The Mountain of Ice and Fire

“Perhaps we should summon the dragons,” Missandei suggested softly.

“Summoning the dragons is easy, but we need the support of the Good Masters, the soldiers, the merchants, and the people, and we cannot get that through killing. Many Sons of the Harpy come from the common people. And a considerable number are slaves loyal to the Good Masters. Killing the Good Masters will only bury their hatred for us in their hearts.” Daenerys frowned slightly.

Missandei had experienced the bloody rebellion of the Sons of the Harpy; several of her friends had died in it.

But Missandei always felt that Daenerys's plan was inappropriate, not good, but she couldn't explain exactly why.

“Perhaps we should wait and see,” Lady Emilly said. “The Good Masters who came to attack Astapor and Hizdahr's Brazen Beasts may be supporting Her Majesty.”

“We cannot be sure of that.” Daenerys was unwilling to trust Hizdahr.

Once, on the day Daenerys and Hizdahr were engaged, Hizdahr invited Daenerys to eat honey locusts in the arena, but the locusts were poisonous. After the chef was executed by Hizdahr, it did not dispel Daenerys's suspicion of Hizdahr. Because of the locust's poison, Daenerys broke off her engagement with Hizdahr.

Daenerys did not like Hizdahr. The reason she was forced to engage with Hizdahr was because of the bloody slaughter brought about by the Sons of the Harpy. The Sons of the Harpy targeted civilians, former slaves, merchants, boatmen, sailors, farmers, anyone they could find.

It was a past that she couldn't bear to recall, etched deeply in Daenerys's mind.

“Your Majesty, let's wait a little longer. I think we should see whether the Butcher wins in the end, or Hizdahr and Gnarr. Although we can take the palace by surprise, without dragons appearing in the sky to protect us, the loyalists to the Butcher will quickly organize a counterattack, and we only have two hundred warriors,” Scholar Cleos said.

Daenerys realized that everyone's desire for battle was not high.

The sudden arrival of Hizdahr's Brazen Beasts and the loss of contact with the Mountain and Arianne had disrupted her careful plan.

Daenerys looked at Jorah Mormont and Grey Worm, the two warriors she trusted most. Jorah was a nobleman, brave and resourceful; Grey Worm was the leader of the Unsullied, with extremely high prestige among the Unsullied soldiers, but he was lacking in military and political wisdom.

Grey Worm said, “Kill into the palace, then summon the dragons to appear, control the pyramid in the palace, and then Your Majesty rides the dragons to persuade the whole city to surrender, persuade the Butcher's people, and also persuade Hizdahr's people.”

“Ser Jorah, what is your opinion?” Daenerys asked Jorah Mormont.

“Wait and see, and send people to investigate the news of King Gregor Clegane.”

“Okay, let us prepare and strike at any time according to the changes in the situation of the warring parties.” Daenerys made the final decision. She was originally decisive in killing, but she was somewhat afraid of the attacks of the Sons of the Harpy.

Fighting is easy, but how to manage Astapor after the war is a political problem.

*

At the north gate of Astapor, a giant was accompanied by a beautiful female general, followed by Hizdahr's most elite Night Lions legion.

Each of the thousand Night Lions legion soldiers wore a Night Lion mask on their face.

The giant was naturally the Mountain, and the beautiful female general was naturally Arianne Martell.

As the battering ram crashed against the city gate, the siege of Astapor officially began.

On the city wall, arrows whistled down. On the city gate, barrels of wildfire were poured down, and then rockets were fired, turning the battering ram into a huge torch. The soldiers pushing the cart screamed and fell into the flames. Arrows rained down, and the Night Lions legion soldiers fell one after another.

The Mountain ordered the Night Lions legion to form a shield formation, in groups of ten, approaching the city wall and arriving at the foot of the city wall. Before the siege ladders could be erected, countless large and small stones smashed down from the city wall. Although shields were stacked on top of their heads, they could not block the heavy blows of the stones, and one shield squad after another collapsed.

Once the formation collapsed, they lost the perfect defense of the shields. As a result, arrows rained down, shooting dead and wounding a large number of the scattered Night Lions soldiers.

The Good Master Gnarr and Hizdahr, who were watching the battle from behind, frowned.

The Mountain protected Arianne and did not rush to the front. He directed and supervised the army from behind.

The city wall of Astapor was very high and very thick. The soldiers on the city wall had prepared too many stone bullets, wildfire, and arrows. It was very difficult for the thousand Night Lions legion to take the north gate by storm.

