"Nineteen ships, and one main ship with 150 oars." Cole listened as Gilbert recited the numbers. Gilbert had been responsible for managing the army's supplies throughout the campaign.
They had successfully captured Greenstone City in the recent battle. Standing atop the city walls, Cole declared all Esmonds to be traitors. In his capacity as Prince Regent, he stripped the Esmond family of all their rights on Esmond Island and formally renamed it Greenstone Island.
Cole planned to rest on Greenstone Island for a while before leading the army back towards Stonehelm City. A Lannister stronghold still remained entrenched in Cape Wrath.
Cole's journey, however, wasn't just about fighting; he intended to "invite" someone. He planned to march his troops around Cape Wrath and then return to Storm's End, stopping at Stonehelm along the way to summon Earl Sven.
After this battle, Cole's army was significantly depleted. While he had started with two thousand men from Storm's End, their numbers had been nearly halved; only about a thousand remained. He had no intention of recruiting more soldiers for now.
The intense fighting in Cape Wrath had convinced him that he needed to cultivate his own elite force, and maintaining around a thousand full-time soldiers was a sensible choice under the current circumstances.
He believed that quality trumped quantity when it came to soldiers.
Of course, Cole didn't plan to simply dismiss the remaining soldiers. With the likelihood of prolonged conflict in the days to come, he would establish garrisons throughout the Storm's End territories. These soldiers would form towns, uniformly planned and self-sufficient, training themselves and remaining exempt from taxes.
When war called, a large army could be quickly reassembled from these settlements. This farming initiative was, naturally, designed to sustain them through a drawn-out war.
With winter approaching Westeros, harvesting wheat, fruits, and vegetables would soon be impossible. Fortunately, Storm's End was near the sea and bordered a vast royal forest. Unsure how similar initiatives had been managed in his past life, Cole decided to base this farming system on the Night's Watch model.
"Your Highness, I suggest we return by sea," Gilbert proposed. After capturing Greenstone Island's fleet, Storm's End's naval strength had significantly increased. Traveling from Greenstone City to Storm's End by sea would take only about a day, far quicker than a land journey.
"I'm taking the soldiers for a walk around Cape Wrath," Cole stated.
"A walk? Please forgive me, Your Highness, but I don't quite understand what you mean," Gilbert said, stroking his beard.
Cole smiled. "We must let these rainforest people see the might of Storm's End, my sergeant. I don't want us to leave only for some other fellow to pop up claiming to rule the Stormlands." He unrolled a map. "This is the route I've chosen. What do you think?"
Gilbert hesitated, studying the marked route on the map: from Rain House to Misty Forest City, through Stonehelm City, then over the Red Mountains and back to Storm's End.
"This will undoubtedly increase our logistics expenditure," he warned. As the quartermaster, he knew how much gold dragons the army spent daily, and Storm's End didn't have much money to squander at the moment.
"Don't worry, our rainforest friends will be responsible for ensuring the expenses of this march," Cole replied, emphasizing that it was their responsibility. He intended to recruit troops along the way and bring them back to Storm's End to form the garrisons. The defeated had no right to refuse.
Cole wasn't foolish enough to replace the owners of all the captured castles and then reward them to his subordinates. He only targeted the primary instigators of the rebellion.
As for the other defeated families and the lords who had surrendered willingly, Cole allowed them to continue as their own lords. For those who had fought with him to the bitter end, Cole supported those within their families who were willing to submit to him to become the new heads.
Those under his command who had performed meritorious service were rewarded with lands carved from Storm's End Castle and Summerhall.
Every family in Westeros had been rooted in their castles and territories for thousands of years. Changing ownership was incredibly difficult, especially for more powerful holdings.
For example, when the Lannisters rewarded Nightsong City to the mercenary Ser Philip Ford, it was difficult for this mercenary knight to truly command the city's loyalty.
Neither the branches of House Caron nor the lesser lords under them would agree to let a hedge knight, rewarded by the Lannisters, take the position of Lord Marshal of the Marches. Similarly, if the Lannisters had made Cole the Duke of Storm's End, even if he were tempted by the title, he would have found it difficult to maintain control.
Even now, despite being the prospective son-in-law of House Baratheon and the Prince Regent personally crowned by Stannis, their submission was still a challenge. These were the established rules of Westeros. For thousands of years, few had managed to break them.
Cole didn't expect the Stormlands nobles to wholeheartedly pledge their loyalty. He cared little if they harbored ill will or endured humiliation while plotting revenge. As long as they didn't cause trouble for his upcoming plans, that was enough.
He looked across the Narrow Sea. Cole only hoped that Daenerys and her "horse king" husband wouldn't act too rashly, or be used as pawns by others.
Cole still felt a slight connection to his unseen blood relative, a girl whose tragic fate often crossed his mind. Her mother died in childbirth. As a child, her country was destroyed, forcing her to flee with her brother to a foreign land.
Her only living relative, Viserys, was deceived and crippled, always using her to vent his anger and display the "wrath of the sleeping dragon." She was sold at thirteen to the Dothraki Khal.
She finally found a man who loved her, but he was twisted into a monster by blood magic, and she suffered a miscarriage. Suffering was indeed humanity's most cruel teacher.
While Cole and Daenerys had conflicting claims to rule, perhaps they should first reclaim what was theirs. After that, a duel with the horse king could even decide who sat on the Iron Throne. Of course, once things reached that point, no one could predict how they would unfold.
The final outcomes of many endeavors often diverged wildly from initial expectations. Just like Cole himself, he couldn't foresee the path he would ultimately take. All he could do was to keep getting stronger.
Cole's resolute actions quickly quelled the war in the Stormlands. As all eyes had just turned from the North to the South, they found the storm there had already subsided.
The fleets of House Redwyne and House Lannister hadn't even had time to react. They had only just headed north from the Summer Sea, south of Dorne, and still had a long way to go before reaching the Dornish Sea.
Cole led his army around Cape Wrath and joined another force under Stonehelm. He marched his army directly to a mile outside Stonehelm City and established a camp. Along the way, his army had continued to grow. As soon as the servants had erected the tents, envoys from Earl Sven arrived.