GOT: Chapter 359/360

Chapter 359: Barbecue Iron People

The few cans of Wildfire thrown into the crowd were manually hurled by the sailors on the Charging Wolf.

It was clear that Wildfire incendiaries were completely unsuitable for close combat, especially boarding actions between two ships. The Wildfire on the enemies and the flames burning along the enemy ship's side could easily spread to one's own ship and soldiers during boarding and contact between the two vessels, resulting in a situation where one inflicted a thousand casualties on the enemy but suffered eight hundred oneself.

But at this moment, with four ships attacking one, one longship already alongside and two others that had been hiding outside range now swarming in close, it was highly likely they intended to take advantage of the chaos to climb aboard the Charging Wolf from other directions and join the fight. At this critical moment, if they did not decisively strike the enemy but instead worried about whether the Wildfire would burn themselves, then soon, the people on the Charging Wolf would not even have a chance to extinguish the flames.

Amid the clattering sound of shattering, the Wildfire incendiaries struck the Ironborn, and the splashing liquid instantly poured onto their heads, shoulders, and the deck beneath their feet. Those hit were bleeding from the head, dizzy, and still did not understand what the liquid on them was for. Instantly, flowers of green flame bloomed one after another in the crowd. Human body heat and dry, loose warm clothing caused the Wildfire to spread faster than on the cold, wet hull, instantly engulfing over a dozen warriors, cooking barbecued Ironborn on the spot.

Gut-wrenching screams instantly replaced the pre-battle roars of encouragement. The Ironborn's faith and culture made them inherently terrified of fire, let alone the searing green flames burning on their bodies, causing agonizing pain. The Iron Islands soldiers who had just moments before gathered by the ship's side, fully geared to cut men down, scattered like rats splashed with boiling oil amid roars of various pitches. Fearing the fire would spread to their own ship, the Night's Watch soldiers who manually threw the Wildfire cans aimed as much as possible at the center of the enemy ship's deck, away from the edges. The front-row Ironborn closest to the ship's side were thus not burned, but the fire spread rapidly, combined with the can that had hit the stern sail earlier, instantly threatening to engulf the entire ship.

The crowd was forced into a frenzy by the green flames. Those engulfed in fire screamed and jumped into the sea, while the remaining soldiers who were pushed back, after a moment of confusion and panic, leaped across the gap between the two ships onto the Charging Wolf as if their lives did not matter.

...

Maege wiped away a spark that had splashed onto her breastplate with her glove, and heavily struck the ship's side with the spiked mace in her hand. "Good lads of the North, today is the moment to prove your courage."

"Long live the North!"

In the distance, another Ironborn sailing ship responsible for cover fire ceased firing for fear of friendly fire. Nearby, three ships, two small and one large, surrounded the North's Charging Wolf, launching boarding actions simultaneously from three directions.

"Long live the Iron Islands!"

"Kill."

Amid the heat emanating from the wooden ships combined with the burning Wildfire, the war cries, which had paused for a moment, resumed. The first soldier to jump onto the Charging Wolf forced back the nearest Northman with a knife, only to be met by a short, seemingly aged woman. Just as he was about to open his mouth to mock, the North is even sending women to the battlefield, he saw the woman swing her arm mercilessly. The spiked mace flew toward his chest with impeccable speed and power. It was too late to block. With a strong blow, he fell backward. With no one behind to support him, he tumbled into the gap between the two ships and fell into the water.

The difference between a boarding action and a field battle is that one stands on a deck rather than the ground. But it also differs from land combat in that, because the fighting area is confined and neither side has a retreat path, combat is usually more intense and chaotic, and individual martial skill is not as significant as in typical small-scale engagements. When attacking, the Ironborn swarm forward by forming lines and crowding together to board the enemy ship as closely in time as possible, charging in as a group with a formation of people pushing people, people protecting people, mutually serving as flanks and rear. In this situation, after boarding the enemy ship, the Ironborn will have their own people on their left, right, and rear, or at least two directions, until they establish an advantage.

