Chapter 160: Defeating the Enemy

Eddard, on the Fist of the First Men, released two ravens: one flying toward the valley south of the Giant's Stair in the Frostfangs on the western front, and one toward Eastwatch on the eastern front.

In the rugged Frostfangs mountain range on the western front, Mance the King-Beyond-the-Wall, the Weeper, and Alfyn Crowkiller held the Giant's Stair with a large force of giants and cave dwellers; the Rangers led by Qhorin Halfhand and the mountain clan warriors were blocked in the valley.

Eddard's raven sent word to Qhorin, ordering them to continue garrisoning the valley. The Northern Army on the Fist of the First Men would dispatch troops to flank the Screaming Pass; if the wildling army at the Giant's Stair chose to support the Screaming Pass, Qhorin Halfhand's army could find an opportunity to capture the Giant's Stair and strike directly into the heart of the Frostfangs.

The raven flying to Eastwatch was to notify the Night's Watch commander at Eastwatch, Cotter Pyke, for him to take command of the Winterfell cavalry and Rockborn infantry on the eastern front.

The eastern army was originally commanded by the Captain of the Guard of Winterfell, Jory Cassel, with the main force consisting of Rockborn infantry and several hundred Winterfell cavalry. The eastern army had originally planned to clear the Haunted Forest of enemies, but unfortunately, the skinchanger Borroq, "White Mask" Morona, and the "Seal-skinner" Davon ambushed the eastern army in the Haunted Forest.

In this skirmish, Borroq's brutal boar disemboweled more than a dozen Rockborn warriors and Winterfell cavalry. Jory Cassel was unfortunately captured. Having lost their commander, the eastern army had no choice but to retreat from the Haunted Forest under the leadership of the deputy captain Haris Moran and the Ranger Davon, returning to Eastwatch and Green Guard.

The eastern army lacked a commander and was leaderless; Eddard chose Cotter Pyke, a selection that left Robb very frustrated.

"Father, why not let Haris Moran take over Jory's position? Haris is a good man. In Winterfell, every time Jory had to go out, he served as the acting Captain of the Guard. He is dutiful and responsible."

But he was mediocre in ability. Eddard knew the vassals of Winterfell well; he knew Haris Moran was not a qualified candidate for commander.

"Cotter Pyke is a bastard of the Iron Islands. He has served at Eastwatch for many years. Since Eastwatch faces Skagos across the sea, Cotter Pyke is very familiar with the Rockborn. The Seal Tribe and the Coastal Clan in the Haunted Forest have long been old rivals of the Eastwatch Night's Watch. Cotter Pyke will wipe them out."

"Moreover, I have already ordered Eastwatch to dispatch a fleet to cross the sea and raid the coastal fishing villages on the eastern coast Beyond the Wall. Who is more suitable to command the fleet than Cotter, who is of Ironborn descent?"

Theon smirked, "Cotter Pyke is an Ironborn, that's true, but it's a pity he's a mongrel. Who knows if his bloodline is pure?"

Eddard said calmly, "Bloodline aside, an Ironborn is an Ironborn."

The majority of the Eastwatch fleet consisted of House Stark ships; many longships were brought to House Stark after the Iron Bitch Helene Pyke surrendered last year. As part of the cooperation between the Night's Watch and Winterfell, these ships were used jointly by the Night's Watch and the Stark household guards from Green Guard, and most of the sailors and crew were Eddard's men.

At the Stark military colony south of Eastwatch, the shipyard Eddard invested in produced new longships and fishing boats every day, and even whalers similar to Ibbenese ships; the Stark fleet at Eastwatch was growing stronger by the day.

These fleets spent most of their time fishing in Seal Bay and the Shivering Sea. The fertile fishing grounds yielded large quantities of salmon, crab, lobster, and cod every day, enriching the tables of the Night's Watch and the Stark garrison at the Wall. The Night's Watch jokingly called themselves the best-fed generation since the Wall was built.

Now, these longships were going to raid fishing villages and abduct the wildling population along the coast. Cotter Pyke was exiled to the Night's Watch in the first place because he was a pirate; he didn't need anyone to teach him how to raid.

