Edmure, Bolton and the Blackwater

[astarkchoice]

4 hours ago, Universal Sword Donor said:

-They cannot be armed and armored and in position before the northern infantry. 

Northern infantry is a mile away.

Tywin's army is asleep and stretched at least 3 miles of camp.

 

Roose *did* surprise Tywin. He doesn't press forward with that advantage when given the chance.

“Battle assembly. I thought Stark was yet a day’s march away.”

-Tyrion who is part of his father's war council

“The Stark boy stole a march on us,” Bronn said. “He crept down the kingsroad in the night,
and now his host is less than a mile north of here, forming up in battle array.”

-If Roose hadn't caught them by surprise the Lannister army would already be in battle array waiting for them as they are occupying a fortified, defensible camp. 

It would have been a gamble if Roose had actually thrown the dice when he had the advantage. He did not and won in the most costly way possible via a tactical  --  strategic for Robb -- mistake, losing half his army on a failed offensive maneuver.

-Armies are always better at defending. Even if it weren't true in real life, it says as much in the books. Anything that breaks up the ranks of massed infantry (eg rushing down a hill, arrow fire, or advancing over uneven ground) makes them exponentially more vulnerable to massed infantry, missile fire, and cavalry. Halidon Hill, Hastings, Agincourt, Cortrai are all evidence of why infantry needs to be in tight, massed formations to defend.

-it will because they have the maneuverability to cover their flanks and archers to drive the cavalry away. Tywin isnt going to throw heavy cavalry running up a hill into a massed bunch of spikes and spears. He uses his infantry and missile troops to fight infantry and then comes in at the last moment w his cavalry to break them.

-He smashes one formation with his horse and then the left flank is decimated by the northern infantry. Losing 50% of your army in medieval terms is an absolute slaughter. Glover and Tallhart walked into a trap and then an ambush in retreat and only lost 33% of their men.. 

-Nah most of the battles we see have much lighter casualties. Blackwater men got captured but not slaughtered. Only thing that was slaughter, stannis' navy -- was a dumb mistake made by their admiral. More or less the same as what Roose did

-He didn't bleed Tywin. He bled his fellow bannerman and undermined Robb Stark's overall war effort by reducing his army strength by half, or a third if you want to include the riverlanders he gained after raising the siege after the GF.

-no they WHERE asleep now they are awake and getting armed thanks to the scouts. A knight can be fully armed and on horseback.in under 10 mins...roose is a  fucking mile away ! So roose has 4  options

The bizzare idea you seem to be suggesting is keeping the men in marching columns and keep them.going to the camp aka suicide 

What roose did, form up as quick as possible and pick a battle ground you like and  rest to await the lannsiter host.

Form up into battle formation  asap with your tired men and march  another mile to  the  camp when all element of suprise has gone

Or withdraw

 

-no if hed actualy caught them by total suprise theyd have killed them all..the scouts saved the day. The level of suprise he was going for is the sort robb hit the lannsiters with repeatedly

-sitting passively  in a defensive position again allows tywins cavalry to shatter the much smaller.northern cavaly and drive them.safely away then return. They sit up the hills being showered with arrow volleys until tywin came back and commited his infantry uphill and picked his moment to shatter them with heavy cavalry Or minus any cavalry to screen them the northeners would have to retreat in formation under pressure and harassment for miles.

Again strategicly given the huge cavalry imbalnce means the northerners need to win the  infantry battle fast before they are left with 0 cavalry

Charging downhill in formation adds momentum to  the numbers advantage so they can break the westerlands infantry and wint he battlew