As night fell, bats occasionally flew overhead.
"My lord, please have some." A blond servant presented Tywin with a large piece of fatty roasted meat, or more accurately, roasted horse meat.
Tywin didn't immediately reach out to take it, but instead looked towards the riverbank not far away.
The scene of thousands of horses drawing water at the same time was truly spectacular. The bleak autumn wind blew the manes of the warhorses, making them look like withered reeds by the river.
The repeated galloping had caused the ribs of many warhorses to become visible; because they left in such a hurry, they didn't even have time to bring any food.
When he came across farmland, he let his warhorses graze on the crops; when he came across farmhouses, he allowed his soldiers to plunder the grain. With this almost animalistic behavior, Tywin left his pursuers far behind.
Tywin snapped out of his reverie and focused his gaze on the horse meat the servant had brought him. Based on his extensive experience, he deduced that it must be the hind leg meat of a warhorse.
They had been driving themselves recklessly along the way, losing over a hundred warhorses. These horses were not wasted; the Soldiers quickly butchered them and used them as rations.
He took the horse meat from Soldiers, took a bite, and found it exceptionally tender.
"May I have your name?"
" Adam hill, my lord."
" Adam ——"
Hill is a surname commonly used by bastards in the Westerlands. Tywin couldn't recall the name. It's normal for Lannister to not remember people, especially since he's a bastard.
He did recall that the Valerian line had died out during the Dance of the Blood Dragon, and that a bastard named Adam had succeeded them. After the Dragon Knights were legalized, they took on the task of continuing the family line.
Seeing that Tywin had eaten something, Adam quickly took out some rosemary from his pocket and offered it to him as a spice, which made Tywin feel much better.
Through conversation, we learned that this Adam Hill's father had the surname Lannister.
It's perfectly normal that Tywin didn't know about Dao, since Lannister is a large family like the Frey Family.
"Tell the soldiers they can rest a little longer and stay here tonight. We'll continue our journey tomorrow."
"Yes, sir, but—"
"Are you worried about pursuers?" A rare smile flashed in Tywin's eyes. "Don't worry, I've already thought about it. We'll just strengthen the security."
"Yes, sir." Seeing that Tywin had said so, Adam bowed to him and then went to make the arrangements.
"Wait a minute," Tywin suddenly said, "Once we return to the West, you will be Lannister."
Adam's eyes lit up, and he immediately knelt on one knee and shouted, "Thank you, sir!" Then he stood up and left like a gust of wind.
Tywin dared to let the Soldiers rest here because he judged that none of the various forces would necessarily kill him outright.
Especially in Stannis In the case of "Origin Qi being severely damaged".
Although Jon intended to enthrone Stannis, the problem was that even if Stannis inherited the iron throne, he would lack the power to launch any external attacks.
Tywin firmly believes that only steel and blood are the sharp weapons for conquest, and Stannis is currently desperately lacking both steel and blood.
They have the title, but lack the power to command the submission of others.
Perhaps the Crownlands and Stormlands will eventually belong to Stannis, but it will take at least three to five years to build up strength, especially since summer has ended and autumn is approaching, making the process even longer.
Tywin firmly believes that once he returns to the West, he will have enough time to consolidate his forces and build defenses, giving Lannister a chance to recuperate.
In time, all I need to do is pay some fines, and these things won't be insurmountable.
Thinking of this, Tywin couldn't help but turn his gaze eastward. He felt he had already paid enough attention to Jon, and the siege was filled with an eerie atmosphere.
First, Myrcella and Tommen were arrested. Tywin suspected that someone had leaked the information, but who could it be?
Varys? How could Varys possibly be in contact with Jon Snow?
That old guy in Rosby? Does he even have the guts?
If this only puzzled him, then Jon's subsequent superb defense was even more astonishing.
An army of ten thousand men could perform as if it were thirty thousand, as if the heavens above were watching him closely, and he could control every move of the army.
He thought of Demon Mountain again. What kind of army could possibly withstand the onslaught of heavily armored troops? Even if Demon Mountain was weak, they shouldn't have been completely wiped out.
Finally, there was the wildfire. When he learned that Tyrion had used wildfire to defeat Stannis, he was very excited, but he didn't expect that the wildfire would soon burn him and kill his own brothers.
If it weren't for the loss of Kevan and a large number of his elite men, Tywin wouldn't have given Adam Hill a second glance.
" Kevan, I will avenge you!" Tywin vowed silently in his heart. The fire of revenge seemed to ignite the old lion, filling his body with power once again.
King's Landing has once again ushered in peace.
At least for now.
Jon ordered Red Keep to be sealed off, striving to keep everything inside as it was, and no one except the guards was allowed to enter or leave.
The Soldiers were forbidden from visiting prostitutes and from moving freely in the city, but as compensation, Jon provided them with plenty of good food and even had the archbishop come to the army to pray and offer blessings.
