Willow Wood, the Riverlands
Willow Wood is a small castle in the Riverlands and the ancestral seat of House Ryger. As Jon's liberation campaign began, many nobles in the Riverlands directly joined his banner.
The speed and scale of it took even Jon by surprise. By the time he reacted, only a few castles near the Kingsroad remained in the Riverlands.
However, it was precisely because these Riverlands nobles surrendered so quickly that Jon's strategy in the region was also somewhat affected.
House Lannister saw an opportunity and immediately broke their forces into smaller units, sending a large number of hedge knights and soldiers into the Riverlands.
These soldiers burned, killed, and looted throughout the Riverlands, and even attacked the army's supply lines, bringing immense disaster to the local residents.
After the previous peaceful transition, the Riverlands once again suffered the plundering of House Lannister. Countless commoners died at the hands of those shouting royalist slogans.
Under these circumstances, Jon had to re-evaluate his strategic plans for the Riverlands.
The Riverlands had always been a land of constant warfare, surrounded on all sides with no natural defenses to hold, which directly resulted in the region's defenses being impossible to maintain.
At this moment, Jon was caught in the same predicament that Edmure Tully had faced in another timeline. Continuing the offensive on Harrenhal meant he would inherit a Riverlands turned to ruins.
Not attacking Harrenhal, however, meant Jon's army would be bogged down in the complex waterways of the Riverlands. With the Riverlands acting as a buffer, the armies of the Westerlands and the Reach could drag Jon completely into the mire here, preventing him from utilizing his advantages.
This was also the downside of the feudal system. Unlike Jon, the ruler, the lords only cared about their own territories, so the life and death of other places meant nothing to them.
Meanwhile, near Willow Wood in the Riverlands, a brutal massacre was underway. Soldiers from House Lannister, led by Amory Lorch, were slaughtering unarmed villagers.
"Ready!"
"Kill!"
At Amory Lorch's command, countless villagers were dragged to the front of Willow Wood's gates. Under the fearful eyes of the soldiers on the walls, heads rolled across the ground like potatoes.
"I'll say it again: if you, House Ryger, do not open the gates and surrender, then after tomorrow, you will have no smallfolk left to rule."
Hearing Amory Lorch's coarse and shrill voice, Viscount Thomas Ryger felt as if he had just walked through a frozen wasteland.
Although Thomas Ryger was not a particularly kind or just lord, if he let these Lannister soldiers continue their killing, his lands would be completely ruined.
At this moment, he somewhat regretted surrendering to Jon so early. But caught between the Lannisters and the Targaryens, small houses like theirs had no choice but to side with whoever was more powerful.
"Is surrender really the only path left for me?"
As he saw Amory Lorch preparing to bring up another group of people, Viscount Thomas Ryger felt as if a knife had been driven deep into his heart.
"Wooo… wooo…"
Just then, the sounds of battle cries suddenly erupted from the distant road, followed by black specks appearing on the horizon.
As those black specks drew closer, everyone finally saw clearly that the charging figures were fully armed knights.
They held shields in their left hands and lances in their right. Their golden decorative patterns gleamed in the sunlight, as dazzling as the sun itself.
If a person from Earth who had played strategy games were standing here, their jaw would surely drop, because these charging knights were all, without exception, Paladins.
Aside from the different colors of their armor, these Paladins were dressed almost identically, with the same shields, the same lances, and the same helmets.
Jon had specifically called upon Frodo, Sam, Pippin, and Merry to form this Paladin Order, and they were the means Jon intended to use against House Lannister.
House Lannister used a strategy of dividing their forces. Although they were wealthy, it was difficult to assemble a luxury cavalry unit for raiding, so Jon formed the Paladin Order to use these high-tier troops to crush their small groups.
"Hahaha, those guys are finally here! Send the signal immediately and blow the horns. The hunting season has begun!"
Seeing the cavalry unit charging from afar, Amory Lorch excitedly cut down a farmer beside him with his sword.
Soon, his group of over 200 men abandoned the unarmed commoners and began to quickly gather toward a forest by the road.
Facing these charging knights, the only thing they could do was use the forest's advantage to withstand the impact.
