The Wall, at Castle Black.
Ever since the sudden rebellion last time, this place had already fallen under the actual control of Tywin Lannister and Kevan Lannister, the two brothers.
Aside from the original Lannister foot soldiers, most of the remaining Night's Watch had joined this rebel force.
Facing coercion, they had no choice.
As for those members of the Night's Watch and high-ranking officers who chose to uphold their vows and honor even under the threat of death and refused to submit to him, Tywin Lannister ultimately did not kill them.
But all of these men were confined in the Spear Tower—the one that rose two hundred feet high, narrow and sharply pointed, on the brink of collapse, one-third the height of the Wall, and the tallest tower within the castle.
There were not many of them; only a few rooms were enough to hold them all.
Here, Tywin did not worry that they could cause any trouble.
As for the Lord Commander's Tower, once the residence of the former Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, it had already become Tywin Lannister's current dwelling and place of work.
Inside the room, he sat upright in a cushioned chair, while the letters sent from King's Landing and Winterfell lay casually tossed in a corner of the desk.
And he had turned his back to them, his gaze resting on the flames in the hearth, his eyes empty.
The firelight illuminated his face half dark and half red, and no one knew what he was thinking.
In his hand he was still holding a letter; under the flickering firelight, its shadows shifted, making the contents impossible to see clearly.
Just then, a knocking sound—bang, bang—came from outside the door, pulling the dazed Tywin back to his senses.
"Come in."
Tywin lowered his gaze back to the letter in his hand as he spoke.
With a creak, the heavy wooden door was pushed open from the outside, and a cold gust of wind blew into the room along with it.
Kevan Lannister reached out to push the door further open, while his other hand held his cloak tightly as he stepped into the Lord Commander's quarters.
Only after closing the door again did he lift his cloak and place the food he had brought on a small table beside the hearth.
"The cook prepared some stew and bread, and also a pie stuffed with onions and boar meat."
As the scent of food drifted through the room, Kevan Lannister looked toward his elder brother and remarked.
Catching the aroma, Tywin shifted his attention toward it. Looking at the food, something seemed to come to his mind.
"How much food and warm clothing do we still have?"
Tywin did not pay attention to what Kevan had brought him; instead, he looked at his younger brother and asked about the supplies.
Hearing this, and thinking of the supplies currently gathered from Castle Black—and even from Mole's Town—Kevan could not help the trace of sorrow that appeared on his face.
"Not much…I think we must take action as soon as possible."
To be honest, as a Lannister, Kevan had never fought such a poor war. Thinking of the pitiful supplies he had tallied, he found it hard to imagine how the men of the Night's Watch had managed to hold on in this forsaken place day after day.
But Tywin only nodded when he heard Kevan's answer, his face expressionless.
His fingers tapped the armrest of the chair. After two seconds of contemplation, Tywin said, "We do need to act quickly. But there's no need to worry too much about the supplies. Someone will handle that for us."
As he spoke, he raised his hand and handed the letter he was holding to Kevan. Then he stood up, walked to the low table in front of the hearth, sat down, and picked up the utensils on the tray.
Even though the spoon was made of wood, after walking outside for a while, it still felt sharply cold in his hand.
Tywin leaned a little closer to the hearth.
Noticing the meaning behind Tywin's words and his utterly calm demeanor, Kevan lowered his head to look at the letter he had just received.
The red sealing wax closing the letter bore the flayed man sigil of House Bolton.
It was a letter from the Dreadfort, and its contents stated that a few days later, a cavalry force from House Umber of Last Hearth would head to the Wall.
The rest concerned Robb Stark, the acting castellan of Winterfell, who had summoned three houses to respond to this incident.
These included their own House Bolton, House Karstark of Karhold, and House Umber of Last Hearth.
Reading this, Kevan's hand trembled and his expression shifted.
He hurriedly turned to the final line of the letter—a signature that was more of a symbol than a name.
But it was that very symbol that proved the authenticity of the letter.
Seeing this, Kevan unconsciously let out a breath of relief, but he did not bother reading the remaining contents. He immediately lifted his head to look at Tywin.
