Spellcasting Gods

Zhang Cheng glanced at the sailors and mercenaries behind him with amusement, then asked with a smile, "What do you think? Is it more interesting to burn the enemy to death, or to stab them with a sword and enjoy their painful screams and wails? Oh, right, I forgot to tell you something: in this war, whatever you seize belongs to you. I only want the captured warships."

"Really...really? Whatever we get, it's all ours?" A mercenary's eyes instantly flashed with a chilling green light.

"Of course! But there's one thing! If I find out anyone is fighting amongst themselves over the spoils, I'll treat them like an enemy, understand?" Zhang Cheng warned sternly.

"Hehe! Don't worry, we understand." Another mercenary grinned.

"Board engagement!"

"Board engagement!"

"Board engagement!"

……

With shouts growing louder and louder, the mercenaries and sailors made their choice.

For them, war meant not only death, but also wealth.

Especially open robberies like this, which don't carry any legal responsibility, are exactly what they like to do. Plus, after hiding in dark caves for so long, everyone desperately needs an outlet, and killing is the perfect way to do that.

The captain undoubtedly sensed the wild beast hidden beneath the human exterior, and without saying a word, he turned the ship around and charged straight toward the enemy vessel.

The other ship was not to be outdone and launched an attack from the left.

Because A Song of Ice and Fire lacks cannons, naval warfare remains in a primitive, chaotic state. Every warship is equipped with a long, thick ram, and the only way to attack is to ram the enemy, followed by hand-to-hand combat between the soldiers on board, until the last resister on the enemy ship is killed.

Unlike land warfare, naval battles leave the enemy with no way to retreat, and they usually fight to the death, resulting in frighteningly high levels of brutality and casualties.

However, Zhang Cheng clearly did not want his few remaining troops to suffer too many losses, so he took the initiative to draw the demonic sword that exuded an evil aura and stood at the forefront.

His leading by example undoubtedly boosted morale, and his exquisite Dark Guardian plate armor set gave everyone standing around him a sense of security.

"Hey! Who are you? Why aren't you flying any flags?" a sailor from a Stannis warship shouted at the top of his lungs.

Unfortunately, the surrounding environment remained quiet, and no one paid any attention to him.

Sensing something was wrong, the sailor immediately warned his comrades: "Enemy! There are enemies on our port side! Prepare for battle!"

The words had barely left his mouth!

The ram slammed into the hull with a bang, and seven or eight unlucky men who lost their footing fell directly into the water. Many more hit their heads on the deck or mast and fell unconscious.

"kill!!!!!"

Zhang Cheng leaped onto the ship first, wielding the Soul-Binding Messenger and instantly cleaving a young man wielding a curved sword in two at the waist, his blood and internal organs scattering everywhere.

"Hahahaha! Kill! Kill all these idiots!"

The mercenary following behind laughed wildly and swung his axe, chopping down yet another sailor.

In the blink of an eye, more than thirty skilled fighters rushed onto the enemy ship's deck and launched a massacre against the unprepared enemy.

It should be noted that Stannis's fleet had just experienced a catastrophic defeat, and most of them were in a state of shock and depression.

And what about these mercenaries?

Hiding in the cave, they spent their days training, eating, and sleeping, their energy was boundless, and the thrill of plundering loot made them feel like they were on steroids.

In addition, mercenaries who frequently participate in various battles have far more combat experience than sailors who have hardly ever seen blood, so they can overwhelm their opponents in a single encounter.

In just over ten minutes, more than half of the two hundred sailors on board were killed or wounded. The remaining sailors, in order to survive, threw down their weapons, knelt on the ground, and raised their hands to surrender.

Ignoring the prisoners who had lost their will to resist, Zhang Cheng swung onto the deck of the second ship using the rope, raised his demon sword, and cleaved the captain in two, sword and all. The glaring blood instantly stained the black armor, adding a touch of ferocity to the scene.

In particular, the numerous souls killed and imprisoned surround the sword, forming a visible black mist that constantly emits piercing, painful howls. Even a fool could sense its ominous and sinister nature.

"Tell me! Do you choose to surrender or to die?" Zhang Cheng issued his final ultimatum in a cold tone.

He could feel that as he killed more and more enemies, the Soul-Binding Messenger's power grew stronger and stronger, even impatiently urging him, its master, to continue killing.

If he keeps killing, he might lose his mind and turn into a monster who only knows how to kill...

Chapter 135 The Battle of Blackwater River (Part 2)

As expected...

