A full moon hung high, its light spilling onto the Mander River like a layer of silver gauze, serene and beautiful.
The Klaeber Tribe Soldiers who had returned from scouting soothed their trembling horses and said, "Lord Green, many people are shouting that the Golden Rose's camp at Bitterbridge is in complete chaos. We can only scout from a distance."
Another Clan Soldiers said, "My Lord, I saw many cavalry spears with the Flaming Heart banner hanging from them. They are attacking the Riverlands' soldiers."
Green frowned slightly. Melisandre's shadow assassin… Can Stannis still hold on?
Then, why did Stannis raid the Golden Rose's Bitterbridge Camp? If it were me… Well, leaving nearly a hundred thousand hostile troops behind, no one would feel at ease advancing on King's Landing.
As for the evidence… It seems one of Lord Green's tasks is to cut off Stannis's retreat.
If they continued to advance, Green and his group would easily get caught in the chaos, so he decisively ordered a halt to their march.
… … … …
When night fell that day, the famous general Randyll Tarly suddenly died in his tent.
Then, Stannis's 12,000 cavalry raided the Bitterbridge Camp of 80,000 Golden Rose soldiers.
Before the attack, many knights felt that a sneak attack violated a knight's honor, but Stannis Baratheon said he was taking back his brother's belongings from a thief.
As soon as the news of Randyll Tarly's death spread, the Bitterbridge Camp immediately fell into chaos. Immediately afterward, Stannis's cavalry seemed to appear out of nowhere, and the Golden Rose's soldiers almost instantly collapsed.
After this night, the mountain of grain piled up at Bitterbridge Camp fell into Stannis's hands.
After this night, Stannis gained more than 30,000 infantrymen.
After this night, Earl Rowan of the Riverlands only managed to gather more than 20,000 remnant troops and hastily retreated south towards Longtable Hall.
… … … …
Northeast of High Heart in the Riverlands (High Hill, rumored to be a sacred place of the Children of the Forest).
That night, the Northern army led by Roose Bolton also launched a night raid on the Westerlands army led by Tywin Lannister.
The Old Lion, eager to save his eldest son, marched towards Riverrun, while the steady Roose Bolton cautiously followed behind them.
That day, the news of Eddard Stark's return to Winterfell greatly boosted the morale of the Northern lords. Roose Bolton just happened to discover a flaw deliberately left by Tywin Lannister, an opportunity for a sneak attack.
That night, the 16,000 Northern troops who ambushed the Westerlands army were in turn ambushed by 15,000 Westerlands troops led by Kevan Lannister, while Tywin Lannister personally led more than 3,000 cavalry to attack the rear of the Northern army.
When the Karstark Family's line of spears and shields was broken by the Lannister's heavy-armored red cloaks, Roose Bolton quickly chose to retreat.
After this night, including the more than 3,000 Dreadfort soldiers who had not yet participated in the battle, Roose Bolton only managed to gather more than 8,000 remnant Northern troops.
That night, the casualties and missing Northern soldiers reached more than 7,000.
Although they were ambushed in turn, the skilled Northern soldiers still managed to take down more than 4,000 Westerlands soldiers.
Therefore, Tywin Lannister had no choice but to order the Westerlands army to rest.
… … … …
Riverlands, Riverrun.
Three days ago, several "peace" envoys sent by Tyrion Lannister arrived at Riverrun. They voluntarily surrendered their weapons and promised peace to Edmure Tully.
Edmure Tully entertained these Red Keep envoys with wine and food, and even allowed them to move freely within Riverrun.
Among the envoys sent by Tyrion… some were skilled in unarmed combat, some were skilled in lock picking, and some were skilled in imitating other people's voices.
Late on the fourth night, with their cooperation, they successfully rescued Jaime Lannister.
But… just as they escaped Riverrun, they happened to run into Edmure Tully returning from a brothel.
Ser Jaime fought with several people, but was captured again.
The deceived Edmure Tully was very angry. He no longer treated Lannister prisoners with kindness. Not only did he move Ser Jaime from the tower cell to a dirty dungeon, but to prevent another escape, he also put connecting chains on his hands and feet, and nailed the leg irons to the stone wall.
… … … …
That night, Stannis successfully raided the Golden Rose's army. That night, Tywin successfully counter-killed the ambushing Northern army. That night, Ser Jaime's escape failed.
