*
Riverlands, High Heart
The Riverlands at night is a paradise for mosquitoes; because the rivers here are so dense, it directly results in mosquitoes being everywhere once night falls.
At this moment, within the main camp of the Reach coalition, several soldiers from the Ring were idly gathered around a campfire, chatting.
They were soldiers of House Roxton. The Ring belonged to a very small family in the Reach; compared to those great families possessing the bloodline of Garth Greenhand, they were nothing at all.
It was precisely because of this that they were chosen for night watch duty. After these soldiers completed two patrols, they snuck over here to slack off.
Under the influence of the flames and smoke, mosquitoes generally wouldn't seek them out, but if they went on patrol, those insects would cover them in an instant.
"Have you heard? We're actually going to deal with that legendary Aegon Targaryen who transformed into a dragon!"
Just then, a soldier who looked somewhat sly suddenly spoke up to the group.
"What choice do we have? We're all under the command of the lords. Whatever they tell us to do, we have to do, or what else do you want to do?"
After hearing this, another soldier immediately retorted with a question.
"I heard they have dragons. Last time, that King Renly was trampled to death by a dragon. Will we encounter that kind of dragon?"
A somewhat cowardly soldier couldn't help but glance around as he spoke, as if a dragon might be right there.
"What's there to fear? We brought a whole heap of scorpion bolts. Under such dense fire, even an iron dragon would die under that thicket of bolts."
The middle-aged squad leader among them spoke up quickly upon hearing this.
While chatting could relieve fatigue, once it went on too long, things would drift toward topics they shouldn't discuss. To prevent anyone from reporting him, the squad leader joined the chatter himself.
Clack…
Just then, the squad leader who had been speaking suddenly stood up. After glancing at the distant shadows, he gripped the longsword in his hand tightly.
"What is it, Captain Al?"
"I feel like…"
Just as the captain named Al was staring strangely at the distant shadows and voicing his intuition…
A terrifying dark shadow pounced on him in an instant. Before the captain could react, he felt a sharp pain in his neck, and after that, he knew no more.
"Ene—"
"Ah…"
The other five soldiers didn't have time to react before they were pounced upon by other dark shadows. When the dark clouds were blown away by the wind, several wolf-like creatures nearly the size of oxen appeared under the bright moonlight.
Those were Robb's direwolf Grey Wind and the Three-headed Hellhound summoned from Jon's magic stone. They had received orders in advance to attack the stables of the Reach army.
"Awoooo…"
Accompanied by the sounds of wolf howls, countless Mo Sha Hounds also appeared in this area. Then, led by the direwolf Grey Wind and the Three-headed Hellhounds, these Mo Sha Hounds charged toward the main camp like a tidal wave.
"Enemy attack!"
"Awoooo…"
As the roars and the sound of horns emerged, the entire Reach coalition camp was thrown into complete chaos. Amidst the shouting and screaming of soldiers, the entire camp was like boiling water.
"Kill!"
At that moment, Robb Stark and his men, who had been hidden in the forest for a long time, directly ordered the soldiers to launch the attack.
The Reach coalition camp was filled with caltrops, barricades, and similar obstacles, making it impossible for cavalry to utilize their advantage. Therefore, the best method was to use infantry for a sneak attack.
Whinny…
Under the biting of Grey Wind and the others, the startled horses charged straight out of the makeshift stables, neighing as they bolted toward the Reach coalition camp.
With the stampede of the horses, the soldiers in the camp were alerted. They rushed out of their tents one after another, attempting to stop the stampeding herd.
However, the horses had lost all reason; they ran frantically, charging forward regardless of everything.
Soldiers tried to use ropes and lassos to catch the horses in the herd, but the horses were simply too fast for them to keep up.
Some soldiers tried to get close to the herd, only to be kicked by hooves and fall to the ground in agony.
The horses crashed through the camp's tents, destroying them one by one. The soldiers' tents were trampled to shreds, their belongings scattered everywhere, and the entire camp fell into utter chaos.
Meanwhile, Grey Wind continued to tear into the herd, his ferocity making the horses even more panicked.
The generals of the Reach coalition hurriedly organized their soldiers, trying to stabilize the situation. They ordered the soldiers to form a defensive line, using shields and spears to block the impact of the horse herd. However, the power of the stampede was far too great, and their line was quickly broken.
