Game of Thrones: The Road to Pirate King

Chapter 268 Randy Tarly – I am the vanguard!

The fall of Frey was merely an appetizer; Robert Baratheon craved the main course—a hard-fought battle to face off against Aerys the Mad King's most loyal and fierce warrior.

Robert needed to feel the weight of the warhammer tearing through the air, to hear the thunderous sound of a shield shattering, and to witness the Lannister red lion banner or the Royalist dragon banner falling to the dust.

"Accelerate!" Robert's voice boomed like thunder, and the messenger raced through the marching torrent. He looked north, his eyes burning with a belligerent fire, as if he could already smell the alluring scent of rust and smoke drifting from King's Landing.

Robert's burning gaze swept across the map, fixing fixedly on a stretch of mudflat upstream on the Green Fork River—Cen Tree Shoal. Fate seemed to always hear the battle cry in his heart; an opponent worthy of his hammer was already standing in his way.

That man was Lord Randyll Tarly, the most fearsome commander under House Tyrell of the Reach. His name was renowned. Legend had it that he was as imposing as a mountain, wielding the ancestral two-handed greatsword "Heartbreaker," and had never been defeated by it. Now, he was leading the Reach's elite main force, guarding the ferry crossing and high ground of Treesbush like an iron gate.

Scouts report that Tali's camp is heavily fortified, teeming with scouts and riders, and boasts a formidable military might. The red-based Sam warrior banner representing the Tali family flutters steadily in the river breeze, silently declaring to all challengers: I am not to be trifled with!

This was no longer the repulsive wretch Frey, but a true, tempered steel. A thrilling shiver ran down Robert's spine, and a rough smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. Only by defeating such an enemy, by destroying such a disciplined army, could he satisfy the pure, unadulterated thirst for glory and victory deep within his soul.

"Randall Tarly—" Robert murmured the name, his knuckles slamming heavily on the map of Climbing Tree Beach, his eyes burning with a rage that seemed to set the map ablaze. "Very well, very well. I'll use you and your Reach army as a sacrifice to my battle flag!"

""

In the camp at Centree Beach, Randall Tarly, commander of the Reach, stood like a mountain at the front of the lines, clad in dark armor, gazing at the dust raised by Robert's army in the distance.

Landau's face was ashen, his brows furrowed, and his sharp eyes, usually so adept at spotting opportunities in battle, now held a complex mix of emotions that no one could see.

Before setting out, the words of Lady Olenna Redwynn, the "Queen of Thorns" of Highgarden, still echoed in his ears, carrying the scent of roses and sharp wit: "Lord Randyll, this trip to Climbing Tree Beach is nothing more than a performance for that mad king of King's Landing. Form ranks, hold the ford, but remember—do not actually lay a hand on him."

His knuckles, clenched into a fist, turned slightly white. As a knight whose reputation was forged in iron and blood, his true allegiance remained to Aerys Targaryen II on the Iron Throne. That was the monarch he swore allegiance to, the ancient law upon which chivalry was bound.

Even as the king grew increasingly mad, loyalty remained a tenet that Randyll Tarly could not easily abandon.

The will of the Tyrells, conveyed through Lady Olenna's unquestionable tone, compelled him to obey. The food, gold, and political intrigue of Highgarden were far more complex than his personal honor and beliefs. Thus, despite a burning desire to crush the rebels, his army remained rooted to the spot, as if nailed to the mud of the Centree Beach.

He was like a war bear chained up, only able to let out a silent growl towards the battlefield, letting his inner loyalty and the commands of reality tear him apart on the silent beach.

But what if someone were to challenge him...?

Above Censhu Beach, wind and clouds gathered.

The armies on both sides stretched out like two iron tides poised to strike, squeezing the verdant riverbanks into a narrow, suffocating battle line. The air was thick with the smell of mud, rust, and a pungent odor of war.

Robert Baratheon stood on horseback at the front of the ranks, his massive frame like the embodiment of war. His warhammer, Robert's Judgment, rested on his shoulder, sunlight dancing on its cold head. He surveyed his Stormlands troops, his voice like thunder, sweeping across the ranks: "Soldiers! Do you see the Reach's bulwark ahead?" He pointed to the red-backed Sam banner on the opposite bank. "The Reach must be taken! Only then will our western flank be safe from the Tyrells' army, and only then can we confidently march north and smash the Iron Throne of King's Landing!"

His voice suddenly rose, his eyes widened in fury, and his ferocious killing intent seemed tangible: "Anyone who dares to block our path, no matter who they are, no matter whose orders they follow—their fate should be like that of Frey in Lihe City! We will wipe them out completely, destroy them until nothing remains! We will use their corpses to pave the way for our victory!"

This declaration, filled with an aura of destruction, ignited the fighting spirit of the Stormlands soldiers like wildfire.

With the lord's valiant and resolute actions, and the enemy's forces being roughly equal in strength, a resounding victory seemed within reach. A deafening roar of cheers and the clang of weapons striking shields erupted, the fighting spirit soaring to the heavens.

On the opposite bank, Randyll Tarly sat astride his warhorse, watching everything with an expressionless face. He could feel the destructive aura emanating from the other side and hear Robert's undisguised arrogance. He gripped the hilt of Heartbreaker tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force. The Reach army behind him, though also well-organized, lacked some of its frenzy and instead displayed a more passive and solemn demeanor.

The two armies stood facing each other, their swords drawn and bows ready to strike.

The sound of the Green Fork River seemed to have been swallowed up, and only the eerie interplay of pre-battle silence and clamor remained in the world. Just one bugle call was needed to completely dye this mudflat red.

Seeing Robert Baratheon's fighting spirit blazing uncontrollably, Randyll Tarly's last shred of hesitation was replaced by a cold, resolute decision. He took a deep breath, his gaze sweeping over the green-and-red silhouette of the swift hunter on his banner, the family motto resounding within him like a war drum—"I will lead the way!"

This is not only the glory of the family, but also the battle cry to break the deadlock at this moment.

"The Tali family, charge with me!" His voice boomed, and the massive Valyrian steel two-handed sword "Heartbreaker" was drawn, slicing through the air with a deadly glint. He spurred his horse, and it shot off like an arrow, the first to break through the enemy lines.

The commander-in-chief led from the front, as if he had infused the entire army with his soul. The River Bend cavalry behind him, who had been poised to attack, surged forward like a steel torrent bursting its banks. The sound of their hooves instantly coalesced into a thunderous roar that swallowed the heavens and the earth.

During the charge, this cavalry torrent displayed astonishing training. Under Landau's prior command, the massive formation smoothly split into three, transforming into a huge, sharp trident that pierced straight into Stormfield's army.

Randyll Tarly himself led his most elite central army, like the hammerhead of a warhammer, directly and without embellishment striking the banner of Robert Baratheon. At the same time, two other iron cavalry units, like the forked tongues of vipers, swiftly split off from the flanks of the main force, drawing two deadly arcs and fiercely thrusting towards the relatively weak flanks of the Stormlands army.

In an instant, on Censhu Beach, three armies of iron hooves trampled the earth, raising dust that blotted out the sky.