The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Chapter 1002: Battle of Asshai 2: Underwater Melee!

Count Hoster Redwyne on the right, and the Qingting Island (Dragonfly Island) on the left, each joined the left and right attack fleets.

Two fleets of a hundred warships each rushed out from the left and right of the main army formation, attacking the thirty warships of Asshai in a pincer movement.

The fan-shaped advance formation of dozens of small boats of the Asshai navy, scattered on the sea, immediately came under pressure.

Nearly a hundred small boats were filled with Asshai naval soldiers.

They were all lightly equipped, with short knives at their waists and sharp錐(zhuī, cone-shaped weapon) in their hands.

The Asshai soldiers engaged in underwater combat were all neat and efficient, with resolute faces and a determination to die. They did not carry any large or heavy weapons; no long swords or heavy axes. Their method of combat was extremely simple: dive under enemy ships and pierce the enemy's hull.

However, the rapid approach of the enemy's left and right fleets immediately disrupted their 'ant tactics'.

If they engaged the left and right fleets, they would have to abandon the enemy's main battleships. The enemy's main battleships numbered hundreds or thousands, almost endless. Even if they pierced all of the enemy's left and right attack fleets, it would not have much impact on the enemy's main battleship force.

But if they did not engage, the enemy would cut off their retreat and defeat their thirty main battleships.

While the soldiers hesitated slightly, a sharp horn sounded from the Asshai flagship.

This was a signal ordering all soldiers to attack the enemy's main force.

Give up resisting the attacking enemy ships on the left and right, and fully attack the enemy's main battleships.

The horn sound was tragic and solemn, yet full of murderous intent.

Standing on the flagship, the Demon Mountain looked at the Asshai fleet. The enemy was very weak, but they were determined to die. This must be the power of faith.

Asshai has no king. All affairs are decided by the elders of each faith through meetings.

The Demon Mountain did not receive the information from the High Priest of the Red God Ancient Pagoda that 'Asshai is going to war', so this battle is likely a private action by the Judgment Elder who controls the city's military force.

The Demon Mountain does not dislike the resistance of the Judgment Elder. As the commander of the forces guarding the city, what is needed is courage and dedication, not the rational decision to fight or negotiate based on the calculations of scholars and wizards.

Refusal to surrender is an essential quality for soldiers.

If it were the Demon Mountain himself, he would also choose to defend the dignity and security of his city to the death.

However, no matter how the Asshai Judgment Elder resists, his naval power is simply too weak. This is also the consequence of Asshai's large city size but severely insufficient population.

For a city, the most important wealth and foundation is—population.

*

Under the command of the Asshai naval flagship, the Asshai soldiers' small boats rapidly moved towards the center in the sound of the horn, heading straight for the main fleet where the Demon Mountain was located.

All the small boats gave up resisting the enemy ships attacking from the left and right.

Woooo woooo woooo woooo!

The horn sounded on the Demon Mountain's flagship.

The fleets attacking from the left and right received the order and simultaneously blew the attack horn. Immediately, two hundred war drums sounded at the same time, and deafening shouts rang out from the two hundred attacking warships. Swordsmen and archers prepared for attack on the deck, waiting to approach the enemy ships and start a massacre.

The attacking drumbeat sounded densely, boom boom boom, boom boom, this was the drumbeat of the attacking speed.

Two hundred warships rapidly approached the thirty main battleships of Asshai from the left and right, while there were no real troops on the thirty main battleships of Asshai. All the knights and soldiers were on the small boats. They were all bare-chested, holding sharp錐(zhuī, cone-shaped weapon) in their hands, staring intently at the enemy's main battleship fleet.

The small boats were light and faster, they were like a sharp arrow, shooting towards the main battleship where the Demon Mountain was located.

Boom!

With a cannon sound, the Asshai flagship was hit. The black iron ball broke the flagship's bulwark, pierced the deck layer, and landed on the second layer of the cabin, followed by a terrible explosion. Half of the flagship's hull was blown out with a huge cave, fireworks and ash formed a huge sphere rising into the air, and the remaining half of the hull was violently bumping in the sea, and seawater poured into each deck.

The horn player on the flagship was torn apart by the explosion, and the attacking woooo woooo woooo woooo horn sound came to an abrupt end.

The commander knight on the deck was overturned into the air, like a bullet, bounced high, and crashed into the sea.

The Asshai naval comrades who had never seen the power of artillery before were dumbfounded - the enemy ships were still at a distance, but they had already destroyed their flagship. This terrible power was unmatched, just like powerful dark magic.

The Asshai main battleship force was still in the midst of this booming explosion in a daze, shock, surprise, fear... and the second loud noise rose again.

