The bustle of pre-war banquets and the slogans "I can go too!" have not yet completely dissipated.
Early the next morning.
In the military camp below Nightsong, marching horns have sounded one after another. The low horns penetrated the mist in the north of Prince's Pass, waking up the sleeping knights and soldiers.
On that day, the whole army set off and officially entered the pass.
The 12,000-strong Dornish Marches coalition army was like a hungry beast, rushing south along the flat pass, looking for its prey.
Titus's troops headed by the garrison regiment, with spears like forests and strong shields like walls, formed the most orderly square formation and walked in the center of the army. The cavalry were divided into two teams and guarded the two wings of the central army. The horseshoes kicked up clouds of dust when they stepped across the plain.
Stormlands The troops of each lord, such as: Caron family's euphorbiasmen, Selmy family's sword fighters, Dondarrion family's harpooners and Stonehelm's hammermen, each maintain their formation and are located further forward.
They are the frontline troops of this southern advance.
Most of the troops in this army had just retired from the battlefield in the north. It could be said that they were composed of veterans who had experienced the war as the backbone. They were moving very fast, with almost no pauses except for necessary rest and recuperation.
Titus was riding on Black Pearl's horse. Along the way, his eyes occasionally glanced at the dry earth and rocks on one side of the pass and the high mountains behind it.
Occasionally, I would look towards the south, towards the hinterland of Dorne, and there would often be a flash of thought in my eyes.
This is the only road from Stormlands and the Reach to Dorne. As for "Boneway" further east? As soon as you hear its name, you know how dangerous that road is. The "road" there is not easy to walk. Every section has Dornish's arrow towers and bunkers.
Not long ago, Dorne's remnant army withdrew Dorne from this pass.
Now he is also leading his army south from here, preparing to burn the war started in Dornish Marches back to his own place in Dornish.
Come out, you'll have to pay it back sooner or later----
Earl High in the sky above our heads.
A white falcon that was flying south with the army suddenly accelerated and flew above Wangjiacheng, which was located in the center of the pass.
This square castle is located on an open flat land. Prince's Pass is really too big. Except for the high cliffs on both sides that protect it from wind and rain, there is a flat road in the middle.
The name of Wangjiacheng is very domineering, but there are no steep mountains around it to serve as a barrier. It relies entirely on its own stone walls to resist foreign enemies.
At this moment, the living room in Wangjiacheng was also filled with a tense atmosphere.
"What? Titus·Peake personally led an army of tens of thousands and has moved south from the northern end of Prince's Pass?"
Dagoshi Manwudi Earl heard the spies' information. Before he could finish speaking, he was so shocked that he smashed the bronze wine glass in his hand on the table with a clang. The wine spilled out and wet the Oak table under the cup.
Looking at the expression on his face, he seemed to be a little disbelieving. His heavy breathing caused the family crest on his chest to rise and fall violently. It was a white skull with a golden crown.
Not very auspicious, but very intimidating.
The first Manwudi killed a king from the Reach deep in the pass in the distant past.
Later, in the "Place of the King's Killer", the city was built based on the king's corpse.
House Manwoody himself was called "King" for a while, until the last mad king in their family, Albin Manwudi, was defeated by Queen Nymeria and sent to the Great Wall for reform----
If Titus is to say that the crown cannot be worn firmly, then there is only a skull left?
If his family doesn't die, who will? Manwudi is destined to be with death.
Feeling the anger from the lord, the spy leader who came to report turned pale and his voice trembled slightly, "Reporting to Lord Earl, it is absolutely true! The opponent is marching very fast. I am afraid that he has already crossed the border checkpoint in the north and is heading towards Kingsgrave!"
Dagoushi looked at the wine on the table, his brows furrowed, feeling frightened, angry, and slightly panicked in his heart.
Lord Earl in Wangjiacheng is not unaware of the changes in the north. The black Earl has implemented a "headhunting order" and a "resistance policy" in the Red Mountains. The momentum has been getting louder and louder recently.
It seems that the various lords of Stormlands on the east side have also mobilized their troops - he knows all this through his eyes.
Kada Goushi always felt that even if Starpike's "Dornish Marches Guardians" chose to use force, they should first deal with the indigenous people in the Red Mountains--this is what the Dornish Marches people have always done--otherwise, they would just have a back-and-forth with the lords of Dorne.
I never expected that the other side would be so decisive. They would fight immediately without any negotiation. Without even a word of negotiation, they would directly launch their troops and head south.
No, he is about to attack the city!
Without declaring war? This is simply Dornish than Dornish----
This was a bit unacceptable to him.
Now the queen of Seven Kingdoms is Princess Elia from Dorne!
Not long after she and King Robert got married, Dorne also just "returned" to the territory of Seven Kingdoms under the leadership of Sunspear----Starpike How dare Earl silently and directly attack Dorne's territory at this juncture?
How audacious!
Dagosh Manwudi had completely forgotten that when Kingsgrave's army and the forces attached to them plundered Dornish Marches in the past, they never said hello in advance, nor did they hesitate in the slightest.
When it was someone else's turn to make a "killing decision" and put the blade of revenge on his own neck, this double-standard Dorne noble couldn't stand it anymore.
Damn it!
Kingsgrave is not like Skyreach or Nightsong. There is no danger to defend nearby, and the opponent's movements are so fast. The stone wall alone cannot withstand the siege of tens of thousands of troops!
