The Frey Family had already planned the encampment for the Northern Army in advance. Coupled with Robb having established his prestige with Jon's help, the army quickly and orderly gathered north of The Twins.
And the Frey Family, controlling the vital water transportation routes, could easily blockade any news.
Not a single whisper of the army's movement would leak out.
Leaving The Twins, Catelyn entered the central command tent and met with the various Northern Lords.
On the day Eddard and Catelyn were married, the Northern Lords all sent gifts.
Moreover, Catelyn had diligently given birth to many children for Eddard over the years.
Catelyn would always inquire about the weddings or other affairs of the lords' children, so her reputation was excellent.
When everyone had gathered, Catelyn spoke about why she had come to the Northern Army midway.
"I returned from the Eyrie, unaware that Eddard had been framed. As all of you lords know, Lysa is my sister, and she handles many affairs of the Vale.
I will write to Lysa and ask the Vale's army to join our Alliance."
Catelyn systematically explained her plan.
The Northern Lords present were all excited.
"Good! The Direwolf and the Falcon are finally fighting side-by-side again! Last time we exterminated the Dragon, this time we will surely skin this Lion!" Greatjon said, excitedly rubbing the hilt of his sword and laughing loudly.
"The Western Army is numerous, but no matter what, it cannot be more than the entire Seven Kingdoms combined. We will surely achieve final victory!" Rickard also said excitedly, his white beard covering his chest shining brightly.
"Then should we wait for the Vale's army to assemble before attacking together?"
At this moment, a discordant voice came from among the lords—Count Meici Severn.
He was a somewhat cautious person. Although this suggestion was good, it was immediately met with opposition.
"Count Severn, if we wait for the people of the Vale to assemble their army, where will the honor of us Northerners be?" It was Lady Mormont of Bear Island who spoke.
The women of Bear Island are also very fierce, and they are second to none in battle.
"Yes, Count Severn, with our strength, we must at least open up the situation for the allied army!" The plump Lord Manderly said.
He seemed to have a good temper and liked to stroke his large belly when he spoke.
By the way, this fellow seemed to be unable to ride a horse anymore due to his physique.
At this moment, Robb spoke:
"Our march south this time is not only to rescue my father; the people of the Riverlands are still suffering under the iron hooves of the Western Army. We cannot stand idly by, no matter what.
Moreover, blockading news for a long time is unrealistic; we must seize the opportunity!"
After the previous events, as soon as Robb spoke, the last hint of fear of war among the lords disappeared.
Seeing his son's performance, Catelyn nodded in satisfaction, unable to hide the smile in her eyes.
After the two events of rectifying the lords and forming an Alliance with The Twins, Robb had fully proven that he possessed all the qualities a qualified heir should have.
In short, Catelyn's assurance further boosted the high morale of the Northern Lords.
Everyone believed victory was within their grasp.
However, in a corner nearby, Jon watched all this with a cold eye.
No one could have imagined the great changes that would happen later.
He couldn't warn them even if he wanted to now.
After all, Robb had done well in the early stages.
He must keep an eye on Roose Bolton. As long as he doesn't betray and opportunistically switch sides, the North can basically preserve itself.
At the very least, preserve the core elites.
This way, defending The Neck and Moat Cailin wouldn't result in too tragic a defeat.
Of course, if he could seize Roose Bolton's military power even earlier, Jon believed it might change the course of the war at a critical moment... Speaking of which, when facing Old Walder just now, Robb only briefly mentioned the general strategic direction.
Next was to allocate personnel and define operational objectives.
Robb stated that he had gathered all the cavalry of the Northern Army, formulating a strategic plan and objective for himself to lead a surprise attack, while Roose Bolton would lead the main infantry force responsible for pinning down the enemy.
That is to say, the over 20,000 Northern Army was now divided into 'Eastern and Western routes'.
The Western Army, led by Robb, would relieve Riverrun, or at least repel Jaime.
The Eastern Army, led by Roose Bolton, would pin down Tywin.
As the commander-in-chief of the Eastern Army, Roose Bolton naturally had to describe his battle plan to everyone.
Not only the lords, but even Robb had entrusted the Winterfell infantry to him; he had to be responsible for these men.
"Although the infantry's marching speed is slow, Tywin's army is closer to us.
Currently, Tywin does not yet know that we have marched south, so I have decided to attempt a surprise attack. If successful, it might severely wound Tywin.
If it fails, we will retreat to the north bank of the Green Fork, which can still achieve the goal of pinning down the enemy."
Listening to Roose Bolton's battle plan, everyone nodded, expressing their agreement.
Roose Bolton was an experienced commander, and many people gave him high praise.
If Jon didn't know what would happen in the future, he would also agree.
But the ultimate result was that Roose Bolton was first discovered due to underestimating the enemy, then bit into a deliberate weakness exposed by the Western Army, losing an army of 8,000 men.
Jon would not allow this to happen.
If he couldn't control the army, there would be no talk of changing the fate of the North or even the Seven Kingdoms.
He turned to Robb and said softly:
"Robb, may I express my opinion?"
Although Jon's voice was not loud, standing beside Robb, it still attracted the attention of many people.
