Near Blackwater Bay.
Due to the harsh climate of The Stormlands, the rocky coastal waters, and the extreme cold, Stannis Baratheon's fleet lost nearly twelve ships just traveling north from Storm's End to the Gullet, northeast of Blackwater Bay, which significantly slowed their overall progress.
Therefore, when Borin Storm proposed leading the vanguard ahead, Stannis Baratheon quickly agreed.
However, Stannis Baratheon had not expected his bastard brother to lose his life because of it.
In truth, seeing the failure of the vanguard led by Borin Storm, Stannis Baratheon was not overly distraught, though he felt sad in his heart for the death of his bastard brother, Borin Storm.
Stannis had already received news from the front. He did not understand how Borin Storm could have felt pity for a false king of House Lannister, and ultimately lost his life due to a single misstep.
Davos Seaworth, standing to the side, noticed Stannis Baratheon's state of mind and took the initiative to advise him:
"Your Majesty, your brother Borin Storm was indeed a bit stubborn. However, human emotions are complex, and there are some things we cannot say too much about."
Stannis Baratheon did not commit after hearing this. He looked at King's Landing in the distance and said:
"All emotions are a burden. In my view, as long as it is for the greater good of the world, anyone can be sacrificed, even a child is no exception!"
...
Looking at the meager fleet deployed by King's Landing near Blackwater Bay, and then at his own massive, well-equipped warships, Stannis Baratheon confidently believed that he was certain to win this time.
Thus, he ordered his warships to launch an attack from the front step by step; after all, strong combat power and large scale were his greatest advantages. As long as the battle was fought head-on in an honest manner, Stannis Baratheon held an absolute advantage.
While ordering the naval fleet to begin the attack, Stannis Baratheon immediately followed up with orders: let the cavalry and infantry that had driven straight into the vicinity of the Blackwater Rush from the Roseroad launch an attack simultaneously.
The order was like the wind, the sound like lightning.
Stannis's navy was the first to launch the attack; after all, they were well-equipped and had no fear of the few small, broken ships of King's Landing.
Following Stannis Baratheon's orders, the commander of the navy, Ser Imry Florent, stood personally on the Fury to command and lead his left-wing fleet to attack the enemy in front.
Ser Imry Florent was a knight from House Florent and also Stannis Baratheon's brother-in-law.
After Renly Baratheon died beneath the walls of Storm's End, Ser Imry and the entire House Florent surrendered to Stannis Baratheon.
His naval warfare ability was outstanding, but he was suspicious, quite conceited, and looked down on people of lowly birth.
Therefore, he did not heed the advice of the Onion Knight, Davos Seaworth, to first send scouts to reconnoiter the situation in Blackwater Bay, and he even relegated the Lysene pirate and mercenary captain Ser Salladhor Saan, whom the Onion Knight had brought over, and his mercenary sailors to the rear of the fleet.
This also showed that Imry Florent was headstrong and extremely conceited.
However, the Lysene pirate Salladhor Saan did not get angry because of this, out of respect for his friend Davos Seaworth, but instead followed orders to lead his flat-bottomed ships in the rear for defense and vigilance.
He divided his entire fleet into ten attack lines, each with twenty warships, sending the first two attack lines to destroy the defensive ships of King's Landing, and the rest were to land directly to cooperate with the army in besieging King's Landing and to be responsible for guard duties.
At the same time, the vanguard commander, Ser Gullard Morryne, also led the cavalry to launch an attack, and the army swept across the Blackwater Rush, heading straight for King's Landing.
Following closely behind was the infantry unit led by Ser Roland Storm. Ser Roland Storm was a knight from House Caron, the bastard son of the former Lord of Nightsong, Bryen Caron, and the half-brother of Lord Bryce Caron.
He was one of the few in Stannis Baratheon's army who had not converted to the red god, a follower of The Seven, and a member of the King's party composed of knights and lords whom Davos Seaworth had found who were loyal to Stannis but still retained their faith in The Seven.
This man worshipped the Warrior of The Seven almost madly, and he himself fought with great bravery.
