The journey of film and television world is endless

#390 - Chapter 124: Shocking Changes in the Frontier (IV)

The wildlings, hearing Tormund's roar, couldn't help but stop and stare blankly at him. Tormund continued to shout, "Do you think this will save Mance? This is all the enemy's conspiracy, can't you see it?"

At the execution pyre, Melisandre walked towards Mance Rayder. Her eyes gleamed with a strange light as she smiled at Mance Rayder and said, "Mance Rayder, you are a brave warrior, but unfortunately, you have chosen the wrong path. Now, you will dedicate yourself to the Lord of Light and become his sacrifice."

Mance Rayder slowly raised his head, his gaze fixed coldly on Melisandre, the corner of his mouth slightly raised in a disdainful arc, and he responded in an icy tone, "I am not afraid of death, nor will I be intimidated by you self-proclaimed shamans. My only faith is freedom!"

Melisandre smiled slightly upon hearing this, but her eyes revealed a hint of imperceptible admiration. She said softly, "You are indeed still that stubborn fellow, but that is precisely your unique charm. Today, I will use your blood as a sacrifice to awaken the great Lord of Light, let the Lord's will descend upon this land, and grant us light and hope." With that, she reached out and gently stroked Mance Rayder's cheek.

Facing the imminent death, Mance Rayder appeared unusually calm. However, at this moment, a feeling of unease welled up in Melisandre's heart. She quickly walked to the wooden frame, murmuring mysterious incantations. At the same time, her body began to emit a faint red light. The light was like the first ray of sunlight in the morning, warm and soft, but contained endless power. When she opened her eyes again, the firewood in front of her suddenly burst into flames, instantly igniting a raging fire.

Mance Rayder wailed incessantly in the flames, his voice filled with pain and despair. He waved his arms, trying to extinguish the flames on his body, but the fire grew bigger and bigger, completely engulfing him. The wildlings on the opposite side could no longer restrain themselves, their anger erupting like a volcano. Even Tormund couldn't suppress the chieftains now, their eyes flashing with the fire of hatred, and they crossed the low wall towards the enemy.

Stannis stood quietly on the hillside, watching the distant battlefield. His eyes were firm and cold, as if everything was under his control. He said silently, "It seems they have begun to act, the timing is just right. Davos, order the attack!"

Davos nodded and turned to give the order. Under his command and the command of the generals, Stannis' army immediately reacted. The infantry, who were waiting in full battle array, quickly advanced, setting up a solid defense line in the front. They held shields and spears, closely arranged together, forming an indestructible wall. The cavalry moved quickly to the flanks, preparing to attack from the sides.

With a command, rows of soldiers advanced forward in unison, their steps steady and powerful, carrying an unstoppable momentum. At the same time, the archers in the rear began to attack, and then, a rain of arrows shot out from Stannis' army, as dense as locusts. The whistling sound of arrows cutting through the air intertwined, forming a symphony of death. Many wildlings had already fallen on the snow, but these dead companions did not make the other wildlings feel fear, but aroused their stronger fighting spirit.

Just then, a peculiar sight appeared in the sky, fireballs streaking across the sky, like shooting stars falling into the ranks of the wildlings. Flames scattered and burst, many people were instantly ignited, turning into burning torches, emitting miserable screams. Some unlucky people were directly hit by the fire meteors, turning into a pile of minced meat on the spot.

The battlefield was filled with the smell of burning and thick smoke, making it suffocating. Seeing such a tragic scene, the wildlings in the rear began to retreat, while the wildlings in the front continued to advance bravely, using their own flesh and blood to impact the defense line of Stannis' army. This battle was extremely fierce, and both sides paid a huge price.

Tormund climbed to the top of a ruined tower and looked out towards the bay to the west. To his surprise, he discovered that a large number of ships had suddenly appeared in the bay. These ships were densely packed in the bay, the sails were endless, and he couldn't see the end at a glance. There were as many as a thousand warships, and at this moment, the sky-covering fireballs and crossbow bolts were falling towards this side.

However, due to the lack of effective means of communication, the commander of the fleet could only order two rounds of fire towards the wildlings. Although the damage caused by the warship's projection weapons was actually very limited, it was a very serious blow to the morale of the wildlings. And the cavalry on the flanks easily repelled the wildlings' offensive with only one charge.

Stannis did not want to cause too many casualties, so he did not take the opportunity to pursue, but ordered the army to slowly approach the low wall.

The wildlings saw that the situation was not good, and they crossed the low wall one after another, rejoicing that they had escaped.

At this time, Tormund began to direct the chieftains to appease the tribesmen. They did not expect the army of the Southern King to be so difficult to deal with. The battle just now seemed fierce, but in fact it was extremely tragic, but in fact the casualties on the wildling side were only four or five hundred people.

Feeling more and more uneasy, Tormund grabbed Varamyr, and angrily questioned, "What the hell are you doing? The enemy has already touched your eyes, but you are unaware! Go and check the surrounding situation now, and if there is any more mistake, I will kill you alive and send you to the Thenn(Thenn: a tribe of wildlings) leader Styr to eat!"

Varamyr looked back, and the ice river(ice river: referring to a glacial area) cannibal tribe leader Styr was smiling at him, revealing his creepy big white teeth. Varamyr's body couldn't help but feel a chill, so he hurriedly sat down cross-legged. After a while, his eyeballs began to roll upwards, as if he had lost consciousness. Then, a gray owl flew up from his shoulder and rushed into the sky. The owl circled in the air, flying higher and higher, and finally determined the direction, flying towards the north.

Tormund turned his head and roared at the crowd behind him: "What are you still standing here for? Immediately send out all the skinchangers(skinchangers: people who can enter the minds of animals)! Do not leave one behind, let them scout the surrounding situation. I want to know why the enemy appeared inside the bay, and what happened at Hardhome(Hardhome: a wildling settlement)!"

Tormund's brows furrowed tightly, his heart filled with worry and unease. He knew that the free folk(free folk: another name of wildlings) were now in an unprecedented crisis, they not only needed to deal with external threats, but also had to find a way to solve the food shortage problem. Although they might be able to defeat Stannis' army, it would not change their predicament. And the worst thing was that the enemy's fleet actually appeared inside the bay, which undoubtedly put them in a more passive situation.