Chapter 188: Renly Marches, The Northern Army, The Fall of the Crownlands

Highgarden is situated on a verdant hill in the middle reaches of the Mander River, overlooking the tranquil and peaceful Mander.

This castle is built from white stone as clean as jade, with roofs the color of gold; its slender towers are like maidens, its sturdy defensive towers like warriors, and Highgarden is protected by three concentric white walls, with meadows, orchards, and flowers everywhere surrounding the castle.

Within the castle, man-made waterfalls, ponds, gardens, fountains, and courtyards are breathtakingly beautiful; in the eyes of many singers, Highgarden is the most beautiful castle in all of Westeros.

At Highgarden, King Renly Baratheon convened his Small Council. Although King Renly had not yet sat upon the Iron Throne to rule the world, he had already impatiently selected the members of his Small Council.

The Lord Paramount of the Mander and Lord of Highgarden, Mace Tyrell, was appointed as Renly's Hand of the King; nicknamed "Lord Puff Fish," he was a bald, fat man.

Lord Paxter Redwyne was appointed as Renly's Master of Ships. Lord Paxter Redwyne's twin sons were held captive in King's Landing by the Imp and Cersei.

For the safety of his children, Lord Paxter Redwyne dared not openly break with the Lannisters, so the Arbor had not sent a single soldier to support Renly's cause. He himself also remained on the Arbor.

Even so, the Redwyne Fleet of the Arbor was one of the most powerful fleets in Westeros, with only the Royal Fleet and the Iron Fleet of the Iron Islands able to rival it; therefore, Renly appointed Lord Paxter Redwyne as Master of Ships.

Many of the positions on Renly's Small Council were created by Renly himself.

Lord Randyll Tarly of Horn Hill became the Master of War on the Small Council; the uncle of the Highgarden steward, Lord Mace Tyrell, "the Puffy" Jiaersi, became the Master of Coin; Lord Mathis Rowan of Goldengrove became Renly's Master of Laws; as for other positions such as Master of Whisperers, Master of Diplomacy, and advisors, Renly gave them all to the nobles of the Stormlands.

Renly wore a deep green silk coat, upon which seventy-seven roses were embroidered with sapphires, rubies, tourmalines, carnelians, freshwater pearls, opals, and garnets; his breastplate was engraved with the crowned stag sigil of House Baratheon in emeralds, and he wore a slender crown of pure gold, topped with roses and leaping crowned stags.

King Renly also made reforms to the Kingsguard; he abolished the pure white armor and cloaks of the Kingsguard, changing them into the Rainbow Guard, with seven knights wearing cloaks of different colors to guard Renly.

The Captain of the Rainbow Guard was the Knight of Flowers, Loras Tyrell, who guarded Renly day and night; another famous member of the Rainbow Guard was Brienne of Tarth. Strictly speaking, Brienne was not a knight, but she was peerless in martial arts, the runner-up of the Wolf King's tournament, and had performed brilliantly in recent tournaments in the Reach.

Under the protection of Brienne and Loras Tyrell, Renly sat upon the throne, which was a rose throne carved from oak, with a leaping crowned stag on the backrest.

Renly scanned the dozen or so advisors and ministers sitting before him: "My lords, Joffrey has stolen the Iron Throne of House Baratheon; he is a bastard of Cersei and the Kingslayer, and without a doubt, Robert was also murdered by Cersei, the Imp, and the Kingslayer. To defeat the Lannisters, I have decided to divide our forces into two paths: one to attack the Westerlands, and one to attack King's Landing."

Mathis Rowan said: "Your Grace, we should let the Lannisters first fight the Tullys and the Starks in the Riverlands, and let the usurpers Stannis and Joffrey fight in King's Landing. To remain still and watch the fire from across the river is the superior choice."

Randyll Tarly gave a cold hum: "Lord Mathis, Tywin has now taken his main army to the Riverlands; we should take advantage of the Westerlands being empty to capture the Lannisters' lair—that is the best choice."

"The Puffy" Jiaersi was a white-haired fat man who had served as the steward of Highgarden for many years, so he was very shrewd. Jiaersi said: "The Reach has raised an army of fifty thousand, and twenty thousand are already assembled at Old Oak. With so many soldiers, every day of delay means much grain and fodder; are we to sit and eat our supplies until they are gone?"

Mathis Rowan said: "Once war begins, the loss is endless grain and life. Now that King Robert is dead, the Seven Kingdoms are torn apart, and the attitude of Dorne is unclear. If the Reach's army goes to the Westerlands and King's Landing, our defenses will inevitably be empty. If the Dornish army drives straight in, who will stop them? Do not forget that in history, both Highgarden and Oldtown have been sacked by the Dornish."

King Renly's advisor, Lord Alester Florent of Brightwater Keep, frowned; he was tall and thin, with silver-gray hair, and a long, pointed white beard on his slender, noble face. He was Samwell Tarly's maternal grandfather.

Lord Alester spoke up: "Lord Mathis, do you really think Dorne would support the Lannisters? How is that possible? As everyone knows, Tywin's mad dog the Mountain and Amory Lorch killed Princess Elia Martell and her children when they bloodied King's Landing back then, and the Mountain even raped Princess Elia."

"The Red Viper, Prince Oberyn of Dorne, and the ruler of Dorne, Prince Doran, are both constantly thirsting for revenge against the Lannisters."

