Chapter 59 Chapter 59: Davos

The waves in Heishui Bay are rough and turbid. The Black Bess sailed with the high tide, rattling the sails in the capricious wind.The Sea Spirit and the Lady Maria were separated, with the distance between the ships not more than twenty yards.It seemed the sons had learned to hold the line, and Davos was proud of it. The rumbling warhorn crossed the sea, its howling hoarse and deep, like the call of a devil, passed on from ship to ship. "Sails in," Davos ordered, "masts lowered. Oarsmen in position." Son Mathos passed on.As the crew hurried to their posts, pushing away the standing soldiers on board who always seemed in the way at this moment, the decks of the Black Beth were busy.Ser Imry had declared that only oars were to be used when entering the river, lest the ballistas and flamethrowers of King's Landing should attack and set sails on fire.

Davos looked southeast, gazing at the figure of the Fury.Her sails shone with gold, and the canvas was emblazoned with the crowned stag of House Baratheon.Sixteen years ago, Stannis Baratheon was standing on her deck and leading the fleet to attack Dragonstone Island; this time, he decided to go with the army and hand over the Fury and the command of the fleet to his brother-in-law Im Ser Ray, who served under Storm's End with Lord Alester and the Florents. Davos was almost as familiar with the Fury as his own ship.She had three hundred oars, her decks were strewn with ballistae, and a trebuchet was placed prow and stern for throwing barrels of burning pitch.Not only is she intimidating, but she is also very agile and fast.Ser Imry, however, wasted her speed by crowding her decks with armored knights and infantry.

The trumpet sounded again, and orders came from the Fury.Davos felt a tingle in Vanishing's fingertips. "Oars down," he called, "in line." A hundred oars plunged into the water at once, and the oarsmen thundered drums.The sound of the drum is like a huge and gentle heartbeat. Every time it is knocked, the oars move one point, and a hundred people are one, uniform. The Sea Spirit and the Lady Maria also spread their wooden wings at the same time, the speed of the three ships was the same, and the blades stirred the black water. "Slow down," Davos yelled.Lord Velaryon's silver-hulled ship, the Glory of Tidehead Island, has sailed into the port side of the Sea Spirit and arrived at the predetermined position. The Laugher followed, but the Old Lady had just put its oars into the water, and the Seahorse was even slower. Lowering the mast is not yet complete.Davos looked astern.Sure enough, in the rear, far to the south, the Swordfish lumbered as always, trailing last.She had two hundred oars and the largest ram in the fleet, but Davos doubted the captain's ability.He heard soldiers calling across the sea, encouraging each other.Since the departure from Storm's End, they have been bored in the cabin, doing nothing, already impatient, eager to fight, and full of confidence, firmly convinced of victory.In this they were of one mind with Lord Admiral Ser Imry Florent.

Three days ago, after the fleet broke down at the mouth of the Wende River, the commander called all the captains to hold a combat meeting on the Fury to communicate the deployment.Davos and his sons were placed in second line, exposed to the dangerous right. "A place of honor," Allard sighed, gratified at the chance to prove his valor. "Dangerous position," Father pointed out.The sons returned sympathetic looks, even young Malik.The Onion Knight was an old woman, he could hear their thoughts, and his father was still a smuggler at heart. Heh, at least the latter is true, and he doesn't regret it.Seaworth was an honorable noble name, but at heart he had always been the Davos of the flea nest.Now he was going home, back to the city above the three hills.His knowledge of ships, sails, and coasts was the best in the Seven Kingdoms, and he had fought bloody battles on wet decks before, but today this kind of battle made him feel like a young girl suddenly, nervous and afraid.Smugglers never blow their horns or hoist their banners.Once they smell danger, they will hoist their sails and sail away faster than the wind.