… … … …
… … … …
Before dawn, Lord Green, who had just set off, found a beauty by the Mander River… Well, a "beauty," Brienne Tarth.
By the river, Green Knight sat on a folding chair, while the Klaeber Tribe Soldiers were burying several bodies that had been lying near the "beauty."
Brienne, bandaged by the accompanying physician, approached Green. After bowing, she stood silently before Green.
Seeing her continued silence, Green took the initiative to speak, "I'm glad to see you again, Miss Brienne."
As Green's words fell, the "beauty" looked at Green with the only truly beautiful feature on her entire body: her blue eyes.
Seeing Brienne look at him, Green showed a gentle smile.
The person in front of her seemed to radiate a summer-like warmth. Brienne immediately lowered her eyes, but quickly looked up again, repeating this three times.
He is very much like him.
After a moment of silence, Brienne moved her thick lips and said, "My Lord, thank you for your rescue. I will remember your kindness."
Her gaze was somewhat evasive: "I have important matters to attend to, please allow me to take my leave."
With that, Brienne bowed with her hand on her chest.
Green glanced at the longsword on Brienne's waist. He recognized it as Renly Baratheon's sword.
He spoke, "Miss Brienne, I heard you were once one of Renly… My Lord's Rainbow Guard?"
Brienne answered very seriously, "My Lord, I am King Renly's Blue Guard."
"Then let me guess…"
Green spread his hands, then continued, "You want to kill Stannis?"
Brienne tightly gripped the hilt of the sword at her waist with her thick, calloused fingers and said, "I swore an oath, three times in total (Chapter 214)."
Green nodded and said, "Oaths must be kept, I agree with that."
After a pause, he continued, "But at present, Stannis's army is strong, and he undoubtedly has many knights around him who have sworn to protect his safety."
Brienne's dull gaze suddenly sharpened. She said, "I'm not afraid of them, I'm as strong as they are."
A very courageous answer, but the perceptive Green "read" from it Brienne's determination to follow Renly to the grave; she wanted to die in battle.
"You attribute Lord Renly's death to your own mistake…"
Green looked at Brienne, "This Blue Guard, right?"
He added, "It's a pity, the new and old gods gave you the body of a warrior, but not a clever mind."
A hint of anger appeared on Brienne's "unperturbed" face: "I… no one understands."
Green's sigh was almost imperceptible. After a pause, he said, "Miss Brienne, revenge is not suicide."
Brienne looked up, staring blankly at Green.
Green added, "In a contest between swordsmen, the opponent won't stick their neck out for you to chop, but as long as you haven't fallen… there will always be an opportunity, won't there?"
Green rose from his chair, reaching out to gently pat Brienne's sturdy arm and said, "Miss Warrior, do you still have any doubts?"
Brienne's gaze fixed on the ground. After a moment, she lifted her head, and a little bit of light appeared in her blue eyes.
Her tone was very solemn: "My Lord, I am willing to serve you, if you accept."
Seeing Green ponder, she quickly said, "You saved me, I have no way to repay you… And your invitation last year gave me honor (Chapter 88)… And I can feel your goodwill… And I understand that when the time comes, you will definitely not force me to stay."
Her gaze was very simple: "Please agree to this condition, agree not to stop me from avenging Stannis."
Green nodded slightly and said, "I promise you, when the time comes, I will never stop you from avenging Stannis."
The tall Brienne clumsily knelt on one knee. She drew Renly's longsword and laid it horizontally at Green's feet.
"I, Brienne Tarth, am your loyal guard, or… whatever role you bid me take. I will protect your safety and obey your commands. In times of peril, I pledge my life. In the name of the new and old gods, I solemnly swear."
"I, Greene Kleber, swear that by my hearth there will always be a place for you, and on my table there will always be your meat and wine. I swear never to bid you do any unjust thing. I swear in the name of the new and old gods."
… … … …
… … … …
King's Landing, Alchemists Guild.
The Alchemists Guild is an ancient organization. Formal members refer to each other as Wisemen. They also have apprentices and assistants to help with their work. The Wiseman who leads the guild is the President of the Alchemists Guild.
The Alchemists Guild was once at its peak, but in recent centuries, the Maesters of the Citadel have gradually replaced the alchemists in various places.
