Chapter 142

At the narrow point between the mountain range and Long Lake, a fort had been erected, above which Bolton's flag flew high. Though it was dark, Mei could still see the Flayed Men's flag above it.

Has the plan been leaked? It wouldn't be possible to build a camp in just a few days. Or perhaps the so-called brilliant scheme had already been thought of by the Streamflow Region's Laisiweir?

Mei led the cavalry to stop at a place several dozen li before the fort, letting the soldiers rest but not allowing them to light fires.

The temperature by the lake was slightly higher than in the forest, but not much better; on the snow‑whitened mountains to the east, cold winds blew in gusts, making the dismounted soldiers jump up and down, huddled together.

Mei couldn't worry about them; she still needed to examine this newly built tower‑city in detail.

That night, her target might not be the next city, but the one after that.

She sighed and went forward.

The fort's construction was extremely simple; in fact, it merely used huge stones to build the outer wall, taking advantage of the terrain to save at least a third of its length.

The fort had two watchtowers, one open and one hidden.

The open one was a wooden tower built on the outer wall, with a cage of ravens hung beside it; the guards could open the cage at any time to release the ravens and warn Longstream City. The hidden one was perfectly concealed in the mountains, with a north‑facing opening that allowed observers to watch for people coming from the north.

The cave extended deep into the mountain, enough to station dozens of guards.

At that moment, no one was stationed at the hidden watch post, and the three soldiers inside the cave were all snoring loudly.

Sitting on the cold rocks at midnight, blowing with the lake's icy wind, no one could endure it.

Mei found it amusing.

She wasn't laughing at the garrisoned soldiers; she was laughing at Count Laisiweir.

Since he had already defected to Bolton and planted Bolton's flag atop the fort, it would have been better to advance farther north, giving himself ample room for operations while being able to threaten Stark directly from the southwest at any time. But Count Rodrik Laisiweir chose to build walls here instead of marching forward, merely revealing his passive, defensive mindset toward the war.

In the history Mei knew, such people had always been the losers of war.

Mei chuckled as she hurried back. The only thing that could affect her plan was the ravens, but in her presence they could only bow and scrape.

When the cavalry reached the fort, the gate had already been blown open by Mei alone.

At that moment, the cavalry lit torches and passed one by one through the fort's gate, while the three guards on the wooden tower stared at the sight as if seeing a ghost, holding bows but finding no arrows, silently watching the cavalry enter the fort.

They might have thought it was the Laisiweir counts' cavalry returning from the Streamflow Region, but the banner held high by their leader—a direwolf flag—clearly told them the fort had been lost without their noticing.

"What are you doing standing there like an idiot?" Kongqi Kongdun shouted at the sentry, then rode into the camp, yelling, "Hurry up and call those in the cave out together."

After the cavalry entered the fort, they quickly dismounted and seized all key points, and blocked the exit of the guards in the cave.

Mei lit torches in the fort's courtyard and arranged for someone to wake the guards still asleep.

A dozen or so people, half‑dressed and bleary‑eyed, entered the hall, some even without taking their weapons.

Mei stood in the middle of the courtyard, facing the newcomers.

Several had the Laisiweir horse‑head sewn onto their clothes, while others bore unfamiliar insignia, mostly the badges of minor families loyal to Laisiweir.

"Who's in charge here?" Mei asked.

Seeing the firelight, the soldiers in full armor and the guards stared in astonishment at the woman speaking.

"Who the hell… who are you?" the lead soldier asked.

"Your Highness, should I cut out his tongue?" Bolong said, hand on his dagger, grinning wickedly.

Kongqi Kongdun snorted at Bolong, showing his displeasure at a Southerner speaking up first.

"So you know, I am Mei Stark. So, are you in charge here?" Mei also glanced disapprovingly at Bolong, saying, "These are all northerners; I'm willing to give them more chances."

"Oh, gods above! How did you end up here?"

"Because I wanted to come here. If you don't answer my question, I'll strip you naked and throw you into the lake."

He reached for the sword at his side, and Mei's cavalry beside her also drew their swords.

"I advise you not to." Mei rested her hand on the sword hilt, with no intention to kill.

"Aide Laisiweir." He unsheathed his sword and threw it before Mei.

"Leysw? Surely not the son of Count Rodrik?" Kongqi Kongdun asked loudly.

"Hmph! Do you think the Earl's son would be assigned to such a godforsaken place?" Ai De Lai Si Wei Er answered angrily, "All day looking at the lake, guarding a deserted road?"

"It's really funny, seeing this scene, don't you think the Earl himself should be here?" Luo Fo Ge Luo Fo said with a laugh, "No matter whether you think this place is good or bad, future historians will consider it extremely significant—how could it be a godforsaken place? You were entrusted with an important mission by the Earl, yet you were captured in your sleep—truly embarrassing!"

Ai De Lai Si Wei Er's face turned red, not knowing whether it was from the cold or from shame.

