The Storm's End itself is a massive tower, 100 feet tall and 40 feet thick...... The seaside is even surrounded by a double-thickened outer wall.

This is the strongest castle in the Seven Kingdoms, and like Kaiyan City and Eagle's Nest City, it has never been breached head-on. Taking advantage of the chaotic moment when Lan Li was dead and the princes of the Stormland were leaderless to find a way out, the Golden Regiment relied on deception to sneak attack and capture the Storm's Breath Castle, but this was not a normal situation, once the defenders were on guard, there was no other way to take it than to break down the door head-on or force their way onto the wall......

However, Stannis has lived here for more than a decade, and even used it as a basis for fighting the world-famous "Siege of Storm's End" defensive battle, and is familiar with and understands every brick, stone, grass and tree of this castle. He was confident that he would be able to take it easily, show his strength and authority as the new king, and even subjugate the Seven Kingdoms.

But when Stannis actually attacked the castle, he realized that things were not as easy as he thought. Legend has it that the walls of Storm's End were woven with magic, but unfortunately it doesn't seem to make the walls thinner and brittle just because the besiegers were born and raised here and are legally the owners of it. Stannis's operations when he defended the area were now an obstacle to his victory in the war: this fortified city, which was once famous on the mainland, had been rebuilt and repaired by his own hands during the Retainer War, and it was completely free of loopholes.

After more than a decade, Stannis finally had to experience the taste of gnawing this hard bone for himself.

......

No hole to exploit is not the same as invulnerability, and Stannis knew from which direction it would be most difficult for the defenders to pour defensive fire, where the walls were low and easy to climb, and which doors were the easiest to penetrate...... Although the Fort of Storm's Breath is difficult to attack, as long as he is given time to prepare calmly, and when a series of targeted siege weapons are built and assembled, it will only be a matter of time before he takes the fort home.

But many changes frustrated his wishful thinking.

The first was the Dorne army, led by the Red Viper Oberon Martell, who had blatantly ignored orders and marched north, approaching only a dozen miles from Storm's End, before stopping to camp and refusing to come to the Lord to explain the deployment. Although he did not take the initiative to provoke or attack, this obvious hostility forced Stannis to allocate a large number of men to guard and guard, which greatly slowed down the progress of the siege.

This was followed by the Northern Army, which had a third encounter with the Riverbend Army west of Bronze Gate. This time, Randolph Tully and the Riverbend Elite pushed unhurriedly along the Rose Avenue, and Robb Stark was unable to repel the opponent in the previous two battles in the Westbound and King's Landing, and the two sides set up a frontal battle for two days. The northern army fought its first tough battle since the dispatch of troops, suffered a small loss due to the disadvantage of numbers, and was forced to retreat to the city of Tongmen, relying on the castle to continue to block the Hewan army from approaching the fortress of Wind's Rest.

What's even more troublesome is that the news of the invasion of the Iron People and plundering the northern border also happened to come at this time...... At this time, the hearts of the Northern Army were fluctuating, and everyone thought of returning, and their fighting spirit dropped greatly.

＊＊＊

The situation was compounded by an empty treasury – he had to pay his soldiers every day of the war. After harsh punishment of the rebels and the Stormlands princes, and a large ransom from Tywin Lannister last month, the financial pressure was indeed eased, but a month later, the money was almost spent.

Stannis sat in the tent, looking at the table full of bad news, feeling overwhelmed by the weight of reality. He began to regret driving Melisandre away. This damned woman keeps saying that she is the chosen one, the prince of prophecy, the Allah...... of the Seven Kingdoms But after he was so bewitched that he believed it to be true, and even committed the great evil of killing his relatives impulsively, he did not help himself stabilize the country, but forced himself to go north to deal with the savages.

What's even worse is that at the moment when she needed the help of extraordinary strength the most, she walked away, slapped her ass and ran to the Great Wall...... I did let her leave that day impulsively, but I didn't say that I would let her run so far!

