Chapter 251

The smoke and mist rose from the earth, like the vast plains of the eastern continent after rain.

The sky unusually lacked gray clouds; sunlight poured straight onto the land, melting the last trace of snow, which flowed into Hoowood's valley.

Hooves stepped comfortably on the soft yet firm soil, continually tapping, awaiting the order to charge.

She reached out to touch the warhorse's mane, soothing the steed beneath her. The warm mane swayed in the breeze, and she felt as eager as the horse itself.

They mainly consisted of cavalry, setting out at dawn and quickly forming their battle lines. Her guard cavalry regiment was stationed on the gentle mid-slope of the hills, giving her a clear view of the entire battlefield.

Her formation was simple.

Henry Not's infantry led the army, followed immediately by the forest infantry of the Morsen Forest Clan, who also served as outer archers, so any cavalry charging forward would come under their arrow fire. Huban's infantry held the right flank, behind them a light cavalry unit commanded by Sir Mason Sewin and the armored heavy cavalry led by Credo.

Mei could at any moment break away from her guard cavalry and join the heavy cavalry regiment to launch a surprise attack on her target. She placed great hopes in this heavy cavalry regiment of only a few hundred.

Lord Glover's guard cavalry regiment also occupied the hill's mid-slope, able to ride down at any moment to lead his cavalry into attack or relay orders. In short, it was an excellent command position; the troops need only turn around to see their banner.

The Stark banner beside her stirred slightly; the breeze was not strong enough to straighten it to show the direwolf's vigor, instead it looked slow and listless, like Bolton across the plains.

Hooves lightly tapped, crushing a few weathered stones, then rolled down the hill.

She turned her head and saw Lord Glover approaching from the left. Her guard cavalry spread out to either side, making room for the count.

"Your Highness, is that their strategy? After so long, they still can't even line up their troops!" He pointed at Bolton's camp ahead, "If they choose to retreat without fighting today, we can lure a cavalry unit to strike their empty rear camp, try to burn their stables and supplies, and give them a lesson."

Mei nodded slowly, but it wasn't quite agreement.

If the enemy avoids battle, they will naturally adopt a more flexible approach, using harassment and other means to cut off the connection between Hoowood Castle and Bolton's outer positions, trapping their main force in Hoowood Valley so that later they can gradually whittle down the external army through continual small skirmishes.

This was the strategy agreed upon beforehand.

This is Bolton's problem: when they are compressed into Hoowood Valley and cannot advance further, they can only stand on the defensive, while Hoowood City cannot accommodate that many soldiers. Given their troop numbers, they also lack the strength to seize key terrain to form a pincer and encirclement.

If part of them holds the city while the rest retreats toward the Dreadfort, it would actually be easier for Mei to pursue them, making the situation potentially more dangerous for Bolton.

In short, choosing a pitched battle, while not the optimal strategic option, is certainly not the worst either.

Bolton had long ago set up anti-cavalry obstacles and trenches before their camp, with pikemen formed in formation, ready to defend against a sudden assault; it did not look like they were avoiding battle, so all she could do now was wait patiently.

The only problem is that the enemy appears to be merely stalling, continually draining our soldiers' energy and stamina while we wait. But if Bolton thinks that, they are gravely mistaken; we have already prepared countermeasures for any dishonorable tactics they might employ.

"Aside from these underhanded tricks, what else can he do?" She felt her patience was still good, not so easily provoked by a minor issue.

"The Lord of White Harbour just sent word that the weapons, food, furs, and ships you had ordered and purchased in Braavos have been seized there. If it weren't for a few clever captains who had the sailors jump overboard, then sneak back up the dock disguised as oil merchants from Ibben, we would likely still be in the dark. The sailors who escaped boarded a ship from the Three Sisters Islands under cover of night, bringing us the news. I suspect this is also one of Bolton's 'tricks'!"

"Bolton has influence over Braavos? I don't believe it!"

"What could be the reason? Surely not?" His face suddenly changed, "Could it be about your sister Arya?"