If I were the commander, I would never act like this.First of all, I will choose a few fast boats to go deep into the river, carefully examine and spy on the truth, rather than rushing in rashly.He had suggested it to Ser Imry, and the Admiral of the Fleet thanked him politely, but his eyes were not so friendly.Who is this humble coward?Those eyes were asking, is he the one who traded the onion for the knighthood? With four times as many ships as the Imp King, Ser Imry saw no need for prudence or ingenuity.He directly organized the fleet into ten battle lines, each consisting of twenty warships.The first two were to clear the river and destroy Joffrey's flotilla--"children's toys," as Ser Imry and the noble captains joked.The following ships first landed a large number of archers and spearmen on the ship below the city, and then joined the battle on the river.The smallest and slowest ships were placed in the rear, carrying Stannis' main force from south to north, their movement covered by Salado Sarn's fleet of Lys.The Reese fleet at the end of the team was ordered to stay in the bay to prevent the Lannister army from hiding the ships on the shore and waiting for an opportunity to attack the rear of the fleet.

To be fair, Ser Imry's aggressiveness was not without reason.During the voyage from Storm's End, the sea breeze had been bad.On the day of sailing, two small boats sank on the rocks at Shipbreaker Bay, and it got off to a bad start.A Myr warship was subsequently sunk in the Strait of Tarth.In the process of entering the throat, the fleet was hit by a storm, and the queue broke up, and some ships were even blown into the middle of the narrow sea.By the time they reached Blackwater Bay, where the current was milder, they had regrouped under the cover of the ridge at Marseille Point, and all twelve boats had disappeared. What's worse, they were wasted too much time.

Stannis had been to the river days before.Between Storm's End and King's Landing lay the straight King's Road, which was shorter and faster than the sea route, and the king's troops were almost entirely on horseback: nearly twenty thousand knights, hussars, and freeriders—Renly's bequest against his brother's will.They had arrived, but their armored horses and twelve-foot spears were no match for the deep waters of the Blackwater or the stone walls of King's Landing.Stannis camped and waited on the south bank with his vassals, presumably seething with helpless rage, wondering where Ser Imry had taken his fleet.

Two days ago, when they passed Mermaid Reef, they encountered five or six small fishing boats.When the fishermen saw the big boat, they fled separately, and finally they were caught one by one and locked in the cabin. "A teaspoonful of victory, a hors d'oeuvre before the Great War," Ser Imry announced cheerfully, "will help us to unburden our bellies and clean up our dinner." Davos cared only for what the captives had told him about the defense of King's Landing.The dwarf seemed to be busy building some kind of iron chain to block the mouth of the river, but the fishermen were divided as to whether the barrier was complete or not.He secretly hoped that there would be iron chains across the river. If the river didn't go up, Ser Imry would have no choice but to stop and fix it.

The sea was full of roaring and shouting, the trilling of horns and drums and flutes, and the sound of thousands of oars rising and falling against the water. "Hold the line," Davos called.A sea breeze lifted his old green cloak, and he wore no armor but a leather vest, and a round helmet at his feet.At sea, heavy armor not only cannot save people from water and fire, but will kill them, he firmly believes that.Ser Imry and the other high-born captains saw it differently, walking up and down the decks, their armor gleaming. At this time, the Old Lady and the Seahorse are in place, and Lord Celtiga's Red Crab is about to be ready.On the starboard side of Arrad's Lady Maria were three warships that Stannis had wrested from the unfortunate Lord Sanglass: the Pious, the Prayer, and the Devotion, their decks lined with archers.Even the Swordfish was approaching, swaying across the ocean with both sails and oars.A big ship with so many oars could have gone faster, Davos thought disapprovingly.It must have been the ram, which was so big that it knocked her off balance.

The south wind is now, but since the fleet changes sails and uses oars, the movement is not affected.They would ride in with the tide, but once in the river the advantage would be reversed, and the Lannisters would make good use of the river's rapids, as the currents of the Blackwater were known to be strong and swift where it emptied into the sea.It would be foolish to fight them in the Blackwater, Davos thought.If they meet in the sea, they can encircle from both wings, squeeze the enemy to the center, and destroy them all.But on the river, Ser Imry's boats were of no use, no more than twenty of them at a time, lest the oars should give way and clash with each other.

