Roose Bolton did not meet Jon in his own camp, but chose House Darry's camp as the location.
When Jon arrived at their camp, he found quite a few soldiers either engaged in combat drills or discussing the situation and the war.
These were all things that only 'cultured people' could do.
And when they saw Jon, they all cast scrutinizing glances his way.
Of course, more often than not, it was indifference.
Jon's 'tactless' actions in Riverrun that day had actually displeased many people.
However, Jon didn't care; he was thinking about something else.
Now, House Darry's soldiers were down to less than four hundred.
But they still retained over twenty knights.
Furthermore, the remaining soldiers were all of very good quality.
Being able to follow their liege lord through battles also guaranteed their loyalty.
Although Jon's military strength was rapidly expanding, the lack of mid-level officers would make it very difficult to transmit command orders.
Nor could he utilize the advantage of his 'map cheat'.
If he could incorporate such an army under his command, his army's combat effectiveness would immediately increase significantly.
However, this was just wishful thinking.
As an old noble house, House Darry would not only refuse to submit to him, a bastard.
They might not even think highly of Robert.
House Darry had produced a Kingsguard.
He died fighting alongside Jon's birth father, Rhaegar Targaryen, at the Ruby Ford.
It is said that the cellars of Darry City still secretly harbored Targaryen banners and portraits of successive Targaryen kings.
One could say that they had only one sun in their hearts, and that was Targaryen.
As soon as Jon arrived at Darry City's tent, he saw him waiting there.
With him were the two Martin brothers and the current Earl of Darry City, Lyman.
Lyman seemed a bit excited upon seeing Jon.
The impression Jon had left on him in the great hall of Riverrun that day was simply too profound.
A boy under ten, at the age of his 'chuunibyou' phase.
Seeing Jon enter the tent, he immediately wanted to get up and greet him, but was pressed back down by his bastard cousin.
After all, Lyman was the Earl of Darry City, and Jon was just a bastard.
What reason was there for an Earl to salute a bastard?
Although both of them were also bastards, this concerned family honor.
There could be absolutely no ambiguity.
But the two still showed Jon enough respect; Jon's military achievements and the army he brought back were all real.
"Jon... My Lord, I am Martin Rivers."
"Lord Jon, I am Mond Rivers."
Jon nodded at them, offering a couple of words of praise.
And upon seeing Jon's arrival, Roose Bolton explained his intentions.
"Jon, you've done very well; you actually brought back another army for us."
"Heh heh, Lord Bolton, actually, there's an element of luck involved," Jon said modestly, as if the person who had spat in Roose Bolton's face back then was someone else.
Roose Bolton continued:
"It's like this, Jon. Although His Majesty said your army wasn't under my command when we set out,
at that time, you had less than five hundred men. Now, you directly command over three thousand soldiers.
I hope to hear your thoughts, and preferably, for you to undertake some combat missions."
Roose Bolton's reasoning was very sound.
After all, with so many men under Jon's command, it wouldn't be right for them to just eat without working, would it?
The addition of fresh troops was a good thing, but the increased consumption would inevitably put pressure on logistics and, to a certain extent, affect the supply quantities for other armies.
Jon nodded in agreement.
"Lord Bolton, please state any suggestions you have."
Seeing Jon speak, Martin and Mond exchanged glances, took a deep breath, and listened intently.
Jon now commanded over three thousand men. If he was willing to help them recapture Darry City, that would be even better.
Roose Bolton looked at Martin and said:
"I hope you can use Darry City as a stronghold to form our forward defense line, further compressing the activity range of the Westerlands army."
Jon mused:
"That means we still have to recapture Darry City first. Lord Bolton, I believe castles don't run away; only enemies do. Recapturing Darry City now would only disperse our forces and give the enemy an opportunity."
Seeing Jon disagree, Roose Bolton leaned back in his chair and looked at Martin and the others.
Martin then stood up and said, "Lord Bolton, we can recapture Darry City with the remaining men; we just hope you can provide us with some arrows and weapons."
Seeing Jon unwilling to budge, Martin also lost his patience.
Jon was a few years younger than him, and they were both bastards. Even if Jon had just brought back over two thousand wildling soldiers, Martin had no interest in humoring Jon.
Looking at this young man, who was roughly his own age, Jon felt a little helpless.
House Darry was a staunch supporter of Targaryen.
In the Battle of the Trident, House Darry lost four male members.
They followed Jon's birth father, 'Rhaegar Targaryen'.
And there was also a man named Willem Darry City, who protected the young Dragon Mother and Viserys.
Although Jon had never met them, they were, after all, his blood relatives.
He couldn't possibly ignore this bond and loyalty.
Jon knew they could certainly retake Darry City.
But immediately afterward, the Mountain would return, slaughtering Darry City, and House Darry would become extinct.
This was something Jon did not want to see.
Moreover, he also wanted to integrate House Darry's soldiers, especially the militarily educated knights, into his own army, not wanting these people to die in vain.
Therefore, he proposed a compromise:
"Lord Bolton, Ser Martin, although those tribal warriors are not Northmen, they are our allies, and I am responsible for their lives.
If you insist on recapturing Darry City, can you wait a little longer, until I have had some time to integrate these tribal warriors with my original soldiers, and then we will reclaim the lost territory?"
Jon's attitude surprised Roose Bolton.
His impression of Jon had always been that he was amenable to persuasion but not to force.
Why was he so gentle with House Darry?
However, Martin still rejected Jon's suggestion:
"Lord Jon, thank you for your kindness, but the common folk around Darry City are still suffering under the Lannister iron hooves. We cannot delay for another moment."
Martin used the word 'delay,' as if to mock Jon.
Jon slammed his hand on the table and retorted:
"Then have you considered what will happen if you drive the Westerlanders away and they just come back?
Do you want those commoners to suffer a second time?!"
'Right, this is the Jon I know.' Roose Bolton breathed a sigh of relief, having thought he had changed his ways after a trip to the Mountains of the Moon.
"They are House Darry's subjects; it's not for you to worry about."
"Idiot!"
Jon's aura was fully unleashed, and he cursed back directly.
Martin's legs went weak, realizing he had said something excessive.
Young Lyman was so scared he didn't dare to breathe.
"If you want to die, do as you please."
Jon stood up directly, dropped a sentence, and left the camp.
Helping was fine, but fawning was not.
But even after he had left for half a day, Martin still hadn't recovered.
Roose Bolton watched Jon's departing figure with cold eyes.
Even setting aside Jon's current prestige, based on his current strength, he couldn't force him to do anything.
So he looked at the Martin brothers and suggested:
"Martin, I will assign some archers to you. Perhaps they can help you."
"Thank you, My Lord."
Martin and Raymond bowed to Bolton together.
Lyman also mimicked his two cousins, expressing his gratitude to him.
Roose Bolton would, of course, not do business at a loss.
His assistance to House Darry would help him 'regain prestige' and strengthen his control over the army.
Especially Jon, who put too much pressure on him.
He needed to win over some 'allies'.
He needed to win over some 'allies'.