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The Redfish (Edmure SI) chapter 111
🕑 Added 2023-09-22 14:10:43 +0000 UTCPrecaution before the strike
Edmure POV
It took two weeks of hard riding to reach Yunkai. The Windblown and the Stormcrows quickly set a perimeter around the city. The three thousand freedmen Daenerys gave me started working on building the camps. Grey Worm ordered the two thousand Unsullied to erect defenses. While they did that, I rode around Yunkai, planning how to take it.
Yunkai’s walls were made of yellow bricks. Poor maintenance was shown as the walls were crumbling, and the towers weren’t safe to use. Yet a tremendous golden pyramid was sticking out from the inside of the city. It was a testament to what the so-called Wise Masters dedicated their time and resources to.
After surveying the city walls, I returned to the camp. A commander’s tent was erect, and the Tattered Prince, Daario, and Grey Worm were waiting for me. I climbed down from my horse and went to the table. Taking some stones and branches, I constructed a module of Yunkai walls. I used rocks to mark our camps and men.
“So, what is our plan?” Daario asked. “We storm the main gates?”
“If you want to die, be my guest,” I replied. “But no, we won’t storm the main gates. They are well maintained and can be easily reinforced.”
“The walls look weak,” Grey Worms commented.
“Yes, they are old and grumbling,” I agreed. “We shall divide our men into three forces. The freedmen will stay at the main gates. The Unsullied will go to the Northern side of the walls, while the Windblown and I will be at the Southern side.”
“We will strike from three sides?” The Tattered Prince looked skeptical.
“No, we let them think that,” I answered. “But our true target will be the Southern walls.”
“And what do you need the Stormcrows to do?” Daario asked.
“You and your men will watch our back. I don’t want anyone taking us by surprise.”
“So, I guess we will take it slow,” The Tattered Prince said.
“Start chopping down the birch woods,” I replied, pointing to the woods not far away. “We will build trebuchets and siege towers while we await Asha’s fleet and the reinforcements from Astapor. A few of each should be enough. The towers on the southern side would fall after a few stones hit them.”
“It will take too much time,” Daario said.
“We have time,” I replied. “And I'd rather waste my time than my men.”
“We are not yours,” Daario stated. “I will take patrols outside our camp and see if any Volantis or New Ghis men are coming. But I will watch you too. Make any suspicious movement, and I will come for your head.”
“Worse men were after my head. None succeeded,” I said.
Daario only sneered at me before leaving. Grey Worm also left after looking at my makeshift map of branches and stones. The Tattered Prince seemed to want to say something but stayed silent and returned to his men. I could guess what he wanted to say, but it wasn’t the time for now.
I alone was left in the tent. I thought of my strategy. We could go on this in other ways, but it was better to play it safe for now. And I wanted to see the forces Yunkai had. I wanted to ensure what the Wise Masters were planning and if they had the remnants of the Golden Company within their walls.
…
The city gates were closed tightly, and to my surprise, no one came to negotiate with us. I looked through my far-eye to see men doing last-minute fixes on the walls and towers. The wooden supports wouldn’t do much, but it let them use the towers and the walls more safely. But they won’t be able to fit the walls with catapults or scorpions, especially on the Northern or the Southern side.
“Lady Asha finally has arrived,” The Tattered Prince said as we could see a small fleet blockade the harbor.
“A bit late,” I commented. “But I see she had a good reason for it.”
Rather than sail straight to Yunkai, she gathered more ships for her fleet. Now, she had fifty strong ships at her disposal. Half of them were cogs and galleons. They were slower than the sleek longships from the Iron Islands but big enough to be armored and used in naval battles. And undoubtedly sufficient to use as a blockade.
“Now we are only missing the reinforcements from Astapor,” The Tattered Prince said.
“They should arrive within a week or two.”
While Daario patrolled our backs and secured our supply line to Meereen, Grey Worm worked with the Freedmen to cut down the trees. The Tattered Prince and I were watching the actions Yunkai made. Everything went smoothly, but I wouldn’t say I liked that the Wise Masters didn’t appear. They should have come and offered us various gifts to leave their city alone, but they stayed silent within the walls.
“While we wait, I want to discuss our contract,” The Tattered Prince said.
“I knew you would bring it up soon,” I replied. “What do you want to discuss? If you help me, I will help you take Pentos.”
“I don’t feel like I am helping you much,” The Tattered Prince said. “I don’t see why you still would work with me.”
“Are you suspicious?” I asked.
“To put it lightly, yes,” The Tattered Prince replied.
“Pentos is a city I would need to deal with anyway,” I explained. “And I don’t know what Daenerys is planning, so you are my insurance. As long as you stand by my side when I need you, I will give you control over Pentos. Nothing has changed.”
“Then I am relieved.”
I looked at the old man in a tattered cape and shook my head. I didn’t know much about him, or more precisely, I knew nothing about him. There was no reason to trust him, but I had no reason not to trust him, either. But I needed him; if Daenerys decided to do something toward me, I wouldn’t have anyone to rely on.