"What is your relationship with Earl Luo De Li Ke?" Mei Yi Ke said, not caring about his current mood.

The losers of the war have no right to feel ashamed.

"I am the nephew of Sir Luo De Li Ke."

"Is your father his own brother?"

"My father and he share the same grandfather."

"The relation is distant enough—it looks like Chang Xi City will never be yours. Are you a knight?"

"No."

"Good. I have a choice for you; you need to answer quickly, because I'm in a hurry: will you choose to be a humiliating prisoner and watch your family slowly fade away, becoming an ordinary person, or will you choose to be the lord of Chang Xi City? You lost this fort, putting Chang Xi City in danger—no matter who you are, in Earl Luo De Li Ke's eyes you have no hope. Oh, let me say first: I intend to assign the position of Earl of Xiliudi to my subordinates; being able to leave you a castle is already generous, and that's only because of Lai Si Wei Er's many years of loyalty to Shi Ta Ke. If you refuse, then once I take Chang Xi City this morning, Lai Si Wei Er will be permanently struck from the records of the North."

"What do you want to do?" he exclaimed in surprise.

"You haven't already guessed it? I intend to take Chang Xi City just as I took this fort." Mei Yi walked toward him, "Answer my question quickly."

"Gods, you must be crazy. Chang Xi City has at least four hundred soldiers stationed inside, and outside there are at least two thousand newly conscripted soldiers, a thousand of whom are cavalry."

"Look, this person is still useful—this is important intel." Mei Yi said to those around him, "There are only four hundred soldiers inside the city."

The soldiers burst out laughing.

"If you intend to assault the city with just these few people, I'd rather choose to be a prisoner."

"We've been delayed quite a bit on this journey; judging by the current situation, we might not reach Chang Xi City before dawn. Well, I've never taken this route before, so it's hard to be certain. But with you, it's different—they'll open the city gate for you, right?"

"I don't know."

"Not knowing isn't a good answer."

"Maybe it could work."

Can I take this statement as loyalty?

Aide Laisiweier let out a heavy sigh and knelt on one knee.

I choose to pledge my loyalty to you. Leisiweier ought to have been loyal to the Starks; they are too foolish.

The soldiers behind him also knelt down one after another.

Very well. Are all seventeen guards your men?

Of course.

If it were me, I would hang one of them. But that's up to you to decide. Meiyi curled her lips, disregarding the task, what does snoring loudly asleep in the cave count as? "You have fifteen minutes to prepare your gear, but it's best to hand over your swords and daggers; I still don't trust you all, of course, Lord Aide, you're different." Meiyi bent down, picked up the sword he threw on the ground, and handed it to him, "You share my father's name; you can treat this as a courtesy."

He silently took the sword, his face still red.

Count Luodelike will surely rebuke you when he sees you, but I guarantee it won't last long; if his sons speak rudely, I'll also help you behead them. Their failure is not because of you, but because they were in the wrong position. Your predecessors should thank you for tonight's choice, after all you have preserved the Leisiweier bloodline for them.

You want to...

Rebellion is a grave crime, and I also don't intend to leave that Bolton hidden danger. Duke Taiwen will sing the Castamere rain in the Western Border, and I can also sing the winter of the stream lands in the North.

Meiyi led the cavalry out of the courtyard; the soldiers piled the kitchen firewood in the hall and at the fort gate, then raised torches and lit them.

The warhorses neighed, and they continued south along Long Lake amidst the blaze's firelight.

The cavalry voluntarily surrounded a dozen or so people in the middle of the troop, and Luofu caught up to Meiyi from behind.

"Are the banners all ready?" Meiyi saw him and, riding on her horse, asked loudly.

"Of course, including the Boltons, Leisiweier, the Moss, and the Welles families." He finished answering and immediately asked, "Your Highness, what if Aide Leisiweier changes his mind at the last moment down there? What if Leisiweier sees through the plot?"

Because of this ruined fort, it's impossible to reach Long Stream City before dawn, nor can we launch a surprise attack; hiding in this fort for a day is even more dangerous. Meiyi turned her head to Luofu and said, "We're changing the plan."

"Feign opening the gate?"

"Of course not." The Leisiweier count isn't stupid either.

"Then why did you speak to Aide Leisiweier like that?"

"Just a test."

"Any results?"

"He really feels ashamed." Meiyi spurred her horse faster, "This shows he is genuinely willing to surrender, but that makes it easy to give himself away before the wall; such a fellow can't be a mime artist."

"Then what's your plan?"

"I don't know."

"Your Highness, are you joking?"

"We will first observe the garrison outside the city. If the opportunity is suitable, we will assault the external garrison, create chaos, and see if we can find an opportunity." If the fort's sentries dare to sleep, she doesn't believe the soldiers below Long Stream City will properly set up camp and obstacles. "If the opportunity is not suitable," Meiyi said to Luofu, "then we will bring Aide Leisiweier back to Winter-facing City."