Chapter 112: The Siege of King's Landing

Even if the Northern nobles disliked the Brotherhood Without Banners, they still had to show a certain level of respect to Lord Beric.

After all, he was a legitimate lord in his own right.

Beric, wearing worn leather armor, walked into the large tent, followed by the Red Priest who had not appeared during the day.

"My lords, what is your solution? Do you intend to keep seizing grain from the peasants?" asked Beric Dondarrion, representing the interests of the peasantry.

On the Northern side, Lord Cerwyn, who held a status equivalent to Beric's, stepped forward: "Lord Beric, the Riverlands are now the territory of our King in the North, so we naturally have the right to requisition military provisions."

The Riverlanders did not see it that way, and Raymond Darry expressed his own views to everyone in the tent:

"Although King Robb is also the King of the Trident, the Riverlands are not the direct domain of the noble House Stark, so we must still follow the rules. I propose we requisition military provisions by purchasing them."

While this sounded reasonable, there was a slight problem.

The coalition force totaled sixteen thousand men: twelve thousand Northern soldiers, and a little over four thousand from House Frey, other Riverland families, and the Mountain Clans.

Aside from House Frey, the great lords with thousands of troops present were relatively poor Northern families, and they had no money to buy grain.

Furthermore, whether it was Arthur leading troops to rescue the river town or the coalition marching south to attack King's Landing, both counted as public business for the North and the Riverlands; it was impossible to expect the lords leading the troops to pay for the soldiers' grain out of their own pockets.

Moreover, in wartime, the price of grain had risen to an incredible level; even with money, one might not be able to buy any.

Everyone present understood this logic, so some immediately voiced their opposition.

Lord Harys Hornwood said loudly in his rough voice: "Do you mean to say that we must pay for our own grain while fighting a war for you Riverlanders? I still support forced requisition."

This statement was slightly biased; the Riverlands were first attacked by the Westerlands because Lady Stark of the North had kidnapped Taiwen Laoye's son, which the proud man could not tolerate, so he took his anger out on Lady Stark's family home first.

As for the Northerners marching south, it was because of the coup in King's Landing, with Duke Eddard imprisoned in the Red Keep's dungeon and the two Stark girls held hostage in King's Landing, so Robb led his army to save his father and sisters.

It was just that, as the fighting went on, it turned into a war to reclaim the Riverlands.

When it came to reasoning, the Northerners did not have the upper hand.

Lord Beric, the Red Priest, and the Riverland nobles were naturally opposed to the forced requisition of military provisions, and so the two sides began to argue.

Suddenly, the entire tent was filled with various male voices, interspersed with some strange greetings.

The argument grew so heated that the seated Lord Bolton showed anger on his face and let out a low growl, which finally quieted the tent.

"Is there no way to satisfy both sides?" the Leech Lord asked with a gloomy expression.

If it weren't for the fact that the Riverlanders, led by House Frey, numbered four thousand and their opinions had to be considered, he would not be fretting over such a trivial matter.

"I have a method," Arthur said, seeing that everyone had quieted down.

The Leech Lord did not speak, but lifted his chin to let this minor Riverland lord offer his high opinion.

"We can requisition grain by issuing IOUs, and then, once the situation stabilizes, have Riverrun and other great lords of count rank pool together Gold Dragons to pay the peasants in full."

This proposal still had some feasibility.

After all, the current military operations were indeed public business for the Riverlands.

All the expenses of the Brotherhood Without Banners led by Beric Dondarrion in the Riverlands were "paid" in this way.

And some peasants under the protection of the Brotherhood accepted this method of payment quite readily.

Lord Bolton was quite receptive to this opinion; after all, as long as grain could be requisitioned now, it was fine.

"I support this proposal. Issue IOUs, and use the name of Duke Hoster of Riverrun."

Seeing that it would be the Riverlanders paying the money later, most of the Northern nobles agreed.