The Qingting Island (Dragonfly Island) on the left fired a cannonball, hitting a warship behind the Asshai fleet. The stern of this warship was hit, and the entire stern was blown to pieces. The violent thrust of the explosion caused the semi-disabled hull, which had lost its helmsman and rudder, to spin on the sea, and seawater poured into the hull. The hull was sinking in rotation. The oarsmen, captains, and knights on board jumped into the sea.

The enemy ships had not yet approached the combat distance, but they had destroyed two Asshai battleships before and after in the blink of an eye!

This method of long-range combat was encountered by the Asshai soldiers for the first time. Then they found that they seemed to be helpless.

Boom!

A violent sound occurred again in the front fleet, and another warship was hit in the waist, and the warship was directly broken into two pieces in the cracking and booming explosion. The rear half of the hull capsized; the front half of the hull stood upright, and the bow plunged into the sea.

The Asshai knights, oarsmen, and soldiers had never seen such a terrible long-range attack. Everyone was shocked and afraid in an instant, as if the brave soldiers were suddenly facing an unknown magical power, rather than an equal human confrontation.

In just a heartbeat, the Asshai warships arranged in front, middle, and rear layers were scattered, each fighting on its own. Some accelerated towards the enemy ships at the speed of impact; some sailed out diagonally, not knowing whether they were going to escape or planned to maneuver; some turned around and went towards the port, and it seemed that they intended to give up such an absolutely impossible to win battle.

From the moment the Asshai navy decided to fight, they knew that they could never win! But they were not psychologically prepared to fail in this terrible way that even the enemy could not be touched. And between life and death, changing their minds was just an instant thought.

The Asshai navy's main battleship collapsed.

This affected the morale of the soldiers on the small boats in front.

In the deafening explosion, the Asshai soldiers on the small boats looked back, and then they were surprised to see the main battleships scattered like birds and beasts, with only a few battleships facing up, heading towards the enemy ships at the speed of a suicidal impact.

The morale of the Asshai soldiers who went to attack the Demon Mountain's main battleship was suddenly frustrated!

Morale is the most important thing in combat, and this is especially critical!

At the critical moment, the Asshai attacking horn sounded again loudly.

Woooo woooo woooo woooo——

Woooo woooo woooo woooo——

Woooo woooo woooo woooo——

The horn sounded throughout this sea area. This was the horn sound from several Asshai warships that chose the speed of impact: Attack! Attack! Full attack!

*

Daenerys and Arianne stood on the bridge of the flagship.

Daenerys said to the Demon Mountain, who was standing at the bow of the ship, "Your Majesty, use the Dragon Horn to summon the black dragon back."

The Demon Mountain turned his head: "Queen Your Majesty, are you worried that our ship will be sunk by Asshai soldiers piercing it?"

"The black dragon can catch fish in the water, and he can also fight in the water," Daenerys said.

Hundreds of Asshai small boats quickly approached the Demon Mountain's main battleship formation.

"Queen Your Majesty, rest assured, we also have warriors who can fight in the water. Ironborn are the real warriors in the sea," said the naval priest Euron Greyjoy. His voice was hoarse, with a metallic texture.

"Priest Euron, there are no Ironborn warriors here," said Arianne Martell.

"Of course there are!" Asha Greyjoy said. She took off the thin scale armor outside, revealing the close-fitting black leather, her figure was convex and concave, and her curves were proud. She took off her combat boots, took off her trousers, and revealed tight-fitting black cowhide shorts. A sword belt was tied to her slender waist, and short swords and daggers hung with a snap.

"Commander-in-chief Asha is going to go into the sea to fight in person?" Daenerys said in surprise.

"And me!" Theon Greyjoy smiled, "What is dead may never die, but rises again, harder and stronger!"

When Theon took off his outer clothes and pants, Asha had already dressed up, in addition to the short sword and dagger, she also had a multi-shot short crossbow in her hand.

Asha stood on the bulwark of the deck, raised the short crossbow high: "Who has the guts? Follow me into the sea to kill the enemy!"

Euron also jumped onto the bulwark, pulled the cable to stabilize his body, the sea breeze blew his waist-length hair and beard, his robe fluttered, his face was firm, and the priest was as sharp as a sword: "What is dead may never die, but rises again, harder and stronger. Soldiers who believe in the Drowned God, take off your leather armor and follow your commander-in-chief Asha into the sea to kill the enemy!" Euron's voice was like a horn, and the eardrums were very uncomfortable, but the penetration of this voice was extremely strong, and it spread far away.

