The Bloody Gate fell, but the specific process was completely different from what everyone had expected.
For reasons Aegon had not considered beforehand, the elite troops he had planned to send into the mountains to hunt down and subdue the High Mountain Clan did not progress smoothly. These indigenous people of the mountains had taken Chairman Mao's tactical thinking to the extreme. Familiar with the terrain, they would roam without engaging, completely avoiding direct confrontation with the army loyal to Robert. Members of the clan on watch would spot the soldiers from afar and immediately shout out warnings, leading their families, young and old, and all their belongings to flee... Thousands of allied soldiers entered the mountains for several days but failed to capture a single Mountain Clans member alive... At this rate, the fifteen-day deadline given by Robert would definitely not be enough.
But just as the plan was in a difficult situation, the troops led by Robb Stark unexpectedly encountered an elder—Brynden Tully, the current Lord of the Riverlands and the only remaining elder of the great alliance of the Stag, Wolf, Fish, and Falcon, Hoster Tully's brother, nicknamed "the Blackfish."
Because of a falling out with his brother, the Blackfish had left the Riverlands many years ago and gone to the Vale to seek refuge with Lysa. He was later appointed Knight of the Bloody Gate by her husband, Jon Arryn, responsible for guarding the entrance to the Vale. As Lysa Tully's uncle, the Blackfish naturally could not rebel against his niece—when the League of the Righteous launched their mutiny, Brynden tried to command his soldiers to repel the rebels but found it impossible. He decisively turned around and fled, escaping from the Bloody Gate through a secret passage inside the pass and plunging into the Mountains of the Moon. After hiding in the vast mountains for over a month, avoiding the High Mountain Clan, he was fortunate to run into the younger generation, Robb, who was searching the mountains.
Having guarded the Bloody Gate for over ten years, the Blackfish might not have had many ideas on how to break through the pass from the front, but when it came to "how to bypass to the rear of the Bloody Gate," how many people in the world could compare to this old man? Thus, the genuine "highest Commander of the original Bloody Gate garrison," leading hundreds of surprise soldiers, bypassed to the rear of the Bloody Gate as if strolling in his own home, so familiar with the route that they weren't discovered until they started climbing the pass tower.
...
It is true that Aegon's strategy won the Bloody Gate for Robert, but the person with the greatest credit was actually someone who had never entered the allied army camp, let alone participated in a war council.
Brynden Tully, this guy, escaped by pissing himself during the Red Wedding in the TV series, and in the original novel, he also fled by diving from Riverrun when it surrendered to Jaime. Even though the Ice and Fire World has been turned upside down by the butterfly effect, his astonishing ability to escape can still shine brightly. Aegon feels—he shouldn't be called "Blackfish," he should be called "Mudfish."
***
After the Bloody Gate was captured, the army suppressing the rebellion spent half a day, with hundreds of strong men taking turns digging from both inside and outside, clearing the blocked gate passage—this took much less time than expected. When Aegon heard a piece of news, he couldn't help but feel a sense of dread: when Robert took the Bloody Gate, he found that the inside of the blocked gate had been mostly dug open. He learned from the captives that they had begun clearing the gate on the same day they saw signs of the rebel army appearing to "disband." If the surprise soldiers who bypassed hadn't met the original "Knight of the Bloody Gate," or if the Blackfish had led his team to bypass and appeared a few days later, the allied forces stationed at the valley entrance might very well have been subjected to a night attack by the rebels!
It is conceivable that an allied camp with tens of thousands of soldiers from different allegiances, and with officers, elite veterans, and knights all absent, would face an undisputed rout if subjected to a surprise attack. Even "innocent bystanders" like Aegon and Yoren might be injured or even killed in the chaos.
Fortunately, history has no if.
After taking the Bloody Gate, the allied forces agreed on a unified statement: King Robert personally led his troops to capture this treacherous pass that had never been broken for a thousand years.
Although the truth was that "the Blackfish, loyal to Lysa Tully, led his troops to recapture the Bloody Gate," although Robert ascended the city wall when the battle was nearing its end, although His Majesty the King didn't even have time to kill to his heart's content before the enemy announced their surrender... Robert did arrive at the battlefield before the end of the battle, and the crowned stag banner that first flew there was indeed hung by his "own hands"—as the supreme Commander of the rebellion suppression, it is not wrong to say that he broke the Bloody Gate.
Since everyone reached a tacit understanding, the direction of public opinion was determined: Robert became the first king in a thousand years to break the Bloody Gate, just as he wished.