Only Lord Beric remained relentless: "How can you ensure the IOUs are useful? What if Riverrun and the Riverland nobles refuse to honor this debt after the situation stabilizes?"

"I will guarantee it," Arthur said with a wave of his hand. "Because of Duke Eddard's tourney, the late King Robert gave me sixty thousand Gold Dragons, and most of this money is deposited with House Tyrell in the Reach. Even if Riverrun refuses to pay, I can afford the army's expenses."

The tourney two or three months ago was held in the name of Eddard Stark, but it was Robert on the Iron Throne who paid for it.

Both men were kind, friendly, and generous; Arthur had received this huge sum because of them, so he naturally would not be stingy.

The persistent Lord Beric added: "Fine. If you can guarantee that enough rations are left for the peasants, we will not block the act of collecting grain in the name of Riverrun in the future."

The problem of requisitioning military provisions was thus resolved.

The invited Beric and the Red Priest left first.

After briefly listening to Roose Bolton's arrangements for the march over the next few days, Arthur also left the tent.

He had to go and discuss with the Brotherhood Without Banners how to capture Arya's Direwolf, Nymeria.

He figured that Beric and the others, who were keen on protecting the peasants, would be happy to go wolf-catching with him.

Five hours later, by the side of the Gods Eye.

Arthur, wearing two layers of defense—chainmail and plate armor—used leather gloves to fiddle with a dead pig, letting the scent of blood drift further away.

The surface of the pork was smeared with a layer of sleeping potion obtained from Qyburn to increase the chances of successfully catching the wolf.

In the hidden corners around him were twenty Qohor Mercenaries and nearly thirty members of the Brotherhood Without Banners.

Although this kind of camouflage was of little use against a wolf with an extremely sensitive nose, it made people feel a bit safer.

Moonlight sprinkled down, draping the calm lake surface in a thin veil, evoking everyone's imagination like a beautiful dancer.

"Catching a wolf by moonlight, this is really quite interesting," the Red Priest said, appearing from nowhere and sidling up to Arthur.

"This giant wolf should be the Stark family's Direwolf. After we take King's Landing, I will present her as a gift to Lady Stark."

Arthur spouted nonsense.

Nymeria's owner was in his camp; he was only doing this to cover up certain information.

"It's here." Beric Dondarrion, who was the most concerned, whispered a warning, which made everyone start to feel nervous.

After all, they were facing a Direwolf that was a size larger than a common gray wolf; it was impossible not to be afraid.

Their target swam over from the lake, using a doggy paddle.

Ripples spread out from the massive wolf head, making the Direwolf's movements even more obvious.

According to nearby peasants, there were not many large animals left on the Isle of Faces in the middle of the lake, so the giant wolf, still growing, often swam out to find prey.

This gave Arthur, Beric, and the others the idea for capturing the giant wolf.

Before long, the direwolf Nymeria swam ashore, baring her teeth and growling low, while sniffing around in a circle.

She paced back and forth on the shallow beach by the lake; although her wolf eyes never left the pork, the heavy scent of humans nearby made her afraid to move forward.

Arthur, having lowered his visor, waved his hand to signal his companions to stay back.

He himself tied a rope he had prepared at his waist firmly to the pork, then slowly retreated.

Only after sensing that the humans had moved away did Nymeria slowly pace toward the pork used to lure her.

She was still growing, and she couldn't go without eating some meat.

The Red Priest Thoros of Myr muttered in a low voice, "Will this actually catch her?"

The mercenary leader Locke Holt answered his doubt: "It should. Once the wolf has eaten a few bites of meat, she won't want to let go of what's in her mouth, and then when Lord Bracken pulls the rope, won't the wolf be caught?"

"It's not that simple." Lord Beric was determined to catch the direwolf to prevent her from harming commoners, so he had made the most thorough preparations.

He quietly had two of his Stormlands soldiers flank from both sides.

