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#400 - Chapter 134: The Fighting Style of the Shiki (I)

Stannis was silent for a moment, then slowly asked, "So, how many warships do we have left now?" A hint of worry was evident in his voice.

Davos took a deep breath, trying to remain calm as he replied, "Your Grace, including six five-masted galleons, we only have two hundred and forty warships available." The number weighed heavily on him, as they originally had many more.

Hearing this news, Stannis's face darkened. He muttered to himself, "The North's warships were never numerous to begin with, and if even our fleet can't blockade the bay..." He didn't finish his sentence, but everyone understood the gravity of the situation.

Davos continued, "Your Grace, the situation is more dire than that. Salladhor Saan's fleet has been greatly weakened, and the hired armed merchant ships are refusing to continue fighting. Worse, we are almost out of ammunition on the ships." These problems made the situation increasingly critical.

Stannis fell into deep thought, weighing the pros and cons. He knew that holding their ground could lead to heavy casualties and failure, but retreating would mean losing an important strategic stronghold. After a period of inner struggle, he finally made up his mind.

"Very well, since that's the case, let them retreat! Evacuate the free folk to the rear, that way the migration can be faster," Stannis said, with a hint of resignation in his tone.

Then, he began to formulate a strategy: "We must also take some action. First, one backup line of defense is clearly not enough, we must establish a second, even a third line of defense. Second, send someone to contact Robb and request naval support. The number doesn't need to be large, but the firepower must be strong, and they must be wary of attacks from the Others."

Davos agreed with the king's decision and suggested, "Yes, Your Grace, I will arrange it immediately."

Perhaps, as Melisandre said, it would take time for the Night King's magic to recover. The wights did not continue their attack, but stood silently in place, staring at the humans. However, the dense, pale blue eyes brought an invisible pressure to the humans, as if each pair of eyes was a curse, making people feel uneasy and fearful.

The soldiers turned their heads, not daring to meet those pale blue gazes, as if they were stares from the abyss, fearing they would be swallowed by them. Some wildlings were even driven mad by these strange gazes, and actually ran out of the camp, launching attacks on the wights. Stones thrown by Pizo accurately broke the wight's neck, and the head rolled down, but surprisingly, the wight was still holding his head, standing still.

The humans did not become complacent because of this, but instead seized the time to improve fortifications and set traps. Originally, digging trenches would be the best defense, but in this cold winter, the soil had been frozen into hard permafrost, making digging extremely difficult. However, humans did not give up, they came up with a clever method - using felled trees to make a simplified version of chevaux de frise, and arranging them layer upon layer in the open space.

Tormund had sent his skinchangers to possess birds and scout the opposite forest. However, all attempts ended in failure. Many birds were enveloped by a bone-chilling aura as soon as they approached the forest, instantly freezing and falling down with a crash.

Even birds of prey that could fly high were not spared, they were often hit by a sudden ice cone, instantly exploding into a sky full of ice shards. The raven that flew the farthest returned with a scene that was terrifying - an endless army of the dead, slowly and steadily marching towards here. These dead people were pale, with empty eyes, and exuded a cold aura.

As dusk approached, the cold wind howled, and the soldiers sat around the campfire, sharing their stories and experiences. Although they knew that tomorrow might be the end of their lives, at this moment, they chose to enjoy this moment of peace and warmth.

Just then, a sentinel standing on the high tower, struck the leather drum with force, making a dull sound. His voice echoed in the cold wind, making everyone's heart tighten.

"The Others have been spotted ahead!" The sentinel's voice spread throughout the camp.

Stannis stood up from his seat immediately after hearing the news, a hint of determination flashed in his eyes. He led the people around him, and walked towards the defensive line without hesitation.

In the dark forest, they saw a group of black shadows gradually approaching. As the distance closed, the soldiers finally saw the true faces of those black shadows. It was a group of Others riding dead horses, they wielded ice crystal weapons in their hands, and roared in a low voice.

This was the first time they had seen such terrifying enemies, and many people were filled with fear. But Stannis was not afraid, he raised his long sword and shouted loudly: "Prepare for battle!"

The officer relayed the superior's order: "Prepare for battle! Get your spirits up!"

"Prepare for battle!"

"Prepare for battle!"

"Prepare for battle!"

………

The soldiers looked solemn, holding the weapons in their hands tightly, their eyes were firm, full of determination and courage for the battle.

The Others then let out a low and terrifying roar, the sound seemed to come from the depths of hell, making people shudder. Behind them, countless wights surged like a tide, they bared their fangs and claws and pounced on the humans.

These wights were agile, their eyes flashing with strange light, like a group of hungry beasts, eager to tear the enemies in front of them to pieces.

Among this group of wights, there were also some Others wearing armor. They were different from ordinary wights, exuding a powerful aura. These Others seemed to have higher intelligence, they knew how to command the wights, making their actions more orderly and flexible.

What was even more surprising was that some wights were actually carrying huge trees, running like fierce chariots. They used the trunks as siege weapons, and their target was the low defensive wall of the humans. This battle was destined to be extremely fierce, with both sides not retreating, ready to meet the test of life and death.

The defending human warriors were all stunned, they had never thought that wights could run so fast. They swept in like a raging tide, and some wights with incomplete bodies even volunteered to pave the way forward with their bodies.