Chapter 189: Preparing to Attack

Suspicion began to grow within the Red Keep like wild grass in early summer.

Under the twilight sky, the entire castle was illuminated by the glow of torches.

The first courtier to arrive near the Maester's quarters and the rookery was the Master of Laws, Lord Randyll Tarly, who was stationed in King's Landing.

Given the example of Mace Tyrell, he was surrounded by six fully armed Horn Hill Knights cloaked in green.

The four guards following Mace Tyrell were still in the Grand Maester's room, and Lord Randyll did not want to enter to inspect the situation until Lord Paxter Redwyne, representing House Tyrell, arrived.

"Do not move if you can help it; wait for the other courtiers to come and investigate."

A Horn Hill Knight relayed the lord's words into the room.

Ten minutes later, the pregnant Queen Sansa, the Master of Ships Lord Redwyne, the Queen of Thorns Lady Olenna—who was still staying in King's Landing—the Commander of the King's Landing City Watch Tristan Lygge, and the Kingsguard Loras Tyrell, among other lords and ladies, had all arrived.

Over a hundred members of the Royal Guard crowded into this corner; they were guards for various nobles, and there was a faint sense of wariness between them.

Of course, none of this had anything to do with Daenerys Targaryen, who had just arrived; she stood beside Sansa, curiously gazing at the carnage inside the room.

Lady Olenna demanded of Mace's guards, "Who did this? Did you see clearly?"

Her son had been killed, and the Queen of Thorns was furious, yet, skilled at composure, she did not let a single emotion show on her face.

This made Lord Randyll marvel; such a rational woman was a rare sight.

One of Mace's guards replied, "It was a devil, a devil like a shadow. We were only a step or two behind his lordship, but that shadow vanished right before our eyes."

He spoke these words almost in tears, and his voice wavered, making it clear he was terrified.

Another guard was much calmer, "My lady, I'd bet it was an assassin; the level of agility was the first time I've ever seen such a thing in my life."

The remaining two were behind the first two and naturally could not provide more details, merely supplementing their conjectures.

"So, you mean you saw a person, and then he disappeared without coming out of the door?" Lord Randyll asked, summarizing.

The four guards nodded like chickens pecking at rice, acknowledging this point.

Lord Randyll then turned his head and said to the key figures, "It seems the assassin came from the underground secret passage system. He killed Grand Maester Gormon first, thereby luring Prime Minister Mace, and then used a crossbow to kill him."

Anguy Bracken, who was responsible for the Red Keep's security, hurriedly agreed, "Yes, although the patrols in the Red Keep have not been as frequent these past two days as they were around the wedding, they are still far tighter than before. Nobles cannot enter or leave the Red Keep at will, and commoners cannot even get near the Beileli'en Guangchang."

There was a small square in front of the Red Keep, named after a small statue of the Black Dread placed there. During the Baratheon dynasty, the statue of the black dragon was moved away, but after the new king took control of King's Landing, those who sought to curry favor with him moved the black dragon statue back.

If the assassin came from under the secret passage, then Anguy's responsibility was much reduced; after all, he was neither aware of nor responsible for that area.

Lord Redwyne's pressure suddenly increased, and he shouted repeatedly:

"My family's soldiers are all on the ships, and those who participated in that operation were sent back to Dragonstone by me; it is absolutely impossible for them to have leaked the secret. If you ask me, this must be a contingency left behind by the Lannisters, or someone sent by someone who knew the secret passages well, such as Lord Baelish or the Spider."

A group of his family's elites had participated in the night raid on the Red Keep and had a certain understanding of the Red Keep's secret passages.

Paxter naturally could never have murdered his cousin Mace, but he likely knew something from the mouths of his soldiers, so he was anxious to clear himself.

"You need not worry; whoever did this, it has nothing to do with the lords and ladies standing here."

The Queen of Thorns set the tone for the lords and ladies present.

In any case, the Reachmen's power remained, and they could investigate slowly later; there was no need to drive the mastermind crazy and force them to commit lethal acts like Cersei.

Queen Sansa felt it was time for her to state her position, "Lady Olenna is right; someone is trying to sow discord between us. The heavy responsibility of hunting down the murderer shall be handed to the Master of Laws Lord Randyll and the City Watch Commander Lord Tristan Lygge; this is also your duty."

This lady from the North began to keep her wits about her; on the surface, one was a Reachman and the other a Riverman, so they could check and balance each other.

But in reality, both were close to the King, and Tristan Lygge even faintly supported Queen Sansa.

"No, Lord Lygge should focus on guarding King's Landing and King's Landing Port, and not let the assassin escape. I propose that the Master of Ships and Lord Randyll be in charge of the pursuit of the assassin."

Although it was a suggestion, the Queen of Thorns spoke with a tone of certainty.

With her competitor Margaery and her husband gone, Sansa considered herself the mistress of the kingdom; how could she be swayed by an old woman?

"You hold no official position and cannot change the Queen's orders."

