Chapter 359 Return to Winter, Southern Storm

Clay was a little disappointed.

He originally planned to release Brynden Rivers as a target in a high-profile manner to attract the attention of the Wild Hunt.

Then find a way to open the portal where they can't.

Be prepared in advance.

Fight a complete war of annihilation.

It would be best to capture high-ranking commanders of the Wild Hunt army such as Ilerith, Caranthir, or even the King of the Wild Hunt, Eredin.

In this case, I won't have to worry about things in the north for a long time.

But now, things have become a bit difficult.

Maybe it was the final siege of Hearth City, which was a bit harsh.

The city was indeed taken, costing the Wild Hunt considerable bloodshed.

Even in the past few days, Clay ordered Brynden Rivers to ride around here.

But the Wild Hunt army didn't have the slightest intention of attacking.

It was as if he had completely disappeared.

Clay waited in Last Hearth for quite some time.

Brynden Rivers' crotch was bruised by the saddle.

However, there was no movement at all on the Wild Hunt side that had retreated to Kaho City.

It seemed like he was really scared of being beaten.

Jean Clay felt as if he had punched cotton.

Thousands of troops hanging alone in the Last Hearth City without any local supplies is not a long-term solution.

As for why there is no local supply?

If you want supplies, someone needs to be there, right?

Now everyone in this area has been captured by Eredin and taken to their world to contribute to their family relocation project.

Naturally, there is no way to take care of Clay's side.

It is equivalent to creating a quite large area between Winterfell and Last Hearth, a de facto no man's land.

It can be regarded as not doing human affairs, and he has done all the bad things.

Finally, I got tired of waiting.

In addition, logistics is really tight, and the quartermaster of Winterfell has written many times to report on the situation in his rear.

It’s really hard to hold on.

Clay knew exactly how much moisture there was in this letter.

Part of the reason must be that the front line costs too much and the logistics staff are really in pain.

There must be a part of complaining.

But Clay himself doesn’t want to waste time in Hearth City at the end.

Because it makes no sense.

Faced with such an opponent, he would not fall for the trap, and the strategic initiative would always be his.

There is nothing you can do.

Rather than this, it is better to withdraw our gaze and turn it to the south again.

After integrating the entire Westeros, Clay has more confidence to deal with these guys.

So, following these letters about logistical difficulties, Clay stepped back and chose to keep a portion of his army behind.

Following the pattern of Castle Black, Hose Umber was left as a stay-at-home.

The rest of the main force followed him back to defend Winterfell.

The order was issued, and the whole army cheered.

Except for some of the troops who want to stay, most of them are locals from the Last Hearth City, who is willing to freeze in this ice and snow?

Is it because the girls in Winter Town are no longer full of breasts?

Or is it not warm inside the bed at home?

Now that I have this opportunity to return to Winterfell, or even my own home, it is of course a happy thing.

As a result, it didn't take long for the army to complete its departure.

Heading west from Last Hearth, it took half a day to reach the King's Road.

After going south through the entire Wolf Wood, you can reach Winterfell.

As for Brynden Rivers, Clay was not at ease with this guy.

Letting him wander around the Last Hearth alone, Clay was afraid that he would cause trouble for him.

…

Stannis is dead.

Westeros, after Robb Stark, the kings who raised armies, another crown fell to the ground.

This news that shocked everyone spread throughout Westeros in a short period of time at the extreme speed of news transmission.

The death of the king, every time something like this happens, it means that the power structure of the seven countries will undergo a major change.

Today is no exception.

First, the fleet under Aegon Targaryen, led by veteran Jon Connington, set up an ambush at Shipbreaker Bay and defeated Stannis's royal fleet in one fell swoop.

Aegon Targaryen took the opportunity to occupy the almost unguarded Dragonstone.

Like his "predecessor", the other great Aegon Targaryen, he announced his presence at Dragonstone by sending out flocks of ravens throughout the Seven Kingdoms.

After this, the news of Stannis's death was released to the entire Seven Kingdoms by Arstan Selmy, Earl of Harvest Hall.

