Chapter 404 Rainy Night Raid
The night was dark, and the sky was raining with ice.
It is late autumn, but the howling north wind has already brought the chill of winter ahead of time.
On the north bank of the Heishui River, figures swayed, and the gagged war horse neighed dully.
Thousands of western cavalry wore thick fur cloaks and lined up on the shore to appease the restless war horses.
The cold raindrops hit the body and penetrated into the skin, and when the cold wind blew, the chill seemed to penetrate into the bones.
But the cavalry didn't seem to care at all.
They have just returned from the snowstorm in the north, and their tolerance to the cold is by no means comparable to that of ordinary people.
Ser Davon Lannister stared at the opposite bank, motionless as if he had been a statue.
It wasn't until he saw a few fire lights in the darkness in front of him, shaking from time to time, that he regained his spirits.
Because this means that the forward of the army has cleared the enemy's eyeliner at the ferry on the opposite bank.
Sir Daven moved his numb and stiff hands and feet, and ordered:
"Cross the river!"
Teams of soldiers from the Western Territory took their horses and boarded the boat one after another.
The water surface of this section of the river is nearly 2,000 feet wide. Fortunately, the current is not too fast, and the army quickly reached the ferry on the other side.
But it took almost an hour to disembark and re-queue.
There is a watchtower near the ferry on the south bank, with wolf dung piled on it. It is an observation post set up by the Stormlanders to monitor the movement of the Blackwater River.
It's just that the guards in the sentry tower have all turned into cold corpses.
The cold weather made these people who are used to the warmth of midsummer lose their most basic vigilance.
Of course, the more important thing is that they did not expect that the Lannister family would take the initiative to attack south.
In fact, when Sir Davon received the order from Duke Tywin, he also experienced a period of astonishment.
Fortunately, members of the Lannister family were used to obeying Duke Tywin's orders, so he immediately led three thousand cavalry from the western region across the river.
"Advance!" After the soldiers were ready, Sir Davon ordered, taking the lead and walking in the front.
The horses of this cavalry team were all wrapped in woolen cloth, and they made a low sound when they stepped on the muddy road.
No one in the team talked, and they all walked in silence, and the awe-inspiring atmosphere condensed in the air.
The night is getting thicker and thicker, and you can hardly see your fingers.
The Blackwater River is more than ten miles south, where the King's Avenue and the Rose Avenue meet, forming a fairly prosperous town.
But now, this small town has been requisitioned by the Stormland Army and transformed into a military fortress.
In the church hall in the center of the town, Earl Selwyn Tars was drinking alone.
His legs and feet are not good. Whenever the weather is cold or rainy, he will have a dull pain, which makes it difficult for him to sleep peacefully.
So I can only anesthetize myself with alcohol to relieve pain.
As the first group of lords in the Stormlands to pledge their allegiance to Caesar, Earl Tars has always been valued.
This time, he was also given a heavy responsibility, leading five thousand soldiers to station at the outpost camp to monitor the movements of King's Landing.
The outpost camp is still hundreds of miles away from the Bronze Gate City where the army gathered, but Earl Tas was not too worried.
Because in his opinion, there is a high probability that the Lannister family will not cross the river to come here.
As long as Duke Tywin is not stupid, he will not let the natural moat of the Blackwater River go unused, and come to the south bank to fight the army of the Stormy Reach.
The city walls of the town have been urgently heightened and reinforced, and a lot of trenches have been dug, and daily inspections have never stopped...
Thinking of this, Earl Tas suddenly froze for a moment, because he thought that it would be cold and rainy tonight, so no one would be lazy.
"Bam, Bam!" cried Lord Tars.
Soon, a young attendant ran in: "My lord, what are your orders?"
"Go and look around the camp to see if anyone is lazy."
"Yes, my lord."
Bam turned to leave, but he was muttering to himself—
In such a horrible weather, who wouldn't be lazy.
The long summer wears down the resistance of the southerners to the cold. Before it reaches the freezing point, many people get sick from the cold.
Those who were not sick, all huddled in tents and lit a fire to keep warm in this weather.
Although Bam complained, he still put on a bearskin coat and stepped into the darkness against the cold rain.
But at this moment, he suddenly saw a faint fire flickering at the north city gate, and then there was a voice of shouting and asking.
Bam frowned and quickened his pace.
Before he reached the gate of the city, he heard the sound of warning horns and hoarse shouts.
Enemy attack!
Bam's heart felt cold, but he turned around and ran towards the church hall, shouting loudly as he ran:
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
At this time, the south city gate was slowly opened behind him.
"Kill! Kill in!" Ser Davon Lannister raised his long sword high and shouted, and urged his horse to rush to the forefront.
The cavalry army, which had already lined up in a black array outside the city, kicked and beat the horse's belly one after another, and accelerated forward.
The sound of rumbling horseshoes completely shattered the silent cold night, and under the hazy moonlight, the army of the western region spread towards the camp in the storm like flowing water.
At this time Earl Tars was still drinking, and he jumped up from his chair reflexively after hearing the sound of the battle horn.
The soreness in his legs was unbearable, so he shook his body to stabilize himself.
The attendant Bam also rushed into the hall, and shouted out of breath:
"My lord, the enemy is attacking! It's cavalry! Thousands of cavalry!"
At this time, it was too late to think about where the enemy came from, why there was no warning at the river ferry, and how to launch an attack at this time.
Earl Tas didn't say a word, grabbed the saber beside the table, and rushed out without even Caesar wearing it.
The chaotic scene outside did not make Earl Tas lose his judgment. Facing the panicked soldiers, he comforted him loudly:
"Don't panic! In this weather, it is impossible for the Lannisters to cross the river in a big way, and they definitely don't have the courage to cross the river in a big way! This is just a small-scale sneak attack. As long as we can stabilize, the enemy will naturally not dare to stay here for a long time!"
Seeing that everyone gradually calmed down, Earl Tas secretly heaved a sigh of relief.
He first found the bachelor with the army and asked him to pass the news of the attack on the outpost camp back to Tongmen City with a raven, then summoned the camp officers and began to issue military orders one after another.
But it is a pity that the Western Cavalry finally took the lead.
And in this kind of rainy night raid, the one who has the upper hand is always the one who is more prepared.
After entering the city, Dafeng divided his subordinates into three thousand-man teams, and personally led one of them to roar through the camp, scattering groups of Stormland soldiers, and then easily chopped them down one by one. land.
As time went by, the Stormland army got through the initial panic and finally began to organize resistance.
Arrows are scurrying in the night sky, long swords are dancing wildly in blood, horseshoes, shouts of killing, and screams are intertwined, playing the prelude to the night attack.
(end of this chapter)