The Glory of the Seven Gods of Ice and Fire

Chapter 57 Seven Star Raiders (7k)

"Believers, warriors, and free people who are united here. In the previous marches and battles, you must have realized how different freedom is from slavery. Therefore, although some of you may have been given alms by the Pentos You were deceived by petty profits, but now you have experienced the taste of freedom.

You already know that tolerance of the slave-holding autocratic system will only make greedy slave owners take more and more. You have realized that poverty without a master is much better than prosperity under slavery! Since the Dragon King appeared in our ancestral land, what miserable treatment have our compatriots not suffered? Were not most of their possessions, especially their greatest possession—liberty, plundered? "

After the army deployed, Hugo began his speech. His voice was not loud on the battlefield, but when he spoke, everyone shut their mouths and listened quietly to his words.

Next, Hugo pointed to the Pentos army ahead.

"Now, the bastard prince of Pentos has sent mercenaries to attack our ship fortress, and he is leading his slaves to hold us back. At this moment, the enemy fleet has already set off, and the ship fortress is not well guarded. Perhaps there are only a few When we are young, our families will be enslaved. If we fail, the slave master will deprive us of everything precious in this world.

Therefore, whether you are pious or lost, I must tell you that now only we can save ourselves, and it is much better to die in battle or be destroyed than to be in debt and in chains! Rather than begging for mercy from slave owners, defending our own freedom is the path we should take firmly!

But, frankly speaking, we are also responsible for these evils. Our ancestors fought individually and failed to prevent them from invading our homeland, instead of fighting the dragon to the death like the Rhoynar people with a unified mind and a certain death. Yes, our ancestors did not work together to deal with them when they were still far away, and even considered using wealth and land to invite the Dragon King to attack their compatriots.

So, even though our ancestors have inhabited such vast mountains and valleys for generations, and although the land is so fertile and fertile - even named after ourselves - the Valyrians still use dragons and butcher's knives. After conquering her, some people managed to survive by crossing westward, while the remaining compatriots were enslaved miserably under the tyranny for thousands of years, and even after the Dragon King was destroyed, they continued to be tortured by its posthumous bastards!

You must know that this land is so vast that even a powerful and evil person like the Dragon King cannot bring the land north of the border into his rule. Now Braavos can only declare its position in the mountains through maps and ink pens. .

Imagine if our ancestors had put aside their disputes, would the Dragon King still be able to destroy this land? Do our fellow Oriental compatriots still have to wait this long to gain the freedom that comes with birth? "

The response from Hu Ge was unanimous, and some people became very angry and wanted to fight with the slave owners immediately. Seeing that he had mastered the rhythm, Hu Ge nodded subconsciously and spoke further.

"And look at our enemies, the Pentos, not even the least stupid among them, have hitherto neither known nor cared our names, for in their eyes we are but slaves for generations, and we deserve to be We despise and lie at the feet of slave owners, but are we willing that we and our descendants will be enslaved from generation to generation until the end of the world?

So, today, although we have not done so before, let us fight with all our might while we still remember what freedom is, so that we may leave to our children not just the empty title of "Freedmen," but It is the reality of freedom. What will they, who grew up in slavery, do, I ask, if we die or remain in slavery completely forgetting our present state of happiness?

I am not saying this to stir up hatred of the enemy - you already have a hatred of atrocities - nor fear of the future - you already have a fear of failure - in fact, I am praising You, because you took the initiative to choose the necessary course of action, and I have to thank you for your willingness to join me and other patriots in choosing to fight for freedom until the last moment.

Do not be afraid of the Pentos, for they are inferior to us in prowess and morale:

They protect themselves with flashy and light armor because they do not understand the fierceness and cruelty of the real battlefield; they drive slaves and servants to the front because they miss wine and honey and fear death.

Therefore, I can guarantee that when they adopt this fighting method instead of the rough and ready-made tactics we follow, they will only be defeated! They cannot endure hunger, thirst, cold or heat like true soldiers. They need shade and cover at all times. They covet kneaded bread, wine and oil, and if any of these things do not satisfy them, they perish. ; Let us tell them that they are the hares and foxes trying to rule over the bears and wolves!

