WILOW-Ch.395: A Risky Gamble
Lannister Army Camp, Riverlands
POV of Tywin Lannister
"About 300 scouts died and 200 more deserted last night." Lord Rupert Falwell, who was the substitute of Lord Addam Marbrand ever since he got an arrow to the head, said, and Tywin nodded.
After the first two days of harassing his men and scouts with the direwolves and wyverns, most of the attackers had left, and now only a few horse archers remained to harass them.
On the one hand, he was happy that they would be able to reach the Golden Tooth without breaking apart.
On the other hand, he couldn't help but feel that this was a trap of some kind, and he was being lured in with the promise of victory that he would never achieve.
"How many deserters did our men manage to catch?" he asked.
"About 40, my lord." Lord Rupert replied.
"Good." He nodded, "Take them up ahead and hang them through the trees. Once we start marching, the men will see the fate of those who try to desert."
"It'll be done, my lord." Lord Rupert said and then hesitated.
"What is it?" he asked.
"My lord… we've almost run out of food."
"Have our hunters found any game?" he asked.
"A little." The man replied, "With the direwolves and most of the horse archers gone, the men are able to go deeper into the forest, but most of the animals have left the area. The little food we managed to scrounge up won't be enough for the men."
He thought about those words for a moment and then nodded, "Take horses of the dead scouts. Butcher them and feed the men horse meat."
The man grimaced at his words, and he frowned.
"I know many men don't prefer horse meat. But we're only two days from the Tooth. Make do with it. We'll have a victory celebration at the castle when we capture Tooth and take Bolton Boy prisoner." He said.
The man nodded but didn't leave his side. It seemed like he still had something he wanted to say.
He was starting to get irritated by the man's timid personality, and when he was about to tell him to continue again, he stopped and tried to listen.
It started small, but soon enough, he could hear the hoof beats of horses coming closer and closer.
Then the sound of fighting and slaughter entered the tent.
He frowned and quickly went out of the camp and got a proper look at the situation, and snarled in anger when he saw that about 2500 Bolton Cavalry was currently attacking his forces from the north side.
He did not understand the meaning of this surprise attack.
Firstly, it was done after dawn when his men had started to wake up, so it was not a total surprise.
Secondly, the area they had attacked held no particular significance.
Was it because they wouldn't expect a surprise attack at such a time that the enemy was planning to attack now?
Whatever the reason, the attack had come unexpectedly, and that was enough to infuriate him.
But then he saw the personal banner of Lord Bolton in the midst of the enemy cavalry, and his eyes widened as he realized that this was his chance.
His only chance to gain a victory against the Northerners.
Bolton Boy had not only sent his cavalry, but he had also joined the attack himself.
If he captured Lord Bolton here, then he would be able to force the enemy forces in the Golden Tooth to not only give up all the gold they'd taken from Casterly Rock but also the other hostages they'd taken with them.
If Bolton boy's men valued their lord, and Tywin knew they did, they would have to accept all his terms, give him Golden Tooth, and return everything they had taken from The Rock.
Not only would he instantly regain everything he had lost, but he would also have a castle to defend himself against the Northern and Vale armies.
And he could still use the Bolton boy as leverage against the Northern and Vale armies. After all, they currently regarded the Bolton boy as their Emperor.
And by using the Bolton boy and Sansa Stark as bargaining chips, he could ultimately negotiate a peace talk where he would have the upper hand.
Then he gritted his teeth as he realized that this was most likely a bait meant for a trap of some kind.
Either Bolton boy intended to exploit the Lannister army's weariness and hunger by launching attacks to break them or slow them down until the Northern-Vale army arrived, or this was a bait.
But he also knew that his chances of taking over Golden Tooth before the Northern and Vale army managed to catch up with him were practically none.
Therefore, this opportunity before him was perhaps his only realistic chance of victory.
So, with clenched fists, he turned to Lord Rupert Falwell and said, "Take all the cavalry we have. And chase after the enemy cavalry. I want the Bolton boy in my custody by the afternoon."
"It'll be done, my lord." Lord Rupert said and was about to leave when he continued.
"And Lord Rupert." The man turned to look at him. "This is probably a bait and trap tactic. Be mindful."
Lord Rupert gave him a confident smile. "Don't worry, my lord. No trap will stop me from taking this Northern savage in custody today."
With that, the man left on his horse, and he was left wondering if he made a very bad decision.
He realized that he might have made one. It was a gamble.
But it was unlikely he would get another chance like this.
He had more cavalry, and whether by trap or not, his chances of capturing Bolton Boy in an open battlefield were greater than his chances of capturing him behind the walls of Golden Tooth.
He just hoped that his gamble would pay off.
Because if he lost this gamble, he didn't know what else he could do.
At that time, all he could do was attack Golden Tooth with the men he had left and hope for a miracle.
And Tywin wasn't one to believe in miracles or gods. He believed success came from one's intelligence and effort.
And even if gods truly existed, he didn't think they would side with him.
After all, the one he was fighting was Lord Bolton, known as the Chosen One of the Old Gods.
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Next Chapters' Name:
Ch.396: Destroying Lannister Cavalry
Ch.397: Visiting and Resupplying
Ch.398: On the Eve of the Siege