ebookpocket.com #214 - Chapter 24: The Battle of King's Landing (V)
#214 - Chapter 24: The Battle of King's Landing (V)
Blackwater Rush is modeled after the Thames River, with an average river width of about 305 meters. The widest part in King's Landing is only 345 meters. Soldiers in armor, rowing 20-25 strokes per minute, can normally reach the opposite bank in about three to five minutes.
The boats also carried many siege items, and other soldiers would hold up shields to protect the rowers. Once ashore, they would work together to flip the boats over, using them as cover against enemy arrows. Generally, two to three boats could form a shelter for more than twenty people. The boats also had combinable ladders, and two ladders spliced together could reach the top of the wall. Because the south of the city is a depression, the city walls here are not high, the highest point is only 15 meters, and the lowest point may be less than 12 meters. That's why Stannis abandoned the Dragon Gate and the Old Gate, which were easier to deploy troops. The Stag Clan in the city originally planned to open the Old Gate.
Tyrion, wearing a small suit of armor, ran back and forth on the city wall, boosting morale: "All of you be brave, don't let the enemy rush up. Behind us is King's Landing. Your parents, wives, and children are there. What will those bastards do after they enter the city? The King is watching you. I guarantee it. As long as we win, you will all get the rewards you deserve. Kill those sons of bitches!" I don't know which genius actually hoisted a donkey up for him. He wanted to ride it and run on the city wall. Tyrion had already run three times back and forth all morning. The donkey was foaming at the mouth from exhaustion.
Finally, Stannis's army temporarily retreated, but the King's Landing defenders did not feel good. The enemies were all veterans, and the battle loss ratio between the two sides was about 1:1.5. More importantly, the enemy had already set up landing points along the coast. Tyrion was already considering whether to send someone out to burn the enemy's shelters. But he looked at the warships on the Blackwater Rush, which were the enemy's waterborne Great Wall. Once his own troops left the protection of the city wall, they would enter the enemy's range of attack, so he had to give up this tempting idea.
In the South Bank camp, Guthor Murrigon walked into the military tent, with several broken arrows still stuck in his armor. He took the water bottle from a servant beside him, gulped down a few mouthfuls, and then poured the rest of the water all over his head. "Your Majesty, the enemy is very tenacious! My men have stormed the city wall no less than thirty times, and they were all driven down. I tried it myself and was beaten back. The proportion of knights on the city wall is quite high. As soon as I showed my face, four knights came to deal with me, and their strength was quite good."
Stannis: "They should be the knights who stayed in King's Landing after participating in the tournament, and the rest are nobles from the Crownlands. It doesn't matter, we can deal with them slowly. How are the casualties?"
Guthor: "We have more than six hundred casualties, about four hundred dead. But the enemy's casualties should also be around four hundred. Their soldiers are not of good quality, probably temporarily recruited."
Stannis: "I received news that Tywin's army and the Tully army are fighting fiercely at the Red Fork crossing. Send someone to Ser Parmen Crane immediately, and let him lead the remaining troops to come as soon as possible. Earl Moribald Velaryon, you will lead the afternoon's attack."
Earl Moribald: "Yes, Your Majesty!"
Stannis: "Don't push too hard this year. Just maintain enough pressure. It's not time for a general attack yet. Notify Ser Davos to get into position as soon as possible." He was a qualified commander and naturally knew what was needed to defend a city and how to reduce his own losses. Taking back King's Landing and the Iron Throne was only the first step, and subduing the lords was the most important thing.
At Grey Glen, two ships flying the Flaming Stag banner approached the port. These outsiders were also shocked by the scene here! They belonged to Sallador Saan's pirate fleet, and their mission was to clear the surrounding small ports. But the small fishing village in the original intelligence had turned into a prosperous port.
The captain of the 'Limping Shark,' was really unwilling to give up the fat meat in his mouth. He joined forces with the captain of another ship to cooperate in taking down this port and looting it.
But the situation on the opposite side was also very strange. After they were discovered, the few strangely shaped boats in the port immediately fled in all directions. Even the people on the dock quickly disappeared. The whole port was unusually quiet. Even the castle on the hillside was silent, but some soldiers could be vaguely seen peeking out from behind the city wall.
Captain Boris: "Hehehe! Another cowardly nobleman. Brothers, cheer me up and search house by house. You only need to hand in half of the obtained property."
The two ships docked on the beautiful and flat pier. Before the gangplank could be set up, countless chaotic pirates swarmed out. The two ships actually squeezed in more than two hundred and seventy pirates.
But before they ran far, these pirates stopped one after another. Where did the people go? We are here to rob. At least give us some reaction! There is no crying, killing, or raping plunder, the experience is extremely bad. A small leader pointed his knife at the surrounding buildings: "What are you looking at me for? Go into the house and take a look. Maybe the money and women are inside."
Before these pirates could take any action, the upper tower-like structures of the two church-shaped buildings opened several baffles, revealing the dark iron pipes inside! After a few "bang bang" sounds, white smoke and fire burst out from those pipes.
Several black shadows were visible to the naked eye, but they were very fast, and they came to the sky above the ships in the blink of an eye. It was actually two iron balls tied together with iron chains. The iron balls rotated at high speed with great force, and instantly tore off the sails and masts of the ships. None of the five masts escaped, and all were strangled by the strange iron balls. The sails that fell on the ship also caught fire for some reason, and the crew on board were in chaos.
The pirates looked at each other, and at this moment, countless blue-armored soldiers poured out of those buildings. They were well-equipped, the weapons in their hands gleamed with a cold light, and they stared at them with unkind expressions. An officer with a big beard smiled at them maliciously: "Very good, you idiots! Although I don't know where you came from, I am officially informing you not to leave. Stay!"
"Haha, hahaha!" His words caused the soldiers to burst into laughter. The officer pointed his long knife, and the soldiers rushed up. The long knives danced, and the cold light shone in all directions. These poorly equipped pirates were beaten and howled.
The battle process was not suspenseful. Three full infantry companies, more than 500 well-equipped professional soldiers, faced less than 300 poorly equipped and loosely disciplined pirates. The most important thing was that the other party's ships were destroyed. So many people were crowded at the port and could not run away at all.
Before long, the battle was over. These people had been idle for a long time, and finally someone came to their door. For a while, they couldn't hold back and left less than sixty alive.