Chapter 199 The bloody battle of King’s Landing

When the Archbishop left the Red Fort, he couldn't help but look back at this royal fortress that was familiar yet unfamiliar to him.

There is no doubt that his so-called peace talks have had no effect. For Stannis and Renly, everything else is external, but only the crown cannot be shared with others.

The direct consequences of the breakdown of negotiations will be spoken with swords.

"Your Majesty, I know you cannot bow to Renly, a traitor, but to be honest, we only have ten thousand people. Although they are all soldiers, Renly's strength is at least four times that of ours."

Now Stannis does not have any qualified staff around him, and he is not interested in setting up a so-called royal council team. He is the commander-in-chief of the navy himself, so naturally he will not set up a sea minister.

As for the remaining positions, a few people were assigned to temporarily fill them, but they actually played no role.

The territory he actually controls is estimated to be less than half the territory of the Mandalay family. In this small area, there is no need for the Kingdom's Minister of Finance or Minister of Justice.

The words just now were still spoken by the Onion Knight Davos Seaworth who was beside him and whom he relied on as his confidant.

Stannis nodded, his short gray hair standing like steel needles, just like Stannis's character.

"You are right, Davos, but not entirely. Renly is not as strong as you think."

Stannis rested his elbows on the Iron Throne. He didn't like resting his unprotected palms on the Iron Throne.

The craftsman who built this chair never considered the issue of comfort. If the Iron Throne is judged from this perspective, it is definitely an extremely failed work, without a doubt.

According to legend, anyone who is cut by this chair will not be recognized by the Iron Throne and will not end well. Stannis knows the sharpness of the throne, so he does not want to try to put his hand on it.

Stannis stood up. He always felt that someone was watching him behind the Iron Throne. This feeling was just like the feeling he had when he first entered the throne room and the dragon skulls of the Targaryen family that had not yet been unloaded. .

Leaving the throne, Stannis came to the center of the hall. The braziers on both sides had been lit, and the light of the flames was shining on the faces of the two men.

"Davos, I know Renly much better than you do. My brother has never been a guy who can keep his composure. If he had the ability to attack us directly, King's Landing would be a river of blood by now."

Stannis looked in the direction of the throne room door, his dark blue eyes that looked like abyss filled with contempt and disdain. He pointed in that direction and said calmly:

"Renly wants to come here. If he had the ability, he wouldn't have sent that fat-headed guy just now. If you look at it, I can guess that Renly must have mastered the wealth that guy collected."

"Everyone in the Seven Kingdoms knows that our Lord, the Archbishop, needs enough wealth to better serve the Seven Gods. It is no wonder that he is like this."

Davos Seaworth nodded, obviously agreeing with his Majesty the King's statement.

However, he touched his hair and asked in a very puzzled tone:

"Your Majesty, I don't understand. What kind of problems can Renly encounter? He married the granddaughter of Old Rose. Logically speaking, they should be monolithic. No matter how much the old lion sheds their blood, it won't be the same, right? That’s an army of 80,000 people.”

"I don't know about that. You should have asked the Archbishop who was making clanking noises when he walked. He..."

Before he finished speaking, Stannis Baratheon's vassal, a knight from the Florent family, broke into the throne room and brought news that surprised everyone:

"Renly's army has launched an attack, right in the direction of Mud Road. Their target may be Linhe Gate!"

Linhe Gate is Mud Gate, which is just a more... elegant name.

In the past, this place was used to transport goods from the dock outside King's Landing to the city, including aquatic products fished out of Blackwater Bay. Before, it was always regarded as a mud gate in a prosperous area, but now, it has become It became a bloody battlefield.

After the Archbishop returned to St. Baelor's Cathedral, Renly Baratheon was forced into a corner. Although he now occupies most of King's Landing, the most important symbol of power, the Red Keep, is not in his hands. inside.

Under his command, more than one of the vassals from the Baratheon family came to him. Although they did not say it explicitly, the implication behind their words was to persuade Renly not to take action against Stannis.