Sansa said coldly; Sandor and Brienne behind her gave her great courage, not to mention the Stark soldiers crowded to the side.

The military forces in the Red Keep were split half and half between the Starks and House Tyrell, with about a hundred men each under their direct command.

But the rest of the Royal Guard were soldiers of the New Army, whose families often settled in New Harren Town, and Queen Sansa, who still held the title of Lady of Harrenhal, had an influence on them second only to King Arthur I.

Lady Olenna, however, was relentless, "If Lord Redwyne cannot participate in this manhunt, then from now on, the Reachmen's grain will no longer be shipped to the Crownlands. The investigation must involve Paxter for our House Tyrell and all the Reach Jiaodu to approve."

Her nephew was a bit mediocre, but he wasn't stupid; letting him follow Randyll could lead to the real murderer.

Under the dim light of the torches, Queen Sansa stared at the Queen of Thorns' old face for a long time before ordering:

"Let the Master of Ships and the Master of Laws be the courtiers in charge of this incident, and at the same time, have the Maester send a raven... no, Lord Anguy, pick someone reliable to convey this matter to my husband's ears."

The situation was turbulent, and the raven might be shot down by enemy forces halfway, so the Queen decided to send someone to deliver the letter.

Daenerys Targaryen watched the two factions that were about to fight and immediately felt a headache.

Having just arrived here, she couldn't even distinguish the faces of the nobles or the crests they wore on their chests.

But the Dragon Queen felt that Queen Sansa was a decent person, so she said:

"How about this, I will ride my dragon to the Westerlands, find Arthur, and explain clearly to him what happened here. It just so happens that attacking Casterly Rock might require my three dragons."

Daenerys Targaryen happened to need to talk to the King about the ownership of the Iron Throne.

She had not forgotten what her brother Viserys had nagged about for a lifetime.

Sansa took her young aunt's hand, "That would be for the best; I will suggest that my husband appoint you as the Princess of Slaver's Bay."

Queen Sansa began to learn how to win people over, but her clumsy methods made the Dragon Queen feel a sense of revulsion.

I am already the Queen of Slaver's Bay, not a princess appointed by your husband, Daenerys Targaryen thought to herself.

Before dawn, the Red Keep and the entire King's Landing began to be under martial law; even without inspection, not even merchant ships in the port were allowed to leave.

Although the atmosphere in the city began to tense up, the falling grain prices were enough to keep the commoners quiet for a while, and the free porridge stalls opened in the King's name also gave the poor who couldn't afford to eat a reason not to cause trouble.

Summer Sea, near the waters of Lys.

Although Tyrosh and Lys were on the verge of war, there were still captains who took great risks to transport goods to the island of Lys.

There was no help for it; merchants in the Free Cities always put profit above all else.

When the profit reaches thirty percent, they can risk war to trade; when the profit reaches one hundred percent, merchants will bet their own net worth; when the profit is three times the original cost, these people will sell their own souls.

Coincidentally, there is one such ship recently willing to go to Lys; unfortunately, it is also the only such ship.

Therefore, the ship has gathered quite a few monsters and freaks, all of whom are heading toward the Dragon Queen who flew west.

Janos Bracken held onto the ship's wall with a pale face, wishing he could vomit everything in his stomach.

And the former Lord of Bear Island, Jorah Mormont, was much more relaxed; he leaned his back against the ship's wall and scanned the potential competitors.

"That Golden Company mercenary talking to the captain must be from a great lord's background, but I don't recognize him."

Jorah whispered to the seasick Janos.

The latter reluctantly turned his head, squinted his eyes for a good while, and replied in the same tone: "Looks like the former lord of Griffin's Roost, Jon Connington; I'm not sure, I heard he died quite early."

After boarding, many people discovered that everyone on the ship was going to find the Dragon Queen, so they quickly formed small cliques; although Janos and Jorah's two groups each had their own ideas, they still leaned toward each other.

"As for that Red Priest who stares at a candle in his room all day, I found out his name is Moqorro, he holds the title of Slave of R'hllor, and his status in the Red God's priest hierarchy should not be low."

The Great Bear was speaking of a mysterious Red Priest; this man's skin was as black as asphalt, about seven feet tall, his round belly shaped like a massive pebble, lion-like matted bone-white hair and beard snaked out from his face, and tattoos of flame patterns covered his cheeks and forehead.

"He must be someone sent by the Red God's High Priest, Bennero," Janos echoed.

Half of Volantis knows that the followers of the Lord of Light call Daenerys Targaryen the reincarnation of the savior, and the representatives sent by this group of fanatics could not be weaklings.

Moqorro's appearance only reinforced this point.

Even the most well-traveled crewmen and sailors were amazed by this man, calling him a gift from the gods.

"There are several other groups sent by other factions, but according to my observation, they are not strong, very average."

Although the Great Bear is down on his luck now, he was a proper lord back in the day and had even won a championship at a kingdom-wide tourney in Westeros, so he still had some discernment.

