Casterly Rock, the gateway to the west, is built into a valley, flanked by towering, steep mountains that are rich in Gold Mine. This castle truly lives up to its name, Casterly Rock.
In front of Casterly Rock was an army of over 25,000 people.
One of the ten thousand troops, mainly archers, came from House Tyrell's support. Archers are not just ordinary soldiers; the soldiers who can draw their warbows require a high level of physical strength.
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Tyrell went to great lengths to support Jon, providing not only the military but also all the rations Jon needed.
These troops were led by Jon's brother-in-law, Garlan Tyrell, with Knight of Flowers, Loras Tyrell also present, though his main role was to make fun of Jon and even discourage Jon from marrying Margaery.
The thought of having someone like Jon marry his sister made Loras feel incredibly uncomfortable.
Especially Jon's verbal attack at King's Landing that day, that's a serious matter.
However, Jon chose to ignore Loras. He was the third of the three Tyrell brothers, a man of high status but little real power, so there was no point in arguing with him.
There were also 8,000 men, which were Jon's own troops. More than 5,000 of them were surrendered soldiers from the Westerlands who had been subdued by King's Landing, and the rest were Riverlands militia and veterans of the Mountain Clans.
Jon thought that once they had food, they would go back to retire peacefully, but these old men said that eating military rations had made them stronger and that staying with Jon might allow them to live a few more years.
Jon didn't expose their little scheme; they simply wanted to save food for their family.
There were also four thousand Riverrun troops led by Brynden. After all, it was right on their own doorstep, and it wouldn't make sense for them not to send troops.
Frey Family mobilized two thousand people, perhaps out of consideration for Roslin, and offered Jon the same level of support they had shown for Robb.
The remaining thousand people were Karhold, led by Rickard. Soldiers, having relinquished the title of Earl of Karhold to Harrion ahead of time, decided to stay and assist Jon.
Now his daily job is to yell and curse under Casterly Rock.
" Daven! I killed your father. If you're not a coward, come and fight me! Don't hide in the city like a turtle!"
" Daven! Come out! Don't hide in the city! I know you can hear me!"
" Daven "
Inside Casterly Rock, Daven knows Dao Rickard was shouting and cursing outside, but he remained hidden in the city, unmoved.
Once Casterly Rock falls, Jon's army will advance unimpeded, breaking through... Sarsfield, a satellite town of Casterly Rock, then fight your way to Casterly Rock.
However, if Jon can hold Casterly Rock, he will have to go around to the southern part of the Westerlands to deal with the resistance from the various castles in the Westerlands.
In this way, the Western Army, with its terrain advantage, will wear down the invading forces, and the massive war expenditure will be something that even the wealthiest lord cannot afford.
The worst outcome for Lannister would be the cession of half of the West, but as long as they retain Casterly Rock, they will eventually reclaim the lost lands.
And that is Tywin's core objective. So no matter how eager Daven is for revenge, he has to hold back.
At this moment, a noblewoman in her mid-twenties entered Daven's study. She had chestnut hair, a pale face, and moved silently.
Her name was Alyssane Lefford. This name comes from Queen Alyssane, a kind woman from the time of Targaryen.
Alyssane Lefford's husband, Leo Lefford, drowned in the Battle of Red Fork River. Lefford now raises his seven-year-old daughter and four-year-old son alone and has become the Clan Chief of the Lefford Family.
In reality, her position as Clan Chief isn't very fulfilling now. When Kevan attacked King's Landing, he wiped out almost all of the elite troops in the West.
The Lefford family now consists of only the mother, her two children, and a few elderly men.
Despite the towering and sturdy walls of Casterly Rock, Alexandra felt no sense of security. Instead, she felt more at ease being with the burly, bearded Daven.
Especially since the Father, one of the seven gods, also has a golden beard, this provides her with a certain spiritual comfort.
" Sir Daven, Soldiers told me that the army that Bastard brought has exceeded 20,000 men. Can we stop them?" Alexandra asked Dao worriedly.
Despite his impatience, Daven patiently explained to the anxious woman, "Don't worry, madam. Although we only have six thousand soldiers, it's enough to hold Casterly Rock. The path Robb found has been blocked, and that bastard can't get through no matter what. And even if six thousand soldiers aren't enough, we still have twenty or thirty thousand miners. Believe me, even a hundred thousand troops, let alone twenty thousand, would have no chance of breaking through Casterly Rock."
Seeing Daven say this, Alexandra felt a little relieved. At the same time, she cautiously took two steps closer to Daven and continued to ask Dao, "Then why don't we incorporate those miners into the army as soon as possible? It would be safer to have more people guarding the area."
