Game of Thrones: The Wrath of the Sleeping Dragon

The cavalryman removed his helmet, revealing a weathered face, then dismounted and handed the helmet and reins to a squire beside him.

"Father."

Behind him, another Dornish ranger clad in armor dismounted, removed his helmet to reveal a young, innocent face, and followed him.

"Damon."

The middle-aged nobleman frowned slightly as he watched his illegitimate son follow him obliviously.

"I'm going to see Lord Erenwood, so you don't need to come along."

Then he saw that his warhorse, which had been led away by his servant, was covered in blood, and he spoke.

This horse was his cherished treasure, like a piece of pure white silk. He couldn't bear to see it covered in mud and smelling bad in the future.

"My warhorse is a bit dirty, go and clean it."

The middle-aged man's armor clanked as he walked away into the distance, ignoring his illegitimate son who stood dumbfounded behind him.

Although illegitimate children have a slightly better status in Dorne and are accepted to some extent, they still have little social standing.

Moreover, he brought his illegitimate child to meet his powerful father-in-law.

Sir Roger Elion of Divine Grace City wouldn't have done something like this if he weren't mentally challenged.

Since Viserys defeated the White Walkers and the war broke out between Dorne and the Allied forces at the Twins, Dorne has been constantly mobilizing troops.

Although the news came back somewhat unexpectedly, and they did not expect the White Walkers to be defeated so quickly, they still cooperated with the Targaryen army in the battle.

The Dornish army besieged the city, tying down the armies of House Baratheon and House Tyrell, preventing them from marching north to answer King Robert's call to aid the besieged King's Landing and repel the Targaryen army.

The current commander of the Dornish army is Lord Anders Erenwood, known in Dornish as the Guardian of the Stone Road and a noble of blood. He is the most powerful family in Dornish besides House Martell and the right-hand man of Prince Doran.

He was once assigned by Prince Doran to lead a Dornish army as a delaying tactic, responding to King Robert's call to march north and join the allied forces at the Wall to stop the wildlings and White Walkers.

However, Lord Anders Erenwood lost a foot in the war against the White Walkers and fell to the ground. Although he was eventually rescued by Dornish soldiers, his wound became so infected that, in order to save his life, the maester used a hot-fired sword to cut off his injured left foot, leaving him crippled ever since.

After that war, Anders Erenwood led the remnants of Dorne away from the Allied forces and returned to Dorne. The Dornish army did not participate in the subsequent Battle of Winterfell and the Battle of Kalin Bay.

After a long and arduous journey, they finally reached the southernmost edge of Westeros from the north, and the Dornish army returned to their homeland, bringing back the true story of the White Walkers to Prince Doran.

Anders told Prince Doran that terrible demons had appeared at the ends of the earth, places the Dornish might never go, bringing death and cold with them, and attempting to destroy the entire world.

If no one can stop them, the world's destruction may be just around the corner.

Prince Doran was still somewhat skeptical at the time, and asked his confidants what the legendary White Walkers actually looked like.

However, Anders told him that the White Walkers were not legendary, but things he had seen with his own eyes. If the prince wanted to ask what they looked like, how fast they were, or how strong they were, he could ask.

Anders could only point to his missing left foot and the Dornish soldiers who had miraculously survived. Many of them had gone mad, some even committing suicide on their way back, and then told Prince Doran that this was what 'death' looked like, nothing more.

At this moment, in the silent command tent of the Dornish army, Anders Erenwood sat behind the sand table, quietly gazing at the situation unfolding before him.

"Father."

Then Roger Elion lifted the curtain and entered. Roger's father-in-law was none other than the one-legged 'Guardian of the Stone Road,' Earl Anders Erenwood, who was now the commander of the Dornish army.

He married Anders' daughter, Ianse Erenwood, and they had two sons.

"Yes, I'm back."

When his son-in-law returned from outside the camp, Anders didn't even raise his head, his eyes still fixed intently on the sand table in front of him, as if searching for a way to overcome the obstacles.

Although the Dornish army came with great force, the attack was not actually very successful.

After the troops passed through Prince's Pass, they faced resistance from Nightsong City. The frontier seemed to have been prepared for Dorne's attack for a long time, after all, this place has historically been a strategic location and extremely sensitive.

Lord Bryce Cullen, the commander of the frontier, summoned many nobles, both large and small, to aid him in the battle, and also received support from the armies of House Tyrell and House Baratheon.

The main forces of both sides engaged in a protracted stalemate here, while Dorne's cavalry was sent out to constantly harass the reinforcements from Stormlands and Reach, intercepting and cutting off their supply lines.

They even ventured deep into the rich river bends, engaging in widespread burning, killing, and looting, destroying countless villages.

This action thoroughly enraged the Rose of Highgarden, and the Duke of Mace borrowed his uncle from his vassal, the House of Hightower in Oldtown, and Ser Maureen Tyrell, commander-in-chief of the Oldtown garrison, led troops to his aid.

But then the good news arrived.

“We have repelled the Tyrell reinforcements, Father.”

Rogé Elion spoke up, saying that they had laid an ambush on the route the reinforcements were bound to take, catching the Tyrells off guard and temporarily repelling them.

"And there was an unexpected bonus: we captured this chubby little guy."

Then Sir Elion clapped his hands, and a chubby little boy with a green and red hunter's crest pinned to his chest was pushed in, trembling.

Lord Anderson Erenwood, commander of Dorne, immediately looked at the emblem on his chest, then raised his head and spoke calmly.

"Young man, please introduce yourself."