Mace Tyrell's face turned red with anger: "Dorne is the enemy of the Reach; the Red Viper even crippled my son Willas Tyrell. This grudge, I will never forget!"

King Renly revealed a sunny smile: "Lord Mace, do not worry about the Dornish. Now, the Reach and the Stormlands are united around me, and the Wolf King Eddard also supports me; I believe Dorne will support me as well."

Randyll Tarly said: "To be honest, I think Lord Eddard is more of a threat than the Lannisters. Think about it: he is the son-in-law of Lord Hoster of the Riverlands, and the young Lord Robin Arryn who now rules the Vale is his wife's nephew. As soon as Eddard raises his arm, the Riverlands, the North, and the Vale will all follow the banner of the direwolf."

A look of utter confidence appeared on King Renly's face.

"Rest assured, Eddard will follow me just as he followed Robert. I know him best: he has no ambition, he is rigid, and he has a sense of honor. As long as our army captures Casterly Rock and Lannisport and forces the Lannisters to submit, Eddard will surely bow his head and bring me the support of the Vale, the Riverlands, and the North."

"I have decided: I will personally lead the army to Old Oak, take the army, march along the Ocean Road, and attack the Lannisters in the Westerlands."

"As for the army attacking King's Landing, I have decided to entrust it to Lord Alester Florent of Brightwater Keep and Lord Bryce Caron of Nightsong. You will lead ten thousand cavalry and set out for King's Landing along the Rose Road; the Stormlands army will join you."

Lord Alester smiled: "Thank you for your trust, Your Grace."

Mathis Rowan looked at Lord Alester with some worry: "I believe the Master of War, Lord Randyll Tarly, is better suited to command the army going to King's Landing. Lord Randyll is brave and skilled in battle; unless Tywin personally leads the army to King's Landing, the likes of the Imp in King's Landing are no match for Lord Randyll."

Renly said: "Lord Randyll will stay by my side; he has other important uses."

The high officials and advisors of the Small Council left one after another; in the council chamber, only Mathis Rowan, Lord Mace, King Renly, and the two guards, Ser Loras and Brienne, remained.

Mathis Rowan said: "Your Grace, appointing Lord Alester Florent to lead the army to King's Landing is a huge mistake. Stannis's wife, Lady Selyse, is Lord Alester's niece, and many of House Florent hold key positions on Dragonstone; among them, Lord Alester's brother Axell has served as Acting Castellan on Dragonstone for over ten years."

"To let Lord Alester lead the army to King's Landing and let the Stormlands army accept his command—Dragonstone is right next to the Stormlands. What if Alester turns traitor on the battlefield and defects to Stannis?"

Renly elegantly ate a grape: "Lord Mathis, you are too worried. Brightwater Keep is next to Highgarden; how could Lord Alester rebel? Besides, I have also arranged for Bryce Caron of Nightsong to serve as Lord Alester's deputy. Rest assured, everything is under my control."

At Winterfell, Jon Snow and the "Kissed by Fire" Ygritte sat before the heart tree in the godswood, eating blueberry cake. Ghost lay before the weirwood heart tree.

Ygritte stroked Jon Snow's face: "Robb has led the army to war, and even Theon has gone with him. You, Bran, and Rickon are left at home. You stay at Winterfell, far from the battlefield, and thus far from glory and conquest. Don't you think your father's arrangement is unfair to you?"

Jon Snow smiled: "Father asked me to protect the North and Winterfell; this is also a very important task! The Acting Castellan, Ser Roderick, is getting on in years, and he needs my help."

Every day, Jon Snow needs to be busy with various things: patrolling the Stark Estate, handling letters sent by the various Wolf Castles and Northern nobles, taking care of the children in the orphanage, helping Archmaester Marwyn and Maester Luwin teach the children at the Wolf Academy, and also dealing with the wet nurses.

The giantess Xixi gave birth to a giant baby, Gaga, two months ago; this baby Gaga was only a little shorter than Jon Snow when he was born.

Because Xixi followed Robb south to fight, Jon found several wet nurses in Winter Town with plenty of milk to feed the little giant Gaga, but no wet nurse could withstand Gaga's suckling. With no other choice, Jon had to find a mammoth, and Gaga never had to worry about milk again.

The wildling woman Gilly also gave birth to a child, a boy. Because the infant mortality rate among wildlings is very high, according to wildling custom, children are not named before the age of two. Therefore, Sam and Jon gave Gilly's child the nickname "Fortress" to commemorate the child's father, Craster, and his famous fortress Beyond the Wall.

Mole's Mother of Winterfell is in charge of the orphanage and the maternity ward; she is a Forest Witch, skilled in treating illnesses and delivering babies for children and women. According to the Wolf King's order, in Winter Town, when women are pregnant and giving birth, the midwives of the maternity ward will deliver the babies for free, and the orphanage provides free food and medicine for the children of the poor.

This is seen as a great act of charity by House Stark, a gift from the Father of Life. Due to the establishment of the orphanage and the maternity ward, the mortality rate of children in Winterfell, Winter Town, and the surrounding areas has greatly decreased.

Under the heart tree, Ygritte kissed Jon, tasting the blueberry cake on his lips: "Jon Snow, give me a strong child!"

Jon Snow was startled: "We aren't married yet."

"You know nothing, Jon Snow." Ygritte began to reach out to undo Jon's belt: "You don't need to be married to have children. As long as it's what you want and what I want, where is the need for all those messy rules?"

