Chapter 96: The Battle of Stone Hedge

Harrenhal, barracks hall.

A dozen or so people gathered around Arthur, watching the training progress of the New Army together.

【Arthur Bracken (100%), Jule Bracken (90%), Amber (100%), Dickon Tarly (100%), Anguy (100%)

Brave Companions (67), Level 5 Dornish Spearman (1), King's Landing Mercenary (97), Riverlands Mercenary (161), Level 1 Unarmored Militia (1300), Level 2 Round-Helmed Padded-Armor Recruit (220), Level 3 Round-Helmed Chainmail Veteran (29), Level 4 Visored Round-Helmed Lamellar-Armor Light Infantry (6)】

The troop panel clearly indicated the military strength that truly belonged to Arthur.

The most significant parts were the 1,100 men recruited at Red Mill, the 200 strong peasants recruited from the refugees at Harrenhal, and the 200-plus men Arthur had ordered to be trained before he went to King's Landing.

Due to the short training time, the 1,300 men recruited from the refugees were all at Level 1.

As for the 200-plus strong peasants selected from Arthur's own smallfolk, they had already reached Level 2 after two rounds of training by Javier, Dickon, and Bill.

What was pleasantly surprising was that among the original 35 house soldiers, after two rounds of training, 29 had upgraded to Level 3, and 6 had upgraded to Level 4.

It was just that no Level 5 Plate Armor heavy infantry had been trained yet, which left him slightly disappointed.

Although the purchased armor was insufficient, it was enough to equip soldiers of Level 2 and above.

Furthermore, House Whent itself had over 2,000 sets of discarded armor; although most could not be used due to years of lack of maintenance, they could still be used after being melted down and reforged.

Currently, in the armory beneath the barracks hall, a dozen furnaces had been started, and the blacksmiths found among the refugees and their assistants had begun to recast various weapons and armor.

"Lord Arthur, training these people is truly exhausting," the serious Dickon complained.

Although he had undergone a full set of military training from his father, this was his first time training new recruits.

Getting this group of peasants who farmed and did manual labor to stand in a line took half a day, not to mention familiarizing them with various military orders and combat maneuvers.

"Bear with it for a while; the Westerlands are truly bullying us too much this time. If we don't work harder, the entire Riverlands will be occupied by Tywin's army," Arthur replied.

Borrowed troops belonged to other houses, and mercenaries could not be relied upon; this group of recruited militia was the foundation for his future hegemony.

Those without property have no steadfast heart; these militia were all Riverlands peasants, their families and the property they brought were within Arthur's controlled territory, and their loyalty after becoming a formed army would be far higher than mercenaries like the Brave Companions who risked their lives just to earn Gold Dragons.

"With a group like this, it is enough to hold Harrenhal," Patrick waved toward the west, "We can set off to rescue Stone Hedge with peace of mind."

He regarded Arthur as an idol, and naturally, he also viewed Janos's request for Arthur to defend Stone Hedge as his own duty.

"That's right, screw those Western Lands Army soldiers, stab Tywin in the ass and see if he really shits gold," the straightforward Ma Ke swung his fist.

His family had 600 infantry borrowed by Arthur, and they were currently being transported down on large ships on the Red Fork.

Patrick said: "Hendry sent a Raven saying that the Western Lands vanguard infantry is only surrounding without attacking, looking like they are waiting for Tywin's main army, which is still at Wayfarer's Rest, to reinforce them."

Eleven days ago, Wayfarer's Rest had been surrounded by Tywin's main Westerlands force, and after holding out for two days, the newly succeeded Count Karel lost his family castle.

Raymond of Darry shook his head, "Tywin's heavy cavalry and heavy infantry are stationed there, perhaps intending to join the Westerlands detachment to encircle Riverrun; Stone Hedge is not worth 20,000 men spending time to besiege."

His family's territory was east of Harrenhal, and they previously held the title of Count, but they supported House Targaryen during the Usurper's War fifteen years ago and were demoted and stripped of land by Robert, who sat on the Iron Throne; now they could only afford to maintain a force of 350 men.

Twenty cavalrymen were taken by Arthur to fight The Mountain along the way and died in battle.

