At Bronze Yohn's command, Earl's three sons—his third son, and his second son—climbed over the waist-high fence, leaving only the second son, who stood guard beside him, holding his knight's shield. ☮♕ 💘ඏ
Most of the Vale knights who climbed over the fence fell directly onto the muddy ground. Their heavy armor and exhausted strength made it impossible for them to land and maintain their balance. After falling, they even had great difficulty getting up again.
" The Gods!" Bronze Yohn roared in extreme grief as countless long weapons of all kinds rained down on them, his eyes wide with rage.
This place was a gathering place for the elite knights of the Vale. Before Bronze Yohn could change his orders, they swung their swords at the wooden stakes in front of them.
The densely packed formation left the Vale Knights with absolutely no room to dodge the spears thrusting from behind the palisade.
The advance of the Vale Knights was halted, and their formation became even denser... If one knight fell in front, it would often lead to the fall of several others, or even a large group of them.
Finally, the fence was hacked open by the fearless Vale Knights, but most of it was patched up by their Vale bodies.
The slaughter continues; this place has become the Seven Hells for the Vale Knights.
The Vale Knights' pride had kept them going until now, but as they struggled through the mud under a hail of arrows, their unwavering belief in victory had already begun to waver.
This place is where the finest knights of the Vale of Arryn are gathered; their bodies are already exhausted, and their eyes are beginning to become vacant.
Ahead, Crabb's spears and fences seemed like an insurmountable barrier, reaping their lives every moment.
Beneath their feet, the cries of their companions rose and fell, as if the Stranger were calling to them.
The Vale Knights huddled together, a sense of despair spreading through the air, hanging over everyone's hearts like a dark cloud.
Bronze Yohn kept shouting for attack, but the Vale Knights' pride and courage had been completely exhausted.
The Vale Knights suddenly collapsed, their retreat like a flood bursting its banks, unstoppable.
However, they forgot about the large mud pit they and their warhorses had trampled out behind them, which... was still a death trap for them at this point.
They were knocked down... tripped... slipped... fell... The Vale Knights, exhausted, desperately fled backwards, clinging to the thought of escaping this earthly hell.
Not long after, another "dark cloud" rose from Crabb's ranks, sweeping towards the retreating Vale Knights like a whirlwind.
Earl Royce was actually defeated by Wildling?! The nearly ten thousand Vale Knights left behind also began to stir.
Anxiety and fear spread like wildfire, and almost everyone felt as if they were shrouded in darkness.
Ser Gilwood Hunter, heir to the Longbow Hall, who was stationed at the rear, was at a loss as to how to deal with this unexpected situation. The usually arrogant man... appeared so bewildered at this moment.
"Attack!" someone suddenly shouted, the voice sounding particularly jarring at that moment.
Sir Hunter looked angrily toward the direction from which the sound came, but before he could see clearly, another response came from the ranks of soldiers.
"Attack!"
"Attack! Attack!"
"Attack! Attack! Attack!"
First a few people... then a group of people... finally, almost everyone was yelling "Attack!"
They had thought this was a game of hunting Wildling... but that sudden sound made the panicked Vale Knights feel as if they had suddenly found a way out of their predicament.
Some men spurred their horses forward, and once the first one did, another followed... They all rode towards the direction of Crabb's army without receiving any orders.
Sir Hunter and Lady Anya tried to stop them, but their voices were drowned out by the thunderous sound of hooves.
Why did Bronze Yohn order his Vale Knights to walk? Because the wheat fields ahead were off-limits to horses, forcing the knights to dismount and become foot soldiers.
" The Gods, this is suicide!" The Vale cavalry had broken free of his command, and Sir Hunter could only roar in place.
"Attack! Attack!" some cavalrymen shouted as they slowed their horses and, using their skillful riding, gradually broke away from the charging ranks.
Among the Vale Knights who participated in the duel, some hired Free Riders to do odd jobs, totaling more than 1,000.
Among these Free Riders, some took two or three Gold Dragon, and it was they who suddenly shouted the call to attack.
For them, the money they received from the Vale Knights who hired them was a pittance, far less than the additional fees they received privately.
