Now, almost the entire Westeros is focused on Jon's war in the West, and Highgarden, as a direct stakeholder, is no exception.
Discussions about Jon are almost ubiquitous in Highgarden.
Margaery was the one in Highgarden who cared most about Jon, but Lydia cared even more about Jon's battle situation than Margaery.
Almost as soon as Lia opened her eyes, she asked her maid if there was any news from the front lines.
"Not yet, Young Miss. That bastard has been under Casterly Rock for over half a month. I heard they launched an attack not long ago, but it didn't succeed."
"Phew~ I know now."
Hearing her maid say this, Liya breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that Jon's success in defeating Casterly Rock was due to luck, and he was now helpless against Casterly Rock.
She never expected that the marriage arranged with Jon would once again be with Margaery. Upon learning this news, Lydia felt a sense of relief, as if she had escaped a catastrophe.
She was quite surprised to hear that Jon had recently conquered Casterly Rock with a single Qi.
If Jon really breached Casterly Rock, Lydia thought of her provocation at the banquet; if that happened—
" Casterly Rock will never fall." Lia told herself softly, as if hypnotizing herself.
After getting ready, she began her work—accompanying Margaery.
Soon, Lia arrived at their usual meeting place, where a group of girls gathered around Margaery and began discussing the war on the front lines.
" Jon was able to reach Casterly Rock in just one or two months. My brother says he really has a talent for military matters."
"Yes, if that young wolf lord hadn't found a small path into the West, he might have been blocked by Casterly Rock."
Faced with her female companions' praise, Margaery nodded and smiled. She knew that among Dao's female companions, many were waiting to see him make a fool of himself.
It's somewhat disgraceful for the legitimate daughter of a duke to marry a duke who doesn't even have a real fiefdom.
As the daughter of a duke, she naturally received an excellent education, and she knew the geography of the Seven Kingdoms and its famous castles like the back of her hand.
For example, Winterfell in the northern border of the Dao is remote and cold, and the terrible logistical pressure would crush all the conquerors.
Riverrun is sandwiched between two rivers, making it impossible for even a massive army to cross.
The Red Keep in King's Landing was originally protected by a giant dragon, so no one dared to even think about attacking it.
Eyrie, Casterly Rock, seems to be someone only the mythical figures of the Age of Heroes could defeat.
Lannister's ancestor, the clever "Lann," slept with all the women of Casterly Rock's original owner, the Cadsley Family, and conquered Casterly Rock by "his second son. "
Margaery knew that the truth about Dao was definitely not like that; there must be a complex scheme involved. But she was very curious and wanted to know Dao's story. How will Jon conquer Casterly Rock?
A few days ago, Garlan sent a message saying that Jon wanted to borrow House Redwyne's fleet. Everyone was puzzled as to whether Dao could possibly break into Casterly Rock with this fleet.
Everyone was baffled as to what Jon intended to do with the fleet, but Mace still summoned Earl Redwyne of Arbor, ordering him to lead the fleet to support Jon.
When faced with compliments from her female companions, Margaery remained very modest: "Well, Casterly Rock isn't so easy to beat. I heard he just launched an attack not long ago. I just hope he's careful not to get hurt."
"You really treat that bastard like a treasure?" Liya thought to herself. She used to admire Margaery quite a bit, but she never expected him to be such a love-struck fool.
Liya really couldn't understand who this Jon was, or what kind of magic he used to bewitch Margaery like this.
Despite thinking this in her heart, Liya still spoke up: "I still think highly of Jon. After all, he seems to be invincible so far. Maybe he has some other ideas."
"Perhaps." Margaery straightened her skirt, but she knew perfectly well what Liya meant.
Just then, a maid ran over and called Margaery over, saying that Earl Paxton of Redwyne had arrived.
House Redwyne is related to Olena, and Margaery needed to treat Paxton with the respect due to an elder, so he temporarily said goodbye to his female companion and went over.
At this moment, Olena is talking to Paxton about the grapes of Arbor.
Arbor is located at the southern end of Westeros, with a pleasant climate, and is famous for producing a variety of grape varieties and wines.
Arbor wines, produced using special methods, can even turn golden in color and are very popular even in the Free Cities.
But even the best goods need transportation and sales channels. Therefore, Arbor possessed a large number of ships and warships, which served as the foundation of House Redwyne and were also one of the three major fleets of Westeros. Now, the royal fleet of Stannis has been severely damaged, and the three major fleets of Westeros have become two major fleets, with the last one being the Iron Islands fleet.
Therefore, Paxton cherished his own fleet very much.
After receiving the summons from Lord Mace, he faithfully fulfilled his duties, but he couldn't help but wonder what Jon was planning to do with his ship.
Unfortunately, Mace did not say this explicitly in the letter, so while the fleet was resupplying, he came to Highgarden to find out the truth.
Before he could get any results from his inquiries, Margaery arrived first.
Her appearance illuminated almost the entire room, especially her silky brown hair, which shone brighter than any jewel.
Seeing Margaery like this, Paxton's twin sons were practically drooling.
Margaery even smiled at them, a bright smile that froze them in place, making them forget to return the smile.
