Longshi Island, under the stone drum tower.
Duke Eddard Stark stood on the edge of a steep cliff, the salty, icy sea breeze beating his weathered cheeks violently, blowing his dark gray fur cloak with a rustling sound.
He raised his head and stared at the heart-pounding Blackstone Castle in front of him.
It is not like any of Westeros' buildings, but more like an ancient dragon of solidified lava and nightmares drilled from the center of the earth, crouched fiercely on an island of volcanic rock.
The twisted tower was its raised head, and the winding walls covered with sharp battlements were its entrenched body.
And countless drip spouts with strange shapes, like demons or gargoyles, are its jagged spines.
At this moment, on these dripping mouths, there stood rows of soldiers in black armor and holding halberds, silently looking down at the torrent of steel gathering below.
The air was filled with a strong smell that could not be dissolved.
The salty sea breeze, the smell of rusty metal, the smell of leather tanning, and the body odor of tens of thousands of soldiers, mixed with sweat, grease and tension.
Various brightly colored or gloomy flags are torn in the wind.
Ice Plain Wolf, Roaring Lion, Golden Rose, Sunlight Spear, Crown Buck...
The coats of arms of the seven kingdoms converge here, symbolizing unprecedented power, but also exuding a suffocating sense of oppression.
A heavier and more sonorous footstep came, accompanied by the hurried footsteps of the attendants and the clinking of objects.
King Robert strode over, surrounded by lords, princes, royal guards, and a group of young attendants holding huge wine jugs, silver plates, and even grills.
The heavy plate armor wrapped around his massive and bloated body, making a loud noise with every step.
His huge masked helmet was tucked under his armpits, revealing a face swollen and red threads eroded by alcohol and indulgence, and a thick black beard like thorns.
"Ned!"
Robert's loud laughter was like a war drum, instantly overwhelming the surrounding noise.
He walked up to Ed in a few steps, sprayed his breath on the other person's face with a heavy smell of alcohol, and his huge palm with iron gloves slapped the direwolf crest on Ed's shoulder, making a muffled sound that shook Ed's shoulder blades.
"Haha! I haven't seen you for a few years, and you still look like this, and you haven't changed at all. "
He laughed.
Ed steadied his figure and looked at his old friend carefully.
Robert's face was more puffy than the last time we met in Pike Place City, with deep bags under his eyes, his once clear and sharp blue eyes were now cloudy and bloodshot, and his waist and abdomen were still surprisingly swollen under the finely crafted plate armor.
He found that in his mind, Robert's face when he was young was trimmed, and his tall and handsome appearance became more and more blurred.
The years are like leeches, gradually sucking away people's memories.
It also gnawed away the invincible stag on the banks of the Trident River.
"Your Majesty."
Ed nodded slightly, his voice calm: "Your Majesty, you have changed a lot from a few years ago..."
Robert laughed and scolded, "Ah, you, Ned, you dare to talk to the king like this in the entire Seven Kingdoms." "
He showed off his belly with a finely crafted curved plate armor, which subtly contained his bulging belly.
Thanks to the master blacksmith of King's Landing, he was able to put on well-fitting armor.
For this armor, he spent a lot of golden dragons.
Duke Ed turned to the official topic: "Speaking of which, Your Majesty, how did your battle plan arrange for your expedition to the Stone Steps Islands this time?" "
Robert looked at the naval commander appointed by the kingdom, the military commander of this expedition, the Earl of Qingting Island, Paxter Redwin.
Jon Arryn stayed in King's Landing during the King's expedition, and Paxter is currently the most vocal of all.
Paxter had drooping shoulders and a thin figure, with only a few strands of orange-yellow hair left on the top of his head.
He said to Duke Edd: "Lord Stark, Lord Varys has collected the detailed battle arrangements of the Eastern Wizards for us, and they are now stationed on Broken Spear Island and nailed Tylosi in place, so our primary goal is to seize their lair, Bloodstone Island. "
"Bloodstone Island?"
Duke Ed pondered.
Prince Darn, who was dressed in shiny bronze armor, said with a smile on his lips: "The largest island in the Stone Steps Islands is just opposite Yang Halberd City, and every night the Dorns can hear the sound of pirates and prostitutes on Bloodstone Island..."
The languid voice of Oberon Martell, Prince of Dorne, sounded.
There was always a cynical and hidden smile on the corner of his mouth, as if the pre-war meeting in front of him about the fate of the kingdom was just an interesting drama.
Count Paxter glanced at Oberen coldly.
He ignored Prince Dorne, turned to everyone, and pointed his finger firmly on Bloodstone Island: "According to reliable insiders, Bloodstone Island is the most abundant supply center for the Orientals in the Stonestep Islands, and if we take it, we will have a foothold, a solid springboard for attacking, retreating and defending." "
He moved his finger to the east: "Based on this, the fleet can sweep the Oriental islands and reefs, eliminate the remnants of the enemy, and finally flank the Tai Luo Xi allies from east to west, completely strangling the main force of the Orientals here." "
Sir Kevon Lannister, who had been silent like gold, spoke.
He was clad in shining golden and red plate armor, and the roaring lion crest on his chest shone brightly, but his voice was low and full of doubts: "Reliable informant? Lord Paxter, you are referring to that... Sir Jorah Mormont? "
He paused, and his eagle-like gaze swept over the crowd: "He mentioned in the secret letter... The Orientals have a ... An elite legion equipped with Valyrian steel armor, weirdly moving, and nearly undead? This matter... Is it too sensational? "
Oberon immediately let out a short, sharp sneer, like the cry of a night owl: "Oh? When did the noble lion of Caesar Rock City become interested in the murmur of drunken ghosts in taverns and the ghost stories made up by exiled knights in order to survive? Or... Lannister's courage was softened by silk? "
Sir Ke Fon's face instantly darkened, and his hand pressed the hilt of the lion's head sword on his waist, and the muscles under the golden and red armor tightened.