The sailors, having lost their captain, quickly chose surrender over a desperate fight; they had no desire to experience firsthand the consequences of being struck by that strange longsword.

Just as Zhang Cheng was beginning to lose control of the intense killing intent welling up from the bottom of his heart, Blanco also completed the capture of another ship. He jumped over with more than twenty men, wiping the bloodstains on his face, and said with a serious expression, "Sir, I think our operation to hunt down the enemy fleet must be stopped."

"Huh? What's wrong?" Zhang Cheng hurriedly shook his head vigorously, trying to drive those terrifying sounds and thoughts out of his mind.

“Look,” the old mercenary said, pointing to the battlefield engulfed in flames in the distance. “Stannis has built a pontoon bridge using the wreckage of the burned ships, and he has led his most elite knights to attack the city gates. If we don’t hurry back to defend, King’s Landing will fall soon.”

Following the direction of his finger, Zhang Cheng immediately discovered that thousands of soldiers had already climbed the city wall and were engaged in a fierce battle with the city's defense forces, known as the "Golden Robes."

For some reason, the Golden Robe Army, relying on the terrain advantage, suffered a series of defeats and lost large sections of the city wall in the blink of an eye. They were compressed into one independent gate tower after another, which, in more technical terms, means they were divided and surrounded.

They might not be completely wiped out in a short time, but the situation is clearly extremely unfavorable for the defending side.

"Damn it! Didn't the intelligence say that Stannis's vanguard only numbered 20,000?" Zhang Cheng frowned subconsciously.

Although it is difficult to accurately count the number of soldiers on both sides during a chaotic battle, the attacking side clearly has far more than 20,000 men. With the densely packed reserves behind them, the number is more than 30,000 or 40,000, let alone 20,000.

It's important to know that King's Landing has a very unique terrain. It's bordered by the Blackwater River to the south and Blackwater Bay to the east. Stannis led his army from Storm's End, so their location would inevitably be south of King's Landing. To conquer the city, they would have to rely on the navy to continuously transport soldiers there.

But the Imp saw through his plan and made thorough preparations in advance. He used wildfire to severely damage the fleet, killing a large number of soldiers on board and reducing transportation efficiency, making it impossible to transport a large number of soldiers to the other side at once.

Similarly, Stannis reacted very quickly. After the fleet suffered a devastating blow, he immediately ordered his men to piece together the wreckage of the ships and build a makeshift pontoon bridge.

Subsequent troops continuously used this pontoon bridge to directly rush towards the weakly defended city wall, and within an hour or two, they occupied a large area of ​​the outer city wall.

“Sir, now it is your turn to make a decision,” Blanco said in a low voice, hinting.

"Decision? You don't mean you think the Lannisters lost this battle, do you?" Zhang Cheng took off his helmet and asked with a half-smile.

"Isn't that so? I really can't see how Lord Tyrion can turn the tide at this point. Perhaps abandoning the outskirts of the city and retreating to the Red Keep would be a good option." The old mercenary offered his assessment based on his past combat experience.

Zhang Cheng smiled and shook his head: "Of course not. Don't forget, Tyrion is just a pawn planted in the south by his father, Tywin Lannister. Think it over carefully, how long has Stannis been in King's Landing? Have you heard about his marching route?"

Blanco was clearly no fool; he quickly grasped the implied meaning in her words and tentatively asked in a somewhat uncertain tone, "You mean... that Lord Tywin is leading the Lannister army in ambush nearby, waiting for the perfect opportunity to offer tribute?!"

Instead of directly answering the question, Zhang Cheng suddenly sighed, "You know what? In my opinion, there are two kinds of heroes in this world. One kind inspires people in dire straits, making them never give up hope, but they usually die young, often before their suffering ends, by the enemy's sword. I admire this kind of hero, but I would never emulate them. As for the second kind of hero, they always appear at the most critical moment, defeating the enemy with overwhelming force, then receiving cheers and praise from the people, and incidentally reaping the greatest benefits. Tell me, which kind do you think Duke Tywin is?"

“I think he is the latter.” Blanco briefly recalled Tywin Lannister’s various deeds and immediately came to his conclusion.

“That’s right! Since you understand his character, what are you worried about? Put the prisoners in the cabin and lock them up. Notify everyone to prepare for battle. Let’s start this heroic epic for Tywin Lannister…” As he spoke, Zhang Cheng’s lips curled up slightly. He began to take off his blood-stained armor piece by piece and put on the flint staff that he hadn’t used in a long time.