You have to find foreign aid----
Dagoushi suppressed the panic in his heart and quickly made the judgment that a mature lord should make.
He cast his eyes on his younger brother Mis Manwudi who was standing aside with an equally anxious expression, and said forcefully, "Mis, you immediately recruit all the knights and soldiers in the territory, even farmers, as long as they can afford weapons, bring them to the castle for me! We lack the power to defend, think of ways to recruit more people, the more the better!"
"Yes, brother!"
Sir Meath Manwood did not dare to delay, and immediately turned and left.
But, how many people can a Wangjiacheng that rules the interior of the pass gather?
Dagoushi is also planning to find his old connection behind him - Skyreach, and send a letter to Forrester for help.
After writing an unusually sloppy letter, the eager Dagong scholar called for the bachelor in the castle and asked him to pick out a certain fastest raven and deliver the newly written letter to Skyreach at the southern end of the pass.
When Dornish Marches was having fun before, there was also Franklin Forrester!
And didn't old Forrester call himself "Prince's Pass Guardian"?
His chance has come!
My Kingsgrave is within Prince's Pass, and now it's time to "protect" it from House Fowler----
Dagosh Manwudi didn't know when the reinforcements would arrive, and he was even less sure how long the stone walls of his castle could stop the black Earl with a brilliant record.
Master Earl, who had previously had only a mediocre interest in Seven's faith, came up with the idea of praying for the first time.
Opposite is an army of more than 10,000 people - this number is more than the Dorne coalition forces that went north to support Rhaegar·Targaryen.
And Kingsgrave, despite all its efforts, could only recruit one or two thousand troops, and only a few dozen serious knights.
It's too late to find mercenaries now----
If Skyreach's eagle falcon or Seven refuses to "help", Dagoshi Manwudi really doesn't know how to fight this battle----
The white falcon circled in the sky above Wangjiacheng.
On one side of the body, following the direction of the wind, he soared towards the rocky mountain landscape on the west side of the pass.
There is a mountain forest full of ancient trees deep in the Red Mountains. Among the steep rocks and dense bushes, an elite team is moving forward silently.
The leader is none other than Knight Rosso Brune, the first leader of the Survey Corps and a three-time jumper in rank.
He wore light iron-inlaid leather armor that was easy to move in the forest, and carried two narrow steel swords crossed on his back. His body was as strong as an ocelot, and he walked quickly on the rugged mountains. The gravel and fallen leaves under his feet did not make any unnecessary noise.
Obviously, this guy has long been accustomed to this kind of sneak march in the mountains and forests. The surrounding environment makes him feel like a fish in water, just like the group of Horn Hill senior Hunter behind him.
Walking side by side with Sir Rosso was Coach Io Mine, a reliable guide sent by Nightsong to assist. This man was over seven feet tall and stood out among ordinary people. Even if he was wearing armor, his tall figure could not be concealed.
Before meeting "The Mountain", Sir Io was the tallest master Titus had ever met.
The leather bag on Io's waist was bulging, and from time to time he would reach out and take out a bright red tomato and stuff it into his mouth. It would make a slight sound when he ate it, which was in sharp contrast to the silence around him, but strangely did not destroy the atmosphere of the sneaking troops.
When Io Miin was teaching Nightsong's guards, he liked to eat these snacks and spit out the fragrance.
He has grown a big man, which can replenish his physical strength and improve his preparation for battle.
There is also a more conspicuous figure in this team, walking together with the first two - that is Nightsong Earl Bryce·Caron's half-brother, Roland Storm.
He was called "Nightsong's illegitimate son". It was only because of Starpike Earl's words that he had the opportunity to be cultivated by resources within the family and taught by the best knights.
Therefore, he has always been grateful to Master Black Earl.
After learning about the many glorious experiences of Black Earl, his admiration for the "warrior" was second only to his
faith.
In Westeros, it is not surprising that a noble man gives birth to an illegitimate child.
And to a certain extent, nobles who like to "sow seeds" everywhere also need to fulfill their basic obligations to support their illegitimate children, at least to ensure their survival and growth.
However, it is relatively rare for a male noble to bring an illegitimate child back to his castle and raise it with his legitimate children.
The law of the king is one thing, the law of the gods is another.
Children with pure blood are the product of legal marriage and are naturally blessed by Father and Mother, while illegitimate children are born of desire and deception.
If the husband of a noble lady who also comes from a noble family brings home his illegitimate children to raise, then the lady also has the right to insult the foreign bastards who enter her family.
Roland's luck can only be said to be very good. He took the Dornish Marches version of the protagonist template - both parents died, he was an orphan, and his biological mother and adoptive mother were no longer alive, so he didn't have to suffer that kind of abuse.
Bastards always grow up quickly, and Roland Storm is no exception.
He was tall and majestic, much bigger than his Earl brothers, and only half a head shorter than Sir Io. However, his face had a lot of scars due to measles in his early years. He was not as handsome as Bryce·Caron, but it also made his temperament more like a tough guy.
Roland held a thickened kite-shaped shield with a black elk painted on it, and hung a two-handed sword on his waist, scanning the surroundings vigilantly.
This group of people is about to perfectly complete the mission behind enemy lines of "going through bends in mountain roads and crossing horizontal passes" assigned to them by Starpike Earl before the war.
"Nightsong's illegitimate son" Roland Storm: