Game of Thrones: I am Dothraki, not a barbarian

Chapter 225 Come on, let's have a one-on-one fight!
That evening, Lajalo convened a meeting with his core generals.

"Increase the intensity tomorrow!" Lajalo emphasized. "We need to make Joffrey feel that we've given it our all. This time, I'll personally participate in the attack and even throw my flag down outside the city walls!"

“So what’s next?” Lazar asked.

Rahalo pointed to the map of King's Landing on the wooden frame: "The stone bridge outside Mud Gate is called Mud Bridge. It is about two hundred meters long and consists of six stone arches."

If Joffrey goes out of town in pursuit, he will definitely cross this bridge. We'll prepare two Drogon warships, loaded with gunpowder, and blow them up as soon as he leads his army across!

In the dead of night, Lahalo led his trusted men to the shore and found two eighty-oared warships.

This warship was 45 meters long and 16 meters wide, and could accommodate 150 oarsmen. Laharo ordered his men to load most of the gunpowder they had brought into the bow of the ship.

"Is there enough gunpowder?" old Mosso asked.

“We brought eight tons this time, that’s enough,” Baqu said.

“What is the structure of the bridge?” Lajalo asked.

"The Muddy Bridge has six stone piers, with a span of about 30 meters between them. The bridge pillars extend about two meters into the riverbed and are made of huge stones. Each bridge pillar is about five meters thick."

"Five meters?" Rahalo asked. "Can it be blown up?"

An engineering officer said, "It's unrealistic to think about using gunpowder to blow up a stone bridge that thick."

However, in order to allow ships to navigate the Blackwater River, the bridge deck between the second and third stone arches and the fourth and fifth stone arches of the stone bridge was made of wood and could be disassembled.

We don't need to blow up the stone arch; we can just destroy the bridge surface, as long as we can delay Joffrey's return to town, right?

Lahalo thought for a moment and then agreed, "Okay, let's do it this way!"

...

On the fifth day after the landing, Lajalo ordered an even more intense siege.

This time, he personally led more than 20,000 Slark warriors to the city walls. He stepped out from the crowd and roared loudly at Joffrey on the city wall.

"Joffrey!" Rahallo roared, circling the city walls. "You think you're safe hiding behind the walls? You bastard child of Jaime and Cersei's incestuous relationship!"

Cersei heard about her son's great achievements the day before and came to the city walls to watch the battle, but she did not expect that the damned barbarian would expose her past, and she was immediately furious.

"Shut up!" Cersei screamed, "Your Majesty, you must kill him! Kill him now!"

Joffrey, his face flushed with rage at Lahallo's insults towards his mother, shoved aside the Kingsguard protecting him, rushed to the city walls, and roared, "Shut up, barbarian! I am the rightful king!"

Laharlo burst into laughter, "A coward who only dares to stab Starks in the back! A wimp who only knows how to abuse women! You're not even as good as a pig! Robert knows you're not his child!"

"How dare you insult me!" Joffrey trembled with rage, drawing his longsword in a flash. "I'll cut your head off!"

"Come on! You piece of trash who only knows how to torture kittens!"

Rahalo, shameless and using the most offensive language imaginable, shouted, "Come on, come down here and fight me one-on-one! Do you dare?"

Joffrey was so angry he almost jumped off the city wall, but the Kingsguard beside him held him back, leaving him helplessly roaring from the top of the wall:

"You just wait! I'll make you pay!"

Lahalo personally waved the central army banner, and the siege began!

He then joined the siege, pushing the siege ladder and quickly approaching the city wall.

But at this critical moment, he was suddenly struck in the chest by an arrow, and fell straight to the ground with a backward tilt.

"Oh no! Khao is injured!" The Dothraki warriors immediately panicked.

"Retreat! Retreat quickly!" he shouted weakly as he struggled to his feet.

