Game of Thrones: From a deserter to a high-ranking official

Chapter 106 The Battle of the Golden Horse

"Everything's been collected!" Lezapo stood at attention and reported to his superior. "As you requested, shovels, pickaxes, and even the hoes and rakes farmers use for tilling the land have all been collected!"

"As for timber, our soldiers are working on obtaining it. There's not much else on the mountain behind Cliff Fortress, but there's plenty of wood!"

"Are there enough torches?"

"There are many pine trees on the mountain, making torches very easy!"

"That would be perfect," Tibbles nodded. "Let each of our archers carry three thick wooden clubs, and the other soldiers carry one each. Tonight, we're going to do something big!"

"Hey, Tiberius, are you sure we should go out at this time?" Vito asked, somewhat unsure, as he listened to the creaking of the hinges at the city gate, holding a crossbow in his left hand and a small hand axe in his right.

"It's already dark..."

"It has to be dark!" Tiberius said in a deep voice, carrying three wooden sticks and holding a small hand axe in his left hand.

"If it weren't for darkness, we wouldn't have had a chance to carry out any civil engineering work at all. The enemy cavalry would have crushed us and then washed the blood and flesh off the ground with the waters of the Controversial River!"

"And..." Tiberius glanced behind him.

"We must buy Uncle Jules and his men a chance! A chance for our assault knights to safely reach their destination outside the city!"

Behind the archers and the Lightning Legion, Jules and Calvin were donning armor with the help of auxiliary soldiers, longswords and battle axes at their waists.

As if sensing something, Jules turned his head and looked at Vito and Tiberius as they walked out of the city gate.

Jules opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he said nothing and simply put down his faceplate.

"Soldiers! Wrap the horses' hooves in silk and linen! Knights, I expect you to be as quiet as if you were reporting to a stranger! Do not make a sound!" Jules commanded in a deep voice.

His assault team didn't actually make a sound; instead, they silently clenched their fists and slammed them against their gleaming breastplates.

"Great, let's go!"

"Company Commander, a report from Cliff Fortress!" A soldier dressed in armor and a battle robe, the "Uncrowned Prince," rushed into the company commander's tent. "The Night Watch of Summer Storms has discovered that some of their men have left the city!"

"They've left the city?" The company commander, still half asleep, hurriedly got up from the silk sheets. With the help of a naked female slave who was also lying on the bed, he put on a robe and ran out to see what was going on without even putting on his shoes.

"Yes, platoon leader!" The soldier reporting the situation continued, catching up with the platoon leader's men. "Most of those who left the city were infantry. The scouts from [Summer Storm] tried to get closer, but were driven back by their crossbow bolts!"

"Infantrymen leaving the city?" The company commander listened, feeling even more puzzled.

Generally speaking, if they were to flee out of the city, they would mainly use cavalry; if they planned to establish a second stronghold outside the city, they would also mainly use cavalry.

If these infantrymen go out of the city, aren't they just waiting to be trampled into mincemeat by the cavalry?

Infantry can only contend with cavalry if they occupy city walls, have an advantage in terrain, and are well-trained.

"What are they doing? Are they trying to escape?" the company commander continued to ask.

"Not really!" The soldier shook his head. "The scouts from [Summer Storm] report that they seem more like... on the defensive? After all, they don't seem to have any desire to attack or break through; they're mostly using crossbows to force them back and not disturb them."

"Defense... wait a minute!" The company commander was initially a little surprised, but after hearing the word "defense," he immediately became excited.

"They can't hold back anymore, they're going to go out of the city for a field battle!" The company commander of [The Uncrowned Prince] waved his hand excitedly.

"Fighting in the field outside the city... Why do we need to fight in the field outside the city?" The soldier asked, puzzled.

"It's simple, they've run out of food! And there are no reinforcements!" The company commander spread out the map and gave his soldiers a lesson.

"Look, according to the latest news, the wise, invincible, and ever-healthy General Marcus has already swallowed up the entire Rieslan region."

"And now, they are trying to swallow up the flank corridor as well! The entire Three Daughters Kingdom has thrown its last batch of troops into the flank corridor."

"After all, once the flank corridor falls, their next targets will be their colonies throughout the entire disputed lands! And how could these places possibly withstand the might of our Valantis army... And this army, although we don't know why they came to the upper reaches of the River of Disputes, they certainly have no reinforcements! Because most of the soldiers of the entire Kingdom of Three Daughters are currently in the flank corridor! They have no reinforcements and can only rely on themselves."

"The reason I said they had no food was because the distance was too far. How much food could they bring? Ha! I guess they would be well prepared if they could last ten days. As for the cliff fortress..." He seemed to suddenly realize something and quickly changed his words.

"Well, due to some unforeseen circumstances, there is indeed a food shortage. This has actually been a great help to us!"

"So, Company Commander, what's your suggestion...?"

"We're not waiting for the logistics team to deliver the supplies!" The company commander slammed his fist on the table excitedly. "Tomorrow morning, a full-scale assault!"

"But sir, we..." The soldier seemed to want to say something, but seeing the company commander's gleeful expression, he shut his mouth.

Do whatever your superior says, and don't raise any questions.

the other side.

"Tiberius, do you think the Valantis will come again tonight?" Vito leaned against a stake stuck in the mud, sharpening it with his axe and dagger.

"It shouldn't be like that..." Tiberius struggled to lift the hammer and smash a wooden stake into the ground.

"It's too late at this time... and if the soldiers haven't been trained beforehand, waking them up in the middle of the night could easily trigger a riot or a camp explosion."