The navy, cavalry, and infantry, three great armies, surged forward like a dark cloud, as if the entire King's Landing had been shrouded in layers of dark clouds.
...
At first, Stannis Baratheon's fleet was very fierce and held all the advantages.
Under the leadership of Imry Florent, they defeated the fleet of King's Landing, and the surface of the water presented a completely one-sided appearance.
However, the fleet of King's Landing was, after all, fighting in front of their own home, occupying a certain geographical advantage. If they couldn't win, they would run. As long as they weren't completely sunk, they would go back to replenish supplies and rush out to fight again.
Both sides fought from dusk until the early hours of the morning without a winner, and Stannis's fleet could not destroy all of King's Landing's fleet in one go.
Once, twice, three times, the momentum fades.
Stannis's army gradually lost the unstoppable momentum they had at the beginning, and they were fighting away from home, slowly beginning to fall behind on supplies during such a long melee.
It was also at this time that Stannis Baratheon discovered that the supply line located behind him had been attacked and cut off by the Hill Clansmen that Tyrion Lannister had ambushed early on.
However, Stannis Baratheon had no way to retreat. Imry Florent was personally leading the left-wing fleet in the front, and the follow-up fleet led by Stannis Baratheon himself was exposed.
And because the scouts had been ambushed and wiped out, he did not discover that the coalition of House Lannister and House Tyrell had already arrived near the Kingswood, cooperating with the Hill Clansmen under Tyrion's command to completely cut off the rear path of his cavalry and infantry.
Added to this was the shift in wind direction near Blackwater Bay at this time; the army of King's Landing suddenly changed from being against the wind to being with the wind, and the situation began to reverse!
The master of ships of King's Landing, Ser Paxter Redwyne, saw the opportunity and decisively led his warships to launch a counterattack. He was going to implement the fire attack strategy that had long been planned at the Small Council.
Although the fleet of King's Landing was not as sturdy and large as Stannis's fleet, it had the advantage of smaller ship size and could turn quickly by relying on the change in wind direction.
They fully utilized their advantages, making a sharp turn from the left to bypass Imry Florent's fleet, and charged straight at Stannis Baratheon behind.
"Archers, ready!"
"Fire!"
Ser Paxter Redwyne stood on the deck, drew his longsword, and roared in the cold wind.
Following his order, a row of well-equipped archers immediately stood out on the ship. They shot a rain of arrows filled with flammable oil, instantly burning the foremost warships of Stannis's army.
Subsequently, Ser Paxter Redwyne ordered rows of burning unmanned boats to hoist their sails and charge straight at the enemy with the wind.
As the small boats collided with Stannis's large warships, the impact also scattered the bottles of flammable oil placed in the center of the small boats.
The flames followed the oil throughout the entire cabin, and the fierce fire spread immediately, spreading to the enemy ships, quickly igniting a whole row of Stannis's large warships.
Stannis Baratheon's Flaming Heart Stag banner was also scorched by the flames and turned to ashes.
...
However, Stannis Baratheon had, after all, served as the master of ships of King's Landing, and he was very experienced in naval warfare.
While the opponent was counterattacking, he also quickly made a decision, decisively sacrificing the vanguard to save the rest, ordering the abandonment of the foremost large warships.
He transferred the remaining large, well-equipped warships to the rear, and had the smaller ships quickly move up and turn sideways to isolate the spreading flames.
Although this also isolated Ser Imry Florent, who was attacking at the front, Stannis Baratheon could only do this to minimize the damage.
Furthermore, he fully utilized his side's numerical advantage, having a large number of naval soldiers set up wide wooden planks and ladders at the junction of the enemy and his own ships, directly boarding the warships of King's Landing, forcing the opponent to engage in close-quarters combat with him.
Ser Imry Florent, who was rushing at the front, also saw the opportunity, decisively gave up attacking blindly, and turned back to cooperate with Stannis Baratheon, trapping the enemy army of King's Landing in the middle of the two.
