Chapter 108 Fool, Crown

According to the general rules of war, even if the nobles living in the castle are defeated, if they surrender in time, they theoretically do not have to worry about their lives.

The price of a knight, the price of an earl, and the price of a duke all have a set of hidden rules that cannot be left on the table.

Fighting, losing the sword, surrendering, waiting for enough ransom from home, then going back to gather a new group of soldiers to continue fighting, and the cycle goes back and forth.

As for the life and death of the soldiers summoned, I'm sorry, the nobles don't care.

But the capture of the Twins this time has nothing to do with this set of rules. First of all, taking the Twins is equivalent to taking over the Frey family's home base.

You have lost your old home, who do you expect to pay your ransom?

The army in the north has completely controlled Twin River City. Where is the golden dragon? Wouldn't they take it themselves? Will you let the living Freys be used as ransom? Go ahead and dream!

Moreover, last night, due to a fire and a specially chopped sword, the Frey family lost more than a dozen direct members in the past few hours.

When the large-scale killings stopped, the extremely lucky Frey people gathered together and discovered that the inheritance of the Frey family had actually fallen to a fool nicknamed "Jingle Bell".

This guy was a member of Steve's lineage who had just been beheaded. The male Freys in front of him were all dead, so it was his turn to inherit.

So, the question now becomes, what should the Frey family do?

There are actually four choices before the princes in the north.

First, leave this mess to Riverrun. After all, the Frey family is still nominally the vassal of Riverrun. How to deal with them is theoretically the responsibility of the old Duke of Riverrun.

But what is very embarrassing is that the current owner of Riverrun, Lord Hoster Tully, the guardian of the riverlands, has actually been bedridden for a long time, and there is no telling when he will go to see the Seven Gods.

As for his heir, Mr. Edmure Tully, as expected at this time, he should be in prison in the camp of the Lannister army.

Therefore, it is true that this problem belongs to Riverrun, but in fact, after going around in a big circle, I finally found that the North has to solve it on its own.

The second option for the North is to pinch the nose and help Aegon Frey, whose actual status in the Frey family is equal to the clown, to the position of Marquis Frey in accordance with the well-established inheritance laws of the Westeros continent. .

The advantage of this method is that if you help someone up, you are not helping them up. People with abnormal brains cannot control Twin River City. Therefore, the people who are really in charge are the people who stay here in the north.

But there is a hidden danger in this method. Even a fool can understand that this Aegon Frey is an out-and-out puppet. No one among the huge low-level members of the Frey family will truly obey him.

At the same time, a certain northern noble staying here will actually become the object of hatred of the lower-level members of the Frey family.

Maintaining stability is another pressing issue.

The third option in the North violates the sacred law of Westeros succession. It is to choose a capable Frey to be the Lord of the Twins.

This can prevent the Frey family from being leaderless. Under the force of the Northern Blade, the Frey family can quickly become a group again.

However, because there were problems with the inheritance from the beginning, there were also hidden dangers. Although it was guaranteed that the head of the Frey family would have to cling tightly to the thighs of the Northern Legion to secure his position as the head of the family.

If the influence of the Northern Legion fades, a backlash from the Frey family is certain.

It will still be a problem at that time, but that will happen later.

The last plan is to banish the Frey family and let the North directly take over the Twins and a large area of ​​territory nearby.

This is okay, as long as the North kills the Twins and the Frey family stands on the opposite side of the Riverlands and the North, and is on the same side as Lord Tywin, there will be no problem.

If you really do this, a very simple question will be placed in front of everyone: Who should eat such a large piece of fat?

Although from the map, Twin River City and the large area of ​​land surrounding it are bordering the northern border, it seems that it would be easy to annex them directly.

But this thing is not just about drawing a line on the map. The actual geographical situation is not like that at all.

Further north of Twin River City is the Neck, the traditional dividing line between the north and the south. Except for a small part near the eastern coast that is passable, most of this place is an impassable swamp.

After the North captured this place, it actually took a long time to integrate this place. Before that, there was actually no difference between Twin River City and the enclave.

For example, this place was allocated to the Amber family in the Last Hearth. Here comes something interesting. Guess how far it is from the Last Hearth to the Twins?

Even if the flag of the Amber family is currently planted on the walls of Twins City, it will have to be changed to something else in a few years. Quite simply, it cannot be defended at all.

Not to mention a series of complex issues such as customs, beliefs, etc., the distance alone is destined to determine that the Northern family that is granted the title here will only become a new southern noble in a few years, at most, it will be the same as the Northern family. The relationship is just a little better.

And here, Clay's Mandalay family is the best choice.

Geographically speaking, White Harbor, which controls Biting Bay and annexes the Three Sisters Islands, can directly cross the Neck, which has difficult traffic, and directly reach the territory of Twin River City by sea.

In terms of belief culture, although they have been in the north for a long time, the Mandalay family still believes in the seven gods of the south.

Well... although Clay's generation is not religious at all.

And the most important point is that the Twin River City was actually captured by the Clay Planner and the troops led by the inside and outside. This is a military medal that no one can deny in full view of the public.

If we really want to separate, Clay has a huge advantage, if the adults in the north want to lose face.

…

After seeing the unsightly "bell ringing", all the northern princes present fell silent.

"Did you kill so many Freys last night? I remember that Walder Frey had a large number of heirs. Could it be... a mistake?"

Roose Bolton's voice was very soft, and it was a little difficult to speak. As smart as he was, of course he was familiar with the aristocracy. As soon as this situation came out, he immediately realized the trouble in it.

Robb Stark seemed a little slow to this question. He shrugged, seeming to be still immersed in the joy of capturing the Twins:

"I'm sorry, Lord Bolton. We captured all the direct members of the Frey family in Twins City. Among those alive, the guy just now is the first heir."

"The most sacred inheritance law in Westeros is really... really dramatic."

The young man added that in his final evaluation, he couldn't find a suitable word to describe the situation in front of him for a long time.

The Frey family may have the most children in the Seven Kingdoms. Now, the inheritance rights have actually fallen to a fool. It is really a great irony.

It is estimated that Marquis Walder Frey, who has attached great importance to his family throughout his life, would not have imagined that this situation would arise in his most absurd dreams, right?

"We can't hand over the Twins to such people, otherwise we have to leave one or two people here to be the "mother" of this fool Frey. Who among you is willing?"

Lord Rickard Karstark immediately objected.

This is a typical warrior mentality. Everyone knows the principles of logistics in war. As an earl who leads troops in war, Rickard Karstark instinctively wants a rear area that can stably transport food and grass.

If the fool Frey is here to be the master, then the North will inevitably have people left here to take care of things.

"I also don't agree with the Twins City being inherited by such a person. Besides, we have already conquered this place. There is no way we can return the city so easily."

"Of course, we will take these three thousand Dofrei soldiers south, and they will help us consume Lord Tywin's troops."

Clay folded his fingers and placed them in front of the lower handle and said calmly.

"I don't know how many more people the Frey family can produce, but I know that if these more than 3,000 people are captured and there is no chaos, the Frey family will not dare to do anything even if the Frey family makes a pig the head of the family."

This is a conspiracy. I know that your Frey family must be dissatisfied with the nobles of the north, but what can you do? Your army is in my hands, and you can't do anything you want to see.

Moreover, Clay made up his mind to consume these 3,000 Dofre soldiers on the battlefield, and then find a way to keep an eye on the other northern nobles.

Want a bloody wedding? Didn't you wake up?

It's not that Clay is willing to be a good vassal to the Stark family for the rest of his life, but in this current situation, his wings are not full, and he must rely on the banner of Stark.

There was no way the Starks were going to suffer heavy losses in the war, at least not yet.

"Master Clay, there is no one else here. We all know that the Twin River City can be defeated. Your contribution cannot be overstated. Now we want to hear your opinion on how to deal with this place."

The speaker was Earl Glover. It seemed that because of his good relationship with Sir Malone, this Earl seemed to favor Clay intentionally or unintentionally when speaking at the meeting.

No one objected to his words, and many people even nodded in approval, including Robb Stark, the young master of the North.

This is what most people in the north think. In war, there are spoils. Whoever defeats them will get them, because this is a skill in itself.

Clay frowned. In fact, for him, it was not a question of how to decide now. He had already decided.

"I would like to change the Twin River City flag. I have seen enough of the Twin Towers flag."

After a long time, Clay said something in an extremely calm tone that shocked the entire northern nobles.

This sentence contains too much information. It is a long-established noble family. How can all the adults not know what it means.

The Mandalay family has taken a liking to the Twins. Will this young Mandalay want to plant his flag all over the Twins?

Lord Roose Bolton, who was familiar with the geography of the North, immediately figured out the feasibility of this matter. In theory, if the North really wanted to seize the Frey family's inheritance, the Mandalay family would encounter the least resistance.