However, the elite of the Night Lions legion were not the Mountain's Clegane soldiers. It didn't matter how many died. The Mountain ordered the communications officer to blow the horn for attack. As a result, the remaining seven hundred Night Lions soldiers shouted again. They held shields above their heads, pushed the siege ladders, and shouted as they rushed to the foot of the city wall. The siege ladders were erected again, and stones, wildfire, and bows and arrows attacked downwards.

The Mountain's size was too huge, and the siege ladder could not bear his massive body to climb. Apart from supervising and boosting morale from behind, the Mountain could not engage the enemy in close combat. His close combat ability could not be displayed.

Wuwuwu!

Behind them, Hizdahr ordered the bugler to blow the horn for retreat.

The Night Lions legion retreated one after another.

On the city wall, the Butcher King and his soldiers cheered in victory!

The Mountain led the remnants back to the rear camp. He looked as natural as if he had not just lost a battle.

In the first battle just now, the Night Lions legion lost more than half of its members, and the heart of the Fourteenth Great Good Master Hizdahr ached.

In the central army tent, the Mountain said, “Don't we have our own people in the city? Let them set fires in the city to disrupt the morale of the defending soldiers. It would be best to set a fire in the palace. If that doesn't work, set a big fire near the pyramid of the palace. This will cause the Butcher King to rush back to the palace. Once he leaves, the morale of the defending soldiers will be affected.”

Arianne said, “My lords, let's wait for the Butcher King to go down the city wall to put out the fire, and then send people to spread rumors in the city, saying that we are here under the secret order of the Mother of Dragons to capture the rebel king Butcher. Persuade the Unsullied soldiers in the city who are loyal to the Mother of Dragons to open the city gate. As long as the city gate is opened, my Mountain warrior will help you easily kill all the enemies and take Astapor.”

The Good Master Gnarr smiled and said, “Mountain warrior, Lady Arianne, our new plan is exactly like this.”

“Falsely say that we have the secret order of the Mother of Dragons?” Arianne was both surprised and delighted.

“No, set fires in the city,” Gnarr said. “There are many people in the city of Astapor who are willing to support us. It's just that most people are waiting and seeing. They want to help us, but reason makes them only choose to stand on the side that is sure to win. So as long as we can break through a city gate, those people will see it and then choose to join us. However, we don't need many people to set fires, just some elite warriors. In Astapor, I am a noble family born and raised.”

Soon, the order was passed down. Almost at the same time, fires broke out in many places in Astapor, and a raging fire also burned near the pyramid of the palace.

As expected, the Butcher King immediately went down the city wall and led his bodyguard legion to suppress the arsonists.

Outside the city, the horn for attack sounded again.

The battering ram team gathered again, pushing the battering ram and shouting as they rushed towards the city gate.

The wildfire at the city gate was still burning, but the flames were already small.

During the first attack, the wildfire all over the city gate burned fiercely, destroying the battering ram and burning some of the soldiers pushing the cart, but the bad consequences were also obvious. The city gate was oak-clad with iron skin edges. The fire destroyed the battering ram and also affected the solidity of the oak door.

The second wave of attacks began. There was not much wildfire and stone left on the city gate. If a soldier pushing the battering ram fell, another soldier would take his place. Finally, the battering ram rushed to the city gate. Boom! With a loud noise, the battering ram crashed into the city gate. The city gate made a cracking sound. The wooden stakes supporting the city gate inside broke, and the door bolt broke, but the gate did not fall as a result.

Countless stones and wildfire and arrows poured down like rain. The soldiers screamed and fell.

The second batch of soldiers once again held up their shields to take their place. The Mountain supervised the army and personally beat the war drum. The bugler blew the horn.

Boom!

The city gate was hit again.

Boom!

Continuous impact.

The city gate began to tilt inward, and cracks appeared in the middle of the city gate.

When the gate was about to collapse, the battering ram outside was once again burned into a huge torch. Above the city gate, the attacks of stones and wildfire were almost exhausted.

The Mountain ordered all the war horses of the Night Lions legion to be gathered. A total of more than fifty horses were obtained. He ordered the war horses to be connected together with reins, and then he jumped on the horse, drew his Ice Greatsword, and led a hundred-man team to drive the war horses towards the city gate.

Rumble!

With a loud noise, the war horse formation crashed into the crumbling gate, and the gate collapsed with a bang.

Behind the gate was an Unsullied spear formation.

Dozens of war horses crashed into it and were pierced through the horse's belly and horse's neck by spears, but the Unsullied formation was also deformed.

In the chaos, a loud roar, like the sky falling and the earth cracking, the Mountain arrived, followed by a hundred-man death squad.

The greatsword swept across, and the spears broke one after another. The war horses forcibly crashed into the formation. Many spears pierced into the horse's body. The war horses wailed and fell. The Mountain jumped into the crowd on horseback, and the greatsword slashed horizontally and vertically. The Unsullied formation collapsed.