The 330 infantrymen stayed at Darry, and he summoned 300 of them with a Raven; they were currently at Harrenhal.

"That is not the case," Arthur pointed beneath his feet, "Before Tyrion Lannister and Jaime are handed over, Tywin will not stop the war. With Robb having already led his troops south, he will certainly control Harrenhal and the fords of the Trident to gain the initiative in the war against House Stark's army."

"Correct," Raymond agreed with this view, "With Tywin's dominance, regardless of whether he fights House Stark's army, the Western Lands Army will always want to occupy the geographical advantage."

"But Stone Hedge must still be saved. Since their main force is still at Wayfarer's Rest, we have time to wipe out that portion of the Western Lands Army outside Stone Hedge and then return to defend Harrenhal," Patrick said.

Wayfarer's Rest is north of Pinkmaiden and southwest of Stone Hedge.

It is about several dozen leagues from Stone Hedge to Wayfarer's Rest, about two days' ride.

If Tywin rushes to attack Harrenhal, he would have to march east from Wayfarer's Rest, passing through the north side of the Willow Wood territory, and would not pass through Stone Hedge, which is near the Red Fork.

Arthur nodded, "Then let's do as discussed this morning: we will lead the troops north, from the Ruby Ford to the middle reaches of the Red Fork, then land and approach Stone Hedge."

The battle plan they had previously discussed was to go upstream by water, intercept the fleet of 2,100 infantrymen coming down from Riverrun, and take them to Stone Hedge.

Everyone nodded, approving of this plan.

Thus, the relevant people became busy.

The King's Landing Mercenary and Arthur's new recruits were left behind to guard Harrenhal, and the Level 5 Dornish Spearman named Da Qi was also left behind; he was appointed by Arthur as the drillmaster for the New Army.

Dickon was responsible for overseeing the defense of Harrenhal, with the sharpshooter Anguy assisting him.

All members of the Brave Companions, 320 cavalry, and 300 Darry infantry were taken north by Arthur and the young Riverlands nobles to rescue Stone Hedge.

Five days later, outside Stone Hedge.

The orange burning tree banner of House Marbrand and a dozen roaring lion banners of House Lannister were lined up, while the purple unicorn banner of Hornvale, the striped boar banner of Oxcross, and others of the Westerlands nobles stood slightly behind.

Beneath the banners were the fully armed Adam Marbrand and some Westerlands nobles, along with their Personal Guard.

Surrounding Stone Hedge were nearly 2,000 house soldiers of these nobles, 2,000 Lannister infantry, 500 heavily equipped Lannister heavy cavalry, and 600 light cavalry left behind by Amory Lorch.

The unlucky Luo Qi had his command of the light cavalry stripped by Sir Adam, who had arrived with the army, and the former was ordered to take over a hundred men to hunt down Beric Dondarrion, Thoros of Myr, and their men.

The remaining members of the King's Landing Law Enforcement Team should now be called the Brotherhood Without Banners, because with the addition of Riverlands stragglers, peasants, and minor nobles, Lord Beric's power was growing rapidly.

This caused great trouble for the Westerlands army.

The infantry, deploying various siege engines, were in front of the Westerlands nobles.

Small trebuchets were testing their range, while the Siege Hammer and Siege Tower, which required twenty or thirty men to push, were placed to the side.

Although it was a feint, Adam still made preparations and deployments as if it were a real siege.

A specially deployed Crossbow battalion was waiting in the open space north of the Westerlands nobles, calmly adjusting their crossbow strings and filling the quivers at their waists with sharp arrows reflecting a black luster.

In front of the crossbowmen were three rows of Westerlands heavy infantry holding Great Shields, Spears, and battle axes, responsible for protecting their ranged-attack comrades behind them.

Behind them, another squad of soldiers carried ropes, with large stones piled at their feet.

The stones were used to smash the Riverlands cavalry to death if they did not surrender.

The dozens of deep pits used to trap Arthur were on the open ground in front of them, covered with thin wooden boards, camouflaged layers of soil, and trampled mud.

There were no barbs or similar things inside the pits, so falling in would at most result in broken bones or strained tendons, not death.

