Chapter 125: Marquess Title

Facing the collective indignation of the Northmen, Greatjon exaggeratedly pressed his hands down, "No rush, let us first attend Lord Edmure's wedding. His Majesty has used his own methods to win over a group of Westerlanders; they are also very much against Tywin's tyranny..."

The Lord of Last Hearth was known for his straightforward and hearty nature.

This word is a compliment when used for some, but for Greatjon, it should be a derogatory term.

Like beans pouring from a bamboo tube, he spilled out some of Robb's ideas, including the possibility of marrying a daughter of a great Westerland house to win the support of the locals.

This point caught the attention of the Freys.

Several high-ranking members of House Frey crowded in front of Greatjon to demand an explanation.

If not for so many Northmen present, Greatjon might have actually been able to speak properly with Innes, Hosteen, and the others. But in the circles of the Northmen, the Freys had always been looked down upon, so in front of his own people, Greatjon expressed his disdain and indifference toward the Freys with extreme arrogance.

This stance won the cheers and applause of many Northmen.

Since heading south, the wealth of the Riverlands nobility had made them, in their poverty, feel quite inferior; many minor Northern lords had armor not even as good as the high-ranking Sworn Knights of the Riverlands.

But since Robb had also become the King of the Trident, the Northmen could not openly express their contempt for the Riverlanders.

Thus, the mocked House Frey became the target of the Northmen's ridicule.

Moreover, if not for the need to cross the river, Robb's marriage partner would surely have been the daughter of some great Marquess-level lord of the North.

On this point, House Frey had once again encroached upon the interests of the Northmen.

Therefore, they looked down on the descendants of Walder Frey even more, even though Stevron, Black Walder, Innes, Bloodthirsty Aegon, and others fought with great valor.

And the fence-sitting behavior of Marquess Walder Frey in the early stages also made some Riverlanders despise him, so no Riverland lords stood up to champion House Frey.

Greatjon's mockery, the Northern lords' derision, and the cold, detached gazes of the Riverland lords made the scene suddenly awkward.

If Edmure were here, it would not have become so impossible to step down from.

But unfortunately, the eldest son of House Tully was still lying in bed.

"Alright, alright." Arthur hurriedly stood up, stepped forward, and used his extraordinary arm strength to separate Greatjon from the Freys.

"Give me, Arthur, some face; stop arguing. His Majesty Robb isn't actually marrying some Westerland noblewoman."

Sitting in a corner, Rona Stout loudly and sarcastically remarked, "So what if His Majesty marries a Westerland noblewoman? Does his House Frey think they can reach the heavens?"

This person was a subordinate of Medger Cerwyn; it was no secret that the late Lord Cerwyn had wanted to marry his daughter to Robb, so Stout took the opportunity to mock them.

Originally, Greatjon and the Freys had been pulled apart by Arthur.

But provoked by these words, Lord Umber immediately echoed his own man: "Just a weasel family, and they dare to try and climb up to the noble House Stark?"

After finishing, he even hacked up a glob of aged, thick phlegm and spat it onto Hosteen's leather boots.

This action undoubtedly sent the sixth son of House Frey into a rage; Arthur had to pick him up to prevent him from rushing over to hack Greatjon with a sword.

Although Commander Innes's face looked extremely ugly, he actually restrained himself. He even held back his son, "Bloodthirsty Aegon," who had a twisted mouth and a ferocious expression.

Greatjon knew he had gone a bit too far, so he stopped provoking them and sat obediently on a wooden chair to the side.

The Freys also felt they had lost face and, refusing to participate in the military discussion, left directly.

Hosteen, released by Arthur, even took off those leather boots on the spot and walked out of the castle hall barefoot.

The most dangerous one, "Bloodthirsty Aegon," twisted his tongue and swept a look at the Northmen with a smirk before following his father, Innes, out.

After the Freys left, the atmosphere in the hall immediately eased.

Greatjon began to refine some of Robb's instructions, including specific march routes, logistics, and other important matters.

According to Robb's plan, after the two columns of over eight thousand men entered the Westerlands, all soldiers of the Fish-Wolf Alliance along the Red Fork were to gather near Riverrun to ensure that the western Riverlands always had forces to respond to enemy actions.

However, those left to guard Riverrun, besides some Riverland nobles, were only the families of Robett Glover and Herman Tallhart and their minor vassals.

And the castles of these two families had just happened to be captured by the siblings Asha Greyjoy and Theon Greyjoy.

Upon learning of the King in the North's arrangements, these two approached Sansa and proposed an excellent excuse to head north:

To escort Eddard's remains back to Winterfell.

