The defenders of the city immediately returned the favor, and the trebuchets and ballistas they had erected began to return fire.

A large number of stones flew into the air, then fell rapidly, some smashing into the clearing, tumbling forward, plowing a fleshy ravine in the siege ranks.

A handful of stones accurately hit the besieging soldiers, and the sight was so tragic that it was unbearable to look at it directly.

In terms of lethality, the boulder is not as good as a cannonball filled with primitive black powder, but it is not much worse.

And as the besieging soldiers began to climb the walls, the artillery in the rear had to stop firing to avoid accidentally injuring friendly troops.

Without the suppression of artillery, the pressure on the defenders at the head of the city was greatly reduced, and the archers, urged by the officers to kick and beat, stood up from behind the battlements and began to shoot outward.

But by this time, the southern army had already slaughtered under the city walls.

Ladders were erected one after another, and the soldiers of the Southern Army climbed up.

The walls were built low and thick, which prevented gunpowder from bursting, but also made it easier for the enemy to adopt the traditional method of climbing and besieging the city.

It can be said that there are gains and losses.

So soon many Southern soldiers rushed to the city, but they were faced with spears and swords.

The defenders in the city are obviously the elite of the Western Realm, both in terms of fighting will and physical fitness, which are first-class in the world, even if they have just suffered a baptism of artillery fire, they have not flinched in the slightest.

The besiegers were also in high spirits, many of them had been defenders of the camp here, and after the defeat, they fled back to the Bronze Gate, and now they were holding back their strength to wash away their shame.

In addition, Earl Selwyn Tuss, who had just been ransomed by Samwell, took the lead and rushed to the forefront, followed closely by his daughter Sir Brienne Tus, and the father and daughter were like tigers descending from the mountain, wearing heavy armor and rushing to the city under the rain of arrows, and they were a little unstoppable for a while.

The soldiers of the Southern Army, led by the father and daughter of Tas, marched forward one after another.

Before the start of the war, Samwell personally participated in the development of a perfect system of rewards for meritorious service, and with his rising prestige and generosity, the soldiers certainly did not have to worry about not receiving the rewards they deserved for their merits.

In the Seven Kingdoms, the only way for commoners to cross classes is to build up their military exploits on the battlefield.

And if a knight wants to become a lord and obtain a wealthy fief, he must also have military merits.

When Samwell canonized the anointed land of Qingting Island to Lucas Dane, I don't know how many people were red-eyed with envy.

Now, the great battle that will determine the fate of Westeros has begun, and the soldiers of the Southern Army naturally know that once the Lannisters are successfully defeated and Caesar enters the King's Landing, the Seven Kingdoms will inevitably usher in a new round of power reshuffle.

A large number of rival families will be stripped of their fiefs and titles, and these fiefs and titles are the motivation for them to sacrifice their lives.

With such an opportunity to change their fate, the soldiers will naturally not flinch and hesitate.

Countless figures, with round shields, climbed up, and from time to time someone screamed and fell down the ladder, but they could not stop the determination of the soldiers of the Southern Army to move forward desperately.

They will trade the lives and blood of their enemies for military merit and glory.

Up and down the city, the shouts of killing were deafening.

Arrows flew in the air like locusts, and swords and spears shimmered in the scorching sun.

Soldiers from both sides worked together to turn this small town into a place like a flesh mill.

Piercing blood flowed down the walls, looking terrifying and terrifying.

Siege warfare is so bloody and brutal.

Human lives here are just numbers.

Samwell rode the white dragon and hovered high in the sky, but his eyes did not stop at the bloody battlefield below, but in the direction of the Blackwater River in the north.

He's waiting,

Wait for Tywin Lannister to make a decision.

Whether to cross the river to support, or abandon the defenders on the south bank.

Eight hundred elite cavalry were arranged on both sides of the siege army below, and the riders constantly patted the horses' necks to calm the restless horses.

They were eager to fight, but the battlefield was not their business now.

Samwell gave them orders to stand on both sides of the army, and if the defenders wanted to go out of the city to fight, they would rush forward and deal a fatal blow to the enemy.

At the same time, they are also a reserve army, and once they learn that the enemy forces on the north bank are trying to cross the Blackwater River to support, this cavalry will immediately attack north, delaying the enemy's crossing of the river.

However, despite the shouts of slaughter here, the enemy troops on the north shore did not make the slightest move.

I don't know if it's wait-and-see, or if Duke Tywin has already made a choice and decided to abandon the defenders on the South Bank completely.

Samwell stared at him indifferently, he didn't think Tywin really dared to give up on the defenders on the South Bank.

Descending from the sky, he could see clearly that there were nearly 10,000 soldiers from the western border in the city, and it was clear from the battle just now that these were elites, not the kind of cannon fodder that could be discarded at any time.

If Tywin could give up even such an elite lineage, Samwell wouldn't know whether to admire his ruthlessness or laugh at his stupidity.

Either way, this small South Bank town is destined to keep Tywin Lannister awake.

Seeing that the attack below had slowed down, Samwell patted the white dragon on the neck and motioned for it to return.

As soon as he landed, Samwell gave the order to withdraw his troops.

Siege warfare is a long-term tug-of-war process, and in the face of a determined and powerful defender, it is impossible to enter the city in one attack.

A low horn sounded, and the siege troops retreated like a tidal wave.

There was a temporary calm on the battlefield, and the city was littered with mutilated corpses and mottled blood, which looked extremely tragic, but for both sides, this was only the beginning.

Next, the southern army will continue to attack, looking for the weak points of the defenders, of course, the defenders in the city will continue to lack shortcomings, prevent the enemy from attacking, and constantly consume the enemy's strength and morale.

Much of the time war is a contest of patience and experience, and there is not much to be opportunistic.

Although Samwell wanted to attack King's Landing as soon as possible, when he really arrived on the battlefield, he would not be impatient and messed up.

He walked into the tent of the Chinese military camp, drank wine to quench his thirst, and listened to his officers report on the casualty statistics.

Siege warfare has always been known for its brutality, but in fact, a difficult siege battle has fewer casualties than fierce field battles.

In a tentative attack just now, the number of casualties on our side was only more than 200.

Of course, Samwell will not squander the lives of his soldiers, he will carefully control the pace of the siege, neither wasting his strength, nor planning to take the small city in front of him in one go.

His real target was the enemy forces on the north shore.

After listening to the casualty report, I saw a messenger walk forward quickly, handed over a letter, and said:

"Your Majesty, this is a letter from Storm's End three days ago, from King's Landing."

Samwell's eyebrows furrowed slightly, he knew that the only one who would send him a letter in King's Landing was Lady Sataya.

Picking up the letters, Samwell found that there were two letters.

One had nothing written on it, only an octopus-clawed spider, and the other was a letter from Mrs. Sataya, which told what had happened.

Samwell read it silently, picked up the letter with the spider on it, looked at it for a long time, and finally showed a sarcastic sneer.

Is this a gesture of goodwill? Or a demonstration?

Do you want to cooperate?

Or is it yet another conspiracy?

Samwell crumpled the letter and threw it into the nearby fire.

At the same time, he got up and walked out of the tent, looked at the small city in the distance, waved his hand indifferently, and ordered:

"After trimming for an hour, go on the offensive."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

(End of chapter)