Ser Paxter Redwyne had no choice but to send troops to hold them off. After all, if the core warships of his side were destroyed, no matter how effective his fire attack was, he would not be able to confront Stannis Baratheon on the water.
Consequently, the soldiers of both sides began a brutal boarding battle in the northeastern part of Blackwater Bay.
However, Ser Paxter Redwyne was fighting while retreating, unwittingly luring Imry Florent's forces toward the northwest and southwest, deeper into Blackwater Bay.
...
The night sky was pitch black, the moonlight hidden from view, with only the twinkling stars blinking in the darkness.
Tyrion Lannister, wearing a specially made, scaled-down suit of armor, drew his longsword and charged into the fray.
To his left was Balon Swann, and to his right, Mandon Moore.
These two white-cloaked members of the Kingsguard fought a desperate battle alongside Tyrion against the infantry led by Ser Rolland Storm, who had reached the city walls.
In truth, the person originally chosen for this position was not Tyrion Lannister, but Ser Sandor Clegane.
Sandor had performed his duties in the initial battle excellently, but when the great fire broke out, he retreated and refused to go back, no matter what.
At this moment, His Majesty the King Joffrey Baratheon had already led a detachment of troops out through the main gate, fighting desperately to hold back the main force of Stannis's army.
Furthermore, before leaving, his nephew Joffrey Baratheon had handed command of the army directly to Tyrion Lannister. What immense trust this was—it was equivalent to entrusting his own back to him.
Looking at the trust-filled eyes of his nephew Joffrey, Tyrion was deeply moved.
His fragile heart finally felt warmth; finally, someone was able to cast aside the secular prejudices against a dwarf and acknowledge his abilities!
I shall repay the King's favor with my life, and draw my blade to fight for him until the end.
Since ancient times, a man will die for one who truly understands him. You trust me so much, and I will certainly not let you down.
Moreover, the East Gate is extremely important and must not be lost.
At this moment of life and death, Tyrion Lannister stood up once again, leading the soldiers at the East Gate in battle.
Both sides fought with bloodshot eyes, their countless back-and-forth clashes staining the banks of the Blackwater Rush with blood.
"Kill them all!"
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
"..."
Tyrion Lannister led the troops fearlessly, killing four or five of the enemy before pausing to catch his breath.
He looked at Ser Paxter Redwyne in the distance on Blackwater Bay, fighting while retreating, and thought: It's almost time, almost time. I hope this last batch of wildfire can deal a heavy blow to Stannis's main force.
Originally, their wildfire was prepared for Stannis Baratheon himself, but they hadn't expected Borin Storm to arrive first with the vanguard.
There was no other choice; they had to use a portion of it to deal with the immediate situation, which meant only the final batch of wildfire remained.
Just as Tyrion Lannister finished thinking and turned to issue an order, he looked back to see a longsword swinging toward his head.
The longsword was sharp, reflecting the starlight from above; Tyrion could even smell the pungent scent of blood on the blade.
This sneak attack was extremely fast and timed perfectly for when Tyrion was pondering countermeasures.
In that instant, Tyrion Lannister had no time to dodge and felt a sharp pain in his face.
Blood splattered everywhere; he didn't know if he had injured his nose or his mouth.
Because he could no longer feel anything on his face...
Mandon Moore, the Kingsguard who had ambushed Tyrion, saw that he hadn't managed to kill Tyrion Lannister in one blow and decisively moved forward to finish the job.
At the critical moment, Podrick Payne, the squire who had been following Tyrion Lannister, rushed out, caught Mandon Moore off guard, slashed his thigh with a sword, and then pushed him into the Blackwater Rush.
Severely wounded, Tyrion Lannister collapsed uncontrollably to the ground, the tearing pain in his face leaving him dazed and his vision blurred.
He half-closed his eyes, looking at the squire Podrick Payne who had saved him. The image gradually blurred and twisted, presenting him with a tall, white-cloaked figure.
This was the deep-seated yearning that welled up in Tyrion's heart as he was about to lose consciousness.
That white cloak, that figure—so familiar.
Is that you? Jaime, my brother.
Brother, you really came to save me...