"No!" If anything happened to Arya again, she swore she would reduce all of Braavos to ruins, "It must be because of the Iron Throne."

"What does that have to do with the Iron Throne? The kingslayer?"

"If Jaime Lannister promises to repay the Iron Throne's debts or reaches a new loan agreement, what do you think the Iron Bank would do?"

"They would recall the loans." The count dismissed it lightly.

"The Iron Bank should withdraw its support for Iron Throne traitors and rebel forces." Not necessarily; it depends on the kingslayer's methods. Would the Dragon Queen across the sea good-naturedly accept Robert King's bad debt? "If the Iron Throne collapses, their loans would also go sour—would the Iron Bank accept a loss of several million gold dragons? After years of accumulation, how many gold dragons could the Braavos Seal‑keepers even have?"

"One million gold dragons! Actually that much?"

"Good count, you misheard—it's not one million, but several million."

The count stared at her blankly.

"Ah, my lord count, you don't understand." Mei watched the slow movements of Bolton's army ahead and casually chatted with the count, "My father's previous letter said the Iron Throne's external debt amounts to as much as six million gold dragons!"

"Hey! Lord Eddard might explode with anger."

"Isn't that right? He hopes Lady Catherine will help him sell the gifts I gave him in White Harbour, using the proceeds to offset part of it."

"King Robert really is a bastard."

"Really?" She suddenly laughed, drawing the attention of the nearby guards, "You may say that, my lord, but I cannot."

"The Queen of Love and Beauty, that wasn't his conferral either." The count understood her meaning but did not elaborate.

"Of those six million gold dragons in debt, at least three million are owed to the Lannister family, and the debt to the Iron Bank reaches as high as one million seven hundred thousand gold dragons, plus large sums owed to the Tyrell and Hightower houses. After learning of this account, my father nearly flew into a rage and wanted to return to the North." She laughed helplessly.

"If you really did return, that would be great! Why bother with all that southern rubbish?" The count began cursing, "Tywin Lannister has got his son‑in‑law King Robert's lifeline in his grip—no wonder he always wants to concede to the Lannisters at crucial moments! Damn, three million gold dragons! Does the entire North put together even have three million gold dragons?"

They used to, but certainly not anymore.

"Yes!" If only he could return, she sighed, "After these years of war, if the Iron Throne's external debt weren't eight million gold dragons, even Queen Regent Cersei would be considered a wise ruler."

"What a wise ruler—there's no woman stupider than her!"

"Queen Regent Cersei has defaulted on her debt to the Iron Bank, leaving the bank no choice but to turn to me, to Stannis, and perhaps even to rebel cultists… Now, if the kingslayer can persuade the Iron Bank, they will naturally withdraw support for the rebel forces." The only problem is Daenerys, "On the contrary, we also have to worry that the Iron Throne cannot suppress the rebellion, which would affect their ability to recover the loans—Jaime Lannister surely wouldn't be foolish enough to repay all the debts at once—they would most likely have to increase their support instead."

"So the Braavosi seized our ships?"

"Perhaps." "I owe them nothing; their daring to move our ships is them breaking the rules first!"

New and old grudges surged in her heart, giving her an unexpected excitement she had not felt even on the battlefield.

"Damn, now I see!" The count swung his nearby sword, then after a moment continued, "The kingslayer must clean up the mess Cersei left behind and drain Casterly Rock dry! A warrior's son is worth a gold dragon, damn it!"

"Their stronghold sits on a gold mountain; no matter how much you squeeze, you can't drain it dry. On the other hand, Queen Regent Cersei's penny‑pinching is hard to fathom… Anyway, now with Tyrell and Lannister backing, even a huge mess can be cleaned up—it's just a matter of time—we'll see if the Dragon Queen and Aegon VI, who makes all lords bow, will let him tidy up the chaos smoothly. In short, the two houses together could wage another fiery war against the Targaryens."

"Heh, what about us?"

"Us? First we must win this battle before us; only the victor gets a chance to face the Dragon Queen."