Freemen! The bravest of all nations! I have no doubt of your courage, nor of your victory. No surprise or obstacle can stop you from working hard to win. The bravest man! Isn't it a great shame that a nation that has been repeatedly defeated in battles, knows nothing about military affairs, and can only rely on mercenaries and slaves to fight its battles arrays its troops in front of you?

Isn't it shameful that the hypocritical Prince of Pentos dares to show his face in front of you? Isn't it amazing that those who slaughtered your countrymen and relatives are still alive?

My compatriots and relatives, we will move forward! When they see our weapons and feel our spirit, they will break. gather together. Throw the javelin, then push forward: knock them down with your shield, destroy them with your sword. Forget about looting. As long as you win, you will have everything.

My warriors, hold high the battle flag and march forward bravely! May the light of your glory shine like lightning in all directions! May your shouts of attack reverberate like thunderous things! Revenge for our compatriots! "

A war cry sounded from behind him, advancing with the wind, directly to the Pentos army formation.

Hugo looked back and saw soldiers lined up in armor. These people followed him over the mountains and across the narrow sea, and finally arrived here. Among them were devout farmers, citizens who could not help themselves, and speculative nobles. Maybe they don't believe Hu Ge, maybe they are just pursuing immediate interests, but will their story end in this battle?

Hu Ge once had concerns about this battle, but looking back at the army, his heart gradually calmed down - everyone had firm eyes, everyone clenched the weapons in their hands, they looked forward, quietly Waiting for Hugo's order.

In the future, most of them will go their separate ways and have different destinies, but here and now, they will all fight for themselves and each other. Hu Ge knew that he had done his best and that was the end of the matter. He stopped worrying and decided to leave everything to fate. He turned his eyes back to the front and gave the final command:

"All sergeants remember: Our gods are watching this battlefield, don't bring shame to the gods!"

Hu Ge responded with cheers that shook the world. Surrounded by many soldiers who had followed him since the Riverlands, Hu Ge looked down at the military formation that continued to unfold in front of him.

Hu Ge wears armor taken from the place where the Seven Gods first conquered. This gorgeous armor is like a beacon in the darkness, making everyone notice Hu Ge. This is the role of gorgeous armor. As a commander, you should stand Where all soldiers can see it.

The Chinese army in front of Hugo, and also the entire army, is naturally composed of strong infantrymen who account for the largest share of the expeditionary force. However, thanks to the capture in Andas, its equipment is much better than before. They hold Swords, guns, swords and halberds, and more or less iron armor on the body. Long marches and training also enhanced order and combat effectiveness.

The infantrymen in various costumes have various seven-pointed stars on their flags, shields and even on their foreheads. The seven-pointed star symbol occupies the mainstream of the army. However, some people have discovered the former symbol of the Seven Stars Religion and used the double-edged axe, an early symbol of the Seven-Star Religion. These people seem to have gathered together and all used double-edged axes.

Among the infantry, there are also elite forces of the expeditionary force, such as the mercenaries of the Gleicher family, the nobles of the royal territory and the storm land, the subordinates of the Lord of Ashenvale... and Hugo's old camp.

However, some of these troops closely follow the front, and some are independent in the rear. They cannot be completely relied on, but their presence on the battlefield is enough.

The knights led by Earl Silver Ax on the left passed by. After the battle in Andas, Earl Silver Ax gathered his knights together and added some brave Eastern Andals. They met the Dothraki who were shouting for an attack. The centaurs kept throwing arrows, but they all bounced off the knights' armor. However, the centaurs did not show any fear and started fighting with the noble knights. Crash together.

Needless to say, the result of the unarmored light cavalry meeting the heavy cavalry was that the heavily armored knights of Westeros crushed them directly. They overwhelmed the centaurs just in terms of weight, not to mention the fact that the centaurs' scimitars were useless. The knight's armor cannot be cut.

Only a handful of masters can insert their scimitars into the gaps in the armor, but such masters are extremely rare and cannot affect the overall situation on the battlefield at all.

After a while, the centaurs were beaten back again and again. When the horns were blown in the Pentos army formation, they slowly retreated. However, even if the horns were blown, many centaurs were still unwilling to leave. Their results They were slaughtered by the knights.