Behind them, a hundred-man team rushed up, shields and longswords, and engaged the Unsullied in close combat.

Shush shush shush!

Countless arrows rained down from behind, pouring down on the Unsullied formation like a storm.

The Unsullied formation blocking the city gate completely collapsed.

The Mountain took the lead and rushed into the city. Behind him, a steady stream of soldiers poured in like a tide.

Astapor was breached!

*

The Butcher King Cleyd had just suppressed the arsonists in the city when he received military intelligence that the city gate had been breached. He immediately ordered the garrisons of the other three city gates to reinforce the north gate, and they must drive the enemy out of the north gate again. The order had just been issued when he saw thick smoke rising from outside the city to the west. That was the port burning.

The port was docked with many merchant ships, fishing boats, and warships. Setting fire to the port would cause huge losses to Astapor. The port of Astapor had dozens of warships and thousands of navies stationed there. The port was on fire, and thick smoke filled the sky, which could only mean that a fierce battle was breaking out at the port.

The Butcher King's face twitched non-stop.

Soon, scouts reported that the port navy was fighting the enemy. Enemy spies had mixed into the port's fleet and set fire to it. Many ships were set on fire and it looked like they could not be extinguished. The navy soldiers were fighting the enemy's fleet and could not spare manpower to put out the fire.

Before the Butcher King could think of a countermeasure, another scout reported that a giant had killed into the city and no one could stop him. Hizdahr and Gnarr's legion of nearly ten thousand people were constantly killing in with him, and the enemy legion was heading towards the palace, sweeping all the way.

“Order the troops from the west, east, and south cities to abandon their defenses and launch a full counterattack on the north gate.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” The messenger jumped on his horse and went to deliver the order in three directions.

A group of Unsullied soldiers came rumbling with neat steps. The leader was the Unsullied training officer Rhynn.

“Rhynn, be my left wing and counterattack the main gate with me.” King Butcher ordered.

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Rhynn agreed loudly. He led the team to rush over. Suddenly, an Unsullied soldier stabbed King Butcher's throat with the spear in his hand. King Butcher was shocked and fell backward, barely dodging the spear. Before he could get up, more spears stabbed at him, the spears topped his abdomen, legs, arms, throat, and chest, and he was immediately restrained.

The soldiers around the king were stunned, as if struck by lightning, and instantly solidified as if by magic.

The leading spear soldier lifted his mask and shouted, “Cleyd, I am Grey Worm, here to arrest you, a rebel, on the order of the Mother of Dragons.”

Rhynn also raised his spear high: “All Unsullied soldiers, the Mother of Dragons is back, we are no longer slaves, the Mother of Dragons will abolish slavery again, let us follow the Mother of Dragons…”

Shush!

An arrow shot over and hit Rhynn's arm.

Shush!

An arrow fired back, hitting the archer's throat.

The archer who counterattacked was Jorah Mormont.

“Put down your weapons, those who disobey will die.” Jorah Mormont also lifted his mask. “Her Majesty is here, who dares to shoot arrows?”

Missandei, Missandei, Cleos, and Lady Emilly all appeared, and they clustered around Daenerys Targaryen. The two hundred soldiers summoned by Rhynn shouted together: “The Mother of Dragons is here, death to the rebels.”

The Butcher's bodyguard soldiers were stunned. They grabbed their longswords and spears, but no one dared to move again.

The Butcher King was restrained, captured alive, and fell into the hands of the other party. They lost their backbone.

Scholar Cleos, Doctor Emilly, and Priestess Sherry shouted loudly, asking the Unsullied soldiers to turn to allegiance to Her Majesty.

After a moment of silent hesitation, after seeing with their own eyes Cleyd kneeling before Her Majesty under the coercion of long spears and swords, the Butcher's guards and the Unsullied guarding the palace knelt down to Her Majesty and swore allegiance.

When the Mountain led his army to rush over, Daenerys had already controlled the situation. The Butcher King Cleyd was tied up, his face ashen. More and more Unsullied who heard the news gathered around Her Majesty.

“Who is the general?” Daenerys asked the Mountain.

“Ser Gregor Clegane, the Mountain!”

“Rude, get off your horse.” Rhynn shouted.

The Mountain did not answer, and ordered the Brazen Beasts to form a formation. On the street, they formed a north-south confrontation with Daenerys's legion.

"Mountain, summon your Benevolent Lords, Wise Lords, and Holy Lords to meet me at once. I am the Queen to whom they swore fealty."

"Your Majesty, the Benevolent Lords will arrive soon," Mountain said blandly.

The sound of hooves thundered as Xitzdara, Gnar, and others led their cavalry in a surging charge.