Chapter 129 The gradually shrinking pocket
Standing in front of the sand table, Clay discovered that what he had experienced since going south was that he was either surrounding others or on the way to surround others.
In the Twins, he cooperated internally and externally. In the Virgin Valley, he besieged and annihilated 2,000 Jaime Lannister men. In Riverrun, through perfect cooperation with the Red Fork, he still formed a huge encirclement.
It can be said that the strategy of surrounding three and missing one does not work for him at all, because his purpose is not to defeat the opponent, but to completely prevent any opponent from running away.
That is to say, there is no such thing as dumplings in the traditional diet of Westeros. Otherwise, Clay would not have to put in so much effort and just open a dumpling restaurant. With his talent, he would definitely be able to achieve the freedom of the golden dragon.
What was before him now was actually another huge opportunity to make dumplings, but this time the dumpling fillings were made by the main force of 20,000 Tywin troops stationed at Harrenhal.
Duke Tywin is experienced in using troops and will not advance rashly like his unlucky son. Therefore, recreating the battles of Riverrun and Maiden Valley is too difficult, and you will encounter Tywin's counterattack if you are not careful.
Moreover, Lord Tywin's food route is, to a certain extent, safer than when Jaime Lannister besieged Riverrun. It makes little sense for Clay to force him by depriving him of food.
The reason why Jaime Lannister allows Clay to arrange four personal guards will cause serious trouble for his logistics is because his logistics line is not on his own territory at all.
In other words, there is no mass base. The villages and people in the Riverlands can act as informants for those who attack the logistics line, and can also provide them with a hiding place.
The Lannister didn't have the heart to send all these peasants to the guillotine, so this kind of thing would happen.
However, Duke Tywin, who is fighting at home, does not have this problem. Although he has set up his military camp in Harrenhal, the southern gate of the Riverlands, the problem is that his logistics lines are all in the territory of the royal nobles. .
The nobles in this area of the King's Territory are a bit of a loser. They are loyal ministers to whoever puts their butts on the Iron Throne. Most of them rarely care whether the person on the throne is the right person or not. "True King".
Now, the position under the Doll King Joe is quite secure, and no one can rush into the Red Keep to overthrow him for the time being. Therefore, the royal nobles are loyal to the Lannister with the stag crown, and are also loyal to him. Lord Tywin, the king's grandfather.
Therefore, in this case, if Clay's cavalry group directly inserts itself behind Tywin's butt, it may cut off Tywin's logistics in a short time, but it will not solve the fundamental problem, because he can't find it nearby. Go to a suitable base.
In response to this situation, Clay must modify his war goal, replacing the annihilation of 20,000 people with a more reasonable one to force Tywin back. To be more specific, he must turn the annihilation war into a rout war.
Moreover, if you think about it selfishly, Clay has already achieved enough military exploits during his journey south. He captured the Twins, defeated and annihilated more than 9,000 Lannister troops in two battles, and captured the nobles of the West from top to bottom. A bunch, what else do you want?
It can be said that as long as Clay maintains the current situation, no matter where he goes, he will be a person that the northern princes dare not mess with. Moreover, through this more than a month of war, he has established great prestige in the army and gained Valuable military experience.
In the absence of the old wolf master, which noble in the north dares to pat his chest and guarantee that his own army can defeat the troops led by Clay on the battlefield? If some ignorant northern noble dares to conflict with Clay.
If Clay is defeated and loses his land, the large area of land near the Twins probably has nothing to do with him, even if Robb Stark has sealed it to him.
But now, no one dares to covet the Twin River City and the fertile land on the east bank. Everyone is frustrated and can only turn their attention to the unclaimed land in the west, hoping to get a piece of the pie.
Clay put away his thoughts. He took his eyes away from the sand table and once again fell on Edmure Tully, the heir to the riverlands, who stood next to him and looked like a guard.
"Lord Edmure, since these Lannisters are already on the run, we can't stop them by force. It's not impossible, but it's just not worth it."
Clay stared into Edmure Tully's blue eyes and spoke slowly:
"There's no one else in this room. I'm going to tell you the truth. Don't think I'm being harsh."
He paused, with a very serious expression on his face.
"When you asked for a battle before, I originally wanted to refuse you. In my original plan, my cavalry blocked the ferry on the south bank of the Tengshi River, preventing these Lannisters from returning south."
