Chapter 274 Trumpet Sound

Robb Stark spent a day arranging his posthumous affairs very clearly.

He also made some concessions and gave away some of the Stark family's previous interests, such as the mining rights of the mine.

This is a necessary step. Only in this way can we ensure that the nobles who follow him will not fall to Clay Mandler without the slightest hesitation after his death.

The Stark family is indeed a good leader, and everyone likes to live their own lives behind the direwolf flag.

But the problem is, essentially, this means finding a big guy in front so that they can feel comfortable behind them.

Now, the Stark banner is no longer enough. The younger nobles are neither brothers who drank beer with Eddard Stark on the battlefield like the older generation. After fighting a few battles with Robb Stark, the king trapped him in Harrenhal.

Do you expect them to be loyal to the Stark family just by listening to the old people talking about the Stark family?

This is unrealistic.

The reason why there is no commotion now is because great nobles like Jon Amber are of the same generation as Eddard Stark, and they have always watched Robb Stark as the leader of the Northern Territory. The eldest son grew up.

Therefore, with their support, the situation was temporarily stabilized, but this was while Robb Stark was still alive.

If he died, it would not be an easy thing to put a Bran Stark whom they had never known before in front of them and ask them to kneel down and call his majesty.

Therefore, these concessions are inevitable.

The effect is also very good, at least for now.

As for what happens next, the person is dead anyway, so who cares?

After explaining these things, Robb Stark seemed to have put down a heavy burden, and his overall mental state was much better.

He did not weaken quickly, and even after two days of rest, he walked out of the room that he had not walked out of since he fell into a coma for the first time, making the guards who followed him burst into tears.

As the personal guards of the Stark family and the people of Winterfell, how could they not hope that Robb Stark's health would improve?

But anyone with a little experience knows that this is the last reflection before a person leaves this world.

In most cases, if there is no such stage and you are just lingering and gasping for breath, it means you can still be saved and you can still live, but if this happens...

Preparing for the aftermath in advance is the wisest choice.

…

Snowflakes have already fallen all over the city of Harrenhal. The same problem that Clay encountered in Riverrun was that the army did not carry any winter clothes at all. It had rained before, so it was only a little damp and cold.

But the falling snow and the pervasive cold wind caught the defenders by surprise.

Although Harrenhal is large, it has been abandoned for a long time, and most of the buildings in the city have been basically destroyed in the wars that took place at Harrenhal.

But now, once the cold wind arrives, the soldiers soon discover that the wood they use for heating is not as much as imagined.

This is different from a normal city. Since the houses have no access to water, as long as they are demolished, they will be able to use good firewood.

The vast majority of Harrenhal is an uninhabited land, and even the few remaining houses are soaked by the rain and are covered with mold.

Such wood is difficult to light because the moisture content inside it is almost several times that of ordinary wood.

It can barely ignite, the fire is not big, and the smoke is billowing, making the use experience very poor.

Tywin's army under the city was relatively better off. After the rain, it was still sunny for two or three days. These two or three days were enough to evaporate the water in the woods, especially the water on the surface of the trees.

Therefore, people in the West can keep themselves warm as long as they use an ax and enough wood to use as firewood.

The situation inside the city is even worse than outside the city. This is the case in the Seven Kingdoms, that is, in Harrenhal.

On this day, Robb Stark felt that his body had recovered a bit and he was in good spirits. He ate a small leg of lamb for the first time in the morning.

He knew that he didn't have much time left. Since his condition today was the best since his injury, he had to use his last value.

So, regardless of the objections of any of his guards, Robb Stark ordered his guards to lead him step by step to the scarred east gate of Harrenhal.

This city gate is where Robb Stark was shot by an arrow.

Tywin Lannister's army has always launched attacks at this city gate.

Due to the terrain, more troops can be accommodated in front of this city gate, so the pressure on the defender is greater, and the attacker can also die less.

The armies of both sides fought back and forth for the city gate many times.

The gates changed hands repeatedly, each time leaving the eastern gate of Harrenhal filled with corpses.

Even with Harrenhal's over-standard construction, after so much trouble, one of the original two heavy gates has been completely scrapped. During an attack, the Lannister people who were directly attacked were torn down when they retreated. Shipped away.

The remaining gate, even the thick iron-wrapped gate, is now crumbling.

Logically speaking, the northerners could completely seal the city gate and the north gate with a pile of garbage, but that would mean that they would not be able to escape at all.

