Robb's expression brightened, and he hastily asked, "Where did they move?"
"They moved east towards the Red Fork, abandoning all their supplies and wounded. They left with almost nothing."
Ser Olivar's face was filled with excitement. They were rich!
Besides food and other supplies, many armors and weapons were also left behind, looking much better than what they had on.
"Hmm?"
Robb Stark's brows furrowed. This was very different from what he had expected.
Now, the more than seven thousand cavalry of the North, with their backs to the castle, were like a pack of wolves, eyeing Tywin, the large and wounded old lion, ready to pounce and tear at him at any moment.
Meanwhile, Edmure Tully led twenty thousand infantry and over a thousand cavalry south, following closely behind.
If Tywin attacked forward, he would lead the cavalry, fighting and retreating, defending Golden Tooth and waiting for the enemy to fall into their trap.
If Tywin tried to break through backward, he would lead the cavalry to bite down hard, still able to rendezvous with the infantry army and, relying on numerical superiority, defeat the Lannister army.
Moreover, Tywin's army was now encircled, having lost the ability to obtain supplies and provisions, and would have to make a choice sooner or later.
The longer the delay, the more advantageous it would be for their side.
But going in the direction of the Red Fork, were they planning a desperate, last-ditch stand?
"Send my order for all lords and officers to gather here."
Robb roared, then pulled out a map from his saddlebag, spread it flat on a stone, and silently looked at the Red Fork, which stretched from Riverrun.
Eddard did not step forward to disturb him. In this situation, how the army should act was entirely up to Robb.
He had the capability, and his battlefield instincts were sharp enough, not requiring too much advice.
Only after he made a decision would it be Eddard's time to speak.
He waved behind him, summoning Abel to his side, and said with a serious expression, "I have an important task for you. After you complete it, you will receive a piece of land in the territory I am about to acquire and establish your own house."
Abel's expression changed to surprise, then he knelt on one knee and said, "Young Master, I promise to complete this task with my life."
Eddard reached out and helped him up, saying, "Abel, life can only complete tasks better when it hangs in the sky like the scorching sun. Even when facing winter, we live proudly. Do not forget our house words, Winter Sun!"
"Winter Sun."
Abel excitedly repeated House Karstark's house words.
"Alright, next, you must follow my instructions, understood?"
"Yes."
As the two whispered, hoofbeats rose and fell. The lords and officers, busy in various places, hurried over and gathered around Robb Stark.
At the edge of this open forest, a war council began.
When Eddard had arranged everything and returned to the crowd, he happened to hear Earl Titus Blackwood say, "There are no less than twenty fords in the Red Fork that can be crossed, but most are very narrow, and no lord is willing to repair these places."
"If it's just a few hundred men, perhaps they could pass quickly, but Tywin still has at least fifteen thousand men. Is he crazy?"
More than ten thousand men squeezed in front of a narrow ford would inevitably result in a chaotic formation if they wanted to cross the river.
It was well known that on a large-scale battlefield, if soldiers did not maintain a strict formation, no matter how numerous, they were nothing more than a disorganized rabble.
They would completely collapse if charged by heavily armored cavalry or well-formed infantry.
According to Tywin's reputation in the Seven Kingdoms, he would never do such a thing!
As soon as Eddard heard this news, he instantly realized the true intention of the Lannister's move. He stepped out of the crowd and said loudly, "Of course he's not crazy. How could Tywin be crazy?"
Then he walked leisurely to Robb's side, looked at the map, and said, "This old lion has the most ruthless reputation in the Seven Kingdoms. I think he is preparing to abandon some soldiers, retain the greatest strength to return to King's Landing, and then, after gaining the support of the Iron Throne, conscript the Crownlands army to fight us again!"
Everyone was startled and looked at Eddard, the Hand of the King.
"The Crownlands doesn't have many troops for him to conscript."
Earl Karel Vance from Raventree Hall spoke up in refutation. He had a large wine-red birthmark on his face, almost covering half of his face and half of his neck.
As far as he knew, even if the entire Crownlands was scoured clean, they couldn't produce a few thousand decent troops.
"Yes, but don't forget, Harrenhal is still in Tywin's hands. As long as he has ten thousand, no, even five thousand soldiers, he can cause us great trouble."
Eddard pointed at the map, looking at the faces, some confused, some enlightened, and continued, "At that time, we will have to send men to guard Karin Bay to prevent the enemy from attacking the North, and also continue to entangle with the enemy in the Riverlands. All our previous efforts will be in vain because the situation will not have changed at all!"