Jon Snow reached out to stop Ygritte: "If we have a child without being married, the child born will be a bastard."

Ygritte said with disdain: "Aren't you a bastard yourself?"

"That is why I cannot let our child become a bastard." Jon Snow stroked Ygritte's fiery red hair: "When my father returns from the south, we can get married."

Recently, Jon has often had wolf dreams; at night, he would become one with Ghost. Jon has communicated with many skinchangers, and he knows that he is now a skinchanger himself.

Nowadays, Borroq who controls the wild boar, Tigris who controls the saber-toothed tiger, Samantha who controls the terror bird, and the Goat Girl Gisela have all gone south to participate in the war. However, there are still skinchangers like Atuta who have remained. Atuta's mount is a giant moose; Atuta is an old man with white hair and beard, and he often teaches Jon and Bran some of the talents of skinchangers.

Atuta believes that the talent Bran displays is even more powerful.

Winterfell now has Jon's direwolf Ghost, Bran's direwolf Summer, Rickon's direwolf Shaggydog, the mother wolf Sunshine, and Benjen's direwolf. Sunshine is not only the mother of all the little wolves but also the wet nurse for the dragon-wolf.

Now, the dragon-wolf has grown to the size of a pony, eating several times its body weight in food every day, and it is growing very fast. Its dragon fire is very threatening. According to the instructions of the Wolf King Eddard, this young dragon and Grey Wind followed Robb south.

Winterfell also has nearly ten giant eagles, more than twenty giants, and over a dozen terror birds. With the protection of these fierce beasts and giants, Winterfell is reassuring.

The Alchemist Hallyne and the Master of Arms Tobho Mott, sent by Lord Eddard from King's Landing to Winterfell, fell in love with this place as soon as they arrived, because the giants and magical animals here were things King's Landing did not have.

Now, Tobho Mott has become the capable assistant to the Master Smith Mikken in the forge, while the more than forty alchemists of the Alchemists' Guild have all become subordinates of Winterfell's Chief Alchemist Ginter. These alchemists have also all joined the Winter Wolf Academy and sometimes teach the adopted sons of the Wolf King Eddard.

However, the alchemists' most important work is still dealing with the wildfire transported from King's Landing. More than four thousand jars of wildfire have been scattered and buried in the various Wolf Castles, Queenscrown, and even the Wall.

Today, all the fortresses on the Wall have been fully repaired, all nineteen castles are garrisoned, and manors have sprung up like bamboo shoots after a rain on the south side of the Wall, connecting in a continuous line from east to west.

Except for Castle Black, Shadow Tower, and Eastwatch, the other sixteen castles are all held by the Winter Wolves; the fishing boats from the Bay of Ice and Seal Bay, the shrimp, salmon, and crabs caught, as well as the grain purchased by the North from abroad and the local reserves of the North, have all been stored in the ice vaults of the Wall.

The Winter Wolves and the Night's Watch on the Wall are making obsidian arrowheads every day, preparing for the War for the Long Night that may come in the future.

Jon Snow and Ygritte arrived at the training grounds, where Bran was playing with Summer, Meera, and Jojen.

Bran leaned toward Jon, "Jon, I dreamed yesterday that I turned into Robb's wolf, Grey Wind, and the Northern Army is crossing the Neck."

After crossing the Neck region, the Northern Army finally entered the Riverlands.

Giant King Mag rode on a mammoth, followed by two hundred giants, each with a mammoth.

Theon sat on the mammoth of the giantess Xixi; last month, she had just given birth to a little giant in Winterfell, and the giant infant was only a head shorter than Theon at birth, and now in Winterfell, it has been left to Jon Snow and Sam to raise.

Xixi always loves to stroke Theon's head, and sometimes, Theon suspects that this wildling woman wants to take him as a little lover, but Theon is not interested in giantesses, as her beard is almost as long as Giant King Mag's.

Robb led the Northern Army south and appointed Rodrik Cassel as the Acting Castellan of Winterfell, with Jon Snow, Maester Luwin, the advisor from beyond the Wall Mance Rayder, and the financial advisor Klar assisting Rodrik Cassel in managing the North's rear.

Theon was very happy that Jon Snow stayed in Winterfell; he was destined to miss out on the glory of defeating the Lannisters, while he, Theon, would fight alongside giants, wildlings, the Winter Wolves, and Northern warriors against terrible opponents like Duke Tywin and the Kingslayer Jaime.

At the thought of fighting and struggle, Theon always felt his blood boil; perhaps this was the conquest desire and aggression in the bones of the Ironborn!

Theon sat upright on the castle tower of the mammoth, overlooking everything around him: the sentinel tree banner of the Tallhart family of Torrhen's Square, the steel gauntlet banner of the Glover family of Deepwood Motte, the standing bear banner of the Mormont family of Bear Island, the broken-chain giant banner of the Umber family, the crossed battle-axe and rusted crown banner of the Dustin family of Barrowton, the horse-head banner of the Ryswell family of the Rills, the sharp battle-axe banner of the Cerwyn family, and so on.

There was no flayed man banner of the Bolton House, no merman banner of the Manderly family of White Harbor, no moose banner of the Hornwood family, and no white sunburst banner of the Karstark family.

