Perhaps the heavens felt Tywin was living too comfortably, for just when everyone thought Tywin's situation was excellent, Kevan Lannister, the commander of another Lannister army in the Westerlands, met with misfortune.
Kevan Lannister, who was stationed in Duskendale and commanded nearly 20,000 men, was on his way to King's Landing for rescue when he was ambushed by the Stormlands Allied Forces, led by Ser Goode Morrigen of Crows Nest, in an abandoned town called Stony Sept.
Ser Goode Morrigen first engaged Kevan outside the town, then retreated to the abandoned Stony Sept, using traps to ensnare Kevan and his army, and igniting Wildfire that had been pre-buried within the ruined town.
The army inside the town had no way to escape and was burned to death along with Kevan Lannister; only three thousand men who had remained outside the town survived.
However, these three thousand men also did not escape the encirclement of the Stormlands Allied Forces and were all annihilated.
Ultimately, nearly 20,000 men were completely wiped out. Ser Goode Morrigen then led the Stormlands Allied Forces to attack Duskendale. Davos Lannister, who was defending Duskendale, held firm. Stannis's army, which had been blockaded in Crab Claw Peninsula, also moved south and converged with the Stormlands Allied Forces in Duskendale.
Kevan Lannister's death in battle caused a far greater sensation in the Seven Kingdoms than the annihilation of 20,000 men, because Kevan's identity was truly special: he was Tywin Lannister's closest brother, Tywin's right-hand man, and had served as Castellan of Casterly Rock for many years, being one of the cornerstones of the Westerlands' stability. His death was an immeasurably heavy loss for both Duke Tywin and the Westerlands.
It is said that Tywin was incredibly saddened upon hearing the news of Kevan's death. Coincidentally, at that time, Lord Midge Seaworth of Seven City in the North, and Ser Willis Manderly and Ser Wendel Manderly of White Harbor, were leading their respective forces in an attempt to ambush the rear of the Westerlands Allied Forces. Duke Tywin personally led the Westerlands cavalry and annihilated over nine thousand Northern soldiers. Lord Midge Seaworth, Ser Willis, and Ser Wendel all died in battle. This was considered to have recovered some losses and deterred the Northern and Riverlands armies in Riverrun from easily attacking again.
In this series of battles, Ser Goode Morrigen was undoubtedly the most prominent. He first led Stannis's logistics in Stannis's main camp, fending off the sneak attack by the city guard and the Gold Cloaks led by Adam Marbrand, thus ensuring Stannis's main camp remained secure. This time, he ambushed Stony Sept, annihilating 20,000 Westerlands soldiers and killing more than a dozen Westerlands generals, including Kevan Lannister. His military achievements were truly remarkable.
Many people were curious about where this Ser Goode Morrigen came from and how Stannis suddenly acquired such a powerful subordinate.
Afterward, intelligence regarding Ser Goode Morrigen was quickly investigated by various factions.
It turned out that Ser Goode Morrigen was the younger brother of Lord Lester Morrigen of Crows Nest in the Stormlands. In his early years, he left Crows Nest and joined Summerhall, becoming an officer in the Chosen of God legion of Summerhall.
Subsequently, he participated in the battles to clear out the Savage Tribes in the Red Mountains, was stationed in the Stepstones for a period, and then went to the Disputed Lands, serving as a Ranger Captain for a time. It can be said that he possessed rich practical combat experience.
Later, Lester Morrigen's health began to decline, and as he had no descendants, he wrote a letter inviting Ser Goode Morrigen back, preparing for him to inherit Crows Nest.
This time, when the Stormlands formed an allied army, Earl Lester Morrigen of Crows Nest originally did not intend for Ser Goode Morrigen to go. Initially, he wanted his captain of the guard to lead the troops, but Ser Goode Morrigen volunteered, believing he could achieve great deeds in this war and let the people of the Seven Kingdoms know that he was fully qualified to inherit the title of Earl of Crows Nest.
Undoubtedly, his plan had succeeded. Now, everyone knew how capable Ser Goode Morrigen was and would certainly have no objection to his inheritance of Crows Nest.
Almost two days later, another even bigger event overshadowed the reputation of this rising star, Ser Goode Morrigen. This event was Stannis's defeat, the complete annihilation of the Dragonstone Allied Forces, Stannis's escape back to Dragonstone, and King's Landing being completely freed from the danger of falling.
Although the war situation had fluctuated wildly before, it had already hammered the nerves of those following the war, making them incredibly resilient. Ordinary developments were already unlikely to cause significant emotional fluctuations among those observers, just as Tywin's complete annihilation of the Northern Allied Forces was seen by many as a commonplace event.
However, the news of Stannis's defeat still shocked all factions, and many instinctively believed the news was false.
Because just two days prior, Stannis's prospects were excellent, while the Westerlands and King's Landing were in decline. Yet, in just two days, Stannis, who was at his zenith and on the verge of conquering King's Landing, was completely annihilated and had fled back to Dragonstone. How could such exaggerated news be truly believed?
However, after repeated confirmation, they truly realized that Stannis had indeed been defeated, and very badly so; his direct forces could be said to have been completely wiped out.
And in this war that led to Stannis's defeat, the name of another person also became the focus of everyone's attention, his reputation even surpassing that of the previous Ser Goode Morrigen. This person was Ser Garlan Tyrell, the heir to Highgarden.
In fact, Stannis's defeat was truly unjust. After the news of Ser Goode Morrigen's annihilation of Kevan Lannister reached King's Landing, he pressed all his forces against King's Landing. After nearly two days and two nights of assault, when Tyrion, Adam, and other defending generals were not paying attention, an inside contact, the Gold Cloaks captain guarding the Godswood Gate, opened the Godswood Gate, allowing the army to enter King's Landing.
After the city gate was breached, the temporarily conscripted city guard instantly collapsed, either surrendering or fleeing back to their homes within the city to hide. Stannis's army, which entered King's Landing, met no resistance whatsoever.
The defending Tyrion Lannister and Adam Marbrand led the remaining Lannister forces and Gold Cloaks, retreating to the Red Keep, where they tightly sealed the Red Keep's gates for a final defense.
At that time, everyone believed that Stannis had won the war. Even Tyrion and others inside the Red Keep felt they were doomed. Queen Mother Cersei, who had been confined, was released. She took Joffrey I and her youngest son, Tommen, to the Iron Throne hall, placing the remaining Wildfire in the hall. She planned to ignite the Wildfire and commit suicide once the Red Keep was breached.
However, to everyone's surprise, a cavalry regiment bearing Renly Baratheon's banner appeared outside the city and directly charged into the city. The leader, wearing Renly Baratheon's armor, directly charged into Stannis's central army camp outside the Red Keep.
At that time, there were still many Stormlands knights in Stannis's army formation. They were all stunned by the sudden appearance of Renly and did not have time to set up defenses. The entire army formation was easily pierced by this cavalry regiment. Then, the knight, presumed to be Renly, charged in front of Stannis and, before Stannis could recover from his shock, cut him down from his horse. Stannis's war banner was also cut down, and then the cry of Stannis's death spread throughout the entire battlefield.
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