But this time, the few cans of Wildfire that had just been thrown into the middle of the crowd completely disrupted the boarding party's formation. While those engulfed by fire and forced to jump into the sea were a tiny minority, the lucky ones who did not get any Wildfire on them were also less than one in ten. Most Ironborn raiders held weapons in one hand to guard against enemy attacks while frantically swatting at the flames flickering on their armor with the other, but to little effect. In such a state, how could they win a battle?

Meanwhile, the long-waiting North soldiers were already shouting slogans and pressing forward like a wall. Flesh and blood flew amid the flashing blades. The smell of burnt human flesh and smoke quickly mixed with the stench of blood and excrement. The Ironborn warriors who had just jumped onto the ship moments before were either chopped into mincemeat or driven into the sea.

"Do not panic. Leave one team to put out the fire, one team to get oars, push the opposite ship away. Those not injured, follow me and go to the other side to continue counterattacking."

Amid the slightly weaker impacts from the two ships hitting the Charging Wolf one after another, two longships also seized this perfect opportunity to come alongside. Grappling hooks and ropes were messily thrown up all at once. Due to having one less deck, the longships' hulls were about a person's height lower than the Charging Wolf. Experienced Ironborn captains would often wait for their own medium to large ships to engage and tie down the enemy's deck personnel before calmly approaching and climbing, to minimize their disadvantage when attacking from a lower position.

This tactic was usually effective, and this time was no exception. The wounded, bodies, enemy incendiaries, and scattered flames brought by boarding personnel on the Charging Wolf's deck created utter chaos. In the confusion, someone still had to get oars to push away the burning enemy sailing ship to avoid being dragged down with it. In the end, only seven or eight people were free to deal with two whole ships of enemies newly joining the battle.

The longships' oarsmen were warriors themselves. There were over fifty men on the two longships combined. As long as they could climb onto the deck, they could completely turn the tide of battle.

But the battle did not play out according to script, because what greeted the two longships were several Wildfire incendiaries, equally ruthless and reckless, thrown with a go big or go home attitude.

Small longships did not have as much space as sailing warships to dodge and flee. When the two newly arrived Ironborn ships were engulfed by the same rising green flames, not even a few of the sailors aboard were able to completely escape. The height difference between the ships extinguished the possibility of the longship oarsmen jumping ship through the fire to make a desperate attempt. Amid group screams that seemed like a replay of the earlier scene, these dozens of Ironborn warriors, who could have decided the outcome, also chose to jump ship to extinguish the flames, preferring to die in the sea if they must, so their souls could go to the flowing palace of the Drowned God.

The threat from humans temporarily vanished, leaving only three raging infernos burning on the water surrounding the Charging Wolf.

Individual North soldiers held bows and arrows, either watching or picking off the Iron Islands sailors who were submerged in the water, still swimming toward the ship and trying to climb aboard. More crew members, however, dragged oars and long poles from inside the cabins, sweating profusely as they pushed the three burning enemy ships as far away from the Charging Wolf as possible.

In the distance, the captain of the fourth sailing ship, who had been waiting for his comrades to win, could not believe his eyes. After repeatedly confirming that several friendly ships had all been destroyed, he ordered his ship to reopen fire on the Charging Wolf. After several rounds of exchanging fire where neither side hit anything, intimidated by the terrifying power of the Wildfire, he ultimately chose to withdraw from the battlefield. Using the significant advantage in maneuverability, he quickly disappeared from sight, giving the Charging Wolf, which had nearly exhausted its incendiaries, a huge sigh of relief.

...

The First Ice Bay Naval Battle began suddenly and ended just as quickly. The North's side had one fatality on its only participating ship and over twenty wounded, both light and severe. Among these, over half were burned or scalded while fighting fires after the battle ended. After the last enemy ship fled, they spent over an hour using pre-prepared sand and stones to extinguish the places on their own ship that had been ignited due to the indiscriminate use of Wildfire, putting in a considerable effort, only then ensuring the ship stayed afloat.

The hull was covered in dents from burning or collisions. The main mast had lost its reliability after being hit by a stone shot, and no one dared to raise the sail. Finally, the Charging Wolf picked up the few Iron Islands noble captives, left the common soldiers to die in the cold seawater, and, relying on six oars used in rotation, laboriously rowed the battered, listing North fleet flagship back to Ice Canyon Port.


