The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Chapter 425: Crimson Smoke Beast - Ice Sword (6,000 words, please subscribe)

Night. King's Landing. Refugee camp in Cobblers' Square.

"Norris!" The woman was surprised and delighted.

"Shhh, where's the child?"

"Here."

The woman lifted a corner of the small tent. There was a straw mat on the ground, covered with a blanket, and a little girl was sleeping on the blanket. A small candle was lit beside her.

The man leaned over, and the little girl made even breathing sounds.

The man looked at her with affection and gently leaned over to kiss the little girl's dirty face.

He looked around. In the corner of the small tent, there was a small pot, two bowls, a small bucket, a few pieces of firewood with one end blackened, and a small bag of flour.

"Recently..." The man's voice suddenly changed. He controlled his excitement. "Have you had bread to eat?"

"Yes, thanks to Lord Mountain. Every once in a while, someone sends bread and some ham, although not much, it's enough to fill our stomachs. Look at Belle's complexion, it's much better."

"Keep this safe."

"What is it?"

The woman took the thing the man had crumpled into a ball, unfolded it, and it was a piece of cloth embroidered with 'a unicorn beast holding a sword in its mouth,' about the size of a palm.

"Is this the Crimson Smoke Beast embroidered?" The woman recognized the horn on the beast's head. All the citizens of King's Landing had discussed the Crimson Smoke Beast, and the refugees in Cobblers' Square had also seen it. Lord Mountain had ridden the Crimson Smoke Beast to distribute bread once, which was also his last time before he marched to Dragonstone Island.

'Crimson Smoke Beast, Ice Sword, Lord Mountain's family crest.'

"What's this for?"

"In three days, we will attack the city. When the army storms in, the Lord is worried that the flames of war will be merciless. In case the situation gets out of control, the warriors of Claw Isle and the mountain tribes... uh... like to kill. If you encounter the Clegane soldiers who have come to Cobblers' Square, tie this piece of cloth to your clothes, or wave it in your hand, and you can save your life."

"The war is about to begin, attacking the city in three days?" The woman's voice trembled slightly. In three days, the army will storm into the city, the soldiers on both sides will fight bloody battles, limbs will be waving, and hot blood will be splashing. Just thinking about it is terrifying.

"Is there more of this stuff?"

"No."

"Did every family of the two thousand new recruits who joined the army with you bring this back?"

"Yes, someone was sent to distribute it quietly. There are many of our own brothers in the city. I wanted to come back and see you and Belle, so I brought it back myself."

"Then what about the Olf family? After you left with Lord Mountain, Olf helped us a lot in Cobblers' Square and saved me from being bullied by hooligans, but no one in his family is a Clegane soldier."

Norris was silent for a while, then whispered, "You can secretly embroider one for his family."

"Can that work?"

"Yes, Captain Erin said that when the city is broken, as long as there is the Mountain's family crest, the soldiers will not mess around. They know that is the Clegane soldiers' family."

"I can't embroider one by myself."

"We won't attack the city until three days later, so a simple embroidery will do."

"What about the Marshall family? There are no men in her family, and she and we are refugees from the same village. She has three children. In case they are... killed..." The woman trembled. "This damn war! Why does the Hand want to kill all of Lord Mountain's people? He's just a demon... Belle and I are waiting for you to come back from Dragonstone Island... and then we'll go home together." The woman couldn't help but wipe away her tears.

"Shhh, don't cry, don't cry, don't wake the child. I have an idea. Tell Marshall quietly to embroider one for herself, there are still three days." Norris quickly comforted his wife. "The Clegane army's order is that any citizens with the Crimson Smoke Beast and Ice Sword pattern are not allowed to be harmed."

"As long as there is a picture of the Crimson Smoke Beast and the Ice Sword, they will be safe after the city is broken?"

"Yes, the military order has been issued, who dares to disobey?!"

"Okay!"

"Take care of Belle, I'm leaving."

"You're leaving, can't you stay for one night?" The woman's eyes were red again.

