Chapter 153: The Battle of the Giant's Stair

At the Fist of the First Men camp, because there were no streams or rivers on the mountain, the soldiers dug cisterns to prepare for a potential protracted war, carrying water from the foot of the mountain to the summit; Jon, Robb, the brothers of the Night's Watch, and the soldiers of Winterfell all carried water together.

Theon disdained manual labor, spending his days on the mountain mingling with the nurses, telling jokes to amuse them, and protecting them from the harassment of the Night's Watch brothers and the soldiers of the North.

Besides Theon, the wildling woman Osha, Helen Pyke, and the Dornish-blooded black woman Lareza were also responsible for protecting the nurses' safety, with Helen Pyke becoming the queen among the girls, calling herself the "Nurse Queen." Eddard had Osha and Helen live with the nurses so they could look after their daily needs at any time.

Domeric was responsible for tending to the ravens and writing letters; aside from training his sword and shield skills, he spent all his other time writing his book, *Rock Seed and Unicorns*.

This was a book compiled based on what he had seen and heard during the Rock-born War last year, combined with the knowledge he had gathered from questioning many of the rock-born wards and rock-born soldiers of Winterfell; Domeric was determined to make this book the most authoritative work on the rock-born ever, and thus he was particularly devoted to it.

Jon soon became friends with some of the brothers of the Night's Watch, such as "Dolorous" Eddison Tollett, Pyp, Grenn, Todder, and others, and Jon taught them swordplay and archery.

Eddard watched from afar; could it be that Jon wanted to make more friends to pave the way for joining the Night's Watch in the future? Was Jon still calculating to join the Night's Watch?

A few days later, scouts and wounded soldiers were sent back to the Fist of the First Men one after another; a Winterfell soldier had an arrow in his shoulder, and a nurse wearing the Ice-River Wolf Emblem deftly pulled out the arrowhead, disinfected it with medical alcohol, bandaged it with gauze, and treated the wound quickly.

The Old Bear of the Night's Watch, Benjen, Ser Ottyn Wythers, and others watched the nurses treat the wounds, dumbfounded. The Old Bear smiled and told Eddard, "We should have let Maester Aemon see how the nurses treat wounds, though it's a pity he is already blind. To think girls can do the work of a maester, Lord Eddard, you really have a way."

"Nurses are a very common profession in Volantis and Braavos," Eddard said calmly. "I noticed that the Seven Kingdoms have Silent Sisters to collect corpses, but no professional nurses, so I simply trained a batch."

This time, the great army was divided into three routes: the Western Army was commanded by Qhorin Halfhand and "Big Barrel" Wull, marching north along the Frostfangs; the Eastern Army was commanded by Jory Cassel and Daven, sweeping through the Haunted Forest; the Central Army, commanded by Eddard and the Old Bear, was the main force, stationed in the Frostfangs, waiting for an opportunity to act.

In fact, Eddard had originally wanted to distribute the nurses to the various armies, but Qhorin Halfhand and Jory Cassel both explicitly refused, believing that having women in the camp would disrupt military morale, and in a state of war, there was no guarantee that some Night's Watch brothers or soldiers would not harass the nurses.

In the end, Eddard kept all the nurses by his side; after all, with Eddard's personal guards, Helen, Osha, and others protecting them, the nurses were much safer.

The wounded were basically all scouts under Fellan.

"Lord Eddard, Baron Fellan did not let a single wildling scout escape; Harma's men simply could not contend with us." A scout with an injured arm told Eddard this while a nurse was bandaging him.

"Rest well and recover." Eddard comforted the soldier with a few words, then turned to look at the Frostfangs under the gray-blue sky to the west; the peaks really were like teeth, biting into the sky.

Fellan's scouts were making good progress, but Eddard was not clear about the situation of Qhorin Halfhand; he had hundreds of Night's Watch Rangers under his command, but the main force consisted of infantry from the Northern Mountain Clans, numbering one thousand men.

