Chapter 193: Siege
"Your Grace, the Stormlands and Reach armies have finished pitching camp outside the city. They total approximately thirty thousand men, divided into seven positions; every gate has at least two thousand stationed outside. Of these, the Lion Gate, the King's Gate, and the River Gate have the largest concentrations, each exceeding five thousand." The messenger knelt on one knee and spoke loudly. "Lord Renly's banner is flying outside the King's Gate. His men are shouting, demanding that Your Grace step forward to negotiate."
"Negotiate?" A cold smile surfaced on Stannis's face. "A rebel who ignores his elder brother's will and the line of succession—who treats ethics and rules as nothing—wants to negotiate with the true King? Keep a tight watch on the defenses. No matter what they shout from across the field, ignore it... wait, let us give him a response. Send someone with a loud voice to tell him: lower the traitor's flag of the false king at once, come before me on your knees to beg for your brother's forgiveness, and there may yet be a chance for your life!"
Eddard opened his mouth to speak, but ultimately sighed and remained silent. He did not know Renly well, but he knew enough to realize that attempting to use words to persuade a high lord who had resolutely raised banners to seize the Iron Throne to withdraw and confess was an impossible task.
"That boy Renly has loved flashy toys and hollow spectacles since he was small. To face a great city like King's Landing with its high, thick walls and not concentrate his forces to break through a weak point... instead, he divides his army into several parts, intending an all-out assault. It is typical childhood command." Once the messenger departed, Stannis showed a look of contempt. "The Stormlands have no great generals, and the only man in the Reach with any real ability, Randyll Tarly, is far away fighting in the West. I have no need to be trapped inside the city; I should take the initiative, strike out, crush the rebels in one blow, and throw my brother into the Black Cells of the Red Keep."
"No one doubts Your Grace's ability to lead troops, but we must face reality. Half the City Watch are raw recruits, and even the half that are veterans have a worrisome combat effectiveness. They are passable for holding a wall, but a field battle is out of the question," Eddard Stark said with deep concern. "The loyalist forces hastily gathered by the Crownlands houses are also essentially all peasants; there are hardly any knights among them... and the army you brought is of mixed origin, with a third being sailors. With these groups thrown together, if we marched out for a frontal battle, I doubt they could even hold a formation. For now, the safest course is to stay behind the walls and wait for the Crownlands army to return."
Eddard was right, as Stannis was forced to admit. It had been over ten days since they learned of the Stormlands' abnormal movements. The King's Landing City Watch had been hurriedly expanded from two thousand to four thousand, and the Crownlands lords had managed to scrape together just over two thousand new recruits... combined with the nearly three thousand men from the Narrow Sea lords he had brought two days prior, King's Landing currently had nearly ten thousand defenders.
The ratio of defenders to attackers was nearly 1:3, which should have been a very manageable fight... unfortunately, the quality of the soldiers was so poor that it forced two veterans—who had been tested by blood and fire as far back as the Usurper's War—to hide like turtles inside the city against a green boy like Renly.
It was truly a humiliation.
...
"Deep Den is only a few hundred miles from King's Landing. Renly gathered mercenaries and hedge knights along his march and waited for the Reach reinforcements... his speed has been slow enough. No matter how much the Crownlands army dallies, they shouldn't be without word even now." Stannis looked at Eddard, frowning. "Is there some accident, or are they intentionally stalling for time to create an opportunity for the rebel?"
"Perhaps they were intercepted by a detachment of Renly's forces, which delayed them," Eddard explained weakly, though he too felt a faint unease. Renly was extremely close with the Crownlands lords; Stannis's concern was not without merit. Unfortunately, with the main army out in the field and the city under total blockade by the besiegers, there was no way to exert any influence no matter how anxious they were, unless the lords sent ravens back of their own accord.
Joining Renly's army? Many of the Crownlands nobles had their entire families inside King's Landing; would they dare join the rebels?
(A pity I didn't bring Melisandre with me,) Stannis thought, his brow furrowed into deep lines.
The Red Woman had lived on Dragonstone for a year, during which time she had fully demonstrated her supernatural powers, which were far from mere parlor tricks. Half a month ago, she had accurately prophesied that King's Landing would soon face upheaval and that he would encounter betrayal... did the Crownlands army's delay in returning fulfill the betrayal in the prophecy?
If she were here, Stannis could ask her directly, but... on the day he received Eddard's summons, he was leading the Dragonstone fleet in Crab Isle off Gulltown, hunting small pirate bands. He had rushed to King's Landing immediately upon receiving the news, moving too fast to even stop at Dragonstone. He had made it in time for the coronation, but he had left his Queen, his Princess, and his mysterious sorceress advisor at home. Now, full of doubts, he had no choice but to keep them bottled up inside.
Stannis shook himself out of his thoughts. What was he thinking? During the Usurper's War, he had held Storm's End with a few hundred men against tens of thousands led by Lord Tyrell, and not a single enemy had stepped onto the battlements until the war ended... back then, he had faced enemies ten times his number without fear or retreat. Now that he sat on the Iron Throne, faced with a mere triple disadvantage, was he instinctively pinning his hopes on reinforcements he didn't know and supernatural powers?
He cursed himself silently, quickly shook his spirit, and regained the feeling of being a commander. The city had enough grain, and he had extensive experience in sieges. He only needed to hold for ten days or a fortnight; once the Seven Kingdoms saw that the new King could hold the capital, their little schemes would melt away like spring snow... even if the Crownlands lords and Renly were playing games, as time dragged on, no amount of excuses could justify an endless delay—especially with the three Northern powers as his backbone.
Calculating briefly, Stannis decided to act as if that Crownlands army did not exist. After a moment's thought, he quickly issued arrangements: "Eddard Stark, Hand of the King, you shall lead two thousand men to defend the River Gate—the weakest of the seven—and the stretch of wall along the river. Davos Seaworth, the new Master of Ships, it is a regret your first battle is not at sea; you shall command two thousand men to defend the Lion Gate. And I shall personally go to the King's Gate for a King-on-King confrontation with my foolish brother, so that the Seven Kingdoms may see the difference between a true King and a false one... The remaining four gates will each be guarded by five hundred soldiers. The remaining thousand or so will maintain order before the battle, and during combat, they will serve as a reserve to rush to any gate where the defense is pressured!"
"As you command!"
"Renly will likely launch his attack soon. This meeting is adjourned. Do not panic if surprises occur; act according to the contingency plans we discussed."
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