Greene Kleber raised an eyebrow and asked, "Earl Lyonel Corbray?"
Lyonel Corbray was the Earl of Heart's Home in the Vale. When his father died, he left him the fiefdom, title, castle, and all his money, but passed down the family sword, lady forlorn, to his younger brother, Lyn Corbray. It was rumored that he always felt his rights were violated by this matter.
Leyton, the young steward, nodded and said, "Yes, my lord. According to the intelligence gathered, the 3,000 troops of the True Justice League are also under his command. Including the Sellswords, they have nearly ten thousand soldiers in total."
Greene gazed at the map in silence. Leyton then added, "I heard that Earl Corbray publicly declared that his purpose in Seagull Town was to retrieve his family's relic. This is what I heard from a drunkard... I think he is very likely here for your lord's sword (Chapter 220)."
Tapping his finger lightly on the table edge, Greene said, "It seems lady forlorn is one of the rewards Earl Petyr promised Earl Corbray."
After a moment of silence, Greene's gaze sharpened. He suddenly said, "Leyton, don't you think our intelligence came a little too easily?"
Leyton blinked. He scratched his head, his respectful voice tinged with a hint of doubt: "My lord, I spent a lot of gold dragons to get their intelligence..."
He held out five fingers, his face pained: "At least 500 gold dragons."
Greene smiled. Although the Kleber treasury held millions of gold dragons, Kleber had not yet adapted to the identity of a rich man.
After the Usurper's War, Kleber had been frugal for over a decade due to Prime Minister Jon Arryn's methods, and Leyton grew up in that environment, which was quite reasonable.
Greene pinched his chin. He was actually thinking about issues of secrecy.
Westeros did not have any so-called secrecy principles in this regard. When facing such problems, the methods used were often crude and barbaric, or relied more on individual talent.
Moreover, gathering intelligence and the like... was not considered an honorable task in the eyes of Westerosi.
How did the Cleber Legion protect secrets? They relied on the vigilance of the Survey Corps, and their methods were equally crude and barbaric, even more so in wartime.
Greene's finger tapped the table again.
Unbeknownst to him, the Survey Corps had already taken on multiple roles... If he didn't adjust in time, Ser Pello would probably be "confused" sooner or later.
Hmm... Kleber needed a dedicated intelligence organization.
What should it be called? Imperial Guard (out of character, crossed out)? kk Erection (..., crossed out)?
Lord Green knew that such matters could not be rushed; he was very patient.
He said, "Loyal Leyton, we will have many battles in the future, and we must have means to protect intelligence and prevent its leakage. This is very important."
After a pause, Greene added, "Although I hope it can be done tomorrow, I know it needs to be done step by step..."
He waved his hand: "Come, come here, my loyal Leyton."
Leyton walked over in a daze.
Greene reached out and pointed to the location of the Crabclaw Peninsula, then continued, "If you have enough confidence, I can make an exception for you once and reward you with a piece of land in advance. Leyton, I want you to establish for me..."
The post-rain wilderness appeared exceptionally fresh, with dew drops on the wild grass sparkling like crystals. The morning sun, breaking through the clouds, cast a golden sheen upon the damp earth, as if cloaking it in a delicate, shimmering veil.
The horse beneath Greene paced back and forth as he watched the Klaeb Longbowmen slowly move towards their designated location.
They were the last batch of the 5,000 Clayber Longbowmen.
Two consecutive days of heavy rain had made the soil soft and waterlogged underfoot, creating shallow puddles with every step. The marsh marigold banner advanced slowly, and the Kelleber Soldiers maintained good order.
Greene pulled on the reins, adjusting the horse's direction, and looked towards the distant Vale Noble banners fluttering.
Reyna rode over, her horse's hooves making a squelching sound on the wet ground.
Stopping her horse, the petite Reyna, seated on the tall, strong horse, bowed with her hand to her chest: "Lord."
Greene nodded his chin and asked, "How are things over there, Reyna?"
"My Lord, although the muddy ground caused us quite a bit of trouble during our march, everything is going smoothly, and we are currently deploying. As per your orders, we have not left any reserve forces; all Clayber Longbowmen will directly face the enemy."
Greene turned his head and asked, "Are the wooden stakes and mallets (Chapter 239) all ready?"
Reyna's light-colored hair was dazzling in the morning light as she replied, "Ready, Lord!"
Greene's brown eyes gazed at the battle-ready Reyna for a moment, then he said, "Reyna, I'm leaving this to you. I will be looking forward to your performance."
"Yes, Lord Green!"
The messenger's voice rang out: "Lord Royce (Bronze Yohn), each of the Kleber archers is carrying a two-pointed wooden stake."
There was a moment of silence, then the Vale Nobles surrounding Bronze Yohn burst into laughter.
Ser Symon Templeton of Nine Stars City laughed the loudest: "Hahahaha... The battle is about to begin, do they still want to build a wooden wall in front of the Valley Knights?"
As his words fell, everyone burst into laughter again, their laughter filled with mockery and contempt.
Lady Anya, the Countess of Ironwood, looked at Bronze Yohn, who was frowning, and said, "Earl Yorn, is this not an honorable battle?"
"Lady Anya, what honor can savages understand? They will only kneel and beg for mercy under the charge of the Valley Knights!"
"Hahaha!"
"If they really do that, the Valley Knights will have no choice but to impale the heads of every Crabclaw Peninsula savage on those wooden stakes they painstakingly carried here... Hahaha!"
"Ser Templeton, I must say your idea is excellent!"
"Do they already know that today will be their end? So, are those wooden stakes for some kind of savage ritual?"
"Hahaha, a savage ritual?"
"It's very possible. Earl Kleber is still a young boy, and he can't stop his savage subordinates' strange traditions."
"Can those wooden stakes allow the dead to rest in peace?"
"Seven Hells, do the noble Valley Knights have to help them complete their rituals after the battle?"
"Hahahaha..."
Bronze Yohn made a gesture for silence. As time passed, Bronze Yohn's reputation within the Alliance of the Righteous grew even stronger, and the laughing crowd quickly ceased their pre-battle mockery.
He looked at Lady Anya, pointing to a spot, and said, "Countess Anya, please look over there..."
In the direction Bronze Yohn pointed, thousands of "spectators" had gathered. He continued, "Besides the Vale Noble, there are also bards, singers, harpists, learned maesters, merchants, and Sellswords who have come from afar. They will spread the scene of today throughout the Seven Kingdoms. Therefore, no one will act dishonorably today."
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