According to the thousand-year tradition of House Stark, the remains of almost all members of House Stark were to be buried beneath that massive Godswood in Winterfell.

Those who had been Lords of Winterfell often had a stone statue erected in the underground crypts, with an iron sword used to seal their soul.

According to what Arthur knew, these two points were highly likely related to magic.

The Godswood of Winterfell was the largest one remaining in the entire world, so it was also where the power of the Old Gods was strongest.

The remains of Stark members nourished the source of the Old Gods' power, which was why the Wolf family was also cared for by the Old Gods.

The high proportion of Skinchangers in their family, besides the influence of the Winterfell Godswood, was also due to the God-touched factor.

The Old Gods worshipped by the Children of the Forest and the Cold God of the far north were clearly in the camp of nature and ice, while the gods of Valyria and the Lord of Light, R'hllor, were clearly in the camp of blood and fire.

The Old Gods advocated for natural harmony, while the Valyrian gods allowed blood witchcraft to run rampant; the Cold God loved freezing, while the Lord of Light wanted to fill the human world with fire and light.

Over five thousand years ago, "The Liberator" Brandon Stark and the King Beyond the Wall Joramun joined forces to defeat the Night King of that time, and the Others withdrew from the stage of history.

The power of the natural ice camp began to decline, and the blood-fire camp in the east began to rise: the Valyrian Freehold began to dominate the entire Essos.

Even though the natural disasters of over three hundred years ago greatly reduced the number of Dragons, the Targaryen line still survived. But after the Dragon family was schemed against by the Hightowers and the Citadel, the dragons representing the blood-fire camp disappeared for a time.

Thus, the Others returned to the world, and the Direwolves, which had not been seen south of the Wall, began to develop southward.

In other words, the two great divine camps began a new round of balance.

With the Three-Eyed Crow's ability to travel through time and even whisper in the ear of Aerys II to drive him mad, it is hard to say that the entire Westeros could remain so chaotic without the meddling of other gods.

Back to the main topic.

Robett and Herman dared to do this because Robb did not blame Sansa for the change in command.

According to the Young Wolf's appointments, he already knew that Roose Bolton was not well-liked by some, and among the few nominated by Sansa, the two whose homes had been stolen were not suitable to command an army, and Manderly was not a family known for fighting.

So he could only let the never-before-met Arthur serve as commander of one army, and let Roose Bolton command the other.

Sansa also knew the intentions of these two, "My lords, perhaps we can wait until the Westerlands campaign is over and head north with my brother to reclaim your castles. Or we could have the Dustins and Manderlys send a detachment over."

If she were to escort her father's remains north, she would have to go to Winterfell as well.

And according to the traditions of the Wolf family, it was very likely they would never head south again.

In other words, the chance to see Arthur again would basically be gone.

That is why Miss Stark does not want to head north right now.

Robett Glover and Herman Tallhart were still pleading for Sansa's consent, but Earl Jason Mallister suddenly found Arthur here.

"I see the Freys seem to have a good relationship with you; why don't we go and appease them? After all, that Hosteen's reputation isn't very good, and tomorrow is Lord Edmure's wedding. If we have a falling out with the Freys, no one will be able to save face."

Hosteen is known as the best fighter among the Freys, but he lacks emotional intelligence; whenever he is provoked, he flies into a rage regardless of the occasion.

Therefore, he is also called "Ser Stupid."

Arthur felt there was nothing left of importance in the castle hall. "Let's go then. The Frey soldiers are also the main force for my expedition to the Westerlands; I will handle my relationship with them well."

The two then left the hall and, led by the Master-at-arms Desmond, found the Freys.

The Freys come from two main sources: one is the commanders like Innes from the Dong Xian, and the other is the wedding party from The Twins.

Innes and the others, like Roose Bolton, live in the military camp; one can see their level of military command from this.

There is an army of nearly ten thousand outside Riverrun, and any noble with decent command ability stays with their soldiers, but there are also many Northern nobles who have moved into the castle to enjoy some comfort.

The wedding party is staying in a tower near the water gate, led by Old Walder's seventh son, Symond Frey, and his twelfth son, Lothar Frey.

When Arthur and Jason walked into the small hall of the tower, the few Freys in the wedding party were comforting their brothers and nephews.

"Once the wedding is over, they won't dare to bully us like this anymore."

"I don't think so. Second brother married into the Lannisters, but who has looked at us differently because of it?"

