Chapter 140 Where to go next?

Eddard Stark did not stay in the Twins for too long. After repeatedly giving orders to Lord Wyman, asking him to find Arya Stark as soon as possible, he and his son Robb Stark set off towards the north. go.

The army in the north urgently needs to return home. The very important food in the fields is waiting for them to harvest. If it is too late, all the food will rot in the ground.

Even Lady Catelyn, who was most worried about her daughter, did not stop her husband's decision. After being married to Eddard Stark for so many years, she had already understood how fragile the food security in the North was.

The clan motto that the Starks have chanted for generations for thousands of years: "Winter is coming" is not an empty talk. Without enough food, under the most severe circumstances, one-third of the people in the North will survive. But winter.

Therefore, all Starks in the past, whether he is the King of the North or the Duke of Winterfell, have regarded harvesting food as a top priority. Even during the Dance of the Blood Dragons, Duke Cregan Stark of the North, After carefully harvesting the food in the fields, they slowly and leisurely went south to participate in the war.

Now, this problem is placed in front of Eddard Stark and his son Robb Stark. They have no choice but to immediately lead their army back north to collect food.

White Harbor, with its wealth and rent and almost monopolizing trade between the Northern Territory and the Narrow Sea, hardly worries about this problem. For the Trade City Gang on Essos, food has never been a problem, as long as you can afford it. They are satisfied with the price.

Moreover, the Mandalay family, represented by Earl Wyman, controls the Twin River City, which means that once there is a food problem in the north, the Mandalay family can control the price of food in the north.

If Winterfell doesn't directly intervene, there won't be enough food in the north. Only I, White Harbor, have food. Do you want to buy it or not?

Not long after Ed Stark left, five thousand cavalry led by Clay arrived under the Twins.

Looking at the mermaid flag fluttering in the wind over the Twins, Clay felt a little dazed. The last time he came here, the Frey family was still here and arrogant, but now, he is the master of this city. .

At the gate of the city, the army was stationed. Clay did not let the army enter the city because the cavalry deviated from the King's Road and were only repairing here. Tomorrow morning, after the army had eaten and drank enough, they would continue to march north.

After arranging many matters for defense and camp, Clay took Sir Malone and the two rode through the east gate of Twins City.

In the hall, Clay only saw the old man and his sister Vera, who was fighting with chicken wings and had a greasy mouth. He did not see his sister Wilfield.

The old man was still the same, always holding a bottle of very good summer red in his hand, enjoying a comfortable life. Suddenly he saw his grandson coming in, choked on the wine, and coughed violently.

Clay had no choice but to walk a few steps behind the old man and patted him. When the old man calmed down, he found a seat and sat down as if he were in the old man's study. He opened a bottle of wine himself and drank too much.

Vera glanced at the two drunkards, then looked at her grilled chicken wings, and thought the chicken wings were better, so she decided to ignore these two people for now, said hello to her brother, hugged her plate and left. hall.

The little girl is simple-minded, but she also knows that at this time, her brother and grandpa must have something important to say, and the affairs between the nobles will have an impact on her.

He closed the door thoughtfully, leaving two evil-looking grandfather and grandson in the hall who only cared about themselves. Finally, after feeling that they were already a little drunk, the two of them put down their glasses in unison and looked at each other in silence.

Finally, the two laughed loudly and bumped the wine bottles together. This was the unique way of greeting grandfather and grandson.

"Not bad boy, really good. I really didn't see it before. You actually have such a strong battlefield talent. Tsk tsk. In one battle, you killed more than 10,000 Duke Tywin. By the Seven Gods, I think now. It’s incredible even thinking about it.”

The old man's tone was rather sighing. He was slightly older than Tywin. He had seen the Duke of Casterly Rock from beginning to end and had performed on the stage of the Seven Kingdoms for so many years.

Count Weiman felt deeply about his skill, his iron-bloodedness, and his ruthlessness.

But such a big shot from the Seven Kingdoms was beaten to the bone by his grandson in a battle. He was forced to sit at the negotiation table and was no longer as strong and domineering as before.