Beyond the line of battle, Davos looked out at the Red Keep rising above Aegon's High Hill, the black buildings against the lemon-colored sky, and the mouth of the Blackwater below.On the other side of the river, there was a crowd of people and horses. When the fleet appeared, they were commotion like ants whose nest had exploded.Surely Stannis hadn't let them idle. He was building rafts and making flying arrows, though the wait must have been anxious.The trumpet blew in the crowd, weak but piercing, and was immediately drowned out by the shouts of thousands of troops.Davos clutched the pouch containing the phalanx between his crippled fingers, silently praying for luck. The Fury presided over the first line, and to her left and right was the Duke of Stephen and the Sea Hart, both ships of two hundred oars.The other ships of the first battle line are arranged on both sides, and they are also of a hundred oars level: Mrs. Harrah, Bright Fish, Laughing King, Sea Demon, Glory Horn, Jenna, Trident, and Sword , Rhaenys Princess, Dognose, Majesty, Faith, Red Raven, Queen Alysanne, Cat, Bravery, and Dragonbane, each with the flaming heart of the Lord of Light flying from the stern, Red, orange and yellow.Behind Davos and his sons' second line of battle was a line of ships of the hundred oars commanded by knights and noble captains.After that, there are small and slow Myr ships, each with no more than eighty oars.The ships farther away, with their sails out, were large merchant ships and heavy cargo ships.Last came Salador Saan's Valyrian, a gigantic three-hundred-oared man-of-war, and around her were swarms of Lysian battleships, all of them distinctively painted hulls.The flamboyant "Prince of the Narrow Sea" isn't too pleased with his appointment as queen, and it's clear that Ser Imry distrusts him as much as Stannis does.He complained too much, always talking about the gold he was owed.Having said that, Davos was deeply regretful.Salado Sann was a resourceful old pirate, and his men were all experienced sailors. They all died in the battle, and it was a waste to use it as a rear guard. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Through the foam and the regular slap came the order from the foredeck of the Fury: Ser Imry signaled the general attack. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh The Swordfish joined the battle at last, but the sails were not ready to lower. "Go faster," Davos growled.The drum beat quickened, and the speed of the oars followed immediately, and the leaves fluttered on the water surface, hi-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh.On the deck, the infantry struck their shields with their swords, while the archers quickly set up their bowstrings and drew feather arrows from the quiver on their waists.The first line blocked the view, and Davos had to walk up and down the deck to observe.So far, he found no trace of the iron chain, and the mouth of the river opened in front of him, as if to engulf them all.Oh, except... During his long career as a smuggler, Davos had often joked that he knew the riverside of King's Landing better than he knew the back of his hand, which was understandable, since he hadn't spent half his life sneaking in and out of it.The two new stone towers on either side of the Blackwater Estuary meant nothing to Ser Imry, but they were like two extra fingers to him. He raised his hand to block the sun from the west, and looked carefully at the stone tower.They are too small to hide many guards.The one on the north bank was built just under the cliff of the Red Keep, while the stone tower on the south bank opposite it had its foundation in the water.They had dug a deep ditch on the bank, and he saw at once that the tower would be difficult to attack: either by fording the deep water or by bridge.Stannis had stationed crossbowmen under the tower, ready to shoot the guards whenever they showed themselves above the keep.That's all he does. In the swirling and roaring black water at the base of the tower, something shone brightly.It was the reflection of sunlight on the steel, and Davos knew it right away.A giant iron chain...not raised, however, to keep us from entering the river.Why is this? He was trying to figure it out carefully, but unexpectedly, time waited for no one.There was a shout from the battleship ahead, and the battle horn sounded again: The enemy is fighting! Between the speeding blades of the Majesty and the Faith, Davos saw a sparse line of ships going downriver, the sun glinting on the golden drawings on their hulls.He knew these ships as well as his own.As a smuggler, as soon as these sails appeared on the horizon, he knew whether the ship was coming fast or slow, whether the captain was a young man eager for glory or an old man in his old age.Because of his accurate judgment, he handles it well every time. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh the warhorn blared, "Battle speed," Davos yelled.He heard Dale and Allard on the left and right sides give orders at the same time.Drums beat furiously, oars rose and fell, and Black Bess broke through the waves.Dale saluted his father as he turned to look at the Sea Sprite.The Swordfish fell behind again and was overtaken by the smaller ships on both sides. Except for her, the entire battle line was as neat as a shield wall. The narrow river channel in the distance is now as vast as a boundless ocean, and the city is getting bigger and bigger before your eyes.The Red Keep stands high on Aegon's High Hill, controlling the mouth of the river.It has steel-reinforced fortifications, huge fortresses and thick red walls, like a ferocious beast squatting on the river and city streets.The cliffs below the castle were rocky and steep, speckled with moss and brambles.The fleet must pass under the castle before it can enter the port and attack the city. The first battle column had already entered the river, but the enemy ships began to retreat against the current.It seems that they want to lure the enemy to go deep, so that our army will be stuck in a group, restraining each other, unable to stretch out the formation, and carry out a flanking encirclement... Don't forget that there is still that iron chain behind.He paced up and down the deck, craned his neck to get a better view of Joffrey's fleet. "Children's toys" included the lumbering Grace, he recognized, and the old and slow Prince Aemon, the Lady of Silk and her sister ships Lady's Shame, Wild Wind, King's Landing, White Hart, The Long Gun and the Sea Flower.But what about the Lionstar?What about the gorgeous Lady Lyanna, built by King Robert in honor of his beloved but lost maiden?What about King Robert's Hammer?Not only is she the largest warship in the royal fleet, with 400 oars, but she is also the only ship in the hands of the imp king that can compete with the Fury.Logically speaking, she should be in the middle to organize the defense. Davos sniffed out traps, but saw no sign of an ambush or surprise attack, and saw Stannis Baratheon's vast fleet lined up to the horizon.Could it be that the opponent intends to raise the iron chain at the right time to cut our army into two?What is the advantage of doing this?The boats left outside the bay could still transport troops to the north bank, although the progress was slower, but it was safer. A swaying flock of orange-red birds swooped down from the castle, twenty or thirty of them: these were burning pitch tanks, shooting down the river in a parabola with their long tails of fire.The river swallowed most of the birds, and a few landed on the deck of the first battleship, exploded and scattered sparks.The infantry on the Queen Alysanne was in a mess, and he saw smoke from three places on the Dragonbane, which, no wonder, was closest to the river bank.A second wave of attacks followed, this time mixed with flying arrows, fired by archers from countless arrow holes in the stone tower.A soldier overturned the Cat's side, struck an oar, and sank to the bottom.It was the first drop of blood shed today, thought Davos, but it was far from the last. High on the battlements of the Red Keep flew the banners of the Imp King: the crowned stag of House Baratheon on gold, the roaring lion of House Lannister on red.Pitch cans were thrown down continuously, fireworks filled the Bravery, and the soldiers screamed and screamed.At this moment, the oarsmen under the side of the ship were safe under the shelter of the deck, but the infantry crowded above were not so lucky.As he feared, the right was forced to take all the blows.It will be our turn soon, he reminded himself, feeling uneasy.There are only five battleships between the Black Beth and the North Shore, within range of the fire cans.To starboard, there was Allard's Lady Maria, the clumsy Swordfish--she was so far behind now that she was closer to the third line than the second line--and the Devotion, the Prayer, and Consecration, the three of them were placed in such a dangerous position, I really hoped for the blessing of the gods promised by the name of the ship. When the