Moreover, the task is quite simple.
Someone approached them privately and said: This duel is known throughout the Seven Kingdoms. Only by slaughtering Wildling of Crackclaw Point who dare to provoke us can we be worthy of the nobility and honor of the Vale Knights. Our mission is to secretly incite them... and use the swords in the hands of the Vale Knights to bleed the Wildling of Crackclaw Point dry.
While many were still struggling to obtain the generous Gold Dragon, another person approached them: he told them what slogans to shout at what time, and these slogans can be summarized as... Knights of the Vale Never Back Down.
After thinking about it, it seems that all the employers... have the same goal? Therefore, some lucky Free Riders accepted the double windfall with a clear conscience.
Therefore, the trustworthy Free Riders, at the opportune moment, stirred up the Vale Knights' fighting spirit according to their private agreement.
As for the consequences of launching the final battle... how could our noble knights possibly be defeated by those Wildling? Even if some setbacks occur, they absolutely cannot lose this battle that concerns the honor of the Vale.
Why did they slip away from the charging ranks? The Free Riders were just hired to do odd jobs; they weren't qualified to participate in the battle for the honor of the Vale Knights.
Who were the two men who secretly bribed these Free Riders? One was Littlefinger, and the other was Lord Gryn.
Littlefinger's goal was to weaken both Crackclaw Point and the Righteous Ones, or rather, he hoped they would perish together, an outcome that would make it easier for him to seize control of the Vale.
As for Gryn, his goal was similar: he hoped to eliminate as many obstacles as possible in this rare opportunity on the battlefield for the upcoming conquest of the Vale.
Therefore, both Gryn and Littlefinger used seemingly harmless underhanded methods, which intensified the war.
"For the glory of Vale of Arryn!"
The Vale Knights struggled forward through the muddy ground, the neighing of their warhorses and the shouts of their riders mingling together.
[ ]
However, the knight's pride and courage alone were not enough to get the horses moving smoothly across the mud. More and more warhorses suddenly fell to the ground, throwing the knights off their saddles.
"For the glory of the Knights of the Vale!"
More and more horses became frightened, and the Vale Knights tried to control their warhorses, but all their efforts were in vain. The horses became even more frenzied, charging around wildly, and the cavalry formation was thrown into complete chaos.
Toot-toot, toot-toot, toot-toot-toot-toot-toot-toot, the bugle call suddenly sounded in the Vale, the signal for retreat.
Most of the cavalry were brought to their senses by the sound of the retreating bugle call, and they had to desperately admit... the Vale Knights had truly been defeated; they had lost to the despicable Wildling.
But many ignored the bugle call to retreat, like gamblers who had lost everything. They could not accept that the Vale Knights had lost to the Wildling of Crackclaw Point. They wanted to continue their advance for the glory of Vale of Arryn.
This brought even greater chaos to the Vale Knights.
A long, drawn-out bugle call from Crabb echoed across the battlefield.
More than 1,000 Crackclaw Point the Warrior, mainly composed of Crabb Clan Soldiers, marched out of the battle formation under the command of Amparo Thorns. Their weapons were mainly armor-piercing weapons such as maces, warhammers, and battle axes.
Woo--woo-woo-woo-woo-woo-woo-woo, the bugle call soon sounded again, and more than 500 Crabb pikemen stepped out of their ranks and followed closely behind.
Their target was the Vale People lying on the muddy ground, howling and struggling; Lord Gryn's order was—no prisoners were needed.
That night, at the camp of the Declaration of Lords Declarant.
Lady Waynwood, her eyes red and her voice trembling with tears, cried out, " The Gods, Lord Jorn... he really... how could this be?! How dare they... how dare they..."
Gilwood Hunter said in a deep voice, "Given Earl Royce's status in the Seven Kingdoms, he should be treated with respect and courtesy, wherever he is, even as a prisoner."
He looked at Earl Houghton Redford and continued, "Earl Houghton, could it be... a mistake? The Clayber family..."
He paused for a moment, then added, " Half-Wildling are not true barbarians after all."
Earl Horton Redford stared at the brazier in silence for a long while before finally speaking in a trembling voice, "My son, he, his son, are all dead, truly all dead."
