The Battle of Harrenhal-The World Turned Upside Down

In the early hours of the morning, before the starlight on the horizon had been extinguished by the rising sun, the sound of horns echoed across the lake.

To annihilate this enemy and rebel force, Stannis mobilized a main force of 30,000 men for the attack.

The longbowmen of the central army were arranged in a square formation at the very front of the entire army, and they had long since adjusted and carefully maintained their longbows, ready to fire.

On the flanks of the central army, ten thousand cavalrymen from the Vale Kingdom had fed their horses well the night before. The horses beneath the riders were glossy, and their lances gleamed coldly, ready to drink their fill of blood at any moment.

They were like two heavy hammers, ready to smash the enemy formation, which resembled a hedgehog, beneath the black flag at any moment.

"Your Majesty, Stannis doesn't have any particularly noteworthy achievements either. If it weren't for Davos smuggling grain for him, Storm's End would have already fallen to the Highgarden army. As for Dragonstone, he only managed to get away with it by chance. And as for the Iron Islands, with the support of several entire Seven Kingdoms, how could they possibly fail?"

Under the black three-headed dragon banner of the Targaryen, Axell, drawing on his years of experience working alongside Stannis, analyzed the situation for everyone, attempting to prove that his command abilities were actually mediocre, at best capable of winning battles when things were going well.

"Oh? According to Sir Florent, Stannis now has over 30,000 men, while we only have four or five thousand. He's bound to succeed, right?" Leo Lefford said with a hint of sarcasm, leaving Axell speechless for a moment.

"No, no, that's not what I meant, Your Majesty. Isn't Your Majesty the best at winning with fewer troops? We will surely be the final victors."

Axell looked at Jon with a hint of ingratiation, only to see Jon chuckle softly.

"We may not fear our opponents and enemies, but we cannot underestimate them," Jon said. "Robert, pass down the order: if we can hold this position, all soldiers' rewards will be increased by one rank after this battle."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Jon knew this battle would be no easy feat. Stannis was no fool; on the contrary, he was very talented, not to mention he now held a significant numerical advantage.

Soon, Jon's position was hit by a dense rain of arrows. The arrows of the Vale longbowmen were like a storm, washing over their formation. The fluttering black banners with three-headed dragons and black White Wolf Banner were torn to pieces by the steel arrowheads.

Stannis, looking at the arrows overhead that almost blocked out the rising sun, felt a surge of anticipation for victory, while also hoping that Jon would not die under such a hail of arrows.

The longbowmen's shooting lasted for nearly a quarter of an hour, with each longbowman firing an average of thirty arrows.

Black arrows were densely distributed in all visible areas, covering a field that looked like it had just been ravaged by a fire, with charred seedlings planted everywhere.

Stannis, holding a bronze telescope, was astonished to find that almost no one was left standing on Jon's position!

Wrong!

There was absolutely no one there!

"Where is he?" Stannis was puzzled, but he soon had the answer.

One by one, the soldiers who had vanished emerged from the pit, completely unharmed except for some mud on their bodies! They had hidden in the pit to avoid the arrows!

What annoyed him even more was that almost every soldier was busy bending down to pick up the arrows that had been shot out!

These arrows were mostly stuck in the soil, ready to be used as soon as they were pulled out; even the arrowheads hadn't become dull. There was no doubt that these arrows would eventually be returned to their heads.

But that was just some arrows; the real battle was about to begin with close combat!

At Stannis's command, banners fluttered in the wind, and the heavy army passed through the ranks of longbowmen, quickly coalescing into a human wall.

The soldiers on both sides quickly recognized each other's features: calm, tense, excited, composed, fearful.

Relatively speaking, Jon's army was of better quality because they had never been defeated since their formation, and every one of them sincerely believed that Jon would lead them to victory again.

As for Axell, he was deeply moved. He had thought Jon would place the House Florent army at the forefront, but he never expected that Jon would entrust his back to him so confidently.

Of course, there was also a thousand men led by Sai Ze at the very back to surround them, but it was already quite touching that they didn't use these newly surrendered soldiers as human shields in front.

Jon is a more worthy king to follow.

Jon was very generous to his allies and soldiers after each battle, which used to be a headache for him and Stannis. After analysis, they believed that this was an important reason why Jon had a large number of allies.

Moreover, Jon has rescued allies and vassals on the battlefield on more than one occasion.