Most of the bodies on the ground were the bodies of centaurs without armor. Most of the knights had a few white marks on their armor. The horrific fatal wounds on the corpses seemed to be mocking how ridiculous the centaurs' custom of despising armor was. Westeros people So calm, there are even knights gathering the centaurs' horses on the battlefield.

The number of horsemen was much greater than that of Earl Silver Ax's 500 men. Even so, they were still defeated by the Earl's team in the cavalry battle. This shows that the life-threatening energy of the horsemen is not omnipotent at all times. of.

But Hugo still didn't dare to let down his guard, because now was just the beginning of the battle, and the centaurs were just a test by the Pantos people. They still had a considerable number. When the war really started, the centaurs would fight with their lives. time.

The Dothraki on the right seemed to be more cautious, and did not rush forward as recklessly as their counterparts on the other side. It seemed that Jillian was going to be disappointed. He was leading the Western Cavalry to guard that side. He was talking about it before the battle. He wanted to bump into the centaur, but he didn't.

As the military formations of both sides got closer and closer, Hugo was able to see clearly the troops of the Central Pentos Army. What he saw most were the Pentos slave soldiers wearing chain mail, armor, and round helmets. Their morale does not seem to be high, but the training seems to be very good, and the Pentos people's phalanx is moving forward very tightly.

Can we win over these people? Looking at the straw hair of the slave soldiers, Hu Ge knew that these were Eastern Andals. Can they be made to defect on the battlefield? Did they hear what I just said?

This idea existed in Hugo's mind for a while, but then he gave it up and went all out to deal with the enemy. Don't expect the enemy to self-disintegrate. The enemy will always be lenient.

Among the slave soldiers, you can see mercenaries dressed up in different styles from time to time. People from Westeros, people from the trading city-states, people from the Summer Islands... you can see the armor and costumes of various ethnic groups. They all wear standard mercenary uniforms. That is, patchwork armor, and their flags are composed of ferocious beasts and even demons.

Hu Ge didn't recognize these flags. He had learned about the flags of various famous mercenary groups in the Eastern Continent. It seemed that these were short-lived mercenary groups, that is, mercenary groups that did not have much history and were formed not long ago. This kind of mercenary group has always been in the East. They are all appearing and disintegrating continuously.

After the mercenaries, there is the free people's phalanx of Pentos. These soldiers have good armor and relatively uniform standards. Moreover, their spirit is different from that of the slave soldiers. They obviously carry the pride of free people, and judging from their appearance, , they indeed have the capital to be proud of.

After the free people, there are a dozen elephants that are hard to ignore. These elephants are covered with armor. The mahout is also dressed like a tin can and rides on the neck of the elephant. He only holds a handful in his hand. Halberd.

This is a problem. Hu Ge looked at those giant beasts and said, I hope the anti-elephant chariot that the people below are tossing is reliable.

"It looks better than the slave traders in the river valley." Hugo commented on the enemy in front of him. "The Pentos people have not completely abandoned their force. This vassal of Braavos is dishonest. Tsk, no. Accident."

The performance of the Pentos army is obviously not in line with what a city-state that has abolished the army should look like. There is only one possibility, that is, the Pentos people have been training in secret.

Little Gleicher, who was wearing an armor engraved with a seven-pointed star, heard what Hugo said. He quickly said, "They are just a group of slave traders after all. Lord Hugo, under the seven-pointed star of the expeditionary force, we will definitely gain Victory, for the Seven are the ones who shine upon us.”

here we go again. Hu Ge said helplessly in his heart. Looking at this boy's appearance, Hu Ge even thought that he was the one favored by the Seven Gods. He, a serious person favored by the Seven Gods, did not entrust everything to the Seven Gods. He started . Hu Ge didn’t think that the Seven Gods could help him solve his problems on the battlefield. In the world of Song of Ice and Fire, supernatural power was precious and difficult to display. How could it be so easy to see? Hu Ge had never placed his trust in the war. above this.

"Little Gleicher, you have to remember that the Seven Gods are very busy. They will not stare at us all the time. As devout believers of the Seven Gods, we should deal with it before the Seven Gods watch. Things, not everything, are troublesome to the Seven Gods, remember, God helps those who help themselves.”

If only I could be as relaxed as this guy and put everything on the Seven Gods. Although he said not to rely entirely on the Seven Gods, Hu Ge still couldn't help but want the Seven Gods to help him take care of everything. Enough.