"That won't do, my lady. Our military rations are limited, and those cowardly miners are simply not suited for the battlefield. They would only affect morale. Here's what we'll do," Daven said, standing up and moving away from Alishan. "I will select another three thousand men from the miners and train them. And my lady, if that Bastard isn't stupid, the final battle will likely take place in the south. Lord Tywin will personally oversee the fight against him. As long as we keep the city gates closed, we have nothing to fear."
Seeing that Daven was intentionally distancing himself from her, Alexandra stopped moving forward and took a few steps back, nodding to Dao: "Then I'll have to trouble you, Sir."
Daven is the one who knows Dao Tywin's entire plan was based on the consensus that Jon would never be able to breach Casterly Rock, given that Jon had no record of successfully breaching a city from the front.
That attack on King's Landing could at most be considered a sneak attack.
Jon may be quite skilled in open field battles, but against this fortress-like castle, there is absolutely no possibility of taking shortcuts.
On the other hand, Jon's army also reached a consensus on this matter: taking Casterly Rock would not be easy.
" Jon, we're consuming a lot of food every day, and the Soldiers are all itching to attack. How about we try besieging the city tomorrow?" Rickard tried to encourage Jon to attack.
At this moment, Jon sat in the commander-in-chief's position in the military tent. This time, he did not need anyone's appointment or permission, nor did he need to play any tricks of retreating to advance. The command of the army was in his hands.
But the responsibility for the war also fell entirely on his shoulders.
Sandor Clegane stood outside the tent, with Robb Frey standing beside him.
Jon was seated closest to Garlan and Loras, while Brynden and Rickard sat on the other side.
Hoster, having followed Robb into the West, was experienced and thus assigned to join Jon in the siege. Martin continued to command Jon's Heavy Armor Battalion as a trump card and core force.
As for Mond, Jon instructed him to return to Darry City with Lyman and help Lyman rebuild Darry City and the territory.
Because the western region is rich in Ore, its smelting technology is very advanced, and the Heavy Armor Battalion has received high praise from many people.
In addition, Jeyne's father and brothers also joined Jon's army with a small number of men, since their family's " Cragspire " was still in the West and they needed to reclaim their territory.
In addition, Melisandre also came from King's Landing, just as Varys said, probably to help him.
But Jon had no idea how she could help.
Should we use Shadow Assassin like we did with Renly?
However, Shadow Assassin can only be produced by the mating of Melisandre and Stannis, who possesses the blood of a king.
Although he also had royal blood, neither Melisandre nor Stannis should know Dao.
If Jon couldn't figure it out, he simply stopped thinking about it; he had his own methods anyway.
"Now is not the time. Casterly Rock is well-defended, and a hasty attack would only result in unnecessary loss of life."
Before Jon could finish speaking, Loras crossed his arms and said, "Then I wonder if our Lord Jon has any good ideas? You know, the food you're consuming right now is all pulled from the Highgarden warehouse."
Everyone could hear the strange words "Yin and Yang" in Loras's language, but they didn't speak, they just looked at Loras and then at Jon.
"After all, this is Jon's family matter," and neither they, as vassals nor allies, could easily interfere.
Jon didn't argue with Loras, but calmly said, "Attacks naturally require timing. If there isn't a chance, we'll create one."
Jon approached the map and said to Dao, " Casterly Rock is a strategically important location, the most fortified fortress and stronghold in the Westerlands—"
" Casterly Rock is," Loras interjected again.
"Luo!" Garlan whispered to stop him. Although Garlan was slow to react, he still observed basic etiquette.
"————One of them." Jon didn't say anything, but continued to speak on his own, "If I were Tywin, then based on my understanding of Jon as Tywin, I would definitely think that I would not launch a full-scale attack on Casterly Rock. The terrain to the north is narrow, with almost only a small section of the coastline through which one can pass. Tywin has also long since reinforced the fortress. The only possible place for a decisive battle is the south."
Although no one immediately understood Jon's "long and complicated sentence," they all understood his meaning.
"So you're planning a flanking attack to the south?" Loras asked Dao.
"No, I want the people of Casterly Rock to think I'm going south. Once they've transferred most of their troops out of the city, we can launch an attack and take it all in one fell swoop! After all, even the strongest fortress needs soldiers to defend it, right?" Jon revealed his final plan.
" The garrison at Casterly Rock isn't stupid. Why do you think they'll listen to you?" Loras asked again.