second battle column passed the Twin Towers, Davos took the time to observe carefully.I saw a hole about the size of a human head at the bottom of the tower, and a huge iron chain snaked out. There were only three links on the water, and the rest were at the bottom of the river.The stone pagoda has only one door, and it is more than twenty feet above the ground.On top of the north tower, crossbowmen were desperately attacking the Prayer and the Consecration.The archers on the Devotion's deck returned fire, and Davos heard screams as men were shot down. "Your Excellency, Captain." His son Mathos came to him. "Please put on the helmet." Davos took it with both hands and put it on his head.The round helmet had been stripped of the visor, and he hated having his vision blocked. Then, pitch tins rained down over the side of the boat.One of the cans exploded on the deck of the Lady Maria, and Allard's crew quickly extinguished the fire.On the port side, the Glory of Chaotou Island blew its horn, and the oarsmen beat their oars desperately, making countless splashes.A yard-long arrow was shot from the ballista on the city, and landed less than two feet away from Mathos, sinking deep into the wooden deck, trembling.Ahead, the space between the first battle line and the enemy ships has entered the bow and arrow range, and the arrows are flying between the ships, like hissing poisonous snakes. On the south bank of the Blackwater, Davos saw soldiers hauling crude rafts into the water, a huge army and thousands of banners flying.There were flaming hearts everywhere, and small, black stags so imprisoned in flames that they were almost unrecognizable.We shall fight under the crowned stag, he thought. The stag is King Robert's emblem, and the whole city will accept it.Unfamiliar coats of arms only arouse resentment. Seeing the flaming heart, he couldn't help thinking of the shadow of Melisandre born in the haze at the bottom of Storm's End.At least today we fight in broad daylight with the weapons of decent men, he told himself.The Red Lady and her dark offspring will have nothing to do with this battle.Stannis had sent her back to Dragonstone with his bastard nephew Edric Storm.His captains and vassals had insisted, save for a faint protest from the Queen's party, that women should not join this glorious battle.But after all, Stannis didn't intend to pay attention to it until Lord Bryce Cullen's words reversed the trend: "Your Majesty, if the Witch and the Witch are still with us, people will call this victory her victory in the future." Yours won, not yours. Others will say you won the crown by her spell." In the midst of the heated argument, Davos kept his mouth shut, but he was glad to see her sent away.From Melisandre and her God, he just wanted to stay away. On the starboard side, the Devotion sailed toward the bank, the gangplanks out, and the archers waded into the shallows in a frenzy, holding their bows aloft to keep their strings dry.They rushed into the narrow beachhead between the cliff and the river.The flying rocks on the city were like rain, jumping and falling, and there were also bows and spears mixed in.However, the angle is too small, and under the cover of the cliff, these weapons are not effective. The Prayer made landfall some twenty yards upstream, and the Pious rammed crookedly toward the bank.At this time, the defenders came out, and they rushed down the river bank, and the iron hoofs of the army horses stepped across the shallows, splashing water.The knights charged into the archers like wolves chasing chickens, and most of them were driven back to their boats and even into the river before they could take their arrows.The infantry arrived in a hurry and resisted with spears and battle axes. In an instant, the whole scene was full of blood and flesh.Davos recognized the Hound's dog helmet.He rode a steed, passed the springboard, and killed the prayer number, with the pure white cloak fluttering on his shoulders in the wind.No matter who it is, as long as they get close, they will be chopped down with a single axe. After passing the castle, in the ring city wall, King's Landing on the hill comes into view.The riverside was a scorched earth, and the Lannisters burned all the buildings and drove all kinds of people through the mud gate.Scorched masts and sunken ships piled up on the riverbank, keeping ships from approaching the long stone jetty.Looks like I can't log in here.Behind the Mud Gate, three giant catapults emerged.On the top of the Visenya Hills, the sun shone