The horses crashed into the soldiers' defensive line, knocking them down one by one. The soldiers tried to stand up, but the impact of the herd made it impossible for them to find their footing; they could only watch helplessly as the horses broke through their line and charged deep into the camp.
As those panicked warhorses cleared out, Robb directly led the soldiers of the North and the Vale into the camp.
This was the plan Robb and Jon had discussed in advance: Jon would use himself as bait to attract the Reach and Westerlands armies to attack him, after which Robb would use superior forces to raid the Reach camp.
Although the veteran Reach commander Renly Baratheon had set out scouts along the Red Fork in advance, in the Riverlands—a place that was not their home turf—there were many things he could not foresee.
Under the guidance of his uncle Edmure Tully, Robb chose to go south from Stone Hedge, entering the rear of the Reach coalition from the direction where Jon and his men were stationed.
"Kill!"
Facing this sudden attack, the Reach coalition, which had been focusing its defenses on the west, was instantly caught off guard.
They had originally thought the enemy would launch an attack from their primary defensive positions, never expecting that the soldiers led by Robb would choose such a cunning tactic.
Under Robb's leadership, these soldiers specifically targeted braziers and tents for attack. Their primary goal was not to kill the enemy, but to set fires and create chaos.
Their actions were swift and decisive, sweeping in like a mad tide, catching the Reach coalition completely unprepared.
With the aid of oil and the night wind, the fire spread rapidly. In a short time, all the tents and supplies near the wooden stables were set ablaze.
"Whoosh…"
As if the fire were too small, a strong wind blowing from the west quickly spread the flames. The raging fire expanded rapidly, enveloping the entire camp in a sea of flames.
Thick smoke billowed, and the firelight reflected off the terrified faces of the soldiers. They fled in all directions, trying to escape the disaster. However, the fire was too fierce, and many were swallowed by the flames, letting out shrill screams.
Meanwhile, the soldiers led by Robb took the opportunity to launch their attack, wielding sharp swords and spears as they launched a fierce assault on the Reach coalition.
Every time they cut down a noble's banner, they would shout loudly to the surrounding routing soldiers that such-and-such lord or knight was dead. Those conscripted peasants had little knowledge to begin with, so upon hearing that their own lord was dead, they developed other ideas.
They took advantage of the fire to loot, going straight to the bodies to strip clothes or armor. Especially for those lords, nobles, or knights, their armor was mostly inlaid with gemstones or precious metal decorations; just prying off a little bit would be enough to feed these poor conscripts for a long time.
Many nobles were actually not dead, but the conscripts knew nothing of it. When their looting was discovered, an even more terrifying conflict broke out directly.
Thus, when Robb and his troops charged into the Reach coalition camp, they witnessed a very bizarre scene.
Countless raggedly dressed conscripts were fighting their own masters. No matter how the other party expressed their identity, these conscripts simply would not believe or listen.
This raid threw the Reach coalition into extreme chaos. Their originally solid defensive lines were easily breached by the soldiers led by Robb, and the entire camp fell into a state of disorder and panic.
The Reach lords located in the rear hurriedly organized their remaining troops, trying to re-establish a defensive line, but it was too late. Under the impact of those routing soldiers, they had no way at all.
However, there were exceptions among them: namely, Renly Baratheon and the church's Gemstone Brotherhood troops did not scatter. The former was one of the few famous generals on the continent of Westeros, while the latter was a powerful armed force belonging to the Faith.
At this moment, they were like rocks by the sea; no matter how turbulent the waves, they could hold their ground.
Their commanders understood that gathering the routing soldiers was no longer meaningful. If they only held onto their own men, there might still be some hope.
"They're here!"
Lord Renly Baratheon, who had been situated right in the center of the army, suddenly uttered these words after hearing the distant sounds of battle.
"Prepare! Face the enemy!"
"Kill!"
At Renly Baratheon's command, the Horn Hill soldiers, who had long been waiting impatiently, directly let out a shout filled with killing intent.
With the emergence of this sound, the Gemstone Brotherhood soldiers beside their formation also erupted with an equally high-pitched battle cry.
They were proud, they were arrogant, because under such circumstances, they still held their ground instead of fleeing desperately to the rear like those cowards.
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