Edmure Tully did not enjoy high prestige among the older generation of Riverlands noble lords, while his father, Horst Tully, enjoyed immense prestige among the Riverlands nobles; as for the Riverlands' famous general—his uncle, Brynden Tully the Blackfish—he was another shining star.
He himself was extremely popular among the younger generation of nobles and had very good personal relationships with the young nobles of the Riverlands.
For example, Brynden Blackwood, the future heir to the Blackwood family, has a personal relationship with Edmure that is like that of brothers.
Edmure is always surrounded by more than twenty noble youths from the Riverlands. They hunt, frequent brothels, drink, fight, seek pleasure, patrol the border, compete in martial arts and archery, and so on. This disarmament of the Demon Mountain was also an outrageous act committed by him and his friends.
Watching the once-arrogant Mountain forced to disarm and remove his plate armor, Edmure and his brothers burst into laughter, extremely pleased with themselves, as if they had conquered the world through force and strategy.
Edmure had thoroughly humiliated the Mountain, whom no one in the Seven Kingdoms dared to provoke. This was a momentous event that would make him famous throughout the Seven Kingdoms. His name would be known throughout the Seven Kingdoms, surpassing even that of his father, Horst Tully, and his uncle, Brynden Tully. Such a delightful event was naturally worthy of celebration.
So tables were set up on the two floors of the Kneeling Inn, the rooms built on the river, the several pavilions along the riverside avenue, and the open space outside the gate of the Kneeling Inn. If there weren't enough tables, marching cloaks were used to spread on the ground.
Where there was kerosene on the ground, military officers were sent to dig ditches, draw water from wells, and flush the kerosene into the Red Fork River.
The prostitutes and wandering singers accompanying the army were brought into the hall. Edmure and the noble youths each embraced one or two prostitutes, while the wandering singers played their harps. The soldiers sang vulgar jokes, and jars of wine were brought out one by one from the inn's cellar, with wine bowls arranged in rows. The aroma of wine and meat quickly filled the inn.
While Edmure was celebrating, he sent out scouts to keep a close watch on the Mountain and his party. If the Mountain and his party committed any crimes along the way, they were to report back immediately, and the scouts would pursue them again, arrest the Mountain on a legitimate charge, and send him to Earl Harlowe's town to be handed over to His Majesty the King for judgment according to the law.
After a night of revelry, Edmure and his noble brothers were all thoroughly drunk. When he awoke from his drunken stupor, it was already noon the next day.
When Edmure finally got up, his limbs trembling, and went to the hall, his noble brothers were in much the same boat, all still sleepy-eyed and in poor spirits.
With the help of the steward, Edmure finished washing up and dressed neatly. The owner of the Kneeling Inn was already quite familiar with Edmure and his group of noble young men, and immediately served them hot soup and food. The noble youths began to eat around the table, and the accompanying wandering singer played the harp and sang a newly composed song of the Mountain's disarmament, which made Edmure and the others burst into laughter.
"Report!" a guard shouted at the gate.
Edmure smiled and looked towards the gate, saying, "Come in!"
A fully armed scout entered and knelt on one knee: "Reporting to Sir Edmure, last night the Mountain and his men traded two fine horses for bread and wine with the villagers in the first village, and without stopping, continued westward."
"Were they forcing us to buy or sell?"
"No, sir!"
"Moshan is a large and fierce-looking man. In the rumors of the Great Plains Fire, the people all said they saw Moshan leading his gang to set fires. Moshan's appearance has spread throughout the village. If he enters the village and offers to trade horses for food, will the villagers still be willing to trade with him?"
"My lord, the Mountain did not enter the village. It was one of his short men named Bernie who went into the village to exchange for food and wine."
"oh!"
"Sir, this morning, Mo Shan and his men traded several good horses with the villagers for some very tattered saddles, and then fitted horseshoes onto the horses at the blacksmith's shop."
Did they force you to buy or sell?
"No. Every time they make an exchange, the villagers benefit greatly."
"Oh, hahaha, it seems my warning to the Mountain worked!" Edmure laughed, extremely pleased with himself.
His group of noblemen laughed heartily, everyone was in high spirits, and their appetites were greatly stimulated.
"Lord Edmure, if the Mountain and his party continue to exchange their warhorses for food and wine along the way, by the time they reach Golden Tooth in the West, all that will be left of them will be their horses," Brynden Blackwood laughed.
"They still have to trade their warhorses for horse feed! To trade for a straw hut to sleep in for one night." Edmure lowered his voice, his eyes darting around as if whispering secrets. "This is the Mountain's secret, not to be revealed, lest his honor be tarnished. Normally, the Mountain could just plunder and no one would dare say a word against him, but when he's about to lose his temper, he'll remember that our scouts are watching him from behind. And if he violates my rules for him, we'll come roaring after him. That's a serious matter that could endanger the Mountain's life."
Brynden Blackwood also lowered his voice and said with a secretive and wary expression, "The Mountain being killed is something the Mountain cannot accept, so it's safest and most secure to listen to Lord Edmure."
The noblemen all nodded, exchanging knowing glances, and finally couldn't hold back any longer, bursting into laughter together.
"My lord, the Demon Mountain and his men have been traveling westward day and night, and they should cross the River Runaway and the Red Fork River by tonight, reaching the west bank of the Red Fork River!"
"Continue to monitor them until they cross Riverrun and fork the Red Fork River."
"Yes, sir!"
The scout stood up, turned and walked out. Soon, the sound of horses' hooves could be heard outside, quickly fading into the distance.
*
midnight.
At the southern gate of Riverrun, the capital of Riverlands, on the docks along the Red Fork River, Ser Edmure Tully's voice shouted to open the gate from several fishing boats.
The four soldiers guarding the city gate were startled awake. They dared not be negligent, as they all knew that their young lord was fond of playing and it was common for him to return in the middle of the night and go out in the early morning. They quickly opened the city gate and came up the steps to greet their young lord.
On the dock at the city gate, dozens of dark figures jumped off several small fishing boats. They waded through knee-deep water and instantly reached the city gate steps. The first man was extremely tall, like a moving mountain. Before the four soldiers who came to greet them could react, he punched them one by one, killing them on the spot.
Dozens of dark figures drew various kinds of knives—kitchen knives, woodcutting knives, rusty longswords, and chipped cleavers—all obtained in exchange for their warhorses from villagers on the west bank of the Red Fork River, along with several dilapidated fishing boats. Several brothers seized the longswords from the slain soldiers and their daggers. Without a word, led by the giant figure, they marched silently through the deserted streets towards the inner city.
The sky that Edmure pierced has collapsed!