Chapter 68 Flag Officer

Once the conversation between the two Westeros bigwigs was over and the money was gone, he should leave Eddard Stark in the study and go back to sleep.

White Dragon has already set off from Dragonstone. He plans to take a look at where Renly's army is, but it shouldn't take a few days to get to Storm's End from the Rose Road. If he rides alone, he can get there in a day. .

As for Bai Long, it only took him two hours to fly from Dragonstone Island to the Royal Forest.

The whereabouts of the 20,000 people could be seen directly from the sky. They were almost out of the royal forest, but they did not travel overnight, but set up camp.

Bailong looked down with the eye of time, and instantly the entire camp seemed to be in front of him. The camp is spread out in a long strip, and the lights look like a flaming snake.

A crowned stag flag fluttered in the wind on the main tent of the Chinese army. Bai Long was wondering if he could catch Renly if he brought a cavalry charge to the camp.

The pro-army troops outside the camp didn't seem to be weak either. The patrolling soldiers all wore helmets and armor, wore long swords at their waists, held spears in their hands, and carried deer-patterned shields on their backs.

Bailong soared around and soon saw the transport truck at the end of the military formation, and he suddenly had some ideas.

Cole was woken up by the attendant "Fink" before he had a full sleep. His Majesty the King seemed to have something to talk to him about again.

When he came to the hall and saw Stannis, he found that Lord Eddard was also there. After washing himself and putting on high-quality clothes, Lord Eddard finally resumed his posture as the guardian of the North.

"Alright, my bannerman is here." Stannis said to the lords and knights.

Cole followed the servants in confusion and sat next to Stannis. Opposite him was Eddard Stark, and beside him was Melisandre.

All the nobles knew that Ser Julius was Stannis's most important confidant at the moment, and no one was surprised that he was the king's flag bearer.

The flag bearer is not only the flag bearer, he is also the king's spokesperson and can be called an adjutant. This role has always been played by Melisandre on Dragonstone. At that time, this group of nobles had a lot of resentment towards women serving as flag officers.

After the Dance of Dragons in Westeros, women's inheritance rights were greatly weakened. Only Dorne women's rights can still be recognized.

This is why Stannis always wanted a son. Of course, this wish existed before he became king. It did not mean that he wanted an heir to the throne. You must know that he had never thought about wearing the crown. In his own mind, his motivation for becoming king was never ambition, but his responsibility.

"I will take people to meet Renly." Stannis looked at Cole, "You will be my bannerman."

Cole just took a sip of red wine and swallowed it hastily, "Your Majesty, the monarch does not stand behind a dangerous wall. Isn't it too risky for you to go like this? After all, there are so many of them."

"If I don't go, Renly will think I'm afraid of him. And I also want to hear what he will say? What is the reason for him to call himself king? If he is willing to put down the rebellious crown and be loyal to me, I will Consider mitigating his crime. "Yes, Stannis will never let anyone break the law, even if he is his brother.

"Sir, you are brothers and you shouldn't get into trouble like this." Ed said from one side.

"You should call your Majesty, Lord Stark." Count Adrian Celtija on one side reminded.

Ed Stark just bowed his head slightly. You are not the king until you sit on the Iron Throne and announce to the world. Of course the words were not spoken.

"Renly came with only his cavalry. Almost all of his army is still stationed at Bitterbridge, and even most of the baggage is still in the rear. He wants a quick victory." Cole said to Stannis. "We only have two thousand cavalry at full strength, and most of them are free riders. If we charge head-on with them, we will be asking for trouble."

"So you think my brother is going to challenge me and invite me to fight him?" Stannis thought, this approach is indeed in line with Renly, who is just like Robert.

"If we don't fight them, Renly will definitely move all his troops here to besiege the city. He is forcing us to choose, either fight him or deal with his army." Adrian Settiga analyzed. .

In any case, they were all at a disadvantage, but it was too difficult to come up with any countermeasures. Fortunately, Count Velaryon had gone to transport food, otherwise he would definitely be the first to suggest sending out troops for a decisive battle.

Surprisingly, they have already given a multiple-choice question, so the scope of the discussion is no more than choosing A or B. Most people choose to defend. They occupy a strong castle, so why go out and take risks?

At this time our old count began to sing the opposite tune again.

Lord Adrian Celtigar said in his old voice, "If we don't send troops, then the Seven Kingdoms will inevitably say that we are afraid of Renly."

Ser Axel Florent spoke up and said, "A true king should not fear a false king."

Ser Axell Florent has been the acting castellan of Dragonstone while Stannis was assisting his brother Robert. He is Stannis's brother-in-law (cousin) and a member of the Small Council of Dragonstone. He is a member of the rear party, but he has few suggestions. He is a loyal believer in R'hllor, the Lord of Light, and usually only responds to Melisandre in meetings.

All eyes turned to Stannis, who was the only one who did the stud. He only heard him say, "We will discuss it after I return from meeting with Renly."