On the other side, the Tyrell family is just the opposite. Mace Tyrell, Duke of Gauting, hurriedly arrived, bringing the intention of the Tyrell family and the entire Reach nobles to deal with Stannis as soon as possible.

Caught in the middle by pressure from both sides, Renly was in a dilemma. It was not that he felt any compassion for his brother, but that this war was not just a casualty.

Anyone can take a look at the terrain of King's Landing and understand that the Red Keep occupied by Stannis is located on Aegon's Hill, the highest point in the city. This attack is from the bottom up, with the defenders being condescending.

Moreover, the road conditions in King's Landing may be the most complicated in the entire Seven Kingdoms. In this case, the cavalry galloping on the battlefield have no room to show their abilities in this place.

What's even more uncomfortable is that even after the large siege engines are built, they can't be transported in. It's impossible for Renly to actually use such weapons against the Red Keep. This is a fatal blow to his royal prestige.

Therefore, if he wanted to attack the city, he could only send an infantry group. In other words, this would mean filling the city with human lives, and this was exactly what Renly didn't want to do.

Renly had no choice but to attack the only city gate controlled by Stannis first. If he could capture it, he could completely cut off Stannis's way out of the city, and maybe force him to surrender.

Renly thought so and did so, so the war between the two Baratheons broke out near the Mud Gate.

What was once a square filled with fishermen selling their catch has now become a hell on earth where life is harvested.

Renly's army wanted to capture the city gate, but when the city wall was completely blocked by Stannis' army, they could only attack from the bottom of the city.

In front of the Mud Gate, this large open space became an insurmountable death zone for Renly's army.

The defenders on the city can shoot arrows down leisurely, or even take some time to aim. Anyway, the walls leading from here to the Red Keep are connected. Lannister thoughtfully left a lot of arrows behind when he left. .

So, soon, more than five hundred corpses fell in the Fishermen's Square, and the blood flow gathered into a small stream. The rich smell of blood was accompanied by the smell of feces and urine caused by incontinence caused by death, and there was a pungent stench. Renly's army never charged again.

The Mud Gate offensive has temporarily stopped, but heading north along the Mud Gate to the central square of King's Landing, the main north-south road called the Mud Road, Renly's army's offensive has just begun.

Because it is close to Aegon Hill, most of the residences here are nobles. They are the resident nobles of King's Landing and are loyal to whoever is the king. Now, there are two kings in King's Landing, so they are in a neutral state.

But their homes, these large mansions with high walls and deep ravines, have become a natural line of defense for Stannis's army who controls this place.

Although they were at an absolute disadvantage in terms of numbers, Renly's army would pay a huge price for every step forward in front of them.

The clash of swords, the strange sound of iron piercing the human body, and the desperate cries of the injured before death resounded endlessly in every space on this once bustling street.

War will not show mercy to anyone. It will only laugh strangely, swallowing the blood and bones of all the dead, and then become more powerful and terrifying.

When the sun sets, this tragic war enters the first rest stage. Soldiers on both sides are tired and need enough rest and supplies before they can engage in the next more brutal battle.

In St. Baelor's Cathedral, a banquet hosted by the Archbishop was being held. The reason was, of course, to celebrate King Renly's success in crossing the muddy path and almost touching the edge of Aegon's High Hill.

As Renly and his vassals were accustomed to hosting banquets, such a banquet was not something they could refuse. Although he had no intention of doing so, Renly still wore a luxurious gold and green robe and came to attend the banquet.

After dealing with the slightly excited Archbishop and saying a few toasts, Renly received the blessing from the Archbishop on behalf of the Seven Gods, and the banquet had nothing to do with him.

Holding a fine silver table knife, he cut apart a roasted suckling pig with crispy skin without any appetite. Renly frowned slightly and sat alone on a high seat, silent.

And Miss Margaery Tyrell, Rose of Highting, who was supposed to be by his side, was like a fluttering butterfly, shuttling among her family's vassals, and making provocative remarks to some young people from time to time. Attention-grabbing laughter.

"Your Majesty, our losses have been revealed. Do you want to take a look?"

