Chapter 207

"Your Highness, what should we do with these prisoners?" Ser Luo Fu inquired.

"Release the soldiers, behead all the knights and officers! No one will pay for them, Your Highness doesn't need money either!" Kong Qi Kong Dun mounted his warhorse, covering his wounded arm, saying, "Taking them back to Winterfell will only waste food; this winter looks long!"

Mei Yi watched the Flint soldiers draw nearer, feeling both fortunate and regretful. Her fortune lay in having just broken through the infantry formation; her regret lay in having to retreat under the Flint blades.

"Inspect the arms and the wounded, then leave." As for the prisoners, Mei Yi also hesitated; if she simply released them, what would be the point of having broken the infantry formation? If she slaughtered the prisoners—these were all northerners—the repercussions would be truly bad.

"Your Highness?" Ser Luo Fu urged.

"Question the prisoners: if they are willing to serve the Starks, they may share our warhorses and then return together to Winterfell; if they refuse, cut off the left little finger… the first two joints." As the price of rebellion.

"Yes, Your Highness!" Ser Luo Fu drew his dagger, strode forward, and gestured to the surrounding soldiers.

"Your Highness, what should we do with these officers and knights?" Ser Cui Bei Ke pressed.

He was responsible for guarding these important prisoners.

Mei Yi did not answer, she sheathed her Passion, and walked toward the three captives.

"Edric Flint, you have heard the recent order." Mei Yi placed her hand on her sword, "The various Flint families are spread throughout the North; that is the result of the Flint people's strength, bravery, loyalty, and wisdom..."

"I refuse." He spat, "I will never submit to a bastard, nor will I ever kneel to a woman, and certainly will not kiss a witch's foot!"

"Lady Dustin is a woman."

"I have not knelt to her; I pledge allegiance to Viscount Flint."

"I have already promised Ser Luo Fu Gefuo the western lands; after the war he will become the founder of a new earldom. You may choose to pledge loyalty to him, I don't mind." Mei Yi is indeed a woman, and indeed a bastard.

"Ha ha," he sneered, "Damn it, bastard, put away your petty cleverness; I am a child of the old gods, I have sworn oaths to the heart tree, I will never betray my liege!"

His tone was resolute, his voice loud, many heard him; Mei Yi felt she was merely talking nonsense to him, not only having no effect, but actually producing the opposite result.

"This is admirable; I believe the old gods will see your steadfastness." Mei Yi drew Passion, its blade still bearing congealed bloodstains, "By my name as Mei Yi, protector of the North and of House Stark of Winterfell," and also as a woman and a witch-bastard, "I sentence you to death."

Mei Yi watched his face change dramatically, then become unusually furious, as if she had betrayed him.

"Last words?"

Mei Yi felt sorrowful; perhaps if she had not first asked this prisoner, the outcome might have been different.

After stating her decision, she felt pressure; she had to crudely think that whether they lived or died made little difference to her. However, the fact was not so—if these officers could defect to her, it would mean more information from the Barren Tombs, greatly improving the quality of the Barren Tombs' "intelligence," and at the same time, diverse viewpoints from multiple angles would benefit her in receiving opinions and ideas from all regions.

"Fuck you!"

On Edric Flint, she had failed, showing she was sufficiently careless: she had not considered how different questioning sequences might produce different effects, nor had she grasped the differing personalities of several important captives, nor had she considered possible consequences that might arise during interrogation… Edric Flint's such a defiant response would obviously put pressure on Fu Luo Er and Ai Li Ang Pu Lei De to surrender; she had no choice but to adopt threatening methods to "rescue" the remaining two.

If Luo Fuer indeed is as Ser Luo Fu said, his position wavering, she should have made Brandon Luo Fuer the first in order to question.

"May the old gods bear witness to your loyalty, and may you return to their embrace!" Mei Yi murmured in a voice only he could hear; after finishing, without hesitation she raised Passion to his neck, cutting through both sword and leather armor, his head fell, blood spattering like rain, dyeing the wasteland red.

"Brandon Luo Fuer," she glanced back at the Flint army, "What is your answer? I'm in a hurry."

"Bolton is a scoundrel; I can submit to you or pledge loyalty, but you must promise me not to lose to him."

"Are you afraid of him?" Mei Yi sneered, then quickly replied, "I have never lost; you need not worry about such a matter."

She did not know whether Luo Fuer's answer was his own opinion or whether the killing had served as intimidation.

She looked toward the still-silent Erion Prade and questioned him silently.

"I have never been defeated by a woman!" his beard filthy, "With someone like you, the Starks will most likely survive this winter; I am willing to assist you, or submit to you, damn it, however you say, but you must promise me not to send me to the Barren Tombs battlefield, and certainly not to the Warrior's Garrison!"

"The fighting at the Barren Tombs may already be over…… that doesn't matter, I can agree to you." Mei Yi signaled those nearby to untie him, then quickly questioned the other officers and knights in turn; aside from Edric Flint's adopted son who firmly refused, the rest reluctantly agreed.

She had to listen to the adopted son's anguished cries of pain.

As the Flint army marched toward this battlefield, her cavalry had already been assembled and mounted.

Just as she was preparing to leave, three horsemen rode out from the Flint army, holding a negotiation flag and approaching slowly. Mei Yi signaled Ser Luo Fu to guard the flank, then led out three youths to await.

"Ser Mei Yi," the lead horseman said, "the Earl sends his regards to you."

"He ought to come in person to show his sincerity."

"Hehe, Ser, you're joking; the Earl became seasick in Heatwave Bay, his condition truly pitiful, which is why he sent me." Compared to an ordinary appearance, the person before us can only be considered barely adequate.

"What does he have to say?"

"Carlyle Bay was initially attacked by the ironborn; there was indeed a reason—this group of ironborn flew the Icefield Wolf banner on their fleet, leading us to believe Theon Greyjoy had secured aid from King Balon… when we realized the ironborn's intent, the warning came too late."

"So the Flints have lost 'vigilance'? A Flint without vigilance is no Flint!"

"Truly, the ironborn are too cunning; no one would have thought they could cross Saltstrand via this method."

Mei Yi snorted coldly.

"Why is Jones Flint telling me all this? Has he come today to apologize to the Starks? If so, I can wait for him in Winterfell, hoping that upon arrival his seasickness will improve, for the wind over land is cold."

"Yes, Ser. The Earl has another message for me to deliver; I believe this is what you wish to hear."

"Out with it—I'm in a hurry!"

"The Earl hopes you will renounce the inheritance rights of the three heirs," he lifted his chin and gazed at Mei Yi, smiling, "As long as you do so, he is willing to recognize Winterfell's lordship over the laws east of Wolfswood and north of Wolfsford..."

"Does this range not require his acknowledgment? Or do you think I care about his approval?" Mei Yi already understood his meaning, "Tell Jones Flint that what he can gain depends entirely on his own ability."

"Ser, Your Highness!" he began shouting, "As long as you agree, the Earl is still willing to support you against……"

Mei Yi turned her horse's head, swiftly rode away, letting his words freeze in the wind.