Clash on the Water

Chapter 98 Clash on the Water

A river flows from the mountains of the West Frontier, through the hills of Silverhall, around the cliffs of Golden Tree City, and southwards.

Finally, beneath the pure white marble walls of the High Court, it flows into the Mandeb River.

And because this river has no name.

So it is now called the Unnamed River.

At this moment, it became the life-or-death line separating the two armies.

Ed led his main force of nearly 50,000 troops to the east of the river, patiently waiting for the right opportunity to arise.

He set up a sentry post every ten miles and ordered scout cavalry from the river region to patrol day and night.

The forces of Renly on the other side of the river are also constantly changing.

Initially, there were only a thousand or so people swimming on the riverbank, but later the number increased to 20,000.

Because the coalition's actions, under Ed's command, were a mix of feints and real attacks.

He sent his vanguard south today to strike directly at High Court.

Tomorrow they will gather ships again north of Jinshu City, making it appear as if they intend to force their way east.

Renly's army was exhausted from the constant back-and-forth maneuvers, and their defensive lines became thinner and thinner as their numbers increased.

Finally, Renly's army began to retreat.

The land west of the river was thus left empty, with only a messy campsite and a burnt-out campfire remaining.

Ed sent troops across the river to investigate.

There were no ambushes, no traps, and some flags were still stuck in the mud, not even pulled out in time.

The news reached the main camp.

Under the banner of the white direwolves, in the simply furnished tents, a sense of arrogance also began to spread.

"Your Excellency, let's fight," said Lord Tytus Blackwood of Raventree City, speaking first.

"We have superior forces. His Majesty has already captured Kuqiao, and the entire North River Bay is under our control."

"After crossing the river, first conquer Red Lake City and Ancient Oak City, then sweep through West River Bay, and finally attack Highgarden from both directions."

"Tyrell is doomed!"

The northern lords nodded in agreement, and the nobles of the Riverlands chimed in.

Even Blackwood's archenemy, Earl Jenos of the Brecken family.

He ran his thick fingers through his rough brown hair, pondered for a moment, and surprisingly did not voice any objection.

Ed simply wore his usual cold and reserved expression, carefully studying the enemy's thoughts.

Renly is neither well-versed in military strategy nor knowledgeable in warfare, so command must be in the hands of Randyll Tarly.

This man was known for his unconventional tactics, and his most glorious achievement was defeating the undefeated Robert in the Battle of Centree Beach sixteen years ago.

"Seven layers of hell, Ned," Robert complained to him at the time. "Losing isn't shameful, I don't complain."

"

"Although their numbers were five times mine, and the battle wasn't large-scale, I didn't suffer any losses. A loss is a loss."

"But what I couldn't defeat was Randall's Riverlands forwards, not that fat bastard shrouded in green leaves!"

"Mace the fucking Tyrell actually claimed it as his doing! I fucking retreated before he even found the battlefield, I didn't even get a chance to see him!"

Robert didn't get a chance to retaliate, as Duke Mace went on to besiege Storm's End.

A year later, Ed led his army south to relieve the siege and won a great victory.

A great victory without bloodshed, because Mays surrendered as soon as he saw the situation was not good.

So Ed knew.

Although he never suffered a defeat on the battlefield, he was not as invincible as others claimed.

In his youth, he was full of passion and thought that all he needed to do was devote himself to the battlefield and fight the enemy; but now he has to think about many other things.

Ed stared intently at the map, repeatedly asking himself the same questions.

Why did Landau withdraw?

Although the water level of the nameless river is in the dry season, it is neither high nor low.

But it is still a dangerous and narrow pass, and Blue Path should not give it up easily, as that would be tantamount to handing over half of the river bend to someone else.

Moreover, his army is retreating south, seemingly intending to join forces with Metz, who is holed up in the high pavilion, and drag the war on.

But the longer it drags on, the worse it will be for Landau.

Why is Landau dragging this out?

Randy Tully hadn't had a full night's sleep in days.

He was afraid, afraid that Ed would discover his plan.

Fearing that his bait would not be taken, Ed led his army to attack High Pavilion directly.

So after receiving the news, a faint smile finally appeared on his usually placid face.

"Ed has finally crossed the river!"

But soon, Randy hid his smile behind his short, stiff gray beard.

-

Time is not on their side.

The combined strength of the four northern kingdoms far surpasses that of the Reach, half of the Stormlands' army is tied down, and there has been no movement from Dorne.

The nameless river is too long.

As long as Ed sends troops across the river to harass them from time to time, and uses pontoon bridges and ferries to launch attacks in all directions, they will eventually be exhausted.

Like grinding flour, they gradually ground their military strength into powder.

By then, without even taking Highgarden, the Reach lords will be unable to hold on on their own.

Therefore, Beihewan cannot be defended.

But withdrawing to the High Court would also mean certain death.

He had to divide and redeploy Ed's army, then fight with superior numbers.

The only solution is to proactively abandon the Nameless River defense line, trade space for time, and lure Ed into splitting his forces to occupy West River Bay.

At the same time, the siege of the Railroad Hall must be maintained.

Because his plan was for his army to pass through there, he couldn't let the enemy leak any information.

But attacking alone would be tantamount to suicide, and being deep in the western border, they would eventually be captured by Ed's army crossing the river.

Landau could not find a single noble family willing to undertake this task.

"Let's roll the dice then."

Only Renly Baratheon would come up with such an absurd suggestion.

Finally, Earl Cenford of Centree Beach rolled the lowest number.

"Remember this." Landau looked at his chubby, purplish-red face, wondering to himself whether this man was reliable or not. "Not a single crow can be released."

But when it came time to say goodbye, the fat man still didn't seem very confident.

He tugged at Duke Renly's sleeve: "My lord—when you return, don't forget to pick us up."

Landau simply boarded the ship silently.

One warship after another lay quietly on the water, their sails rolled up and masts forming a forest.

The Redwin family's deep purple grapes were painted on the hull of the ship.

The soldiers stepped onto the springboard, their armor gleaming faintly in the twilight.

The first to set sail were a few small fast boats, which glided silently out of the harbor like gray shadows.

Next came the medium-sized warships, and finally the flagship.

The wake at the stern slowly disappeared into the inky black sea.

The slender Earl Parker stood at the bow of the ship, his shoulders drooping.

His son looked at Landau with displeasure.

Humph.

How can a sparrow understand the ambition of a falcon?

The southward march of the army was just a pretext.

Randy had already instructed Randy to summon the fleet from Green Pavilion Island and head north overnight.

He planned to use his naval superiority to bypass Rallig Hall and head straight for Lannesport, forcing Ed to return to defend it.

This plan could not possibly be discovered.

impossible.

"Where did I get this for?"

Joffrey exited Stargazing and rubbed his eyes.

The sooner it's used, the sooner it cools down; once the time is right, he observes Renly's movements.

Why did Third Uncle end up on the boat?

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