He claimed that he was secretly assigned by Renly Baratheon to kill his own brother on behalf of this king who looked glamorous, heroic, and conceited of honor, but was actually sanctimonious!

After doing this, he said in his heart that he believed that such a crime of parricide could not be committed by a true king.

Therefore, Renly Baratheon is no longer worthy of his loyalty.

He, Arstan of House Selmy, chose to bring the entire land and people of Harvest Hall to surrender to the glorious "new conqueror" Aegon Targaryen, and join his ranks as the king's vanguard.

When Renly Baratheon didn't react at all.

Aegon Targaryen's fleet has successfully landed from the coast near Harvest Hall and stationed in Harvest Hall.

To the entire Westeros, Aegon Targaryen's side showed its intention to protect the castles and territories of the surrendered nobles.

This series of dazzling news directly caused Oberon Martell, who was advancing in the army, to stop his attack.

In Highgarden City, the Lannister and Tyrell families, who were fighting each other, were dumbfounded and chose to wait and see for the time being, waiting for the situation to develop.

In the north, the old man and Daenerys, who had been busy tidying up the interior, changing winter clothes for the army, and massively increasing the number of troops at Harrenhal, also stopped the plans they had made.

With Stannis dead, the situation in the South is about to change.

This outdated plan will definitely need to be revised.

And the other protagonist of this incident is our Majesty Renly Baratheon.

In Storm's End, at this time, it was wrath.

This is really what happens when people sit at home and pots come from the sky.

He didn't even arrange for the damned Arstan Selmy to kill his brother Stannis.

Could he not know what kind of crime parricide is in this land of Westeros?

As soon as it happened, he knew that it was Arstan Selmy who had defected to Aegon Targaryen.

Before leaving here, I also made myself feel disgusted.

The key problem is that he cannot explain this matter clearly.

Stannis is dead.

And dead people cannot speak.

Who killed it? In their hearts, everyone will choose to believe the person they want to believe.

Suddenly, the entire atmosphere in Storm's End became a little strange.

On the surface, after Renly Baratheon violently flipped the table several times at the banquet, no one dared to talk about it anymore.

But in private, the more Renly did this, the more furious and hysterical he became, and his subordinates couldn't help but murmur, is this a sign of guilty conscience?

You know, the stupid thing the Tyrell family did using Renly's name has not been officially clarified yet.

Therefore, in the eyes of many people, Renly has a "criminal record".

Renly Baratheon is the number one scapegoat in Westeros.

In Westeros, which has a relatively strong religious atmosphere, a person can really be accused of committing a crime such as parricide.

The common people were hanged directly, the small nobles deprived themselves of their fiefdoms, and the big nobles probably had to step down in embarrassment.

As for the king…

Because there is no one greater than him, no one is qualified to punish him.

But that doesn't mean it's okay.

For the foundation of the king's rule, what happened was tantamount to an explosion at the bottom.

No matter how stupid he was, Renly knew that the people under his command must have opinions about him.

Because even if this matter does not exist, the betrayal of Harvest Hall is still an extremely heavy blow to Storm's End.

The Selmy family is not just a cat or a dog.

That was the most powerful noble in the Stormlands.

The territory under his command can be considered vast, the population is large, and the potential for war is great.

Originally, Renly's northern territory was relatively stable. Now, there was Oberon Martell's 20,000 troops to the west and the lost Eagle's Nest Castle to the south.

Even the north, along the line of Harvest Hall, has now become Aegon Targaryen's territory.

Storm's End Castle was surrounded on three sides.

Even with a high and thick city wall, there are still more than 10,000 soldiers with decent combat effectiveness.

Renly didn't feel very safe either.

The dynasty founded by Robert Baratheon, and the entire Baratheon royal family, are now in a precarious moment.

…

riverlands

twin rivers

This castle located on the Green Fork River has now become the center of power of the entire Mandalay-Targaryen dynasty.

Although White Harbor is the base camp, it is north of Jingze after all and does not have the ambition to rule the north and south.

Therefore, the entire Mandalay family has gradually moved to this new castle that has only been part of the family for a short time.

King Clay Manderly, who has the highest decision-making power, has been dragged to the north and is difficult to come back.