brightly on the seven crystal towers of the Great Sept of Baelor. Davos could not see the battle ahead, but he could hear it.Two battleships collided with a loud tearing noise, and he couldn't tell which two ships it was.Moments later, another loud crash echoed across the water, and then a third.He heard the deep thump-thump of the fury's bow catapult over the harsh shriek of disintegrating wood.The Seabuck split one of Joffrey's ships head-on, but the Dognose was ablaze, and the Queen Alysanne was caught between the Lady Silk and the Lady's Shame, her crew on the way. Fight to the death with enemies boarding the ship. Straight ahead, the enemy King's Landing swooped in through the gap between Faith and King Power.The oars on the starboard side of the Faith retracted their oars just in time before the impact, but the port oars of the King Power were all smashed by the passing King's Landing like matchsticks. "Fire the arrows," Davos ordered, and at once his crossbowmen unleashed a deadly hail of arrows.He saw the captain of the King's Landing fall, but he couldn't remember the name of the other party for a while. On the shore, one, two, and three arms of the giant trebuchet were raised one after another.Hundreds of stones climbed into the yellow sky, each as big as a human head.They fell, or splashed huge waves, or penetrated the oak deck, and beat people alive to bone, flesh and liver pulp.The ships of the first battle rank have all joined the battle group.Claw hooks shuttled, iron rams smashed through wooden hulls, and soldiers boarded the ship in groups.Among the flowing smoke, arrows could be seen covering the sky and the sun.People died one after another... Fortunately, so far, no one of his men has been killed. The Black Beth sailed upstream, oarsmen beating thunderously, as if she were hungry for the ram's first victim.The Queen Alysanne has been captured by two Lannister warships, all three held together by grapples and ropes. "Crash!" Davos yelled. The beat of the drums blurred into one long, frenetic, endless hammering, and Black Bess took off, her bow splitting the spray like breast milk.Allard saw the same opportunity, his Lady Maria abreast of the Black Beth.At this moment, the first battle column has dispersed, fighting on their own.The three tangled warships were right in front of them, entangled and slowly rotating, the deck was bloody and bloody, and people were slashing at each other with axes and swords.Turn a little further, and Davos Seaworth prayed to the warrior to turn her a little further, to expose the broadside. The warrior must have heard his prayer.The Black Beth and the Lady Maria plunged into the Lady's Shame almost at the same time, smashing her to pieces from head to tail with such force that even the people on the Silk Lady three ships away were thrown into the sea .At the moment of the collision, Davos' teeth snapped shut, nearly biting off his tongue.He spat out a mouthful of blood.Just keep your mouth shut next time, you idiot.After 40 years of life at sea, this is the first time he has rammed someone else's boat.Looking back, the archers on the ship were shooting freely. "Back off," he ordered.The Black Bess rowed backwards, and the river quickly poured into the big hole just made. The Lady's Shame was shattered in front of her, and crowds of people fell into the river.The living struggled to survive, the dead floated silently, and those in heavy plate or chain mail immediately sank to the bottom of the river no matter whether they were dead or alive.The wailing of the drowning people kept ringing in his ears. A green light flashed across his eyes, flew forward, and landed in the direction of the port side.In an instant, a swarm of emerald vipers hissed up the Queen Alysanne's stern, churning and burning.A terrifying cry came from ahead: "Wildfire!" His complexion changed drastically.Burning asphalt is one thing, the threat of wildfire is quite different.This evil substance is almost impossible to extinguish.Even if there is only a little spark, if you suffocate it with a cloak, the cloak will catch fire; if you pat it with your palm, your palm will burn instead. "Piss on wildfire and your shit will burn," was one of the old seaman's famous sayings.Ser Imry had warned them of the possibility of encountering the alchemist's foul substance.Fortunately, there are very few pyromancers alive, and the substance will soon be exhausted, Ser Imry assured them. Davos gave new orders: the ship turned around, one side of the rowers rowing forward and