On the gatehouse tower, Storm's End's Acting Castellan, Cortnay Penrose, wore a serious expression, his furrowed brow looking like it could trap a fly.
Why the sudden attack?
Storm's End had been under siege for over ten days, and there hadn't been any attacks. Clearly, the enemy understood the strength of this fortress.
So, why the change today? What was different about today?
Unfortunately, intelligence was unclear.
Cortnay Penrose could only hold onto his doubts. After all, Storm's End was surrounded, and no one was sending intelligence here anymore.
He could understand.
If important intelligence were sent here via raven and intercepted by the enemy, the loss would be immense, possibly even affecting the outcome of the war.
Precisely because of this, Cortnay Penrose knew almost nothing about the war situation outside of Storm's End.
Where had His Majesty Renly gone?
Had there been battles, what battles, where were the battlefields, and what were the outcomes?
Was the army marching towards King's Landing?
Cortnay Penrose didn't know. He could only try to guess without personal feelings, adjusting Storm's End's arrangements based on the possible situation.
The only source of intelligence and object of observation was the enemy military camp outside the city.
Cortnay Penrose listened to his subordinates' reports twice a day and often climbed the city walls himself to observe any changes in the military camp with his own eyes.
The results were quite optimistic.
The massive Golden Lion Banner with a black stag still stood above Joffrey's main tent, and directly opposite it, a Golden Lion Banner of the same size with a red background had been added. Beneath the banner was another luxurious scarlet tent.
Initially, no one in the city knew what this represented, but later they discovered it was merely a toy Joffrey had created for his pleasure.
The gold tent was used for banquets, and the red tent was used to satisfy his private desires.
Although many felt this seemed similar to His Majesty Renly's temperament, it at least proved Joffrey's extravagant willfulness and his intention to prepare for a prolonged standoff.
Apart from this change, the situation in other aspects of the military camp was also surprisingly reassuring.
The enemy soldiers only lined up once a day, shouted slogans, sang a few strange songs, and then there were no other unified actions.
For most of the day.
Looking from the city walls, the entire military camp seemed like a chaotic marketplace, the atmosphere not serious at all.
After a few days of this situation, many sergeants in the city began to feel eager, requesting Ser Cortnay Penrose to lead troops out of the city for a surprise attack to dampen the enemy's morale.
No one believed that such an enemy could remain constantly vigilant.
But Cortnay Penrose remained cautious, his prudent nature leading him to order against taking risks. Simply holding Storm's End was a great achievement; fighting outside the city, even if victorious, would not count as merit.
No matter what, the defending forces in the city were fewer than the enemy's, and there were no reinforcements.
Even if this wasn't an enemy trap and a surprise attack succeeded, their own soldiers would inevitably suffer losses, and the castle's defensive strength would be weakened. Cortnay would never agree to this.
As for whether it was an enemy trap, there was no opportunity to verify.
Both sides spent the past ten-plus days in this subtle balance, each calm but unable to truly relax completely.
Until today.
Cortnay Penrose looked at the enemy below, feeling a vague sense of unease.
Three enemy forces had divided into three groups surrounding them, close enough to count their numbers, each with a thousand, in three ranks; far enough to be beyond the range of all siege engines, everyone on the city walls could only stare blankly.
Woo~~~~
A mournful, prolonged horn sounded, echoing throughout the sky.
The atmosphere instantly became more oppressive.
The soldiers on the city walls couldn't help but raise their spirits, nervously repeating checks on the ballista mechanisms and catapult chains by their hands, seeking a sense of security.
The proportion of defenders killed was much smaller than that of attackers, yes, everyone knew that.
But once the city fell...
Officers patrolled various parts of the city walls, loudly relaying orders, telling everyone to be prepared, listen for the command, aim before firing, no anticipation, no hesitation, no friendly fire.
Cortnay Penrose was still pondering that question: Why choose today to launch an attack?
Boom boom boom—
A series of huge explosions interrupted his thoughts and silenced the officers' voices.
Dong~~
Violent tremors came from beneath his feet, one after another, the power constantly accumulating, shaking Storm's End more than the greatest storm.
Cortnay Penrose's eyes were fixed on the military formation in front of him, his pupils trembling.
What am I seeing?!
Streaks of white mist emerged from the gaps in the enemy ranks, black shadows carrying shrieks rushed over frantically, hitting directly below him.
That was the city gate!
Occasionally, black shadows would deviate from their trajectory, plowing deep channels in the dirt and stone ground in front of the city walls, or blasting out scorched craters. This only served to highlight their terrifying power, and morale plummeted further.
Whoosh~~~
The sound of the flute didn't stop, but now it sounded like the roar of a demon, the sinister laughter of a devil.
"Charge~~!"
Amidst the deep and stirring flute music, the Holy Shield Warriors felt no fear in their hearts, only determination and fanaticism. Forward! Forward! And further forward!
Wasn't this the mission of a shield! Four hundred Holy Shield Warriors ran towards the City Gate with all their might.
"Iron Bull" Gendry was one of them.
For this glorious first battle today, he solemnly put on his most cherished, personally crafted Ox Head Helmet. This was also the origin of his title "Iron Bull".
Whoosh~~~
The flute sounded a long blast. To "Iron Bull", this was the horn celebrating victory, the call of a bright future, everything he cared about at this moment.
War! Victory!!
He used all his strength, only seeking to run at the forefront of the team, to be the first to step through the City Gate.
The air continuously hit his helmet, and a fierce wind poured in through the gaps, whistling along with his breathing. His armor also clanked.
But all he heard was the whistle symbolizing battle.
All he saw was the broken and collapsed Drawbridge and City Gate, the Gatehouse where wood, stone, and Steel splattered everywhere.
Closer! Even closer!
Suddenly, many dark shadows appeared in his vision, interfering with the view of the City Gate ahead.
Thump! Tap! Bang...
Countless Stones and arrows flew towards him. Most of them fell to the ground, while some hit his companions.
Thump~
An echoing impact was transmitted into "Iron Bull"'s head through his helmet.
Iron Bull did not stop his steps, merely shaking off the碎石 on his body according to the rhythm, lest something get stuck and hinder his advance.
He was not worried about his precious helmet being damaged.
With the accumulated Divine Grace, the helmet had become the shield for his shield.
Here!
Flames were already burning in front of the City Gate, and Hot Oil was being poured down, like a heavy rain.
"Iron Bull" charged forward.
He was completely unharmed, merely consuming some Holy Shield Power. The accumulation of more than ten days was enough to support the entire battle.
Looking around, he finally stopped.
Am I the first?
"Sergeant Aisi, you take the Second Squad and clear out the Murder Hole!"
Aisi, who had managed to keep up with Second Lieutenant Gendry, immediately pointed to the Steam Sprayer on his back, "Please rest assured, Platoon Leader, not a single person will be missed!"
"Sergeant Huo Ke, the Third Squad will hold the City Gate."
"Iron Bull" waved his hand, "First Squad, follow me, capture Cortnay alive!"
"Kill!"
"Iron Bull" charged at the front, cutting down the Guards who came rushing, crossing the broken Iron Gate, and stepping into Storm's End.
Soon.
More Soldiers poured in in squads and platoons
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