"I entered the city secretly, and I can't let the Hand's patrols see me. It will be dawn soon, and we have to be careful."

"The city gates are closed at night, and the entry and exit inspections are very strict. How did you get in?"

"We have our own ways."

"You? You didn't enter the city alone?"

"No, we entered the city in batches."

"How many people came in?"

"Don't ask, it's a military secret, revealing it will get you killed."

"Can't Lord Mountain negotiate? We heard that the Hand sent Lord Mountain's father-in-law, Earl Gaven, to negotiate, and Lord Mountain even detained the envoy. We people don't want war."

"Lord Mountain only wants the Hand, he won't hurt the innocent."

"If he won't hurt the innocent, why did you give me this thing?" The wife brought the strand of cloth embroidered with the Crimson Smoke Beast and Ice Sword to her husband's eyes.

"This is war, just in case. The Lord has newly recruited four thousand warriors from Claw Isle, and they are all very... uh, terrible. Once they enter the city and become bloodthirsty, and encounter stubborn resistance, no one can say for sure, what if the situation gets out of control?"

"Will you go back to the ship in these three days?"

"I can't tell you."

"If you go back, tell your Captain Erin to tell Lord Mountain that we people hope you don't attack the city."

"We don't want to attack the city either, so we gave the King three days to reply. We only want to kill the murderer who harmed the innocent, who is Duke Tywin. If the King doesn't reply or refuses after three days, we must break through the city gates."

"Must, nothing is must! Norris, tell your captain and Lord Mountain what we think."

"No, think about it, if someone poisoned you and Belle, would I let him go? Many of our comrades' families were killed by the Hand in the Clegane lands. They are living in agony every day. If the Lord hadn't suppressed them, some people would have sneaked into the city and set fires. The walls of King's Landing are like they don't exist to us at all. Lord Mountain can break through the city at any time if he wants to. We have been very patient."

The wife looked at her husband's already firm face. She touched his arm, strong muscles like black iron, and touched his waist. Underneath the wide coat, there were indeed daggers and short knives.

"We have the pattern of the Crimson Smoke Beast and the Ice Sword, and we can save our lives, so don't go back. Stay and accompany me and Belle, in case this siege..."

Norris took half a step back and glared at his wife: "No, I am now a Clegane warrior, I have the honor of a warrior."

The wife stared at her husband in astonishment. Her husband had changed after being a soldier for several months. She had noticed his change from the moment he came in. She almost didn't dare to recognize him, that sharpness and sturdiness that he had never had before.

"When you went to be a soldier, it was just to bring back a loaf of bread for us. You said that after fighting Stannis, you would get your salary and come back, and our family would go back to our old home in the south."

"But the war is not over yet. Lord Mountain wants the King to hand over the Hand. What will the Lord do if we soldiers desert? How can I face Captain Erin? Have you forgotten who gave you food during this time? You want me to desert? What the hell am I if I'm still a soldier?" Norris glared at his wife's eyes, making his wife feel scared.

"I think you have forgotten why you went to be a soldier in the first place."

"I haven't forgotten. Lord Mountain said that every soldier's family will get land. If anyone bullies you and Belle, tell me, I'll tell the captain, and Lord Mountain will know, no matter who that guy is, he will be unlucky!"

"How will he be unlucky? How can Lord Mountain manage so many soldiers' families? Moreover, we are on the ships in the Blackwater Rush, and we are in the city."

"Lord Mountain doesn't have to manage it himself. Someone specializes in these things, Big Black Bear Rorge and Mute Fang, our law enforcement captains. Don't look at them being on the ship with our army, they know a lot about the things in the city, where the hooligans robbed things, and which noble family was stolen from. There are our brothers in the city, very good brothers, they have always been there."

"Are they the ones who send bread and ham every once in a while?"

"I can't say!"

*

Silk Street, Earl Odbur's Noodle Shop.

The head chef of the noodle shop—the wife of the deceased Mountain's banner bearer, Black Stone—Alek's hand slowly reached under the pillow, gripping the hilt of a short sword. She stared at the dark direction of the bedroom door, someone had come in, there was no doubt about it.