Jon set up a temporary military government next to the Great Sept of Baelor to oversee the order and daily affairs of King's Landing.
I kept vigil for Eddard Stark that night.
He discovered that he spent most of his time each day dealing with various lawsuits.
The topics range from horse-drawn carriages overturning carts, to burglaries at homes, and diplomatic issues involving international affairs.
After the Battle of Blackwater Rush, Tyrion ordered the requisition of many foreign ships, and now they are all coming to Jon to demand compensation.
Almost killed Jon Qi laughed; he hadn't even received credit for his work yet.
"That's just how the Myr people are, insatiable. They deserve what happened to them," Dondarrion commented on Dao.
Jon believes that he should set up a secondary court on his own territory in the future, otherwise it would be a waste of time to be bothered by such matters every day.
After finishing his work for the day, Sora came to Jon and said that a man with terrible burn scars on his face wanted to see him.
Upon hearing the mention of burn scars, Jon immediately recognized the man. After letting him in, he saw that it was indeed the Mountain's brother, Sandor Clegane, the Hound.
Sandor knelt before Jon the moment he saw him, as if he had made up his mind. "My lord, please allow me to follow you from now on."
Sora sized up Sandor Clegane, who was kneeling on the ground, thinking how tall the man was, even kneeling, he was taller than Sora. Although the man looked somewhat ugly, his muscles were so big they seemed to be tearing his clothes apart. If Jon could gain such a powerful warrior, it would be a good thing.
"Your name is Sandor Clegane, Gregor's brother. I killed your brother, and now you want to be my bodyguard. How am I supposed to know, Dao, that you're not planning to take revenge for him?"
Upon hearing this connection, Sora immediately became alert, her right hand unconsciously resting on the hilt of her sword.
"No! No, sir, no." Sandor shook his head like a rattle-drum, his hair, which he had deliberately grown long to cover his scars, was tossed aside as he recounted a childhood memory.
When he was a child, he played with Gregor, an old toy that the Mountain no longer played with, and the enraged Mountain burned his head in a brazier. That's how he got the scar on his face.
To cover for Gregor, his father claimed that Sandor had accidentally set his bedsheets on fire, which caused the burns to his face.
"My lord, I have no desire to avenge my so-called brother. I am not saddened at all by your killing him. I know that my family's territory will be taken away. Although I have nothing now, I still have some martial arts skills. If you find me ugly, you can put me in your army." Sandor spoke sincerely, as if Jon would not leave until he agreed.
"You really want to follow me?"
"Gods are my witnesses, my lord!" Sandor crawled two steps closer to Jon.
Jon smiled and said to Dao, "You don't need to join my army. Just come with me to the Great Wall."
"The Great Wall? My lord, the Great Wall?"
Sandor didn't understand what Jon was talking about. Jon had rendered such great service; he was bound to receive a large fiefdom in the future. Wouldn't it be great to be a comfortable lord? Why would he want to go back to the Wall?
Although Sandor was not a major warlord, he also knew Dao There's no way Jon would ever return to the Great Wall.
"My lord?!" Having followed Jon for so long, Sora already knew what the Great Wall of Dao was and what Jon used to do.
Jon had promised the Elders of Mountain Clans that he would give them a new place to live.
"Alright, go out and think about it yourself first. Come back to me when you've figured it out."
Sandor left Jon's tent somewhat dejectedly, saying, "Let's go get a couple of drinks first." The large, somewhat helpless man walked towards the brothel in King's Landing.
"My lord, you—" Sora immediately asked Dao after Sandor left.
"Sora! Don't behave like this when there are other people around!" Jon said calmly, but it sounded like a scolding to Sora.
"Go and tell our people not to believe anything they hear or see during this time, unless I stand before them and tell them something. Otherwise, anyone who breaks the rules will remain forever in the deep mountains of the Moon!"
Jon's expression was serious, and his tone was even more stern; this was the first time Sora had ever seen Jon like this.
Jon didn't explain anything to Sora, because even if he did, she wouldn't understand.
Jon knew that even if Stannis were here now, Dao would still grant him the Western Territory title if he asked him for it.
Anyway, the Western Territory wasn't in his hands, and his own contributions were immense. The key was that Jon needed him to treat him as one of his own, only then could he fully utilize his abilities in the Western Territory without being hindered.
The best way to gain trust is to present yourself as someone who only wants to avenge their father and then immediately leave.
In other words, Jon wants the people of Seven Kingdoms to see him as "the second Eddard Stark ".
The noblemen of Westeros wear their emotions on their sleeves and say whatever they want, to the point that even someone like Littlefinger can throw a tantrum.
Now, Jon is also joining this character-building competition.
The Western Territory is nothing to Jon; what he truly desires is the entire Sunset Sea and half of Westeros.