The next morning, Catelyn Stark and Robb said their goodbyes at Kalin Bay, the mother and son, who had only met for one night, were about to face separation.
Before parting, Catelyn looked at her son, her heart filled with pride: "I never thought you would propose a marriage alliance. A young boy might be able to wield a sword, but only a true adult lord understands the meaning of a political marriage and accepts it calmly."
Robb smiled and said, "I heard that Little Rose of the Tyrell is exceptionally beautiful, so I won't be at a disadvantage."
Catelyn was still a little worried: "Lord Frey at the Twin Rivers is not an easy character to deal with. I'm worried he might not let you cross the river."
"It's alright, I'll handle this."
Seeing Robb's confident expression, Catelyn said no more, turned onto her horse, and left Kalin Bay with a few guard knights.
Robb was worried about his mother's safety, so he had two children from the Manderly Family escort her, as there were bandits and robbers everywhere outside, and necessary security measures had to be taken.
Robb looked back at Kalin Bay, where all the lords, big and small, were already ready to cross The Neck and seek out Tywin's army for a decisive battle.
Robb looked at an older knight and politely said, "Blackfish, you are most familiar with the situation in the Riverlands. Please take more care of the road ahead."
Blackfish, whose real name was Brynden Tully, was the brother of the current Lord of the Riverlands. Because he did not want to accept the marriage arranged for him by his brother, he broke away from the Tully Family and had his own Blackfish banner, which is why Robb called him Blackfish.
He had originally followed Lysa to serve in the Eyrie, but upon hearing of the tragic war in the Riverlands, he resolutely followed his niece Catelyn to the battlefield.
So, it could not be said that the Eyrie did not participate in the war at all; at least one knight came.
In terms of seniority, Blackfish was Robb's great-uncle, but on the battlefield, Robb was the commander-in-chief, so even though Robb showed rare politeness, that was all it was.
Although Blackfish was older, his eyes still revealed vitality: "Leave it to me."
Leaving a thousand archers to garrison Kalin Bay, Robb's army marched south along the King's Road. When passing through The Neck, the Lord of The Neck sent scouts to help guide Robb's army, and the journey was safe and sound.
Crossing The Neck, they entered the Riverlands. Blackfish carefully selected one hundred men and one hundred good horses to scout for information in the dangerous Riverlands.
This great-uncle's ability was outstanding, and new information was transmitted every day. Although most of it was not good news, it was much better than being completely in the dark.
But when Blackfish placed the latest battle report on the lords' table, everyone fell silent.
"Kingslayer Jaime led his troops to besiege Riverrun. Edmure Tully, with his remaining defeated soldiers, fought a desperate battle with Jaime outside Riverrun. As a result, he and a group of knights were captured alive by Jaime.
Count Blackwood, who fortunately escaped, is holding Riverrun with the remaining forces."
Although Blackfish reported the battle situation expressionlessly, his heart was already extremely anxious: that was his own nephew!
"After Ser Edmure was defeated, most of the lords of the Riverlands scattered like birds and beasts, fleeing back to their respective castles. As a result, they were defeated one by one by the army led by Lord Tywin. Harrenhal was surrendered, and Raventree Hall, lacking the presence of Count Blackwood, immediately fell."
"The lords under Lord Tywin's command are wantonly burning, killing, and plundering in the Riverlands. Several territories have already been burned to scorched earth."
"In the Riverlands, besides Riverrun and Lord Frey's Twin Rivers, only the Melister Family still holds Seaguard, but they don't have many people and can hardly play any role."
Greatjon's beard almost flew up in anger when he heard these battle reports: "They were defeated by the Lannister so quickly! Tens of thousands of people! Even killing tens of thousands of pigs wouldn't be this fast!"
Roose Bolton, as always, keenly observed the situation: "On this battlefield in the Riverlands, the Lannister has already won. If we don't attack immediately, the Riverlands will be completely lost within ten days."
Rickard Karstark roared loudly: "Fight! Let's fight them immediately! Otherwise, these guys will think we're useless!"
Robb glanced at the performance of the great nobles he relied on and secretly sighed that although Greatjon and Rickard Karstark were brave, when it came to stability, it had to be the cunning Roose Bolton.
No wonder he was able to eliminate the Stark Family and become the new Warden of the North in the original timeline.
Having made up his mind, Robb began his tactical arrangements: "Blackfish, pay attention to the ravens in the sky. If any raven that is not ours dares to fly, shoot it down. I don't want our every move in the Riverlands to be under the enemy's surveillance."
Blackfish respectfully said, "I have already arranged it. If you wish, I can make you a hat from the feathers of the shot down ravens right now."
Robb was very satisfied with Blackfish's performance: "See, this is called professionalism."
Roose Bolton also glanced at Blackfish. Although he had long heard that this knight's ability far surpassed his nephew Ser Edmure, it now seemed that this knight's ability was even better than rumored.
"You all know the current situation. The Green Fork River flows from north to south, dividing our battlefield into two parts: Riverrun to the west and the King's Road to the east. I told you before that I would concentrate the main army on the east side to fight a decisive battle with Lord Tywin's army."
The lords of the North all thought Robb had changed his mind, but what Robb said next made them doubt if their ears were broken.
Robb's finger slid across the map, finally stopping at Riverrun: "My plan is still the same as before, but there is one more thing I need to tell you. I will personally lead the Wolf Cavalry to support Riverrun, and you will lead the soldiers to hold back Tywin on the King's Road."
The expressions on the lords' faces changed dramatically. They didn't expect that their leader's madness had not only not gotten better, but had gotten even worse.
Before Edmure was captured by Kingslayer Jaime, they believed that only by combining the Northern army and the Riverlands army would they have the confidence to defeat Jaime.
Now that Edmure was captured and the Riverlands' combat strength was greatly weakened, even if the Northern army joined, there was only a sixty percent chance of victory. But Robb actually only wanted to lead three hundred cavalry to support?
What was the difference between this and courting death?
But thinking of Robb's various incredible performances recently, a faint spark ignited in their hearts, saying that perhaps Lord Robb still had a trump card?