Chapter 61: Strategy to Lure the Enemy

When Fellan and the scouts of Robett Glover reported to Eddard that a large number of Rockborn warriors and unicorn cavalry had appeared in the southern valley, Eddard smiled. The enemy had finally moved.

Eddard had led the Northern Army to successively destroy the two fortresses of Frost Hall belonging to the Frost Clan and Ice Dragon Hall belonging to the Ice Dragon Clan, burned the Rockborn's farmland, stolen the dragon corpse relic of the Ice Dragon Clan, and declared that he would sell the captured Rockborn women and children into slavery in the Free Cities, even threatening to sow salt into their lands.

Eddard did all of this to enrage the Rockborn, forcing them to leave Abyss Keep and engage the grain-starved Northern Army in a decisive battle as soon as possible; now, the strategy of luring the snake out of its hole had worked, and the enemy had come.

"Who is leading the army?" Eddard asked the scout commanders Fellan and Robett Glover.

Robett Glover thought for a moment, "It is likely the Lord of Driftwood Hall, Billy, the leader of the Stern Clan. We saw that many of the banners carried by the Rockborn cavalry and unicorn cavalry featured a leafless piece of driftwood; this is the sigil of the Stern Clan of Driftwood Hall."

Fellan added, "We also saw the sigils of the Frost Clan and the Ice Dragon Clan. Their numbers are estimated to exceed one thousand, and there are over twenty unicorns." The Northern Army had destroyed the castles of these two Rockborn clans, so it seemed their clan leaders were eager for revenge.

Eddard's eyes lit up, "Did you not see the red and black jagged sigil of the Crowl Clan of Abyss Keep?"

"No."

It seemed the Rock King Samro Crowl had not sent the Rockborn army from Abyss Keep. Eddard split off three thousand men for the Lord of Dreadfort, Roose Bolton, and ordered Roose Bolton and the Lord of Deepwood Motte, Galbart Glover, to lead the army to station themselves outside Abyss Keep; the Northern soldiers in the camp outside Abyss Keep chopped down trees and built siege towers and catapults, putting on a show of being ready to lay siege at any moment.

The Northern army outside Abyss Keep kept the Rock King from acting rashly.

After destroying Ice Dragon Hall, the Northern Army continued north. On the surface, Eddard's Northern Army appeared strong and well-equipped, but in reality, the North's grain supplies were no longer enough to last ten days.

Maron Manderly had taken a fleet to transport grain from the Umber family, Karhold, Dreadfort, and other places in the North, but Maron Manderly's fleet had yet to appear. Eddard could not help but suspect, had the Iron Bitch Helene Pyke once again ambushed the Northern grain ships? This damned female pirate was always causing trouble for the Northern Army on the sea.

The further they marched into the interior of Skagos, the further Eddard's Northern Army was from the coast, the further they were from supplies, and the more dangerous it became.

To solve the grain problem, Eddard thought of some ideas. For the few unicorns killed in the last skirmish, Eddard ordered the Winterfell personal guard to cut them into chunks of meat and distribute them to the soldiers to roast and eat. Eddard ordered the warriors and cavalry of the mountain clans to hunt; goats, wild boars, and wild geese all became the Northern soldiers' wild meals. Northern soldiers sometimes found some grain when raiding villages, but the quantity was pitifully small.

The Northern army guarding outside Abyss Keep was not having an easy time either. According to news sent by the Lord of Dreadfort, Roose Bolton, they had yet to see the Northern grain ships at the coast; instead, they learned from captured Rockborn mountain folk that the Magnar clan leader Rayson was leading a Rockborn army of over one thousand men toward Abyss Keep. This was a new threat.

If this attrition continued, the Northern Army would hit rock bottom on grain sooner or later; fortunately, Eddard's strategy of enraging the Rockborn had worked. The Rockborn were indeed a hot-tempered and savage race, and these Rockborn clan leaders, upon learning that their castles had been destroyed and their people plundered, had come with Rockborn warriors and unicorns.

Eddard smiled, "As long as we annihilate the Rockborn of the Stern Clan, the Frost Clan, and the Ice Dragon Clan, we will have won half the war. Ending this war is just around the corner. Fellan, take three hundred elite horse archers and harass the Rockborn incessantly, luring them to Ice Valley."

Ice Valley was the battlefield Eddard had chosen. From the entrance, the valley was a large, flat, open area, with high ground to the north; if the Rockborn wanted to attack, they would have to brave a rain of arrows from the archers and pay a heavy price.

Fellan left with the horse archers. Eddard summoned Wull, Donnel Flint, and Liddle; they were the commanders of the mountain clan warriors, and the mountain clans were almost as adept at mountain warfare as the Rockborn.

Eddard pointed to the mouth of Ice Valley and said to the mountain clan commanders, "Each of you, take one hundred mountain warriors and climb the hills above. If Fellan's horse archers lure the Rockborn unicorn cavalry into the valley, push the rolling stones down from the mountains and cut off the enemy's retreat as much as possible."

After Liddle, Donnel Flint, and Wull accepted Eddard's mission, they turned and left. Eddard summoned the Captain of the Guard of Winterfell, Jory Cassel.

"Order the soldiers to prepare more tree branches around the valley and pile them up randomly inside. Prepare fire arrows. Once the unicorn cavalry enters our ambush circle, use the fire arrows against them."

After Jory Cassel accepted the order, he left with the Winterfell personal guard.

The Frost Clan leader Gewen, the Ice Dragon Clan leader Ace, and the Stern Clan leader Billy, filled with rage, followed by over a thousand Rockborn infantry, unicorn cavalry, slingers, and Rockborn cavalry riding scrawny mountain horses, marched toward the northern valley.

The Ice Dragon Clan leader Ace said, "I must kill those who burned my castle! I will use their flesh and blood to blood-sacrifice to the Old Gods!"

The Frost Clan leader Gewen said in a rough voice, "That's right, use the blood of Eddard Stark and his vassals to water the weirwood!"

Suddenly, a rain of arrows fell, and several slingers and infantry in the distance fell to the ground, screaming.

Billy Stern, Gewen Hanshuang, and Aisi Binglong looked in the direction the arrows came from and saw Fellan and a group of horse archers appearing not far away.

Fellan smirked, "Rockborn, your castles are in ruins, and your women and children will all become slaves, yet you still dare to show off? Kneel and surrender to Duke Stark of Winterfell early to spare your lives!"

Billy Stern was furious and shouted to the Rockborn warriors beside him, "Kill this brat and his horse archers!"

The Rockborn cavalry charged first toward Fellan's horse archers, and behind the Rockborn cavalry, the unicorn cavalry, infantry, and slingers roared as they charged; the Rockborn drummers on the backs of the unicorns produced a stirring sound of slaughter.

Fellan beckoned with his hand, and the hundreds of horse archers behind him turned and fled, with Fellan bringing up the rear.

The Rockborn cavalry's mounts were all local mountain horses from Skagos, scrawny and unable to catch up with the Northern horse archers at all. Once Fellan and the horse archers saw they had opened up a distance, they turned back to loose arrows, and many Rockborn cavalrymen screamed as they were hit and fell from their horses.

(End of chapter)