Velas, who had just finished the silent prayer ritual at the Starry Sept, disregarded his fatigue and hurried back to the military camp outside the city.
He immediately convened a meeting with all knights, junior officers, and accompanying maesters to tally the losses.
Upon seeing the final casualty report, his face turned exceptionally grim.
The losses among regular soldiers and cavalry were relatively minor, less than three hundred, as the Ironborn's retreat horn had already sounded when they arrived as reinforcements, and the most difficult period had passed.
What truly made his face unsightly was that over two hundred of the five hundred-plus sworn knights and mercenary knights from various noble and lordly families in The Reach had also been lost.
Moreover, most of these two hundred-plus deaths were incredibly foolish; they were either drunk or in bed with prostitutes, unable to grab their weapons, and were cut down by invading Ironborn.
While the remaining casualties were battle deaths, they were devoid of honor because, under normal circumstances, they should have remained in the military camp, leading their troops to enter the city promptly for rescue.
As a result, all the knight officers and generals had gone to the city's taverns and brothels, leaving only some junior officers in the camp.
If Linde had not promptly sent men to reorganize the army, and Jon Bulwer had not decisively carried out Linde's orders, leading the troops into the city, precisely eliminating a group of Ironborn heading for the city gate, and providing timely reinforcement to the dock area and city hall, those knight officers might have all perished.
What truly gave Velas a headache now was that among these two hundred-plus dead, more than twenty were heirs and second sons of some noble families in The Reach.
Originally, these individuals were merely sent to gain experience under him, yet they died in Oldtown.
He truly didn't know how to explain this to the noble families behind them; for Highgarden, this was undoubtedly a disaster.
"Record all fallen knights as having died valiantly in battle," Velas quickly decided, "All knight officers who were not in the military camp during the incident will have their military positions revoked and be incorporated into the cavalry alongside the knight squires and retainers, under the command of Lord Linde Terra."
He continued, "Lord Linde Terra will also serve as the cavalry commander and military judge, in addition to his role as captain of the guard."
"Lord Velas…" While the knights could accept the revocation of their military positions, having Linde become the cavalry commander made them extremely uncomfortable.
Linde, standing by, also frowned, surprised by Velas's decision, as he had not known about it beforehand.
Had he known, he would certainly have objected.
Commanding a group of knights from different families, many of whom were family heirs, seemed like a thankless task to him.
"Say no more, I have made my decision." Velas, who usually appeared mild-mannered, was exceptionally firm this time, directly glaring at the crowd, who all slightly lowered their heads.
"Lord Velas, are you sure you want me to serve as the cavalry commander and military judge?" Linde pondered for a moment, then asked in a deep voice.
"Yes, Lord Linde," Velas replied to Linde with a serious expression, "I must also apologize to Ser Linde here.
You warned me about the hidden dangers within the ranks beforehand, but I did not listen, which led to so many unnecessary losses last night.
I bear an undeniable responsibility in this matter."
Hearing Velas apologize to Linde in public and openly admit his mistake, the knight representatives and officer representatives in the tent all showed expressions of shame.
Linde remained unaffected by the surrounding atmosphere and calmly asked, "How much authority do I have in these two positions?"
Velas thought for a moment and said, "The maximum authority."
Linde continued to ask, "That means the knight commander can oversee all knights under him, and the military judge can punish anyone in the military camp who violates military law, is that correct?"
Velas vaguely sensed something amiss but still nodded, "Yes."
Linde stated coldly, "In that case, all former knight officers who left the military camp without authorization last night shall report to the camp square to receive a punishment of ten lashes."
Upon hearing Linde's words, everyone immediately became indignant, for being subjected to punishment in plain sight was a great insult to them, and they all began to rebuke Linde for his impudence.
Velas immediately appeased the crowd and suggested to Linde, "I also agree with punishing knights who violate military law, but knights are knights after all.
Having knights punished in front of everyone greatly harms their honor.
Could the punishment be carried out in the knights' tents…?"
"No, it must be carried out in the middle of the camp, and all soldiers not on guard duty in the camp, including those from the logistics team, must be present to witness the execution," Linde interrupted Velas with absolute firmness.