It goes without saying that he intends to unleash his full power and demonstrate the immense destructive force of a mage in full view of everyone.

Under the old mercenary's command, the five warships that were entangled together quickly separated. Two of them, which had been pierced by the ram, were left in place to hold the surrendered prisoners, while the other three were repaired and re-hung Stannis's flag before heading towards the vicinity of the battlefield.

"Look! Our ship!" a sharp-eyed knight shouted to his companion.

Before anyone else could react, a buzzing sound suddenly filled the air, followed by a dense rain of arrows falling from the sky, striking the armor and shields with a series of thuds, while some even pierced through the armor and embedded themselves in the fragile flesh.

"what!!"

"Oh no! It's an enemy ship!"

"Defensive formation! Defensive formation!"

……

Amidst a cacophony of curses and shouts, Stannis's troops on the shore began to rapidly turn around, forming a tight, semi-circular infantry square.

Seeing this, Zhang Cheng revealed a sinister smile, turned his head and ordered the sailor in charge of operating the catapult: "What are you waiting for? Let's begin."

"Heh heh! As you wish, my lord." The sailor grinned maliciously as he released the taut lever.

moment!

A dozen or so sealed canisters of Wildfire were thrown out, slamming into the shield wall with a bang, scattering the dark green liquid everywhere.

Before the soldiers could figure out what was going on, a blazing flame streaked across the sky and then fell down.

next second...

boom!

The violent explosion and flames engulfed hundreds of soldiers on the spot!

Their prized sturdy armor and shields offered no protection whatsoever; instead, they were reduced to deadly molten iron by the flames.

In an instant, screams and wails echoed across the battlefield, so much so that even the Stannis soldiers who had been trapped on the city walls couldn't help but stop and stare in fear at the gruesome deaths of their comrades.

Chapter 0136 Blizzard

"Don't stop! Keep going!"

The horrific sight of hundreds of people being burned alive did not affect Zhang Cheng at all; he continued to calmly direct the warships to launch devastating attacks on the enemy along the riverbank.

The tactic was simple: use a rain of arrows to force the enemy into a dense formation, then burn the gathered enemy to death with sealed wildfire.

Because Stannis's warships had all fled to the open sea due to the devastating attack, and those that were separated from the main force were burned by the young dragons hiding in the night sky, they were unable to return in time to help. They could only watch helplessly as the three ships wreaked havoc on the water.

Upon discovering that the attack had stalled, the "King's" face immediately darkened. Suppressing his anger, he demanded sharply, "What's going on with those ships? I don't care what methods you use! Destroy them immediately! King's Landing is within our grasp, and I will not allow anyone to stand in the way of our army's advance!"

“But…but Your Majesty…Sir Imre Floren, the fleet commander, is currently missing and his fate is unknown. There is no one who can bring those frightened sailors back to the battlefield,” a nobleman in armor cautiously reminded him.

But as soon as he finished speaking, the two warships that had been lingering near the river mouth finally came to their senses and quickly changed course to re-enter the river.

Clearly, they were trying to use the sturdy ramming ram to stop Zhang Cheng from continuing to slaughter the defenseless soldiers along the riverbank.

Stannis, noticing this, immediately sneered sarcastically, "Hmph! See that, Sir? There are always some people in this world who possess extraordinary courage and loyalty, they will..."

Before he could finish speaking, a dark shadow suddenly flashed by, and just a few seconds later, a bright flame illuminated the night sky.

The two warships that came to the rescue were completely turned into two huge fireballs before they even reached the river mouth.

Because the whole process was so fast, no one could see clearly what actually happened.

Such a bizarre scene left not only the other warships preparing to enter the river mouth, but even Stannis himself dumbfounded and frozen in place.

Although after spending some time with Melisandre he realized that there were some mysterious forces in the world that he did not understand, such as shadow magic, fire magic, prophecy magic and so on, none of these were as incredible as instantly setting a warship ablaze.

"Damn it! Order the soldiers on the city walls to open the gates! Then let the cavalry charge! Three ships can't stop my advance!" After a brief silence, Stannis immediately made a new decision.

In any case, three ships could not possibly carry many soldiers, let alone easily land them; that would be tantamount to suicide. The only thing they could do was harass.

If his attack speed is fast enough, he can take King's Landing first, and then use the huge catapults on the city walls to destroy the enemy.

"As you wish, Your Majesty." The messenger bowed with one hand on his chest, then blew the horn in his hand.