With that said, this meeting is over. Everyone ate and drank in silence, then slowly dispersed.

Cole walked out of the hall, and someone was chasing him. He called to Cole.

Turning around, he saw Eddard Stark, the former Prime Minister, who thanked Cole first. After all, it was he who brought Eddard to see Stannis, which ended Eddard's days of fleeing.

"Lord Stark, do you want to let the maester take a look at your leg?" Cole asked, looking at his limping leg.

Eddard was also angry about his unsatisfactory body. If it weren't for this leg, he should have returned to the North long ago.

"Sir Cole, you must persuade Lord Stannis. Now is not the time for him and Renly to have a conflict. They should join forces to capture King's Landing first, and then decide who will take the throne."

Helplessness flashed in Cole's eyes, "Lord, do you know Stannis? Do you know Renly?"

Ed was a little confused and didn't understand why Cole asked this, but he still shook his head. Among the three brothers, he only knew Robert.

Cole stopped. "I don't know either. I have only been with His Majesty Stannis for about two months. As for Renly, I have never even seen him. Everything about him comes from rumors.

"I also know that His Majesty Stannis and his brother Renly should not fight now, but they both want to be king. There is only one Iron Throne and there can only be one king. Now one has the title and the other has the army. Who do you think should be given the throne?"

Edward was a little annoyed. "Do we have to decide the winner now? Whoever sits on that iron chair is still a Baratheon. Now King's Landing is in the hands of the Lannisters. Are they willing to let Joffrey sit on the Iron Throne and then fight to the death and wait for Tywin to station his army in King's Landing?"

"Lord Stark, this is useless to you and me. Why don't you go and tell His Majesty? "

How could he not have said it? He had gone to Stannis early in the morning and explained the stakes to him, but who knew what he would say?

"Lord Stark, although I need your army to help me seize the Iron Throne, I will not forget that you took away the position of Prime Minister, which was originally mine. "This is Stannis's answer.

He never wanted that broken badge. He just wanted to stay in his own Winterfell. If Robert hadn't come all the way to invite him, he wouldn't have come south to King's Landing. Now his daughter is still in the hands of those lions. He just wants to take Sansa back. As for who sits on the iron chair and who wears the badge symbolizing the hand of the king, he doesn't care.

If Cole knew about their conversation, he wouldn't be surprised. Stannis has such a bad temper. If the Hound Sandor Clegane is still a little cold on the outside but warm on the inside, then Stannis is completely consistent in his heart and appearance.

He will reward those who have made contributions, and he will punish those who have made mistakes. Don't think he will forget.

Cole's merits are definitely enough to be awarded a title and land, but it depends on whether they can win the battle in the end. If they win, Naturally, there will be a share for Cole, and with Stannis's temperament, he will never have any chance of suppressing his achievements.

If there is no castle, it is estimated that a piece of fiefdom will be allocated for him to build a fortress and establish a family.

However, nouveau riche like this are generally not well received by the nobles. The Frey family of Luanhe City has been around for six centuries, but they are still considered nouveau riche by the nobles.

The fiefdom and castle of Westeros cannot be divided as you want, but Robert ascended the Iron Throne because his grandmother was a Targaryen, and he himself had the blood of the Dragon Family, so he could legitimately rule the Seven Kingdoms and take over the King's Landing area.

For a person like Stannis who is so stubborn, as long as there is an heir to the castle, he probably won't give the castle to anyone, so if he wins this war, Stannis will be very happy. Tanis should give Cole a piece of land from his own territory to let him build his own castle. Of course, if he is willing to give Dragonstone to Cole, it is another matter, after all, this is also his fiefdom.

In Westeros, the title of nobility is equal to the fiefdom. If Stannis takes the Iron Throne, it does not mean that all the land in the country belongs to him. His territory is only the crown and the Stormlands. Other nobles are not subordinate to him, but submit to him, which is equivalent to recognizing him as the boss, but still live their own lives. The title of nobility represents the land owned by a person. The Duke of Winterfell means that he owns the fiefdom and ruling power in the area of ​​Winterfell.

The title of the Guardian of the North gives Eddard Stark the right to lead the entire Northern army. The title of the Governor of the North gives him the right to govern the North.

This is why Eddard Stark is the ruler of the North. At first, King Robert would argue with Robert about the title of Robert Arryn, the young king of the Eyrie. King Robert did not want a little brat to manage the army of the East. He only wanted Robert to inherit his father's fiefdom and let him be the Duke of the Eyrie and the Guardian of the Vale (also known as the Governor of the Vale), not the Guardian of the East.

The title is equivalent to a house. Although the nobles change various official positions, the house will always be there. Even if you are killed, the house will definitely be left to your son or daughter, or even nephews and nieces, and they will not be outsiders after all. Unless you all break the law or are killed, the house will be taken back to the kingdom and then sold to others.

Cole is now the commander of the defense of Storm's End and the king's standard bearer. This is a position. There is no fiefdom for the time being, so he is only an honorary knight, not a fiefdom knight.