Then, he addressed the indignant knights around him, saying, "If you feel this infringes upon your honor, then you may leave the ranks now, as I have not yet officially assumed the role of military judge.
However, if you remain in the military camp after Lord Velas announces my official appointment as military judge, and you do not intend to accept military punishment, then I will consider your actions a defiance of military law, and I will personally execute you."
As Linde spoke, the killing intent emanating from him subtly intensified, perhaps because he had just killed so many people in front of the Starry Sept.
Now, his killing intent was even stronger, and the suppressive effect it had on people's minds was more pronounced; some even vaguely detected the metallic scent of blood.
Perhaps it was due to Linde's terrifying words, or the effect of his killing intent, but in any case, the tent fell completely silent.
Linde, unaffected by the atmosphere in the tent, turned to Velas and said, "Lord Velas, as the commander of this force, you were extremely derelict in your duty by allowing the knights to be undisciplined and unrestrained.
This led to so many knights being killed in such undignified ways last night.
After the punishment of the derelict knights is completed, you too must accept punishment, and it will be double the punishment: twenty lashes."
"Linde Terra, you're mad! How dare you…" No sooner had Linde finished speaking than the tent erupted in an uproar, everyone rebuking Linde for his overstepping.
In contrast, Velas, the person involved, appeared very calm.
He raised his hand to signal for silence, then turned to Linde and said in a deep voice, "Lord Linde, I accept the punishment."
Everyone in the tent was immediately stunned, looking at Velas with immense surprise, unsure what to say.
For the soldiers in Velas's military camp, today was a spectacle: dozens of noble lords, hundreds of knights, knight squires, and retainers all stripped off their shirts and neatly lay prostrate on makeshift crucifixion racks.
Behind each of them stood an executioner with a hood over their head, their face obscured.
It was said that these executioners were specially brought from Hightower to avoid retaliation against soldiers from the camp afterward.
Each executioner held a long whip, and at the command of Linde, the new cavalry commander and military judge, all executioners lashed out at the knights being punished before them, and screams of agony immediately echoed throughout the military camp's training ground.
Whipping was a skilled art, and only experienced executioners could control the whip, deciding whether the lash that struck the condemned was a feigned blow or a true one.
It was clear that these soldiers brought from Hightower to perform the executions were not highly skilled veterans; their whips landed squarely on the condemned.
Furthermore, such an opportunity to publicly flog noble lords was unprecedented, allowing them to vent all their usual resentment and jealousy towards the nobility, with every lash delivered with full force.
Soon, the ten lashes were completed, and the executioners still seemed to want more as they returned their whips.
Although the backs of the condemned were flayed, they were not immediately sent to tents for treatment but stood aside, their faces grim, watching the now empty area.
Next, a scene that astonished everyone in the military camp unfolded: Velas Tyrell, the commander of this force and heir to Highgarden, now stood shirtless and walked to the execution rack, prostrating himself upon it.
Linde, who had just assumed the role of military judge, stood behind Velas with a whip, and then Linde's adjutant, Jon, loudly read out the punishment order for Velas.
Everyone in the military camp was in an uproar.
From the perspective of ordinary soldiers, it was right for the knight officers to be punished for abandoning their posts, which resulted in the army having no officers to command them during the incident.
However, Velas's punishment seemed unreasonable, as he was not the one who ordered the knight officers to abandon their posts, and he was in the Starry Sept when the incident occurred, so he should not bear any responsibility at all; he was completely implicated.
Many soldiers shouted for Velas to be spared, claiming Linde's punishment was unjust.
However, Linde completely ignored these cries.
After Jon read the punishment order, he picked up the whip in his hand and lashed it fiercely across Velas's back.
Everyone present immediately saw a bloody whip mark appear on Velas's back, and at the same time, heard Velas let out a scream of agony, and the entire military camp instantly fell silent.
Then, lash after lash struck Velas's back.
Velas's back became a bloody mess, and his screams gradually weakened.
By the last lash, he had directly fainted.