"Yes, yes, I understand."

Little Gretchel hurriedly said as if he had heard the wisest words in the world. Hugo had recently figured out how to talk to this kid. As long as he held the Seven Gods in front of him, he would be successful.

When Hugo finished educating the young people, he continued to look at the battlefield and found that the distance between the two sides was very close. He could already clearly see the expressions on the faces of the Pentos soldiers at the front.

The archers of both sides also entered the shooting range of each other, but the archers of the expeditionary army launched their force earlier. The Silver Rod Group, a mercenary archer belonging to the Tite family, attacked the Pantos archers in advance in the expeditionary army's line. The shooting was launched, and under the arrows and shooting speed of the silver rod group, the Pentos archers who rushed to the front of the formation fell to the ground before they could draw their arrows. Collapse before.

After dispersing the Pentos archers, the expeditionary army cheered. Dispersing the enemy archers boosted their morale. They overwhelmed the opponent at the beginning. This was undoubtedly a good sign. In the same way, the Pentos people's momentum also increased due to this. A little lower.

It was also here that the Pentos people stopped the phalanx. Seeing this, Hugo also ordered to stop. Compared with the smooth stop of the Pentos people, the expeditionary force had a lot of troubles, but fortunately everything went smoothly. Finish.

Hugo didn't know why the Pentos people stopped, but he was eager for it. As the order was issued, the expeditionary force handed over many fences from the rear. When they were sent to the front line, the soldiers immediately nailed the mobile fences to On the ground, providing cover for the ensuing battle. Others buried sharp wooden stakes in front of the formation to deter the damn elephants.

However, although the army stopped, the light infantry on both sides did not stop. These light infantry armed with bows and arrows, throwing spears and slings began to come and go in front of the formation. From time to time someone was hit in the head and fell down, but soon they Someone is taking his place.

The archers also drew their bows and shot in the formation, but they were not targeting the running light infantry, but the soldiers who were waiting in full formation.

As for the infantry, they all raised their shields. From time to time, javelins and bows fell on the shields. Occasionally, some unlucky ones were hit by arrows and fell to the ground, but they were quickly dragged down.

Under such a rain of arrows, both sides continued to suffer casualties, but they were not wavering. The killing efficiency of bows and arrows was not high. Both sides were waiting for who would make the first move.

The slave soldiers got out of the way while being scolded in a language that Hu Ge couldn't understand. Then Hu Ge saw the towering beasts moving. Seeing this, Hu Ge made a gesture to the black blade and kept his hand on the handle. Canatir immediately withdrew.

Hugo saw his enemy at this time, Prince Valerion Tirecidus of Pentos. He had silver hair and looked very eye-catching indeed. He was wearing a beautiful gold-colored armor, with a side shield on his head. A huge, expensive Pentos banner.

Hu Ge couldn't help but wonder, what was the guy opposite thinking? What will be his next move? But he soon gave up this subconscious useless thinking. What are you thinking about? It's useless. He should just focus on the actual war.

Orders also sounded within the expeditionary force, and the road ahead was cleared. Then the chariots passed through the dense crowd and arrived at the front line. These chariots were equipped with blades, grappling hooks, and burning torches. This was a man from King's Landing. An anti-elephant tank built by engineers after seeing war elephants.

Every time the chariot passes a soldier, someone cheers for it. Most people firmly believe that this thing is enough to defeat the damn behemoth. The chariots are driven by some fanatical believers of the Seven Gods. It is a great thing to charge with a chariot. It was a very dangerous thing, so only they dared to do it, and for these warriors, the soldiers cheered even louder.

The appearance of the chariot obviously caught the Pentos people off guard. Hugo saw chaos behind their lines, but the Pentos people did not make any new response.

When the elephants arrived at the front line, the horns were blown in the Pentos military formation, and the elephant drivers urged the elephants to rush toward the expeditionary force. The Pentos army also moved and followed them towards the expeditionary force. .

The power source of the anti-elephant chariot is the cow behind the chariot that is controlled by the chariot frame. As the driver hits the cow with a whip, the cow howls and rushes towards the elephant while carrying the chariot.

