The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Chapter 567: Diplomatic Maneuvers

(Bonus Chapter, 4500 words)

*

The Mountain would not withdraw his troops without seeing some benefit.

If he withdrew, his prestige in the Westerlands and among the Ironborn would be greatly diminished.

This would undermine the Mountain's newly established dominance over the entire Westerlands and hinder the absolute establishment of his authority.

Kevan had colluded with the Ironborn to invade the Westerlands first, and the Mountain had sent troops to avenge it later.

The Mountain had the moral high ground!

Moreover, this time the Mountain's army had two additional forces: the Westerlands army and the Ironborn legion.

The sons of the great Westerlands nobles were all in the Mountain's army, including even the Lannisters of Casterly Rock and the Swyfts of Cornfield.

This battle had to be fought; it was a good plan to shake the last vestiges of Lannister's foundation in the Westerlands. It would damage the last bit of vitality of the Lannisters in the Westerlands—the awe of the common people and nobles towards the Lannister's authority would be shattered.

The Lannister family's authority had plummeted after Lord Tywin was captured alive in King's Landing by the Mountain. But like a centipede, the Lannisters still had roots in the Westerlands, like the roots of a large tree, deep and far underground.

The Mountain's sneak attack on Tywin at the Crossroads in the Riverlands was a hidden move and would not be known to the people of the Westerlands, so it would not shock and awe them; but leading troops to attack King's Landing, capturing Kevan, and killing him openly would awe the people of the Westerlands and destroy the Lannister family's foundation and last vestiges of authority in the Westerlands.

The Mountain had long decided that military and politics were like sailing against the current; if you don't advance, you retreat.

The Mountain must bravely move forward and never retreat!

This was not just about momentum but also the gears of fate.

Truth lies within the range of cannons.

The Mountain slowly finished reading Cersei's letter and handed it to Gratton Goodbrook to burn. This man, who had just become the Mountain's personal guard with his two twin brothers, was the heir to Hammerhorn and the future Lord of the Iron Islands. He stuffed the letter into his mouth again, chewing loudly, and swallowed it.

The accompanying generals all looked askance.

Even the fierce tribal leaders from Crackclaw Point looked at Gratton Goodbrook like a monster.

Was this Ironborn guard crazy?

Eating the letter just to avoid the trouble of taking out a flint and steel to light it?

Incomprehensible!

The Mountain said, "Maester Pycelle, help me reply to the Queen Mother. The Hand is a traitor, plotting to seize the power of the Regent and Protector of the Realm, a crime compounded by his previous offenses, and must be severely punished."

"For the sake of the Seven Kingdoms' laws and the dignity of the royal family, there is hope for peace in the country only if the Hand confesses his sins. The Mountain is loyal and devoted to the country and the people, without any personal ambitions. Yet Kevan colluded with the Ironborn to invade the Westerlands, attempting to annihilate my Westerlanders and the Clegane Legion. This is an unforgivable act of treason. Hand Kevan must not accept the judgment of the Mountain and the Clegane Legion but must accept a fair verdict under the laws of the realm. The Hand must bear full responsibility for the war in the Westerlands, or the Clegane Alliance will not retreat."

"As you command, Your Grace," Maester Pycelle said, bowing slightly on horseback.

"Write the letter on horseback," the Mountain instructed.

"Yes, Your Grace."

Pycelle, who had been a maester for many years, was writing for the first time on horseback.

After the letter was written, the Mountain dripped wax on the seal, stamped it with his family's sigil of the red-smoke beast and ice sword, and released the raven.

"Kermit Warner, go and summon the army's quartermaster with his ledger."

"As you command, Your Grace."

A moment later, Kermit Warner and the quartermaster rode up hastily from the rear supply train.

"Quartermaster, make three banners to be distributed to the vanguard, center, and rearguard. Write these words in large red letters on the banners: 'Swear to capture Kevan Lannister alive, forever loyal to Tommen Baratheon I!'