These two were farmers from his lands who knew a few tricks for fishing, and for now, he could only have them step up to snare the wolf.

After the direwolf had been eating the meat for a while, she sensed the humans approaching from both sides, so she let out a "huffing" low growl with the meat in her mouth.

The two Stormlands soldiers then stopped their movements.

Only then did Nymeria continue to eat; after wolfing down a few mouthfuls, she suddenly abandoned the meat in her mouth and turned to slip toward the lake.

It was just that her movements were far less agile than usual.

Cunning humans.

Arthur and the two Stormlands soldiers threw their lassos almost simultaneously, but none of them caught her.

Fortunately, Maester Qyburn was reliable enough, and his sleeping potion soon took effect.

The direwolf stumbled, and she flipped over and collapsed just as she reached the shallow beach by the lake.

The two Stormlands soldiers cautiously went over to check the situation, and after confirming the direwolf had been drugged, they moved in close and used all their strength to drag the direwolf ashore.

"Simply perfect." Arthur was already looking forward to seeing the look on Arya's face when she saw Nymeria.

He hoisted the direwolf onto his shoulder and returned to the camp with the mercenaries, while the Brotherhood members returned to their hidden lair.

Fifteen days later, King's Landing.

The streets and alleys on Weisanniya Qiuling and Rhaenys Hill were crowded with refugees; most of them were piled up along the streets or squeezed into the charity houses run by kind Septons.

The North-Riverlands Coalition had already begun to lay siege to the city, which cast a layer of panic over the entire city.

When the war in the Riverlands began, the price of grain in the shops had already risen fivefold, and now that the city was under siege, it had reached the point where they wouldn't sell it for any price.

Without noble status or connections, people in the city couldn't hoard food even with Gold Dragons, which made some wealthy merchants from across the Narrow Sea feel very desperate.

The fat pigeons that no one wanted in the past had almost been hunted to extinction by humans, and the small fish in the Blackwater River, fed by human excrement, had now become hot commodities.

You must know, the former couldn't even be traded for a loaf of Jiu Jiu Jiu Jiu Mianbao a month ago, and the latter was viewed as feces by the arrogant citizens of King's Landing; now, both had become the only two sources of meat for the wealthy commoners in the city, while those without money might not even be able to afford a meal.

The Red Keep, Throne Room.

Wearing a deep red knee-length robe and a crown of pure gold, Joffrey I looked coldly at his cousin Cleos Frey, listening to the terms from Riverrun.

The hall of the Throne Room and the surrounding corridors were crowded with nobles of the Seven Kingdoms trapped in King's Landing, as well as commoners who still had the leisure to understand the situation.

"Your Grace, when I departed, the pretender Robb did not know that his Eastern front army had already advanced on King's Landing, so the terms I bring represent only Robb and cannot represent Roose Bolton outside the city."

Because Cleos's father, Aemon Frey, had married Tywin's sister, Aemon and his family either stayed at Casterly Rock or in King's Landing.

Unfortunately, when the war in the Riverlands began, Cleos and his cousin Jaime had returned to Casterly Rock, then moved north with the Westerlands detachment, only to be captured by the North's Cavalry outside The Twins.

Afterward, he was taken to Riverrun and became King Robb's messenger to convey the terms for a truce in the North to the Small Council in King's Landing.

Even more unfortunately, by the time he reached the Crownlands, he learned that the Fish-Wolf Coalition on the Eastern front had already reached King's Landing, making his trip a waste.

Sitting on the Iron Throne, Joffrey stared at his cousin with vulture-like eyes, "As the only true King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm, how could I agree to the terms of a pretender?"

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and he suddenly called out: "Sansa, come here."

Hiding in the crowd, Sansa Stark walked with trepidation to the open space in front of the throne and whispered, "Your Grace!"

Under Joffrey's malicious gaze, she swallowed nervously.

"Your king-brother wants you and Arya, who doesn't know where she died, along with the independence of the two great territories of the North and the Riverlands as conditions to trade for a truce. Tell me, what should I do?" he said sarcastically.

