After hearing Duke Eddard personally reveal the royal secret, Roose Bolton sat motionless for a long while, not even his eyelids twitching.
Lord Bolton slowly closed his eyelids, then opened them again. His soft voice rose slightly as he said, "Lord Ned, I sincerely advise you."
He rose from his chair, bowed slightly, and continued, "Now Stannis holds the advantage, and with the Kingslayer in our hands… if you leave this matter to me, I am confident I can arrange for them to marry Myrcella Baratheon to your eldest son."
He took half a step forward: "This is a rare opportunity in thousands of years, and later… as long as we seize the opportunity, you could absolutely sit on the Iron Throne, and the North…"
"Roose Bolton."
Before he could finish, Duke Eddard coldly interrupted Lord Bolton's words.
"Robb has already made an agreement with Frey. Breaking the betrothal would be against Stark's honor."
Lord Bolton's eyes flashed, and he advised, "Lord Ned, that marriage contract might not count. I heard that Lord Frey had acted under duress, and Robb is only a teenager after all…"
"Enough!"
Duke Eddard slowly rose and said, "As my heir, Robb must be responsible for his own honor. His honor is Stark's honor, and it is the North's honor."
"Lord Ned, at this time we…"
Duke Eddard said coldly, "That is enough for today."
He waved his hand: "You may withdraw, Lord Bolton."
After a short rest, the House Stark-Tully led by Robb Stark broke through the Brandfort of House Marbrand in the Westerlands (located northwest of Golden Tooth).
Subsequently, Robb detached a portion of his army, led by Galbart Glover of Deepwood Motte, Rickard Karstark of Karhold, and Maege Mormont of Bear Island, to raid the Westerlands coast.
Robb, meanwhile, occupied five Lannister gold mines and advanced directly towards Lannisport.
News of the King of the North and King of the Trident sweeping through the Westerlands reached Riverrun, greatly boosting the morale of the Riverlands vassals.
At almost the same time, Edmure Tully, heir to Riverrun, eager to regain his honor, received intelligence that the Lannister Army was returning to the Westerlands.
Family… Duty… Honor… Edmure Tully immediately summoned his vassals and army. This time, he fought not only to reclaim his honor but also for his nephew.
Edmure Tully strategically deployed over 10,000 Riverlands troops at various fords along the Red Fork River, vowing to block the Lannister Army from crossing to reinforce.
Seeing that the Riverlands had prepared defenses at their necessary crossing points, Tywin Lannister continuously sent out small detachments to launch probing attacks, seeking weak points in the Riverlands army to cross the river. However, constrained by the natural barriers of the Red Fork River and the Riverlands army's tight defenses, they were unable to succeed.
Finally, Duke Tywin, eager to return, had no choice but to deploy his main army and launch a full-scale assault simultaneously at over a dozen fords on the Red Fork River.
After a fierce battle (it is rumored that Edmure Tully shouted himself hoarse to inspire his soldiers), the Riverlands army ultimately defeated the Lannister Army, successfully preventing Duke Tywin from reinforcing the Westerlands.
Unable to fight further, the Lannister Army had no choice but to retreat. Duke Tywin led his remaining forces to retreat to Harrenhal, awaiting reinforcements from Golden Rose.
On the eve of the Crab Claw Peninsula's agreed battle with the Valley, two days of continuous heavy rain finally ceased. In the night sky, the dark clouds gradually dispersed, revealing bright stars.
Greene Kleber looked up at the twinkling starry sky and murmured, "Gods bless…"
The night wind after the rain carried a chill. Brienne walked over and picked up a cloak, draping it over Greene.
"Thank you, Brienne."
Brienne's somewhat dull blue eyes glanced at Greene, then she silently fastened the cloak's clasp.
After a pause, she suddenly spoke, "Lord Greene, tomorrow… please allow me to guard by your side."
Greene's brown eyes flickered. He looked at "Beauty" and said, "Brienne, according to my mother's last wish, unless it concerns the life or death of the Kleber Family, I will not personally fight. Tomorrow is a good opportunity for you. I eagerly await your performance."
Brienne immediately knelt on one knee, a determined expression on her face, and said, "My Lord, please allow me to guard you."
Greene had originally planned to assign Brienne to the decisive battle team led by Pel Pili to "earn" some military merits, but Renly's matter seemed to still haunt her.
Lord Green always respected the reasonable requests of his warriors: "I agree. Rise, my loyal warrior."
Brienne immediately broke into a happy smile. As she rose, she said, "Thank you, Lord Greene."
Greene smiled faintly and said, "Tomorrow, help me guard 'Ice'."
Brienne smiled even more happily: "As you command, my Lord."
Not long after, Ser Pello and Sir Amparo entered Greene's tent.
Greene strode towards the long table covered with a map. As he walked, he asked, "How are things over there?"
Ser Pello said, "Tonight, the Alliance of the Righteous camp is still filled with laughter and joy. They really enjoy the free wine provided by Seagull Town."
Greene was in a good mood, and he teased, "Didn't you ask them for a glass of fine wine, Pel?"
The corner of Ser Pello's mouth curved slightly, and he said, "My Lord, I only wish to drink a cup sitting on their skulls."
Aimu Pa Ruo hesitated, then quietly reminded, "Ser Pello, drinking is not allowed during battle. That is Kleber military law."
When Aimu Pa Ruo finished speaking, Greene couldn't help but laugh, while Ser Pello's eye twitched.
Standing before the map, Greene gazed at it for a moment, then spoke, "Aimu Pa Ruo, look here…"
He pointed to a spot on the map and continued, "I took you to this place… This place is large enough to accommodate 5,000 Klaeb Longbowmen, and both its left and right sides are forests, where the Valley's horses cannot gallop. It's a natural barrier."
Aimu Pa Ruo looked at the location Greene pointed to on the map. She nodded and said, "Lord Greene, the terrain there is favorable to us. Will the Valley people have any objections?"
Greene lightly tapped the edge of the table and said, "By the honor of the Valley Knight, they will have no objections. For them, this agreed battle is a death march for the weak against the strong, and the Crab Claw Peninsula is the weak in their eyes."
His gaze narrowed slightly: "For the proud and self-proclaimed powerful Valley, tomorrow is merely a grand tourney, a hunting ground for honor."
After a pause, his gaze slowly swept over Pel and Aimu Pa Ruo, and he said in a deep voice, "The time for blood for blood has come. How are you… prepared?"
Ser Pello and Sir Amparo simultaneously pounded their chest plates with their fists and declared loudly, "Long live Kleber!"
After Pel and Aimu Pa Ruo left, Greene's young steward, Leyton, brought the latest news regarding the "True Justice League."
Greene's eyebrows raised slightly as he asked, "How many Sellswords do they have?"
Leyton rubbed his hands together and respectfully said, "My Lord, it is said that they have over 6,000 Sellswords in total; they have hired three Sellsword companies."
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