"As you command, Your Grace!" The quartermaster hurried away.

The army continued to advance.

*

Riverlands, Riverrun.

Randyll Tarly unfolded the raven's letter. It was from Lord Mace Tyrell. After reading the letter, Randyll Tarly found it a bit hard to believe.

The Mountain had gathered the Clegane forces, the Westerlanders, and the surrendered Ironborn, raising an army of twenty thousand to invade King's Landing. His slogan was to capture the traitor Kevan Lannister alive and forever be loyal to Tommen Baratheon I. Mace wanted Randyll Tarly to prepare for withdrawal, as the Hand needed Randyll Tarly to garrison King's Landing and defend against the Mountain's attack.

Randyll Tarly looked up at the rolling waters of the Red Fork River before him.

Although the flood had receded, the Red Fork and the Tumblestone River remained natural barriers for Riverrun.

Randyll Tarly had captured large swathes of land in the Riverlands but was unable to take Riverrun, the capital of the Riverlands.

On the north side of the Tumblestone River, Addam Marbrand led less than eight thousand Westerlands troops, setting up camp, digging trenches, blocking roads, and setting up defenses; on the south side of the Red Fork River, Randyll Tarly personally set up defenses. And on the west side of Riverrun, across the rolling moat, a five-thousand-strong Reach army was setting up defenses.

The moat was an artificial river, connecting the Tumblestone River to the north of Riverrun and the Red Fork River to the south. And on the east side of Riverrun, the Tumblestone River and the Red Fork River converged at one point, forming the surging mainstream of the Red Fork River.

Riverrun was like a triangular rocky fortress built in the middle of a large river.

Randyll Tarly's coalition was said to be besieging, but in reality, they were just setting up camps across the river and foolishly waiting for the soldiers and civilians in Riverrun to run out of food and descend into internal chaos. Randyll Tarly had once tried to organize a fleet to attack Riverrun, but Riverrun didn't even bother to respond. A hundred archers each at the north and south gates guarded the gates. Riverrun only had two large gates; the rest was towering cliffs that humans could not climb.

Randyll Tarly looked up into the distance. On the walls of Riverrun, the huge catapults were rows of dark shadows, as if they were sneering ghosts.

When Brynden Blackfish was in a good mood, the catapults would launch stone bullets over the river, landing on the riverbank with astonishing force. The soldiers on the riverbank had to retreat even further. As for the brave warriors who dared to sail ships to attack the city gates, they were purely targets for the catapults on the city walls. Even without catapults, Riverrun deliberately allowed the attacking fleet to safely reach the narrow gate, where only a small foothold of a few dozen people could jump ashore and stand—a few stone steps that had grown moss.

Riverrun, surrounded by water on three sides, prevented Randyll from setting up any siege equipment on the water. Relying on standing on a boat to attack the city gate? Whether the defending soldiers on the city gate shot arrows, poured down hot oil, or pushed down boulders, the soldiers on the boat could only fall to the ground to win.

Randyll Tarly already had the intention to retreat!

Only out of military orders and face, he could only stay in this riverbank camp where he could only seek survival but not death. The Mountain's invasion of King's Landing allowed Randyll Tarly to see the hope of withdrawing his troops back to the city, and he found himself faintly looking forward to it.

Good things came when they came. That night, Randyll Tarly received the Hand's order that the Reach and Westerlands coalition forces should quickly withdraw and garrison King's Landing.

Randyll Tarly immediately ordered an overnight withdrawal without delay.

When the soldiers received the news of the overnight withdrawal back to King's Landing, their cheers shook the sky, causing a large number of torches to be lit on the three sides of Riverrun's walls. Brynden Blackfish and Lord Edmure Tully personally climbed the city walls to watch. The torches illuminated the three sides of the city walls as if it were daylight.

*

At the same time, on the Gold Road, the Mountain's camp.