Asha and Euron's shouts were responded to by the soldiers on dozens of warships around! Hundreds of soldiers were excited and changed their short-handled weapons.

In the water, long and heavy weapons are not suitable for combat!

Woooo woooo woooo!

Euron personally blew the horn. The horn sound aroused the response of many soldiers, and a considerable number of naval soldiers took off their armed leather armor, abandoned their heavy axes and long swords, and replaced them with sharp daggers, short swords, daggers, and hand-held crossbows.

The Demon Mountain knew that the horn sounded by Euron was summoning the soldiers who believed in the Drowned God.

Euron is a Drowned God priest, and preaching the Drowned God wherever he goes is his life mission. And preaching the Drowned God among naval warriors is undoubtedly the best 'market'. In a short period of time, many soldiers on the Quells naval fleet chose to believe in the Drowned God. No soldier wants to drown in naval battles, and believing in the Drowned God means 'what is dead may never die, but rises again, harder and stronger'.

Euron himself and Deputy Commander Theon are 'what is dead may never die, they were resurrected after being soaked in the sea for several days, and gained more power than before'.

The Demon Mountain shouted: "The warriors who go into the sea to kill the enemy, take Commander-in-chief Asha and Deputy Commander Theon as the center, three people in a group, spread out evenly in front of the fleet, one person holding a short crossbow, and two people guarding the left and right with short swords and daggers, and the three are integrated to meet the enemy."

The Demon Mountain's voice was louder than Asha and Euron's, and it rumbled across the sea like a giant thunder. Wherever the sound passed, the soldiers on the warships launched overwhelming shouts.

The commander-in-chief and deputy commander personally went into the sea to fight the enemy in underwater melee, which shocked the Quells naval generals!

Asha, a woman, was not accepted by the Quells generals in the Quells patriarchal society, but due to the Demon Mountain's strength and Asha's outstanding combat skills, the generals also endured it, but this time Asha went into the sea and fought the Asshai soldiers in close combat, which was several times more dangerous than fighting on the ship. In the water, not only physical strength and combat skills, but also absolutely good swimming skills are required.

Boom!

Asha jumped off the bulwark of the flagship, stirring up huge white waves.

The soldiers on the warship let out a roar of cheers.

Plop plop plop!

The soldiers who took off their clothes jumped into the sea.

Commander-in-chief Asha personally went into the sea to fight, which made the young naval soldiers excited.

Asha and the Demon Mountain's shouts of three people in a group were thrown behind their heads, and they swam like a fish towards the rapidly approaching small boat.

"Theon, put down the small boat, bring a bow and arrow, and protect Asha!" The Demon Mountain shouted in a deep voice.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

The small boat was put down, and Theon took a team of good swimmers with bows and arrows on the small boat, and the small boat quickly chased after Asha.

As the Demon Mountain's order was quickly passed down, the small boats on the warships were put down into the sea one after another. Some naval soldiers got on the small boats and brought bows and arrows, long swords, and short swords and daggers as support on the water.

The Demon Mountain's words rang like a giant bell in the sky above the sea, suppressing the sound of the waves and the sea breeze: "The brave warriors who are good at water are divided into two teams, one team fights the enemy underwater, and one team fights the enemy on the water, riding small boats. The soldiers on the small boats mainly use bows and arrows, specializing in killing the enemies who float up to breathe."

The order was passed down, and hundreds of small boats were put down from the warships. On each small boat, there were soldiers who jumped off the ship to scramble for a position.

Under the encouragement of Asha and Theon, even the most cowardly soldiers mustered up the blood of battle.

The Quells generals also scrambled to go into the sea to kill the enemy. The proud Quells men must not lose to a woman. Otherwise, it would be a shame that they themselves could not accept.

On the Asshai small boats, the soldiers full of fighting spirit watched the soldiers on the enemy ships in front jump into the sea bare-chested. At the same time, countless small boats were also put down into the sea. The enemy soldiers scrambled to get on the small boats. Many soldiers jumped directly from the high deck, just to fight for a position on the small boat.

"Block the enemy in front of the fleet, kill them all without missing one!" A woman's voice came from afar on the sea. The voice was full of cruelty and ferocity, just like a beast making a deadly threat before attacking.

Woooo woooo woooo!

The Asshai naval soldiers blew the battle horn, and then thousands of soldiers on a hundred Asshai small boats jumped into the sea and swam towards the enemy.

*

The Demon Mountain stood on the flagship and shouted: "Quells naval soldiers, my flagship is here and will not retreat half an inch, I want you to kill all the enemies underwater, bring the war drum to me!"

A huge war drum was carried to the deck of the flagship.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Demon Mountain personally beat the war drum!