Shall she be summoned? But if that is done, where is the face of the man and the dignity of the king?

Just thinking about it, more trouble came to the door.

"Your Majesty, the Iron Treasury Messenger asks to see you. ”

Stannis's face turned pale: "I'm here to ask for a debt again...... Gone!"

Barristan, who was standing aside, couldn't hold back: "Your Majesty, you can not see anyone, but you can't see the people in the Iron Vault...... If they interpret this offense as an intention to deny the debt, and instead seek the cooperation of others who are willing to admit it, the Seven Nations will never be at peace!"

"Am I supposed to be afraid of the threat from the bankers across the Narrow Sea?"

"Your Majesty, we all know that your courage is superior to that of the Seven Kingdoms. Davos, the onion knight, understood Stannis's temper and hurriedly spoke: "But you don't need to take pointless risks to prove it...... The best course of action is to summon the emissary of the Iron Vault and state that you acknowledge the debt, explaining to him that you are currently experiencing difficulties with insufficient funds. Just make a statement, you don't need to really pay half a golden dragon...... This hurdle can be overcome. ”

Stannis knew that the two important ministers were offering loyal and honest advice, but he just couldn't swallow the breath that Robert had earned unprecedented personal prestige by borrowing money and wealth, but had turned the Seven Kingdoms into a mess. After taking over, there is not a single golden dragon in the treasury, but he has to pay off the appalling huge debt for his drunken brother, which is not fair at all!

There is no such thing as fairness in the world, and the throne that should belong to you is not regained by war and evil means? Stannis quickly straightened out his thoughts, straightened out his appearance, and said with a straight face: "Call that guy in." ”

......

A new Kingsguard turned to leave the tent, quickly bringing in a stranger.

"Your Majesty, the clerk in the Lower Rail Vault, Curtis Lane. The Braavos man who entered the door introduced himself: "I have come here to visit Your Majesty to discuss the debt between you and the Iron Vault. ”

"Ha – the debt problem. Yes, I haven't gotten half of it from the Iron Vault, but I owe you millions of gold dragons as soon as we meet, which you call the 'debt problem'!"

"Two million one hundred and fifty-four thousand six hundred and twenty-one golden dragons to be exact, which is the amount of the Iron Throne in the event of a default in the last repayment cycle...... Curtis added: "The debt belongs to the Iron Throne, and whoever sits on the throne will have to pay the debt, and we believe that His Majesty Stannis is reasonable and understandable about this." Now, we would like you to explain the default of the previous repayment cycle. ”

"Well, the explanation is - now I'm burning money to fight, and I can't pay a single copper penny. Stannis wasn't at all interested in the exact numbers, two million and two million, what was the difference at the moment: "The debt belongs to the Iron Throne? Very well, Barristan, bring this honorable messenger back to King's Landing, and bring the Iron Throne out of the throne room and ship it to Braavos." ”

......

The information shows that Stannis Baratheon is a serious and almost boring person, not mentioning that he will cheat. Curtis wrung his fingers, knowing that he might have come by accident and bumped into the other party's anger. Caught off guard, he was completely unable to exert his words, and only spoke again after a few seconds: "Your Majesty, when we say 'debt belongs to the Iron Throne', we mean - debt belongs to the rightful ruler of Westeros. Are you refusing to recognize yourself as the rightful heir of King Robert?"

"It's just a joke, Mr. Curtis, and you understand the concept of humor. Davos hurriedly interjected, "King Stannis is the rightful heir to King Robert, and he acknowledges his brother's debts, but we can't afford to repay them until we eliminate the puppet king who occupies Storm's End. ”

......