"Your Grace, the letter has been written," Maester Harry said softly.

"Let me see it!"

"Yes, Your Grace."

A moment later, a raven took flight, heading north.

*

Two nights later.

A raven landed on the window of the maester's tower in Winterfell, the capital of the North.

Maester Luwin was reading in the maester's tower. The book was almost as wide as his desk, filled with illustrations and records of many legends about the Stark ancestors and the Others from thousands of years ago in the North. Now that the Others were frequently appearing in the North, and Lord Eddard had led troops north to help the Night's Watch resist the Others and the Wildlings, this ancient book, forgotten in the library and covered in dust, had been found by Maester Luwin.

The raven landed on the window of the maester's tower. The sound of its wings flapping made Maester Luwin look up.

"Coo! Coo! Coo! Coo! Coo! Coo!" The raven kept calling, its head constantly bobbing up and down.

Luwin knew that the raven was hungry and was asking him for corn to eat.

Luwin closed the thick ancient book and grabbed a handful of corn, placing it on the table.

The raven flew down to the table and quickly pecked at the corn.

Maester Luwin took the letter from the raven's leg. The letter bore the sigil of the strange beast and sword that he had seen before. It was the Mountain's red-smoke beast and ice sword.

Ice, the ancestral sword passed down through generations of the Stark family, one of the famous swords of the Seven Kingdoms!

Luwin felt a pang of discomfort in his heart!

A short while later, Luwin appeared in the main keep and knocked on Robb Stark's bedroom door.

The door opened, and a wave of heat rushed out of the room, enveloping Maester Luwin, who was standing in the cold wind.

While the South was still scorching hot, here it was already freezing cold.

"Your Grace," Maester Luwin said, bowing slightly, his right hand placed over his heart on the left side of his chest.

As he spoke, white mist billowed from his mouth and nose.

Outside the door, snow was everywhere. The rooftops were covered in snow.

"Come in and talk," Robb said with a smile.

He had no airs of a king at all, still the same boy he had been before. Robb, wearing his pajamas, was very approachable.

The walls of Winterfell were hollow, with underground hot spring water flowing inside, so that Southerners would not feel cold at night.

Inside the room, a fireplace was burning.

"Yes, Your Grace."

Luwin entered the room. Queen Roslin Frey sat up from the couch, a bear pelt covering her chest. Her hand, grasping the pelt, was as white as jade, her fingers slender and long.

Roslin Frey, a noblewoman of both beauty and talent. Out of the hundreds of women in the entire Frey family, Roslin was the most beautiful, called the 'apple of his eye' by Walder Frey.

This pearl had married Robb Stark at the Red Wedding and was now pregnant.

The Northerners were rough and had few cumbersome rules. Maester Luwin was also an old maester of the Stark family, and although he had no blood ties, he was truly one of the family.

"Your Grace," Maester Luwin said, bowing slightly.

"Maester, please sit," Roslin said with a smile, beautiful and charming, like an angel.

"Thank you, Your Grace. I have brought a letter." The second sentence was addressed to Robb Stark.

Robb took the letter, saw the sigil of the red-smoke beast and ice sword on it, and knew that the letter was from the Mountain.

Robb broke the wax seal, unfolded the letter, read it, and said to Maester Luwin, "Maester, it is late. Please return."

"Yes, Your Grace!" Maester Luwin nodded to the king and queen and then walked out the door.

Outside the door, four guards were on duty, two of whom were from the Frey family: Olyvar Frey and Perwyn Frey.

Olyvar Frey was the eighteenth son of Lord Walder Frey, the fourth child of his sixth wife, Bethany Rosby.

He was a young man who was both enthusiastic and upright. During the war between Robb and the Westerlands, he had always served as Robb Stark's squire.

