In the military tent, Catelyn sat at the head, and Jon stood before her with his hands by his sides.
As for Sora, who was pouring tea for her, her disguise was seen through at a glance.
"Jon, I have never heard of a noble's attendant being a woman, nor have I heard of a bastard having his own personal guard."
Jon glanced at the tea spilled because Sora's hand trembled and said, "My Lady, I actually call what you refer to as personal guards 'reserves.' In critical moments, I will lead them to support various front lines.
They are merely led by me personally, and I train them frequently, which is why people mistakenly believe them to be personal guards."
By this time, Sora had wiped the table clean and poured her another cup of tea.
However, Catelyn did not take it; in her opinion, Jon's so-called reserves were precisely a personal guard.
But she was too lazy to argue further. Catelyn's goal was to transfer Jon's military authority into Lord Bolton's hands.
As for the reserves he spoke of, they were naturally included.
"Jon, how many troops do you have now?"
"Less than three hundred."
"I want you… what?"
Catelyn thought she had misheard and leaned forward sharply.
She hadn't expected Jon to be so shameless; the soldiers she had just seen in the camp were more than three hundred.
Yet, he brazenly stated a number that made her feel like a fool.
"Jon, repeat how many men you have. Lord Bolton told me you have a full five thousand men, including nearly five hundred heavy-armored personal guards!"
Jon chuckled inwardly, thinking that Roose Bolton had been sold out so quickly.
"My Lady, among these five thousand, more than two thousand are warriors from the Mountain Clans of the Mountains of the Moon. They are allies I won over with weapons and food.
Another five hundred are veteran soldiers from the Northern Mountain Clans, whose lord died in the Battle of the Green Fork. Because I saved them, they are willing to let me command them. There are also several hundred Northern soldiers who followed me because their lords died in battle. My true army indeed only numbers just over three hundred."
"You even went to the Mountains of the Moon?"
"I requested permission from Robb."
Jon's tone was calm, and his expression serene as he met Catelyn's gaze.
Catelyn, who had just returned from a 'diplomatic mission,' knew that attracting allies was no simple matter. Some principles were difficult to explain even to civilized people, let alone winning over the savage Mountain Clans tribes.
She found it somewhat unimaginable how Jon had accomplished it.
Catelyn looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar young man before her, suddenly feeling that she couldn't see through him at all, but this sudden sense of unfamiliarity only intensified her dislike.
Catelyn took a sip of tea and continued, "Regardless, these five thousand men must have a unified command. I still hope you will hand over military authority to Lord Bolton."
Seeing Catelyn make such a demand, Sora, who was at her side, clenched her fists tightly.
Because of her mother, Sora had always held a good impression of 'outside' women.
But today, Catelyn shattered that filter; these armies were painstakingly assembled by Jon, and she was just going to hand them over so lightly to someone else.
"My Lady, these armies were painstakingly assembled by Jon, you…"
"It's not your place to speak here, young lady from the Mountains of the Moon." Catelyn said, picking up her teacup and leaning back in her chair, emphasizing the words 'Mountains of the Moon.'
'Alright, since you've laid your cards on the table, I won't pretend anymore.' Jon simply walked to a chair on the other side of the table and sat down under Catelyn's disgusted gaze.
"My Lady, as you said, I am merely a motherless bastard. All the… let's call it 'power' I have today comes from Stark." As he spoke, Jon took out a roster and placed it beside Catelyn.
"These are the rosters of the officers. You can command them to obey Roose Bolton in the name of the King in the North's mother. As long as they choose to obey you, I imagine I would have no choice and would not dare to defy your orders."
"What do you mean?!" Catelyn slammed her teacup onto the table, saying in a low voice, splashing water everywhere.
"The roster is here, My Lady. Feel free to do whatever you wish. Also, there is one more thing I wish to remind you of:
If Robb intends to send Theon to win over the Iron Islands, you must stop him. Once Theon returns to the Iron Islands, Balon will have no qualms whatsoever. He is very likely to launch a surprise attack on the North and Winterfell."
"Theon is Eddard's ward; he wouldn't."
"But he is also Lord Stark's hostage, so why wouldn't he?" Jon immediately retorted, "My Lady, you wouldn't want to lose two more children, would you?"
Seeing Jon mention Bran and Rickon, Catelyn could no longer hold back and splashed the teacup at Jon's face.
However, Jon had already prepared the moment her hand reached for the teacup, quickly pressing down on the rim of the cup while avoiding any physical contact with Catelyn.
"My Lady, I, this motherless bastard, was raised in Winterfell for fourteen years. But in the Battle of the Green Fork, I saved more than fourteen hundred soldiers, and my feat of slaying the Mountain is second to none. It would be best if you did not interfere with matters in the army."
"You!" Catelyn's chest heaved violently, her blue eyes wide, as if about to spew flames.
Jon was too lazy to continue talking to her. This woman's concern for her children was unquestionable, otherwise she wouldn't have let Jaime go on her own accord.
However, with his reminder, Robb should be more cautious about allying with the Iron Islands.
"The North is currently vulnerable and so close to the Iron Islands. Given Balon's character, it's entirely possible. If Robb insists on allying with the Iron Islands, please tell Theon to remember my words."
"What words?" Catelyn frowned.
"He knows."
"You!"
Seeing Jon's indifferent demeanor, Catelyn was furious.
"My Lady, I have said all I can. All my efforts are to avenge my father, Lord Stark. I will only do so in my own way, and I will not hesitate to defy Robb and your orders for it. You can convict me as you please. Once the war ends, I will return to the Wall and continue to serve in the Night's Watch." With that, Jon left directly.
"Jon! Jon!"
This bastard had always avoided her, never daring to defy her.
Today, he dared to speak to her like this. It must be because he had gained power. But he had already stated he would return to the Night's Watch, so she had no way to deal with him.
He was completely unyielding!
However, Jon's words were like a thorn in her heart. Sansa and Arya were in enemy hands, her greatest concern. Catelyn couldn't imagine what she would do if something happened to Bran and Rickon.
Indeed, she quickly cast aside the matter of military authority and rushed to Riverrun without delay. To show goodwill, Jon dispatched twenty veteran soldiers to escort her and personally saw her out of the camp.
Sora watched Catelyn leave, feeling quite indignant.
"How could this Lady Catelyn be like this…"
Before she could finish her sentence, Jon stopped her.
"Once when I was little, I was sick and had a fever for several days. Lady Catelyn stayed by my bedside until late at night. I vaguely saw her sleeping at the head of my bed.
I never saw my mother when I was young, and whenever I thought of my mother, it was always Lady Catelyn's figure that appeared in my mind. I can understand her feelings, so don't blame her."
At this moment, Catelyn was merely a mother worried about her children; Jon was too lazy to bother with her.
The army was built by him alone, and no one could take it away. Jon wasn't so bored as to get angry with someone who wasn't even on the same cognitive level as him.
Instead, such behind-the-scenes leniency could earn more respect from his subordinates.
But Jon's intention was misinterpreted by Sora. She looked at Jon, who was still defending Catelyn at this moment, and felt a pang of heartache.
Although her own mother had also passed away early, at least she had accompanied her during her childhood. Sora suddenly remembered what her mother once told her:
People who have suffered a lot only need a little sweetness to be comforted.
And people who are very deprived of love only need a little love to be unforgettable.
"Jon." Sora felt a lump in her throat.
"Address me by my title," Jon said, turning away.