In the valleys of the Frostfangs, the biting mountain wind roared, blowing Qhorin Halfhand's black cloak; Qhorin's right hand had been severed clean off years ago when he clashed with wildlings and was struck by a wildling battle-axe, yet he still relied on his bloody stump to kill his enemies.

Commanding alongside Qhorin Halfhand were the warriors of the mountain clans, "Big Barrel" Wull, Black Donald Flint, Liddle, and others; these mountain clan warriors draped in fur cloaks did not trust this Night's Watch Ranger at first, not understanding why Eddard would send a cripple to command this operation.

However, Qhorin Halfhand soon won over the leaders of the mountain clans; not only was his ability outstanding and his charisma abundant, but the lethality he displayed using his sword with his left hand shocked the mountain clan leaders.

Soon, Liddle, Big Barrel, and Black Donald were all convinced by Qhorin Halfhand, and the Western Army marched along the Frostfangs mountains with smooth progress.

However, a few days later, the weather changed abruptly; heavy snow began to fall in the Frostfangs, and Cave Dwellers began to kill their way out of the caves continuously, attacking the mountain clans and Rangers, and the valley was filled with corpses.

Liddle looked at the mountain clan warriors who had fallen in battle and said with heartache, "These damned wildlings only know how to use caves to ambush us; we should kill our way into the caves and drive them out."

"Never do that, Lord Liddle." Qhorin Halfhand's voice was scattered by the cold wind, and he raised his tone, "Many caves in the Frostfangs are connected to each other, linking to underground passages; even wildlings get lost. No one knows these caves better than the Cave Dwellers, because they have lived here for generations; who knows how many Cave Dwellers are hiding in the pitch-black caves?"

"The enemy's casualties are also heavy, and our soldiers are becoming more and more familiar with the Cave Dwellers' tactics; I believe the Cave Dwellers will find it difficult to launch powerful ambushes again. The next valley is the Giant's Stair; occupying it can cut off the connections between many Cave Dweller tribes."

Black Donald said gloomily, "These sewer rats are really annoying; how much longer until we can get out of the Cave Dwellers' territory?"

"There must be dozens of Cave Dweller tribes, large and small." Qhorin Halfhand looked at the peaks in the distance, "Their leaders are called Cave Masters; throughout the Frostfangs, wherever there are caves, there are Cave Masters, and there are Cave Dwellers."

"Big Barrel" Wull sneered, "What kind of damn Cave Master; in my opinion, they're just gophers. So this war is just playing whack-a-mole!"

Qhorin Halfhand stroked his longsword, "As it stands, the Cave Dwellers are mainly harassing us; they dare not engage in a head-on decisive battle. However, I estimate that the Cave Dwellers cannot easily give up the Giant's Stair; Mance Rayder must have arranged for Cave Dwellers to defend it there. My lords, a hard battle is waiting for us."

When the Western Army arrived at the Giant's Stair along the valley, the heavy snow stopped, and the sunlight shone on the accumulated snow, emitting an orange-yellow glow.

The ancient stairs built by giants in the past had already collapsed and been damaged, but the ruins of the Giant's Stair still shocked those who saw it for the first time; huge granite blocks were piled together, and each step was half a person high and ten meters wide.

Liddle shaded his eyes and looked out, "This is a very ancient place; it looks like there are no enemies defending it here?"

"Calm on the surface, but full of crises underneath." Qhorin Halfhand vigilantly drew his longsword, "The wildlings have no reason to abandon the Giant's Stair. Soldiers, prepare for the charge."

Qhorin Halfhand waved his hand, and a team of Shadow Tower Rangers rode their horses to the foot of the Giant's Stair, looking around vigilantly.

A Ranger rode a circle and smiled, "Halfhand, there's no one here; you can come over."

No sooner had he spoken than a sharp arrow pierced the Ranger's throat, and he screamed as he fell from his horse.