Chapter 483 The Battle of Night Song City

The Tyrell reinforcements were repelled, and the current Earl of Hornhill, Samwell Tarly, was captured in the war and imprisoned in the Dornish camp.

Since the disappearance of former Earl of Hornhill, Randy Tarly, during the Battle of Riverrun, with no trace of his body or whereabouts, Samwell Tarly, the eldest son of the Tarly family, became the new Earl with his mother's support.

Dorne threatened to kill their lord if the Tarly army refused to leave, leaving the Tarly army with no choice but to withdraw.

Meanwhile, Dorne is reporting a series of victories.

The spies that Earl Anders Erenwood had planted in Nightsong long ago burned countless grains and supplies under the cover of night before disappearing without a trace.

Bryce Cullen, the commander of the frontier, was furious and vowed to find the traitor. He hanged more than thirty people, including the warehouse guards and the steward, but he still couldn't find the Dornish spy.

However, finding the traitor is not the most important thing now; the real question is what to eat next.

Nightsong has a large army, but supplies are running low. Although they can ask their lord Renly for help, he is too far away and they also have to deal with harassment from Dornish cavalry.

Therefore, Count Bryce Cullen was forced to open the city gates and engage in a decisive battle, with the two sides clashing beneath Nightsong City.

Then the bugle sounded, and a fierce battle broke out.

The Dornish people favored round shields made of metal. The vast Dornish army, armed with shields and spears or short javelins, surged toward the frontier, while Dornish archers, wielding double-curved longbows, nocked arrows and drew their bows.

bang bang bang-

A dense rain of arrows fell from the sky, and the soldiers on the frontier raised their shields to block the arrows, which struck the shields with a crisp sound.

puff--

However, some stray arrows still pierced through the shield formation and fell into the crowd below, followed by screams as soldiers collapsed to the ground.

"kill!"

The Dornish army surged into the frontier, and the soldiers launched a fierce counterattack, their battle cries shaking the heavens and the earth.

This was the largest war in Westeros since the Battle of Riverrun a few months earlier, with tens of thousands of troops fighting each other.

Damon Shad, the bastard son of Divine Grace City, brandished a scimitar and charged ahead, slitting the throats of two frontier soldiers in one go. He hoped to gain his father's approval instead of being sent to scavenge horses again.

However, at that moment, a hideous knight with a face covered in measles suddenly rushed out from beside Damon Shad. He was wearing dark gold armor and wielded a sword and shield with extraordinary ferocity.

"come over!"

"You bastard from Divine Grace City! Do you dare to fight me to the death!"

He recognized Damon Shad. Damon's father, as the commander of the Dornish Rangers, had caused a lot of trouble for the nobles on the frontier during this time, repeatedly harassing supplies and burning villages.

Meanwhile, Damon Shad, the bastard son of the City of Divine Grace, often followed his father. Although he was young, he was brave in battle and thus gained some fame in this war.

"Lord Roland!"

Upon seeing the knight in the dark gold armor step forward to challenge the skilled opponent, cheers erupted from the frontier army.

His name is Roland Storm, and he is also a bastard, the bastard son of Sir Bylan Cullen, the former lord of House Cullen, and the half-brother of the current lord, Bryce Cullen. He is known as the 'Bastard of Nightsong City'.

He was a valiant warrior himself, and was even described by Dorne commander Anders Erenwood as a seasoned killer.

The young Dornish warrior Daemon Shad was equally arrogant. Hearing the ugly knight's provocation, especially his emphasis on being the 'bastard son of the City of Divine Grace,' he was immediately enraged.

"Roland!"

"Come on! Let's settle this once and for all!"

Then Damon Shad brandished his scimitar and charged toward Roland Storm on horseback.

Meanwhile, the illegitimate son of Nightsong City, clad in heavy plate armor, stood firmly on the ground, his expression calm. He discarded his shield and instead gripped his longsword with both hands.

"kill!"

Then, with a thunderous roar, the two weapons clashed heavily.

clang--

Roland Storm was incredibly strong; with a powerful strike, he cleaved Damon Shad's scimitar in two, and with a backhand stroke, he severed the head of Damon's warhorse.

Before it could even utter a painful neigh, scalding blood gushed out like a fountain, and the warhorse's heavy body collapsed to the ground.

Damon Shad, who was on horseback, was thrown to the ground and was immediately disoriented, seeing stars.

"Pooh--"

He spat out a mouthful of sand, and before he could even get back to his feet, Roland Storm, sword in hand, strode toward him.

"Spare me!"

"surrender!"

"I surrender!"

Upon seeing this, Damon Shad immediately knelt down and raised his hands in an attempt to beg for mercy, but Roland Storm completely ignored him, raising his longsword high before bringing it down.

puff--

With a single sword stroke, his head was severed, blood spurted out, and the body fell to the ground. The bastard son of Night Song City had killed the bastard son of Divine Grace City.

However, although the frontier army won the Battle of the Bastards, it did not win the war.

With reinforcements in the river bend suffering setbacks and temporarily retreating, and supplies failing to keep up, the frontier troops, outnumbered, have managed to hold out for quite some time, which is truly remarkable.

However, war ultimately depends on the quality and quantity of soldiers, weapons and equipment, and logistical support. While strategy can influence war to some extent, it is ultimately a contest of true strength.

The frontier nobles suffered a crushing defeat, losing Nightsong City and being forced to retreat to the Black Harbor in the rear.

The Dornish army only pursued for a while, but did not continue to pursue and expand their gains. Instead, they headed straight northwest toward Highgarden.

Highgarden, situated on a bend in the plains with well-connected roads and bordering a great river, is widely recognized as the most beautiful castle in the entire Seven Kingdoms.