Westeros generally practices a feudal system, where great lords divide their lands among their subordinates, who then divide them among those loyal to them. A great lord can command his subordinates, but not his subordinates' subordinates.
A vassal's vassal is not my vassal; a lord's lord is not my lord.
Of course, some eccentric nobles hold conservative views, after all, how can a daughter's daughter not be my daughter?
Under this system, Robb only needed to subdue a few powerful counts under his command.
"Prepare a temporary site that can accommodate 15,000 people, have the craftsmen make carts and tents, and ensure provisions and supplies are ready. We cannot expect our subordinate lords to bring all the supplies..."
Inside the meeting room, Robb was instructing Maester Luwin on how to settle the soldiers when a knock on the door interrupted him.
"Robb, House Seaworth has arrived."
Robb smiled, "House Seaworth is the first to arrive; this is a testament to the purest friendship. I will go meet him personally."
Maester Luwin, who was beside him, reminded him, "House Seaworth is already the closest to Winterfell; they can arrive in half a day."
"This will not hinder House Seaworth's loyalty."
In the original work, House Seaworth was one of the strongest families in the North. The patriarch, Maege Cerwyn, died from severe injuries fighting for Robb, and her only eldest son, Clay Seven, also died fighting for Robb to retake Winterfell.
They can be described as powerful and loyal to the core.
Why would such a family not be given important responsibilities, but instead cozy up to the scheming Bolton Family?
Accompanied by his father's ward, Theon, and a group of personal guards, Robb arrived outside Winterfell and saw a procession carrying a white banner with a black axe slowly approaching in the distance.
This force numbered about two thousand men, with over three hundred on horseback and the rest infantry. At the very front of the procession were three individuals: two men and one woman, who were the patriarch of House Seaworth and his children.
Robb came before the three, looked at the patriarch of House Seaworth, and welcomed him with a hearty laugh, "Ready for battle, House Seaworth's motto truly lives up to its reputation."
"The swords of House Seaworth will always dance for Stark."
When the Cerwyn patriarch saw that Robb was just a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy, still wet behind the ears, he couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.
He was absolutely loyal to the Stark Family, but war was no child's play. He heard that Robb wanted to lead the expedition himself. How could a child command an army? Did he have the ability?
Robb nodded, "Stark will not forget the friendship with House Seaworth. Theon, go help settle the army. Lord Cerwyn and I have some matters to discuss in the castle."
Having Theon specifically settle the army was also Robb's dark humor. In the future, it would be Theon who killed the eldest son of House Seaworth, yet now he had to greet him with a smile.
Arriving at the meeting room, only Robb and the Cerwyn patriarch were present. Robb poured Maege Cerwyn a cup of wine and warmly invited him to sit down.
Although Maege Cerwyn doubted Robb's ability to lead troops, he did not hesitate at all to send troops to help the Stark Family, bringing all the combat power from his territory.
"This time, I brought three hundred cavalry and two hundred infantry regulars. The rest of the infantry are conscripted, mostly farmers and craftsmen, so their combat effectiveness is average."
Robb comforted him, "It doesn't matter. The Lannister's gold mines have been exploited for hundreds of years. I don't believe they can still field an army capable of rivaling the North. The strength of the North's soldiers lies not in numbers, but in combat effectiveness."
Maege Cerwyn looked at the confident Robb and felt a little relieved. With a major war imminent, if the commander was weak and incompetent, it would be better to surrender directly and save more lives.
"Uncle Maege, you are a good friend of my father. The friendship between our two families has continued from the time of the First Men thousands of years ago until now. So I want to make a request to you, and I hope you will not refuse."
Maege Cerwyn was flattered, "Please speak."
"I hope you will entrust the command of five hundred conscripted soldiers to me."
Nominally, Robb could give orders to Maege Cerwyn, telling him to lead his men into battle, but Robb had no way to directly command Maege Cerwyn's soldiers; they could completely disobey orders.
What Robb wanted was direct command over these soldiers.
This request, as Robb said, was a bit excessive. It meant that even if House Seaworth no longer wanted to fight for the Stark Family, the nobles and garrison could leave, but these conscripted soldiers had to stay. Whether they would be returned later, and when, would depend on the young lord's mood.
Over five hundred soldiers, that was an extremely valuable asset.
Maege Cerwyn hesitated a bit. He came to help, not to give away most of his family's assets!
"Uncle Maege, I need your support," Robb said, looking at his face earnestly. "I swear to the gods that after this war ends, you will receive a satisfactory reward."
After a long silence and contemplation, Maege Cerwyn finally looked up at the young man whose true worth he still didn't fully grasp. "Alright!"
He said no more, because trust and loyalty had already overflowed this small meeting room.
Robb grasped his hand, "The Stark Family will forever remember this friendship. There's one more thing you need to pay attention to, Uncle Maege. The Bolton Family will be arriving soon. Although they are sworn to us, their loyalty is the shortest-standing, and their ambition is the greatest. At this critical time for the North, I don't trust them, and I need you to keep a close eye on their movements."
Robb's meaning was not as simple as it seemed on the surface. His deeper intention was for House Seaworth to gather as much information as possible on the Bolton Family's movements and report any unusual circumstances to him immediately.
This time, Maege Cerwyn did not hesitate at all. "I've noted it."
The atmosphere between the two eased, and they chatted about old stories. The Cerwyn patriarch recalled his past glorious achievements accompanying Ned in overthrowing the Mad King. He grew more and more excited as he spoke, wishing he could immediately fly to King's Landing, slay Joffrey and Cersei, and rescue Lord Ned.
Robb was also deeply moved. The Stark Family's roots in the North were truly deep. Even if he had nothing, as long as he bore the title of the Stark's eldest son, countless lords would pledge their lives for him.
Over the next few days, the lords of the North arrived one after another. Most of them, like House Seaworth, brought all their assets, not even caring if their territories would be harassed by bandits or pirates. Such was the Stark Family's rallying power in the North.
Robb also became busy, meeting each of these lords, arranging their encampments, and mobilizing provisions to maintain supplies.
The original Robb also handled these matters very well, but he only pretended to be calm on the surface, while in reality, he was extremely panicked. After dealing with difficult issues, he would even go back and cry to his younger brother to vent, then force himself to be energetic during the day.
In fact, he had already done very well; for a fifteen-year-old child, it was simply an extraordinary performance.
But at this moment, Robb was not flustered at all; instead, he quite enjoyed this feeling.
Death, he had experienced countless times; powerful enemies, he did not know how many he had personally slain.
But deploying troops and strategizing from afar was his first time, and it was truly interesting.