Brienne of Tarth, holding a thin piece of paper, quietly came to his king, possessed Renly and whispered in Renly's ear.

"Well, show me."

Renly Baratheon nodded calmly, stretched out his left hand to take the paper, held it in his palm but did not open it directly, but looked up at Brienne and asked softly:

"Brenne, how is our military morale? Apart from you, I really can't trust anyone in this hall."

"Rainbow Knight" followed the king's gaze and glanced at the people laughing and feasting at her feet. She could not feel even a little bit of war in these people. It seemed that they were only a few hundred meters away from the war. It doesn't matter.

"Smell it, my knights. Their bodies are full of luxurious perfume. I can't smell any blood."

Brienne understood that her king was not criticizing these nobles for their lack of compassion. In fact, this was what the king lacked the most. Renly actually meant that these guys did not fight for his throne at all. .

Renly didn't make things difficult for Brienne anymore. He just said these words to express his depression. To be honest, these things are really not something that a little knight like Brienne can evaluate.

He unfolded the paper with the casualties of his army in today's battle. At a glance, he saw that the silver table knife in his hand was directly inserted into the suckling pig's back.

After taking a few breaths, Renly threw the piece of paper into the candlestick nearby. Suddenly, the flames were like dancing elves in front of him. At this moment, he felt that this flame was more powerful than Margaery. ·Tyrell, looks much better.

He couldn't help but feel angry. The battle report clearly stated that a battle was fought today. Renly's army lost more than 3,000 people. Among them, less than 1,000 people died in the unsuccessful battle to seize the Mud Gate. Almost all of them died. was massacred by the defenders.

The remaining two thousand people were lost during the attack on King's Landing controlled by Stannis. This in itself is nothing. What makes Renly most angry is that most of these three thousand people are Baratheon. Vassal of the En family.

In other words, with his old foundation from the storm zone, he lost nearly one-sixth of his troops in this battle, which made him feel the danger.

To put it bluntly, his throne is actually a company led by the Baratheon family and jointly funded by the Stormlands and the Riverlands.

Although Renly is still the unwavering chairman, as the losses of his army continue to increase, there is no telling which day he will be kicked out by the Tyrells and occupy the position of chairman.

"Your Majesty, will we continue to attack tomorrow?"

Although it was not her place to ask this question, Brienne, who had read the contents of this piece of paper, decided to ask this question. Renly was right about one thing. In this bustling aristocratic field, he could really trust, There are really only the so-called Rainbow Guardians like him.

After letting out a long sigh, Renly gritted his teeth, snorted coldly, and said:

"Tell Randyll Tarly that I will see his banner on the battlefield at the Mudgate tomorrow. That's the king's command!"

Nodding, Brienne of Tarth left. She was actually very worried about her master, because just now, she suddenly realized that her king seemed not even capable of threatening military leaders like Randyll Tarly. No.

Did Renly dare to order Randyll Tarly to be killed with a single blow, saying that he was not fighting properly? If he really dared to do this, the entire Tully family's army would immediately leave, and the entire land of the river bend would immediately become deserted.

In the political system of Westeros, the king is actually a large lord, and there is no transcendent status beyond all nobles. The king himself is the largest noble in the country, and once he kills the nobles, he is equal to this The system goes to war.

Why did "Mad King" Aerys Targaryen die? It was he who killed the duke and heir in the north. Then, this logic started, and the entire aristocratic system began to turn against him.

Renly is not stupid, so he won't do this, but...if he doesn't, what can he do?

The nobles of the Reach have great fortunes, and with Renly, who only has more than 10,000 of his own men left, they are almost unable to hold them back.

Tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, three months at most.

If Renly cannot ascend the Iron Throne, then...the Tyrell family and the entire Reach nobles will lose all patience with Renly. By that time.

If there are only a few men left in Renly's hands, one night, his head will be cut off by the crazy nobles and given to the king on the Iron Throne, no matter who he is, as the best gift for their surrender.

Don't think that they don't dare. For their own status, they dare to do anything.

This is nobility.