"House Bolton has agreed to our terms?"
Tywin seemed to have expected his younger brother Kevan's words long ago. He slowly took a sip of stew, used his dagger to cut off a small piece of the pie, skewered it, and sent it into his mouth.
Only then did he say slowly, "If you were him, you couldn't refuse becoming King of the Iron Islands and the North."
Even as he chewed his food, Tywin's voice remained calm and flat, without the slightest ripple—steady as a mountain.
Of course, Kevan knew the bargaining chip Tywin had used to persuade House Bolton to become an ally of House Lannister. What made him happy was that they had already seen a glimmer of hope.
"I didn't expect him to choose to eat that roast suckling pig with an apple stuffed in its mouth," Kevan could not help but laugh as he described it. "Looks like he really likes our gift—or rather, he's long had similar thoughts."
However, Tywin shook his head at Kevan's conclusion.
"Roose Bolton has ambition, but he won't be that reckless. Keep reading."
Hearing Tywin say this, Kevan paused slightly. He immediately picked up the letter again and continued reading from where he had left off.
Not long after, he frowned and lifted his head, his gaze turning heavy, no longer carrying the joy from before.
"Looks like he really doesn't trust us that easily."
"This is a test for us. If we can't do it, he'll turn around and sell us out."
Looking at Tywin, who was quietly and elegantly eating his food, the expression on Kevan's face no longer seemed as optimistic as it had just been.
As Kevan's words fell, Tywin also could not help but stop what he was doing. He let out a cold snort. "The Iron Bank is the same. If they can't see hope, they won't let go of the chips in their hands."
"We must show our value before those dogs will have confidence in us."
"So we need to change our original plan."
When Tywin Lannister said this, his voice was icy, and cold light spilled through his eyes.
"Change the original plan—if we don't go to Winterfell, then this—"
Looking at the letter's implicitly expressed meaning, the furrows between Kevan's brows deepened further.
Tywin Lannister also fell silent. The room immediately sank into a strange quiet, with only the crackling sound of wood burning in the hearth.
After about one or two minutes, Tywin Lannister finally raised his head again and turned his eyes to the flames in the hearth.
"Change the plan."
"The situation now is that Winterfell is still too far from us. Even if we truly want to make a move against it, it won't be easy. Our troops are not suited to this hellish place."
"So right now we should indeed shift our target and first take Last Hearth. Not only is it easier, it is also the most practical choice for us."
"Next is Karhold. After dealing with House Umber, we must also defeat House Karstark. We must control this region."
Thinking of the troops and supplies currently in his hands, and adding in this freezing environment, Tywin Lannister could not help but feel the pressure.
They had no way back now—either they succeeded, or they died.
However, after changing the plan, it was not all bad news.
Tywin picked up the spoon in his hand and tapped the wooden bowl, shaking off the bits of minced meat clinging to it. In the firelight, his eyes looked even brighter.
"Only this way can we show our value, and only then will Roose Bolton truly work with us."
"And once House Bolton also becomes our ally, the Iron Bank will naturally have more confidence in us as well."
Listening to Tywin's newly drawn plan, Kevan thought silently for a moment, then turned and walked to the wall to study the map hanging there.
He looked at the location of Last Hearth on the map and the House Umber it represented; the position of Karhold, where House Karstark was; and the position of the Dreadfort, where House Bolton was.
Staring at these three castles, Kevan could not help holding his breath, and began to recall in his mind the strength of each of the three houses, as well as their most important geographic positions.
As he looked, he could not help thinking that if they could accomplish all this as planned, then in practice they would be controlling all the lands in the northeastern part of the North.
And most importantly, by then they would also overturn their predicament—able to defend if they withdrew, and able to attack if they advanced.
With the sea at their side and rivers at their side, no matter what, their strategic room to maneuver would be far greater.
At the very least, compared to their current predicament, it would be a completely different world.
But in the current situation, tugging one hair would move the whole body. Only by taking each step well would the road ahead become easier to walk.
Yet what was crucial now was this: how, exactly, should they take the first step?