Because of previous events, Robb already had high expectations for his bastard brother.
Just as he was about to nod, Catelyn suddenly spoke from the side:
"Jon, this is a war council for the lords. You, you had best not interrupt, lest people think the Starks can't even raise a child properly."
Her voice was not loud, but it clearly landed in Jon's ears like an arrow.
Robb, standing nearby, naturally heard it all clearly.
At this, Robb felt somewhat uncomfortable caught in the middle.
However, Jon's next action surprised Catelyn:
"Alright, Lady, Lord Robb, then I will state my opinion."
Catelyn: What did I just say?
Ignoring Catelyn's strange gaze, Jon directly asked:
"Lord Roose Bolton, I am just a son who understands nothing but is wholeheartedly devoted to rescuing his father.
I have some questions, and I ask you to answer them for me."
Jon directly brought up Eddard, making it difficult for Catelyn to interrupt now.
"You may," Roose Bolton said expressionlessly.
Everyone else also turned their gaze to Jon.
Everyone wanted to know what 'profound insights' this bastard would have.
"Lord Bolton, you said we might be able to use our intelligence advantage to launch a surprise attack on the Western Army, but what if we are discovered?
You must know that this army of ours is primarily infantry, lacking cavalry. Once we fail, it is very likely that we will fall into a passive position.
How do you plan to deal with this?"
Roose Bolton's military tactics were very experienced, and the questions Jon raised were also very realistic.
However, Roose Bolton still had supporters, such as Count Severn. Perhaps to prove that he was not 'cowardly', he spoke up to defend Roose Bolton:
"War certainly involves death; there are wins and losses. We cannot refrain from attacking just because we fear failure; that will be seen as weakness!"
"Right! We must not only defend!"
Lady Mormont from Bear Island spoke again.
Jon found her to be a complete battle maniac with breasts.
Forget her appearance, even her voice was almost like a man's.
Despite someone already defending him, Roose Bolton still said personally:
"What the lords said is correct. Moreover, I believe the possibility of this attack succeeding is very high."
"Then will you place the Dreadfort Soldiers at the vanguard?"
Seeing Jon ask this, Roose Bolton's face became a little difficult to maintain.
Because Jon had 'unintentionally' hit upon his true intentions.
Those lords who hadn't taken it seriously also felt a ripple in their hearts.
At this moment, Catelyn reprimanded:
"Jon! Enough! The war hasn't even begun, and you're already trying to sow discord among the Northern vassals?!"
Seeing Catelyn's stance, others also questioned Jon's character.
Jon feigned panic, bowed to Roose Bolton, and then apologized:
"I apologize, Lord Bolton, it was my lack of consideration. It's mainly because I was thinking about the Soldiers brought by the lords; behind every one of them is a Family.
I don't want them to be sacrificed in vain."
Although the lords present genuinely didn't care about the lives of the common people, they still had to express agreement with the kind of platitudes Jon spoke.
Roose Bolton spoke:
"I naturally cherish the lives of the Soldiers, but the battlefield is cruel, and it is not something we can control.
If you have any good ideas, you can tell me, and I will consider them carefully."
Roose Bolton's posture once again won the praise and approval of others.
"Our Lord Leech isn't bad after all," Greatjon muttered in the corner.
Rickard also tidied his beard while gesturing towards Roose Bolton.
Seeing that the time was finally right, Jon spoke:
"I think we might be able to dig a breach in the riverbank of the Green Fork, letting the river water fight in place of our Soldiers. This way, we can both cause trouble for Tywin and weaken their cavalry advantage..."
Jon hadn't even finished speaking when he heard a group of people burst into laughter.
"Using water instead of an army? What kind of person would come up with such an idea?"
"A bastard's imagination is just different." It was that Count Severn again, deliberately using such a witty remark to mock Jon.
"If we're going to fight, let's fight honorably. Why flood them?" A certain battle maniac even scoffed at Jon's suggestion.
Jon ignored the taunts of the crowd.
Everyone didn't take his suggestion, that of a bastard and a greenhorn, seriously.
After the meeting, Jon's 'Water Attack strategy' was even regarded as a joke.
Even Robb felt that Jon's thinking was somewhat beyond his comprehension.
But he also said that since Jon had an independent armed force, as long as it didn't affect Roose Bolton's battle plan and he obtained his consent, this method could be tried.
At the same time, he also had some doubts, wondering if he shouldn't bring this bastard brother to the next meeting.
Just let him patrol outside with Theon.
Considering the strategic acumen Jon displayed beyond martial arts, Roose Bolton, to divert Jon's attention, also did not stop him.
In the sparsely populated North, it seemed no one took the power of water seriously.
But fortunately, his plan, though not taken seriously, was approved.
Jon believed that with the 'Water Attack' card, he might be able to reduce some of the Northern Army's losses.
If it didn't work, he wouldn't be punished.
But if it succeeded, his prestige in the army would greatly increase!
Roose Bolton would then also be unable to dominate alone.
And those who were saved because of him would inevitably become his supporters.
In the future, if he wanted to do something, he would have a foundation.