This is because the armies of the nobles of the North's east coast all gathered at White Harbor, and the East Coast Fleet sailed directly out of the Bite, traveled through the Narrow Sea, entered Crab Bay, and arrived in the Riverlands region.

Today's North, under the leadership of the Wolf King Eddard, is unprecedentedly powerful, possessing the largest number of ships in the history of the North: galleys, longships, great galleons, big-bellied flat-bottomed merchant ships, and armed merchant ships—everything is available.

At Dawn Watch in the Barrowlands, Warhorse City in the Rills, Blacksmith City at Sea Dragon Point, and other Wolf Castles, they are still building longships, and the West Coast Fleet is growing stronger by the day.

The Rockborn warrior Baolaisen Siteren rode on a unicorn, beating a huge war drum. In the convoy behind him sat six hundred nurses trained by the North.

Borroq rode a ferocious wild boar; this wild boar was as high as a small hill and could bite off a warhorse's head in one gulp. Tigris rode a saber-toothed tiger, whose sharp teeth were like two long swords, easily biting through leather armor and chainmail; even plate armor might not be able to withstand the saber-toothed tiger's bite.

Not to mention the giant eagles in the sky; more than thirty giant eagles followed Robb on the expedition, and the one managing the giant eagles was the Giant Eagle Princess Bessa, who was Michu's sister, with fair skin, a full chest, and brown hair, very wild. Perhaps Theon could consider pursuing Bessa; after all, Theon had ridden warhorses and mammoths, but he had never ridden a giant eagle!

Samantha and the warriors of the terror bird tribe set out with more than twenty terror birds, each as strong as a rhinoceros, with warhammer-like beaks that could easily crush a cavalryman's head, even if you were wearing a helmet, it would be of no use.

The warriors of the Great Bear Tribe brought a dozen large bears, including snow bears, brown bears, and black bears, the largest of which were over four meters tall.

Varamyr Sixskins rode on a snow bear; his snow bear was over four meters tall, followed by three wolves, a shadowcat, and a wild ox, which was an animal he had newly controlled in Winterfell.

Orell's eagle circled in the sky, responsible for reconnaissance. With the eagle's vision, the reconnaissance pressure on the Northern scouts was reduced a lot.

At this moment, the magic dragon Wolf-Dragon spread its wings and flew over the Northern Army, and the Northern soldiers let out shouts one after another.

Since departing from Winterfell, the Wolf-Dragon has hunted for itself every day; it swoops down from the sky like a swift eagle, using dragonfire to kill goats and rabbits running on the ground, and even hunts crows and wild boars. The Wolf-Dragon eats a lot of food every day.

Today, this magic dragon has become the pride of all Northern soldiers; whether they are Northern nobles or soldiers, whether they are Rockborn, wildlings, Winter Wolves, Northern Mountain Clans, or soldiers of Northern nobles, they all believe that this magic dragon is the pride of the North and a gift given to the North by the Old Gods.

For the enemies who are about to face such a brutal army possessing magic dragons, skinchangers, and fierce beasts, Theon can only feel pity from the bottom of his heart.

The Lannisters might try to defeat the skinchangers, but it is very difficult to do so. The North can defeat skinchangers because Eddard himself is a skinchanger.

The Northern Army is equipped with uniform plate armor and uses sharp longswords forged in Winterfell's factories and purchased from the south. Because Eddard brought prosperity and strength to the North, the Northern Army is unprecedentedly united. After Eddard wrote to Robb from the south, ordering the assembly of the army, nobles from all over scrambled to send their troops.

As for the magic dragon, although the Wolf-Dragon is still a young dragon, it has already shown terrifying lethality; the magic dragon's dragonfire is even more deadly than the alchemist's wildfire.

Greatjon Umber rode beside Theon, together with Lady Maege Mormont, Galbart Glover, Herman Tallhart, and others.

Maege Mormont said, "King Robert is dead. If Joffrey is a bastard, he has no right to inherit the throne. If Cersei's three children are all bastards, then the throne should belong to Stannis."

Greatjon spat, "These southerners, how many times have they been to the North in their lives? Why should we call them kings? In my heart, only Eddard is our king. Didn't Robert already name Eddard the Wolf King?"

Herman Tallhart said, "Wolf King is equivalent to a prince's title, not a king."

Greatjon said in a rough voice, "Anyway, there are so many kings in the south, I won't kneel to them; if I kneel, I only kneel to Stark, only to Eddard!"

These words reached Theon's ears on the mammoth. If Eddard declares himself king, Westeros will have a fourth king. Theon is very curious why his father, King Balon, does not take this opportunity to put on the Driftwood Crown?

Back then, when King Robert was at the height of his power, King Balon dared to usurp the throne; now that Robert is dead and Westeros is torn apart, the Iron Islands will likely become an ally sought after by all sides. Why shouldn't King Balon secede and declare himself king?

Once King Balon puts on the Driftwood Crown, Theon will be a prince. One day, I, Theon, will succeed King Balon and become the King of the Iron Islands, sitting on the Seastone Chair. At the thought of himself becoming a king, Theon began to get excited.

Wolf King Eddard rode his direwolf Summer, bringing Domeric and Brynden Tully, waiting for the Northern Army on the Kingsroad.

There were more than a dozen leaders of the Mountain Clans, following Eddard's side; they were dressed in rags, riding skinny mules or mountain horses.