It's just that... this matter really took shape. Robb Stark, who had a very good relationship with Clay Mandler and was like a brother, really nodded his head.

Then, the power of the Mandalay family will expand rapidly in a short period of time. When the Mandalay family took over the Three Sisters Islands and blocked the Biting Bay, everyone present nodded.

With the Bite Bay blocked, the traffic from White Harbor to Twin River City is completely safe. As long as the Mandalay family's fleet is there, communication between the two places will not be a problem.

Even if King's Avenue were rotated ninety degrees clockwise, it would have no effect.

Earl Wyman of White Harbor sat there to dispatch, Wendell Mandler led the troops to defeat the Three Sisters Islands, and now, Twin River City, the third generation heir of the Mandalay family, directly entered the city alone, and attacked it in one fell swoop.

This link was linked to another, and Roose Bolton felt a sense of conspiracy that he had not seen for a long time.

Maybe the Mandalay family had targeted the entire land around Bite Bay from the beginning, from the Three Sisters Islands to the Twins City, and fell into the Mandalay family's plan from the beginning.

However, this matter does not seem to be done by Earl Wyman. Roose Bolton knows Earl Wyman very well. In his impression, the Earl is a somewhat conservative person who only places bets when he is sure.

Such a radical thing has been developed until now. If it were the work of Earl Wyman alone, Roose Bolton would not believe it.

His gray eyes flickered back and forth on Clay's face.

"Is it because of you?"

Roose Bolton asked in his mind, but no one could answer the question.

Moreover, what is even more bizarre about this matter is how did Clay know that the war was coming? This kind of planning could never have been carried out only when the war started.

How long has it been since Eddard Stark's accident in King's Landing? How could it be possible in such a short time?

Roose Bolton found that he could not understand this young Manderly at all. What on earth was he thinking? How much power did he have yet to show? For some reason, the Lord Marquis of the Dreadfort felt his back. Some chills.

In his heart, Robb Stark actually supported Clay's idea, although he knew it was too big a cake.

But his mother, Caitlin, held him back. Caitlin smiled and asked Clay:

"Lord Clay, can I understand that the Mandalay family is preparing to take over the Twins City and its surrounding areas?"

Unlike her son, she knew very well that she could not nod lightly on this matter, not to mention whether her husband would admit it when he came back. After all, this place belonged to the Riverlands, and she had to say a few words no matter what. of.

Clay knew that he could not eat the entire Marquis of Twins City in one sitting. Although the Mandalay family liked to eat, they still had indigestion when faced with such a large piece.

Therefore, Clay is going to take out some things to feed these noble men in the north to make himself look better.

But just as he was about to speak, a Stark guard walked into the hall and handed a volume of raven letters to Robb Stark.

When Robb Stark opened the letter and read it, his expression suddenly changed. After reading it, he threw the letter on the table and slowly said:

"My lords, I have just received the news that Stannis Baratheon, the two younger brothers of the late King Robert, declared himself the King of the Seven Kingdoms on Dragonstone and asked us to immediately go south to help him overthrow the throne of the false king. "

"Later, his brother Renly Baratheon also gained support from the Stormlands and the Reach in the south, and wore the crown surrounded by wine and flowers."

This news caused all the northern nobles who were still thinking about the ownership of Twin River City to change their minds.

Westeros suddenly has three kings, and everyone knows what this means.

Originally, something happened to Eddard Stark in King's Landing, and Robb Stark summoned his vassals to march south. This was originally a war between the Stark family and the Lannister family.

But now, with these two crowns, the Tyrell and Baratheon families have also ended up. Even Stannis from Dragonstone has gathered thousands of people to join the fight for the throne.

Only a month after Robert's death, Westeros was already torn apart.

The most embarrassing question now is, now that everyone has a king, what should we do in the north?

They are both Robert's brothers. How can one join forces to fight the other? Besides, Ed Stark's condition is unknown.

In an instant, some people's eyes fell on Robb Stark who was sitting there without saying a word.

The position of Twin River City must be won. As for whether eating it directly violates the previous rules among nobles, let me explain in detail later.

With the size of the Mandalay family, they would certainly not be able to eat the entire Frey family fiefdom in one go. That would only cause indigestion and create a lot of enemies out of thin air.

Another note: I've been feeling better recently. Yesterday, I worked part-time and coded 8,000 in one night. I finally filled out some of my shriveled manuscripts. Some readers didn't believe me!

How can it be repaired? When I come up with more codes, there will be more updates, I said so!