The Mountain of Ice and Fire

The next morning, the courtiers who filled the Great Hall were discussing the burning of the Riverlands' granary, three hundred miles away. Many people surrounded Eddard Stark, inquiring about the details.

Eddard Stark's eyes were bloodshot, and his face was tired. He hadn't slept all night. "My lords, last night I only traveled a hundred miles west before stopping. I didn't even reach the Kneeling Man. We were still hundreds of miles away from the center of the fire. At dawn, merchants and fishermen traveling down the Red Fork River said that the fire was in the plains outside Riverrun. It is said that the rice paddies, forests, and villages on the plains were all burned, and the exact number of casualties is unknown."

"Lord Eddard, did you send a raven to Riverrun?" Duke Renly smiled. Renly was wearing a silk robe with vertical silver threads, looking elegant and noble. He chuckled softly, not taking the fire to heart at all.

Renly's territory was the Stormlands, which bordered the Reach of the Tyrell family. The Stormlands' grain harvest was self-sufficient, and its population was the second largest in the Seven Kingdoms. Even if the Riverlands were burned to the ground, it would not affect the Stormlands' people's food supply.

"I released the raven as soon as I returned this morning!" Eddard Stark was very dissatisfied with Renly's frivolity, but he didn't show it on his face. His frozen rock-like expression made it difficult to see into his heart.

The courtiers in the hall were talking, but the King and Queen had not yet gotten up.

Last night, the King didn't know which woman he had held to conduct 'national affairs education,' and the truth was that Queen Cersei had gotten up early, but she was too lazy to pay attention to the courtiers in the hall. The royal courtiers and accompanying nobles were all chattering, annoying crows.

Queen Cersei had argued with the King last night, and the tearing battle caused by Prince Joffrey ended perfectly with her and Joffrey losing completely. She was too lazy to care about a fire, especially since it wasn't burning the Westerlands, but the Riverlands.

Honestly, Cersei thought the fire was too small. The fire that started in the Riverrun plains didn't even reach the Kneeling Man, about a hundred miles away, which was a bit of a pity. If it could burn all the way from the Riverrun plains, and the strong wind last night didn't stop for a moment, blowing all the way through the forests of High Heart, all the way to Harrenhal and the town of Harroway, that would be even better. That beauty would surely surpass the fireworks at the King's coronation.

Queen Cersei was drinking bacon soup in the Earl's backyard, eating honey-covered bread, Sarah, and all kinds of delicious snacks, listening to the servants' hearsay plus conjecture and wishful thinking exaggeration, and her mood became better and better.

In the hall, the mastermind of the fire, the Mountain, looked at the various schadenfreude expressions of the courtiers and nobles, and listened to some painless regrets. He had a deeper understanding of the false concern and cold estrangement between the nobles.

No one would suspect that the fire was related to the Mountain, because the person was right here. Nevertheless, the Mountain knew that accusations about him would soon come from Riverrun. But he wasn't worried at all. He could get away with it perfectly, because those who could testify for him included not only so many courtiers and local nobles, but also the Prime Minister and the King.

The Mountain predicted that the Tully family who came to question him must be the young and self-confident Greatjon Umber. Although this young man was good, he was not in the Mountain's eyes. However, his uncle, Brynden "Blackfish" Tully, was a ruthless character who was difficult to deal with. However, hehe, Blackfish was not in Riverrun because of his bad relationship with his brother Hoster Tully, but was in the Vale under the control of Lysa Tully, serving as a Knight of the Gate.

The Riverlands had resourceful and brave nobles and generals, but no commander who could control the overall situation, unless Blackfish Brynden Tully returned to Riverrun.

In the crowd, the Mountain saw the Hound. Today, he was wearing simple leather armor, with a long sword hanging from his waist, and his expression was cold. The left half of his face, burned by the fire, was very ugly. This was one of the works of the young Mountain.

Four Kingsguard stood in a row, guarding the 'throne' that had no king at all. The Mountain looked at these four famous white-robed Kingsguard and thought these four people were four jokes. Ser Barristan Selmy, the fearless, in addition to his martial arts and loyalty, was also a member of the Small Council, the only minister in the Small Council who could raise any questions and oppose anyone, and had the privilege of exemption from punishment.

