"Mountain, I'll give you five hundred horses first. Let my father leave the hall and go to his bedroom to rest. Have Maester Weyman take care of him," Edmure said. "My father is ill, Mountain!"
"No, Edmure, you withdraw all the garrison from Riverrun first, and I will have Maester Weyman, along with two servants, help the Duke back to his bedroom in the main castle, giving you the opportunity to see the Duke once a day," the Mountain said.
"Mountain, Riverrun needs a garrison to protect it and maintain order. I fear the city's inhabitants will tear you apart!" Edmure realized his reasoning was weak and unconvincing. At the same time, he felt slightly puzzled; why hadn't his father, Duke Horst, scolded him?
Given my father's temper, there's no reason he wouldn't scold me for causing such a big mess!
However, when Duke Horst looked at Edmure, he showed no anger or resentment.
My father should have given me a severe scolding!
The Mountain said calmly, "Edmu, don't contradict me, or people will die." As soon as he finished speaking, a blood-soaked man was pushed forward onto the second-floor platform of the hall, placed at the very front. This man had suffered torture Edmu couldn't even imagine; his face was distorted from being beaten, like a crumpled piece of parchment. It was a gruesome sight, with not a single patch of healthy skin left.
"Sir Aheng!" Edmund exclaimed.
Yaheng was the instructor of Riverrun and Edmure's first swordsmanship. After receiving the news, he led the Duke's personal guards to rescue the Duke, but was captured after the Mountain threatened the Duke's life, forcing him to abandon his sword.
"Edmour, withdraw all the garrison blocking the main gate and leave Riverrun immediately. In exchange, I will allow Duke Horst to return to his bedroom to rest, with Maester Weyman and two maids to take good care of him."
"Mountain, you stormed Riverrun and kidnapped the Lord of the Riverlands. If His Majesty the King finds out, even Lord Tywin Lannister will be implicated. My brother-in-law, Eddard Stark, is the Hand of the King and Lord of the North, and my sister, Lady Lysa, is the Lord of the Vale with tens of thousands of elite troops. Are you plotting a rebellion? With a single order from His Majesty the King, the Royal Country, the Stormlands, the Vale, the North, and our Riverlands will rise up to suppress the rebellion. Destroying your Westerlands would be effortless. Yet you dare to commit such atrocities here! Release him immediately, and we will forgive and forget. I promised you a thousand horses, and I will deliver on that promise!"
"Hmph!" The Mountain snorted. "Lord Edmure, you're too long-winded. You've killed Knight Aheng!" With a wave of his hand, a soldier raised his sword and with a snap, beheaded Aheng.
Yaheng was forced to kneel on the edge of the second floor. His head fell to the first floor of the hall, tumbling in the air before crashing to the ground with a thud. He bounced up, his eyebrows and beard bristling, covered in blood. On the second-floor platform, hot blood spurted from his headless neck, forming a brilliant spray.
"No!" Edmure shouted, horrified.
The nobles sitting in front of the delicacies in the hall were all terrified, their eyes filled with fear!
Duke Horst, on the second floor, was a patient, yet he remained remarkably calm in the face of this bloodshed, more so than most. The older generation of knights, tempered by the flames of war, despite their frail physiques, were far more seasoned and composed than the younger generation of knights.
Duke Horst said something to Maester Weyman beside him, and Maester Weyman walked to the edge of the platform: "Sir Edmure, Duke Horst wants you to do as Sir Gregor says!"
Regardless of the evil the Mountain committed within the main castle, Maester Weyman and Duke Horst always referred to him as Sir Gregor, never calling Gregor Clegane the Mountain out of anger or hatred.
The Mountain glared at Edmure: "Sir Edmure, withdraw all garrison troops and the Duke's guards, and I will give you Sir Arnold's body and allow you to send him off with the funeral rites of the Seven Gods. Otherwise, I will feed his head and body to the wild dogs!"
Edmure's eyes turned bloodshot, his eyebrows bristled, and he stared at the Mountain. If looks could kill, the Mountain would have been stabbed a thousand times by him!
Edmure strode out.
"Sir Edmure, don't forget to prepare a thousand fine horses!" The Mountain's voice chased after him like a whip.
