Chapter 177 Sandstone City
Sandstone City is located at the very heart of the sandy desert in western Dorne, serving as the cherished domain of the Qorgyle family
This city has gained fame for its scorpions, with the Qorgyle family coat of arms proudly displaying three black scorpions.
After Daeron I conquered Dorne, he appointed Tyrell as the Duke of Dorne, who later met his demise in Sandstone City. Upon his death, his body was found covered with red scorpions.
Prince Oberyn, known as the "Red Viper," was once an adopted son in Sandstone City, where his fascination with poisons likely took root and flourished.
In the eyes of outsiders, Sandstone City is a place full of danger and terror, but in fact, this city has not been attacked for hundreds of years.
Most of the Dornish people in the city are far more peaceful and tranquil than the civilians in many places in the Seven Kingdoms.
Of course, if there is an invasion, the people of Sandstone City will also show their bloodthirsty and vicious side. After all, a city with scorpions as its totem cannot be full of sheep.
"Get out of the way! Get out of the way!"
A Qorgyle family knight galloped through the street on horseback, yelling and cursing to drive away the crowd.
Before the raised dust settled, the man had already charged into the castle.
The castle guards naturally recognized Sir Morse, but it was the first time they had seen the knight in such a frenzy.
Just as they were secretly guessing what happened, Morse had already rushed into the hall.
"Ruback! Hurry up! Send a message to the Earl! Something serious happened!"
"What's wrong?" Ruback, the steward of Sandstone City, looked up in surprise, "Could it be that our transport convoy was robbed?"
"If things are truly as you say, then that's good. However, Something happened to Sir Gurion!"
Ruback was startled suddenly, knowing that the earl's eldest son was leading the cavalry to track down the reach men who were harassing nearby, he quickly asked, "What's wrong with him?"
"Dead!" Morse said angrily.
"Are you joking ?"
"The entire cavalry team has been decimated, with over 300 lifeless bodies strewn across the sandy terrain. This was reported earlier today and I personally visited the scene to witness and arranged for a team to gather the remains. I ask you to swiftly write a letter notifying the Earl of this tragic event."
Ruback stood still as if he was digesting the shocking news.
After a long while, he said, "No, we must catch the murderer of Sir Gulian first. Otherwise, the Earl will blame me..."
"How? The Qorgyle family's cavalry is gone. Do you want me to lead the infantry to track down the cavalry? "
"Not necessarily."
"Are you crazy?" Morse felt that his old friend had been stunned by the news.
Ruback looked very calm, and explained: "Didn't you wonder where Lady Obaya Sand went? Now, I can tell you that she disguised herself as a Reach mercenary and had already infiltrated that Reach cavalry team."
"It was thanks to her assistance that Sir Gulian was able to track down the Reach Cavalry."
"Purple-tailed scorpion?"
"Yes." Ruback nodded, "So, you bring the hounds and 800 soldiers, if not enough, you can temporarily recruit a group, I believe that after hearing the news of Sir Gulian's death, the citizens of Sandstone City will definitely be willing to step forward and avenge him! In short, we must catch the murderer, otherwise, it will be difficult to Explain."
"This..." Morse still hesitated, "But we don't know how many enemies there are. Since they can defeat Sir Gulian's cavalry, I'm afraid..."
"Their number will definitely not exceed two hundred! "Ruback said with certainty, "A total of 2,000 cavalrymen landed from Starfall City this time. Don't doubt it, this was revealed to me by a certain knight from the Dayne family. These 2,000 cavalrymen were scattered all over Dorne ."
"So, the number in each place should not be too much, and in our Sandstone City area, there may be only this 200 cavalry from the reach."
"They just fought against the army led by Sir Gulian, and even if they won, it must be a miserable victory, so as long as you track them down, you will definitely be able to defeat them!
Morse nodded secretly when he heard the words, affirming Ruback judgment. And he knew that he really had to do something at this time, otherwise, when Earl Qorgyle come's back and learned that the eldest son had died tragically, there is definitely no way to explain it.
What's more, there is Lady Obara Sand, the illegitimate daughter of Prince Oberyn, who has the audacity to act as a spy herself. Sandstone City must not sit back and watch her be taken away by the people of the Reach.
"Okay! I'm going! "
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When the first ray of dawn shone on the top of Sandstone City, a falcon with pure white tail wings was seen in the sky.
After a while, the city gate opened, and a supply team came out slowly.
After hiding in the sand dunes not far from the city, Samwell was very excited to see this scene.
Ever since he learned that there would be a logistics convoy departing from Sandstone City every ten days, He has been paying attention secretly.
Of course, he has no interest in looting the transport convoy. He wants to play a big game—
taking Sandstone City!
It seems impossible for two hundred cavalry to capture Sandstone City, but in fact, Samway is quite sure.
First of all, the main force of the Qorgyle family has gone to the front line of the war, and the rear is already empty.
Moreover, he used the purple-tailed scorpion smell to lure away the last defensive force in Sandstone City—
At this time, Thousands of Dornishmen are chasing the three cavalry teams sent by Samwell as bait in the sea of sand, but they didn't know that Samwell had led a large army to the Qorgyle family's lair.