Sansa's face was a bit pale, but she still fluently recited a pile of lies: "I have no king-brother; Robb is a thief who stole your lands. I believe you should bravely lead your troops to attack, destroy this thief and his men, and let the entire Seven Kingdoms see how brave and powerful you are."

Joffrey I wore a strange smile on his face, as if he had thought of something fun.

He glanced at the Kingsguard Meryn Trant at his side.

The latter understood, and after nodding to the King, he walked down the steps of the throne, stood before Sansa, and slapped Miss Stark twice, left and right.

This caused Sansa's fair skin to turn red instantly.

"Use more strength," Joffrey urged excitedly.

He had already forgotten about the coalition outside the city and the negotiations at Riverrun.

Meryn Trant then slapped Sansa twice more fiercely, causing the poor Stark's cheeks to begin to swell.

Joffrey, sitting on the Iron Throne, widened his eyes, a look of excitement and perversion appearing on his face.

Abusing women was one of his many small hobbies.

Sansa's pitiful expression and sorrowful eyes gave the wise and mighty Qiaodadi great satisfaction.

If not for the many people present, he might have been able to moan in satisfaction.

"Continue."

Meryn Trant raised his large hand again to strike, but was stopped by Littlefinger, who walked in holding a thick book.

"Wait, Ser Trant."

He turned to Joffrey I, first bowed halfway to pay his respects, and then methodically suggested: "Sixteen thousand North-Riverlands Coalition troops are now outside the city, and they will soon build large siege engines; this is the problem we must solve for Your Grace."

Queen Regent Cersei, who had been sitting beside the Iron Throne, saw that someone had finally mentioned the most pressing matter, and she added, "We should consider the enemy, not bully a little girl here."

She could no longer control her son.

Joffrey cast a lingering look at Sansa, then glanced left and right at the nobles and commoners whispering to each other, and finally decided to do something productive.

To do something a king who loves his people like his own children ought to do.

He waved his hand, dismissing the eyesore that was Sansa.

"Silence," the master of the Iron Throne shouted as he stood up.

Consequently, the commoners and nobles stopped discussing the King's peculiar behavior and quieted down.

Joffrey struck his usual pose, one leg standing straight and the other crossed, and addressed his subjects: "I shall lead an army out of the city to annihilate the bandits outside the walls in one stroke and lift the siege of King's Landing."

Except for the few courtiers of the Small Council, everyone in the Throne Room cheered for the King's wise decision.

As long as the siege of King's Landing was lifted, life could still go on.

Queen Regent Cersei looked at her son with a face full of astonishment, unable to fathom where Joffrey found the courage to speak of "marching out to suppress bandits" when there were only six thousand Gold Cloaks and two thousand soldiers from the Crownlands nobility in the city.

Had she known it would come to this, she would have preferred he just keep abusing Sansa.

Just as the members of the Small Council were distressed by the King's "wise" decision, many nobles from The North and the Riverlands were also distressed by an order from Riverrun.

In the central command tent, before the leaders of the allied forces, Count Herman Tallhart spoke with a grave expression, relaying the instructions from Riverrun.

What terrified Arthur was not the instruction itself, but the man delivering the order: Herman Tallhart.

According to the original plot, after crossing the Green Fork, Robb ordered Count Tallhart to garrison The Twins with a small force.

Firstly, to ensure this vital location remained under their control, and secondly, to keep watch over House Frey.

But miraculously, Edmure of Riverrun summoned the Northern Count Tallhart away, then ordered him to join forces with Roose Bolton to retake Harrenhal.

This man's departure was precisely one of the conditions for House Frey's betrayal.

Now that the situation on the western front was unclear, and Herman Tallhart was openly acting as an envoy for Riverrun, this was by no means good news.

PS: Seeking recommendation votes and monthly tickets.

(End of chapter)