Soon, the sounds of the garrison and the Duke's personal guard assembling could be heard outside, followed by the sound of orderly footsteps retreating.
Snap!
Yaheng's body was pushed off the second-floor platform by the bandits of Demon Mountain and fell onto the floor of the first-floor hall. The stench of blood filled the hall, and many nobles in the hall covered their faces, unable to bear to look.
The nobles, both high and low, in the capital city of Hejian were living a life of luxury, indulging in fine food and watching comedies. Many of them hadn't experienced real bloodshed in far too long!
An hour later, all the noble chieftains of the city were gathered in the main hall of the Riverrun Castle, and the three city gates were taken over by the soldiers of the Demon Mountain. Outside Riverrun, across the rolling river, armies from all over the Riverlands began to gather.
*
River Road – Jinya City, the largest and only border city in the western region.
Lord Leo Lefold was holding a meeting in the main castle. On the conference table was Duke Tywin's military order: "Generals, centurions, The Mountain has caused a great disturbance in the Riverlands. He has broken into Riverrun and taken Duke Horst and Ser Edmure hostage. The Duke has ordered us to go to the western ford of the Red Fork to meet the Mountain. What do you think?"
The general and the centurions were all shocked. They looked at each other, speechless!
Did the Demon Mountain shatter Riverrun?
How is that possible?
That guy only had thirty men with him!
He also captured the Duke of Horst and Sir Edmure.
The generals and centurions were incredulous!
Is this the prelude to war?
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The knights and nobles of Golden Tooth had no affection for The Mountain, but they had to obey Lord Tywin's orders. What they couldn't understand was why Lord Tywin kept tolerating The Mountain. The Mountain had made a huge blunder this time, yet Lord Tywin still sent troops to protect that scoundrel.
This matter is too big and too sensitive; if not handled properly, it could backfire! House Horst Tully has ruled the Riverlands for thousands of years; they are a deeply rooted and flourishing tree! They have countless loyal and valiant generals and tens of thousands of elite troops under their command!
Earl Leo said, "What I'm worried about is that once Duke Horst and Sir Edmure escape, a fierce battle will inevitably break out in the Riverlands and the Westerlands, and we will be the first to bear the brunt. Does anyone have anything to say?"
Evan Lyford, the young knight and heir to Golden Tooth, future lord of the city and patriarch of House Lyford, said, "Father, esteemed lords, is this a signal that the Westerlands are about to go to war with the Riverlands? Just because of the Mountain who caused trouble, the entire Westerlands will be dragged into a war? Father, I think we should send ravens to Lord Tywin. The Mountain has committed atrocities, and it would be best if His Majesty the King sent the Kingsguard or the Royal Inspector to Riverrun to handle the matter impartially!"
Leo Lefold laughed; his son was truly naive. "Evan, it's true the Mountain is a scoundrel, but he's from the Westerlands. Even if we're going to send the Mountain to King's Landing for trial, it has to be a Westerlander who sends him, not a Riverlandsman. Generals, centurions, the Mountain is one of our own. Although we hate him, His Highness the Duke has ordered that I give you ample time to go back and prepare. The troops will depart first thing tomorrow morning!"
While Count Leo dawdled, the Clegane cavalry of Clegane Castle had already set off, galloping along the River Road, led by the generals Sweet-talking Raft Clegane and Executioner Dunson Clegane.
Of the more than 500 cavalrymen and more than 100 reserves, one-third were death row inmates and one-third were serious criminals. Even the two noble sons from the Salot family who remained were completely blackened from head to toe by the black paint.
This is absolutely a ruthless demon army! Their brutality is palpable, their sense of right and wrong is extremely weak, and their moral compass is extremely unclear. The interests of Lord Demon Mountain are their greatest interests, and the principles of Lord Demon Mountain are their greatest principles!
Clegane Keep is not far from Casterly Rock. Sweetmouth Raffd received a military order from Lord Tywin Lannister at the crack of dawn, ordering them to hurry to the western ford of the Red Fork to receive a thousand Riverlands warhorses, but at the same time to prepare for battle.
Sweet-talking Ralph and his brothers were overjoyed. In less than half an hour, they assembled and set off, expecting to reach the West Ferry of the Red Fork River by midnight.