Seeing that Jon said nothing, Polliver, who was standing by, interjected, "Lord Bolton has already consulted King Robb, and your army must now also follow his command."
"Robb."
Jon quietly murmured Robb's name in his heart, inevitably thinking of the scene in his previous life where business partners turned against each other halfway through his venture.
He just hadn't expected that power would corrupt people even faster than money, and the brotherhood between the two had deteriorated so quickly.
"I have to jump ship; there's no other choice." Jon secretly made up his mind again.
Martin, standing nearby, also straightened his body, his eyes darting between Jon and Roose Bolton, thinking that if this was Robb's order, it would indeed be difficult to refuse.
But Roose Bolton was clearly trying to wear them down, which left him unsure what to do, so he quietly looked at Jon.
At this moment, Roose Bolton quickly played the good cop: "Polliver! This is not your place to speak!" Then he looked at Jon and said, "Jon, this is just my suggestion. Your military talent is stronger than mine. If you have a better idea, feel free to propose it."
Roose Bolton knew that Jon was not like other people; even with Robb's command, he might not be able to direct him.
For example, unlike other lords who would dare to entrust their army to this bastard in front of him, it showed that his command authority was not so stable, let alone commanding Jon.
But Jon was Robb's brother after all. If Jon dared to refuse today, he would immediately inform Robb and have Robb exert pressure.
Jon picked up a dried fruit from the table, threw it into his mouth, and said, "My Lord Bolton, you seem to be only in your forties this year, right? How could you be so muddled?"
Roose Bolton's expression immediately froze. Jon's words were barbed; they sounded like a joke, but the sarcasm was obvious.
Seeing that the smile was already slipping from his pale face, Jon then said, "When Tywin leaves, he will at most leave a small army and some mercenaries to guard the city.
You know mercenaries; they value money, not people, and anyone who can assemble a mercenary group would definitely not be a fool. They should be able to see the current situation. My point is, if we can buy them off with gold, let's not waste lives unnecessarily, don't you agree?
Of course, if they are truly stubborn, it won't be too late for us to attack the city then."
Seeing Jon cleverly refuse his proposal, Roose Bolton had no choice but to accept. This was indeed a more efficient method than attacking the city.
Even if it really came down to Robb, Jon's words were faultless.
Jon knew that Tywin would likely leave behind a mercenary group called the 'Brave Companions,' about two thousand men. How could they defend Harrenhal, the largest castle in Seven Kingdoms?
Moreover, Tywin himself was now struggling to protect himself; they were probably already thinking about how to jump off the 'sinking ship' of the Westerlands.
In fact, Jon really had to find a way to take control of Harrenhal.
It wouldn't be long before Catelyn returned, bringing the news of Renly's death.
This would be followed by the Battle of the Blackwater.
In the Battle of the Blackwater, Stannis suffered heavy losses and fled north in a hurry, while the fully equipped Riverlands army would deliver the decisive blow.
Under these circumstances, even if Jon could control Roose Bolton, he would inevitably be surrounded by enemies.
Not to mention the great distance between himself and Robb, preventing him from managing Robb's affairs.
His incompetent teammate, Catelyn, would even release Jaime without permission, causing a rift between the Stark and the most loyal Karstark.
Jon knew all this, but he couldn't control it. His only chance was to seize the right moment and attack King's Landing with Stannis.
Then, by virtue of his merits in assisting the siege, he could achieve his goal of switching allegiance. Controlling Harrenhal would prevent or delay Tywin's return to reinforce.
Furthermore, in the coming time, all Jon had to do was wait quietly. After Tywin left, he would take Harrenhal.
However, he couldn't just wait idly. During this period, he would naturally accumulate as much strength as possible.
After leaving Roose Bolton, Jon announced to the entire Riverlands that he had slain the Mountain, and at the same time, he began conscripting soldiers.
He remembered that the famous 'Brotherhood Without Banners' should still be active in the Riverlands at this time.
Among them was also a highly skilled individual who could perform 'resurrection magic.' If he could recruit them, it would naturally be for the best.
Over the next month, the army experienced unprecedented tranquility.
Jon spread the news that he would seek a decisive battle and launch a general offensive against the Westerlands army, which was, of course, actually to intimidate Tywin.
He also had people parade the Mountain's corpse everywhere, and soon many scattered soldiers from the Riverlands chose to join the Northern Army.
Most of them chose to join Jon's command.
At this time, the number of 'ragtag soldiers' under his command had exceeded five thousand.
From a mere bastard, he had leaped to become the commander of an army of five thousand.
Jon's army had become the strongest among the Northern lords.
Now, apart from his title, he had completely surpassed Roose Bolton in every aspect.
And on this very day, Catelyn, who had been attempting to form an alliance with Renly in the Stormlands, suddenly visited the Northern Army's camp.
Jon had initially thought that Catelyn would, as in the original timeline, head north directly to White Harbor after Renly's death, then detour to The Twins to rejoin Robb's army.
On second thought, it might be that in this timeline, both the eastern and western routes of the Northern Army had achieved good results.
Catelyn had actually chosen to stop by the 'Eastern Army.'
As the mother of the King in the North and the King of the Trident, her arrival was naturally met with a strong welcome from the Northern forces, and a small reception banquet was, of course, indispensable.
"Thanks to Lord Bolton's command, Robb was able to focus on fighting on the western front." Catelyn smiled and greeted Roose Bolton.
Although Roose Bolton quickly stood up, Catelyn keenly sensed the sneers of the other lords.
At this moment, Harrion was the first to speak: "My Lady, Lord Jon is also an excellent commander. If it weren't for him, many of us here might not be alive to see you."
Harrion's words made Roose Bolton's movements stiffen, but no one objected.
In the Battle of the Green Fork, Roose Bolton's battle report heavily praised Jon.
At that time, Catelyn believed that Roose Bolton did this out of consideration for Jon's status, and she was somewhat dismissive of Jon's achievements.
But earlier, she had heard that Jon had annihilated the Westerlands' elite heavy cavalry and even slain the Mountain, which made her realize that Jon might indeed have real ability.
But now she saw these nobles' sincere respect for Jon, and for a moment, she found it somewhat unbelievable.
After all, in her eyes, her own son was the most outstanding one.
Catelyn turned to look at Jon, only to see him sitting calmly, with the surrounding noble lords subtly deferring to him.
"Brandon."
Brandon's name suddenly flashed through Catelyn's mind.
The current Jon, whether in appearance or in his authoritative demeanor, seemed to be leaning towards Brandon's direction.
Suddenly, the King in the North's mother felt an alarm bell ring in her heart.
Although Jon preventing Robb from being crowned King that day was very much to Catelyn's liking, since Robb was already the King in the North, she had to consider her son's interests.