There is also the Twin River City. The old man never dreamed that he would become the master of the Twin River City. When Clay's letter first arrived in White Harbor, he thought it was his grandson joking with him.

The Seven Gods, do you know how big the territory and population of Twin River City is? This kid really doesn't miss any opportunity for his own ambition.

"Grandpa, this is the biggest trophy of my trip south. How about it? Are you satisfied?"

The old man did not respond to his grandson's words, but opened another bottle of wine for him and pushed it down into his grandson's hand. After thinking about it, the old man asked:

"Boy, you have to tell me what you are thinking next. Now everything in the family must match your actions. This time you have accumulated military merit and popularity in the war, and also made the family great. It’s expanded, but boy, it’s not enough.”

Clay nodded. Of course he knew what the old man meant by not being enough, because no matter how much contribution Clay made, he belonged to the Northern Territory system. The more contributions he made, the more he would be in this system. The deeper it sinks.

Galesos is growing up day by day, and there will come a time when the little Sister Island will no longer be able to accommodate it. At that time, how will the Mandalay family live in the Seven Kingdoms and in the North?

This is an issue that must be considered. Before going south, the old man went to Changjie Island to see Galesos. When he saw the huge figure soaring in the sky, his breathing almost froze.

The dragon grew so fast, from being the size of an arm when Clay left, it has now become a behemoth that is twice as big as the largest horse, with a wingspan that casts a large shadow on the ground.

Although the big blue-gold guy is dangerously unnoticed, if it continues to grow at this rate, the dragon will have to eat more in order to grow. By that time, it will have no choice but to leave here.

Therefore, as the owner of Clay's Galesos, Clay must make a decision. Due to the huge symbolic significance of the dragon, this will inevitably affect the future direction of the Mandalay family.

"Grandpa, when this matter is over, I will return to White Harbor, then go to Sister Island, take Galesos with me, and leave Westeros for a while."

Clay thought about it, hesitated again and again, and finally decided to tell the old man in advance.

The old man opened his eyes wide. Clay's answer was completely beyond his expectation. He immediately asked:

"Where to go? If you leave Westeros at this time, what will happen if there is another war?"

Clay knew that the old man was right to ask, but there were some things he had to do, and he had no better time.

"Grandpa, I am going to Essos to meet someone."

"who?!"

"Daenerys Targaryen, the Mad King's daughter, an exile from House Targaryen."

Hearing this name, the old man's pupils suddenly shrank. Being well versed in the rules of the aristocratic game, he immediately realized what his grandson wanted to do. After a long time, the old man spoke with difficulty:

"Do you...want to revive the Targaryen dynasty and put the Mad King's daughter back on the throne, with your dragons?"

"No, her dragon too."

At Clay's words, the old man suddenly raised his head. He didn't know about Daenerys giving birth to three dragons. In fact, few people in Westeros knew about it.

"What do you mean? Could it be that...she...this is impossible!"

"Nothing is impossible, grandpa, you are not in the south, and you don't know some news. I have no choice but to go this time."

"Do you know where she is?"

The old man already felt that his head could not keep up. The grandson in front of him was not thinking about Westeros, but in the territory of the Seven Kingdoms.

"I'll know when I get there."

"Then when you see her, what are you going to do? Find her out of those barbarian tents?"

The old man didn't know yet that Khal Drogo was dead, but Clay knew it better than anyone else.

"Grandpa, the horse king is dead. I want to bring her back. I don't care whether she has had a man or even a child. What I want is the top of her head. That top is better than Stannis. Blue The stream of ritual is a much brighter crown.”

"You are right, grandpa. My Mandalay family has had no choice since the moment Galesos was born. So, why don't I take a big gamble?"

Clay knew that his words would take a long time for the old man to digest, but there was nothing he could do. Not to mention whether the current Galesos could defeat Daenerys's three dragons in a one-on-one fight. Even if he won, what's the use? Woolen cloth?

Legal principles have a very strong market in Westeros. The Targaryen family ruled the Seven Kingdoms for three hundred years. Although it collapsed, the concept of the red dragon flag on a black background representing the royal family is still buried in people's subconscious.

