The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Chapter 331: Waiting (Seeking Subscriptions)

(Bonus chapter for '金小衙内'’s donation 1)

*

Maege Mormont rushed into the tent: "Lord Roose, please order the crossing to rescue them."

"Going over is death. Preserving your life means there's still a chance." Roose Bolton swirled his wine glass, the wine inside like crimson bloodstains. "When fighting the Mountain, do not attack head-on, do not seek a quick victory."

"Hother Tallhart and Robert Glover need our support," Maege said sternly.

"If you want to go save them, I won't stop you," Roose Bolton said indifferently. "The Mountain is personally leading the troops, thousands of men ambushing Hother and Robert. If we go over there, hastily engage in battle, we'll only suffer a defeat and won't be able to save them."

"Are you saying you're going to stand by and watch them die?"

"Ser Hother has a ship. If I were him, I would definitely be sleeping on the ship," Roose Bolton said calmly.

Maege could no longer tolerate Roose's cold-bloodedness. She drew her axe and chopped the coffee table in front of Roose Bolton into pieces, leaving in anger and hatred.

Roose Bolton remained unfazed, holding his wine glass as he strolled out of the tent. The riverbank was already crowded with soldiers. Some Northmen warriors, who Roose Bolton considered foolish rather than brave, had already jumped onto the ferry and were rowing towards the other side.

Roose Bolton's expression was indifferent, noncommittal. When a general came to request battle, Roose Bolton ordered them not to engage.

*

West bank of the crossing.

The Mountain was in the front, flanked by Rorge on the left and Doggett on the right, with Alyn behind them. The four led the Mountain's personal guard in a charge, unstoppable, from the south side of the camp to the north side, breaking through the entire camp's battle line.

Hother Tallhart and Robert Glover organized their family knights to meet the attack, but they were met head-on by the Mountain, Rorge, Doggett, and Alyn. Their formation immediately collapsed. Hother Tallhart was the first to be hit, sent flying by the Mountain's greatsword. Guards rushed forward and captured Hother Tallhart alive.

Robert Glover, desperately protected by his men, fled towards the crossing, running into Polliver and Anguy on the right flank. A cavalry and archer charge ensued. The knights around Robert fought to the death to protect their lord, all of them dying in battle.

Robert fought his way out of the encirclement and fled to the riverbank. Several ships in the river returned to rescue them, which Anguy saw clearly. He drew his bow and shot an arrow, hitting Robert in the right shoulder, rendering him unable to wield his longsword. A second arrow struck Robert's calf, and Robert fell to the ground. Polliver spurred his horse forward to pursue. Soldiers from several returning ships jumped down to rescue their lord, but they were rained down upon by arrows from the archers on the shore, all of them shot dead in the water. The returning ships were forced to leave, and Robert, gazing at the ferry on the riverbank, was captured alive by Polliver.

Polliver's right flank and Anguy's archer cavalry blocked the crossing, forcing the routed Northmen soldiers to flee west. Waiting on the west side, led by Raff the Sweetling and the executioner Dunsen, with Julie Clegane leading the archer cavalry, they launched a great slaughter, piling up corpses and staining the yellow sand with blood.

The Mountain, joining forces with the right flank and the center army, did not pursue the Northmen soldiers who scattered and fled in the darkness. He united the left flank's cavalry and archer cavalry, forming a battle formation on the riverbank, waiting for the attack from the other side.

The hundreds of Northmen soldiers who fled west in disarray rushed madly into the darkness like ants from a disturbed nest. Suddenly, a great fire blazed before them. Rows and rows of soldiers, densely packed, filled the entire field. Torches blazed, illuminating the entire night sky.

Three thousand infantrymen formed a crescent shape, blocking all roads, covering the entire field.

Chiswyck the Great, Deputy Torbert, the Dothraki man Pazzo, Ser Jekko Rokk, Redhand Tehm of the Burned Men, Zella of the Black Ears, and Gonsal the Thin of the Moon Brothers each led their respective troops, surrounding the Northmen soldiers' camp long ago, making it impossible for them to escape.

Hundreds of soldiers threw down their weapons and knelt to surrender!

One-tenth of the Northmen soldiers escaped back by boat, three-tenths drowned, three-tenths died in battle, and three-tenths were captured. Hother Tallhart and Robert Glover themselves were captured. The family knights gave their lives to protect their lords, all of them dying in battle.

Maege Mormont and several generals courageously steered ships to rescue them, but when the ships reached the middle of the river, the battle on the shore had already ended. The Mountain led his troops, standing on the riverbank, forming a dark, oppressive battle formation to meet the enemy.

Hother Tallhart and Robert Glover were tied up and thrown on the shore. Hundreds of Northmen soldiers were driven to kneel on the riverbank, to humiliate the Northmen on the other side and provoke them to cross the river and fight.