While the fleet swept the fishing villages, Davon, Haris Moran, the Lord of Driftwood Hall Billy Stern, and the Lord of King's Hall Resson Magnar would lead the Rockborn infantry to continue sweeping the Haunted Forest, abducting the wildlings and livestock from the villages in the Haunted Forest to the Wall, and burning the wildlings' villages and their already barren farmland.

After releasing the ravens, Eddard assembled one hundred cavalrymen. He put on his thick plate armor, donned his direwolf-shaped helmet, gripped his greatsword Ice, and mounted his warhorse.

"Shield" Dawson, Syrio Forel, Robb, and Domeric all donned their armor and rode beside Eddard.

The Old Bear and Othell Yarwyck appeared before Eddard. The Old Bear frowned and said, "Lord Eddard, are you going to lead the expedition yourself?"

"Staying on the Fist of the First Men all the time, doing nothing, is nothing more than watching the Northern soldiers and Rangers burn wildling villages. I have decided to go find the enemy myself."

Looking out from the Fist of the First Men, the Haunted Forest to the east and the Frostfangs to the west were filled with thick smoke; the smoke looked like black daggers stabbing into the gray-blue sky Beyond the Wall.

There was fire and smoke everywhere. If it weren't for the cold Beyond the Wall, where most places were covered in ice and snow, the fire would not have been able to spread; the flames might well have swept through the entire Haunted Forest.

Greatjon Umber and Rickard Karstark had already led their cavalry down the mountain to participate in the raiding.

Benjen took a team of Rangers and Winterfell cavalry to the Screaming Pass area, attempting to unite with Black Jack Bulwer, who was patrolling that area, to see if they could find an opportunity to capture the Screaming Pass.

Jon Snow set out with Benjen's Rangers. Jon had always dreamed of becoming a Ranger. When he heard that Uncle Benjen was going to patrol the Frostfangs area, he insisted on going along. The Night's Watch friends Jon had made on the Fist of the First Men—Grenn, Todder, and Pyp—were all in the patrol party.

The only noble commanders left on the Fist of the First Men were old men like the Old Bear and Othell Yarwyck.

The cowardly Othell Yarwyck always looked exhausted and worried, "Lord Eddard, you must be careful! Who knows how many beasts in this Haunted Forest are skinchangers'? If a skinchanger discovers you, they will surely send fierce beasts to attack. If something happens to you, there will truly be no hope of winning this war."

"I actually hope to run into a skinchanger." Eddard rode on his horse and whistled; his direwolves Grey Wind and Summer immediately darted out.

Some warhorses became restless with fear the moment they smelled the direwolves, and Ser Othell Yarwyck and the Old Bear were also startled.

Eddard smiled, "My direwolves are very hungry. I am going to the Haunted Forest; perhaps I can hunt a few skinchangers and bring them back!"

The Old Bear was somewhat worried, "Lord Eddard, based on the war situation these past few days, the number of skinchangers under Mance is terrifyingly high—terrorbirds, eagles, snow bears, shadowcats, and even boars... so many strange and supernatural creatures, and you only have two wolves. If you are surrounded by the skinchangers' beasts, I fear it will be dire."

The direwolves Grey Wind and Summer paced back and forth on Eddard's left and right. Eddard said, "The wildlings do have some skinchangers, but I doubt their number exceeds ten. Currently, the ones we can confirm are nothing more than Varamyr Sixskins, Orell's eagle, and Borroq's boar."

"These skinchangers are scattered throughout the Haunted Forest, the Milkwater, and the Frostfangs; the possibility of them grouping together is not high."

Moreover, if these skinchangers did group together, Eddard had also prepared a secret weapon for them. He reached out and touched the object in his pocket—it was the size of a kiwi fruit and filled with the alchemist's excrement.

Eddard's cavalry troop descended the mountain from the east side of the Fist of the First Men, where the slope was gentler, unlike the steep north and west sides. Heading south, to the east of the Fist of the First Men, was an endless forest. The direwolves Grey Wind and Summer led the way.

This was an ancient land. An eagle swept through the air, and a squirrel on a pine tree was eating a pinecone while staring wide-eyed at the crowd below. A rabbit darted through the grass, and as soon as it saw the direwolves, it ran for its life.

