The Glory of the Seven Gods of Ice and Fire

Chapter 243: Day and Night Offensive

"What's the situation?" Hugo asked Eddie while waiting for the arrival of the princes in the big tent.

"We sacrificed many scouts. We analyzed the news brought by the survivors. It seems that the White Walkers are determined to launch a major battle, a decisive battle between the enemy and us." Eddie was familiar with the information he had obtained. He calmly recounted the analysis of the generals. "According to the speed of the White Walkers, we can't wait for the follow-up reinforcements."

"Alas, we don't have enough people, but the initiative is not on our side. This is our current dilemma..."

At first, when a large number of wights appeared, few people took it seriously, because the White Walkers were always good at using their numbers, and they just regarded it as an ordinary large-scale offensive. However, with the appearance of many White Walkers, the continuous increase in the number of wights, and the fact that the battle line was directly torn apart, everyone realized the situation on the front line.

Without hesitation, Hugo released a large number of ravens to gather the troops scattered everywhere, and on the other hand, he personally led the mobile forces of the rebels to push forward towards the place where the White Walkers were heading south. He knew that the White Walkers were preparing for a decisive battle. In that case, let's end this damn battle once and for all.

As the defender, although Hugo did not have the ability to choose the time, he had the power to choose the battlefield. Naturally, he was not polite and directly ordered the army to form a battle formation with their backs to the Dreadfort.

As the core of the northern defense line, the Dreadfort is the place with the most densely fortified areas. The fortress itself has also been strengthened a lot. Hugo's engineers built many catapults and crossbows on the walls of the Dreadfort and stockpiled countless ammunition, which can also provide Hugo with a lot of firepower.

Naturally, when the rebels settled down in the Dreadfort, they did not relax, but began to dig trenches vigorously. These simple fortifications have proven themselves to be the most powerful thing to fight against the wights in the past wars. After all, the wights have no brains at all, and their only tool is themselves. The only way for the army of the dead to cross the trenches is to fill them up. In order to prolong their breakthrough time, the army also filled the trenches with various fire starters. As long as they set a fire at the right time, they can burn countless wights to ashes.

The construction of other fortifications was never slackened. Hugo ordered the construction of several long walls around the Dreadfort to block the dead and towers to meet the defenders' shooting needs, which might strengthen the defense of the fortress. Although the work was busy, the rebels did not complain or feel dissatisfied during their work, because they knew that digging one more trench now would increase their chances of survival in future battles - Hugo had already informed the entire army of the importance of this battle.

However, even though the fortifications were complete, the defensive army and the stockpiled supplies were still a problem. The ports in the north were already operating at full capacity, and many roads that had been built not long ago were damaged after repeated use. The busyness of the Hedong region had caused many rebels to choose to go north through the Bay of Kalin. Now these people might not be able to participate in the decisive battle... Without their soldiers and supplies, the possibility of victory would inevitably be reduced. Thinking of this, Hugo couldn't help but shook his head.

The purpose of the meeting he convened now was to count how many people could participate in this decisive battle.

"Lord Hugo," Eddie's voice interrupted Hugo's thoughts again, "The princes and generals are basically all here, the Norvos and Qohor people are also here, the meeting can begin."

"Okay, let them in then." Hugo came back to his senses and heard the noisy voices outside the big tent. As Eddie conveyed his orders, famous figures in the known world came in one by one: former Sea Lord Stannis Baratheon and his deputy Davos Seaworth, Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell, Duke Roose Bolton of the Dreadfort, Lord Wyman Manderly of White Harbor, Lord Walder Frey of the Riverlands and his sons, "Myr" Daxus, the representative of Petyr Baelish, the guardian of the valley, Theon Greyjoy and Asha Greyjoy, the representatives of the Eastern Ironborn, Jon Snow, the representative of the Night's Watch, "Young" Lind, the commander of the Norvos expeditionary force, and Baelon Auroris, the commander of the Holy Army of Qohor. As for other princes and their representatives, it is impossible to list them one by one.

