The Mountain looked at his men: Big Head Chiswick, Sweet-Talking Ralph, Neurotic Polliver, Executioner Dunson, and his adopted daughter Julie. Their eyes were gleaming with excitement, clearly thrilled by the iron shield with its razor-sharp edges. The shield was originally for defense, but Master Tob Mott had combined the advantages of a scimitar, turning a round shield into a round blade, making it both defensive and offensive.
The Mountain's hammer was more like a super-sized mace. A mace has an unparalleled advantage: armor-piercing. Whether it's a helmet or plate armor, a single blow can pierce the steel's protection and severely injure the body beneath.
Both of these weapons are primarily for killing!
Tomorrow's group battle will be a real fight, with everyone heavily armed and protected from head to toe. Generally, it will be a battle of attrition, not a fight to the death. Unless someone intentionally wants to kill—or gets carried away in the heat of battle and can't control their weapon, resulting in a fatality.
Of all martial arts competitions, the most dangerous is group melee.
Dozens of people fight together, each of whom could be an ally or an enemy. The one who is still standing in the arena at the end is the champion.
In a team battle, there can only be one winner.
But Master Tob Mot's two weapons were clearly not for fighting, but for killing.
Jenny, Leonard, Rolf, Bernie, Zeli, and the others were all astonished upon seeing such weapons! Their mindset differed from that of Big Head and the others; since it was a team competition, the focus wasn't on killing, but rather on showcasing their skills. The team battles also had rules: being knocked down meant loss, surrendering meant loss, and leaving the circle meant loss. Only victory or defeat mattered, not life or death.
Jenny said seriously, "Sir Gregor, do not use such a dangerous weapon. When the iron hammer strikes, no one can withstand it; they will either die or be seriously injured. It is too bloody. The edge of the round shield is as sharp as a knife. It can be used to kill enemies on the battlefield, but it cannot be used to kill people in duels."
Polliver revered Jenny as if she were a goddess of the moon. His right cheek twitched as he said, "Madam is right. At most, we might admire whose hands are beautiful or whose eyes are pretty, and we could gouge them out and make them into works of art. We must not kill anyone. After all, this is a national martial arts competition. If we were to kill a big shot like Duke Renly, the king would be furious, and that would not be good."
"Sir Pollifer, you must not gouge out someone's eyes or break their limbs. A duel is only about who wins and who loses. Once the outcome is decided, you must not harm anyone further," Jenny said.
"…Uh…Yes, madam!" Pollifer's right cheek twitched even more violently.
Taking advantage of the situation, Demon Mountain said, "The lady has already given the order that tomorrow is not for killing on the battlefield, so we don't need to use heavy hammers and round shields."
"Sword and Shield! Lord Mountain, Lady Jenny." A sweet smile played on her lips. "Master Tob named this shield Sword and Shield. He wanted to see it in actual combat, to test whether it could withstand the sword blows of knights in real battle."
"We can use it only for defense, and even if we attack, we won't kill anyone," said executioner Deng Sen.
Deng Sen is highly skilled in martial arts, able to control his movements with ease and without accidentally injuring anyone. He could test his skills in actual combat with his sword and shield.
It turns out that Master Tob had another meaning behind this: to test the defensive capabilities and offensive auxiliary functions of the sword and shield in actual combat.
With a sweet smile, he said, "My lord, the hammer and shield is a team battle tactic devised by Master Tob. You attack from the front, while I, Deng Sen, Polliver, and Big Head protect you from three sides. No matter whether the enemy attacks from the side or the rear, they must get past our sword and shield first."
This was indeed a novel tactic, giving Chuan Chuan a flash of inspiration, reminding him of Qi Jiguang's invincible Mandarin Duck Formation. While the Demon Mountain itself lacked the ability to create its own practical battle formation, it could directly test battle formations that had already proven successful through history.
Of course, the Hammer and Shield Formation was a coordinated tactic devised by Master Tob for group combat. It was far inferior to the Invincible Mandarin Duck Formation and lacked equipment. However, the Hammer and Shield Formation inspired the Mountain: after the combat, they could try Qi Jiguang's Invincible Mandarin Duck Formation. If it proved feasible after practice, then they could have the two thousand infantrymen from Cliff Rock and Lannisport train in it.
Formation!
