Chapter 202 Autumn is short

Clay vaguely felt that something was wrong. In the previous war, everyone, including him, ignored the variable of the valley, but this time Roose Bolton and Meech Severn never returned, but Clay heard about it. Got some other flavors.

But now, for Clay, the first priority is to bring his precious 30,000 captives back to White Harbor. The interests of the Mandalay family come first, and the interests of the North are now far behind. .

Going south along the White Knife River, Clay couldn't do it even if he wanted to notify Robb Stark as soon as possible. He didn't have a raven in his hand, and he couldn't contact Robb Stark who didn't know where he was.

In this case, it is not his own problem. Anyway, the main force of the cavalry has been handed over to Earl Glover. No one can accuse him of being self-respecting. The worst thing is that he is too concerned about his own problems.

But in fact, this is definitely not a charge that can attract hostility, because everyone thinks so. Everyone has a dirty butt. If you really use this charge to convict a noble, it will be a very bad start.

By the time Clay's horse hooves stepped into the huge white gate of White Harbor, another half month had passed. This was the result of Clay's urging, and the savages were afraid of being killed and did not dare to resist.

Uncle Willis, who had been waiting there for a long time, received Clay. Clay had already sent a letter to bring the situation to Willis as quickly as possible. After all, he was the chief steward of the Manderly family in White Harbor. This kind of thing is not suitable for a soldier like Clay to do.

"Uncle, these prisoners will be left to you. Take good care of them. Except for five thousand people, try to arrange the rest. If it doesn't work, didn't we clear out the Three Sisters Islands? Those who don't obey will be punished. Transport it up to them, since the fleet is here anyway, they can’t escape.”

In the Mandalay family hall in White Harbor, Clay, who could finally take a breath, explained to his uncle what was going to happen next.

Willis Manderly certainly agrees with Clay's idea. In fact, only White Harbor in the entire Northern Territory can temporarily accommodate such a large number of captives, because the population base is here.

If you were to replace any small castle with a population of only a few thousand, and bring 30,000 people there at once, it would not be certain who would still be the owner of that land after a while.

"Clay, I have no problem here. It is not difficult to arrange them. Moreover, I have observed that most of them are women, which makes it easier. There are also quite a few men living alone in White Harbor."

Clay nodded. His uncle Willis was also an understanding person. Although this batch of prisoners of war nominally belonged to the entire North, everything had changed since Clay took a turn in Winterfell.

This is something you can't eat in Winterfell. Since I took it away, you can't even think about getting it back.

Of course Willis understood this truth, so he did not say at all that he would keep these people and wait until the war was over to divide them up. It was only right to eat them quickly in his stomach.

"Uncle, try to pick the ones with better quality and distribute them to our potential recruits. Our family's current military strength is still too small. We only have so many people in Baigang to have an army. It's not enough."

Clay reminded him, although Williams didn't understand what he said. He didn't understand that the family already had an army of 4,000 people outside. Isn't this enough?

But everyone in the Mandalay family knows that Clay is the core of the family's future, so family members have never asked so many questions about his words as long as it is not a matter of principle.

"Okay, I will tell them that if they are given women, they will be obliged to obey the family's call and go to the battlefield at any time."

"Well, that's enough. Uncle, how is the construction of our fleet going?"

Clay asked another question. There was no need for politeness between them. It was most comfortable to talk briefly and to the point.

"It's still the same. Only five new ships have been launched this year. After all, shipbuilding is not about building armor. The time span has always been very long. You can't rush. Just wait."

Willis smiled. He fully supported Clay on the matter of Clay spending his money on building ships and expanding the Mandalay family's fleet. After all, trade was far more important than land in the Mandalay family's financial income.

A large fleet, in addition to having more ships to participate in the trade itself, strong force will also reduce the cost of the trade itself, thereby increasing the profits of the Mandalay family.

…

Clay did not stay in White Harbor for long. After confirming that Uncle Willis had indeed arranged the thirty thousand people in an orderly manner, Clay's attention returned to the southern battlefield again.

After thinking about it, Clay decided to send a letter to Daenerys of Dorne. Neither of them were hypocritical people, and the content of the letter had almost no topics of emotional exchange.

Clay wants to remind Daenerys to speed up the integration of Dorne. He has a hunch that the war in Westeros has undergone some unexpected changes, and some arrangements must be made in advance.

After arranging everything, Clay took the troops who were following him back to White Harbor, took the fastest route directly from White Harbor, and headed toward the southwest of Biting Bay.