The footsteps were very light, came to the door, and pushed the door open, which meant that the person had come in once before, pried the door open and Alek was asleep at the time—the thought of someone coming in while she was asleep made Alek break out in a cold sweat.

"It's me, Julie."

"Miss Julie!" Alek was surprised and delighted. "You're here!" Alek turned over and got up.

"We are attacking the city in three days, get up quickly, come with me."

Alek jumped out of bed and quickly put on her clothes.

"Bring your sword."

"Yes! Miss Julie."

Two men in black clothes came with Julie.

"Has the Hand's people come to you these days?"

"No. --It's spread all over the city that the Hand killed all the... people in the Clegane lands, is that true?"

"It's true."

Alek was silent for a while.

Her son and daughter were in the Clegane lands.

"Tolbert took four brothers to pick up Dan and Nina, may the Seven protect them," Julie said.

"May the Seven protect them." Alek calmed down. "Let's go, where to?"

Her performance was very strong.

"Go to a safe place, Father is afraid that Tywin will go crazy, he can do anything. You are our people, we can't leave you alone."

"I'm not afraid! I want to join the battle!"

"You are not a warrior, Alek!"

"I am, Miss Julie, I know how to stab the enemy with the pointy end! Please be sure to allow me to let me join the battle!"

*

South of the Blackwater Rush, there is a primeval forest hundreds of miles long and wide.

Storm's End, the seat of House Baratheon, is mostly located within the Kingswood. Storm's End itself is a seaside castle on the southern edge of the Kingswood.

West of the Kingswood is the breadbasket of the Seven Kingdoms: the Reach plains.

The Reach plains of House Tyrell and the Riverlands plains of House Tully are the main breadbaskets of the Seven Kingdoms. Of the two major granaries, the Reach is more fertile than the Riverlands, which is the fundamental reason why House Tyrell of the Reach has the largest population.

The land is fertile and the climate is warm and suitable. This year is the tenth year of the Long Summer, and the Reach has had ten consecutive years of abundant harvests. House Tywin of the Westerlands is the richest in the world because of its gold mines, while House Tyrell of the Reach ranks first in the Seven Kingdoms in overall strength because of its grain and trade from the port of Oldtown.

With grain, there are people, and with people, there are soldiers. Tyrell can summon vassals with up to 100,000 troops at any time, while Tywin can summon vassals with only 20,000 troops, or 40,000 troops if he tries hard.

After Lord Mace Tyrell of the Reach brought his daughter 'Rose of Highgarden' Margaery, his second son, the valiant Garlan, his third son, the Knight of Flowers Loras, and his mother, the Queen of Thorns, Lady Olenna Redwyne, into King's Landing with 40,000 troops, he quickly reached an agreement with Duke Tywin. King's Landing after the war is a hungry beast waiting to be fed, and needs a lot of food, so Tyrell's grain convoys began to continuously transport grain into King's Landing...

*

Night. Kingsroad. Kingswood. The grain carts of the Reach's grain convoy were parked on the avenue, with no end in sight.

A soldier escorting the grain cart got up to relieve himself. He looked around and saw no sentry. He muttered, "Damn, where did those guys go, gambling again."

Before the muttering was finished, someone whistled a melodious tune easily behind a tree next to him. A figure turned out, holding a short crossbow in his hand. The bowstring sounded crisply, and with a 'poof', the short arrow pierced through the armor and into the soldier's chest.

The soldier fell over.

Suddenly, the sound of horses' hooves exploded in the forest, shouts rose loudly, and torches appeared in the forest like stars in the sky, surrounding the grain convoy's camp.

At the front of the team, a man and a beast, holding torches high, were like gods, whistling towards them, so fast that only a red shadow could be seen.