At this point, Linde put away the execution whip, signaled for the accompanying maester waiting nearby to take Velas back to his tent for treatment, and then ordered the camp to dismiss.
At this moment, everyone in the military camp remembered the name Bear Hunter Lind, remembering this usually silent knight who wore splendid armor and stood beside Velas.
No one dared to disrespect the military law enacted in the camp anymore, and each person diligently memorized every regulation, fearing they might violate it and be dragged to the square for punishment.
These events in the military camp quickly spread throughout Oldtown.
Even though people had not yet recovered from last night's Ironborn invasion, they were shocked upon hearing about the grand execution scene outside the city camp.
The name Bear Hunter Lind resonated throughout Oldtown, and everyone couldn't help but attach two labels to Linde: one was 'madness,' and the other was 'justice.'
Using two words with different connotations to describe the same person simultaneously made Bear Hunter Lind appear more complex and mysterious in the eyes of those who heard his reputation, and it also led to more people discussing him.
Inside Hightower, Earl Layton Hightower looked at the document handed to him by his intelligence master, his face devoid of any expression, showing no hint of emotion.
"It has been thoroughly interrogated; Euron Greyjoy commanded this Ironborn attack on Oldtown," the intelligence master reported from the side.
"These people were originally planning to attack Lannisport, but then Euron suddenly changed his target and chose our Oldtown."
"Why did he suddenly change his target?" Layton asked in a deep voice.
The intelligence master shook his head and said, "No one knows, not even the Ironborn."
Layton did not press the question further; in his opinion, the purpose of Euron's attack on Oldtown was no longer important.
Counting losses and appeasing the emotions of Oldtown's residents and merchants were far more crucial.
Layton then asked, "Has the reason for the lookout not sounding the alarm been investigated?"
"It has been investigated," the intelligence master replied.
"The lookouts and guards on duty were all poisoned to death.
The poisoner was a maid responsible for laundry, but we found that maid was already dead, and had been for two or three days.
Someone must have killed her and then impersonated her to infiltrate Hightower…"
A hint of solemnity and gravity appeared on Layton's perpetually expressionless face as he said, "You mean to say that two days ago, when my grandson Velas came for the banquet, there was someone capable of poisoning hiding in the shadows within Hightower."
"Yes, my Lord," the intelligence master responded truthfully.
Layton said coldly, "I don't care how you do it, but you must clean out Hightower within three days.
All unwelcome individuals must be removed."
He paused, then added, "If necessary, you can seek assistance from Moroa."
The intelligence master was stunned upon hearing this and said, "Miss Moroia is no longer in Hightower."
"What?" Layton was taken aback and asked, "What happened? When did she leave?"
The intelligence master replied, "Just now, she left Hightower with her personal maid."
Layton was completely stunned.
He remembered this was the first time Moroa had left Hightower in over a decade.
It took him a long while to regain his composure, then he pressed, "Where did she go?"
"To Lord Velas's military camp outside the city," the intelligence master replied.
"She said she wanted to go to Dorne with Lord Velas's contingent to see for herself."
Layton's expression turned somewhat grim.
He knew why his daughter had gone to the military camp, and it made him feel incredibly ashamed, yet he couldn't say much, as this was the first time Moroa had shown such intense interest in a man.
"Should we recall Miss Moroia?" the intelligence master inquired.
"No, there's no need!" Layton shook his head and said, "Have Beller send a few more knights… No, better yet, have Gals take some knights and soldiers to protect his sister!
Didn't he always say he wanted to go out and see the world? This is a good opportunity for him to experience Dorne.
Also, Velas's men suffered significant losses when they came to our aid last night, so it's only right that we replenish their numbers."
"Yes, I will inform Lord Gals shortly," the intelligence master nodded, then took out another intelligence report, placed it on Earl Layton's desk, and said, "This is the latest news from Lord Velas's military camp."
Layton took the intelligence, looked at it, and a strange expression appeared on his face.
Then he smiled, handed it back to the intelligence master, and instructed, "Immediately send it to Highgarden using the best raven."
The intelligence master replied, "Yes, my Lord."
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