Chapter 137 Lord Ed, welcome home

Eddard Stark felt like he had had a long dream. In the deepest dream, he saw himself riding a horse back to Winterfell, which he thought about day and night.

Rob greeted him at the door. The father and son were chatting and laughing. He saw that his eldest son had grown up, his beard had covered his face, and his voice was much thicker.

Oh, by the way, there was also that wolf, Gray Feng, who had grown bigger than a calf, but when he saw me, he still meekly allowed himself to stroke its gray-white fur.

The scene turned and Caitlin greeted him in her room. The two reunited after a long separation and hugged each other tightly, feeling each other's warmth.

Ed Stark's last memory was of the tightly closed window. Alas, Caitlin was still so afraid of the cold. She should have opened the window.

The next moment, he woke up from his dream.

The first person he saw when he opened his eyes was his enemy, Tywin Lannister. He stared at him blankly for a while, and Eddard Stark closed his eyes again.

…

Roose Bolton, the great northern nobleman who was suspected and guarded by Clay but was unspeakably loyal in this time and space, soon brought good news.

Duke Tywin had already agreed to the terms of the truce between the two sides. Surprisingly, the issue of ransom for the nobles of the Western Territory, which was originally at odds with the negotiations, ended up being agreed to by Tywin in this negotiation with only a little persistence.

Lord Karstark also joked that Roose Bolton's face was too pale. Tywin Lannister probably liked this and couldn't walk when he saw our Lord Bolton.

Everyone in the tent burst into laughter. Obviously, it was no small pleasure for them to discredit Lord Tywin, and Lord Roose Bolton, who was involved in it, did not mind Karstark's vulgar joke, because he was also very fond of it. Happy.

What he was happy about was not winning the war, but that after winning the war, he, as the special envoy of the Northern Territory, could steadily suppress the Western Territory during the negotiations. He liked this feeling very much, a feeling of victory.

After three long days, under the watchful eyes of nearly 40,000 people on both sides, the two sides completed the prisoner exchange. The Northern Territory took back their lord, while the Western Territory took back Lord Tywin's precious son. .

As for the dozen unlucky Western nobles, Duke Tywin promised that the ransom would be sent to Harrenhal as soon as possible and would be received by the Northern Territory.

The two parties separated very neatly, without a single unnecessary word. On the northern side, Robb Stark resisted the excitement of going up to check on his father's condition, and led everyone back to his camp quickly.

On Tywin's side, Renly Baratheon's troops have passed the Bitter Bridge, and the army is advancing directly towards the empty King's Landing.

Tywin didn't have time to tangle with the North here, so he quickly led his people back to King's Landing to set up defenses, and dispatched a heavy cavalry of two thousand people to quickly return to the West along the Golden Road.

The cavalry does not play a big role in defending the city. It is better to send it to the West to put out the fire and hope that useless Staffer Lannister will lead a bunch of new recruits who have never seen blood to fight with Victarion Grey. The iron fleet led by Joey was no different from dying.

Among the two thousand people, Lord Tywin added his precious son Jaime Lannister, who had just been exchanged for him. After scolding his son, Tywin gave the dejected Sir Jaime the answer. :

"You will return to the West with my two thousand cavalry and become the acting city lord of Casterly Rock. I want you to understand that if the two brothers of the Baratheon family can tolerate each other's existence for the time being, they will attack Xiao Qiao together. King's Landing."

Tywin paused, his tone extremely serious and serious:

"By that time, the connection between Casterly Rock City and King's Landing will definitely be cut off, and your task is very simple. Drive those Ironborn people into the sea for me. Then, if I don't hold King's Landing, I will let Xiao Joe banishes you from the Kingsguard."

Looking at the eldest son who was suddenly stunned, Tywin's face showed no change, as if the situation in front of him was not serious at all:

"Whether it is Renly or Stannis, it is unlikely that Xiao Qiao will survive. I will not surrender. Tywin Lannister has never surrendered to anyone in his life, but you are different. After I die, you He is the Duke of Casterly Rock. Whoever wins at that time, you can just lead your family and become his vassal."

