Between Haze and Fog 6 - or 'This game of GoT CK3 sure is turning vicious' (ASoIaF, GalladonTarth!SI)

Galladon IV

Knowing a problem is the first step to solve it.

And our current problem was actually thinking beyond Ashford since the capture of such castle took a surprisingly limited amount of effort- then again, I doubted there had been patrols to keep track of us, allowing for our limited army to encroach around the castle, let the spies sabotage the gates, and then breach inside to take care of the capture.

Differently from a normal siege, most people woke up to already find the battle was lost. The overall reaction as they realized that none of the civilians was being put to the fire seemed to be positive.

While I wouldn't go as far as to say that Lord Ashford, happily dead as he was caught sleeping with a barrel of ale in his arms, was a cruel lord, he had been a 'distracted' one as he failed to adapt the taxation of his people. He had successfully moved to get the money relief for himself but had not done this for his brethrens.

To say that there were some celebrations would be going too far, but the mood around was quite calm around the occupation. Reducing the taxes definitely helped in securing that obedience, but it didn't solve the matter of who was meant to rule this place.

Lord Ashford was childless. My expectation of him having a bastard or two around proved to be incorrect. So, I was left with a hot potato question on what to do with this fief because, if some people don't know about medieval politics, I couldn't exactly say 'mine'. Not without pissing off several lords at once.

The most prominent ones being both the Baratheon and the Tyrells as they would see this as a major slight towards the Reach. It would open for more hostility and the Stormlands were not looking for that. The rest were nobles that 1) either want a slice of the fat cake I just gained, 2) lords that were trying to get landed as they had the prerogatives to do so or 3) people that just wanted to cause chaos because why the fuck not.

So, for now, I worked on creating a temporary government with what smart and loyal people within the locals I could fetch. Not exactly a fine work of creating a lasting administration, but it was best rather than either claim this as my land or leave it without any leadership.

Still, for a few days, the people of Ashford received some directions on how to prepare for the storm ahead, becoming more accustomed to the idea that, in the eventuality of a battle, this will be an all out siege that may involve them as 'traitors'.

So, it was kind of a surprise when I received news that roughly two hundreds of the young men in the fief sought to aid my army. They all came from all around, people that could have been mustered by Lord Ashford but that now were here... by their own initiative as I really didn't call for a conscription. I wasn't saying no to this gift, but I was a bit perplexed on how that came to be.

Further questioning gave me a solid answer- I was 'a good lord' doing a 'good job' since they have all heard that the King they were meant to fight for was insane and his heir was even worse considering the situation about Lyanna had come out and... Well, people were miffed alright with the Targaryens despite the lords playing Civil War.

So, I was a 'nice guy', and very young. I guess I just stood out as a 'good anomaly' they could trust. And thus I got 200 more men and I created my 'Thousand Expedition'. My inner Italian Unifier mindset was triggered with that idea, and I felt even more giddy to put them to test with the plan I had conjured.

After all, as I began this sort of journal's page, I mentioned that the main issue in my plan was what I had to do after capturing Ashford. And the main problem was indeed what to do about Mace Tyrell's forces.

Truth be told, the man was a legit idiot in terms of strategic opportunities. He was still rallying his troops thus he had been camping near the border with the Stormlands, but the way he created the camp was just perfect for a hit and run: they were all kept in the same large area.

So, I sent out twenty archers, armed them explosive and inflammable arrows, gave them horses and set them off with a single goal: get there, see where their supplies are and set the place on a blaze. I didn't need to attack just yet, I had to get Mace moving without in a position I could really do some damage with my troops. And my expectations of him seeing this sabotage as a reason to decentralize his camp into smaller ones with each having roughly a few hundreds men each was what I had been looking for.

As the proper garrison for Ashford arrived from Storm's End together with the explosives I had been waiting for and I received the green light from Stannis to get moving in what 'mummers' plan I had in mind to accomplish, I got things started.

First, I had my army split in three forces: one made by 500-men, and two by 250-men each. The smaller armies, who would have horses to acquire the mobility that was needed for this move, would attack from the flanks and tear apart those small camps as fast as possible, using fire and bombs to rip fear and destabilize any chance for any attempt to defend the camps. The main force was instead going to strike at Mace's camp and reach him to 'cut the head of the army'.

I didn't expect him to die- I didn't need him to die. But I had told those I would be in charge of to not harm or kill the big guy because that would have been horrible to then deal with. I trusted good behavior, but the heat of the battle can make people do a lot of stupid shit when they were too much into the adrenaline and the good brawl.

Once preparations were over, the 'Thousand Expedition' moved forth and prepared to strike at night, where our enemies expected just bandits.

Not a 'huge army' as the attack would soon make them thing they were facing.


Mace I

When the alarm was delivered, Mace was asleep for the upcoming 'glorious days'.

He had been quite confident this campaign would have been optimal for him as he heard that Robert Baratheon was marching north to face an army from King's Landing, thus depriving Storm's End of a viable chance of fighting. And while some had lamented that it would have been best for them to wait for Lord Tarly's return, Mace was unwilling to be demeaned with the indirect expectation of him being inferior to Lord Tarly in the matters of war.

He just needed to be patient for the last troops to arrive and give him the mighty army that was needed to face a massive fortress such as the Stormlands' biggest castle. And this waiting time ended up giving him a degree of unease. Especially when he had been forced to spread out his forces in multiple camps to prevent the bandits that had struck their food supplies to accomplish damage once more.

The small group of brigands had indeed succeeded in destroying close to half the amount of grain that they had stored for the campaign, which would have forced the large army to proceed at a slower pace to prevent a sudden lack of food to sustain the troops.

A good soldier marches with a full stomach, and Mace was not foolish enough to ignore the mere worries that could arise at the news of a lack of meals to keep the infantry go forth for that glorious campaign. Yet... this hopeful expectation was also dashed away when he got his armor put on and he rushed out of his tent to find...

The world burning.

The loudness of the battle was absurd- how could it be that a large army had from the Stormlands had eluded his scouts?! The fear paralyzed him just briefly as he regained his footing at the sight of his men running away and panicking left and right.

There was no order, but he couldn't blame them due to the utter disarray the camps were sent to. He rallied some troops, trying to restore whatever trouble was happening, but the sense that this was a massive attack was soon gripping him too. The foes were relentless and cutting down the runners, and as he prepared to mount his horse, he was surprised when his mount was struck by two arrows, making him fall to the side.

He didn't get much hurt from the fall, but he lost the sword he had been holding onto. He crawled to get it, but several soldiers mustering the Baratheon flags were soon rushing him, blocking him and then restraining him. In the mind of Mace Tyrell, he had been beaten by a desperate offense led by a large army under Lord Stannis but-

But when he was told that he had been defeated by a thousand men led by young Lord Galladon Tarth... Well, Mace was met with a lot of horror and shock.

What was he supposed to do now that he had been defeated this badly?!


AN

The Reach is no longer a Reachable Ally for the Iron Throne. Next time, some reactions to this impressive victory.