…
As siege towers and the trebuchets started to form, Daario rode up to me to inform me that three thousand men from Astapor had arrived. After giving some orders to the men to continue their work, I left with Daario to meet our reinforcements. Apart from the knights from the Stormlands and a few hundred other well-armed and armored men, the rest were former slave soldiers.
“Ser Davos,” I noticed the old smuggler.
“Lord Tully, I came here as the representative of Queen Shireen.”
“Station your men at the central camp. We have already prepared tents for you.”
“Then we will take them,” Davos said. “But before that, there is a man who would want to meet you.”
I nodded as a massive man in impressive armor rode up to me. I recognized him and let him follow me somewhere more private instead of talking here. I was surprised to see him here but also pleased. It seemed that Arianne had worked hard to find me. It was impressive how she did it, as I didn’t think I would have been able to do it.
“You are on Arianne’s orders, Clegane?”
“Aye, she has sent me to find you,” Clegane replied before looking at my scarred face. “But it seems I was late.”
“There is nothing you could have done,” I said. “How many men did you bring with you?”
“Two hundred and a warship.”
“Very good,” I smiled at his words.
It was a pleasant surprise, and I felt immensely relieved to have my men to order. They were loyal only to me. Taking a better look at those men, I noticed that their armor had my house symbol on them. They were probably hand-picked by Arianne. I will have to kiss that woman to death in thanks. And with a ship, I could leave at any time I wanted. I won’t feel like I was trapped again.
I called for a meeting once Ser Davos and Clegane had settled in their camps. Daario looked suspiciously at Ser Davos and Clegane while Grey Worm inspected the men they brought with them. From how Clegane stood by my side, I made clear that he was my man. Even Daario had reservations about staring at Clegane, as he stood taller than everyone else in the tent.
“The Wise Master has yet to come forward,” Grey Worm informed us.
“They think they can take on us,” Daario replied. “Arrogant fools they are. They will not lower themselves a second time.”
“They know they have fucked up,” The Tattered prince said. “After losing to Astapor, their standing with Volantis and New Ghis has been lowered. The Wise Masters must make their stand here and defend against us to show they still have power. That is the only way they can ally with other free cities.”
“Even the most desperate people know when they are defeated,” Ser Davos stated. “They wouldn’t hold down if they didn’t have enough confidence.”
“Who knows how many slave soldiers they have,” I agreed. “Maybe thousands, or perhaps tens of thousands.”
“They won’t be trained well,” Grey Worm said. “Once we break through them, they will drop their weapons and scatter if given a chance.”
“They didn’t have enough time to hire sellswords to help them, and if they did, they would have shown them before us,” Daario gave his piece.
“Unless someone has come to them earlier,” I said.
“The remnants of the Golden Company,” The Tattered Prince shared my suspicions.
“Either way, we continue with our plan. Once siege towers and the trebuchets are finished, we shall begin sieging them.”
I ended the meeting. Sooner than later, Yunkai will reveal their forces and plans. But I still should be careful, as who knows what they are planning. But on the other hand, there wasn’t much they could do. They will try to defend the city to the end, but why would they hide their forces? Unless they are planning to use them at a critical moment.
Would they dare to copy me? Why not? It worked well enough for Astapor, and we had ten to twenty times fewer men. If about two or three thousand men from the Golden Company are hiding inside, why not use them in a way that would weaken us tremendously? And why wouldn't I encourage them if they weren’t thinking that way?
…
Stones flew at the towers on the Walls of Yunkai. After a day of fixing up the trebuchets so they could hit our targets, we got results almost immediately. They grumbled to the ground after a few more giant stones than usual hit the towers. Archers tried to hit us, but we were too far from their reach, and if arrows managed to reach us, they only hit our shields.
“Inform that the siege towers should be prepared,” I told a messenger.
“You think the plan will work?” The Tattered Prince asked. “You going on an assumption.”
“It matters not,” I answered. “Look at those walls. After five, maybe ten, stones hit them, they will break. Without Towers, they won’t be able to suppress us from above. So, we will only be left to climb over the wreckage and push the defenders back.”
“I guess it would be pretty hard for a cavalry to ride over all that rumble,” The Tattered Prince agreed. “And if your assumption about their plan is right, we can easily counterattack them.”
“I fought against Tywin Lannister and Stannis Baratheon,” I said. “There isn’t a trick these sellswords can throw at me that would catch me off guard. And it isn’t like they have much choice. The Wise Masters should know that once we enter the city, their slave soldiers will quickly surrender.”
“And the Golden Company knows that too,” The Tattered prince agreed. “That way, they will have no choice but to fall for your trap. Seeing that most men are coming from the sides, they won’t be able to resist striking at our center.”
“Where the Unsullied will stop them,” I finished. “And then our cavalry will strike them from their flanks, and Daario will finish all the stranglers.”
“And if they don’t do as you think they will?”
“Then we continue with our assault,” I answered. “We shall support the freedmen and enter the city.”
It wasn’t a complex plan; failing it won’t cost us much. I was only making sure that our ranks were secure. The stones continued to fall on Yunkai walls as I made my observations. If Yunkai wishes to strike, they will do it when most of our men are concentrated on the walls. They will have only one chance to do so.