Jaime Lannister opened his mouth and wanted to say something. Countless words suddenly came to his mouth, but he could not say a word. The father and son were silent for a long time, and then Jaime asked with difficulty:

"What about Tyrion? He has nothing to do with these things. Let him come with me."

An almost imperceptible smile appeared on Lord Tywin's face, and he calmly answered his son's question about the fate of his other son:

"James, I'm glad you asked. This is the family. Remember this, no matter what, the flag of the Lannister family will fly on the top of Casterly Rock. That's enough."

"As for Tyrion, although he is a dwarf sent by the gods to punish me, your brother is smarter than you. In King's Landing, he will help me guard that stinking city."

"If you insist, I will send someone to help him break out when the city is broken. As for how you, the Duke of Casterly Rock, deal with your younger brother, that is no longer my problem."

While the father and son, Tywin and James, were explaining the follow-up arrangements of the Lannister family in a condescending tone, the people in the north were beaming and singing.

After picking up Eddard Stark, the northern soldiers could clearly see that the Lannister army that had been blocking them began to quickly pack up and prepare to retreat south.

However, the Lannister army retreated in an orderly manner and did not give the Northern Army any chance to attack. When the last golden lion flag disappeared from sight and the forward Northern Infantry had entered Harrenhal, they cheered. The sound resounded throughout the entire northern camp.

Robb Stark's infantry all entered the city, and Clay's seven thousand cavalry were scattered outside the city, ready to defend against possible Lannister carbine attacks.

But no matter what, this is the first dinner after entering the city. Clay, a great hero with outstanding military achievements, must come to attend.

At night, in the original hall of the He'an family, the heads of the North were making a loud noise. Originally, they were a little worried, but when they saw Eddard Stark sitting firmly with the help of Rob, After sitting on the main seat, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems that Lord Ed is not seriously injured, so he is relieved.

Although Eddard Stark himself became a prisoner, and the two to three hundred Northern Guards who followed him south suffered all casualties, no one in the north thought that Lord Stark had done something wrong.

Ed Stark is still the undisputed Lord of the North, but he cannot go south again in the future. Everyone's heart cannot bear another blow.

Ed Stark himself felt that he was in good spirits. Although his body was still a little hot and he had no strength at all, he believed that as long as he returned to Winterfell, he would get better soon.

The Northerner's physical recovery ability has always been very good, and he firmly believes that he must be like this too.

"My lords, thank you for helping my son in this war and allowing him to safeguard the honor of the Stark family. In the name of the old and new gods, Ed Stark, thank you all here."

The northern nobles and a few riverland nobles who came with Clay all spoke to express their exaggeration. When it was Clay's turn, he just said:

"Lord Ed, welcome home."

He felt that this might be the sentence that best suited Ed Stark's heart. Wasn't the journey that supported him all the way from King's Landing to his eventual rescue the most fundamental desire to go home?

Ed Stark recognized Clay. Although the Mandalay kid was sitting closer than Russ Bolton, which made Ed Stark a little strange, his impression of Clay still remained. That impulsive boy from Winterfell.

Ed Stark just smiled weakly at him and didn't take it seriously, but soon he discovered that Clay Mandler's status here seemed to be unusually high.

Whoever he talked to, no matter who the other person was talking to, would immediately shut up and listen to Clay Mandler honestly. No one showed any displeasure, which seemed to be the way it should be.

At first he thought it was an exception, but after careful observation, he realized that Clay Mandler's status in this hall was probably the same as his seat, second only to his son. Down.

This is definitely not normal. It seems that something must have happened that I don't know about. But now is obviously not a good time to ask. Wait until you have recovered and then ask more carefully.

After escaping death this time, Eddard Stark still supported Stannis's claim to the throne in his heart, but he could not force his son to attack Duke Tywin and drag out the false king in King's Landing and behead him. .