Chella of the Black Ears, Shagga of the Stone Crows, Timett of the Burned Men, Conn and Ulf of the Moon Brothers, and Greenwood of the Tree Men, all arrived.

More than two thousand warriors of the mountain tribes joined Eddard's Winter Wolves; they all swore oaths before the weirwood heart tree, but Eddard felt that letting them see the Northern army, fierce beasts, and the magic dragon would make them more convinced and loyal.

The first to discover Eddard was the Northern Army's scout, Robett Glover.

Robett Glover said excitedly, "Wolf Prince, it is great to see you safe and sound. After King Robert died, the news from the south was more terrifying than the last, and the people of the North were worried that something had happened to you."

The magic dragon Wolf-Dragon flew to Eddard's side; its dragon scales were as black as night. When it saw Eddard, it let out a series of affectionate shrieks and landed on Eddard's shoulder.

Eddard can control the magic dragon Wolf-Dragon just like he controls the direwolf Summer and the black and white bears. This magic dragon, born in front of the weirwood heart tree in the Winterfell godswood, drank the milk of the mother wolf Summer and grew up with the direwolves of Eddard's children; it flows with the blood of the direwolf and Stark.

Shagga, Chella, Timett, Greenwood, Conn, Ulf, and others were all stunned. The burly and tall Shagga opened his mouth wide, "Wolf King, so you weren't bragging, you really have a magic dragon!"

Eddard smiled, "Shagga, you are so smart, could I lie to you?"

A crow flew across the sky, and the magic dragon Wolf-Dragon flapped its wings and flew into the sky. A mouthful of orange-yellow dragonfire instantly engulfed the crow, and the scorched crow fell downward; before it even hit the ground, it was swallowed by the Wolf-Dragon in one bite.

The Burned Men worship fire. Warriors of the Burned Men, during their coming-of-age ceremony, need to use fire to cut off a part of themselves to prove their courage. Timett, son of Timett, during his coming-of-age ceremony, used a red-hot dagger to gouge out one of his own eyes, and for this, he was hailed as the first warrior of the Burned Men and won the title of "Red Hand."

Timett, son of Timett, saw the magic dragon breathing fire and was full of admiration. He hurriedly dismounted from his skinny mountain horse, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed to the magic dragon Wolf-Dragon, muttering words in his mouth.

When the leaders of the Mountain Clans looked at the giants on the mammoths, Varamyr riding a snow bear, dozens of giant eagles dancing in the air, and tens of thousands of Northern cavalrymen, all in fine armor, holding long spears and longswords, pouring in from the Kingsroad like steel roses blooming in the sun, everyone was dumbfounded.

Chella nervously played with the ear necklace around her neck, Greenwood used his fingers to pry open his eyelids to look carefully, and Shagga looked at the exquisite steel battle-axes in the hands of the Northern warriors, then looked at the stone axe in his own hand, and shed tears of poverty.

The more these warriors of the Mountain Clans admired the strength of the North and Stark, the more loyal they were to Eddard. Compared to hired knights and mercenaries, Eddard was more willing to trust simple tribes like the Mountain Clans, wildlings, and Rockborn; they were all descendants of the First Men, worshipped the Old Gods, and valued oaths and honor more.

Robb walked to Eddard's side with Grey Wind and hugged Eddard, "Father, it's so good to see you. Where are Mother, Sansa, and Arya?"

Eddard stroked Robb's red hair, "They are safely staying at Harrenhal, you don't need to worry."

Robb said, "Father, are you going to take the Northern Army directly to Riverrun?"

Eddard patted Robb on the shoulder, "The person chosen to take this army to Riverrun will be you."

Robb was shocked, "Father, but this is an army of more than thirty thousand!"

Over these past few years, Eddard conquered Skagos and Beyond the Wall, and his personal prestige reached its peak in the North. The North's salt prohibition and household registration policies greatly reduced the number of hidden inhabitants. House Stark's ability to call up troops in the North became unprecedentedly strong. Coupled with the more than one hundred thousand Wildlings who migrated into the North, this time, the number of troops the North sent south along the Kingsroad reached thirty thousand.

This does not include the troops of House Manderly, House Bolton, House Karstark, and House Hornwood who traveled south by ship with the Beijing Donghaian Fleet.

Eddard encouraged Robb, "I am the Wolf King, you are the heir to the North, Winterfell, and House Stark. You are the Young Wolf; believe in me, you are fully capable of this."

Subsequently, Eddard introduced Brynden Tully to Robb, "Ser Brynden is your mother's uncle, your great-uncle. He is very familiar with the Riverlands. From now on, you must consult with Ser Brynden on all military matters; he can serve as your scout commander."

"I am also sending Domeric to you; if there is anything, you can discuss it with Domeric."

Lord Roose Bolton of the Dreadfort will bring the Dreadfort's troops and arrive in the Riverlands by sea. Eddard is not sure if Ramsay Snow is in the ranks; if he is, Eddard will find a way to eliminate the Bastard of Bolton.

Letting Domeric follow Robb's army can separate Roose Bolton from the heir to the Dreadfort, ensuring Roose Bolton's loyalty during the war.

This can also protect Domeric. Whether or not Roose Bolton's bastard, the Bastard of Bolton, followed the Bolton troops south to fight, he might arrange for someone to use poison or assassination to deal with Domeric. Once Domeric dies, Ramsay Snow would gain the inheritance of the Dreadfort.

