The journey of film and television world is endless

#452 - Chapter 186: Throat Sea Battle (Part 2)

However, the power of these ship-borne catapults was not as great as imagined. Many of the fire bombs landed on the walls without even leaving a mark. They could not cause substantial damage to the sturdy fortress, only filling the air with smoke and light.

But this did not affect Euron and his fleet. They knew that this war had only just begun, and they had more methods to use. In the past, they used such methods to strike at the morale of the defenders, plunging the people in the towns into panic, weakening their will to resist.

This overwhelming attack was imposing in terms of momentum. The sailors on the ships laughed and continued to load the catapults. Scorpion crossbow bolts were very expensive and would not be wasted on such an attack.

“Doo-doo～ Woo-woo-woo!” Some strange horns sounded, and the Ironborn sailors couldn’t help but stop what they were doing. This was a conch horn unique to the Iron Islands, meaning a large number of enemies were approaching.

Soon a sailor captain reacted and began to scold the sailors: “What the hell are you all standing around for? Didn't you hear the enemy is coming? Get ready for battle, all of you!” He urged the sailors to prepare for battle with both curses and blows. People looked up, and at the top of the main mast was the lookout, who was now quickly transmitting signals.

“Enemies have appeared, a large number of enemy ships are approaching from due west.”

“Enemy ships are also approaching from the southwest! Approximately two hundred ships!”

The lookout's voice spread throughout the warship, making everyone nervous. They picked up their weapons, ready to face the upcoming battle.

“Due north, a large number of enemy ships appear behind Dragonstone, approaching from the east! No – northeast as well, numbering over a hundred ships!”

“Oh! Damn it, there are also ships to the southeast! Too far to tell the number! We are surrounded!”

As the lookout's reports came one after another, everyone's faces became gloomy, filled with tension and worry. The crew members began to panic; they originally thought this was just a simple looting operation, but now they found themselves surrounded by enemies.

The commander on the left wing was Victarion Greyjoy. He stood at the bow, gazing steadfastly at the approaching enemies. There were about three hundred enemy ships, and judging from the flags, they were the Velaryon fleet from Driftmark and the Targaryen fleet flying the three-headed dragon banner. However, shockingly, all of them were large four-masted or larger ships, while the Iron Islands fleet mainly consisted of small warships.

Since Balon's time, Victarion had been the commander of the fleet, and he knew what this battle meant for the Iron Islands. As an experienced commander, he knew how to achieve victory in naval warfare. Despite facing such a huge disparity in strength, he still firmly believed that his crew and ships could defeat the enemy.

“Everyone, don't panic, stay calm! We are the strongest Iron Fleet, we will definitely defeat these enemies!” Victarion shouted loudly, his voice spreading throughout the fleet. He hoped to boost morale with his words and restore the crew's confidence. With his orders, the warships began to adjust their formations, preparing to meet the enemy. War flags fluttered, morale was high, and the entire fleet burst forth with unparalleled fighting spirit.

On the other side, Euron's face became solemn, and he realized that he might have fallen into a trap. But his side had the advantage in numbers, relying on the fighting strength of the Ironborn. It was not certain who would win or lose! He turned around and shouted to the crew: “Don't panic! The enemy doesn't have as many people as we do, prepare to fight! Brave Ironborn, kill all the enemies!”

The situation changed too quickly, and Euron knew that he had to keep the crew calm and courageous at this time. He knew that the Ironborn were known for their bravery and skill in battle, but they also needed a leader to boost their morale. And he was that leader, who must lead them to victory.

At this moment, the Ironborn could only brace themselves to face the situation. Although they were taken aback by the sudden appearance of the enemy, Euron's shouts restored some of their confidence. They knew that although the enemy was coming fiercely, they possessed great strength and could fight.

Euron said one thing correctly: the enemy's numbers were not as great as theirs. This gave the Ironborn a glimmer of hope, and they believed that as long as they exerted their fighting power, they could defeat their opponents. They gripped their weapons, ready to engage in a life-and-death struggle with the enemy.

The enemy ships gradually approached, and a fierce naval battle was about to break out. Euron gripped his scimitar, secretly vowing to fight his way out. His eyes were filled with determination and resolve; he wanted to prove his worth and protect his fleet.

The naval battle was about to begin, and the two sides quickly reached a distance of six hundred yards. The Queen's Navy launched its ambush on the Iron Fleet almost at the last moment. The distance between the two sides was already very close, and the vanguard had already entered the enemy's range.

The captains of the Iron Fleet immediately gave the order: “Catapults, fire! Scorpion crossbows, prepare, aim carefully and smash their ships!”

Euron pushed away the sailor next to him, sat down on the crossbow, gripped the handles tightly with both hands, and aimed the crossbow bolt at a five-masted ship in front!

“Thump thump! Thump thump thump!” They only heard bursts of smoke rising from the opposite warship. At the same time, accompanied by bursts of low rumbling sounds, they saw some things visible to the naked eye flying towards them in parabolic trajectories. They seemed to be moving slowly, but in reality, they were surprisingly fast. Due to the suddenness of the event, the Iron Fleet was completely unprepared. The enemy's attacks fell densely like raindrops, most of them falling into the water, splashing several meters high.

Many others fell on the ships. Instantly, wood chips flew everywhere, and many sailors were unfortunately injured, and some were even smashed into two pieces.

One of the attacks happened to land on the railing near Euron, hit the deck and bounced up again, smashing four or five sailors into pieces. It was not until this time that Euron saw clearly the enemy's attack weapon, which was actually a red-hot iron ball. These iron balls emitted a scorching temperature as they flew through the air, and would ignite if they came into contact with sails and ropes.

“Good move!” Euron's eyes became solemn. He knew that this was a new type of naval warfare weapon, and it was extremely powerful. If he could not respond in time, it would likely cause even greater losses to his side.

“Attack!” Accompanied by Euron's majestic roar, his sharp, hawk-like eyes locked tightly on the enemy ship not far in front. At the same time, they saw the cannons on the opposite warship firing in unison, their speed as swift as a gust of wind and rain. The terrifying cannonballs, like a torrential downpour, came crashing down. In an instant, the fierce artillery fire of both sides intertwined and crisscrossed, like an impenetrable net of fire covering the sea and sky. The scorching flames blazed, illuminating the entire sea area in a red glow, as if in purgatory.