"Before the war started, I had sent people to cut off their food. More than two thousand people were starving to death in the wilderness. But your father, Duke Horst, found me and asked me to give you this opportunity. Restore House Tully's honor on the battlefield."
"Because the North is an ally with you in the Riverlands, I agreed to his request. However, when you came back from your troops today, you brought me such news. Lord Edmure, what do you want me to think? ?”
Seeing the unkind look on the face of the Northern Army leader who had killed nearly ten thousand people on the battlefield, Edmure Tully blushed, but he could only move his mouth a few times and couldn't say anything at all.
Even if he was beaten to death, it would be impossible for him to admit that his army commanding ability was really poor, but no matter how proud he was, he still had something to say. It could be said that since the war with Lannister began, he had never won a victory with his army.
Now, with superior forces encircling and suppressing a defeated army that has lost its logistics, it still can't be defeated. Edmure Tully really can't come up with a reasonable explanation. As the saying goes, there is no harm without comparison. How dazzling Clay is, he How tragic.
"I will be stationed at Riverrun now, Lord Edmure Tully. I will give you another thousand cavalry, all of them elite. At the same time, I will send Lord Severn to go with you."
Clay pointed his finger on the table, pointing to the south bank of the Tengshi River.
"Now that they have crossed the river, they must have seen the dawn of escaping back to the West. They still don't know the situation near Golden Tooth City. This is our advantage. I will bring you a thousand people and also give you a suggestion. "
When Edmure heard this, he quickly pricked up his ears. He might not be convinced by Clay Manderly in other matters, but for his ability on the battlefield, no matter how proud he was, he had to be convinced.
He is not stupid, this kind of private advice behind closed doors is actually very valuable.
"From now on, arrange all your infantry on the way for the Lannister army to join the army and flee south. Divide it into several waves for your own consideration. Every time the defeated troops arrive, you let them attack."
"We don't ask for victory, nor for defeat, nor for encirclement and annihilation. We just need to keep them in a state of mental stress and no rest at all times, and continue to bleed them."
"Forcing them to give up all their wounded, tearing them apart bit by bit."
Clay's eyes were full of danger, and he said his final killing move:
"When they are extremely tired, thirsty and tired, and still lack food, use the thousand cavalry I gave you to defeat them all. Moreover, I will use the thousand men in the hands of Earl Glover near the Golden Tooth City. I’ll transfer it to you too.”
"Their last burial place is probably under the Golden Teeth City. It can be considered as an explanation for their long-term escape south. After all, I have let them see the gate of the Western Territory."
It's like this again, easily toying with the opponent in the middle of applause, without any hesitation, as if he has already seen through everything.
Edmure Tully had asked many people about the mysterious controller of the Northern Cavalry Group before, and the answers he got were all kinds of strange, but one thing was consistent. All the battles won by Clay Manderly, His planning in front of the station played a vital role.
The Battle of the Twins was like this, the Battle of Maiden Valley was like this, and the rescue of Riverrun was still like this. It seemed that those who faced Clay Mandler were all babbling children.
But Edmure Tully knows only too well that from the vanished Frey family to the captive Jaime Lannister and the nobles of the West, which one is easy to get along with?
Just look at Edmure himself.
However, right in front of him, Clay Mandler gave the heir to the Riverlands a vivid lesson, showing him live what it means to act based on plan.
"This... Your Excellency's tactics are really similar to those of a wolf pack."
Edmure Tully said with difficulty.
This summary is correct, Clay is a wolf pack tactic, tearing off the flesh and blood of the enemy bit by bit, consuming the enemy with fatigue and fear, waiting until the enemy is weak enough, and then pounces on him to give him the final blow.
Clay didn't want to hear Edmure Tully's untrue compliments. He signaled that the other party could leave, and military orders would be issued to the cavalry camp later.
Before Edmure Tully left, Clay added:
"Lord Edmure, you only have ten days to win back honor for yourself and your family. After that, I will withdraw all the troops. Don't forget that Lord Tywin is still staying at Harrenhal. I You have to go see him, right?"
…
Southeast of Harrenhal, woodland near Antler Keep
Eddard Stark had just washed his worn-out and tattered boots in a shallow stream, and then put them on his feet without drying them.
Around him, there are only ten personal guards to protect his safety.