Eddard pointed west, "Robb, the shortest path to Riverrun is The Twins on the upper Green Fork. You will lead the main army and pass through The Twins."

Robb frowned, "I heard from the Crannogman Howland Reed that Walder Frey of The Twins has leaned toward the Lannister side. His second son, Emmon Frey, is Tywin's brother-in-law; he married Tywin's sister Genna decades ago."

Brynden Tully said, "Walder Frey's loyalty has always been a problem. Almost every time he encounters a summons from Riverrun, he uses every excuse to prevaricate."

Eddard said, "If Walder Frey refuses to open the gates, just set up camp outside The Twins. I believe that when Walder Frey sees the thirty thousand troops outside his walls, he will certainly open the gates to welcome the guests from the North."

Among the Northern Army's baggage train are catapults and ballistae; the siege engines have long been prepared. Eddard does not hope that The Twins will be the first siege of the North.

Eddard believes that Lord Walder is a smart man. Unless there is sufficient profit to tempt him, it is unlikely he would directly tear his face off with the North and the Riverlands right from the start.

Lord Walder's two sons, Olyvar Frey and Elmar Frey, are both Eddard's wards and are currently at Harrenhal. Elmar Frey has become a good friend of Arya, and Olyvar Frey is diligent and loyal, deeply loved by Sansa and Catelyn.

The Crannogmen's dam on the upper Green Fork is still under construction. Once the dam is completed on the upper Green Fork, if Walder Frey still dares to have ulterior motives, Eddard will have no choice but to order the Crannogmen to open the sluice gates, release the water, and flood the Freys.

Northern nobles like Greatjon Umber, Lord Medger Cerwyn, Lord Herman Tallhart, Lord Galbart Glover, Lady Maege Mormont, the heir to Bear Island Dacey Mormont, Derron Dustin of the Barrowlands, and Haurson Ryswell of the Rills, among other nobles, came before Eddard one after another, kneeling to pledge their loyalty and offer their regards.

Wildling leaders Tormund, the King-Beyond-the-Wall, Harma the Dogshead, Alfyn Crowkiller, Giant King Mag, and Xixi all knelt before Eddard.

Tormund said, "Father of Life, this is the first time we Wildlings have come to such a warm place. Following the Father of Life to fight, we will certainly fight to the death for the Winter Wolves and Stark."

Nowadays, the Wildling warriors in the Winter Wolves are all wearing plate armor and chainmail, riding Winterfell warhorses, and using fine steel longswords forged in the Winterfell smithy; they are well-equipped.

Most importantly, Eddard has given the Wildlings discipline. Their worship of the Father of Life, Eddard, makes the Wildlings willing to change for him.

Theon came to Eddard's side, and Eddard embraced Theon, "Theon, you are a warrior of the Winter Wolves; I need you."

Theon said, "Wolf Prince, I long for a one-on-one duel with the Kingslayer and to slay the Kingslayer on the battlefield."

Eddard said, "If you follow me, you will eventually have the chance to duel the Kingslayer." Being able to follow Eddard, Theon seemed very happy.

Keeping Theon by his side makes Eddard feel more at ease. After all, compared to the North, the Riverlands are too close to the Iron Islands; finding a ship from Seagard, one could reach Pyke in two or three days.

During wartime, any accident could happen, and Eddard does not want anything to go wrong with Theon. If he were to return to the Iron Islands, and Eddard had no hostage in hand, the Iron Islands might become an enemy of the North or lean toward the Lannister side.

Subsequently, Varamyr Sixskins, Orell, Cat Girl Jeyne, Tigris riding a saber-toothed tiger, Samantha riding a terrorbird, and Borroq leading a wild boar surrounded Eddard.

Varamyr Sixskins said, "Father of Life, the skinchangers and the beasts are all ready. We hope to follow the Father of Life onto the field to kill the enemy."

Eddard placed his hand on Varamyr's shoulder, "You are all fierce warriors of the Winter Wolves; you must follow Robb's army to The Twins."

However, Eddard selected the Raptor Tribe's skinchanger Samantha to take ten terrorbirds with him. Terrorbirds are human-fleshed tanks on the battlefield. After ten terrorbirds were assigned to Eddard, Robb's army still had the Raptor Tribe's skinchangers and more than twenty terrorbirds. Half of the handlers followed Eddard.

The giant Dodo and the thirty giants under his command were chosen by Eddard to follow him to Harrenhal, while the remaining giants continued to follow Robb. Every giant has a mammoth; they are siege weapons, and their deterrent power on the battlefield cannot be underestimated.

Eddard chose the Goat Girl Gisela and the Giant Eagle Princess Bessa to go with him to the Ruby Ford. "You two come with me to the Ruby Ford. Bessa, you need to take twenty giant eagles to the Ruby Ford."

Bessa revealed a sweet smile, "The Ruby Ford? There must be many rubies! I've struck it rich this time."

The Goat Girl Gisela said, "The South is truly wealthy! There are actually rubies on the riverbank; I want to use the rubies to make a necklace."

Giant Eagle Princess Bessa and the Goat Girl Gisela left.

Eddard laughed, "Sigh! I really can't bear to tell them that there are no rubies at all at the Ruby Ford; it got its name because Prince Rhaegar died there and the rubies on his breastplate shattered all over the ground."

Robb said, "The Wildlings are coming to the South for the first time; for them, everything is a miracle. Why did Father send them to the Ruby Ford?"