---

News of this naval battle reached the Night's Watch Commander in Crown Town the next day. The Ironborn ships patrolling the Ice Bay had finally discovered the existence of Ice Canyon Port. Aegor's response was to maintain the original troop reinforcement plan while dispatching the most combat-effective unit in the Gift, the Crown Town Rangers, which was essentially the Westermen group led by Jaime Lannister, to Ice Canyon Port to strengthen the defenses of this westernmost stronghold.

Although the conflict that erupted in the Ice Bay was related to the Night's Watch, it was essentially an extension of the war between the North and the Iron Islands. Arriving almost simultaneously with the news of this naval battle was a patrol report from the Shadow Tower commander.

Dispatching Rangers to cross the Great Gorge from Skull Bridge to scout the Yuliang Wood Forest to the north was originally Aegor's reaction to the significant event of Bran's return, aimed at being prepared and providing early warning.

After awakening in the Land of Always Winter, the White Walkers had been active Beyond the Wall for four full years without launching a full-scale attack on the human realms. Such a long wait inevitably brought an atmosphere of complacency to the Night's Watch. Rationally, everyone knew the White Walkers could attack at any moment, and thus they actively prepared for battle. But intuitively, let alone the common soldiers below, even Aegor, who prided himself on having a clear mind, could not help but feel this way, it probably would not be today.

But this time, the speed with which Colin the Disfigured sent back news from Westwatch-by-the-Bridge greatly exceeded everyone's expectations.

The first team of Rangers to cross Skull Bridge to scout Beyond the Wall was prepared for a great adventure, but they had not gone deep before easily discovering the traces they were trying to find, and they were traces too obvious to ignore. Hundreds, thousands, a sea of wights stretching as far as the eye could see, using rusted knives and axes, decaying bodies, in short, every possible method, to destroy that spectacular Haunted Forest.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 360: The End of the Marathon

The Night's Watch patrol that witnessed the shocking scene of the wights logging fled back to Westwatch-by-the-Bridge, while Denys Mallister, upon learning of the situation, decisively ordered Skull Bridge to be sealed again.

The patrol on the north side of the Great Gorge thus began and ended in a hurry, becoming the command issued by Aegor after taking office that was executed the fewest times, once, lasted the shortest duration, half a day, and yielded feedback with unparalleled speed and efficiency.

It was certainly procedurally incorrect for the Shadow Tower commander to override the Commander's order, but a correct decision is a correct decision. Aegor would never doubt that a patrol led by a seasoned veteran like Colin the Disfigured would give a false report. The purpose of ordering the resumption of patrols Beyond the Wall was to win more early warning and preparation time for the final battle with the adventure of a small number of people, not to provide troops for the Night King. Since it was known that there was no time left, it was natural to stop decisively.

Under his command, the Gift had already prepared for this battle, but how far was it from being ready? Could the Night's Watch truly hold back the army of the dead when they crossed the Great Gorge?


---

The arrival of this news completely overwhelmed the joy brought by the miraculous victory in the Ice Bay naval battle. Although he disliked bureaucratic meetings all day, the matter was too important, and Aegor had to convene once again the heads of the various departments in the Gift who could attend for a final discussion.

He first called out and questioned the logistics supervisor related to infrastructure construction. "What is the progress of the deep repair work on the patrol route along the Gorge?"

Humfrey Hissan, who had already done his homework, immediately replied, "It is basically completed and can support two horses riding side by side safely. Except for the limited width due to being on the mountainside and the inability to make significant changes to the terrain's height variations manually in a short time, the road itself is flat and smooth, comparable to the conditions on top of the Wall."

"Very good, speed up the stockpiling of wildfire and dragonglass weapons at Gorge Lookout. In addition, increase the density and scale of beacon towers and temporary material storage points between the relay fortress and Ice Canyon Port and Shadow Tower. The effect I want is this. Rangers patrol lightly, and no matter where in the Great Gorge they find signs of the wight army crossing, they can immediately send a signal and obtain wildfire and dragonglass weapons on the spot for the first wave of defense," Aegor repeated his expectations seriously. "Then, the nearest reinforcements should also set out with as few weapons as possible, quickly reach the location where the distress signal was sent, and also rely on nearby supplies to join the support first. After stabilizing the front line, they will wait for logistics to transport more weapons and equipment."