The Duke of the North, the former prime minister of the Seven Kingdoms, a great nobleman who was only one step away from becoming the regent after the death of King Robert, now looks like a beggar in a flea hole.
Everything that happens in King's Landing will turn into the deepest nightmare every night when Ed Stark escapes from King's Landing, constantly haunting him.
He really didn't expect that the Lannister woman would actually dare to put her incestuous offspring with the Kingslayer on the Iron Throne.
Eddard Stark himself felt that he had given Cersei Lannister enough opportunity to take your children and leave Westeros without harming the names of your mother and her children, and he would never pursue any further charges.
He thought he had done his best, but he never expected that Cersei would be corrupted by power and become a complete lunatic. She actually dared to openly send troops to attack him after he took out the king's decree.
Fortunately, he had three hundred loyal and powerful northern warriors by his side. There were also many discords within the Golden Robes, so he was given the opportunity to break out of the Red Keep and escape King's Landing.
He had originally planned to return directly to the north, summon his vassals, raise an army together with the Riverlands and Arryn Valley, rush into King's Landing, and overthrow the rule of the false king.
Then, he handed the crown to the true heir to the Iron Throne, Robert's brother, Stannis Baratheon. After completing all this, he returned directly to his Winterfell and swore an oath to the old and new gods. , never step into King's Landing again.
But what happened was counterproductive. Cersei's fear and hatred for herself were deeply rooted in her bones, and the pursuers she sent made it impossible for him to go all the way north along the King's Road back to Moat Cailin.
In desperation, Eddard Stark ordered his guards of less than 300 men to break up into small groups, each trying to find a way to escape the pursuers and meet at the Bay of Cailin.
Unexpectedly, the pursuers escaped one after another, but Tywin Lannister led 20,000 people to complete the military blockade of the entire area around Harrenhal in a very short period of time. .
Ed Stark was forced to not even be able to walk on the trails, and he did not dare to stay on a farm. He could only hide in the dense forest and rely on hunting and mountain spring water to survive.
It's not that he hasn't tried to get around here, he has tried, but unfortunately, the Lannister army's blockade is very long and tight, leaving him no chance at all.
Ed Stark has already understood that it must be a team that was broken into pieces. Someone was caught by Lannister and revealed the information that he was in this area.
That's why Tywin Lannister was willing to spend so much money to surround and arrest him.
"My lord, these Lannister circles are getting smaller and smaller."
Jory Kelso, the captain of Eddard Stark's bodyguard, handed a kettle filled with cold spring water to his lord, and said with bared teeth.
Four days ago, a member of their team was discovered by a Lannister search force while hunting and received an arrow. Although they later dealt with the three Lannister soldiers who caught up, their position was still unclear. It must have been exposed.
In the past few days of fleeing, the injured guard's wounds continued to worsen. As a last resort, Eddard Stark let him escape in advance, and he took the remaining people to continue to break through to the northwest.
Lannister lost track of the target, so he sent a large group of troops here, blocking Ed Stark and his party in a forest southeast of Harrenhal.
Through the confessions of the prisoners, Ed Stark already knew that his good son Robb had already set up his troops north of Harrenhal. In other words, as long as he completed the breakout, grabbed the horses, and rushed through, Once you reach the northern camp, you will be safe.
Eddard Stark knew very well that even if he died, he could not fall into the hands of the Lannister family. He did not know that Clay had already shown his power in the western battlefield and captured Lord Tywin's son Jaime Lannis. special.
This news was only known to a few high-level officials in the Northern and Western Regions.
Looking at the Valyrian greatsword Ice, which was stained with blood on the scabbard at his waist, but whose blade was still as sharp as ever, Eddard Stark finally saw the dawn of victory.
He ordered to the captain of his bodyguard:
"Qiao Li, tell everyone to have a night's rest and eat and drink enough. Tomorrow, we will break out towards Rob."
Jory Kelso nodded silently. He actually knew very well that this last section of the road was probably the most difficult. Their team was short of food and clothing and exhausted. Being able to persist here was considered a blessing from the gods.
Of these less than ten people, how many can return to the North alive in the end?
Jory Kelso no longer cares. The only thing he thinks about now is to send the Lord to the northern army as soon as possible. In that way, his own mission will be completed.
As for the rest, he couldn't care less.