"Well, my friends, I will begin to explain the purpose of this meeting." Seeing the noise gradually subside, Hugo said, "As you can see, this battle is different from any previous battle in history. The White Walkers are good at transforming the dead. They use their vicious witchcraft to turn our compatriots who have rested in peace into zombies with only decaying bodies left. So we gave up the idea of ​​fighting them in the wild without being fully prepared, and instead built a line of defense like the Great Wall to block their expansion and consume their strength. Now, the enemy chief of the White Walkers, the evil ghost called the Night King, can no longer tolerate our strategy and chooses to break through the line of defense at all costs and fight a decisive battle with us. The expansion of the army of the dead by the White Walkers is like a child pushing a snowball. , at the beginning, there was only a little bit, and then the snow became more and more, and the volume became larger and larger, so we can't let the army of the dead run rampant, and we can't let the army be scattered everywhere and be outnumbered. I have released all the ravens in the past few days and ordered the armies to gather at the Dreadfort. The White Walkers can't stand such temptation. My army is also turning this place into a fortress of killing. This is the place I chose for the decisive battle! According to the news I have received so far, Tyrion and the mountain men's team are too far to the west, and Karstark's army is too far to the east. It is impossible for them to arrive in time. I ordered them to hold their ground and retreat when necessary. I hope that the armies can also clearly know the position of their troops. One more person means more hope in fighting against the White Walkers. "

"Lord Hugo, all the troops of House Bolton can join the battle," Roose Bolton replied first. "The descendants of the Red King are well-disciplined. As early as the fall of the Wall, we began to mobilize the army and evacuate the population to the south. At this moment, they are gathering under the Dreadfort. I have already informed your servants of the specific personnel and equipment."

What a good start, Hugo thought. As expected, before Roose finished speaking, the Red King's old enemy spoke up: "Duke Tollett, the Stark family's army has basically been recruited. Except for the more than a thousand troops stationed in Winterfell and some lords who are far away, they have all arrived at the Dreadfort. For the sake of the North and humans, we obey your command."

"We from Manderly are all here too," replied the fat Lord Wyman, who took up the place of two people. "We are all here too. Although there may be some fights among you, compared to those damned White Walkers, what does that count for?"

Next, the northern lords who arrived explained their situations one after another. They were the most vulnerable group in the entire kingdom. Although they had suffered many losses in the previous civil war, they still gathered their troops to fight. After all, the kingdom was far away from the north, but the first target of the white walkers was them.

"The people of the river have gathered all the forces that can go north, and are marching north in batches, even the Tullys are no exception." The toothless old Walder smacked his lips while speaking, not forgetting to ridicule his old rival; just like the Eastern Expedition more than a decade ago, the old man once again invested all the power of his family, and even came to the cold north himself. This attitude is admirable. "According to my calculations, the troops in the upper reaches of the Trident should have all arrived, but some people in the lower reaches have not arrived, and some people cannot come, after all, that bitch from the Red Castle is causing trouble for them... As the leading family, our Frey family must lead by example. Most of my descendants have followed me here, but the few from the east did not come. I believe Lord Hugo has assigned them more important tasks."

"Yes, Lord Aenys and Lord Merry are maintaining order in the East on my behalf. The Seven Kingdoms of the East are an important source of supplies for our rebel army, and maintaining their stability is also a difficult task." Hugo replied, "Duke Walder personally led the army here, which is commendable; but you are old, and now the North is freezing cold, and the swords on the battlefield are blind. When the decisive battle comes, you will hand over the military power to your heirs, and wait for good news by the fire in the Dreadfort. I believe they will win glory."

"Of course, I will watch the battle from the castle window and witness the glory of the Frey family with my own eyes." After saying that, the old duke suddenly started coughing, and his children quickly sent him back to the military camp. It seemed that this damn climate was indeed a big test for old Walder.

"My commander, Lord Baelish, has already assembled his army in the Vale. Due to the bad sea conditions in recent days and the near blockage of White Harbor, he did not choose to send the army across the sea to the north. Instead, he sent me to lead thousands of Vale and Myr warriors as the vanguard to cross the sea to make his position clear. He himself led tens of thousands of main forces west through the Bleeding Gate and headed north along the land route. I don't know their current location. According to the schedule, they should be arriving at the Neck soon. They should not be able to make it in time."