"This is the most ideal plan, but I am afraid it exceeds the ability of the Mountain Clans and New Gift warriors to fully execute it," Jarman Buckwell said dismissively. "If everyone had the training level of the Night's Watch or the Crownlands Guard, that would be fine, but such quality is accumulated through time, money, and the daily training of officers, and it is difficult to achieve quickly."

...

That was the truth.

Since the former Commander Jeor Mormont took office, all members of the Night's Watch had lived a regular military life under the Old Commander's management. Although their combat effectiveness varied due to the quality of recruits, their training level and discipline were among the best in Westeros. And the new army Aegor brought from King's Landing, now called the Crownlands Guard, whose basic framework officers were originally from good families with good conduct and had undergone at least half a year of full-time training and final selection before going north to participate in the work...

These were qualities that the Grey Area Citizens militia, who originated from the Mountain Clans and the Free Folk, did not possess and could not make up for in the short term.

"Feel free to voice any opinions. This may be the last operational meeting where discussion is allowed before the great battle. After walking out of this door today, we will only focus on executing the established plan and will not change the layout."

"Then I will speak up," Jarman Buckwell, who came from a Crownlands noble family, was not as cautious as Yam and Humfrey, the commoners Aegor had personally promoted to management. "I believe that the dead are not afraid of death, and the natural barrier of the Great Gorge holds no psychological deterrence for the enemy. It is impossible to defend such a long front with only a few thousand people. Instead of investing a large amount of manpower and resources to maintain dispersion, it is better to simply give up and consolidate personnel into sturdy fortresses, waiting at ease for the enemy."

"Impossible." Jon, who had rushed from Castle Black, immediately spoke out, vehemently opposing. "Ser Jarman has never fought against the dead, and his concept is still at the level of fighting the living. The duty of the Night's Watch is to keep threats Beyond the Wall. If we do not even try to defend, what is the meaning of the black clothes we wear? Moreover, the dead do not eat and do not need to worry about their supply lines being cut off. The Wall and the Gift themselves have no value to contend for. What if the White Walkers cross the Gorge and ignore the various fortresses of the Night's Watch, instead heading straight for the North? Would that not leave countless residents completely unprepared to face the danger that should have been borne by us?"

The appearance of debate so quickly was the result of differing positions. Aegor's available and trusted grassroots managers currently came from three main sources. The original Night's Watch staff from Jeor Mormont's era, especially Jon and his friends. A small number of commoner followers he trained himself and brought from the Industrial Park in King's Landing. And a considerable number of new Night's Watch who were exiled to the Wall after Stannis's victory for supporting Renly Baratheon's claim to the throne.

Almost half of the officers among the old-school Night's Watch were from the North, and of course, they wanted to fulfill their duty. The employees belonging to the industry were paid and obedient, going wherever Aegor pointed. Only the faction of Crownlands nobles, compared to protecting the Seven Kingdoms, were more concerned with preserving the current strong state of the Night's Watch and the Gift, so that they could use this to push Aegor onto the stage of power in the future, using him as a leverage point to regain their lost status and interests. This was the promise Aegor hinted at when he initially sought their support.

Fortunately, Aegor currently had sufficient control over the Gift, both soft and hard.

...

"Are you sure the enemy will attack from the Great Gorge? Why not mobilize more troops?" Yam suggested softly, his voice much lower than the two Night's Watchmen with diametrically opposed positions. "As far as I know, the Gift still has thousands of troops that can be mobilized."

The communications officer immediately interjected, "Cotter Pyke reports that the ice removal work at Eastwatch-by-the-Sea is also becoming increasingly difficult, and it has gradually shifted from finding ice to remove to only being able to take turns resting when the timing is right. I am afraid more personnel are needed."

