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The Riverlands, Riverrun
Emmon Frey is currently the Lord of Riverrun. When House Lannister conquered the Riverlands, Edmure Tully was defeated and captured, and he is still imprisoned in Riverrun's dungeons.
The only reason Emmon Frey was able to take charge of Riverrun was because he is the brother-in-law of Lord Tywin Lannister. Although House Lannister strongly dislikes House Frey, the Weasel Family.
But since there was a marriage alliance, Emmon Frey and his descendants naturally could not be separated from House Lannister.
Therefore, after House Lannister successfully occupied the Riverlands, Emmon Frey's branch of House Frey became a crucial presence.
It was precisely for this reason that Lord Tywin, the ambitious leader of House Lannister, arranged for them—along with Lannister nephews and nieces—to be stationed at Riverrun to manage all affairs.
However, with the appearance of Jon's Great Army, the entirety of Riverrun plunged into panic and fear.
Soldiers ran frantically across the battlements, trying to figure out a countermeasure.
When Emmon Frey frantically rushed onto the battlements, he saw a shocking sight.
Before him was Jon's Great Army, stretching as far as the eye could see, their morale soaring as if victory was already within reach.
This made Emmon Frey feel unprecedented pressure and fear. He knew that facing such a powerful enemy, they had to find a solution quickly.
Therefore, he immediately summoned the generals in the city to discuss how to deal with this sudden crisis.
Because Emmon Frey had a low place in the line of succession, he did not have many soldiers within House Frey. However, after taking control of Riverrun, some mercenary knights who originally belonged to House Tully also joined his side.
"What should we do now?"
Emmon Frey is already over 60 years old. In his youth, he was a man of great knightly honor, but after marrying Genna Lannister, a strong-willed Lannister, he became timid and subservient.
"What is there to fear? House Lannister's army is already on its way. As long as we hold out, reinforcements will help us resolve this crisis!"
Genna Frey was very dissatisfied with her husband. In her opinion, her husband was truly like a weasel—cunning yet cowardly.
"B-but I heard they have a dragon. What are we supposed to do?"
"It's just a hatchling dragon. You've seen it; it's not even as big as an elephant. What exactly are we afraid of?"
Genna Frey looked at her husband, who seemed utterly violated, and offered a helpless word of comfort.
"Yes! Respected Lord Emmon! You absolutely do not need to worry. We will hold out. Just now, I sent men to retrieve the scorpion crossbows from the castle!"
The speaker was Emmon Frey's guard captain, Ser Spicewood Rivers. This black-curled bastard of the Riverlands has been with House Frey for many years.
Compared to the timid and weak Emmon Frey, Spicewood Rivers seemed to be much more responsible.
"Look at yourself, Emmon! Sometimes you really should learn from Ser Spicewood Rivers. Where is your knightly spirit? Where is your faith in the Seven?"
Under Genna Frey's mockery, Emmon Frey lowered his head in shame.
"Alright! Alright! You don't need to worry about the rest. I will discuss it with these knights. You just stand by and observe!"
The plump Lady Genna Frey waved her hand, directly taking control of the subsequent arrangements for her husband, while the nominal Lord of Riverrun mumbled and shut his mouth upon hearing her words.
"Ser Harys Swyft! What is your opinion?"
After ordering her husband to shut up, Genna Frey immediately addressed a bald, middle-aged knight.
Ser Harys Swyft was a noble knight from the Westerlands. Although his was a minor house, their strength was already comparable to some viscount-level families.
"I believe the enemy is giving their all this time, and many Riverlands families have already sworn allegiance to that bastard king."
After hearing Ser Harys Swyft's words, many of the knights revealed unpleasant expressions.
"Are you afraid, Ser Harys Swyft?"
A knight who usually disagreed with him spoke up immediately.
"I am stating all the possible scenarios that might occur, instead of single-mindedly telling everyone that defending the city is a simple matter!"
After seeing his opponent silenced, Ser Harys Swyft spoke directly.