the other side back.The Lady Maria was also evacuating without being caught in the flames.The flames engulfed the Queen Alysanne faster than he could have imagined, and then spread to her captors.The man covered in green flames jumped into the water, howling inhumanly.On the city of King's Landing, the fire-breathing crossbow shot death, and inside the mud gate, the huge trebuchet hurled boulders.A rock the size of a bull fell between the Black Beth and the Sea Spirit, causing the two ships to shake and everyone on the deck was wet.Another rock, not too small, hit the Laugher directly.The Velaryon warship exploded like a child's toy thrown from a tower, sending shards as long as an arm's length. In the cloud of black smoke and green fire, Davos glimpsed a swarm of small boats going downriver: a jumble of ferries, rowboats, barges, rafts, schooners, and freighters whose hulls were so rotting they could barely float.It was a desperate struggle, how could this pile of driftwood turn the tide of the battle?It can only block the way.It was obvious that the enemy lines could not be regrouped.On the left flank, Duke Stephen, Jenna and Swordsman broke through the defense and rushed upstream.The right wing was still fighting fiercely, but the central part of our army fell apart under the attack of the boulders of the trebuchets. Some boats turned around to avoid the downstream, and some boats leaned to the left. Everyone was in a hurry to avoid the merciless stone rain.The Wrath turned around and tried to use the stern trebuchet to fight back, but the range was not enough, and the bucket of asphalt it threw only hit the city wall.The Majesty lost most of its oars, and the Faith was hit by an enemy ship and began to sink.He led Black Beth out between the two ships, past Queen Cersei's ornate, gilded yacht—full of soldiers now instead of sweets.The collision threw a dozen enemies into the river, where they tried to swim but were easy targets for the Black Beth's archers. Massos shouted loudly, warning of the crisis on the port side: a Lannister warship was coming straight with a ram. "Full starboard!" Davos shouted.His men pushed the yacht away with their oars, while others paddled desperately to turn the bow of the ship on the White Hart, which was rushing desperately.For a moment, he was terrified, afraid that the movement would be too slow, and he would be hit and sunk. Fortunately, the tide helped the Black Beth in time. When the collision finally happened, it was just a scrape against each other. Qi break.A jagged plank flew overhead, sharp as a spear, and Davos flinched. "Board!" he called.Grapple hook thrown.He drew his long sword and took the lead over the railing.The White Hart's crew came up to meet them, but the Black Beth's infantry swept past in a torrent of steel.Davos made his way through the melee, looking for the captain of the enemy ship, but the man was killed before he could get close.Standing next to the captain's body, he was suddenly attacked with a tomahawk from behind. Fortunately, the helmet blocked the blow, and his head only buzzed, not shattered.He was dizzy and rolled subconsciously on the ground.Shouting, the raiders charged.Davos raised the sword with both hands, and plunged into the belly of the comer first. One of his crewmen helped him to his feet, "Your Excellency, the White Hart has been taken by us." Indeed, Davos looked up.Most of the enemies were dead or dying, and some surrendered.He took off his helmet, wiped the blood from his face, and turned back to his ship, carefully walking, the guts of people pouring out made the deck extremely slimy.Massos reached out to help him climb over the railing. In the next short time, the Black Beth and the White Hart became the calm eyes of the storm.The Queen Alysanne and the Lady of Silk were still bundled together like a green inferno, dragging the wreck of the Lady's Shame downstream.A Myr warship had the misfortune to run into them, and was instantly ablaze.The Cat is leaning against the rapidly sinking Bravery to save crews.The captain of the Dragonbane made a forced landing in the gap between the two piers, the keel was torn to pieces, and the crew, archers, and infantry swarmed ashore to join the siege team.The Red Raven was also pierced and was slowly tilting.The Sea Stag fought both the fire and the foe, but she planted the Flaming Heart on Joffrey's Faithful beside her.The Fury's pompous bow was knocked out of sight by a huge boulder, and she was fighting on board with the Divine Grace.He saw Lord Velaryon's