Ed Stark took a step forward before he broke out, and said in a deep voice: "Sir Jorah Mormont is wanted by the Seven Kingdoms for a felony crime of slave trafficking, and the credibility of his words itself will be greatly reduced, and it is not impossible for him to be in the enemy camp, exaggerating in order to seek amnesty, and even fabricating some appalling news to show his own value." "
He swept through the crowd, with the pragmatism and vigilance characteristic of the northerners: "Before you see it with your own eyes, you should be cautious about anything that goes beyond common sense." "
Seeing that the atmosphere was instantly tense, Count Paxter immediately spoke: "Gentlemen, whether the so-called 'undead legion' exists or not, whether it is an exaggeration or a fact, there is one thing that all of us cannot deny and must face up, the Orientals have unified the entire Stone Steps Islands except Tylosi in a short period of time, and the soldiers under his command are conservatively estimated to be more than 10,000 people, and the number of rowing warships under his control is no less than 100, and this military strength has to make us pay attention to it." "
"Yes, that Eastern wizard has unified the Stone Steps Islands, and when he captures Telosi, he will invade the Seven Kingdoms, and we must stop him in the Narrow Sea."
King Robert cast an approving glance at Count Paxter's words.
Oberen didn't seem to feel the slaughtering atmosphere, and he straightened up lazily, as if looking for something.
"The atmosphere is so warm, how can there be no real owner of this place?"
The smile on the corner of his mouth had a hint of viciousness: "Where is our Master Stannis?" The Duke of Dragonstone, the Minister of Maritime Affairs, did not hesitate to show off His Majesty the King and his colleagues on such a grand expedition? "
His voice was not loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.
Robert's face instantly turned purple and black with rage.
Count Paxter's face was also as gloomy as the sky of Dragonstone.
Robert said angrily: "Don't mention that person, since he doesn't want to go to war, let him rot here with the stone dragon on the island!" "
Since he landed on the island, Stannis has avoided it on the grounds of military affairs, only providing an army and a barely repaired royal fleet, and he himself sternly refused to go with the army, on the grounds that he wanted to sit on Dragonstone Island to guard against possible attacks.
Paxter was extremely irritated by the mention of the name Stannis itself due to his early years with Stannis.
He glanced glimpses glimpses at Garland Tyrell, the second son sent by Mace Tyrell, the young man with his forehand on the hilt of his sword, and stares vigilantly at the outspoken Prince Dorn.
These damn Dorners!
Paxter cursed in his heart, only to feel that his temples were jumping, and he was a hundred times more tired than commanding the fleet.
"Your Majesty!"
Paxter forcibly suppressed the churning anger and irritability.
"The main force of the Oriental people is nailed to Broken Spear Island, the defense of Bloodstone Island is empty, our fleet is ready to go, please order Your Majesty to set sail and take Bloodstone Island!"
Robert took a deep breath, as if to turn all his anger into strength.
He suddenly lifted the huge warhammer high above his head, and the hideous spikes on the hammer head glowed with cold light in the dim light, and he let out a deafening roar with all his strength:
"Let's go! For the Seven Kingdoms, crush them! "
Ugh————!
The heavy and desolate sound of the horn, like the sorrow of a dragon, suddenly tore apart the gloomy sky of Dragonstone Island, and one after another, echoed repeatedly between the jagged cliffs, spreading throughout the port.
In an instant, the gloomy harbor of Dragonstone Island boiled.
Like a sleeping behemoth awakened, the huge fleet slowly moved.
The thick cable was untied, and the heavy iron anchor was lifted to the creak of the winch.
Huge square sails and spinnakers are like continuous clouds, suddenly opening under the agitation of the strong sea breeze, making a dull loud noise.
More than 400 warships of all sizes formed a forest of sails that covered the sky and sun, and slowly sailed away from the port full of hideous black reefs.
The deck and side of each warship were densely packed with soldiers from the Seven Kingdoms.
They were dressed in all kinds of armor and armed with cold light, and their expressions were either slain, fanatical, or numb, converging into a suffocating torrent full of rust and blood.
Five thousand soldiers from the North, led by Duke Eddard Stark.
Sir Kevon of the Lannister family in the West led an army of 6,000 men.
The soldiers of the Eastern Border, because Jon Arryn stayed behind in King's Landing, and his heir was too young, was also in King's Landing, so he ordered Jon Royce, Count of Runestone, to lead an army of 4,000 princes of the valley to march.
The Southern Border had the largest number of troops, and the Tyrell family seemed to want to show it, the Gauting army led by Garan Tyrell was already as many as 3,000 men, the Hightower family also had 2,000 men, and Paxter, as the commander, also sent 2,000 men, plus 200 warships, and the river bend mobilized a total of 10,000 people.
The lords of the Stormlands were under the command of Lan Li, with a total of 5,000 men, and the Riverlands were led by Blackfish and Edmu Tully with 5,000 soldiers.
Prince Dorne Oberon also brought three thousand men.
Plus 3,000 men from the king's territory and 2,000 men from the iron captain of the Iron Islands, Victalion.
The Seven Kingdoms mobilized a total of 43,000 soldiers, more than 400 warships, large and small warships, together with a huge fleet loaded with grain and grass, siege equipment, and countless civilians, to rush to the target called Bloodstone Island.
The wind in the narrow sea has never been so strong and suffocating as it is now, full of such a strong and suffocating smell of rust and blood.
The storm of war has come.