Before a team of guards at the door of the general's tent could raise their guns, the giant had passed by, the cold light was like electricity, the upper bodies of the guards flew up one after another, while the lower bodies were still standing on the ground.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

As the half-cut bodies fell to the ground one by one, the man and beast had already rushed into the grain officer's tent, and there was a loud crash. The giant ice sword split the tent open and rushed out from the other end of the tent. The giant-like warrior had already lifted the grain general Giles Flowers in his hand.

Giles Flowers, bastard son of Garth Tyrell. And Garth Tyrell is the uncle of Mace Tyrell, the Duke of the Reach, and the steward of Highgarden, nicknamed "Garth the Gross" because of his outstanding fatness.

Garth hoped that his bastard son could do something to gain the favor of Duke Tyrell and the Queen of Thorns, so he appointed Garth Flowers to be responsible for transporting grain to King's Landing.

This was Giles Flowers' second grain shipment, and he was very lucky. Two hundred miles away from King's Landing, he encountered Mountain leading a cavalry raid on the Tyrell family's grain convoy.

In a very short time, more than 500 grain convoys were completely captured, and hundreds of grooms and coachmen did not resist in any way, and no one died. Mountain and his cavalry suffered no casualties.

"General, name?" The Mountain held a shocked Jyles Flowers as if he were a lump of bloated fat.

This old boy even pursued the same 'stout' physique as his father, truly a filial son.

"Jyles Flowers, sir," Jyles Flowers said, relatively calm, or perhaps he was simply stunned, too dumbfounded to be afraid.

His soldiers were mostly in their underwear, unarmed, and pointed at by the Mountain's cavalry with long spears, huddled together like livestock. Among them were several prostitutes, mixed in with the soldiers in their natural state, their long hair falling down, covering their faces.

"Jyles Flowers?"

Flowers was the common surname for all bastards in the Reach.

"Yes, sir."

"A bastard serving as the Tyrell family's grain master, who is your father?"

"Garth Tyrell."

"Oh. Stout Garth, Highgarden's steward. After Lord Mace and the Queen of Thorns left Highgarden, he's the one in charge of domestic and political affairs. Jyles, where is your maester?"

"No maester, sir. I don't have a maester with me. I'm a bastard, my position in the Tyrell family... isn't high."

"Where are your ravens? Bring me your ravens, I want to send a letter to Lady Olenna, the Queen of Thorns, in King's Landing."

"Yes, sir."

Bang!

The Mountain threw the lump of fat that was Jyles onto the ground: "Hurry and get the ravens, Ser!"

"Yes, sir."

A fat man running was a comical sight, especially with a pair of short legs moving under a pile of white fat clad only in shorts.

But none of the hundreds of Clegane cavalry laughed. They were fully equipped with armor, helmets, masks, lances, longswords, and shields. Each man had a spare warhorse ready to replace their mount, the spare horse saddled and carrying several javelins.

They encircled the five hundred or so grain soldiers and five hundred or so drivers and carters into two circles, their spears leveled, the tips pointing forward, aimed at the thousand or so men.

The Mountain personally led the elite Clegane cavalry in a midnight raid, with all the cavalry officers present: Drennan Clegane, Polliver Clegane, and Rafford Clegane all mobilized.

Soon, Jyles Flowers brought the raven cage from his central tent, inside were three ravens, their red eyes wide, their heads constantly tilting, their probing gazes fixed on the humans outside the cage who were slaughtering each other.

"Tie the letter on!" The Mountain threw the already written letter to Jyles. The scroll was a small cylinder, sealed with wax.

"Yes, sir!" Jyles was very cooperative. When he went to get the raven cage, he also took the opportunity to put on a coat, how refined.

The raven, carrying the Mountain's letter, soared into the sky with a rustle, squawked once, and flew towards King's Landing.

"Jyles, do you think the brutal Mountain will order you all to be slaughtered?" The Mountain held Ice in his hand, making it impossible to remain calm.

"...No...sir," Jyles shrank a little, as if dodging an invisible sword light sweeping over.

"Why?"

"We have no feud, sir. It was Lord Tywin Lannister who angered you, not the Tyrell family."

"Alright, you answered correctly. So, I won't kill you, but am I just going to let you go for nothing?"