Now, everyone is accustomed to obeying the joint orders of Lord Wyman Manderly and Queen Daenerys Targaryen.

No one would think this was an overstep.

This is no ordinary dynasty. Conspiracy and power are intertwined. The king is ignored, and even the wife of his father's generation is very reasonable.

Clay Manderly owns the largest dragon in the Seven Kingdoms.

Who dares to ignore him?

That's just kidding with your own life.

Your Majesty, when he takes action, he won't even frown at all.

"Weiman, the latest news is that Coppergate City declared armed neutrality and took the opportunity to withdraw their garrison near Storm's End Castle."

Daenerys said to the old man sitting in the chair.

After taking a big mouthful, the old man raised his eyebrows and commented:

"Huh, are we about to betray our relatives?"

Daenerys nodded slightly, agreeing with this statement.

As if she had thought of something, she frowned slightly and asked aloud:

"Such a simple and crude plan, is it really so powerful? The Stormlands, the traditional territory of Baratheon, will no longer be completely loyal to Storm's End?"

Yes, anyone who looks at it from a sufficient angle can tell at a glance that this matter has nothing to do with Renly Baratheon from beginning to end.

What secret order to kill?

Is it that stupid?

Wouldn't they first secretly bring the person to Storm's End, and then provide them with delicious food and drink, and stage a story of "brothers, friends, and brothers".

After the performance, my image was established.

After this, depending on your mood, wouldn't it be enough to let Stannis "die"?

Anyway, this guy's age is too reasonable.

Isn't this basic operation?

Therefore, as soon as the ins and outs of this matter were placed on their desks, they knew what was going on.

"It's not that this strategy is very good. It's just that we nobles are very good at judging the situation and watching what is happening."

The old man was holding a wine glass and had a nasty smile.

Daenerys didn't grow up in the big dyeing vat of the nobility, so naturally she didn't understand the twists and turns.

For the old man, this is easy to understand.

The Stormlands are now surrounded on three sides. No matter how you look at it, even if Renly Baratheon is possessed by the Lord of Light, it is probably difficult to reverse the situation.

At this time, why should you, respected nobles, be buried with Baratheon, a broken ship that is destined to sink?

We are not stupid!

By following Renly to the end, not only will the family's army suffer losses, but they will also bear the reputation of being defeated.

Their own land, wealth, and even women are all put on the table for the victors to enjoy as much as they want.

Look at Astan Selmy, this is the man who understands.

With this guy "Jade in front", the thoughts in the hearts of these Stormland nobles have grown like weeds.

Count Bukele of Tongmen City is just more courageous.

"This is an opportunity. Now that Stannis is dead and Renly is about to die, we should take action. At least, we should not let others benefit anymore."

"Oh, right……"

The old man seemed to have remembered something, turned around and asked:

"That Aegon Targaryen, are you sure he's not your relative?"

Daenerys heard this and shook her head slightly.

"I don't know. There is no way to test it now. You know, in Essos, there are still many bloodlines passed down by the remnants of the old Valyrian Free Fortress. They cannot be counted based on their appearance."

The old man nodded.

This issue is tricky.

For both of them, if this little Aegon is real, then the throne belongs to him.

Male inheritance rights are higher than females in Targaryen.

Then, the Targaryen brand will not work.

This is troublesome.

He had written to Clay before, and Clay's reply to him was very brief:

Let the dragon speak.

The old man understood what he meant. There were many people with silver hair and purple eyes, but with the blood of the Dragon King, apart from Clay, only the Targaryen royal family remained.

If the dragon recognizes him, he will be the one, otherwise, just bite him to death on the spot.

"I think we should give Oberon an order to occupy as much territory in the Stormlands as possible after Renly's collapse."

"If possible, try to capture Storm's End Castle. That castle is very important."

Daenerys said.

The old man raised his glass to express his support for this idea.

"However, we have to be careful about the Dornishmen. We don't know whether this little Aegon will send someone to contact Martell and give them more promises."

"After all, we only gave them a seat on the Royal Council and the head of the Lannister."

"Little Aegon's side... who knows what unrealistic things they might talk about."

The old man drank all the wine in the glass and whispered.