Lord Gendry occasionally heard the sliding of armor and the clashing of Longspears. He glanced at his Gold Cloaks; they were joking, but their formation was disciplined, like a jungle. Even Lord Jason and Bronze Yohn admired this iron army.
Almost all soldiers were stationed here. Lord Gendry brought five hundred personal Knights, two thousand four hundred crabfeeders men (one hundred were dispatched at Saltpans), one thousand Vale cavalry, one thousand Seaguard cavalry, plus the minor Lords and remnants who had defected, totaling over five thousand men.
The wind rustled in the forest, and the water flowed gently. Lord Gendry's huge warhammer lay on the ground, his Dornish black steed always by his side. Lord Gendry listened to the call of the battlefield.
Lord Gendry was also waiting, waiting for the Kingslayer, that golden warrior, who was said to be short-tempered and knew nothing of fatigue or patience. They were all fishing, and their bait was the Kingslayer. Lord Jason used some remnants as bait.
Lord Gendry had already arranged the deployment: Bronze Yohn led the Knights of the Vale and some crabfeeders men to the west, Lord Jason led the Mallister Family army to the east, Ser Boros and Jak Crakehall led some crabfeeders men to the very narrow northern mouth of the river, and Lord Gendry's Gold Cloaks were also on the east side of the river mouth, but on the ridge, he intended to lead the charge.
"He won't know our movements," Bronze Yohn said confidently. He now led four hundred scouts, covering the main force's advance. "I'll stake my life on it. My Longbowmen haven't let a single bird fly back to him. We encountered a few of his scouts, and they couldn't report back either. He should have sent more men. All in all, he doesn't know our whereabouts."
"He is not a waiting Knight," Ser Barristan said, knowing his colleague quite well.
"He would never just sit in his tent and wait for carpenters to build siege towers," Bronze Yohn replied. "So far, he has led his cavalry out three times, chasing scattered Riverrun armies or storming stubbornly resisting manors. This is because Ser Marq Piper has been leading small forces to raid Lannister supply lines."
"It seems the death of the Mountain hasn't changed the Kingslayer much, which is a good opportunity," Lord Gendry thought. One change he feared was that due to the Mountain's disastrous defeat, the Kingslayer might suddenly become cautious. But it seemed not, as the Kingslayer's personality had always been arrogant; he came from a noble family and achieved fame at a young age.
"The Kingslayer's deployment seems to be divided into three or four parts, because once Riverrun floods, the camps need to be dispersed," Lord Jason said. Jason wore indigo armor with silver inlays, and his helmet was adorned with eagle wings.
Lord Jason was also a famous warrior in the Riverlands. Although older, Lord Jason was still a tall, thin man with a clean-shaven beard and brown hair streaked with white, possessing fierce blue-gray eyes. His face was gaunt and sharply defined, with high cheekbones. Lord Jason was known for his courtesy and honor.
"That's right," Lord Yohn said. "A total of twelve thousand infantry, divided into three camps, scattered around the castle, separated by rivers. Surrounding Riverrun, this is the only way, but it also disperses their forces. The enemy cavalry numbers about two to three thousand."
"The enemy's forces are about three times ours," Ser Barristan said.
"But we also have a chance of winning," Lord Gendry said. "Firstly, we are hidden while the enemy is exposed; we know the Lannister like the back of our hand. Secondly, the Kingslayer lacks patience and can be lured out. Thirdly, the enemy is divided into three locations, which further spreads their forces, eliminating any numerical advantage, and Riverrun still has defenders."
Lord Jason looked at Lord Gendry. He rarely admired a young man unless that young man was truly dazzling. In comparison, Ser Edmure, despite his age, couldn't even understand basic military formations.
But the sound of hooves gradually grew louder; the Kingslayer had finally arrived.
As small groups of routed soldiers feigned retreat into the valley, the trout banner they carried danced in the moonlight.
All the Lannister also charged in. Lord Gendry saw his opponent; Jaime Lannister's figure was still clearly visible, his golden hair and golden armor turned silvery-white by the moonlight, and his scarlet cloak became black. He wore no helmet.
Lord Gendry then saw a long line of men following him, including Knights, sworn Knights, and Free Riders, probably three-quarters of the Lannister army's total cavalry.
