!"
Amidst a series of shattering pottery jars, the guards on the city walls were stunned by this sudden scene.
"What is this thing?"
"It seems to be oil!"
Many brave soldiers quickly walked near the oil jars. After touching them with their hands, they realized that these falling objects were actually oil.
"Be careful!"
Just as these soldiers felt strange, rockets began to fall from the sky. At such a high altitude, the soldiers above only needed to light the special rockets with extremely heavy arrowheads, and then the rest was simple. They just needed to extend their hands to release these rockets.
"Boom boom boom..."
Rockets, like meteors, quickly ignited the city walls and the castle. Although Riverrun was a water castle, the sudden fire still caused panic among the soldiers.
"Help!"
"Fire dragons are attacking the city!"
"Run!"
...Except for a few soldiers who heard the commotion, all the soldiers guarding Riverrun regarded this sudden fire as a sign of fire dragons attacking the city.
And when these soldiers, who had been sleeping in the castle or towers, rushed out, they were even more stunned by the scene before them.
Their hearts were filled with terror, instinctively mistaking these giant hot air balloons for the legendary fire dragons.
In their traditions and legends, fire dragons were powerful and terrifying creatures, capable of breathing fire and burning everything.
Unlike those on patrol or roused, many of them were awakened by the scorching heat of the flames.
And the reason all this happened was entirely because Jon's thieves had sabotaged the alarm bell tower in advance.
And when the flames ignited, they even shouted loudly inside the castle, claiming that fire dragons had come to burn the city.
It was precisely because of all these arrangements that chaos quickly spread throughout Riverrun. Guards screamed and scattered, trying to find cover.
Although the knights and watchmen on the city walls were desperately attacking the hot air balloons above, in that chaotic situation, arrows and stones were blindly hurled, but these attacks posed no threat whatsoever to the high-flying hot air balloons.
The soldiers in the hot air balloons, however, remained calm, pouring fire onto the castle's wooden structures and roofs, igniting raging infernos.
Their purpose was very simple: to create chaos and provide opportunities for the subsequent attack.
The firelight reflected on everyone's faces, especially the guards on the city walls, whose faces were filled with despair and helplessness.
These guards on the city walls were slightly better off, because at least they knew what they were facing.
But those soldiers who had not received information were not so lucky, they cried out
Some of them began to realize that these were not real fire dragons, but some unknown siege weapons, but their fear did not diminish.
The soldiers inside the castle attempted to organize a defense, but due to a lack of effective countermeasures and chaotic command, their efforts seemed insignificant.
Just then, some keen-eyed people suddenly noticed thick hemp ropes appearing beneath the hot air balloons, and then, one black figure after another slid down the ropes.
"Kill!"
Jon Umber, wielding a battle axe, directly leaped down from above, and having been specialized into a Berserker by Jon, he landed right in the middle of several House Frey soldiers.
"What!?"
"Pfft..."
"Ahhh..."
The huge battle axe sliced down diagonally, directly splitting these soldiers in half. Blood and organs splattered everywhere, instantly terrifying the soldiers who were still attacking the hot air balloons or putting out fires.
"Hahaha, this is so exhilarating! Die, you idiots!"
Jon Umber, as strong as a bear, was one of the Northern Kingdom's fiercest generals. With the system's power, he seemed to have truly awakened a giant's bloodline. Wherever he went, there was devastation, and hardly anyone could withstand a single blow from him.
"Quick, quick, you guys, don't forget the main task!"
With Jon Umber's suppression, most of the soldiers here fell into a suppressed state. It was precisely because of this that the Targaryen soldiers who came down with him had the opportunity to attack the gatehouse.
Yes, although powerful system warriors like Jon Umber were formidable, their numbers were too few. Although they suppressed the city wall area due to the power difference, as the fire was controlled, the defenders in the city would surely rush up en masse.
Under the attack of heavy crossbows and ballistas, even if Jon himself came, he would not fare well.
Thus, under the obstruction of powerful system warriors like Jon Umber, the remaining soldiers quickly broke into the gatehouse and activated its mechanisms.
The gatehouse is the key to a castle. It is not only the central mechanism for controlling the city gate but also the area above the gate passage. From the murder holes above the passage, defenders can attack soldiers entering the passage.
"The gate is open!"
"Long live the Targaryens!"
"Long live the Dragon King!"
As the gate slowly opened, the Targaryen soldiers rushed into Riverrun with shouts, while the House Frey and House Lannister soldiers still fighting fires in the city were instantly stunned.
These soldiers had been waiting outside the city gate for a long time. Tonight's operation, the most crucial part was the surprise attack and the gate-seizing action. In this process, if the gate-seizing action was not successful, then everything would be meaningless.
At this moment, Robb, who was at the rear of the troops, saw the city gate open, and his heart, which had been hanging, finally settled back into place.
"Honor belongs to the Targaryens. I have completed my mission, Jon... Aegon! The rest is up to you!"
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