Everyone in the expeditionary force, including Hu Ge, watched all this attentively. Whether the anti-elephant tank successfully fended off the enemy was related to the development of the next battle.

It was also the first time for the elephant to see this kind of thing. This smart animal naturally hesitated. It was the first time for them to see this thing, and it was still covered with flames. However, under the urging of the elephant driver, it rushed forward. When they got up, they felt that they could easily crush that thing, just like the little people they had crushed.

The man driving the chariot whipped the bull harder. The bull howled and sped up, and the chariot rushed towards the elephant.

Facing the elephant that was charging towards them, the people with the seven marks on their heads were not afraid. When the chariot and the elephant got closer and closer, they decisively stabbed the burning torch tied to the long pole towards the elephant. The elephant inserts the flaming grappling hook into the elephant's eyes, and the chariot driver above also throws the javelin in the chariot as much as possible.

Some chariots successfully drove back the elephants, and even caused damage to the elephants. Some chariots were overturned by the elephants. At the same time as the chariots, a large number of javelins were thrown at the elephants. Each chariot was thrown at the elephant. The soldiers carrying javelins and other projectiles threw as much ammunition as possible at the giant beasts, trying to make these monsters crazy.

The soldiers of the Silver Rod Group worked hard to pull the string. The guy Gleicher promised a bounty that amazed them. They had to work hard for it. Every arrow he shot was worth money.

Under such concerted efforts, these huge beasts went crazy, roared, and trampled everywhere in groups, regardless of friend or foe. No matter how hard the mahout tried, the elephants could not be controlled.

The Pentos people were the most unexpected about this. They did not expect that the elephants that originally planned to break through the expeditionary force's defense line would instead mess around in the formation and trample them mercilessly.

Some mahout drivers really have no choice but to hit the elephant's head to make the crazy behemoth fall down and avoid causing more chaos, but this is an absolute minority, and most people are not willing to do this. Kill your money-making tools.

The war elephants just ran rampant on the battlefield without hesitation, most of them messing up the Pentos people's battle line, messing up the Pentos people's originally tight battle line, and the people of the trading city had to deal with these original uses. Something to break through the expeditionary force's defense line.

However, this does not mean that the expeditionary force will not be affected. There are still elephants that run over the expeditionary force regardless, leaving bloodstains in the expeditionary force. However, there are also elephants that run over and die on the sharp points set up by the expeditionary force. Kill yourself on the stake.

However, the connivance expeditionary force was also destroyed and killed by elephants, but compared to the Pantos people, it was still better than the Pantos people. Most of the elephants turned their heads and rushed directly to the battle line of the trading city-state people. , they can be said to have shot themselves in the foot, spending a lot of money to hire war elephants, but they tore their own battle line into pieces.

Hugo looked at Prince Valerian, wanting to see if his expression had changed for the worse, but even if such a thing happened, Valerian's expression still did not change.

However, the charioteers who completed this feat did not end well. Madness not only infected the elephants, but also infected the cattle. Stimulated by the chaotic battlefield and countless loud noises, the cattle rushed forward with the chariots on their backs. Go in until you can't move anymore.

Facing the chariot, the Pentos people could only block to the left and dodge to the right. But when the chariot was forced to stop, the Pentos people rushed onto the chariot angrily, dragged the chariot driver from above and killed him. These battlefields have caused so much trouble that they have no intention of leaving anyone alive.

However, the charioteers were all fanatical believers, and they would not allow themselves to be captured. They grabbed the maces and swords in the chariots and fought to the last moment, while the Pentos people were venting their anger, even if these people were already dead. They all mashed the corpses into pulp.

"Blow the horn, this is the moment!"

As soon as Hugo finished speaking, the melodious horn sounded. He was very excited now. He had carved a big hole in the Pentos' front. This was the opportunity to defeat the Pentos.

"Come with me, let's go to the front!"

Hu Ge shouted excitedly, and rode his horse to the front line. The crowd followed Hu Ge excitedly, with fanaticism on their faces. In the eyes of these people, victory was already certain at this moment.

And every expeditionary force saw all this, and they all understood that this was a sign of a full-scale attack, and now it was their turn. Therefore, the soldiers climbed over the fence and bravely rushed towards the Pentos battle line.

(End of this chapter)