Could it also be the eyes and ears of a skinchanger? Eddard thought gloomily. If skinchangers could control seemingly harmless small animals for reconnaissance, then Mance Rayder's intelligence network was comparable to that of the "Spider" Varys in King's Landing.

It now seemed that Mance Rayder's strategy was to use the skinchangers among the wildlings to capture as many Northern nobles or Ranger commanders as possible. If the wildling skinchangers detected that Eddard had left the camp on the Fist of the First Men and appeared in the wilderness, they would most likely send skinchangers to hunt Eddard down.

Let them come! Eddard craved battle, just as a direwolf craved the hunt. Eddard was instead worried about Benjen and Jon; they did not have the protection of direwolves. Eddard prayed that Benjen and Jon could both return safely. Recently, Eddard had already lost too many warriors: Wull, Jory Cassel, Fellan...

In the sunset, Benjen and Jon rode at the front of the troop, with an eagle circling in the air.

Jon had always been close to Benjen. Because Benjen had sworn to join the Night's Watch, he could never marry or have children in his life, and Benjen had always looked upon Jon, his brother Eddard's bastard, as the son he could never have.

Jon followed Benjen to patrol the Frostfangs, his heart filled with pride; he could consider himself a man who had been a Ranger for a day.

For a long time, because of Catelyn's presence, Jon's life in Winterfell had been miserable; it seemed that every bite Jon took, he had to endure Catelyn's harsh gaze.

Even if Jon was on good terms with his little sister Arya, Robb, and Bran, Catelyn could not tolerate Jon. After the age of ten, Jon began to plan to join the Night's Watch.

Jon had previously thought that the brothers of the Night's Watch were all like Benjen—gentlemanly, clean, and tidy. However, this time on the Fist of the First Men, having come into contact with the Night's Watch brothers, Jon realized that most of them were criminals, their dirty black wool breeches emitting a stench and crawling with fleas. Jon was very disappointed.

However, these days on the Fist of the First Men, Jon had spent time day and night with many Night's Watch brothers, and he discovered that no matter what these people had done before, many of these Black Brothers were not bad. Jon had become friends with Pyp, who came from a troupe, Grenn, the son of a farmer, and Eddison from the Vale.

Pyp and Grenn were rookies among the Rangers; they hadn't been at the Wall for long. In contrast, some of the Rangers around Benjen were veterans, such as the ugly bald man who liked to hum vulgar songs, Othell, and Jeff Flowers from the Reach.

Night fell. The Rangers and Winterfell cavalry moved along the snow toward the towering Frostfangs in the west. The surroundings were a landscape of rolling hills, with low mounds everywhere. The stars in the sky seemed to be burning coldly, and under the pale moonlight, the eagle continued to circle in the air.

"Uncle, could that be a skinchanger's eagle?" Jon asked Benjen.

Benjen glanced at the eagle in the sky, "Regardless of whether it is or not, if the enemy comes, we are prepared."

Every cavalryman was equipped with a torch. Because the moonlight was bright, these torches were only backups and had not been lit. Fierce beasts feared fire—that was what Eddard said, but this had not been tested in actual combat.

Benjen said coldly, "I used to hate raiders like the Weeper, Alfyn Crowkiller, and Tormund, but compared to skinchangers, these raiders are much more likable. No matter how brutal these wildling raiders are, at least they are human. As for the skinchangers... I can't tell if they are human or beasts."

Dark clouds began to swallow the moon in the sky, the moonlight dimmed, and from the surrounding hills came the sound of horns and ghostly, howling screams.

Wildlings emerged from behind the hills like ghosts, some riding gaunt horses, more on foot; enemies appeared slowly from all directions.

And there were terrorbirds as strong as rhinoceroses, and saber-toothed tigers with teeth as sharp as blades. Jon saw the woman on the back of a terrorbird, and the man on the back of a saber-toothed tiger.

Skinchangers. Fear spread among the cavalry. Pyp muttered, "Gods have mercy!"

The Sisterman Lakk wet his pants, "I want my mommy!"

Benjen drew his sword, "Torches ready!"

The first torch was lit, then passed along, and in an instant, the torches in the hands of one hundred cavalrymen were all ablaze.