Some people immediately raised objections. Although Littlefinger always acted in the name of the kingdom, this could not stop everyone from doubting his character. This time, they suspected that Littlefinger deliberately chose not to cross the sea to the north in order to slow down and preserve his strength. Daxus, the "Myr man", immediately began to argue for his superior, and the sound of quarreling swept through the tent.

In Hugo's opinion, Petyr may have the idea of ​​protecting his reputation, but the fundamental reason for his slow dispatch of troops should be to settle the Vale and prevent fires in the rear - after all, he offended almost all the old nobles in the Vale in his previous actions, and relied on the Myr people, the people of the Five Fingers Peninsula and some mountain clans to successfully suppress the situation. This time he led his army north, and the Vale might change hands if he was not careful. Hugo felt very sorry that Petyr could not arrive. Although they were both contenders for the highest power, Littlefinger could see clearly on major issues, and Hugo was willing to fight side by side with him once.

The royal nobles sent a lot of troops, but no one from the royal family or the Lannisters of Westeros came. The most elite standing army in Westeros, the Estuary Army and the Lannister army, were detained in the south. Everyone knew who did this. The queen mother would rather keep the battle-hardened army in the south to poach people than send them north to fight the enemy. It was obvious that she wanted to use the White Walkers to eliminate the "enemy" in her heart.

The princes fought desperately to defend the kingdom, but the royal family turned a blind eye to it. The choices made by the queen mother and the little king chilled everyone's hearts. As for the sudden absence of the royal family and the Western Territory, no one at the meeting mentioned it, as if these people had never existed.

As large territories in the south, Riverbend and Dorne also sent some volunteers, but their number was small. Dorne's situation is easy to explain. They are located at the southernmost tip of the continent, and it takes the longest time to go north. Moreover, in the past ten years, local immigrants have been constantly moving eastward, and there are even fewer people who can fight. As for Riverbend, due to the destruction of the Grand Fleet and Euron's looting, their forces have been scattered throughout the East and Riverbend, and the corresponding dispatch is in chaos. Even the most optimistic generals believe that they need several months to reorganize order and it is impossible to send a large army in a short time. The last speaker was Stannis. The army he brought was beyond the imagination of everyone present. Not only did he bring the remaining royal fleet, but he also carried tens of thousands of high-spirited Red God Cult troops on board. This was a surprise for the rebels. Hugo also thanked Stannis from the bottom of his heart. This brother of the king really has the talent to be a king, and his behavior deserves the evaluation of others.

"Okay, now that everyone has a basic understanding of each other's situation, I will now tell you the tactics for this decisive battle." Finally, when the last lord finished describing his situation, Hugo began to summarize the meeting. "In this decisive battle, we are not facing ordinary enemies, so we will not use ordinary tactics. The wights are controlled by the White Walkers. When the White Walkers die, they can also rest in peace. Therefore, the focus of our operations is not the wights - we only need to block them - but the White Walkers. This time, I specifically asked the city-state of Qohor for their Holy Army, just to better kill these white devils; in this battle, the armies should not pursue counterattacks or act blindly. I have set up a large number of fortifications and obstacles around the Dreadfort to hinder the army of the dead. The armies only need to slowly kill them and force the White Walkers to appear, and everything will be easy next. When the battle becomes more and more intense, not only ordinary White Walkers, but also the Night King will inevitably appear. When that time comes, I will lead the attendants and the Holy Army to launch a swift assault and solve him before he reacts. As long as the Night King dies, the invasion of the White Walkers will fail."

"Of course, in order to force him to show up, we will certainly suffer a lot of casualties. As the leader of the rebel army, I will never cherish my feathers and let other armies bleed. I promise you that after the war, the Eastern Army I brought will be responsible for defending the most urgent and bloodiest areas. More than a decade ago, I personally charged into the battle against the Pentos slave owner's army and won. This time I will make the same choice."

"For the gods, for humanity, and for the kingdom, please fight with me until the last moment!"

Time passed quickly, and while the rebels were busy building fortifications, the huge army of the White Walkers finally approached.