Now that he has switched sides and become a Targaryen vassal, doesn't that mean he can enjoy the same benefits?

This is much better than Stannis, who seems to only blame others when things don't go well.

As he thought of this, Axell felt a surge of power rising within him. Now, even if Jon were to move him to the front, no one would complain.

Soon, swords, spears, and shields clashed, and the two armies began close combat, a head-on collision of flesh and steel.

Jon's soldiers were much better equipped and had a stronger will to fight.

On the other hand, Stannis's soldiers were mostly hastily recruited and cobbled together, and their coordination was quite clumsy. However, thanks to their relatively large army and numbers, they were able to maintain a similar level of morale.

Stannis led his Stormlands army in a frontal assault on the positions flying black flags, even risking being hit by stray arrows to get as close to the front as possible.

Stannis also remembered what others said about Robert: that he had a loud enough voice that every soldier could hear his orders.

But he, who rarely speaks, felt his vocal cords congested and his voice became hoarse after only a couple of shouts.

Soon they would have to resort to using messengers.

However, commanding soldiers who have been temporarily assembled from all over the country is undoubtedly a very challenging task. Most of the time, only simple orders for attack, retreat and rotation can be given, and the soldiers cannot be ordered to perform any complex tactical actions.

Jon's side was completely different. Not only did he not reveal the slightest flaw, but any slight hesitation in Stannis's army was turned into an opportunity to fight, and his attacks were repeatedly repelled.

Faced with Jon's impenetrable defense and tricky offense, Stannis couldn't help but look serious.

The battle raged until high in the sky, during which Stannis sent out cavalry for numerous charges, but each time Jon was able to accurately deploy heavily armored troops to repel his cavalry.

The battle lasted for two days and one night, but no progress was made. The seemingly simple camp remained unmoved, like a reef in the ocean waves.

"Could you make me a gust of wind?"

"Wind?" Thoros asked, frowning.

"I will have the cavalry attack with the wind at their backs."

Weather is a critical factor on the battlefield. Sometimes, even if it suddenly rains, the commanding general will choose to withdraw the troops in order to prevent any unforeseen changes.

When the wind blows against you, it stirs up dust, obstructing vision and weakening the power of arrows. When the wind blows with you, it's the complete opposite; it not only doesn't hinder you, but it also allows soldiers to ride the wind, boosting morale and increasing their deterrent effect. For cavalry, it also increases their charge speed.

Faced with Jon's impenetrable defense, Stannis's only option was to use his strength to send bricks flying.

He was thinking of using the impact force to break through the defenses.

I have two nephews; I might as well use them.

Moreover, Stannis told himself that he wasn't a devil Euron, who would sacrifice the lives of his own kin.

It's just bleeding; it doesn't matter where it's bleeding.

The main reason is that he still needs to command the army; otherwise, he would have used his own.

Faced with Stannis's demands, Thoros had no choice but to accept.

So they quickly took about three jugs' worth of blood from Gendry's body and poured it into the burning flames as a sacrifice.

Of course, all of this was done in a tent, since using witchcraft in Westeros wasn't exactly honorable.

Stannis, surrounded by his personal guards, was about to personally lead the cavalry behind him in a charge.

He glanced at the Flaming Stag Banner beside him, which now hung silently, like a lurking beast.

Gradually, a breeze began to stir it, once, twice, and under the force of the wind, the yellow stag banner slowly unfurled, making the stag on the banner seem to begin to gallop forward.

It was as if it wanted to use its antlers to pierce that pitch-black flag once again.

The riders on horseback were initially puzzled when they felt the wind coming from behind them.

It's quite unusual that a southerly wind is blowing now that winter is approaching.

However, they soon realized that the wind was blowing in the direction they were attacking!

The failure of more than ten attacks over two consecutive days has frustrated many soldiers, especially the Vale People's proud cavalry, which has suffered repeated defeats.

Now, not only is the king personally in command, but even the gods are standing by their side.

Many devout knights and riders even began brief prayers on horseback, giving thanks for the blessings of the gods.

Upon seeing this, Stannis immediately shouted, "For the glory of the Lord of Light! Attack!"

"Hmm? The Lord of Light? We worship the Seven?"

Many of the Vale soldiers were puzzled, but they didn't hesitate for long, because the king's order had already been given, and his elite guards were already rushing forward. They couldn't possibly run slower than the king, could they?

Soon the soldiers began shouting their respective slogans.