However, halfway across the river, Maege Mormont finally calmed down. She remembered Roose Bolton's words. Although still annoyed, she felt that what he said was right. Maege Mormont resolutely ordered a return.

The Mountain shouted: "Are there no men left in the North, that only Lady Maege of Bear Island dares to cross halfway across the river? Brothers, curse them for me!"

Thus, from the sky and the earth, all kinds of bizarre and filthy language resounded with the river, competing with the bright moon, dimming the emerald blue night sky.

Maege Mormont swallowed her anger and retreated in disgrace.

She finally felt that Roose Bolton's plan to let the Mountain win a few battles first, then lure the enemy deep, capture the Mountain alive with pit traps, and defeat the Clegane troops with an ambush, before seizing Harrenhal, was the best strategy.

*

The next morning, Roose Bolton got up and came out to see that there wasn't a single soldier on the other side. The entire beach, the battlefield, had been cleaned up, with no trace of the great battle last night.

Other generals got up one after another, and seeing that the Mountain's army had disappeared without a trace on the other side, they all looked at each other in dismay.

Originally, they had designed a tactic in Roose Bolton's tent last night, to retreat early in the morning to show timidity, lure the Mountain to cross the river to pursue, and then fight and retreat, allowing the Mountain to win several battles in a row.

"The Mountain retreated before us." Maege Mormont couldn't believe it. She had personally seen the Mountain and others retreat hundreds of meters last night to set up camp, the entire camp brightly lit.

"General, the Mountain withdrew completely before dawn, what is the meaning of this?" Earl Flint murmured.

The generals all looked at Roose Bolton.

Roose Bolton felt hot all over, sweat breaking out on his back: "Generals, I don't know."

Roose Bolton was telling the truth.

According to Roose Bolton's calculations, the Mountain's ambush last night was a great victory, and morale was high. The soldiers would inevitably be eager for battle and could not be suppressed. With the Mountain's bloodlust and bellicosity, as long as the formation on this side loosened and retreated, he would definitely take the opportunity to cross the river and engage in a decisive battle.

However, at dawn, the Mountain had already withdrawn his troops.

The Mountain's actions were beyond Roose Bolton's expectations, which made Roose Bolton feel thorny for the first time. He didn't like the feeling of not being able to control the situation. In his mind, every step had a clear logic and reason.

However, the Mountain's disappearance before dawn shattered the 'situation' in Roose Bolton's mind.

"General, are we going to continue to retreat or take the opportunity to cross the river?" Maege asked.

"If we cross the river, once we suffer a defeat, this Green Fork River will block our retreat. Relying on boats to cross the river is too risky."

"So, we are going to continue to retreat?"

"Retreat, the Mountain has already withdrawn, he will not come to pursue." Roose Bolton said indifferently. His heart was filled with frustration.

Because he saw the Mountain's intention. The Mountain's use of troops was comparable to Tywin's cunning. If it wasn't a coincidence, but intentional, then there must be a Maester proficient in strategy advising him in the Mountain's army.

The Mountain wouldn't cross the river rashly, and he was already in an invincible position.

If the Northmen army crossed the river, they would face the Mountain's strong attack, with more losses than wins. If they didn't cross the river, the Mountain would win without a fight.

If they didn't cross the river, it would naturally be impossible for the Northmen army to take Harrenhal, and it would also be impossible to bite Tywin's tail.

The Mountain was stationed in Harrenhal and did not come out. It was impossible to forcefully break through Harrenhal from the outside with Roose Bolton's little force. The confident Roose Bolton realized that he could not pull out this nail at all. He thought that defeating the Mountain and outwitting him would be easy.

Now, unless the Mountain couldn't help but send troops to fight; or the Westerlands suffered a major defeat, requiring the Mountain to quickly reinforce; or the Vale was willing to send troops to help; or something happened in the Crownlands, King's Landing was attacked by the Baratheon family, the Mountain would inevitably abandon Harrenhal and go south.

Roose Bolton thought about it, and he calculated that the safest and most foolproof way at present was only one: wait.

Of course, this would be opposed by short-sighted generals!

If the Mountain was good at using troops, he would station troops in Harrenhal and not fight, and there were no good news from other places, as long as time passed, Roose Bolton knew that he would have to take the initiative to make a choice, either retreat or cross the river to attack Harrenhal, because they didn't have much military food.

So, how will the situation develop?

Roose Bolton was not a Green Prophet, he could only speculate, and the result of the speculation was not unique, filled with many uncertainties.

Maege Mormont saw that Roose Bolton's forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat, which she had never seen before.

ps: I typed too fast, which caused wps to automatically back up and then crash when I finished writing. Most of the manuscript disappeared and had to be rewritten. It's not as good as the first version, so sad!

wps often has this problem, and it happens even more often when using a laptop. As soon as I type too fast, it automatically backs up and then crashes. Please recommend other typing software.