Benjen brandished his torch, "Brothers, these damned Wildlings think that clubs, stone axes, and rags can stand against fine steel longswords and armor; we will cut them down like vegetables. As for the saber-toothed tigers and monster birds, we will slaughter the skinchangers, and both bird meat and tiger meat will be our breakfast tomorrow."

The Lord of Bones appeared in the distance riding a thin horse; under the moonlight, that bone armor emitted an eerie, cold light.

"Benjen, you might end up in the belly of a Terrorbird and turn into poop by tomorrow, so talk less! Perhaps I will let you die quickly."

Harma the Dogshead appeared on the other side riding a warhorse; this warhorse once belonged to Fellan. Ygritte gripped her bow and arrows, riding a half-blind Plow Horse while nocking an arrow.

"Benjen, your death day has arrived." Harma the Dogshead shook the dog head on her banner, "Today the dog head replaces the wolf head!"

The battle began in an instant; Ygritte released an arrow, the sharp arrow piercing the throat of the Ranger Roger, and fresh blood stained the snow.

This was the first drop of blood tonight, but far from the last.

Tigris rode a saber-toothed tiger, charging wildly across the battlefield, while Samantha rode a Terrorbird, capable of crushing a cavalryman's head with a single peck. The Wildlings held the upper hand.

Benjen hacked down a Wildling cavalryman and then stabbed a Wildling spearman to death; he saw the beasts slaughtering wildly on the battlefield, yet his own cavalry dared not engage, as if people had forgotten the torches in their hands.

"Use the torches to attack! Animals fear fire!"

Benjen shouted, and the Ranger Othell gathered his courage, brandishing his torch as he charged toward the Terrorbird, only to be kicked away by the Terrorbird and thrown heavily to the ground. However, this created an opportunity for Benjen; taking advantage of the Terrorbird's attention being on Othell, he spurred his horse and brandished his torch, igniting the Terrorbird's feathers.

The Terrorbird screamed and fell to the ground, rolling; Samantha jumped away like a bird, otherwise her knees might have been crushed. Samantha helped the Terrorbird extinguish the flames on its feathers; she dared not linger, mounted the Terrorbird, knocked over a few cavalrymen, and fled.

With this, only one skinchanger, Tigris, remained on the battlefield. Tigris controlled the saber-toothed tiger to bite several cavalrymen to death, but the flames made the saber-toothed tiger timid.

Jon suppressed the fear in his heart, circled to the back of the saber-toothed tiger, and pressed his torch against the saber-toothed tiger's rear; the saber-toothed tiger let out a miserable shriek, and Tigris nearly fell from its back, so he hurriedly drove the saber-toothed tiger beneath him and fled into the night.

After losing the skinchangers, the ensuing battle was a completely one-sided massacre; the Wildling cavalry could not contend with the well-trained Rangers and Winterfell cavalry, and the Wildlings on foot were even less of a match for the cavalry.

Seeing that the momentum was wrong, the Lord of Bones fled with his Wildling cavalry, and Harma the Dogshead, having been struck by an arrow in her left arm, could only order a retreat.

Ygritte originally wanted to flee on horseback, but she saw her friend Longspear Ryk injured and fallen on the ground, so she dismounted, wanting to help Longspear Ryk onto the horse.

"You go! I can't make it." Ryk's arm had been slashed by a sword, and blood was pouring out.

"We will leave the village together and join Mance Rayder; I cannot abandon you!" Ygritte insisted.

Ygritte managed to help Ryk onto the horse's back and tried to mount it herself, but after walking a few steps, she discovered that this half-blind old horse could not support the weight of two people at all.

"Mance Rayder wants us to fight, yet we don't even have decent horses!" Ygritte cursed as she dismounted and led the horse forward.

A black shadow galloped over on horseback, knocking Ygritte to the ground; Ygritte flew through the air and landed heavily, and by the time Ygritte struggled to stand up, Jon Snow appeared before her with a sharp sword in his hand.

"Do you surrender?"

"I surrender." Ygritte feigned reaching for her sword belt but reached for her quiver instead; she pulled out an arrow and stabbed at Jon, but Jon's sharp sword severed the arrowhead, and the longsword pressed against her throat.

"I surrender!" Ygritte resigned herself to fate and handed over her weapons.

Thanks to "Fantasy Summer Class" for the monthly ticket, thank you for the support!

(End of chapter)