"It's time."
Lord Jason, leading the Seaguard troops, began to thunder out, exploding into the river valley, informing everyone that Jaime's forces had all fallen into the trap.
Ah ah wuwuwuwuwuwuwuwuwuwuwuwuwuwuwuwuwuwu... Lord Gendry had his men blow horns, and the cavalry began to step off the ridge, charging down through the dense forest.
Then came the answering sounds of trumpets from the crabfeeders men, the Vale, and the Mallister Family.
Thus, all the warhorses neighed, and thousands of troops charged down from above, determined to bathe the Lannister in blood.
The Longbowmen led by Anguy also emerged from behind tree trunks, showering arrows.
"Long live Lannister!"
"Long live Baratheon! Long live the liberator!"
"Long live Runestone!"
"Fight for Seaguard!"
"Damn it, it's the usurper Lord Gendry's army! How did he get here? Did he swim?"
"Shit, isn't he going to fight in the Stormlands? Why is he helping the trout?" the Lannister taxi soldiers cursed.
The Lannister also gave Lord Gendry many derogatory names: usurper Lord Gendry, ambitious Lord Gendry, and black-hearted Lord Gendry.
Lord Gendry's Gold Cloaks shook off the leaves and dirt from their bodies, their armor, once obscured, now gleamed with a cold light again. Ser Barristan followed closely behind him.
Lord Gendry led his army in a downward charge. The Gold Cloaks' dothraki horses were almost the best among horses; their endurance, speed, and physique were perfect, with extremely strong burst power.
"Follow me!" Lord Gendry shouted, and all the Gold Cloaks formed a long horizontal line, five hundred iron cavalry invincible.
Lord Gendry wielded the warhammer in his hand, and the resisting Lannister fell like leaves. Where the warhammer struck, either lungs and heart ruptured, or heads became holes.
The tall warrior swung his warhammer, the stag and dragon on his helmet seeped with red blood, and the golden cloak behind Lord Gendry danced like golden flames.
Lord Jason widened his eyes, watching Lord Gendry's textbook-like slaughter. His warhammer technique was like a celestial steed soaring through the sky; Red Cloaks fell wherever he passed.
Because strength and speed reached a certain level, there was no need for flashy moves, just simple ones. Lord Jason was silent and sullen; this was too brutal, even more brutal than the demon of the Trident River.
"Mother," a Lannister Knight in front of Lord Gendry wailed, his longsword slipping from his hand, his pupils dilating, then his chest was pierced by the sharp pick of the warhammer, and he fell from his horse, dead. Lord Gendry glanced at the Knight's face; he seemed to be just a Child.
The Red Cloaks Lannister cavalry all saw that tall Knight in golden armor, wielding a huge warhammer, harvesting lives like wheat, like a giant-horned god among the crowd.
"Robert, has King Robert risen from the dead?"
"Spare us, we are not traitors."
"Has King Robert crawled out? The King isn't dead?" the Red Cloaks shouted in terror, at this moment, every bush seemed to hide an enemy.
Battle banners with a golden background were erected, burning like golden flames. Leaping stags, roaring dragons. The Lannister's morale was in chaos, and a surge of collapse had already begun to appear.
"Kingslayer, I am your opponent."
The Kingslayer, who was fighting, looked back and saw the person in the golden cloak, like a god of slaughter, bringing waves of death.
"Ro, Robert's son," the Kingslayer saw the emblem on the cloak, a leaping stag and a roaring dragon; these three colors—gold, black, and red—almost pierced his eyes.
"Hurry and flee, Ser. We can't hold them back," someone nearby cried out urgently, and an Attendants next to him couldn't help but say, "The opponent is too strong; this is a massacre."
"Too strong?" the Kingslayer roared, his spirit somewhat collapsing. Instead, the Kingslayer raised his gilded longsword and charged. "Even in death, you won't let go?"
----------------------------------
I've already uploaded over 70 new chapters on Patreon!
If you're enjoying the story and want to read ahead, feel free to check it out.
Your support truly means a lot to me!
patreon.com/Kazenova223
Thank you so much for being here!
And if you're having fun with the story, don't forget to drop a Power Stone for me!