"Because of the Vale of Arryn." Eddard held Robb's hand, "Robb, remember to listen to the advice of Ser Brynden Tully, Greatjon, Maege, and others, but you must make the decisions at critical moments. Use the giant eagles and skinchangers to conduct good reconnaissance, understand?"

After finishing his instructions to Robb, Eddard watched Robb and the Northern Army march toward The Twins.

Eddard led his team and arrived at the Ruby Ford. When the Goat Girl Gisela, Giant Eagle Princess Bessa, and Samantha saw that there were no rubies at the Ruby Ford, the three began to complain to Eddard.

Gisela, riding on a goat slightly smaller than a warhorse, said, "Father of Life, there are no rubies here at all! Why is it named Ruby Ford? Seriously, you made me happy for nothing."

Eddard smiled, "Gisela, although there are no rubies here, the value of this river mouth is far greater than rubies. You and Bessa, follow me to live in Harrenhal; that is the largest castle in Westeros."

Gisela rode on her goat, which could run on steep mountain terrain as if it were flat ground. In the Vale of Arryn, Gisela and her goats could provide great utility.

Bessa brought twenty giant eagles; now, adding Michu's two giant eagles, the total reached twenty-two.

The Eyrie is located on high mountains; under normal circumstances, land armies have no way to take the Eyrie, but the air force is different.

The only thing that could make the Kings of the Vale of House Arryn give up their crowns was the dragons of House Targaryen. Back then, Visenya rode the dragon Vhagar to the Eyrie, and the last King of the Vale, Ronnel Arryn, and his Regent Queen had no choice but to surrender.

Now Eddard has a dragon in his hands. Although the magic dragon is still in the dragonet stage, combined with the giant eagles, its lethality cannot be underestimated. Even without deploying the dragon, twenty-two giant eagles could, under normal circumstances, easily capture the Eyrie.

At the Ruby Ford, the leaders of the Mountain Clans, Shagga, Chella, and others, led more than two thousand ragged, flea-ridden Mountain Clan warriors clad in animal skins to follow Eddard across the Trident by boat, march south along the Kingsroad, and then head west for a distance to arrive at Harrenhal.

When they saw Harrenhal, which was like a mountain, the warriors of the mountain tribes were as amazed as if they had seen a dragon for the first time.

The magic dragon flew over Harrenhal. The Winter Wolves on the battlements recognized the magic dragon and cheered in unison. Some local soldiers of Harrenhal were so frightened by the magic dragon that they trembled and dodged; after all, Harrenhal had once been tragically burned by a magic dragon.

Subsequently, more than twenty giant eagles flew onto the walls of Harrenhal together, and the soldiers and residents of Harrenhal let out bursts of exclamation and cheers.

The giant Dodo looked at the castle before him, "This must be a castle built by giants."

Lady Shella Whent, looking at the giant eagles and the magic dragon flying over Harrenhal, the giants walking in the courtyard, and the ragged Mountain Clans, said excitedly, "Lord Eddard, I have lived in Harrenhal for so many years, and this is the first time my castle has been so vibrant; I feel as if I am living in songs and fairy tales."

Eddard placed his hand on Lady Shella's shoulder, "Rest assured, these are all warriors of the Winter Wolves. With giant eagles, giants, skinchangers, direwolves, and the Winter Wolves, no enemy can shake Harrenhal."

Eddard arranged the more than two thousand warriors of the Mountain Clans in the hall of the Widow's Tower.

Subsequently, Eddard had the Winter Wolves distribute armor to the Mountain Clan warriors. Many of the armors were captured last time when Eddard defeated the Westerlands army of the "Fat Pig" and the Brave Companions and Mummers at Harrenhal.

Shagga of the Stone Crows received two sharpened fine steel battle-axes and was as happy as a child. Chella of the Black Ears received a sharp sword and also a sharp dagger; she boasted that she could cut off more enemy ears on the battlefield in the future. Ulf of the Moon Brothers chose a fine flail.

Every Mountain Clan warrior received plate armor and chainmail, and they ate the bread, ale, and food sent by Eddard, all of them satisfied.

Shagga patted his chest, "From now on, we are the Winter Wolves, and we will never fear the knights of the valley again."

Seeing Eddard's magic dragon, giants, and the Northern Army, at this moment, in the eyes of the Mountain Clans, Eddard was simply an existence like a god; they became increasingly convinced that Eddard was the messenger sent by the Old Gods to save them.

Arya liked the Mountain Clans very much, and she soon became friends with Chella and Shagga. Sansa looked at these savages and felt somewhat afraid, and Catelyn also frowned. Catelyn leaned toward Eddard and whispered, "Why must you recruit these savages?"

Eddard said, "The Mountain Clans are savage, but they are simple, loyal to their oaths, and know how to repay kindness. They are very similar to the Rockborn, the Wildlings, and the Northern Mountain Clans. You have also seen how loyal the Wildlings, the Rockborn, and the Mountain Clans are to me, to Stark, and to Winterfell."

"The Mountains of the Moon are the natural barrier of the Vale, and the Mountain Clans are scattered throughout the various valleys of the Mountains of the Moon. With the support of the Mountain Clans, we can ensure that your sister Lysa makes the right choice."

That night, Eddard drifted into dreamland in his bedroom.

In his dream, the Wood Dancer and the Green Seer appeared before Eddard.