Aegor coughed. "I have other arrangements for the personnel shortage at Eastwatch-by-the-Sea. We will discuss it later. The Gift does indeed have some troops that can be mobilized, but one of Jon's statements just now was incorrect. The Wall has strategic value for the White Walkers. I do not have time to explain the specific reasons now, but you just need to know that Nightfort is key. The White Walkers will definitely want to attack and destroy the giant weirwood below it, thereby destroying the magic woven within the Wall and causing it to lose its function of shielding the cold god's power. We can now basically confirm that the enemy's main direction of attack is the Great Gorge, but I can also guarantee that if we truly deploy all our forces in the Great Gorge without any leeway, the enemy will definitely appear elsewhere in the end. Placing one third of the combat personnel in an area less than one tenth the length of the entire line is the limit. Other places, especially Eastwatch-by-the-Sea, we still have to defend, and it must be heavily guarded."

Aegor had to clearly explain the reasons and purposes of all his deployments to this core group of subordinates to prevent any questions or mistakes from arising during execution. "And Jarman, you are purely looking at the problem from the perspective of a normal war. You are right that natural barriers pose less threat to the dead than to the living, but then you overlook that the dead are not ordinary armies. If we do not actively engage, they will never naturally decrease in number during their march. Instead, they will grow and grow, ravaging the Gift and even the North, and finally multiplying five, six, seven, eight, or even more than ten times before turning back to easily eliminate us."

Jarman pursed his lips. "We provided a lot of dragonglass weapons to the North at a low price. They should know how to use them."

Jon did not hesitate for a second. "How much is that? Not even enough for one per person, and we are the only ones who have the wildfire that is most effective against wights."

Aegor pounded the table to forcefully interrupt their argument. "Defending in the Great Gorge is not just about rigidly fulfilling the duty of the Night's Watch. If we abandon this place, the enemy is likely to secretly cross the Gorge into the Gift on some night we are completely unaware of, killing us in our beds while people are completely unprepared. But if we defend, with the assistance of the Gorge's terrain, even if we cannot hold them back, we can at least inflict enough casualties to weaken the strength of the wight army. More importantly, the start of the Gorge defense battle will provide a warning to the entire Gift and all residents of the North, giving people enough time to stop working in the field and withdraw into fortresses nearby." He scanned all the Night's Watch and the middle and high-level managers of the Gift attending the meeting, making sure everyone was listening. "Therefore, my vision for the Great Gorge defense line must be fully and completely realized. This point is not open for discussion."

Jarman did not intend to argue with his superior. He shrugged. "Alright, I obey the Commander's decision. However, the trouble of training level and quality not meeting expectations is unavoidable. I propose that we immediately organize field exercises along the Great Gorge line to test the reaction speed of the defenders. Use this last bit of time to train as much proficiency as possible."

"This proposal is acceptable. Proceed with arrangements and begin today. It must be conducted day and night."

...

No one had many further objections or suggestions. In the time that followed, everyone not only quickly discussed a feasible exercise plan that could be put into practice at any time, but also discussed more detailed arrangements. For example, moving several tribes located in the eastern part of the Gift to Eastwatch-by-the-Sea, deciding to abandon several fortresses along the Wall that were in poor condition during wartime, bringing the slow-moving giants who were inconvenient to migrate to outside the Queenscrown walls in advance, and kindly fabricating military reports, issuing an early warning to the Seven Kingdoms, especially the North, that the wights were already attacking the Great Gorge, and so on. If the Haunted Forest inside and outside the Great Gorge were considered part of the defense, it would not seem like a lie either.

A long but heavy and substantial meeting concluded, and several of Aegor's most trusted and valued officials went their separate ways with their respective tasks. The Night King's ultramarathon north of the Wall, which had lasted for several years, was finally approaching its end, and what Aegor had to do now was not become a trophy for this incredibly persistent contestant.

Aegor took a breath of fresh air and walked toward his residence. Soon, he saw Melisandre standing by the door, clearly waiting for him, so he walked toward her.

Before he could think of what to say, the witch shook her head lightly and spoke. "There are indeed some things we need to talk about, but now is probably not the time. You need to prepare first, to welcome Lady Stark."

(To be continued.)