Even if there were defenders in Sandstone City, it was impossible to be many, Samwell felt, he could give it a go.
Although the principle of action he set at the beginning was stability, but after he wiped out the cavalry of the Qorgyle family and diverted the main force of the defenders, Samwell's heart for stability couldn't help but become agitated.
Looking at the transport convoy that was still coming out of the gate of the city, Samwell gritted his teeth and ordered:
"Go! Kill!"
The Hornhill cavalry had followed Samwell through the battle of Starfall City. Trust in him can be said to be only under Earl Randyll, and the Vale Cavalry was convinced of Samwell in the amazing annihilation battle before, so when this rather risky order was issued, not one questioned.
All the cavalry kicked and beat the horse's belly one after another, and rode forward.
The sound of horseshoes completely shattered the peaceful morning, and under the twilight of the morning light, the army spread like a shadow towards the gate of Sandstone City.
The supply transport convoy at the city gate had just walked halfway when they heard the movement, they were stunned for a moment.
Then when they saw that the cavalry on the opposite side was flying the flag of the Qorgyle family, they thought they were their own.
It wasn't until the guard captain, who knew that the cavalry of the Qorgyle family was almost wiped out, rushed over and shouted that the enemy was attacking, did the supply transport team react.
Then there was chaos at the gate of the city.
The supply transport team ran away, and the guards yelled and tried to move the supply cart away so that the city gate could be closed, but the cavalry outside the city arrived in no time, and they did not give the Dornishmen a chance to close the gate.
The killing spread in the misty morning mist.
When the shrill horn sounded, Ruback, the castle steward, froze for a moment, and then his face changed drastically.
He pulled out his long sword and rushed out of the room.
Dozens of soldiers had already gathered outside the door, looking at Ruback in horror.
A soldier with blood all over his body came to Ruback and briefly reported the situation.
When Ruback learned that the people from Reach had entered the city, his heart skipped a beat, but afterwards, he showed joy instead.
"Everyone!" Ruback said loudly, "Don't panic! The Reach people are seeking their own death! The army led by Sir Morse has known their whereabouts for a long time, and they must have chased them by now! So as long as we hold on for a while, we will be able to trap all the Reach people in the city!"
After speaking, Ruback waved his long sword and led the soldiers towards the gate of the city.
At this time, the iron smell of blood was already filling the sandstone city.
The cavalry roared across the streets of the city, scattered groups of Dornish soldiers, and chopped them down one by one with ease.
Arrows danced wildly in the air, steel swords glistened in blood, and the sound of horseshoes, shouts of killing, and screams intertwined together, playing the prelude to the battle to capture the city.
In fact, the biggest difficulty for the cavalry to break through the city is how to break through the city wall.
And once they rushed into the city, most of the battle to capture the city was won.
However, there is still a thorny problem waiting for Samwell—how to clear the defenders in the city.
Without the cooperation of infantry, it is actually very difficult to occupy the city with cavalry alone.
After all, the infantry had a natural advantage in the narrow and complicated alleys, and generally, no commander would be willing to dismount the elite cavalry to engage in hand-to-hand street fighting with the infantry.
What's more, the number of cavalry under Samwell is not enough, and it is almost impossible to control the entire city.
Fortunately, he didn't intend to completely occupy Sandstone City this time, he just wanted to make some money and leave.
The cavalry quickly found the location of the granary and threw the torches one after another. In the blink of an eye, a fire rose up in the sandstone city.
Angry Dornishmen kept gathering and charged at the intruders.
Among them, not only Dorn soldiers but also some obviously civilians rushed up with a scimitar.
In front of the burning granary, the sound of fighting became more and more intense, and the blood kept flowing, consuming the troops of both sides like a blood mill.
Although the Dornish people seem crazy on the surface, the situation was actually gradually tilting towards the Reach.
First of all, the cavalry is the most elite unit in the army, and its combat power must be stronger than ordinary Dornish soldiers, let alone those Dornish civilians.
Also, the Reachmen and Valemen are generally better equipped than the Dornishmen.
If the Dornishmen hid in the alleys and carried out sneak attacks and assassinations, Samwell would still have a headache for a while, but now that they took the initiative to rush out, it would be more convenient for the people of Reach to defend and kill.
The Dornish people in Sandstone City are indeed brave, but it is impossible to violate the laws of war.
Seeing the Dornishmen around him keep falling, Ruback, finally realized that something was wrong.
To make matters worse, the army that he thought would come back after the Reach people hadn't appeared for a long time.
Finally, after more than half of the Dornishmen, were killed or injured, gradually fear spread, until they reached a certain limit, and dispersed in a rush.
Ruback also wanted to escape, but was shot in the calf by an arrow and nailed to the ground, wailing endlessly.
Samwell had seen this guy giving orders a long time ago, he walked up on his horse, with a bloody warhammer pressing his chest and said, "
Take me to the Qorgyle family's vault, or I'll burn down the entire castle! "
[END]