Ser Perwyn Frey was the fifteenth son of Lord Walder Frey and the first child born from Walder Frey's marriage to his sixth wife, Bethany Rosby. He was a close friend of Lord Edmure Tully of the Riverlands and had once been a womanizer with Edmure in many of the Riverlands' brothels. When the North and the Westerlands went to war, he, like Olyvar Frey, served as a squire by Robb's side.

When Robb Stark won the battle at the Red Wedding, he released Perwyn Frey from the dungeon, and Perwyn went north with his sister Roslin to serve as guards for the king and queen.

The other two guards were Northern knights, one of whom was the king's captain of the guard, Harris Moran.

Luwin nodded to the four guards one by one. The four guards all had smiles on their faces, and they were all very close to Maester Luwin.

Inside the room.

"Your Grace, may I know what has happened?" Roslin's voice was unique, with the softness and sweetness unique to women.

"The Mountain."

"The Mountain of the Westerlands?"

"Yes!"

"What did he say in the letter?"

"He wants us to send troops to help Uncle Edmure retake the Riverlands."

"Oh?!" Roslin said in disbelief.

"The Mountain said that Randyll Tarly, who is besieging Riverrun, will withdraw his troops to defend King's Landing, leaving the occupied territories of the Riverlands empty. As long as the North puts up the pretense of an expedition and mobilizes a small number of troops, falsely claiming to be twenty thousand Northern elites, the remaining garrison left behind by Randyll Tarly in the Riverlands will inevitably retreat."

"But we don't have enough manpower right now. The Wall still needs warriors to garrison it."

"The Mountain said that as long as someone carries the banner of the North into the Riverlands, the Reach garrison will collapse."

"Why is that?"

"The Mountain is leading twenty thousand men to attack King's Landing, and his slogan is to capture the traitor Kevan Lannister alive and forever be loyal to Tommen Baratheon I."

"The Mountain's target in attacking King's Landing is Kevan?" Roslin said in surprise.

"Yes."

"How is that possible?" Roslin's surprised voice was curved.

*

Robb shrugged. He knew that the Mountain had killed Tywin Lannister, so of course it was possible.

The Brotherhood Without Banners had been forced north, and after arriving at Winterfell, the Hound and Robb hardly spoke, but the red priest Thoros and Lord Beric Dondarrion of Blackhaven became friends with Robb. Robb learned from the red priest and the Lightning Lord that the real killer of Tywin was not the Brotherhood Without Banners but the Mountain and his Crackclaw Point cavalry.

This was the Mountain's shocking secret. As long as Robb publicized the Mountain's secret, the Mountain would immediately lose the support of the people in the Westerlands, and Cersei, Jaime, Kevan, and the Lannister forces in the Westerlands would inevitably be at odds with the Mountain forever.

However, the Mountain had done a service to the North. Robb warned the red priest and Lord Beric to keep the Brotherhood Without Banners in check and not reveal the true cause of Lord Tywin's death to outsiders.

Other groups might find it difficult to keep their mouths shut, but Beric's group could, because they all believed in the Red God. As the only channel of communication between the believers and the Red God, the red priest's orders in the name of the Red God were deeply ingrained in the minds of the believers.

*

"The Mountain wants us in the North to raise banners, spread false rumors, saying that although the North is independent, it still believes that Shireen Baratheon is the rightful heir to the Iron Throne, and that the North will unite with the Riverlands and the Vale to help Shireen Baratheon reclaim the Iron Throne."

Roslin listened in disbelief, her big eyes shining.

"The Mountain is only doing this to make Cersei and others feel apprehensive, and then the royal family in King's Landing will realize that they need the Mountain's legions."

"...The reasoning... seems... to be like that... but why should we help the Mountain create momentum to support him?"

Rosamund didn't know that the Mountain had done a service to the North. Lord Eddard's life had been saved by the Mountain.

"...Uh... the letter says... Sansa Stark is in his hands, and he has already decided to marry Sansa Stark to Raynald Westerling."

"What?" Roslin's voice was distorted!

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