Harrenhal is not Winterfell. In the northern capital, Robb Stark would definitely order this, but here, they just want to go home. A king has died in Harrenhal, and they don’t want to Die a second time.

Wearing thick leather gloves, Robb Stark's palms lay with pieces of snow that he had just crushed into a ball.

Because the gloves were very thick, he couldn't feel the cold, but there was no warmth in Robb Stark's heart.

Everything was stark white as far as the eye could see, and the soldiers gathered around a bonfire that was emitting thick smoke that made it difficult to breathe, shivering in the cold wind.

They cannot leave the walls because the Lannister could attack at any time.

But because the city walls are so high, the wind speed is very strong, and even hiding behind the battlements has no effect.

Even if there is a bonfire lit in front of you, it is still a state of being warmed by the fire in front of you and cold behind you.

The soldiers kept sniffing, and no one came up to talk to him, the king.

It's not that they weren't excited when they saw Robb Stark, but it was just that it was too cold. As soon as they stood up, the heat that had finally gathered in front of them would completely dissipate.

Without the heat, the body has completely cooled down. If I get sick, I don't know if I can wake up the next morning.

These days, the non-combat attrition caused by cold and illness alone has reached a shocking level, but Jon Amber didn't want to irritate the dying King of the North too much, so he didn't tell him.

"I feel sorry for them, Domeric."

Robb Stark sighed and said to the guard next to him who looked worried.

This guard had been following from Winterfell. After experiencing so many battles, he had long become a man of few words. In response to the king's words, he just shook his head and replied in a low voice:

"Your Majesty, don't think so much, they are all willing."

Robb Stark shook his head slightly. What Robb Stark did would be judged by others in their hearts. He couldn't control it, and he didn't care.

He just regretted that so many outstanding northern warriors did not die on the battlefield, but died silently in the biting wind and snow.

This is not a soldier's death, it is undignified.

Robb Stark thinks so.

"How long has it been? Why has the Riverland become so cold? Has winter already come? I wonder what Winterfell is like now."

Robb Stark looked at the gradually whitening world, filled with emotion.

People of their generation are all children of summer. From birth, they don’t know what the so-called winter is like.

Just as he was thinking about it, a heavy horn sounded throughout the city.

Desolate, sad, and scary.

Although his body was reduced to a handful of bones, when Robb Stark heard the sound of the horn, his palm subconsciously touched the long sword at his waist.

But it was empty, and his body could no longer bear the weight of the sword.

His body tensed forcibly, Robb Stark asked sternly:

"What's going on? Did the Lannister attack the city?"

The trumpet sound just now was a signal sent by the northern army to warn its comrades when it encountered an enemy attack.

But the problem is that Robb Stark is standing on the city now. Even if it is snowing, he can clearly see the situation outside the city. There are not too violent activities in the Lannister camp.

If a large army came to attack, why couldn't I see anything?

The guard Domeric was also confused, but the shrill horn sound from the southeast of the city was heard again and again. Unless the trumpeter drank too much, he would only do this if there was real enemy sentiment.

The question is, where do the northern troops get the wine now?

So, what's going on?

"Your Majesty, this is dangerous. Please return to the city immediately."

Guard Domeric's mind was spinning very quickly, and he immediately sent Robb Stark back to the lord's room in King Burning Tower.

It is theoretically the strongest defense in Harrenhal because everyone must die before the enemy can enter.

"Go away, go and see what's going on, and then come back and tell me. I'll be waiting for you in the tower in front. Just leave me two guards."

In the past, Robb Stark would have kicked him.

However, he struggled to control his leg muscles and could not lift his feet above his knees.

He is too weak.

"His Majesty……"

"Get out! If the Lannisters really attack, no one will survive. Do what you should do quickly. You are a warrior, Domeric!"

Robb Stark raised his hand and gave him a weak push.

At this point in time, the soldiers huddled together because of the cold, and the defense was the most lax. Once the Lannister made some achievements at this time, it might open a hole in the defense line.

The North currently has only 2,800 people in the city, and the number of combatable soldiers must be less than this number.

There is no way a person like this can fight a large-scale hand-to-hand battle with a Lannister.

Harrenhal is too big. Once the number of people is too small, it means that the defense line of Harrenhal that has been guarding them for several months is completely undefended. With wind leaking everywhere, once Tywin Lannister launches a general attack, they will only be defeated. .

We must not let the Lannister attack!