The Dothraki army was thrown into chaos. Warriors carried the heavily wounded Rahalo and fled in panic, siege equipment scattered all over the ground, and even the central army banner was abandoned at the foot of the city walls without being gathered up.

Joffrey was thrilled when he saw this!
"They've even lost their flag!" he screamed. "They've been completely defeated! If we don't pursue them now, when will we?"

Cersei was filled with pride when she saw her son looking so spirited.

"Your Majesty, you should seize this opportunity and let everyone witness your bravery!"

Joffrey's eyes lit up: "Mother, do you also approve of me leaving the city?"

“Of course,” Cersei nodded approvingly. “His Majesty the King is a noble stag, a true king! These barbarians are no match for you! If you can personally lead the army to defeat them, your name will be sung throughout Westeros! Those rumors and attacks against you will fall apart on their own!”

Just then, the hyena approached. As a member of the Kingsguard, he had a duty to protect the king's safety.

“Your Majesty,” the hyena said cautiously, “fighting outside the city is too risky. What if…”

"What if?"

Joffrey interrupted him angrily, "You're just my dog, how dare you question my abilities?"

Cersei looked at the hyenas, her eyes filled with displeasure: "My son is a king and a warrior, and none of you can defeat him! You are not even a knight, what right do you have to stop him from achieving glory!"

The hyena lowered its head: "Your subordinate wouldn't dare, but..."

"Enough!" Joffrey roared. "I've made up my mind! Gather five thousand cavalry immediately. I will personally lead the army out of the city and drive these barbarians out of my territory!"

Cersei smiled with satisfaction: "This is my son. Go, and show them the power of a king!"

Within King's Landing, warhorses neighed and armor clashed incessantly. Five thousand elite cavalrymen swiftly assembled at the Mud Gate, including three thousand garrison cavalrymen from the capital and two thousand temporarily conscripted noble private soldiers.

"Soldiers!" Joffrey, riding a white horse, clad in golden armor, and with a sword at his waist, roared triumphantly, "Those barbarians have been defeated! Now, follow your king and forge immortal glory!"

The cavalrymen responded loudly, their voices deafening.

For these soldiers in the capital who had never seen real war, what they saw before them was indeed an imminent victory.

If they defeat Lahalo, they will go down in history!
The mud gate slowly opened, and five thousand cavalrymen surged out like a tide. Joffrey rode in the lead, followed by a dense mass of armored knights.

Rahalo was helped onto the horse, and as he rode, he secretly turned around to observe.

"The fish is hooked!"

The Muddy Bridge is a typical stone arch bridge, about 300 meters long and composed of six stone arches, each spanning about 50 meters. The bridge deck is 12 meters wide, enough for four warhorses to pass side by side. Here, a tributary of the Blackwater River forms a relatively narrow channel with a depth of about 8 meters.

The bridge was constructed using the most advanced technology available at the time. The craftsmen first built a wooden cofferdam on the riverbed, drained the water, and then used huge stones to build the bridge piers on the dry riverbed.

Each bridge pier extends more than three meters into the riverbed, and the stones are secured with molten iron.

However, as the engineers have stated, while this construction method is very robust, a portion of the bridge deck uses cable stays and a detachable structure to allow ships to pass. If these components are damaged, the entire bridge will immediately lose its functionality.

At this moment, two Drogon warships loaded with gunpowder rapidly approached the muddy bridge. The oarsmen were sweating profusely, and their orders were to abandon ship and flee for their lives as soon as they felt an impact.

Joffrey led his five thousand cavalry across the muddy bridge in a mighty procession. "Quick! Catch up with those fleeing barbarians!"

Joffrey, surrounded by a group of men, shouted excitedly, "Today, I will make them bleed like rivers!"

The cavalrymen shouted in response, following closely behind their king. No one noticed two dark spots rapidly approaching on the distant river.

After the five thousand cavalrymen had completely crossed the muddy bridge, Lahalo let out a sharp eagle cry!

"Now!"

(End of this chapter)