(Am I the rightful ruler of the Seven Kingdoms, and it's your turn to gossip about you lenders?) Stannis's heart was on fire, but luckily Davos's interjection calmed him down a little. He took a deep breath and swallowed back the words that came to his mouth: "Okay, don't talk about it, I admit the debt, but I ask for a postponement of repayment." At the same time, I would like to apply for a new loan to solve the problem of insufficient military pay that I am currently experiencing. ”

"The fee for deferring repayment is not low, and if Your Majesty is sure to apply, I will consult with your Chancellor of the Exchequer at a later date. Curtis bowed his head: "As for the new loans, I beg your pardon - according to the latest assessment of Westeros by the Iron Vault, the lending risk has been seriously exceeded, and I will no longer have the authority to lend to any force in Westeros in any form until the end of this winter." ”

"Risk assessment, exceedance. "Is it because of the wildling, or is it the damned ghoul?" these new words made Stannis even more unhappy: "Anyway, you are forcing me to pay the money first, and refusing to provide any assistance?

"The good thing is that the Iron Vault will provide protection and intelligence services beyond money. Curtis replied, "As for new loans, it's not absolutely impossible to get. If you insist, you can fulfill your repayment obligations in the next repayment cycle, and then try to apply with a higher-level staff member. ”

"Protection and intelligence services? What does this mean, if I don't pay back, my safety will not be guaranteed, and without your intelligence, I can't win the war?" Stannis felt threatened, and finally became annoyed: "I have my Kingsguard and Intelligence Minister, and I don't need the 'protection' and 'intelligence services' of the Iron Vault! Now that you've got a response, I admit the debt, but pay it back, and I'll talk about it when I have it!"

"No threat, Your Majesty, if you are offended, I beg your pardon. Curtis bowed respectfully: "I understand your attitude, and now I will return to King's Landing and go through the application and formalities with your Chancellor of the Exchequer for a deferral of repayment." But out of courtesy and the right to know, I must inform Your Majesty that the delay in repayment will cause serious interest and will be harmful in the long run......"

Stannis grabbed the glass of water on the table, and almost couldn't help but smash people with something like his brother: "Get out of here, get out of here, get out of my shoes, and get out of my shoes!"

After the banker left, Davos sighed and continued to report to Stannis: "Your Majesty, the ransom paid to us by Duke Tywin is about to run out, and Robb Stark has written for the third time to request that he lead his troops back to the North to quell the Iron Folk rebellion...... Eddard Stark died for insisting on your rightful kingship, and now that the North is half overrun by the Iron Civils, we are running out of money to pay our soldiers. The opinion of his subordinates is that it is better to return to King's Landing to rest and recuperate, and then think of countering the rebellion after taking a breath?"

"Retreat first, and then allow the man who calls himself Aegon VI to establish himself in Storm's End, where I was born, and pose a greater threat to my rule?"

"Your Majesty, except for the request from the letter crow...... Robb Stark also sent another secret letter, marked that it could only be opened by you. The letter is here, please look at it, Your Majesty. ”

The advantage of marking the letter in person and sending someone instead of sending it is that the risk of leakage is reduced. At this juncture, it was clear that it would not be good news, and Stannis calmly took the letter, which was sealed with fire paint, opened it and read it.

Half a minute later, he crumpled the letter into a pile and threw it in the stove.

Under the gaze of Barristan and Davos, Stannis spoke: "To the effect that whether I agree or not, the northern army will withdraw from the battlefield in five days and return north to deal with the Iron People." ”

Silence fell inside the tent.

The Northern Army has overfulfilled its obligation to protect the King by rallying twice in a year in response to the call of the Iron Throne...... His withdrawal from the battlefield after greeting them did not violate any of the laws of the Seven Kingdoms, and even the king could not force them to stay and continue the battle.

Things are no longer turning around, and Robb Stark wrote this secret letter to prevent the news from leaking and causing the rout of the king's army.

Stannis had a bruise on his forehead, and he knew that he had no choice. Without the nearly 20,000 troops from the north, the Riverbend army, which had lost its containment, would not be able to stop it from advancing eastward to relieve the siege of Storm's Rest Fort, or heading north to threaten King's Landing. He couldn't have the upper hand in a confrontation with the armies of Riverbend and Dorne plus a Golden Regiment on the Lord's Lordship, Riverlands, and Vales alone, and it would be a problem for him to get out of the Stormlands and return to King's Landing, let alone attack Storm's End.

