"Is this the City of Branding?" Edmure gazed at the towering city walls of the City of Branding.
"Yes, the Marbrand family's castle," the Mountain replied.
The sounds of military training and battle cries filled the city!
When Edmure passed through Golden Tooth City, he also heard the sounds of the army getting up early for military training.
Golden Tooth City is a border city, and Edmure didn't take the sounds of military training to heart. However, the sounds of military training in Brand City were also deafening, as if war was about to break out.
"Is this how the Western Frontier usually trains its troops?" Edmure wondered in surprise.
"Farmers cultivate the land, hunters hunt, fishermen raise fish, miners mine, and soldiers train—everyone does their job, and every day is the same!" Mo Shan said calmly.
To prevent the Riverlands from detecting the Westerlands' military preparations, Lord Tywin Lannister ordered military training limited to the guards of the major nobles and city garrisons—in other words, professional soldiers. The people of the Westerlands continued with their daily lives as usual, and no conscription was ordered.
Only the Mountain's five hundred Clegane cavalry were formed under the orders of Lord Tywin Lannister, which conveniently gave the Mountain a boost, allowing him to complete the initial formation of his army.
Duke Tywin Lannister has a core Royal Guard of 500 men, all cavalry, a powerful force responsible for protecting him and charging alongside him. Once war breaks out, this exceptionally capable force cannot be deployed casually; it is Tywin's core protection force and will only be used in the most critical moments. Therefore, another powerful cavalry capable of surprise attacks is needed to fill the gap, and The Mountain is the best candidate.
Edmure was already on guard. They did have training, but never such a disciplined and rigorous drill. Other nobles in the Riverlands trained city garrisons, but it was basically a day-to-day exercise, with morning drills and that was it. Their training sessions never featured such imposing and disciplined shouts of battle.
In comparison, the training in the Riverlands was not as rigorous and diligent as that in the Westerlands. Apart from the training in Riverrun, the training of the other nobles in the Riverlands was quite different from the training of the nobles in the Westerlands that Edmure felt.
"Let's go into town and take a look!" Edmure suggested.
"Let's not go. I cut off Damon Marbrand's right hand a while ago, and we've already incurred his wrath. We should hurry over. If Count Damon sends troops, it'll only cause more trouble," the Mountain said.
Edmure was shocked. The Mountain had cut off Count Damon's right hand?!
This news sounds great and is very encouraging.
Count Damon lost his right hand, so he could no longer wield a sword.
Edmure was pleased to hear about the conflicts between the Western nobles; it made him feel good.
The two men rode their horses through the city of Branding.
The garrison on Branded City had long seen the golden lion banner symbolizing Tywin Lannister and the three-headed black dog banner representing Clegane. The garrison on the city raised the drawbridge and stopped greeting and refusing to let The Mountain pass by.
Edmure turned around, and with the Mountain's explanation of the'severed hand hatred' between him and Count Damon, he indeed saw that the guards on the city walls looked unfriendly, but no one dared to come out of the city to stop the Mountain from avenging Count Damon.
Edmure led a hundred-man bodyguard and several knights from his family; The Mountain also led a hundred Clegane cavalrymen. The two groups totaled more than two hundred men, all cavalry, making it a very formidable army.
The Clegane cavalry of the Mountain are all villains, while Edmure's cavalry are well-trained professional soldiers, strong and powerful, and clearly not to be trifled with.
House Tully's silver trout flag was also very conspicuous.
Damon Marbran and the Mountain had a major grudge, so he pretended not to know the Mountain was passing by and ignored him completely. He was also on the city wall, but he simply didn't show himself.
News of the Mountain's raid on Riverrun and coercion of House Tully in the Riverlands had spread throughout the Westerlands, reaching every corner of the land. The nobles of the Westerlands were shaken, and secretly pleased, hoping the Mountain would suffer greatly in the Riverlands. However, Lord Tywin Lannister quickly issued orders to all sides, urging them to prepare for any eventuality that might require reinforcements from the Mountain, ensuring the Westerlands' armies could be deployed immediately.
Later, news of the Mountain extorting 13,000 golden dragons and 1,000 warhorses from the Tully family reached the Westerlands. It spread very quickly; almost within a day, it seemed like everyone in the Westerlands knew about it. Everywhere, there were rumors that the Mountain had captured Lord Horst and was running rampant in the Riverlands, which excited and envied the nobles of the Westerlands.
What is exhilarating is that the Mountain has won honor for the people of the Westerlands; what is enviable is that the Mountain has gained so much, and his honor has only grown! In Lord Tywin's presence, the Mountain will only become more favored, and his arrogance will only grow even higher as a result.
Soon after, Count Damon heard that Count Edmure Tully had come to the Westerlands at the invitation of the Mountain. He did not believe the rumor at all until he saw the Tully family's silver trout banner appear on his land.
This left Count Damon completely baffled!
House Tully should hate the Mountain and consider him their mortal enemy, so why would Edmure, this philandering and dutiful son, follow the Mountain into the Westerlands? And not to Clegane Keep, nor to Tywin Lannister's Casterly Rock, but to House Westerling? This makes no sense.
unless...
Unless there's something about House Westerling's Rock that attracts House Tully!
What could that be?
The Tully family has been in decline for generations, and they have sold off most of their family treasures. So why is Edmure Tully here?
Count Damon couldn't understand it!
He decided to find out the answer to this problem.
Damon Marbran couldn't personally intervene, as he was also a dignified earl. However, he had friends and noble brothers who were on good terms with Gavin Westerling. Sending them would both save face for the earl and resolve his doubts.
*
In the western capital, Lord Tywin Lannister also received a raven letter from Earl Leo of Golden Tooth.
"The Mountain invited Edmure Tully into the Westerlands. What does that mean?" Lord Tywin Lannister didn't understand the Mountain's intentions. He pondered this in his mind but didn't say it aloud.
The Duke handed the letter to the Grand Secretary Potter.
Even the Grand Secretary didn't understand it.
The Mountain just humiliated the Tully family, and they're already friends with him again? Does this mean the Tully family is grateful for the Mountain's humiliation? Do the Tully family actually praise the Mountain for his slap on the face?!
That doesn't make sense!
Every nobleman has a maester by his side, and these maesters all come from the same place: the Citadel. The maesters' studies, examinations, employment, appointments, and power all take place in the Citadel. The maesters are of the same origin, and although they swear to remain neutral and not participate in politics, that is a beautiful lie.
It was common for scholars to exchange ideas with each other. Their advising and active participation in their lord's affairs made it impossible for them to remain neutral, whether in politics, military affairs, or any other aspect.
"I will write a letter to Maester Assa!" said Maester Potter.
Duke Tywin nodded.
Assa, a Grand Scholar serving Lord Gavin Westerling of Cliffrock, has served Cliffrock for many years and was a classmate of Grand Scholar Porter, graduating from the City of Clerics.
To know anything about what happens around a nobleman, there is no better way than to ask the scholar beside him.
The Mountain entrusted the invention of the thermometer to Jenny, but he hadn't taught anyone the modern science of pasteurization—the method of killing germs in milk while preserving beneficial bacteria or bacterial spores—so Tywin Lannister of the West was naturally unaware of it either.
In the Mountain's territory, the Riverlands produce the most milk among the Seven Kingdoms, supplying milk to King's Landing. However, if a diseased milk outbreak occurs, even in just one place, all the milk from the Seven Kingdoms must be poured into rivers and ditches.
Transforming disease-causing milk into healthy milk is a seasonal, quick-money-making project! The window of opportunity is short, concentrated in the two months when pathogenic bacteria are most prevalent: July and August.
July has arrived!