The Alchemists Guild Hall is a large maze built of black stone. Tyrion Lannister, Podrick, and Bronn, personally led by President Hallyne, made countless left and right turns before finally arriving at the Iron Torch Corridor.
The Iron Torch Corridor was a long, echoing hall, where greenish flames danced around twenty-foot-high black iron pillars. Ghostly lights flickered on the polished black marble walls and ceiling, bathing the entire hall in an emerald glow.
Tyrion sighed inwardly, then… continued on, downwards.
The long cellars were damp and dark, with saltpeter covering the moist stone walls. The only light came from the sealed iron-barred glass oil lamp that President Hallyne carefully carried.
… … … …
Just when Tyrion thought his short legs would give out, they finally reached their destination.
Tyrion saw red clay pots shaped like fat grapefruits… Tables, from near to far, were filled with neat rows of identical round pots, four in a row, extending into the dark depths of the underground.
Tyrion, with his hands behind his back, observed for a while and said, "Can I pick up the 'Wildfire' to look at it?"
Wildfire is a highly flammable liquid that burns for a long time. It is rumored that once Wildfire is ignited, it will burn everything completely.
… … … …
President Hallyne wore an old black and red striped robe. His face was very pale, and his hands looked soft and wet.
His attitude was extremely fawning: "This is my honor, Prime Minister."
He then cautiously added, "The clay pots are very thin and fragile. I advise you not to use force, lest you crush them."
Tyrion nodded slightly. He picked one up, examined it carefully, and said, "It feels rough to the touch. Hmm… mixed with pebbles?"
President Hallyne chuckled and said, "You are truly wise. This is intentional on our part. If the surface were smooth, it would easily slip from your hand."
Tyrion tilted the round pot in his hand slightly, and the Wildfire solvent slowly flowed towards the mouth of the bottle: "It's very thick…"
President Hallyne immediately explained, "Prime Minister, this is due to the cold air underground. Once the temperature rises, Wildfire will flow smoothly, just like… lamp oil."
Tyrion carefully placed the round pot back in its original position and said, "I heard this stuff can't be put out by water?"
President Hallyne nodded and said, "Exactly. Once ignited, Wildfire will burn fiercely until it is consumed. Furthermore, it will seep into cloth, wood, leather, and even steel, and set them on fire as well."
Tyrion had heard of Thoros, the Red Priest's flame sword. It was said that a thin layer of Wildfire could make a longsword burn for an hour.
Tyrion pinched his chin and mused, "Can these… 'fruits' left by King Aerys (the Mad King) still be used?"
President Hallyne's murky eyes seemed to glow: "Oh, of course, of course they can be used… Prime Minister, but you must be extremely careful when using them. After being stored for a long time, Wildfire becomes… hehehe, it only takes a tiny spark, even a single spark, to ignite immediately. Even if the temperature merely rises, the jars can spontaneously ignite, so they must never be exposed to sunlight, not even for a short time. Once ignited internally, the intense heat will cause the Wildfire to expand violently, and the clay pots will instantly shatter into pieces. If there are other jars nearby, it will cause a chain reaction, and then…"
Tyrion interrupted somewhat impatiently, "How many jars do you have currently?"
President Hallyne first chuckled, then replied, "This morning, Wiseman Monsy just gave me the statistics. We currently have seven thousand eight hundred forty jars, which includes four thousand jars remaining from King Aerys's time."
Tyrion pondered for a moment and said, "Wiseman, I hope your guild brothers will work diligently to produce as many of these 'fruits' as possible, but…"
His tone changed, and he sternly warned, "Don't rush needlessly, after all, I don't need any flawed Wildfire, not a single jar… I care very much, I won't allow any accidents to happen."
The Hand of the King's "promise" made President Hallyne's expression almost obsequious: "Prime Minister, please rest assured, there will be absolutely no accidents. Wildfire is made by well-trained assistants, and the operation takes place in a series of empty stone rooms. Once a bottle is completed, it is immediately sent down here by an apprentice. Above each workshop is a room filled with sand, and the ceiling is enchanted with… hehehe… the strongest protective magic… If a stone room catches fire, the ceiling will fall, and the sand will immediately extinguish the flames."
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 40 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
[patreon.com/TripleCrown07]
Thank you so much for your support!!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"