"It's just one more path to raid the Westerlands, but don't forget that the Lannisters control gold mines. They have enough wealth to train ten thousand soldiers, twenty thousand soldiers at Casterly Rock at any time. Can we?"
Eddard made it so clear that even Greatjon, with his arm in a sling, understood. He bellowed, "Since letting that old Tywin run away will cause so many problems, what are we waiting for? Chase him!"
The other lords also started shouting.
"Catch up." "Don't let them cross the river." "Kill as many as we can." "Pull out the Lion's teeth so the Lannister never dares to bare them at us again."
The atmosphere had been stirred up by Eddard to such an extent that Robb no longer needed to boost morale.
He no longer hesitated and then ordered in a deep voice, "Gather all warriors who can still ride. We depart immediately!"
Many lords left one after another.
"Your Majesty, it would be best to let Ser Brynden lead an infantry unit, and have him capture Harrenhal before Tywin and hold it!"
Eddard watched as many lords rode back to gather soldiers, then came to Robb's side and quietly offered a suggestion.
He felt that Harrenhal was too important to the Riverlands and the North. If they could seize this opportunity to take it, then most of the Trident region would be protected.
Including the very important Trident River basin.
If Golden Tooth, which was about to belong to him, was added, then the defenses on the east and west sides of the Riverlands would be completely sufficient.
The only thing to consider was the south, where the Blackwater River could also be used to some extent.
The start of the War of the Five Kings was when Jaime Lannister's army emerged from Golden Tooth, wiped out the forces gathered in the Riverlands, and then rushed all the way to besiege Riverrun.
Meanwhile, Tywin, taking advantage of the Riverlands' depleted forces, outflanked from the south along the Golden Road, crossed the Blackwater River ford, and plundered and burned all the way to the vicinity of the Green Fork River.
If Harrenhal had held out longer during this process, the subsequent battles would not have been so difficult.
Unfortunately, House Hoare lacked the strength to hold out and abandoned the castle directly after seeing the Lannister army.
Robb nodded and replied, "Yes, I have already arranged for Ser Brynden to do this. He will obtain an infantry unit from my uncle, and then seize the opportunity to cross the Red Fork and besiege Harrenhal."
Of course, he knew the importance of Harrenhal and had already planned a counterattack after the ambush.
"In that case, please allow me to take my leave. For the upcoming battle, I wish to stand with my father."
Eddard bowed and left.
Robb Stark stood still, muttering the word "father" to himself, his eyes quickly filled with memories, flashing with a hint of sadness. Then, amidst the layered horn calls summoning soldiers, the sadness quickly disappeared, replaced by determination and resolve!
He swung onto his horse, looking at the cavalry rushing from other places, and once again became the Young Wolf, whom others called invincible!
The Running Wolf Flag unfurled in the air, fluttering in the wind, as if truly running across the ice, revealing sharp fangs and claws.
The banners of other houses also quickly gathered.
Soldiers who had just experienced a battle put down their waterskins and food, said goodbye to companions they had just been chatting and telling crude jokes with, picked up their glittering weapons again, mounted their spare warhorses, and followed the guidance of the banners, gradually converging into a grayish-white torrent.
Eddard took the spear from Konn's hand and looked back. All his surviving retainers had followed. He looked at Matthew's sad face and softly said, "The North Remembers, and House Karstark will not forget."
Matthew nodded gratefully.
At this moment, the direwolves began to move, and the troops, like a surging river, followed the banners forward.
Eddard spurred his horse up a gentle slope. After observing carefully for a while, he found that only fewer than six thousand cavalry had set out this time.
After Earl Titus retreated from Lannisport, the illusion Eddard had set up had completely failed.
To prevent Davos Lannister from leading troops to counterattack Golden Tooth, Robb must have left a unit in the city.
After the Northern army successfully ambushed the Lannisters, in addition to those killed, there were also a considerable number of wounded. Their king was not as ruthless as the old lion, and he arranged for some soldiers to stay behind and care for the wounded.
All things considered, of the more than seven thousand cavalry, only these fewer than six thousand could pursue the enemy.
And Tywin Lannister still controlled an army of over fifteen thousand, all well-trained elites.
Besides the spearmen and archers in formation, there were at least four thousand well-equipped and highly skilled cavalry.
Thinking of this, Eddard felt a vague sense of unease.
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