Janos nodded; he highly approved of his companion's view.

The Dragon Queen must have flown to King's Landing, so I can report back once I return, Lord Bracken mused.

The Westerlands, Sarsfield.

This castle is located on the south side of the River Road, northeast of Casterly Rock; it is the seat of House Sarsfield.

The house's sigil is a green arrow on a white bend on a green field, and the house motto is "Always Faithful"; because there are many mountains and forests in the territory, the soldiers are mostly archers.

House Sarsfield's horse archers are perhaps the most famous thing about them.

Last time when fighting for Robb, Arthur had led his army past this castle, but because there were not many soldiers in the castle, and the geographical location was not like Golden Tooth where the River Road passes through the city, he did not attack this city.

At this moment, dozens of standard-bearers held their own flags in the front, and the King and the leading nobles were observing the situation inside the castle from outside the range of the small trebuchets.

Arthur held a monocular telescope, looking back and forth at the few soldiers revealed on the castle walls.

This was a gift from a noble in the Stormlands, made using lenses produced in Myr and re-processed by a Maester. Although it is not of high value, it is unexpectedly useful on the battlefield.

After the King had seen enough, he handed it to Hugo Vance beside him, which made him flattered.

"Although there is a batch of old, weak, sick, and disabled men wearing tattered iron armor standing on the wall, I believe that as long as we expose our backsides to this castle, one or two thousand elite cavalry will rush out from inside and stab our assholes to pieces."

Showing weakness to the enemy is not a brilliant tactic; with Kevan's intelligence, he would definitely think of it.

The bald Innes pointed to the nearby mountains, "But we cannot take this castle in a short time. This place is too narrow, the main army cannot spread out at all, and we can only let the soldiers attack in batches; it also takes time to build trebuchets."

The War Minister briefly introduced the situation.

He was telling the truth; in the wars of Westeros, except for the late Renly, no commander would let the army carry large siege engines with them.

Therefore, to lay siege, one must stop and first build siege hammers, trebuchets, scaling ladders, etc., and then take it slowly.

And the casualties are not small.

Arthur thought for a moment and asked, "How many soldiers do you estimate can be stuffed into this castle at most?"

Good news of great advantage came from the Reach in the south; the army Garlan took and the soldiers of House Hightower joined forces to temporarily drive away the Ironborn who were raiding the coastline.

And the estuaries of the Mander River and the Honeywine have been blocked by huge iron chains; unless they pass through layers of inspection, they cannot enter the inland rivers.

The Ironborn sailed their longships around the Shield Islands and the west coast of the Reach, but they basically had no opportunity.

According to Garlan's letter, he had already led the main army into the Cockleswhent Forest, and along the way, he eliminated scouts and detained everyone who had seen the Reach army.

Therefore, this Reach army would be a surprise force.

So the King was thinking of quickly attacking near Lannisport and then pincer-attacking the Westerlands Army on the front battlefield.

Of course, Tyrion would also lead the way, letting an army attack Casterly Rock, so as to make the Lannister soldiers collapse.

Lord Karyl Vance, Marquess Innes, and Lord Clement Piper, who had recently repaired his castle, came back to discuss and finally gave a number.

"At most three thousand people; this castle can only hold so many soldiers. If there are many cavalry, the number of soldiers will be even fewer. As for the food stored inside, that depends on how large their underground section is."

Lord Clement replied.

Not all castles are like Harrenhal, where just the Hall of a Hundred Hearths in the main keep can accommodate a thousand lords standing at the same time.

The vast majority of castles are just the lord's residence plus a small military fortress.

"The situation is very favorable for us. In that case, let the people of House Rowan and House Oakheart stay near this castle and keep a close watch on the Westerlands Army inside."

Arthur I pointed to the southwest, "The remaining twelve thousand people will march quickly; we must reach the vicinity of Casterly Rock to fight."

After the King gave the order, the entire army moved, and the soldiers in loose formation marched along the River Road, while the soldiers of the two Reach houses guarded against the enemy in the direction of Sarsfield.

Four days later, the incomparably huge Casterly Rock appeared before this army.

The Westerlands have many mountains and small woods, so naturally, they are not short of firewood, so the soldiers first built a large number of spiked wooden stakes to resist the charge of the Lannister heavy cavalry.

Then, the tired soldiers finally began to pitch tents, build wooden watchtowers, and construct simple stables.

Under the command of the meddlesome War Minister, Marquess Innes, the whole process was quite orderly; the soldiers of each house were assigned to suitable areas, and the entire army quickly entered a state of rest.

According to Arthur I's plan, two days later, the first round of probing attacks would be launched.

Of course, he did not forget to send a letter to Garlan in the south, agreeing on the time for a simultaneous attack.

This brother-in-law is sometimes quite reliable.

At night, after creating the "children" account with Margaery, King Arthur I snuck out of the tent to chat about life with the Princess of Dorne.