Glory of the Tidehead ram two of the Lannister clippers, capsize one, and was firing rockets at the other.On the south bank, knights led their war horses to board cargo ships one after another, and many small warships loaded with infantry had already begun to cross the river.They choose their path with extreme caution between half-sunken ships and floating wildfires.King Stannis's entire fleet was in the river, but Salador Sarn's Lys ship remained in the bay.Soon our army will control the entire Blackwater River.Ser Imry had at last the victory he craved, Davos thought, and Stannis had finally got his army over the edge, but, gods behold, the price was... "Your Excellency, Captain!" Massos touched his shoulder. It's the Swordfish.Her two rows of oars rose and fell, but the sail never came down.The burning pitch ignited the rigging, and the fire spread, crawling over the ropes and onto the canvas, growing into a great knot of yellow flame.Her hulking ram, shaped like the fish the ship's name refers to, planted askew toward the water ahead.Right in front of the Swordfish, a small boat slowly floated in and circled slowly in the river, forming an attractive target.It was a Lannister hulk, low draft, with thick green blood seeping from the cracks in the sides. Davos Seaworth's heart stopped beating at the sight. "No," he yelled, "no, no, no, no, no, no, no—!" But amidst the roaring and killing, no one heard him except Mathos.At least the captain of the Swordfish must have not heard, he was so excited that the clumsy sword in his hand finally found a suitable target.In an instant, the Swordfish increased to combat speed.Davos lifted his crippled hand and gripped the leather pouch holding the phalanx tightly. Crashing, tearing, disintegrating, the Swordfish smashed the decaying hulk into flying pieces.She burst open like a ripe fruit, though no fruit could shriek like splintering wood.Accompanied by the sky-filled pulp, the green juice overflows from a thousand jars, like the guts of a dying beast, shining green and dazzling, and spreads out on the river... "Back off," he growled, "get away. Get away from her, back, back!" The ropes cut, and Davos felt the deck move, and Black Beth sped off the White Hart, and the oars re-entered the water. Then, there was only a rapid and sharp low bark, as if someone was panting close to the ear.After a while, it turned into howling.The deck beneath him disappeared, and black water hit his face and poured into his nose and mouth.He choked on water and drowned, not knowing where he was.In boundless terror, Davos struggled blindly until he finally surfaced.He spat out the stagnant water, took a deep breath, and grabbed the nearest plank, holding on tight. The Swordfish and the hulk disappeared, and the charred remains floated downstream with him, the drowned men clinging to smoking planks scattered in the water.A fifty-foot-tall green fire demon rose from the river, spinning and dancing.He has more than a dozen arms, each of which holds a long whip, and when the whip is swung, there is a fire burning there.The Black Beth was on fire, as were the White Hart and the Loyalty beside her.The Piety, the Cat, the Brave, the Majesty, the Red Raven, the Old Lady, the Faith, and the Fury were all ablaze, even the King's Landing and the Divine Favor, and the daemons devoured them all.Lord Velaryon's magnificent Glory of Tidehead tried to turn around, but the daemon stretched out a green finger lazily across her silver oars, lighting them like candles.For a moment, she seemed to be paddling through the water with two long rows of bright torches, trying to break free. The flowing water hugged him tightly, engulfed him, and swirled and drifted.Gritting his teeth, he swam hard enough to avoid being touched by a piece of wildfire drifting past him.Where is my son?Davos thought, but in this unprecedented uproar, there was no way to find it.Another hulk laden with wildfire explodes behind.The entire Blackwater River seemed to be boiling from the river bed, with burning masts and soldiers everywhere, and the broken pieces of ships flying in the air. If this goes on, I'll be washed into the bay.But no matter what, it's better than staying here. As long as you can leave, you can find a way to go ashore.他是个货真价实的游泳好手，何况萨拉多·桑恩的舰队就在海口，伊姆瑞爵士命令他们留在湾内担任后卫…… 这时，激流刚好把他的身子转了个方向，似乎要他仔细瞧瞧下游等待着的残酷命运。 铁索。诸神救我，他们把拦江铁索升起来了。 在河流汇入黑水湾的宽阔海口，铁链紧密地伸展，大约比水面高出两三尺。已有十几艘战舰撞上屏障，湍急的黑水正把其他船只牵引过去。几乎所有船都在燃烧，尚还完好的也无法幸免。透过铁索，戴佛斯看见萨拉多·桑恩舰队的彩绘船壳，但他知道自己永远也到不了那儿。一座由火红的钢铁、炽热的船木和旋转的绿火组成的长墙挡在他们之间。黑水河口成了地狱之门。