To ensure that the charging Riverlands war god would fall into the pits, these pits were dug in three rows, each one aligned with the gaps between the other two rows of deep pits.

Thus, Arthur, who wanted to charge straight at the center of the army, would certainly fall into a deep pit in one of the rows, unless he moved in an S-pattern.

"Scouts report that the two thousand five hundred men led by Arthur landed on the north bank of the Red Fork yesterday morning and will arrive at Stone Hedge today," Count Roland Crakehall said to the Western Lands nobles behind him.

Duke Tywin had sent all the non-Lannister troops to Stone Hedge, which brought the force under the command of this Westerlands Army—Sir Adam Marbrand—to five thousand five hundred men.

The Warden of the West himself led the remaining fourteen thousand-plus Lannister heavy cavalry, heavy infantry, light infantry, and others, carrying all the large siege engines and sufficient horse fodder, military rations, and the like, as he set off for the important Riverlands stronghold of Harrenhal.

However, an army with multiple troop types does not march quickly; after four or five days, Duke Tywin and the Lannister army had only just walked out of the earldom of Wayfarer's Rest and entered the territory of the earldom of Willow Wood in the Lake District.

"Excellent," Count Shaliute of Silverhill waved his horse whip excitedly, "We can see what the man who killed The Mountain looks like."

His family's house motto was "Unrivaled," and among the counts and higher nobles of the Westerlands, they were considered the most bellicose family.

"It's just two shoulders carrying a head, what could be so strange about that?" said Count Leo Lefford of Golden Tooth.

Count Roland Crakehall shook his head, "It is said that this person is extremely handsome, the kind that can infatuate both men and women; he is still more worth looking at than The Mountain."

"Then he should wear a mask to fight, otherwise he will lose his majesty," Leo said.

The group of people chattered away, discussing the recently prominent God of War of the Riverlands.

"Hey, here they come," Adam Marbrand saw dust rising in the north and several large banners fluttering in the wind, and he knew that today's most important guest had arrived.

Arthur's golden-armored, red-horse, golden-long-handled blade banner was held by a Brave Companions mercenary at the very front of the procession; a light breeze blew, the banner unfurled, and this freshly minted noble insignia was fully displayed before the eyes of the Western Lands nobles.

More than three hundred Riverlands cavalry and sixty-six members of the Brave Companions surrounded Arthur and the others.

The three hundred infantry of House Darry, the six hundred infantry of House Marq Piper, and the fifteen hundred infantry of the main Bracken house followed behind their respective commanders.

At a safe location not far from Stone Hedge, the entire troop put on their armor. To ensure their stamina remained at a high level, they advanced slowly.

Stone Hedge, situated on a large earthen mound, had already entered the line of sight of the Riverlands men; surrounding it were several thousand Western Lands Army soldiers and some siege equipment.

After marching to a distance where they could launch a charge, the group stopped and began to observe the situation.

"Those are crossbowmen, right?" The steady and experienced Raymond Darry was the first to discover the anomaly, "It looks like they have also learned to be smart, knowing how to use crossbows to deal with Arthur."

Patrick pointed his finger and counted roughly, "At least fifty or sixty men; one volley of fire would turn Arthur and the Red Hare into hedgehogs."

"He shoots his, we charge ours," Marq said dismissively, "If everyone charges together, we can always draw away some of the arrows for Arthur. As long as our God of War can charge into the group of Western Lands nobles behind, this battle will be over."

Patrick clapped his hands and chuckled, "That suits me perfectly. With Arthur's ferocity, the heads of that group of Western Lands nobles will be like watermelons placed on the ground; one slash to split one open, and red melon pulp water will flow out."

These two, one straightforward and one simple, actually got along quite well.

Yet the protagonist they were talking about did not want to do that.

"That is a crossbow; our plate armor can withstand it, but the horse under me might be in some danger." Arthur liked the giant horse Red Hare very much and did not want it to be hit by a crossbow bolt.

"We can have the cavalry carry small round shields to protect the front," Raymond suggested, "As long as we charge in front of the crossbowmen, it will be much easier to handle."

Arthur nodded in approval of this suggestion:

"The cavalry's charge speed is fast enough, and crossbowmen reload much slower than archers; we only need to endure two or three volleys."