The withered old woman Wood Dancer Shiera Seastar and the withered Three-Eyed Crow, the Bloodraven Duke, sat on two Weirwood Thrones.

The Three-Eyed Crow said, "Eddard, the red woman from Asshai is going to send a shadow assassin to hunt you down; you must be careful."

Eddard frowned, "Melisandre? How am I supposed to deal with the shadow of death?"

The Wood Dancer said, "Shadows are servants of flame and light, but fortunately, the power of the Old Gods in Harrenhal is strong. The Old Gods govern the earth, rocks, forests, brooks, and rivers; sunlight is our friend. The shadow assassin will appear soon; prepare a Weirwood Dagger and bring your magic dragon and wolf."

Eddard was somewhat worried, "Can a Weirwood Dagger stab a shadow to death? The dragon and the wolf do not seem capable of dealing with a shadow either. I want to know..."

The dream vanished, and Eddard woke up drenched in sweat.

The next day, Eddard had Morna White Mask use the Weirwood Heart Tree of Harrenhal to craft him a Weirwood Dagger, and he brought both Night-Walker and the magic dragon into his bedroom.

In King's Landing, in the Throne Room, Tyrion looked at the corpse lying on the ground.

The young girl was only about thirteen years old, with long chestnut hair; her chest, eyes, and stomach had been pierced by several arrows shot from a crossbow.

Joffrey sat on the steps at the entrance to the Iron Throne, his face expressionless. On the top of his head, a layer of very short, golden stubble had already grown, but it could not hide the terrifying wound on his scalp, from which pus constantly seeped. It was a masterpiece left by Eddard's giant eagle.

Cersei stood beside Joffrey, looking somewhat irritable.

Tyrion said indignantly, "Your Grace, this is merely a servant girl. Why would you use an archer to shoot and kill a servant girl?"

Joffrey revealed an evil smile, "Can't you tell? This bitch looks so much like Sansa! I didn't like the look of her, so I shot her with a crossbow. I didn't expect her to scream, which annoyed me, so I fired a few more arrows."

Usually, Joffrey liked to use a crossbow to torture and kill little rabbits, kittens, and the like, and no one cared, but this time, it had actually resulted in a human death.

Cersei looked at the corpse with a face full of disgust.

"Carry the body away! How unlucky! Let this matter be over."

Tyrion said sternly, "Cersei, your son has taken a human life; do you really intend to just brush it off so lightly?"

Cersei looked at Joffrey with heartache, "Joffrey's scalp is injured, and it is all the fault of that damned Eddard and Sansa; otherwise, how could he have shot a servant girl with whom he had no grudge?"

Tyrion turned to The Hound; Sandor had always been Joffrey's guard.

"His Grace went mad and killed someone; what were you doing?"

The Hound said gruffly, "I went to take a shit. When I came back, the little girl was already dead, and I was powerless to stop it."

Tyrion said, "Cersei, in order to preserve His Grace's Iron Throne, I demand that His Grace no longer play with a crossbow."

Joffrey glared at Tyrion gloomily; he raised the crossbow and aimed it at Tyrion, "You actually dare to threaten the King?"

Tyrion felt terrible, but fortunately, Sandor snatched the crossbow away and dragged the cursing Joffrey away.

Tyrion complained to Cersei, "Joffrey is becoming increasingly cruel. If this continues, the Lannister family will never gain the love of the people."

Cersei gave a light snort, "Making the people fear Joffrey is not necessarily a bad thing. Now that there are so many traitors in the country, the more the subjects fear, the easier it is for them to submit."

Tyrion said, "Without the support of the people, what will you use to rule? These past few days, the prices in King's Landing have skyrocketed. That damned Eddard bought too much grain from King's Landing before. Stannis has blockaded Blackwater Bay, and Renly has blockaded the roads from the Stormlands and the Reach to King's Landing; our only grain now depends on the Crownlands."

Varys ran in.

"Your Majesty the Queen Regent, Stannis's fleet has launched a major offensive against Claw Isle. Claw Isle has completely fallen into Stannis's hands. Godry Farring and Justin Massey, who are loyal to Stannis, have led troops to capture Rook's Rest, and Lord Stauton has surrendered."

"The Onion Knight, with the fleet of the Lys pirate Salladhor Saan, has raided Duskendale. Duskendale is under attack and is estimated to be unable to hold out much longer. Tens of thousands of people are flooding into King's Landing."

Cersei said indignantly, "Stannis thinks that with his meager forces he can do whatever he wants? I will send troops north to retake the Crownlands!"

Varys revealed a fawning smile.

"Queen Regent, I am afraid you cannot do that. Even more terrifying news follows: the Beijing Donghaian Fleet has landed at Maidenpool. According to the news brought back by the little birds, the banners of the Karstark family, the Bolton family, the Manderly family, and the Hornwood family, as well as the Flint of Widow's Watch and the Locke family of Oldcastle, have all appeared in this Northern Army. Conservatively estimated, the number of troops in this army is over twenty thousand."

"Giants riding mammoths have appeared at Harrenhal, along with giant eagles—not the two from last time in King's Landing, oh! There are dozens of them. They also have magic dragons. Yes, the very magic dragon that is the reincarnation of Lady Lyanna, whom King Robert loved! It is said that the Mountain Clans have also joined Eddard's camp. The military strength at Harrenhal is unprecedentedly powerful."

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(End of chapter)