Hundreds of Cave Dwellers around them, their faces painted with green and red pigments, roared hideously, waving stone axes, wooden clubs, and other weapons as they rushed out. Only a few Cave Masters draped in fur cloaks had mounts; the others were all ragged infantry.

"Fight for King Robert Baratheon!" Qhorin Halfhand spurred his horse and charged out first, followed by the Rangers roaring in pursuit, while the mountain clan leaders led the rock-born warriors to kill their way out behind the cavalry.

"Long live Duke Eddard, long live Stark!"

"Long live Winterfell!"

The sounds of battle cries resounded through the valley, echoing on the ancient Giant's Stair; Qhorin Halfhand hacked a Cave Master to the ground with one sword stroke, then immediately trampled another Cave Dweller infantryman under his horse; he was like the incarnation of death, hacking down every opponent like chopping melons and vegetables.

Liddle hacked a spear-wife to the ground with his greatsword, "Big Barrel" Wull killed a wildling using a stone hammer with his axe, and Black Donald cursed as he stabbed a Cave Dweller to death.

"Such enemies are simply vulnerable." Liddle let out a roar, his greatsword easily killing the unarmored wildlings.

Suddenly, the sound of wildling horns rang out, and The Weeper and Alfyn Crowkiller rushed out with hundreds of wildling cavalry.

The Weeper and Alfyn Crowkiller were both notorious Wildling Raiders; The Weeper liked to gouge out the eyes of captured Rangers and send their heads back to the Night's Watch castles to show off. Alfyn Crowkiller earned his nickname precisely because he was adept at hunting down Rangers.

Even with the wildling cavalry's surprise attack, after a brief adjustment, the Rangers still held the upper hand.

Qhorin Halfhand rode his horse to engage in close-quarters combat with The Weeper; The Weeper wielded a giant scythe, and the battlefield shrank to a range of a few feet around them. Qhorin blocked The Weeper's scythe and said sternly, "The Weeper, do you think these few ambushing troops can stop us? Wildlings have no armor, no discipline, and you still want to win?"

The Weeper was chubby with a head of blonde hair, and his eyes were watery, as if he were crying.

"Halfhand, you kneelers don't know that Beyond the Wall, we have the protection of gods, and we possess ancient power."

A roar of a shadowcat echoed in the valley, and the Rangers' warhorses began to panic.

The skinchanger Briar rode on the back of a shadowcat, biting off the head of a Ranger's mount in one gulp; blood poured out like a spout, and the Ranger screamed as he fell to the ground, his head easily crushed by the shadowcat.

Briar was about twenty years old, draped in a shadowcat fur cloak, lean and agile, with delicate features.

The shadowcat threw the Rangers' warhorses into chaos; the horses began to rear, and some Rangers were thrown from their saddles and killed on the spot by the wildlings.

The earth suddenly began to tremble, and some giants appeared on the battlefield.

The Seven Kingdoms generally believed that giants were extinct; although Eddard had emphasized that this expedition would likely encounter giants, Others, and other creatures, many Rangers and Northern soldiers were still taken aback when they encountered giants on the battlefield.

These giants were generally over three meters tall, with the tallest approaching four meters; tree trunks were like rolling pins in their hands, and the giants used the trunks to smash the Rangers and mountain clan warriors one by one, while some giants simply used their hands to tear their enemies apart as easily as tearing up rag dolls.

After the shadowcat and the giants joined the battle, the Night's Watch and the mountain clan warriors fell into fear, and fear was the prelude to failure; the corpses of Rangers and mountain clan soldiers on the ground grew more numerous, and Qhorin Halfhand understood that victory was destined to be impossible today, so he had to fight hard to drive back The Weeper and roared, "Retreat!"

The Rangers and mountain clan warriors began to retreat back to the valley; the crossbowmen arranged in advance by Qhorin Halfhand stabilized the formation, and the wildling cavalry and giants rushed over, only to be immediately hit by a rain of arrows; the giants screamed and retreated, while the wildling cavalry were shot down.