If Clay uses Daenerys as a Targaryen to deal with the nobles of the Seven Kingdoms, the resistance will be much smaller, and, if nothing else, Dorne will directly become their natural ally.

Moreover, the surname Targaryen means the strongest claim to the Iron Throne. Why the Seven Kingdoms fell apart immediately after the death of Robert I has a strong connection with the fact that the person on the throne is not named Targaryen.

When the Targaryen king dies, the next Targaryen succeeds. This is a matter of course, and logic is the authority of law. However, after Robert I came to the throne, the logic of succession quietly changed, because this is called winner-take-all.

This gave a hint to the nobles of the Seven Kingdoms. Anyway, your Baratheon family also relied on rebellion to rise to power. It relied on nothing more than military strength. So why can't I, as long as I have troops?

The identity of the king is no longer sacred, because it is only linked to the number of troops. Westeros is now divided into pieces, which is the final product of this logic.

"Clay, tell me, you will marry her, right? What about your last name? I don't want to see my only heir become a Targaryen."

The old man was silent for a long time, and suddenly asked his grandson in a faint tone. This was the question he was most concerned about in his heart. At this moment, he had accepted his grandson's idea, but he had to consider the inheritance of the family.

"No, Clay Mandler, this is my name. Even if it is a god, it will not change. What I want is her crown, but I will never surrender to her."

Seeing the old man's quietly relieved expression, Clay made a joke:

"Don't worry, grandpa, even if she is as beautiful as the legend, she is still the same to me. If the daughter of the Frey family could bring me a crown, I would be the son-in-law of the Frey family long ago."

The old man smiled and clinked the bottle with his grandson. He had to digest this idea. Frankly speaking, he thought he was ready before. His granddaughter Wilfield had already followed the Starks to Winterfell. .

This was the result that he, Duke and Duchess Stark agreed to, and the specific meaning of it was clear to anyone who had a little understanding of this matter between nobles.

In the original arrangement of the old man, through this move and the friendship between Clay and Rob, the relationship between the Manderly and Stark families was completely tied up, just like the Stark and Tully families before .

Later, when Clay returns, the existence of dragons and the support of Tully and the Stark family will make his situation much better.

Didn’t that stupid woman Lysa Tully keep out all threats with a bloody door? But now, dragons are back in the Eyrie's backyard.

Lord Wyman believed that Lysa Tully would make her precious son Robert Arryn surrender to the new Dragon King. After taking the Vale, only the half-dead Westlands and the endless civil war were left in the Seven Kingdoms. Stormland.

As for the Reach, where the birds are singing and the flowers are fragrant, under the threat of the dragon, they must still remember what the raging prairie war was like.

In the end, there was only one Dorn left. At worst, he would send them the heads of the Magic Mountain. I believed that Prince Doran of Flowing Water Palace would not argue with him.

But now, my plan and my grandson must be completely conservative and stop being conservative. I have been focusing on Westeros and completely ignored Essos on the other side of the Narrow Sea.

With Targaryen's claim, not to mention anything else, Dorne will definitely stand behind him unconditionally. If what Sun Tzu said is true, then the number of dragons will no longer be one. This is a completely different concept. .

Earl Wyman carefully considered all possibilities. As the head of the family, he must use his sixty years of experience to give the most reasonable suggestions.

As night fell, the candles in the hall burned slowly, and the old man's pensive face was hidden in the candlelight. He drank bottle after bottle of wine. Anyone who knew him well knew that this was the old man's habit when he was thinking.

Clay didn't rush him, and drank wine himself, quietly waiting for the old man to think. At least this night, he had plenty of time.

Finally, the old man drank a bottle of wine. The purple-red wine had completely wet his collar, but he didn't care.

He took a deep breath, looked at his smiling grandson, and asked through gritted teeth:

"Hurry, you will leave with the troops tomorrow, then return to White Harbor immediately, and take the dragon directly to Essos. You don't need to worry about it here.

"I have a hunch that the peace in the north is temporary. Clay, you must return to your family before war breaks out again."

"Definitely, I promise."

Clay said.