"That is because we were of no help to the Lion house. Now, after marrying into our family, the Tullys can sit securely in the position of Riverrun Protector, and our status will rise accordingly."

The situation in the Riverlands is similar to The Reach; there are many secondary top-tier nobles, and quite a few families have the strength to challenge the position of Protector.

The Tyrells' solution is to marry into the Hightower and Redwyne families, strengthening their position through intermarriage.

Unfortunately, Duke Hoster is too arrogant and looks down on these nobles in the Riverlands; he married his two daughters to the equally ranked House Stark and the Eyrie, and his son has not married yet, waiting to wed a noblewoman from a Protector family.

Barefoot Hosteen sat on a bench, gulping down wine while listening to his brothers nagging in his ears.

The Freys learned of the visit from Arthur and Jason, so Innes, who was relatively presentable, came out to host them on behalf of his family.

"We are fine; it will be better after tomorrow's wedding."

Jason Mallister said: "Actually, we also find the Northerners' behavior hard to stomach; they..."

A clever trick to build rapport is to establish a common enemy.

The Earl of Seagard clearly knows how to use this trick skillfully.

After he expressed his dissatisfaction with the Northerners multiple times, the Freys also began to echo him.

Arthur, meanwhile, was observing these people carefully.

It is said that the twelfth son, "Lothar Frey," has also arrived.

In the original plot, Lothar Frey was the one who bridged the Lion house and the Bolton house, and the Frey "strategist" who planned the various details of the Red Wedding.

After searching for a while, the distinct-looking Luo Su Fo Lei entered Arthur's line of sight.

This man has eyes as small as a mouse, a wisp of beard under his chin, and a very conspicuous black mole on his left cheek.

Compared to his older brothers, Luo Su is much shorter in stature.

After being stared at by Arthur for a few moments, he asked: "This Lord Bracken, is there something you need?"

Luo Su's biological mother is named Alysanne Blackwood, who is from the family that owns Raventree Hall.

As everyone knows, the Brackens and Blackwoods can start an argument the moment they meet.

Earl Jason suddenly remembered the matter of Luo Su's mother, so he hurried in front of Arthur and said:

"We are here to offer our congratulations to the Freys, not to argue, right?"

Arthur chuckled, "I certainly remember why I came. I just found this person to my liking and wanted to get to know him."

He had already thought of how to keep Lothar Frey in check.

"I am just a cripple, so there is no need to trouble Lord Bracken with concern," Old Walder's twelfth son replied.

"According to the orders of the King of the Trident, your Frey family must follow me to fight in the Westerlands." Arthur first brought out the banner of Robb.

Robb has not yet formally broken the marriage contract, and the momentum of the Fish-Wolf Alliance is still good; the Freys do not want to, and dare not, betray them.

"Since I find you to my liking, you shall be my advisor."

By keeping this person by his side, if the Freys show any signs of betrayal, he will find a way to sabotage him.

Innes, Symond, and the others looked at each other; although they did not know what this rising noble of the Riverlands was planning, they agreed to it.

Luo Su himself had no objections and agreed to join the army after the wedding, to be at Arthur's disposal.

To build rapport, Arthur also asked the Freys who held military command about their military system.

Like most first or second-tier nobles with thousands of troops, the Freys also use a two-level military system of companies of one hundred and companies of two hundred.

A company of one hundred usually has one captain and two vice-captains, with one vice-captain managing about fifty soldiers.

A company of one hundred, in addition to the ninety-five to one hundred armored soldiers, usually has three or four auxiliary soldiers and a few servants, and of course, one or two cooks.

The difference between auxiliary soldiers and servants is that auxiliary soldiers are trained reserve soldiers, just without armor and assigned weapons.

If soldiers suffer casualties, the auxiliary soldiers in the company of one hundred will take over their weapons and armor and join the combat ranks.

Two companies of one hundred combined make a company of two hundred.

Anything above that is directly commanded by members of the Frey family.

It is worth mentioning that the fifty men Duke Eddard took to King's Landing were half of a company of one hundred. When Robert was alive, the Lion house soldiers around Queen Cersei were a full-strength company of two hundred.

"Families like ours with only a few thousand soldiers do it this way; as far as I know, the Lannister, Hightower, and Tyrell families all have higher-level military systems. For example, the Lion house's thousand-man units, the Tyrell house's four-hundred-man units, eight-hundred-man units, and so on."

Influenced by the lack of education among soldiers, in the age of cold weapons, it is either "two-two," "five-five," or "ten-ten," because these are the numbers of fingers and arms, which soldiers can distinguish.