" The Gods forgive me..." Lady Anya sadly closed her eyes.
Ser Jeywood rose abruptly, paused, and said in a hoarse voice, "This is murder! This is a crime! His crime is unforgivable! We must protest to King Joffrey and demand a just trial for Gryn Crabb's sins in the presence of the Seven!"
" Red Keep?"
Earl Horton sighed helplessly, saying, " The Red Keep now is not the place it was when Lord Jon Arryn was alive. If the old duke were still here... ah... if he were still here... who would dare challenge the Vale? Would Crabb dare?"
He shook his head and said, "Before King Joffrey came of age, everyone knew that the Red Keep belonged to the Lannister, and that Lord Crabb was a favorite of Queen Regent Cersei. Perhaps they would have taken our protest as a joke."
Lady Anya cautioned, " Earl Horton, we must protest to the Red Keep. We must inform the Seven Kingdoms of Lord Crabb's barbaric atrocities in the Vale as soon as possible."
After saying that, she couldn't help but murmur, " The Seven Hells..."
Earl Horton said sadly, "Today is a battle known to Seven Kingdoms, and I fear they will mock the honor of the Knights of the Vale even more then..."
Lady Anya shook her head slightly, reminding him again, " Earl Horton, I understand your concerns, but... who can accept such a horrific outcome? The knightly families of Vale of Arryn, with their thousand-year-old tradition, are almost all gone... in just half a day, they vanished forever. This is a barbaric act that the Gods cannot forgive... This cannot be explained by the mere pretext of a duel. Every good person in the Seven Kingdoms will not forgive such a cruel atrocity."
Earl Horton nodded slightly and said, "Indeed, this is no longer a matter of the kingdom's laws, wise Lady Anya."
Sir Jeywood said bitterly, "All the Crackclaw Point men must pay for their blood debt!"
Lady Anya sighed and said, "We must first negotiate with the Red Keep..."
Lady Anya's words were interrupted by a sudden commotion outside the tent.
Not long after, Earl Leonor Corbray of Heart's Home strode in, saying as he entered, "Good night, sirs. Please forgive my intrusion."
" Earl Corbray?"
"You should have had a guard announce your arrival before you came in; it's basic etiquette."
Why are you here?
Earl Leonor first sat down in an empty seat, then glanced at the three solemn-looking men and said, "I sensed the grief emanating from here from afar. As a fellow vassal of the House Arryn, I have no choice but to intrude."
Lady Anya, Earl Horton, and Sir Jeywood exchanged glances. Lady Anya spoke up, " Earl Corbray, I'd much rather see honesty in the men of the Vale than insincere excuses."
Earl Leonor shrugged and said, " Lady Anya, Earl Horton, Ser Jeywood, in the name of the Duke of the Eyrie, I have brought you reinforcements tonight."
Earl Horton frowned. "Duke Robert?"
"As Lady Anya instructed, I'll get straight to the point..."
Earl Leonor curled his lips into a smile and continued, "It was Lord Baelish, Duke Robert's adoptive father, who ordered me to send support to the Declaration of Lords Declarant."
Sir Jeywood chuckled and said, "You've come just in time. I must inform you... Earl Corbray, you're late."
Earl Leonor shrugged and said, "It is precisely because of the defeat of the Declaration of Lords Declarant that I have taken the liberty of appearing here... As instructed by Lord Petyr, if you win, my task is to recapture Gulltown, which has fallen into the hands of the Wildling, and also to retrieve my own possessions."
Ser Jeywood scoffed, "We will retake Gulltown ourselves. The Declaration of Lords Declarant will never accept Lysa Tully's help. We haven't forgotten that she's the one who poisoned Jon Arryn."
Lady Anya chimed in, " Earl Corbray, as vassals of the Arryn family, we must ensure the murderer receives the justice he deserves."
Earl Horton nodded, thus indicating his stance.
Earl Leonor sighed, paused, his expression turning serious, and said, " Lady Anya, Earl Horton, Sir Jeywood, I wish to inform you... Not long ago, Lysa Tully chose to take her own life because she could not forgive herself for the sins she had committed..."