Some were shouting their family's tribal language, while others were yelling "Long live the warriors!"

The warrior is also one of the Seven.

Others were shouting "Long live the Vale!"

Of course, there were also those who shouted "Long live the Lord of Light," but those who shouted "Long live Stannis" were basically only the people around him.

Thousands of cavalry charged toward Jon's position, and with the sudden gust of wind, the torrent of steel was like a roaring river, unstoppable.

Almost instantly, flesh and steel collided once again.

The morale and offensive power of the Iron Throne Coalition in this attack were unprecedented.

Stannis could see that the position in front of him was almost crumbling. As long as his cavalry broke through, they could destroy the position. With the surrounding army, Jon would have no chance of escaping unless he jumped into the God's Eye.

Just as Stannis was about to taste victory, a figure wielding a large black banner and moving like a white lightning bolt suddenly rushed out.

Jon, wielding a large banner in one hand and a long spear in the other, clad in white Valyrian steel armor, charged directly into the point of greatest impact.

"Are you crazy?"

Stannis simply couldn't believe that Jon could break through his cavalry force, which was advancing with the wind at his back, with only two or three hundred riders by his side.

But the next second he was dumbfounded. Jon used his spear to lift up the fastest charging knight. The knight, weighing over two hundred pounds including his armor, was lifted up like a skinny, bony dog.

With a powerful swing of his spear, the heavily armored knight was sent hurtling like a cannonball towards his allies behind him.

With a sudden crash, the momentum of the attack was abruptly halted.

Those who were still launching an attack stared wide-eyed at the sight of such a fierce fighting style, thinking that Valyrian steel armor would grant them divine power.

Seeing such a powerful scene, Sandor, Sigorn, Haken, and the others behind Jon were naturally greatly encouraged, and their speed and power of the counterattack increased significantly. Even Leo Lefford, who had temporarily taken command, couldn't help but widen his eyes, thinking he had seen some kind of monster.

Since Jon Snow's ranks, he has only admired Jon's exquisite and meticulous command and flexible strategies.

But after seeing Jon demonstrate such power, admiration immediately transformed into worship.

Rationality and wisdom represent a higher level of aesthetic appreciation.

But the display of violence is what challenges the most primal forms of worship.

Almost no enemy who stood in Jon's way could withstand his attacks; they were either tossed around like rocks or stabbed to death with a single spear thrust.

The cavalrymen behind saw this and tried to rein in their horses, but the immense inertia made it impossible to stop them so easily.

Even the soldiers behind him would push and shove him forward.

Stannis, witnessing this scene, was instantly transported back to the Battle of the Blackwater.

At that time, his fleet also wanted to withdraw but couldn't.

"Your Majesty, retreat! Your Majesty, that man is about to charge!" Alexander, the captain of the royal guard, pleaded hastily. He could see Jon charging straight toward Stannis.

No one present dared to stand up and resist.

As Stannis charged toward Jon, his face turned ashen, and a grinding sound, as if scraping against eardrums, came from behind his thin lips.

Alexander, standing nearby, noticed that blood was seeping from the corner of Stannis's mouth.

"Withdraw!" Stannis uttered an order he himself didn't want to hear, then turned his horse around and retreated.

The guards around him breathed a sigh of relief and quickly followed.

The Iron Throne Coalition's attack was repelled once again, and it was the most intense and likely to be victorious attack since the beginning.

Since the Battle of Battle for King's Landing, Jon has almost never won a victory through brute force, making today's scene unbelievable to many.

Just then, a messenger who had come from the direction of Harrenhal arrived in a hurry.

As he rushed toward Stannis, he even tripped and fell face-first into the mud because he was walking too fast.

The other soldiers around him chuckled lightly, their faces light up with amusement. Today's defeat was frustrating, but they still held a significant numerical advantage.

Jon may be strong, but his soldiers will eventually run out; time is on their side.

But Stannis had a very bad feeling about him.

What message could be so urgent for Jorn Royce to deliver?!

"With the fall of the Twins, the Northern Army marches south?"

"The enemy forces from the direction of Riverrun have launched an attack?"

Or is it----"

Stannis kept guessing, but he couldn't figure it out, especially when the rider's panicked face came into view, he even stopped thinking.

"Your Majesty! The Reach army has entered the Riverlands, Dorne... Dorne may have already betrayed us!"

"What!" Stannis dropped the water glass in his hand, his two blue eyes bulging as if they were about to pop out.