The division of three squads to a platoon, three platoons to a company, is not very suitable for soldiers of peasant origin, and there is no particular advantage in combat.

After considering these factors, Arthur decided to take the time to abolish the squad and platoon levels of the New Army and directly build the company as the grassroots unit.

Of course, the Battalion level does not need to change; the division of five companies to a Battalion is still suitable for cold weapon warfare.

After chatting with the Freys for a long time, the two finally took their leave.

On the way, on the way to the great hall, Arthur explained to Lord Jason that he had sent Patrick to the Reach to fetch some grain.

"No problem, he is still a child, just at the age to gain experience following a fierce general like you."

The master of Seagard was very generous in letting Arthur use his son to his heart's content.

In front of the great hall, Arthur, who was just about to go and consult with Rona Stout and the others, was stopped by a steward of the Tully family.

"Lord Edmure has something to discuss with you."

Thus, Arthur bid farewell to Lord Jason and followed the steward to the main keep, where Edmure's bedroom was.

He was also very curious to know how the injuries of the Tully family's eldest son were faring.

After following the steward past several small buildings and layers of stairs, they finally arrived at the third floor of the main keep.

Afterwards, Arthur was brought into Edmure's bedroom.

This was a large room with a very Riverrun style; even the balcony was triangular.

The smell of herbs and rot and mold permeated the entire bedroom, and on the large feather bed in the center, Edmure lay flat, his chest, legs, and arms all bandaged.

Two middle-aged maids and four men-servants who looked quite strong were attending to him on the side.

Arthur walked over, letting the wounded man on the bed see him.

"Ugh, you've come."

Edmure's movements as he spoke were very labored.

Seeing him in this state, Arthur hurriedly said: "It is not easy for you to speak. Just say what you need me to do all at once, no need for pleasantries."

Edmure said slowly: "Then I will not stand on ceremony. Adam Marbrand has captured many Riverlands lords, including Karyl Vance, Clement Piper, Tristan Rivers, and others... cough, cough..."

As he spoke, he suddenly began to cough, and the two maids hurriedly stepped forward to care for him.

Arthur took a close look, and sure enough, he coughed up blood.

The steward understood his master's intent and interjected: "These lords are now all imprisoned in Golden Tooth. If you can find a way to get them back, the Tully family will fully support you in inheriting Stone Hedge."

【Task: Rescue the three lords and the many minor nobles】

Edmure coughed for a long time, caught his breath, and then tremblingly extended a finger.

The steward understood his master's intent again and said to Arthur: "And Amory Lorch. This man once raided many castles on the Nan'an, obtaining no less than ten thousand Gold Dragons. The master hopes you can kill this man and bring back the Gold Dragons he stole to compensate the minor nobles of the Nan'an."

The reason the Tully family's second levy of troops was far smaller than the first was that the nobles of the Nan'an were afraid their own lands would be raided by a notorious wild dog like Luo Qi.

Although Edmure had also tried his best to protect the people of the Riverlands, the Nan'an had still suffered from looting.

This had dealt a heavy blow to the Tully family's reputation.

So he was thinking of making amends.

【Task: Kill Amory Lorch, retrieve the Gold of the Riverlands nobles】

The second task also appeared on the blue light screen.

Arthur nodded, "No problem at all. After your wedding is over, I will take men along the River Road toward the Westerlands. When passing Golden Tooth, I will first kill Luo Qi, then rescue the Riverlands nobles. Then, I will take Luo Qi's head as a wedding gift for you."

Luo Qi had also stolen money from Vargo Hoat, and besides the commission he was owed, Vargo had also stolen two or three thousand Gold Dragons from Lady Whent.

Arthur had been wanting to settle this account for a long time.

This time, with experience, Arthur would absolutely not let Luo Qi's head rot and stink.

He would have Qyburn treat the head, ensuring that the nobles and commoners of the Nan'an would all see Luo Qi's head.

"Then I leave it to you." Edmure's voice was as thin as a thread.

Arthur urged him to get some rest.

Then, he was called away by someone sent by Duke Hoster.

Although the Duke was prone to sleepiness, his spirit and energy were much stronger than his son's.

The old Lord Tully first praised Arthur's various actions, and then put forward a request similar to his son's.

It was just that the Duke's terms were a bit more generous than his son's.

"You will gain the friendship of both the Tully and Stark families, and Robb will also grant you the title of Marquess. As long as you can help us, the Tullys, regain the support of the Nan'an nobles, I can guarantee that Bracken will be the most glorious house in the Riverlands."

(End of chapter)