Clay Manderly was right about one thing. It was time to go home. No matter what, this war was now between the three kings named Baratheon. It was a war in the north. It's over for now.

He couldn't drink much, and his body was still too weak. The wound on his leg was still hurting. Although he was in good spirits, he still needed to rest.

I came out to meet today just to reassure everyone. Let Rob handle the rest. He has grown up...

When Eddard Stark slowly left the banquet under the concerned eyes of everyone, and was slowly supported away by Lady Catelyn, whose eyes were red and swollen from crying, the banquet scene quickly reached its climax after a moment of silence.

Lord Ed is fine, and the old lion has been repelled. It can be said that the northern army has achieved a complete victory this time when it goes south. Most of them have no idea about the upcoming war in King's Landing. interest.

But what to do next depends on Rob's idea. Lord Ed is not in good health right now. It's better for him to worry less about the war.

"Lord Rob, what should we do next? Just sit here and watch the city of King's Landing in the south that smells of shit and urine. Let the two Baratheon kings and the Lannister king fight to death, and finally win. Do we call him King?"

Earl Karstark suddenly shouted, and the lively banquet scene fell silent. Clay, who was sitting next to Rob, looked at the expressions on the faces of every noble in the north, and all he saw was disdain.

This is a very interesting thing.

The words of Earl Karstark represent the common mentality of most nobles in the north, that is, none of the three people in the south who hold the title of king can be recognized by them in their hearts.

First of all, that blond-haired Lannister evil king, if you hit the northerners with your sword on their shoulders, they will all scratch their necks and spit at you. It is simply a dream to want them to recognize such a person as their king.

Besides, he holds an army of 100,000 and is currently the most powerful king in the Seven Kingdoms. Although Renly Baratheon has a good reputation and has a strong army, to the people of the north, this king has the warmth of the south. The smell was too strong and incompatible with the bitter cold in the north.

Finally, there is Stannis, whom Eddard Stark has clearly expressed his support for. To be honest, compared to the other two, the Northerners can still hold their noses and accept this if they are worse than the other two.

But here’s the problem, why should the people in the north accept it? They are now united with the forces of the Riverlands, and their total strength has exceeded 30,000. Why should they surrender their allegiance to Stannis, an island lord, and then fight to the death for an enemy whose name they cannot even name?

People always have a purpose in doing things, and they want spoils and they have spoils, and apart from this, the Northerners really can't find a reason for them to charge for Stannis's stag dynasty.

Moreover, I heard that Stannis bulldozed the churches of the Seven Gods, made a witch from Essos the bishop, and believed in R'hllor, the Lord of Light.

Now, the taste of King Stannis was not right, and the people in the North felt even more uncomfortable.

Therefore, Karstark's question is not without purpose. With the Seven Kingdoms in such chaos, no matter what happens in the north, it is impossible to immediately put the swords and guns in the warehouse and release the horses to the south.

The next step is to return north to harvest food first, or to continue to block here and wait and see what happens. There should be a plan. Moreover, once the northern army withdraws, what will happen to the Riverlands?

With Edmure Tully's ability to lead troops, even a hundred thousand men would not be enough for him to hold such a large area of ​​the Riverlands. Moreover, once he is defeated, as an ally, will the Northern Army march south again? ?

Once the army disperses and the soldiers return to their warm rooms with enough loot and look at their wives and sons, how determined will they be to follow the lord south and fight to the death again?

If you want to solve the problem and avoid falling into this passive situation, you need the big shots to make arrangements in advance. The thoughtful adults in the north are all aware of this, but it was only Count Karstark who said it.

"Lord Karstark, you must understand that we cannot easily choose between Renly and Stannis. Our northerners' home is north of the Neck, and we don't care about things in the south."

Robb Stark's answer seemed to say nothing. However, when he answered this question, he remembered what Clay said during the negotiation:

"Rob, I support you to become the King of the North..."

This title echoed repeatedly in his mind, lingering, and young Stark suddenly realized, why can't we in the north choose our own king?

A true king!