The burning fireball smashed into the group of zombies. As usual, the flames ignited these moving fire starters, and in an instant a large number of zombies were burning. But the good times did not last long, because in the next moment, the fireball and the burning zombies were extinguished by a strong cold wind.

After fighting with humans for so long, the Pale Knights have a countermeasure against the humans' tactic of using the wights' flammable weakness. That is to let the White Walkers hide among the wights, and then when the flames start, the White Walkers will use magic to extinguish the flames.

However, if they encounter a magical product like wildfire, the White Walkers will have no choice but to command the wights to disperse and watch the ignited wights being burned to ashes by the green flames - but even so, the losses of the wights are still not small. After all, they are brainless puppets after all.

Moreover, after noticing that the White Walkers were personally putting out fires among the wights, the humans immediately took out a weapon - a wooden barrel filled with dragonglass fragments.

These dragonglass fragments are by-products of making various dragonglass items. These things were collected under Hugo's orders. These things that seem to be just garbage can also play an important role in the battlefield against the White Walkers.

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These barrels were smashed into the wights by the catapults, and then countless dragon crystal fragments flew everywhere. However, their lethality to the wights was not very high. Except for the wights that were directly smashed, the others were just hit by the fragments. But if a White Walker was hit by this thing, it would immediately turn into a pool of ice water. Although it usually takes hundreds or even more dragon crystal barrels to kill a White Walker, using these worthless fragments and barrels to exchange for the death of a White Walker is a good deal.

However, these are just tricks in the final analysis. They cannot determine the direction of the war. What really decides the outcome is always the showdown between the two armies.

"Hold on! Hold on!"

At the front line, Farmer Snow chopped off the entire head of the zombie with an axe. Fortunately, the zombie had been dead for a long time, otherwise he would have been covered in blood.

The headless body continued to move. If someone saw this scene for the first time, they might be scared, but everyone here didn't know how many zombies they had killed.

Two soldiers raised their long forks and directly forked the zombie off the city wall. Snow quickly threw the torch at the zombie. In just a moment, the zombie turned into a burning torch, which ignited the nearby zombies and forced them to disperse.

Snow did not stop or hesitate at all, nor was he happy about killing a zombie. The reason was very simple. There were too many enemies. If they had to celebrate every time they killed one, they would not have enough energy.

In front of them was a vast ocean of corpses. They were like waves, splashing on the solid reefs again and again. Even though they were smashed to pieces every time, they still continued to attack day and night, not to mention that there were some powerful individuals among them. This scene had already occurred in every place where Hugo had set up the defense line.

While the fighting was going on on the front line, Hugo was controlling the overall battle situation in the Dreadfort.

Today, the Dreadfort has undergone a dramatic change. When Hugo decided to use the Dreadfort as the center of the defense line, Roose Bolton took the initiative to give up the Dreadfort and took away all traces of the Bolton family. Bolton's behavior earned him the favor of the rebels, and even those who didn't like Bolton appreciated his choice. In any case, Bolton's initiative to give up his home castle was a great thing.

Hugo naturally knew what Bolton was thinking. Giving up the family castle would be beneficial to Bolton. If he won, he would gain fame and the expansion of the family castle. If he lost, he would at least have a good reputation. Hugo also believed that many people had seen it, but they just didn't say it directly. After all, such words could not be said openly.

Immediately, the Dreadfort was strengthened and expanded. Considering the construction period, the expansion used the wooden frame wall that Hugo had brought out. As a result, the Dreadfort became a military fortress capable of accommodating tens of thousands of people in a short period of time. Then Hugo entered the Dreadfort and commanded the army.

Now, Hugo was looking at the defense map and having a headache. The reason was simple. The White Walkers' offensive was non-stop and the troops had to rotate. But what was even more troublesome was that more and more White Walkers appeared on the front line. What was even worse was that the White Walkers appeared evenly without any focus on any particular location. In other words, the White Walkers were attacking everywhere.

However, Hugo was patient. Even though he was anxious, he still believed that the White Walkers would sooner or later reveal their main attack direction.

(End of this chapter)