I'll be fine now, because my brother Jaime has come to save me...
My brother Jaime Lannister is the greatest man in the world...
...
The Main Gate.
Warhammers swung, warhorses galloped.
Joffrey Baratheon, wearing a golden helmet adorned with antlers and wielding a warhammer, led the charge at the forefront of a cavalry unit.
Seeing His Majesty the King fighting bravely at the very front, the cavalry's morale soared.
They smashed through the middle of Stannis's cavalry unit, as if entering an empty land.
Seeing the situation turning dire, Ser Gullard Morryne, Stannis's vanguard commander, led his cavalry to charge forward, but was firmly blocked by a few hundred cavalrymen hastily assembled by the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, Barristan Selmy.
Joffrey looked at Ser Imry Florent, who was gradually being lured into the interior of Blackwater Bay, and sighed, "What a pity."
They had wanted to lure the fleet led by Stannis Baratheon himself inside, but the enemy was very vigilant and refused to take the bait.
He who hesitates is lost.
The only course of action now is to use the last batch of wildfire to destroy Imry Florent's flagship, the Fury, and the left-wing warships under his command.
As for Stannis Baratheon, we can only wait and see how the subsequent sea and land battles unfold.
...
On Blackwater Bay.
"Ser Imry Florent, the situation ahead is unclear; we cannot continue to advance rashly!"
"Hmph, if you are afraid, then stay behind!"
Eager to earn glory, Ser Imry Florent ignored the advice of the Lysene pirate Salladhor Saan, led the Fury forward, and charged straight into the interior of Blackwater Bay.
In fact, he had known all along that King's Landing had wildfire and had inquired about its quantity long ago.
Based on intelligence reports from the previous two days, he confidently concluded: The wildfire in King's Landing must have been exhausted.
However, he had not expected that Tyrion Lannister would find the pyromancer who made the wildfire and have him rush-produce another batch.
Seeing that the other party would not listen to him, the Lysene pirate captain Salladhor Saan stopped pressing the matter and instead ordered his ships to move toward the shore, preparing to support the land army.
Having spent his life making a living on the sea, he subconsciously felt that the situation ahead was very wrong.
He believed that even if the fleet of King's Landing were tattered, it was impossible for them to have been defeated so quickly.
Moreover, he had heard that the commander-in-chief of the King's Landing fleet was Ser Paxter Redwyne, the master of ships on the Small Council, and he had suffered at the hands of this man back when he was a smuggler.
Compared to the cautious Salladhor Saan, Ser Imry Florent appeared far more arrogant and reckless.
He ordered a full-speed pursuit, charging straight toward the battered enemy warships.
...
Looking at the routed fleet of King's Landing ahead, Ser Imry Florent thought the victory was secured.
Just as he was about to laugh out loud, he noticed a large mass of dark objects being hurled toward his flagship, the Fury, and the left-wing fleet in the dark night.
At first, he thought they were arrows, but upon closer inspection, he felt his whole world crumble.
He stood there, dazed, and uttered:
"Oh, shit."
Boom!
The next moment, green flames reappeared, emitting a massive roaring sound.
Imry Florent and his soldiers and fleet were instantly engulfed by the fierce wildfire, vaporized by the high temperature before they could even scream.
The left-wing fleet was completely destroyed, which could be considered a serious blow to Stannis Baratheon.
With this, all the wildfire in King's Landing had been used up.
Joffrey and Tyrion had no more trump cards, and the only option left was to engage in a brutal, head-on boarding battle.
Thus, Joffrey Baratheon led everyone across the planks and ladders, boarding the burning warships to begin the boarding battle.
Joffrey swung the warhammer in his hand, charging onto the enemy warship first, attempting to break their defensive line.
The figures of the soldiers from both armies intertwined in the moonlight, with flashes of blades and swords dancing in the air.
Their battle grew increasingly intense, their figures becoming more and more blurred.
Countless weapons collided, emitting deafening sounds.
Blood and sweat were spilled together on the battlefield, the breathing of thousands gathered, settling in the dead of night, echoing in the air.