But in Bear Peter's eyes, none of this mattered.
He looked at these hundreds and thousands of Soldiers, secretly pleased, imagining that the Lord of Winterfell City, upon seeing his vast army, would surely be scared shitless.
In his opinion, this nearly three-thousand-strong army was enough to make the people of Winterfell City tremble in fear, so how could they even think of resisting?
Bear Peter was immersed in his fantasy world, as if he had already seen the scene of his grand army sweeping through Winterfell City, reducing everything to ruins.
He raised his head, proudly surveying his army, lifted the iron hammer in his hand high, and roared loudly: "That brat from Winterfell City dares to disrespect the authority of this Lord! Warriors of Iron Hammer Territory, flatten Winterfell City for me! Kill all the men there, let their blood dye this land red! Ravage the women there, let them wail in agony! I want everyone to understand what a painful price they will pay for offending Iron Hammer Territory, for offending me, Bear Peter!"
Bear Peter's words were like sparks falling into dry tinder, instantly igniting the fanaticism of the Soldiers below.
"Roar! Kill them! Kill them!" The Soldiers let out wolf-like howls, their eyes glinting with greed and bloodlust.
"Hahaha, I've been holding back for too long, finally I can let loose!"
"Those beautiful women are all ours!"
These Soldiers of Iron Hammer Territory, rather than being an army, were more like a band of brigands accustomed to burning, killing, and raping.
They had followed Bear Peter for a long time, long accustomed to such banditry, and barbarism and cruelty permeated their very bones.
Bear Peter looked at the roaring, desire-filled Soldiers below and smiled with satisfaction.
In his view, only Soldiers driven by desire would charge at the enemy like hungry wolves, heedless of everything.
And he was the one who fed these hungry wolves.
As long as he satisfied their desires, he could command this army to be victorious in every battle, conquering all.
"Lads, set off! Let Winterfell City witness the might of our Iron Hammer Territory!"
At Bear Peter's command, warhorses neighed, and the grand army set out, marching mightily towards Winterfell City...
When Iron Hammer Territory's army approached within ten li of Winterfell City, the city guards responsible for outer patrols and vigilance keenly detected this formidable force.
They dared not be negligent in the slightest, immediately relaying this urgent news back to Winterfell City at the fastest speed.
"Dong! Dong! Dong!"
A piercing and urgent clang of bells instantly resounded throughout Winterfell City.
The sound was like a warning bell struck by fate, making everyone who heard it feel a tightening in their hearts.
All the residents of Winterfell City instantly grew tense, their eyes uniformly turning towards the direction from which the bell tolls came.
They all knew what this bell meant—Iron Hammer Territory's army had arrived!
However, despite their inner tension, the common people of Winterfell City had firm resolve in their eyes.
They quickly grabbed sickles, pitchforks, and other farm tools as weapons, their hands gripping the weapons so tightly that their knuckles turned white, yet conveying an undeniable determination.
They knew that the shadow of war had already fallen, and they had to stand up for their homes and their loved ones.
"Lord, Iron Hammer Territory's army this time numbers nearly three thousand!" A city guard Soldier, who had run all the way and was panting, knelt on one knee and reported breathlessly.
"I know. Go and prepare," Link said calmly.
In fact, Link had already known this news.
Just last night, the Black Blade Assassins he had sent out had reported the movements of Iron Hammer Territory's army.
Link was not worried about this, because he knew in his heart that most of the three-thousand-strong army were merely temporarily conscripted civilians.
They lacked training and had no combat effectiveness to speak of; they were merely cannon fodder Bear Peter used to fill up the ranks.
Link stood with his hands behind his back, quietly surveying the Soldiers and civilians of Winterfell City before him.
Behind him, Winterfell City's Ice Plains Wolf banner flapped in the wind, as if cheering for the impending battle.
"Lina, go and fetch all the high-proof liquor from the warehouse and pour a cup for each warrior," Link commanded in a deep voice.
"Yes, Lord!"
Lina took the order and soon brought people to carry out jars of high-proof liquor, pouring a cup for each warrior in the lined-up ranks.
Link also poured himself a bowl of wine. He slowly raised his cup, his gaze sweeping over the Soldiers and civilians of Winterfell City before him, his voice steady and powerful.
"Warriors of Winterfell City, my people, we have endured hardships to achieve this hard-won happy and stable life. But Peter Grim of Iron Hammer Territory intends to take all of this away and turn us into his slaves! Tell me, are you willing!?"
"Unwilling! Unwilling! Unwilling—!!!"
The warriors and residents roared in unison, their voices shaking the very air.
"For Winterfell City! For your beloved families! For your brothers and sisters! Warriors, stand tall! Let us use the blades in our hands to earn our dignity and glory! Strike one blow, to avoid a hundred! Brothers, let those scoundrels see our might! Drink this cup of wine, and we'll meet in the Martyrs' Cemetery!"
Link's voice echoed above Winterfell City, igniting the passion and heroism in everyone's hearts.
After Link finished speaking, he tilted his head back, drained the wine in his cup, then unhesitatingly smashed the cup, drew the carian knight sword from his waist, and raised his arm, shouting: "Advance!"
Under his leadership, the warriors of Winterfell City, having finished their wine, stepped onto this battlefield of life and death with full hearts of anger and fighting spirit.
"Lord, we also want to go to the battlefield with you!"
"That's right, Lord, take us with you to fight!"
The residents of Winterfell City were also agitated, shouting with all their might.
At this moment, they had resolved to die.
For a long time, every Lord had treated them as slaves, as private property to be exploited at will. Only Link treated them as real people.
Link built wooden houses for them, constructed public toilets, allowing them to stand tall as human beings, no longer needing to bow and scrape, living day-to-day lives.
Link gave them unprecedented dignity.
They longed to protect this dignity, so that their descendants could also live with dignity and integrity, just as they were now.
Thus, even if they died on the battlefield, they would feel no regrets in this life.
However, Link slowly shook his head.
"You have already proven yourselves with courage, but the upcoming battle is not a battlefield you should tread. However, you can witness our battle from outside the battlefield."
Author's Note:
Author's Note: PS: Please subscribe automatically, I beg you!