The plan was decided, and the commanders executed it quickly.

Soon, each of the charging cavalrymen was assigned a small round shield to protect their vital parts.

Everything was ready.

"Follow me." Arthur pointed his sword directly at the command center of this Westerlands Army and shouted angrily.

The entire troop set off, with the cavalry controlling their horses to maintain the same speed as their commander, Arthur, at a two-beat trot.

Behind them were more than two thousand infantry from various houses; the surcoats over their chainmail clearly indicated their respective allegiances.

Sir Adam, surrounded by the Western Lands nobles, looked at the shield-bearing infantry protecting the front of the Riverlands cavalry and was somewhat dumbfounded.

"These people aren't all idiots; they know how to use small round shields for protection."

Count Leo Lefford said: "It's fine, the cavalry is charging very fast and won't be able to stop in time; they will definitely fall into the deep pits."

"I hope so, otherwise those few hundred men wasted two days digging," Adam sighed.

The situation did not exceed the expectations of the Western Lands group; a portion of the charging Riverlands Army indeed fell into the deep pits.

Adam looked closely and saw that the golden-armored giant horse and the legendary Arthur had also fallen into the pit.

What was even more gratifying was that several nobles of the Riverlands Army had also fallen into the same pit.

This meant that the two thousand-plus infantry behind and the two hundred-plus cavalry who had not fallen into the pits were left without their backbone.

"Simply perfect," he clapped his hands and laughed, "The heavy cavalry will flank from the sides to block them, and the light cavalry will be responsible for pursuing the deserters."

The standard-bearer and the messenger delivered Sir Adam's orders, and the Lannister army, which had been pretending to prepare for a siege, immediately tore off their disguise.

The soldiers of each house also moved out, following the heavy cavalry to complete the encirclement.

Stone Hedge, on the city wall.

"Sigh!" Hendry slapped the stone wall hard, "I knew they were up to something sneaky there the last two days."

They had also discovered the Riverlands Army coming to reinforce from the north, but because it was too far away, there was no time to warn them that there was a problem there.

Hans Darry, the mercenary knight, suggested: "The friendly reinforcements number a full two thousand seven or eight hundred, plus our one thousand-plus men, a total force of nearly four thousand; compared to the Western Lands' five thousand five hundred-plus, it's not much of a difference. We can kill our way out and meet them to bring them in."

"Exactly, we've been besieged for so many days, it's time to have a fight with them."

"Young Lord, just give the order; the brothers have been wanting to vent this frustration for a long time."

"With friendly reinforcements arriving, if we still cower here and suffer this humiliation, wouldn't we be laughed to death if it got out?"

Many soldiers expressed their opinions one after another.

Seeing that the morale was usable, Hendry suddenly drew his own sword.

"Good, let's go play with this bunch of Western Lands scum."

He ordered Hans Darry to take eight hundred recently recruited new soldiers to guard the city, while he himself took one thousand veterans to charge out and meet the Riverlands friendly forces arriving from the north.

In the deep pit, groans and angry curses continued incessantly, lingering in the air.

Patrick used all his strength, finally managing to squeeze his face out from under the horse's belly.

Most of his body was buried beneath a black horse, and above his side were two or three more horses and their masters; the immense pressure forced a mask of pain onto his mediocre and youthful face.

Those who had fallen into this pit were all Riverlands nobles who had coveted the safety behind Arthur, never expecting that the original safety would instead become a danger.

"Hoo!" Patrick took a sharp breath, trying to calm himself down, "Arthur, are you alright?"

"I'm doing just great," a muffled voice came from below, "if you all could move, I could be even better."

"I'll call for men right now..." Patrick had just started to speak when he was interrupted by a foreign object falling onto his face.

It was a lump of warm horse manure.

It must have been some poor horse, stressed from the fall, that couldn't control its bowels.

But the consequences were left for Young Master Patrick to bear alone.

He hurriedly used his leather-gloved hand to wipe the horse manure off his face, then shouted in grief and indignation: "Where are the people of Seagard? Hurry and get us out of this hellhole."

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(End of this chapter)