But this guy's political level was not much different from that of a three-year-old child. Unless someone told him who was a loyal minister and who was a traitor, he would be loyal to all of them indiscriminately!

As for Mandon Moore, he was gloomy, vicious, and taciturn. No one would know what he was thinking, but just a beautiful little virgin, or Queen Cersei opening her legs a little, could make him kneel. In the original trajectory of this world, in the future Battle of the Blackwater, this guy would kill Tyrion Lannister, leaving a lifelong medal of honor—a scar—on Tyrion's face.

Not to mention Marin Trant, a straw bag with no sense of knightly honor, and Joffrey's main thug for torturing Sansa in the future.

Ser Jaime Lannister, the most handsome on the far left, also had excellent swordsmanship. Hmm, a guy who was obsessed with his sister. As for his man's career, all his efforts were between Cersei's legs.

The Mountain's gaze moved to behind the 'throne,' where the King's Justice, Ilyn Payne, stood staring, but his eyes had no focus. This guy looked extremely terrifying, and everyone feared him, but the Mountain thought he was a walking corpse. Apart from killing, life had no other fun.

Finally, after a long time, the fat King appeared with a refreshed look. The courtiers and nobles swished to make way, and the four Kingsguard guarding the 'throne' also separated from them, making way, and respectfully invited the King to take his seat.

King Robert looked very energetic, as if the unhappiness of yesterday had not happened at all.

"What happened?" The King took the golden cup respectfully handed over by the cupbearer Lancel Lannister. The cup was filled with fine wine that could anesthetize his mind and body.

The King was still sensitive. As soon as he came in, he could feel that something might have happened.

The Mountain felt that if being a king also required clocking in for work, King Robert's salary would be deducted every month.

"Last night, a fire broke out in the Riverrun plains, destroying countless fertile fields, forests, and villages," Eddard Stark said.

"Oh?!" The King was obviously stunned for a moment. "Did the ravens from Riverrun arrive? How many people died?"

Coincidentally, Maester Lucious hurriedly appeared at the gate, holding a wax-sealed letter in his hand.

"Your Majesty, I just received a raven letter from Riverrun." Maester Lucious handed the letter to Ser Barristan Selmy, the fearless. The letter was received by the captain of the Kingsguard and then handed over.

The four Kingsguard were the King's line of defense. If it was in the throne hall of King's Landing, they were the Seven Brothers, seven people lined up on the steps of the Iron Throne.

Robert took the letter, opened it, and looked at the tallest, most majestic, and fierce Mountain in the crowd.

The Mountain looked back at His Majesty. Needless to say, the Mountain already knew the contents of the letter. The Tully family of Riverrun accused him of setting the fire.

The fire was indeed set by the Mountain, but he didn't light it himself, that's all!

"The Mountain, Ser Edmure Tully is leading a thousand warriors from the Riverlands to capture you," Robert said. "Many people saw your figure in the fire last night."

Why did the substitute who set the fire have to disguise himself as the Mountain? Couldn't he disguise himself as anyone else? Isn't this asking for trouble?

Yes, this is deliberately leaving loopholes to attract hatred!

To start stirring up the winds and clouds of the Seven Kingdoms, and to agitate the biaozi (to be a whore) while also erecting a monument to virtue, you must first attract hatred and let others get excited!

The Thirty-Six Stratagems of Chinese culture, treasure books on military strategy, such as Sun Tzu's Art of War, Sun Bin's Art of War, Wu Zi, Six Secret Teachings, Wei Liao Zi, Sima Fa, Tai Bai Yin Jing, Hu Qian Jing, Ji Xiao Xin Shu, Lian Bing Shi Ji, and Outline of Battle Formations, etc., although I only read a little bit of the surface during my university years, purely as extracurricular entertainment, the Mountain is very sure that taking some of the surface to deal with these semi-pastoral and semi-agricultural civilization bumpkins is no problem!