Outside Riverrun, the northern encampment.
Kingslayer Jaime sat in his tent, surrounded by vassals loyal to Lannister.
Unlike most of his vassals, whose faces were alight with excitement, Jaime Lannister looked somewhat weary; while outsiders saw his recent string of victories as brilliant, the actual difficulties were not for outsiders to know.
Earl Ilan, one of the vassals, looked at the map and laughed heartily: "The morale in the city is about to collapse! In just three more days, we'll take Riverrun!"
Jaime also let out a long sigh: "Once Riverrun is taken, the little wolf pups of the North will never dare to step out of The Neck again, and the war with the North will be over."
Earl Banfort, his face glowing, exclaimed: "Since the ancient Battle of the Blazing Fury, there hasn't been such a glorious campaign! Ser Jaime, by his own strength, has shattered the Riverlands—it's been a long time since such a legendary figure appeared!"
The Lannister vassals were all very happy, for they could already smell the scent of rich, fresh meat.
Now, large swathes of fertile territory in the Riverlands had become ownerless lands due to the war.
Each of them had a chance to secure a share for their family members; war is the art of slaughter, and also the fastest means of expansion.
Jaime said nothing, but a look of triumph appeared on his face.
As a knight, to fight such a campaign was enough for him to be etched into history, which was a great comfort to him, who valued honor and knightly spirit.
For the people of King's Landing, during the Mad King's reign, he did not hesitate to bear the infamy of the Kingslayer; now, finally having the chance to change his reputation, he felt deeply relieved.
Raising the fine wine in his cup, Jaime gestured to all his subordinates.
"To Lannister, cheers."
"Long live Lannister! Long live the Westerlands!"
In a joyous atmosphere, the nobles drank deeply of the fine wine in their cups.
Just then, an inconspicuous scout soldier burst in, breaking the peaceful atmosphere.
"Lord Jaime, we've found enemy cavalry on the northern slope; they're flying the Tully Family fish banner."
Jaime dismissed it: "That ridiculous Leekwood has sent men to harass us again, thinking this will delay our attack."
Seeing this, Earl Ilan, standing nearby, roared: "How many men did they send?"
The scouts sent out earlier had not yet returned, and this reporting scout had actually only just left a few steps; he wasn't very clear about the situation on the slope either, so he could only speak vaguely.
"It's too dark at night to see clearly, probably about ten or so cavalrymen."
Earl Ilan laughed heartily: "It seems that Leekwood fellow is truly at his wit's end, to only be able to send out a dozen men. Lord Jaime, let me take my men and bring back their heads."
Jaime didn't take these few men seriously at all; he didn't even leave his tent, just waved his hand: "Then I'll trouble you."
The soldiers of the Riverlands had been utterly routed by Jaime; many would flee at the mere sight of the lion banner, showing no will to fight, so Jaime subconsciously assumed the Riverlands soldiers were not worth mentioning.
Furthermore, he hadn't received any news from the North, so he didn't even consider that possibility.
Earl Ilan, full of confidence, returned to his camp, gathered over thirty cavalrymen, and set off towards the slope with the reporting scout soldier.
The moonlight was exceptionally bright that night, and Earl Ilan saw a few scattered mounted soldiers standing on the slope, the one in the lead holding the Tully Family fish banner.
"Hahaha, look closely, their armor is free for the taking! Charge with me!"
Earl Ilan, having won two consecutive major battles, was brimming with confidence; he spurred his horse and whipped his reins, brandishing the long spear in his hand, and charged towards that group of Riverlands cavalry.
As expected, that group of Riverlands cavalry turned and fled towards the back of the slope, seemingly terrified by Earl Ilan's ferocity.
Seeing the enemy flee, Earl Ilan became even more excited, spurring his horse faster and roaring for the soldiers behind him to follow.
"Charge, all of you! Whoever kills those cowards gets their horse and armor—first come, first served!"
The remaining scout soldier stayed at the bottom of the slope, leisurely awaiting the outcome of the battle.
Soon, the sounds of clashing weapons and rubbing armor came from the other side of the slope; Earl Ilan and his cavalrymen were shouting curses, and screams were incessant.
"The battle should be over in about ten minutes; then I can go back and report the good news to Lord Jaime!"
The scout soldier thought idly.
Soon, the shouting from the other side of the slope gradually subsided; the battle seemed to be nearing its end.
To the scout soldier's surprise, he did not wait for Earl Ilan to return victorious; instead, he could hardly believe his eyes.
Those Tully Family cavalrymen had actually returned from the other side of the slope, still holding their banners, silently standing in their previous positions.
They said nothing, utterly silent, yet they made the scout feel an inexplicable pressure, as if his breathing was about to stop.
Where is Lord Ilan?
Where are his cavalrymen?
Were they all wiped out?
Not daring to think too much, the scout timely recalled his duty; he vigorously kicked his spurs and frantically fled towards Jaime's main camp.
Those Tully Family cavalry remained motionless; they stood like statues on the slope, allowing the scout soldier to return and report, their eyes filled with indifference.
"What? Earl Ilan was captured?"
In the tent, Jaime, upon hearing this news, was furious, but he also immediately realized that this opponent seemed formidable, so he grabbed the armor beside him and donned it in a very short time.
"Have all mounted men assemble! I want to see who has such great skill!"
Three thousand cavalrymen immediately became agitated, like a few drops of water spilled into a hot oil pan; the entire camp erupted into chaos, with men leading horses, donning armor, and searching for their ancestral swords.
After a full ten minutes, Jaime's three thousand cavalry successfully assembled and set off behind the Kingslayer towards the small hill behind them.
After a few steps, Jaime also saw the dozen or so statue-like cavalrymen; he didn't recognize the person leading them, which meant the opponent wasn't a well-known great noble.
Although the opponent differed from the Tully Family knights he usually encountered, Jaime still didn't take him seriously.
His anger had not yet subsided, and he wanted to personally lead the charge.
Earl Banfort, standing nearby, stopped him: "Lord Jaime, you are the supreme commander of our army, your status is noble and you cannot act lightly; let me go into battle for you."
Jaime knew he wanted the horses and armor of those cavalrymen; since Earl Banfort was single-mindedly intent on monopolizing the spoils of war, he would let him have his way.
So he agreed to Earl Banfort's request.
Unlike the reckless Earl Ilan, Earl Banfort was meticulous; he brought over a hundred cavalrymen. With a tenfold difference in troops, even if there was a one-in-ten-thousand chance of not being able to defeat the opponent, he should still be able to retreat safely.