"Uh... according to the rules... we are willing to pay a ransom, sir."

"Good, I accept your ransom. Seek out the source of your grievances, I will transport your grain to King's Landing for you, is that a problem?"

"Thank you for your trouble, sir."

"Ser Polliver, you are responsible for protecting the cart drivers and oxcart drivers. Set off immediately and transport the grain carts to the Blackwater Rush."

"Yes, sir!" With a blast of Polliver's military whistle, the cavalry split into two companies of a hundred men each, protecting the cart drivers and oxcart drivers as they jumped onto the grain carts. A ten-man cavalry team led the way, and a twenty-man cavalry team went to the rear, responsible for covering the rear. The cavalry patrolling in the middle numbered one hundred and eighty, the cavalry officer was Ser Polliver Clegane, with two centurions under his command.

The grain cart convoy started moving.

"Ser Jyles, we will take your horses, armor, and weapons as ransom for you and your five hundred brothers, do you agree?"

"I completely agree, sir, you are too generous. My brothers and I are very grateful."

"And your tents, all your clothes and pants, shorts, we want them all, do you have any objections?"

"..." Jyles was briefly speechless, "As you wish, sir."

"Very good, Drennan, Rafford, you both heard, take all the warhorses, armor, and weapons."

"Yes, sir." The two cavalry officers said in unison, but then spoke again in unison but with different voices. Drennan said, "Sir, the tents are alright, but the underwear..."

Drennan stopped speaking before he finished, because Rafford, with his fast speaking speed and first-class eloquence, his basic skills, had already finished first: "Sir, I accept taking all the tents and clothes, but do we have to take the underwear and shorts too? How disgusting, I refuse."

"No need to take them, burn all the tents and clothes, and the shorts," the Mountain said.

Drennan and Rafford exclaimed and then suppressed their laughter: "Yes, sir."

A slight commotion arose among the Clegane cavalry! Under their masks, many young men were probably smiling maliciously.

Five hundred naked Reach grain soldiers, just imagining the scene was too much to bear.

Under the Mountain's gentle gaze, Jyles ordered his brothers to strip themselves naked, everyone together, returning to their original, natural state.

A company of Clegane cavalry used spears to pick up the soldiers' small underwear and threw them together. The tents and clothes were also brought over, all piled together, kerosene was poured on, and a raging fire soared into the sky.

The Mountain took out a scroll of paper: "Jyles, this is a letter I wrote to Highgarden, it describes your current state. Since you are the bastard of Steward Garth Tyrell, I believe Garth will send someone to bring you clothes soon."

Jyles took the scroll: "Thank you, sir, my brothers and I are very grateful! Really, sir." His body began to tremble slightly. Late at night in the Kingswood, the cold air assailed him.

Fortunately, there was still a huge bonfire to warm up later.

The Mountain had already made all the arrangements in advance, the letters were written in advance. This scheming mind made Jyles very surprised. He couldn't help but think of one person: the true ruler of the Reach—Lady Olenna, the Queen of Thorns.

If Lady Olenna met the Mountain, it was unknown who would be more cunning.

The raven soared into the sky again, this time to report the news to Highgarden.

The Mountain blew a military whistle, the cavalry shouted, roaring away, their hooves thundering, exploding in the forest, soon, the sound of hooves faded away, countless torches turned into sparks, and finally, all disappeared into the dark depths of the Kingswood.

The Mountain and his cavalry had been gone for a long time, in front of the bonfire, a military flag of 'Red Smoke Beast, Ice Sword' was still fluttering in the wind before Jyles Flowers' eyes, the Mountain's arrogant words before leaving were still echoing in his ears: Ser Jyles Flowers, three days later, the Clegane army will break the city!

Jyles Flowers looked at the now empty raven cage. The Mountain was clever, but he forgot that he had three ravens, released two, but there was still one left. Although the Mountain took away everything, turning them back to their natural state, it was easy to pull a piece of unburned cloth from the ashes of the fire, bite his finger and write a few words.