With Bite Bay having become the inner bay of the Mandalay family, the downwind sailing was extremely smooth. We encountered many Mandalay family fleets along the way. After recognizing Clay, all the fleets paid tribute at sea. .

The pirates were never seen again, for they either sank to the bottom of Biting Bay or fled across the Channel to escape this deadly place.

When Clay arrived at the Twins City, he found that there was no army at all. In the entire Twins City, except for the two thousand infantry and cavalry left by the Mandalay family to defend the city, there was not a single soldier. They all followed Luo. Bur Stark went to war.

Fortunately, the old man was still staying in the Twins City, and Robb Stark was also a kind man. After discovering that the Mandalay family still fully supported him, he gave Wilfield Manderly as a hostage Returned.

Clay didn't have time to care about his sister at the moment. He came directly to the old man's study to find him. He had to know the situation on the southern battlefield as soon as possible. After all, he didn't have an army on his hands now.

"Grandpa, it's just the two of us here. I'll just say something straightforward."

In the humid tower, the fireplace was burning brightly, and the heat slightly dissipated the faint musty smell in the room. Clay and Earl Wyman sat opposite each other. On the table between them, there was...a large row of empty bottles. .

"Okay! You tell me, there are no outsiders anyway. I know that your kid has been holding it in for a long time. A real dragon is crawling on the ground. It's impossible not to be a coward. Tell me. You can't tell others anyway, otherwise, you will be scared to death. them."

The old man chuckled and touched Clay with the wine bottle, making a crisp sound.

Under the illumination of the fire, the old man's already healthy face looked even more rosy. This year, he witnessed his family's lightning-like rise under the leadership of his grandson without anyone noticing.

If it were true, it would span the entire Biting Bay, covering an area equal to most of the Riverlands, with nearly 5,000 infantry and cavalry, and well-equipped troops.

More importantly, behind this family, there are four true dragons flying in the sky, and the entire Dorne is secretly echoing them. In this case, who in the Seven Kingdoms dares to despise themselves?

Clay was crowned directly in the Twins City, and the four dragons circled above the heads of the major families. They all had to hold their noses temporarily to recognize him, but at most they would question Clay's bloodline, and they all had to recognize this crown. .

The concept that dragons are equal to kings has been passed down for more than two hundred years and cannot be dissipated overnight.

"Did you hear that Daenerys Targaryen has raised the Targaryen banner in Dorne?"

Clay is not sure how Daenerys is doing in Dorne, and he is not sure how strong the resistance within Dorne will be. Although Prince Doran gave himself a guarantee, Clay cannot completely believe him.

Strictly speaking, Daenerys is now his granddaughter-in-law, so Earl Wyman has a natural affinity for this name. He smiled, nodded, and said to Clay:

"Of course, this kind of news spreads very quickly. I have known about it for a long time. I believe that the kings and dukes in the south also know about it."

Clay understood. It seemed that things in Dorne were going well. Prince Doran didn't cause any trouble, which was not surprising. After all, Galesos was also there, and the pressure from the dragon was still sufficient.

"Grandpa, I won't be able to stay in Twin River City for long. After all, we have to stay in the northern camp for the time being. I believe you don't want to make it too embarrassing with the original northern nobles."

The old man nodded with deep understanding. Clay was right. He really didn’t want to lose sight of his old brothers. Although in Earl Weiman’s view, the North was so big that most of them were Assholes, but there are still guys who can be brothers.

"As long as you know what you are doing, I won't interfere with you, but remember, your life is the most important at all times."

The old man actually didn't know what he should tell his grandson. No matter how he looked at it, the young man in front of him was capable of being on his own or even far better.

But he always wanted to say something to Clay, especially when Clay was about to go to the battlefield. He remembered that when he went to the battlefield, he had already gone to meet the father of the gods.

Clay nodded and said nothing more. Instead, he opened a bottle of wine for his grandfather very skillfully. Men don't need to talk so much, there are many ways to communicate.

Outside the window, the footsteps of winter are getting closer and closer. The Twin River City, which had not snowed for more than ten years, is now covered with snowflakes. The cold wind that is familiar to people in the north is blowing through the window unscrupulously. Come in.

This is destined to be a short autumn, and everyone must cherish everything in front of them.

Feeling the biting north wind, Clay mounted his horse and waved goodbye to the old man. Behind him, the silent cavalry slowly followed.

They disappeared into the snow.