Qhorin Halfhand personally covered the retreat, which prevented a rout.

After retreating to a valley, Qhorin Halfhand counted the numbers and discovered that "Big Barrel" Wull was missing.

Liddle said sorrowfully, "Wull was captured by Alfyn; he was covering the retreat of the mountain clans' warriors at the time, but was struck by a giant with a wooden club, and was subsequently taken prisoner by Alfyn Crowkiller."

Black Donald said angrily, "Big Bucket is the leader of Clan Wull and a hero of the mountain clans; we must rescue him!"

Qhorin Halfhand stopped Black Donald, "The Wildlings have giants and skinchangers on their side; we cannot attack rashly."

Black Donald glared at Qhorin Halfhand, "Are we to sit by and watch Big Bucket be killed by the Wildlings? Don't you Rangers say that Wildling Raiders never leave anyone alive?"

"That applies to Rangers," Qhorin Halfhand's tone was full of helplessness, "I have no doubt that those Black Brothers left on the battlefield and captured by The Weeper or Alfyn will suffer agonizing torture and wish they were dead. The Wildlings hate the Night's Watch, especially the Rangers; they call the Night's Watch 'Crows'. No captured Ranger ever survives."

"As for Big Bucket Wull, he is not a member of the Night's Watch; he is a warrior of the mountain clans and, furthermore, a nobleman. Mance Rayder was once a brother of the Night's Watch, and I know him well; he is a smart man. Mance knows that Big Bucket Wull is a very useful hostage, so he will keep Big Bucket Wull alive in order to negotiate with Duke Eddard and Lord Commander Mormont later."

Liddle said in a rough voice, "Giants and Shadowcats are guarding the Giant's Stair; if we cannot capture the Giant's Stair, can we not take a detour?"

Qhorin Halfhand said helplessly, "We could take a detour, but if we do, the enemies at the Giant's Stair would become a hidden threat to our rear; our supply lines would be cut and our baggage train destroyed, so we must capture the Giant's Stair. It is just a pity that with our current forces, and the enemy having giants and skinchangers assisting them, it is very difficult for us to win."

Black Donald shook his head and sighed, "We can't take a detour, you don't want to attack the Giant's Stair, and you won't send anyone to rescue Big Bucket Wull; are we just supposed to stay in the valley and wait for the enemy to surrender?"

Qhorin Halfhand said, "By staying here, we are pinning down the Wildlings; the enemies at the upper reaches of the Milkwater have at least one fewer group of giants and one skinchanger who controls a Shadowcat. I will immediately send a Raven to the Fist of the First Men to have Duke Eddard and Commander Mormont attack the upper reaches of the Milkwater, or simply attack the Frostfangs directly from the Screaming Pass."

"In this way, the Wildlings at the Giant's Stair will be put on the defensive. If these Wildlings go to support the Screaming Pass or the upper reaches of the Milkwater, the forces at the Giant's Stair will be depleted, and we can take the opportunity to occupy the Giant's Stair. If the Wildlings at the Giant's Stair choose to hold their ground, our army's assault on the Wildlings at the upper reaches of the Milkwater will be much easier."

Liddle hoisted his blood-stained greatsword onto his shoulder, "Halfhand, I hope you have bet correctly. If Big Bucket Wull dies, I swear the warriors of the mountain clans will use the blood of the Wildlings, Mance Rayder, and the giants to dye the entire Frostfangs red."

Qhorin Halfhand tied the letter to the leg of the Raven and released it.

Black Donald gazed at the eagle in the sky, "Is that eagle the one belonging to the skinchanger? Damn it, those accursed Wildling skinchangers are simply everywhere."

"I hope the Raven can arrive safely and bring the news to Duke Eddard."

"Otherwise, we will be in a passive position."

(End of this chapter)