"Your Majesty. Barristan looked at the silent king, knowing that he had to say something to prevent Stannis from thinking wildly: "Not being able to protect the realm of his vassals is the greatest shame for a vassal to be a feudal lord, and Robb, as the new guardian of the North, is completely understandable, not determined to betray you." The departure of the northern army will inevitably affect the will to fight of the armies of the rivers and valleys...... Rather than blatantly disperse five days later and then be defeated in a hurry, it is better to leave the battlefield with dignity while the northern armies have not yet left and the armies of all countries are still united and obey your command. ”

＊＊＊

"No matter how calm and dignified you are when you exit the battlefield, defeat is an irrefutable fact. ”

Stannis is not the kind of person who can't accept the facts, Davos shrugged, "Your Majesty, this is just an unsolicited defeat. The Three Kingdoms of the Northlands and the Lords are still under your rule, half of the Storm Lords and most of the nobles of the Stormlands are still loyal to you, you are the recognized king of the Seven Kingdoms, and you have the capital to fail, so why bother with such words?"

"Wait, who said that withdrawing from the battlefield must be a failure?" Barristan had a different opinion: "Why don't we just go with the flow and help the Stark family stabilize the northern border, and then claim that the withdrawal from the battlefield is because we want to divert the target, and first go to quell the rebellion of the Greyjoy family in the Iron Islands?"

"But we can't really put down the Greyjoy rebellion. Davos questioned, "Once we send our army to the west coast, Riverbend and Dorne must be holding that 'Aegon VI' into King's Landing, and it is needless to say which is more important than the capital of the Seven Kingdoms and a few small broken islands standing in the sunset sea." ”

......

"Wait...... You two, be quiet. Listening to the conversation between the captain of the Kingsguard and the Hand of the King, Stannis suddenly had some thoughts, and his expression changed from gloomy to decisive: "Barristan reminded me, who said that not taking back Storm's Rest is a failure......? Then why can't I take these last five days and make a big deal about it?"

"What does Your Majesty mean?"

"I've just reflected on it, and for a long time before, we all fell into a misunderstanding - the Targaryen family was a former royal family, and when someone came out to make trouble under his banner, he had to be eliminated first. Stannis said slowly, "But calm down and think about it, who said that? What am I anxious about? Targaryen's former allies are Riverlands and Dorne...... Now, the two countries he can fight for are already my enemies, and among the remaining five kingdoms, four are alliances that once overthrew the True Dragon Dynasty, and it is impossible for them to fall to him, leaving one Lannister family, who also has a deep hatred for the Targaryens...... Even if I let that so-called Aegon stay in Westeros, he won't be able to win more allies to become stronger!"

Davos seemed to understand what Stannis meant: "So ......"

"I don't have to fight Storm's End, I should deal with the Pseudo-Dragon's allies first!" Stannis was a little annoyed as to why he didn't figure this out until Robb Stark decided to return north, "I just have fought the Riverlands and Dorne to the point where I can no longer bring troops to the ground, and then go back to dealing with this so-called Aegon VI ......"

"That makes sense, Your Majesty, make an article about these last five days......" Barristan also understood what the king said, and cheered up: "We can leave a suspicious army to continue to surround Storm's End, and the main force will quietly withdraw, and see if we can surprise Randolph Tully or Oberon Martell, whether it is to severely damage either of the two, or to evacuate next, or to turn back to the other, the initiative is completely in our hands!"

"yes, it's a shame I figured it out too late. Stannis gritted his teeth and said: "Dorne has always confronted our army, and it may not be easy to sneak attack, so you can only pick the Riverbend Army." If we set out immediately, if we march quickly, we will be able to go around to the west of Tongmen City in two days, and attack the northern army on both sides, and we will be able to break the enemy's army!"

——

[Big chapter, make up for yesterday, in addition, owe thirteen more]