Chapter 140

Your Highness, as long as Lady Dustin loses power in the Barrowlands, given the current situation there, it will naturally split; actually, there's no need to let the three potential heirs come to the fore. Moreover, the more complex the plan demanded, the easier it is to go awry in execution.

Monk, I understand this. The North is about to face a great war; from the current situation, if the Barrowlands erupts in internal strife, it would be good for us, but if we can actually crush House Ryswell in one blow and cause Lady Dustin to lose power in the Barrowlands, then we can expect more." Mey turned to the Monk, "For example, let them bring nearly ten thousand soldiers intact to join the Stark.

But, if Lady Dustin's influence is eliminated, even without the three heirs, this outcome might still be expected; the Barrowlands, aside from a few minor vassal families, would likely lean toward Stark rather than Bolton.

I understand, but last night you already heard the soldiers acclaiming me as 'Queen of the North'." Mey looked toward the nearer White Harbor cavalry.

Your Highness, what impact does this have on our decision?" the Monk asked.

Since I might be the Queen of the North, sometimes I should consider things from the North's perspective. Our original plan was to let the three heirs fight—given the current situation, that would certainly benefit us—but the losses from internal strife in the Barrowlands are also losses for the North; if there is a better strategy, I do not want them to descend into chaos and slaughter.

Your Highness, I don't quite understand.

'Three' is a stable number; even if one of these heirs is dissatisfied with my appointment, the likelihood of them rashly provoking the other two is relatively low, meaning the chance of civil war breaking out in the Barrowlands is relatively low.

The 'Queen of the North' also bears responsibility toward the Barrowlands!

Your Highness, I understand. This is why you hope the three heirs can best reach their destinations simultaneously." Monk Chai'er sighed, "We can certainly give it our all, but we might only reap three-tenths at best; you should be prepared for that.

Reaping a negative ten would not surprise her either.

Who knows? Without Bolton's involvement, this matter is already this complicated; if he keeps randomly placing pieces on the board, who knows how this game will turn out. We haven't even considered the idea of leaving castellans in the three castles." Regardless, the Barrowlands being divided into three has already become settled policy, which benefits the Stark family's future rule in the North.

After saying that, Mey descended from the city tower and went outside to meet the Mandelers' cavalry.

The leaders were Sir Marlon Mandel and Sir Corbett Mandel, both of whom she had rescued from captivity in the south. Count Wyman sent them to lead the cavalry detachment to assist her, a gesture of great significance.

Most of the White Harbor cavalry set up camp in the hills beside the market to avoid winter, while a few officers entered the city together with the two knights.

Mey did not exchange pleasantries with them; on their way into the city she already explained the plan to them.

Your Highness, is this plan too risky?" Sir Marlon asked as soon as he sat down in the hall.

We are past the point of needing to ask such questions." Mey said to Sir Marlon, "I need a hundred White Harbor cavalry to follow Sir Rodrik north to garrison the Wall; you should have the roster ready by tonight. The rest, once the roads freeze hard, will set out for the Border Forest Town, then proceed toward Longcreek Lake to cut off the reinforcements' route to Goldenhorse Settlement, and then sweep away any other external reinforcements.

Your Highness, so urgent?

If you hadn't arrived late, perhaps I would already be standing on the walls of Longcreek Town.

Your Highness, are you confident you can take Longcreek Town with just two hundred men?

If I fail to take it, your cavalry can escort us to retreat to the Border Forest Town. However, if we succeed, your cavalry will be even more useful, for we can ambush the Barrowlands' reinforcements on their necessary route. This is the key to decisively defeating the southern rebels in one stroke.

Sir Marlon gazed seriously at Mey, convinced she was not joking.

Your Highness, we have only seven hundred cavalry altogether, which is already barely enough; if we divert a hundred to the Wall, we'll have even fewer...

I can calculate that it will be fewer. But six hundred cavalry will suffice." Mey cut him off.

If Longcreek Town falls, the soldiers elsewhere in the Lake District will certainly return to reinforce; I know the Lake District has already issued a levy, and they can quickly muster a large army to encircle us." He continued to express his worry.

Encirclement? I am the North's Warden, their liege lord, not a wildling beyond the Wall. When I crush the traitors, they are more likely to lay down their arms than to storm a castle." Except for Lady Dustin of the Barrowlands." Make ready quickly, Sir Marlon; if this battle succeeds, your name will be permanently recorded in history, and such opportunities are few.

Sir Marlon was somewhat undecided.

Could it be that imprisonment in the south has weakened your courage?

Konqi Kondton stood up to question. He and his dozen or so followers will act together with Mey tonight, already prepared.

Of course not." He jumped to his feet, "Six hundred cavalry deep in enemy territory is far too few; Your Highness, your safety directly affects the North's security. I really don't understand why you would still divert a hundred cavalry northward.

Guarding the Wall is the duty of the northern houses. As the North's Warden, I cannot turn a blind eye when the Wall faces danger, nor can I simply hide behind the mountain clans and accept their protection.

Mey looked at Sir Marlon and Sir Corbett's worried expressions and laughed.

Any war carries risk; defeat brings great loss, but victory yields great reward. I know Count Wyman hasn't prepared you castles and lands in White Harbor, so wouldn't you like to try your luck in the Lake District?" Mey stood up, "That place is perfect for horse racing. Know that I have never lost, and following me gives you a decent chance of winning.

The two exchanged a glance, then rose from their seats.

Your Highness, as you wish.

Please rise." Mey nodded. Using castles as bait is invariably advantageous.

Your Highness, military affairs are urgent; we'll now leave the city to make further arrangements." Sir Marlon rose, and after speaking he was about to take his leave.

