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#461 - Chapter 195: Elegy for the Iron Fleet (V)

At the same time, the 'Iron Victory' could not withstand such fierce fire and began to break apart from the middle. Accompanied by earth-shattering explosions, this once majestic warship slowly sank into the endless depths of the sea.

Liu Yuan naturally wouldn't let Euron off easily. Therefore, he unhesitatingly ordered Leviathan to spew out a dragon's breath, completely obliterating Euron.

After completing his mission, Liu Yuan prepared to leave the battlefield. Before departing, he couldn't help but lower his head, gazing at the sinking 'Iron Victory'. He sighed inwardly, 'After this battle, the Iron Islands are utterly finished. Most of their able-bodied men have perished, and their strength is greatly diminished. The Northern lords, led by Robb, will definitely not miss this excellent opportunity to take advantage of the situation. For the Ironborn, perhaps their best outcome is to obediently accept the rule of the North!'

After all, in the Ironborn's invasion of the North some years ago, those brutal and inhumane Ironborn committed countless heinous atrocities. So even if these Ironborn suffer a terrible massacre, he wouldn't be surprised or taken aback.

Just then, with Leviathan's summoning roar, the two dragons that were rampaging and wreaking havoc immediately ceased their attacks. Without hesitation, they abandoned the Iron Fleet scattering in all directions and instead closely followed Leviathan, flapping their wings high towards the distant western horizon. Clearly, the battle below no longer required their intervention.

By this time, the Queen's fleet was already on high alert, successfully cutting off all escape routes for the Ironborn attempting to flee the battlefield. Those barely surviving, clinging to life, Iron Fleet warships were now trapped, with nowhere to go. Faced with such a life-or-death situation, to save their lives, this group of desperate Ironborn had no choice but to grit their teeth and continue heading south, attempting to force a landing on the coastline filled with jagged rocks and lurking dangers.

However, contrary to their wishes, many sturdy longships shattered upon hitting the sharp reefs, and numerous vessels were trapped in this treacherous sea, unable to move.

Long exposed to the seawater, some reefs were as sharp as blades. Upon impact, many were thrown off, then impaled on the sharp rocks. The Ironborn on the ships were terrified, resolutely abandoning their beloved vessels and struggling to swim ashore. But unfortunately, it was low tide, and they looked at the shore, so close yet so far away, almost in tears.

The Queen's fleet, relentlessly pursuing from behind, wisely stopped outside the reef area, but they would not easily let any enemy escape. The sailors quickly took out their bows and crossbows, aiming at the Ironborn struggling in the turbulent sea, and relentlessly launched round after round of fierce volleys.

As an ancient and powerful weapon, the range of the bow often exceeds people's expectations. Usually, ordinary bows can easily shoot arrows beyond three hundred yards, and skilled archers, after careful training, can even shoot arrows five or six hundred yards away using extreme cross-shooting! At this moment, countless sharp arrows rained down like locusts, forming a screen of arrows that blotted out the sky, completely covering the vast sea. Instantly, wails echoed, and the scene was utterly惨不忍睹, even the originally blue and clear seawater was dyed a shockingly scarlet red with fresh blood.

……………………………………

As the night deepened, twenty-eight sturdy Ironborn longships quietly sailed into the Blackwater River harbor of King's Landing. These ships had a unique design, with high, upturned prows resembling ferocious beasts. Although the flags hanging on the ships were tattered, the sigil of House Greyjoy of the Iron Islands could still be faintly recognized.

In fact, the sentries at the Red Keep and the Chain Tower had already detected these Ironborn longships when they appeared at the mouth of the Blackwater River. This was all because of a rumor that had been spreading like wildfire in King's Landing for more than half a month – it was said that Dowager Cersei was secretly colluding with the Iron Islands, plotting to launch a bloody raid on King's Landing. Unexpectedly, some people actually believed such absurd rumors, and the residents of the city fell into extreme panic, continuing to riot for nearly half a month. If it weren't for hunger rendering everyone unable to continue rioting, it would have triggered a massive riot. Fortunately, the King and the important ministers issued statements in time to clarify the facts, which gradually calmed the storm. Queen Margaery also came forward to assure everyone that the arrival of the Iron Fleet could help King's Landing break the naval blockade.

Everyone knew that the Iron Islands reinforcements were coming, "Hey, look, the Iron Fleet is really here!" The ordinary soldiers talked to each other, all beaming with joy.

You know, the Ironborn's naval warfare skills are quite formidable, famous throughout the Seven Kingdoms, so the Blackwater Bay naval blockade that had been giving them a headache might be gone! Their families could finally have enough to eat!

At this time, several people in the Red Keep received the news, and even Cersei, who had been staying in the deep palace, rushed to the harbor under the protection of the Mountain. Tommen, who usually didn't go out much, actually left his room for once, and even climbed the high walls of the Red Keep with Margaery, paying attention to the situation in the harbor.

When Cersei arrived at the harbor, she saw a group of dispirited, listless Ironborn sailors. These people were all dirty, as if they had just been burned by a fire, covered in ash, and their faces were full of black ash.