Margaery, however, paid no attention and went straight to Paxton. " Uncle Paxton ~" Margaery said to the reddish-brown-haired Earl Redwyne in a coquettish tone. She took Paxton's arm and said, "Uncle, although I don't know anything about warfare, Casterly Rock is the most defensible and difficult to attack place in all of Westeros. You must help him."
Seeing this, Mace's face was almost as long as a donkey's. She said helplessly to Paxton, "Sigh~ I knew I couldn't keep a girl like that."
Paxton simply smiled at this, then asked Dao, "My lord, how exactly does Jon want me to help him conquer the city? Casterly Rock was carved out of a rocky mountain; there's no need for a fleet at all."
Paxton's fleet also played a significant role in Robert's Rebellion, but he only used his fleet to blockade Storms End. Using a naval fleet to attack a land fortress was simply not feasible.
"I don't know either, Dao, but Jon never fights according to common sense, and he didn't say it explicitly in his letter—"
Before Mace could finish speaking, Margaery interrupted Dao: "Uncle, rest assured, Jon cherishes the lives of the soldiers. Even those Dreadfort soldiers he took away were not used as cannon fodder or shields. Your fleet is so precious, he certainly won't use it recklessly."
Seeing that Mace was about to get upset about his interruption, Margaery quickly ran behind his father and started massaging his shoulders.
"Hmph! I really don't know what's so good about that brat Dao." Mace snorted coldly.
"Oh, Father, Jon is no brat at all. I believe he can definitely become a powerful lord. If he becomes the true Lord of Casterly Rock, it will be beneficial to Highgarden, won't it?" Margaery apologized and pleaded, finally calming Mace down.
With the Tyrell family in such a state, Paxton naturally wouldn't say anything more, stating that his fleet would definitely obey Jon's orders.
Just two days after Paxton left, Randal Tarly, the most capable nobleman in The Reach, arrived in Highgarden.
In a marble-themed hall adorned with green vines and red flowers, Mace summoned his trusted lieutenants.
Randal Tarly maintained his impeccable military bearing, wearing a brown fitted shirt with arm guards on the cuffs and a Tarly belt at his waist. " Family's ancestral sword, Heartbreak," stood before Mace with his son, Dickon.
It is indeed unusual for someone to be summoned by the lord again after only a few months.
Looking at this top general of the South, Mace felt a deep sense of envy and even jealousy. When Robert rebelled, Randal Tarly had defeated Robert with fewer troops at the Golden Tree River.
He himself led tens of thousands of troops but failed to conquer Storms End, and not long ago he even relived the old dream in King's Landing, which plunged Mace into serious mental exhaustion.
The only thing that could comfort him was that his hair was much thicker than Randal Tarly's.
" Sir Randal Tarly, I have summoned you here to entrust you with an army of 20,000 to assist Jon in attacking the West. Your objective is to begin with Cornfield and capture as much land and castle as possible. Of course, the most important thing is to keep Tywin's army in the south occupied." As Mace spoke, Maester Loras handed a warrant to Randal Tarly.
Randal Tarly took the warrant, bowed to Mace, and said, "I will certainly live up to your expectations!"
"Go forth, we await your triumphant return."
"Yes, sir!"
As soon as Mace finished speaking, Randal Tarly turned and left, his cloak billowing high behind him.
Randal Tarly was a lord with the most military bearing; he received orders, carried them out, and said nothing more.
Watching Randal Tarly and his son leave, Mace turned to Loras and said, "Write me a letter to Jon."
Upon hearing Mace speak, Loras immediately took out a notebook to take notes.
"You brat—"
"Huh?" Loras looked a little confused.
"Write it, you brat!"
"Oh." Loras then realized that Mace wasn't talking about him.
"You brat, this is an army of 20,000! You better fight harder, forget about Casterly Rock, and take over as many castles, fortresses, and lands as possible around here—"
Highgarden's sudden and significant actions were entirely due to Olena's foresight.
She also didn't believe Jon could conquer Casterly Rock. Although the Queen of Thorns didn't have any spies from King's Landing, she still deduced that Tywin was very likely to reach an agreement with Stannis to divide the Westerlands in two.
Olenna also believed that they should take advantage of this opportunity to occupy more land in the western border region and gain more benefits for Jon.
Of course, the real motive wasn't just for Jon; the mineral deposits in the West were the most valuable thing, and conquering more Gold Mine would make House Tyrell even richer.
After all, no one ever thinks they have too much gold, and the shrewd "Queen of Thorns " would never work for someone else for free.
As for Jon's request for the fleet, it was also because of Margaery's granddaughter and the fact that the war against Casterly Rock was unlikely to break out into a large-scale naval battle.
It was just a one-time trip, and Olenna decided to give Jon this face.
Mace continued dictating his instructions to Loras: "—Also, try not to charge into battle. As the commander, take care of your own life! If you upset Margaery, I'll give you a good beating!"
Loras lowered his head, biting his lip, trying hard not to laugh out loud.
"That's all for now," Mace said, scratching his belly as if there was nothing else to say.
"Oh, right, send him the armor I wore when I was young."
"Yes, sir."
"Forget it, that set is too conspicuous. Let's go to the warehouse and pick out a sturdier one for him."
"Yes, ma'am."