Sir, please wait a moment," said Sir Mason Sewin, then looking at Mey, "Your Highness, I was about to report to you. At noon, we received a tip from a meritorious knight, and we seized several thieves at the Frostfaire market; I think we can hand them over to the White Harbor cavalry to be sent to the Wall.

Thieves, how do they steal?" The cavalry that had followed her south, having just gained gold and silver, said, "If it were that easy to be robbed or swindled, that would be too regrettable and too disheartening.

One group is a gang of about a dozen; they set up a gambling ring at the Frostfaire market, specifically to gamble with the cavalry and cheat in the games, causing many cavalrymen to lose not only their spoils but also their horses and armor. Others, envious of the cavalry's wealth, stole their gold—there's nothing more to say about that.

There's actually a gang?

Yes, Your Highness. In the gang, some loiter at the Frostfaire market to drum up customers for the gambling ring, some stir the emotions of the cavalrymen gambling there, some handle the cheating, and some act as enforcers.

Mey was speechless. Indeed, a criminal gang had already formed.

How do they split the take?" Cutting them all down would probably be inappropriate.

Evenly split.

That's fair, then—no need to distinguish principal from accessory, it saves trouble. 'Confiscate the money they earned, and return one-quarter of what the cavalry lost to the original owners; weapons and horses… well, that's already an established rule, right?'

Returning the losers' stakes is meant to encourage losing gamblers to report the gambling.

Of course, Your Highness. How should we deal with them? The Wall is currently short-handed; my suggestion is to dress them in black.

And what about the thieves?

Nothing in particular; they come in all varieties.

Mey dislikes handling petition drives, and her attitude toward judicial rulings is similar, but she can absolutely not relinquish her judicial authority.

The White Harbor cavalry have other things to do; they have no time to escort prisoners, and besides they need to catch up with Sir Rodrik's detachment. I have decided: the fraud gang will all be hanged; the thieves will be exiled to the mines to dig ore, with a sentence of one winter.

Sir Marlon and Sir Corbett bowed upon hearing this and then departed.

Your Highness, will you personally carry out their execution?" Sir Mason Sewin looked at Mey inquiring, as if this were his real question.

Mey knew Edd's 'rule'—that the one who sentences a person to death must carry it out herself. But she had never seen Lord Edd execute a criminal.

No, time is too tight." She hesitated slightly, then made up her mind.

As she was about to leave the hall, she felt uneasy again, so she stopped and turned back. Sir Mason Sewin thought she had changed her mind.

Now bring them to the square of the Frostfaire market; I will personally behead them.

Sir Mason Sewin stared at Mey in shock.

You personally behead them, for each one of them?

Yes. They had no chance to die in the bitter cold, but they can die in the heat of passion.

Lord Eddard would tell her that if she didn't dare look the condemned in the eyes, perhaps they didn't deserve to die. But she only felt that if she personally carried out the execution, at least she could convey to everyone her steadfast stance with the cavalry.

When the dim moonlight faintly shone through the layers of gray clouds, Mei Yi led two hundred warriors on horseback silently out of Hunter's Gate, passing by the corpses of fraudsters.

The smell of blood mixed with the freezing air made her instantly feel as if she were already on the battlefield.

The true battlefield was two hundred li away; she had to lead her small unit through forest trails and rocky hills, reaching the outskirts of Long Stream City before dawn.

The muddy road of daytime had now frozen hard, which was better for horse hooves, but their vision and route faced severe challenges, making swift travel impossible.

Mei Yi could use the night hawk to see the forest, route, and direction clearly in the dim moonlight, but it could not constantly guide her and the unit on specific paths. Mei Yi could not compare the hawk's wide view with the tens of meters of scenery and landmarks before her, so she could only slow down while maintaining a general direction.

Safe but time‑wasting.

She also needed to rely on the fluffy dog.

After leaving Winterfell, the fluffy dog made its first sound, letting out a mournful howl at the dim moon that made several hundred war horses neigh incessantly. Fortunately, after just a few calls it fell silent, lowering its guard.

Its whole body was black, perfectly blending into the darkness. But Mei Yi could sense its position and adjust the unit's direction at any time.

In the northern winter night, the air was freezing; just breathing made the tip of her nose sting. She chose to use her own bodily sensations to gauge the hardship faced by the warriors in her unit.

Hooves struck the frozen ground, emitting a solid, cold sound.

"Your Highness, would you like to put on a scarf?" George Kaiso rode his horse, walking to her right.

"When have you ever seen me afraid of the cold?" Mei Yi retorted.

A simple grey hunting outfit plus a red fox‑fur cape. If others want to call her the Blood Wolf Woman, let them.

"Hey, George, can you give me your scarf?" Soldier Bolong, who had somehow slipped past most of the cavalry from behind the unit, stepped forward, his voice trembling: "Your northern nights really freeze the heart. I remember the day my good friend took a sword to the heart—I felt exactly that."

"This wasn't prepared for you."

"But your knight lord doesn't need it! How about this: if you give it to me, I can teach you anti‑enemy techniques when I have time—I guarantee you won't learn anything like that from Sir Rodrik or Instructor Hu Ban."

George ignored him.

"This is my secret from traveling the world—I've never taught anyone before." He sniffled, his voice breaking: "I dare say, if I teach you, you'll soon become the finest swordsman in Winterfell."

"A swordsman? You're just a mercenary, what…" Kongqi Kongdun spoke from behind him.

"Whoo…" wolf howls rose and fell from within the forest.

Mei Yi felt her hands and feet go cold, her face stiffen, and even breathing became difficult in the freezing air; she knew the warriors behind her felt the same, so she took a deep breath to dispel the chill.

"Rest here, and set out again at dawn."