"Besides, it's so dark. If anything happens to a horse, the entire cavalry charge will be in trouble. If they all stumble and fall into a horse trap, they'll probably die far more often than during the day!"

"Alright..." Vito gave a wry smile, then continued to work on the wooden stake in his hand.

"Excellent..." Jules handed the reins to the guard, put his battle robe on the ground, and prepared to take a nap.

[Tiberius, that kid, his plan really worked. The enemy didn't realize that the assault knights had already reached the woods east of Cliff Fortress...] He thought to himself, and then kept muttering to himself.

How come this kid is so...so amazing?

"Stand up! Stand in line! Raise your spears and straighten your armor!" Early in the morning, the officers of the Lightning Regiment hurriedly woke everyone up, forcing the soldiers to line up with their boots, roars and authority.

The Valantians, they're here!

Tiberius looked around.

To be precise, after a night of civil engineering, the area they are now in has a small tributary to the east and north; the main stream of the Controversial River is directly to the west; and the cliff fortress is to the south.

"Leon is guarding the castle with light cavalry," Vito said solemnly, spitting out a leaf he had been holding in his mouth.

"Even so, someone has to guard our backs, right? We can't just leave our backs to those unreliable lone wolves."

As for the stragglers he brought with him, Tiberius made a rather bloody but necessary decision in his view.

They were to be placed on the opposite banks of the northern and eastern tributaries, where they watched with considerable tension as the Valantis slowly approached, accompanied by the sound of war drums.

In Tiberius's plan, they would serve as the first wave of cannon fodder when the enemy arrived... he meant the first line of defense.

Of course, they disagreed at first, and Tiberius used some "special" tactics.

E.g……

The bonus from the "Ruthless One" aura: Domination!

Tiberius almost went all out to expand the aura's coverage area, ensuring that everyone was under its protection.

And fear, especially fear of Tiberius, was injected into everyone's heart like a poison! They were now more afraid of Tiberius than the Valantis!

"In short, let the war begin!" Tiberius thought through gritted teeth.

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According to Tiberius’s plan, he had carefully laid a deadly trap in the swamp north of Cliff Fortress: he had the Lightning Regiment, as well as the White Legion’s experienced crossbowmen, Old Tom’s spearmen, and the heavy infantry that Jules had assigned to him, as if he were a desperate army forced to fight a decisive battle in unfavorable terrain.

However, beneath this facade of weakness lay the hastily constructed wagon arrays, dug trenches, horse traps, and a dense array of barricades, half-hidden among the mud and puddles, awaiting the onslaught of steel that would devour lives.

The battle entered its most brutal phase right from the start.

The Valantis, relying on their superior strength and elite troops, launched a fierce attack: in particular, the Valantis' super-heavy cavalry and the Summer Storm's cavalry, like an iron torrent, launched a simple and brutal charge, instantly crushing the mercenaries Tiberius had deployed on the opposite bank of the river.

"Help!"

These mercenaries were torn apart like straws by the sheer weight and impact of the super-heavy cavalry. Meanwhile, the Summer Storm's cavalry ensured they were driven across the river like sheep.

"Vito, prepare to fire!" Tiberius put down his telescope, which was made in Mil, and gave the order to Vito.

"It's time! Let's show the Valantis what we're made of!"

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"Cowardly enemy!" The company commander of the [Uncrowned Prince] lifted his visor, threw the half-broken lance in his hand to the ground, and took the second lance handed to him by his attendant.

"Cease the charge! We'll go first. You members of the Death Order, stop charging. Save your horses' energy for the more important battlefields. Also, tell those steppe barbarians from Summer Storm to stop. Now it's our turn to step in!" The company commander ordered the several commanders in front of him.

"But sir, we are about to kill them all or push them into the river. If we let them retreat now..."

"My words are orders! Orders! Do you understand?" Upon hearing this, the company commander angrily pointed his finger at the nose of the Death Order soldier who dared to question his statement.

"On the battlefield now, I am your commander!"

"Who do you think you are, commander?" the Death Order soldier retorted. "The governors behind the Black Wall didn't appoint you as commander!"

"Shut up and carry out the orders! Otherwise, I'll show you where the Black Wall's appointment is right now!" The company commander drew his long sword from his waist with a gloomy expression, and the soldiers of the "Uncrowned Prince" beside him also drew their longswords, maces, and battle axes.

"Obey those who are far more noble than you!"

"...Alright, we retreat." The soldiers of the Death Order gritted their teeth and handed the order to the officers at the front.

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"Why did they suddenly retreat?" Tiberius frowned as he watched the heavy cavalry and charioteers suddenly pull back their reins and leave the battlefield from the opposite direction.

"Who knows what they are!" Vito placed a heavy, armor-piercing crossbow bolt into the groove, his hand on the trigger.

Then, a group of equally chaotic enemies, lacking armor and weapons, appeared before them. Behind them stood the [Uncrowned Prince] and his relatively better-equipped slave warriors.

"Damn it, there must be over two thousand people here?" Tiberius gritted his teeth, raised his crossbow, and fired at the enemy formation.

At this density, there's no need to aim; you can just shoot directly.

"Wait a moment, Vito, I'm going to the front lines." Seeing that the cannon fodder on the other side of the river seemed a bit unsteady, Tiberius tossed the crossbow in his hand to Vito and personally led a number of Lightning Regiment soldiers to the riverbank.

"Stop! All of you, stop!" Tiberius roared. "Maintain the line! Didn't you hear me? You idiots! Maintain the line! Don't cross the river!"