"Reinforcements are already on the way. What we truly need to do now is maximize our ability to tie down the enemy, giving our reinforcements a greater opportunity to attack their flanks."
"Yes! I agree. We must now maximize our efforts to tie down these people!"
Many people immediately grasped the meaning behind his words, and thus agreed with this statement.
After a fierce discussion, they decided to adopt a strategy of holding out, using Riverrun's sturdy walls and ample provisions to withstand the attack of Jon's Great Army.
The reason these knights believed Riverrun could withstand the enemy attack was entirely due to the castle's defenses.
Riverrun is surrounded by water on three sides, forming a triangular city. To enter Riverrun, there are only three narrow passages on the west side, the widest of which can only accommodate a single carriage.
It is fair to say that to capture this sturdy castle, one would have to besiege it completely. But this is Riverrun, where water is never scarce, and the river often brings schools of fish. Coupled with the castle's existing stores of grain, it is virtually impossible to starve this castle into submission.
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"It is virtually impossible, unless we can bring a great dragon down upon it!"
At this moment, in the military camp outside Riverrun, Lord Tytos Blackwood spoke this exact phrase.
He was not exaggerating; as a former vassal of House Tully, he knew exactly how difficult this castle was to capture.
"The blood of House Tully flows in my veins too, respected Lord Blackwood. Since childhood, I have heard my mother speak of how strong and difficult Riverrun is to conquer!"
The speaker was the coalition commander, Robb Stark.
"To be honest, I even played inside this castle when I was a child, but I do not believe this castle is unconquerable!"
"But you must understand, respected Lord Robb, that His Majesty Aegon has already gone to Harrenhal. Without the aid of his miraculous methods, it will be truly difficult for us to take this castle!"
Lord Yohn Royce also spoke up promptly. He had witnessed far too many of Jon's methods along the way and knew very well that without the aid of this miraculous king, they would struggle to conquer these strongholds.
"Although we have all gained that miraculous power, our mages are not very effective against this castle. Fire and lightning cannot destroy its sturdy structure!"
The speaker was Jon Umber, the Lord of House Umber. Initially, he was not very impressed by Jon, but after witnessing his powerful and terrifying strength, this stubborn Northern lord became a staunch supporter of Jon.
After hearing the suggestions from the many noble lords, Robb's face still held an expression of great confidence, which caused everyone to look at him intently.
"Could it be that His Majesty Aegon gave him some miraculous power?"
Upon hearing this, many people had the same thought flash through their minds.
Everyone knew that Jon and Robb had a very good relationship, so seeing Robb so confident, they all felt he might have a way to deal with Riverrun.
"Have you perhaps gained some other miraculous power?"
Lord Rickard Karstark asked Robb directly. Due to his close relationship with House Stark, the lord did not treat himself as an outsider when asking.
"Not exactly. It's just that I witnessed a certain miraculous method some time ago, and combining that with the situation we face today, I believe I can apply that thing here."
Seeing Robb still being coy, everyone felt an uncomfortable itch, as if they were being scratched by a kitten.
"Can't you at least let us see it first?"
Several impatient Northern lords immediately asked.
"Hahaha, this matter can only be done at night. If we try it now, it won't work!"
Robb's behavior only made everyone more excited, but since he had said they could only see it at night, they had no choice but to suppress their anticipation.
Soon after the camp meeting concluded, Robb became busy in the central military camp, with carts of supplies being hauled in from afar.
Countless alchemists from the Kingdom of the Three Daughters emerged from their tents, and the mages who had been staying in the central military camp were also deployed.
Because Robb had set a prohibition in advance, no unauthorized personnel other than certain noble lords were allowed to enter the central military tent area. However, even those noble lords looked utterly confused after seeing Robb's arrangements.
Thus, rumors quickly spread throughout the Targaryen Coalition camp that Robb Stark was preparing to use ultimate magic against Riverrun. These rumors were detailed and convincing, and were even passed on by certain spies to Riverrun and House Lannister.
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