Game of Thrones: I am Dothraki, not a barbarian

Chapter 173 King vs. King

Although Lahalo's side seemed destined for victory, the inevitable casualties would occur when only a thousand heavy cavalry charged against ten thousand men, which was something he did not want to see.

As the saying goes, one should strike while the iron is hot, but the momentum will wane after a second attempt and be completely exhausted after a third. Since Garan came out to disrupt things halfway through, his momentum had already been lost, so he went with the flow and came to the front lines to stand shoulder to shoulder with Garan.

"Soldiers of Stormlands! I, Rahalo, have come to Stormlands to collect debts for the bank!" With that, he produced an IOU. "The Earl of Stonehelm not only failed to pay his debts but also injured the debt collectors of Roger Bank. This war started because of this!"

I had no intention of being your enemy; it was Renly who stubbornly launched a sneak attack on me!

He changed the subject, "Ranley! Rather than let more innocent people die, why don't you and I duel, king against king, and let the gods decide who is righteous? What do you say?"

These words caused a stir throughout the room.

Trial by duel is one of the oldest traditions in Westeros, seen as an expression of the will of the gods. The doctrine states that the truth cannot be hidden in the eyes of a warrior.

Rahalo continued, "If I lose, the Dothraki will immediately withdraw their army back to Pentos! If you lose, cede Weeping Town to me, and I will withdraw my army as well!"

The conditions were quite fair, and it demonstrated Lahalo's magnanimity. More importantly, refusing to duel in front of everyone was tantamount to admitting that he was the unjust party.

Renly is caught in a dilemma.

If he accepted the challenge, he knew he was no match for them; if he refused, it would be tantamount to admitting to everyone that he had been abandoned by the gods.

He had a sudden inspiration and shouted, "Rahalo, how dare you, a heretic, talk about justice! Don't even think about spreading your heresies!"

"Ranly!" Rahalo laughed. "The gods are watching you. You call yourself king, but do you not dare to fight against a heretic like me?"

Renly was sweating as he looked around and saw that everyone, including his Rainbow Guards, was eagerly awaiting his response.

"Alright!" He gritted his teeth, another plan forming in his mind. "However, according to tradition, I can designate a knight to fight in my place!"

His gaze fell on Brienne: "Brienne! You are my Rainbow Guardian, fight for me!"

Brienne stood frozen in place, her blue eyes filled with pain.

"Brienne?"

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the tall female knight slowly shook her head.

Garland and Loras's words confirmed her suspicions once again. The noble and benevolent king in her heart was no more. Now, what stood before her was only a despicable man blinded by hatred.

The whole place was in an uproar!
It's an utter disgrace that even the king's most loyal Rainbow Guards refused to fight for him!
Lanley's face was ashen. He looked around, but found that no one was willing to step forward.

He was completely isolated.

At this moment, Lahalo had arrived in the middle of the two armies and leaped off his horse: "Since there is no substitute knight, then please let Your Majesty take the field personally."

A hint of fear flashed in Lan Li's eyes, and he hesitated to step forward.

Rahalo smiled contemptuously, took off his Valyrian steel armor and threw it to Garan, then stuck his scimitar into the ground. "I can defeat you even without armor or weapons!"

Rahalo was shirtless, his muscles sculpted like chisels, gleaming with a wheat-colored sheen in the sunlight.

He suddenly raised his arms high, his muscles tensing, exuding a wildness.

"Warriors!" Rahalo turned around, his voice echoing through the valley, "See how your Khal killed King Andari with his bare hands!"

A deafening response erupted from the valley!
The Dothraki warriors rose excitedly from their horses, striking their saddles and armor with the backs of their blades, creating a deafening clang.

"Rahalo! Rahalo! Rahalo!"

They shouted Lahalo's name, their voices rising in waves like a torrent, shaking the entire valley! In contrast, the Stormlands' army was deathly silent.

The once orderly formations began to crumble. Soldiers whispered among themselves, their eyes darting around. They looked at their fully armed king, then at the unarmed Rahalo opposite them, and lowered their heads. Their morale had plummeted.

At that moment, a sinister glint flashed in Renly's eyes. Only by killing him could he regain his lost face under the witness of the gods!

The enemy has no horse, no armor, and no sword, while we are fully armed, greatly increasing our chances of victory.

He shouted with feigned bravado, "I accept your challenge! Last time in Pentos, your men were just as arrogant, and they almost lost a leg! This time, I'm going to kill you completely!"

However, these words did not boost morale; instead, they made the Stormlands soldiers even more contemptuous of them.

Taking advantage of others' misfortune and feeling smug about it—how could this be the behavior of a king? A low murmur arose within the camp, with some even letting out disdainful snorts.

Renly was clad in the finest plate armor, his longsword forged by the castle's blacksmiths from the best steel, capable of cutting through iron like mud, his heavy tower shield capable of protecting half his body, and his warhorse was the best in Westeros, rigorously trained and clad in heavy horse armor.

Rahalo was empty-handed, without any protection or weapons, yet he faced his fully armed opponent with composure.

Some admired Lajalo's courage, while others thought he was courting death.

But the Dothraki were even more fanatical.

They believed that their Khal would one day unify the Dothraki people, forming a vast khalasar whose territory stretched to the ends of the earth, and that all mankind would be under his rule!
Lanli lowered his mask, revealing only a pair of hate-filled eyes. He snorted coldly and suddenly clenched his horse's flanks.

The warhorse neighed, its hooves flying, and charged straight toward Lahalo.

Renly leaned forward, his longsword held diagonally, aiming at Rahalo's heart. This was a standard cavalry charge stance, using the momentum of the warhorse and the sharpness of the longsword to kill with a single blow!

Twenty steps... ten steps... five steps...

Laharo remained standing in place, knees slightly bent, center of gravity lowered, eyes fixed on Renly, pupils contracted. Just as the sword tip was three feet from his chest, Laharo suddenly shifted to the right.

The longsword grazed his ribs, and at the same time, Rahalo's left hand shot out with lightning speed, grabbing the reins.

The warhorse was suddenly pulled, its movements faltered, and it shook its head violently, letting out a terrified neigh.

Laharo rolled away from Renly's attack range and stood still again.

Having finally managed to control his warhorse, Lanli was consumed by rage and abruptly turned his horse around, launching another charge!

Lahalo narrowed his eyes. As the warhorse approached again, he suddenly picked up a stone, gathered his strength in his arm, and in the instant they crossed, he raised the stone and smashed it into the horse's head like a battering ram!
"Oh!"

The blow landed squarely on the warhorse's head. Even through the armor, the immense impact caused the horse's eyes to roll back, its front legs to buckle, and its massive body to slide forward and collapse to the ground.

Renly was still in his charging stance when he suddenly lost his mount in a moment of distraction.

The immense inertia sent him flying like a rag doll, tumbling several times in the air before crashing heavily to the ground.

"Bang!"

The sound of the plate armor hitting the ground was particularly jarring. Renly was thrown around, his head buzzing. Although the heavy armor protected him from fatal injuries, it still caused him excruciating pain all over his body.

He struggled to get up, but the weight of the armor slowed his movements.

Just then, a dark shadow loomed overhead.

(End of this chapter)