Quickly sorting these pieces of information and problems one by one in his mind, Kevan Lannister thought as he could not help turning his gaze back to the precious letter in his hand.
This thing was no longer just a letter. It was an opportunity—and a turning point—for whether House Lannister could rise again, or even ascend to the very peak of the Seven Kingdoms.
If they failed to seize it—
Kevan shook his head, casting those ominous consequences out of his mind, and focused his full attention on thinking through the current situation.
They had no time to consider failure. Their only choice now was to move forward—forward!
"We must deal with the Umber force that Robb Stark has sent to investigate Castle Black. This won't be difficult, but we must do it properly!"
"Only by doing everything perfectly can we avoid exposing our information and gain some advantage on the battlefield."
Instantly grasping where the crux of the problem lay, Kevan Lannister spoke almost reflexively.
As he said this, Kevan subconsciously lifted his head to look at the map in front of him.
Hearing his words, Tywin Lannister also turned to look over.
"We need to find a way to swallow up this investigative detachment."
"According to Roose Bolton's information, House Umber has only dispatched a small team of thirty men. They move quickly, but for us, that is also an opportunity."
As Kevan spoke, his finger unconsciously began to measure distances on the map, and his gaze soon fell on a forest located south of Mole's Town.
"So no matter what, we must lay our net in this area to ensure that this vanguard unit cannot escape."
"And to avoid any accidents, from Eastwatch-by-the-Sea to Castle Black, along this entire stretch, no matter the position, we must be fully prepared."
As Kevan Lannister spoke, his eyes moved over the several castles east of Castle Black marked on the map. His expression turned solemn—killing intent gathered.
Hearing his words, Tywin thought for a moment, then nodded, agreeing with Kevan's plan.
"In that case, make preparations in advance. But we must minimize our losses as much as possible."
"Then, once we confirm that we have swallowed them, we must immediately march on Last Hearth. At the same time, we can make use of the cover of this forest—attacking from the New Gift will be far more convenient and much more concealed."
"This castle is not small. If we can take it, it will be enough to settle ourselves, and we will obtain the supplies and equipment we need most. That will be beneficial to our subsequent plans."
At this point, Tywin set down his utensils and also stepped over to stand beside Kevan, looking at the map.
His brows knit slightly as his gaze fixed firmly on the Umber seat—Last Hearth.
"But taking this place at an acceptable cost will be very difficult. We cannot afford heavy losses, so we need to make more specific preparations."
As he spoke, Tywin's eyes shifted again to the forest in the New Gift, stretching between Castle Black and Last Hearth.
"It seems we can still make use of this vanguard unit. I believe they will be 'very willing' to help us."
As for the meaning behind Tywin Lannister's words—this 'very willing' help—Kevan immediately understood his intent.
So he could not help but smile. "Yes. This will be of great help to us."
As he spoke, Kevan once again picked up the letter in his hand.
The few short lines written on it were the key to breaking their current deadlock.
"Go and make preparations, Kevan. This time, we will fight side by side."
Tywin was not one to dither. Once the decision was made, his resolve followed without hesitation.
Hearing his elder brother's words, Kevan felt the heart in his chest—one that had long since seemed calm—suddenly surge with heat and blood.
"Brother, we will reestablish the glory of House Lannister!"
Kevan Lannister looked at Tywin with eyes shining brightly, as though gazing up at the stars in the high heavens.
"I believe we will do it. I will make the Seven Kingdoms hear our 'roar'!"
"And I will also make those people understand what it means that a Lannister always pays his debts!"
As Tywin spoke, his gaze turned to the spot on the map that represented Winterfell, where a gray direwolf was depicted.
Yet just as the Lannister brothers were once more discussing strategies for the rise of House Lannister, a knock sounded again at the door of the Lord Commander's chambers.
And this time, it was urgent.
Tywin and Kevan exchanged a look, their brows tightening slightly.
Then Kevan looked toward the door. "Come in."
At the order, a figure with a somewhat panicked expression hurriedly pushed the door open.
"My lords, we've discovered some bodies in the forest beyond the Wall!"
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