Frowning, she pondered in her heart. Then, she strode to a sailor closer to her and said loudly, "I am the Regent Dowager, tell me, where is your King Euron now? Tell him to come and see me immediately!" However, those sailors just glanced at her and then lowered their heads without saying a word.

Helpless, Cersei had no choice but to brace herself and continue towards the pier. Fortunately, the Mountain, as strong as a small mountain, followed behind her. Along the way, the Ironborn they encountered, seeing the Mountain's mighty aura, quickly avoided him. As if afraid of angering this evil star, they made way for them.

The further in she went, the heavier the expression on Cersei's face became. From these ships in front of her, it was obvious that they had been through fierce battles. The sails were full of tattered holes burned by flames, and the hulls were covered with dense arrows and javelins.

Finally, Cersei walked up to a large ship and finally saw a man who looked like a lord. At this moment, this person was sitting safely on a wooden barrel, concentrating on wiping a piece of armor that was already slightly damaged.

Having finally encountered such a familiar face, Cersei couldn't wait to ask, "It's you, Earl Medred! Can you please tell me what happened here? Also, where is Euron?"

However, facing Cersei's question, Medred Merlyn only slowly shook his head and replied in a low voice, "I really don't know anything about Euron's whereabouts, perhaps… he is already dead."

"Is there anyone who can tell me what the hell is going on?" Having been snubbed and ignored time and time again, Cersei finally couldn't contain the anger surging in her heart and shouted.

Medred Merlyn raised his hand, pointed to the slightly dilapidated ship behind him, and said calmly, "Victarion is inside, if you have anything to ask, then please ask the Dowager to talk to him in person!"

Hearing this, Cersei glared at Medred Merlyn, then stepped onto the ship's side with angry steps. The deck was chaotic, with broken weapons and debris scattered everywhere, and many Ironborn sailors were busy bandaging the hideous wounds on each other's bodies.

According to common sense, the captain's room should be located below the sterncastle, so Cersei strode towards that direction without hesitation. When she reached the door, the soldiers guarding here did not stop her, but they stopped the Mountain who was following Cersei and said politely, "I'm really sorry, Your Majesty, please leave your powerful guard here for the time being."

Cersei didn't even turn her head, just coldly dropped a sentence, "Mountain, you stay here." After saying that, she opened the door without hesitation. After entering the room, Victarion was sitting in front of the large desk. At this moment, he looked in very poor condition, his face as pale as paper, and his body was trembling slightly. Two physicians stood aside, concentrating on treating the shocking burn marks on his body.

Victarion noticed Cersei entering the room, barely squeezed out a bitter smile, and said softly, "Hello, Your Majesty. I'm very sorry that I can't stand up to welcome your arrival, I guess you also see my current appearance."

Cersei bit her lip tightly, her eyes full of disappointment and resentment, she glared at Victarion and roared indignantly, "Euron had promised me support, but now look at these so-called warships, they are simply a pile of scrap metal! Is this your so-called assistance?" As she spoke, she waved her arms vigorously, as if to vent all the dissatisfaction in her heart.

Victarion slowly turned his head, his eyes indifferent as ice, as if they could penetrate people's souls, staring straight at Cersei in front of him. His voice was low and calm, with an unspeakable sense of fatigue: "Your Majesty, please understand, these are all the ships I can bring. However, perhaps some warships will arrive here later, but the number may not be too large. After all, we have just experienced a fierce naval battle, and fought a desperate battle with the fleet led by the Dragon Queen on Dragonstone, and suffered extremely heavy losses."

Hearing this, Cersei's face instantly became extremely gloomy, like dark clouds before a storm. She widened her eyes and questioned in disbelief: "What? You were defeated? Haven't you people been bragging about being the invincible Iron Fleet? And as far as I know, you had thousands of warships before! How did you end up like this now?"

Facing Cersei's questioning, Victarion couldn't help but smile bitterly and shake his head, sighing inwardly. He took a deep breath, trying to keep himself calm, and then explained: "Your Majesty, at first the situation was not as bad as it is now. At first, when we fought against the Targaryen fleet, it could be said that we were evenly matched, with victories and defeats for each side. However, just as the battle entered a white-hot stage, unexpected things happened. Three fierce dragons suddenly descended from the sky and launched a fierce attack on us. Especially the particularly large dragon among them, its power is simply beyond imagination. Faced with such a powerful enemy, the weapons in our hands completely lost their effect and could not cause any substantial damage to them. Even my flagship was unfortunately burned to ashes by the raging flames spewed out by that dragon. If I hadn't reacted quickly, jumped into the sea to escape in time, and luckily avoided subsequent attacks, I'm afraid you would never see me again."

In fact, it must be said that Victarion was indeed very lucky. Shortly after he fell into the water, the three dragons turned their attention to the denser fleet, allowing him to escape in the chaos.

And the goddess of luck seemed to favor him, and a ship named 'Great Kraken' happened to pass by. Even more coincidentally, the ship's captain, Lame Lauff, spotted him struggling and clinging to life in the turbulent sea.