This world lacks the rich and varied battle formations of Chinese history. Battle formations are simple, consisting of ranks and squares. Compared to the battle formations forged in thousands of years of carnage in Chinese history, the ranks and squares of this world are at a kindergarten level.
In individual bravery, the sword reigns supreme; in battles involving thousands or tens of thousands, the formation reigns supreme.
The hammer and shield formation was a small-scale attempt at team coordination; for those knights who fought individually, this tactical idea alone was far superior.
The Mountain looked at Jenny: "Madam, could we... try out this hammer and shield tomorrow?"
Jenny looked at the Mountain, knowing that once he made a decision, it was difficult to change it. She asked this question out of respect for him: "Tomorrow is not the day before we go to war, so none of you should kill anyone indiscriminately!"
"Thank you, Madam!" Pollifer, Dunsen, Big Head, and Sweet Talk were overjoyed and said in unison, their faces beaming with smiles.
Julie said, "Mother, I request to participate in tomorrow's team competition."
"You shouldn't go, it's too dangerous!" Jenny said.
"Going to the battlefield will be even more dangerous in the future, Mother. This time I'm with Father and a few uncles to help me. The enemy won't want to kill me, they just want to knock me down," Julie said. "If I'm no match for them, I can withdraw from the battle or raise my hands to admit defeat." Julie pleaded.
The Mountain looked at Jenny: "Madam, let Julie... uh... give it a try. I promise I'll protect him!"
"And me, madam, I will protect Julie!" Big Head said. He remembered his promise to Julie in Cliffrock to protect the only daughter of House Clegane.
"Me too!" Polliver said.
"Don't worry, Madam, there's me and Deng Sen too," she said with a sweet smile.
The Mountain said, "Madam, letting the child participate in actual combat will help her more quickly. Don't think about protecting her. To use the Stark proverb, 'Winter is coming,' we must teach the child to protect herself."
"Clegane is unbeatable!" Dunsen raised his fist. "Madam, the championship is ours. Let Julie take it!"
"Crigan is unmatched!" Big Head pounded his chest with his fist. "Madam, let Julie participate."
"The registration period has already passed, so even if I allow it, it's not possible," Jenny said calmly, unmoved by these menacing individuals. She had learned to remain composed and inscrutable among these fearsome people, never revealing her emotions.
Big Head, Sweet Tongue, Neurotic, Executioner—yet he wore a smile.
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Jenny immediately understood: "Julie, you've already signed up?"
"Yes, Mother, but without your permission, I can only abstain!" Julie said in an innocent tone, revealing an obvious lie.
Julie also signed up for an archery competition, which is the event scheduled for the day after tomorrow.
The Mountain had always been very strict with her, demanding rigorous training in archery, including crossbow bolts, as well as horsemanship, with swordsmanship as the last priority. In fact, the Mountain believed the fastest way to develop arm strength was by drawing a bow. Horseback archery encompassed a wide range of fundamental training, including horsemanship, eyesight, waist coordination, and arm strength.
Thus, the team's lineup was finalized: The Mountain, Big Head, Neurotic, Sweet Talker, Executioner, and Julie.
Leonard Westerling, Rolf Spicer, and Zeligorda will represent Rocky City in the battle.
*
The next morning, the arena was packed with people, twice as many as the day before. The rows of trees along the Blackwater River were covered in people. The final competition attracted even more people than the preliminary and semi-final rounds the previous day.
The true champion of the seven nations will be decided this morning!
The Hound, the Kingslayer, the Mountain, and the Knight of Flowers appeared together in the arena, circling the ring and receiving cheers from the crowd.
In the King's stands, a row of royal courtiers and nobles stood.
Littlefinger Petyr Baelish stood beside the Duke of Renly.
"Lord Renly, let's make a bet!" said Petyr Baelish, Littlefinger.
"Great!" Duke Renly said with a smile.
"The Knight of Flowers' challenge to the Mountain has been approved by the King. One hundred gold dragons, I bet on the Mountain to win!" Littlefinger said with a smile.
"I bet on Loki to win." Duke Renly said with a broad smile. "Littlefinger..." Duke Renly's tone was contemptuous, as Littlefinger was always looked down upon by the true nobles. "The Mountain is already doomed to lose to Loki! Come on, add another five hundred gold dragons, and we'll bet on who will be the champion this time!"