Aegon felt nothing about this. It was just an empty title, so what if he got it? If he could make this foolish king happy and get him to give more rewards, wouldn't everyone be happy?
...
After the Bloody Gate, the entire Vale opened its arms to the allied forces. The thousand or so rebel soldiers stationed in the valley and at the foot of the "Giant's Lance" mountain discovered that the Bloody Gate had fallen and surrendered without the slightest hesitation. Two days after the Bloody Gate fell, the Vale of Arryn completely fell into Robert's hands.
Only the Eyrie remained. To reach it, they still had to pass a dangerous pass, the Moon Gate Castle. The lord of the castle also bore the name Royce. Fortunately, the Royce Family of Moon Gate Castle and the Royce Family of Runestone were not the same branch. Until Robert arrived at Moon Gate Castle with his army, the lord here had not openly declared support for the League of the Righteous, and the castle had not been captured.
After passing through the Moon Gate, one could proceed to the Eyrie, but only along a very narrow goat path up the mountain. Under normal circumstances, it would take half a day, and the path would be exposed to long-range attacks from the Eyrie and the three purely military fortresses: Skyreach, Snow Castle, and Longbow Hall. The good news was that the controllers of these fortresses had not joined the League of the Righteous. Perhaps they had sympathized with and secretly supported the "rebels," but with the arrival of the six kingdoms' allied forces carrying the crowned stag banner at the foot of the mountain, they all transformed into loyal vassals of Lord Arryn.
Lysa Tully refused to believe that the "rebellion" had been suppressed and remained hiding in the Eyrie, afraid to come down the mountain. But as the castle's food supplies ran out, no matter what, this war to suppress the rebellion, which had affected the Seven Kingdoms and lasted for nearly two months, would soon come to a not-so-perfect end.
***
The celebration banquet was held in a field in the Vale of Arryn with a distant view of the Giant's Lance. During the day, one could admire the towering mountains reaching ever higher. The ghostly torrent of "Alyssa's Tears" plummeted from the towering western peaks, like a shining silver ribbon hanging on the cliff face, a stark contrast to the dark bedrock, glittering brightly in the sunlight.
At night, this place became the site of the largest bonfire carnival in the history of the Seven Kingdoms. With the Bloody Gate broken, the wealth, food, and supplies that the League of the Righteous lords had moved out of their castles and hidden in the Vale of Arryn became spoils of war for the army suppressing the rebellion—the families involved in the mutiny were all the most powerful families in the Vale, and the combined value of the spoils was estimated to be over a hundred thousand golden dragons... Such a large sum of money was probably more than even the Lord of the Vale of Arryn could produce at once. Although it couldn't compare to the truly great houses like the Lannisters and Tyrells, it was more than enough to pay the army's wages for less than ten days, with a good amount left over after settling accounts—and this wealth, with a generous wave of Robert's hand, was all given as rewards to the allied soldiers and nobles.
A King who was not short of money! Robert's prestige did not fall because of the initial unsuccessful operations; on the contrary, it rose even higher!
...
After the commendation and praise for the number one contributor, Ser Brynden "the Blackfish," the number two contributor, Aegon, also stood in the center of the large tent. This time, not only was Robert smiling at him, but the lords of the Six Kingdoms seated around him were also staring at him with interest.
More sensitive politicians could already sense that the peace between the Seven Kingdoms was in a precarious situation—if a major war were to break out, the side with someone skilled in strategizing in the rear would undoubtedly have a greatly increased chance of winning. Moreover, this person was also the protagonist of a famous adventure legend, and could fight dozens of rounds with the renowned "Red Viper" of Dorne without being at a disadvantage?
A celebrity skilled in both civil and military arts, in this era of mediocrity, even if he did nothing, just being in one faction was a huge boost to morale and a powerful deterrent to the enemy!
It's just a pity he's a Night's Watchman; no one can recruit him.
...
"Otherslayer," Robert liked to call Aegon by this nickname, perhaps thinking it was cool: "Although it was Ser Blackfish who ultimately led the way to the rear of the Bloody Gate, your idea was indispensable. Ask for whatever you want, as long as it's not too outrageous, I, as King, will satisfy you!"
As long as it's not too outrageous, I will satisfy you!
These words sounded so arrogant, yet they came from the mouth of Robert Baratheon. Their weight was unquestionable. The large tent, which had been incredibly noisy, suddenly fell silent. Everyone's eyes were focused on the young man in black in the center.
What would a Night's Watchman want?
—