Unfortunately, these Lannister soldiers clearly underestimated the speed of the Paladin Order. Just as they were moving, the Paladins suddenly accelerated their charge.
"Hurry up, you idiots!"
Seeing the overwhelming momentum of the enemy, Amory Lorch barked out curses in a rage. His soldiers were simply too slow and couldn't keep up with his pace.
Boom… Bang bang bang…
With a series of impacts, the House Lannister soldiers were scattered by the Paladins. The Paladins' cross-lances easily pierced through the Lannister soldiers' armor.
Squelch…
Crack…
"Help!"
"Don't kill me!"
"Aaaaah!"
In just a few minutes, the slaughterers who had been swaggering just moments ago turned into lambs for the slaughter. Under the charge of Frodo and the others, countless Lannister soldiers became fertilizer for the plains.
"Is this Amory Lorch an idiot? Is he always this reckless? He saw the cavalry charging and yet he was still slowly reorganizing his soldiers!"
As Amory Lorch and his soldiers were being slaughtered by the Paladins, a man in ornate blood-red armor on a small hill nearby asked the blue-armored knight beside him with some frustration.
The blood-armored knight appeared to be a very serious man, yet even he wore an expression as if he'd seen a ghost when faced with Amory Lorch's incompetence.
"Brother Glen, you shouldn't have expected anything from that cruel, bloodthirsty fellow. I heard from my men that he once stabbed a princess of the former dynasty, a girl only seven years old, to death. For an idiot like him to have lived until today is only by the grace of the Seven."
Kuge and Glen were brothers and members of the "Gemstone Brotherhood" belonging to the Faith. After the Oldtown Faith decided to support Renly Baratheon, they had been serving in Renly's army.
After Renly's defeat by Stannis, they followed their leader, a septon calling himself "The Shepherd," back to King's Landing and secretly seized the Faith's power there.
Due to the war, Lord Tywin Lannister had no time to manage the affairs of King's Landing. When he returned to reclaim power, he was surprised to find that a powerful force had unknowingly emerged within the city.
Just as the various factions in King's Landing thought Tywin Lannister would clash with the Faith, the two sides quickly reached a reconciliation. This operation was led by the Faith's "Gemstone Brotherhood."
"Alright, now is our time to strike. Those Lannister people have nothing to do with us. Follow the guidance of the Seven and deliver the final divine punishment to these fellows!"
"For the Seven!"
With a roar from Glen, all the knights hidden behind the small hill let out a thunderous shout.
Whinny…
Horses neighed and battle cries shook the heavens. With the appearance of these knights, the shouts of the Faith's knights filled the entire battlefield.
"Prepare for battle! Enemy attack!"
Seeing this, Frodo quickly called for the Paladins to prepare their defense. At his call, the Paladins swiftly recovered from their state of slaughter.
Under the direction of Frodo and the others, the Paladins quickly formed an arrowhead formation.
"Charge!"
Whinny…
With the neighing of horses, the Paladins led by Frodo and his companions charged directly at Glen and his knights of the Faith.
Thus, on the road from Willow Wood to Harrenhal, the knights of the Faith and Jon's Paladins clashed violently.
For a moment, dust filled the air and horse neighs shook the sky. Amidst the flashing shadows of countless spears, many knights were unhorsed by lances.
The battle was exceptionally fierce, with both sides brandishing their weapons mercilessly in an attempt to defeat the other.
The knights of the Faith wore heavy armor and held sharp lances. Their eyes revealed a firm conviction as they fought to the death to defend the glory of the Faith of the Seven.
Meanwhile, Jon's Paladins were clad in ornate armor with golden inscriptions and held sharp cross-lances as they charged forward toward the knights of the Faith.
The knights of both sides engaged in a thrilling duel on the road. Riding their steeds, they charged at each other like a violent storm, every collision accompanied by the sound of clashing metal and sparks flying.
Their weapons traced lightning-like paths through the air, every attack filled with killing intent and resolve.
In this battle, many knights were unhorsed by lances, their bodies tumbling through the air before crashing heavily to the ground.
However, these knights did not give up. They struggled to their feet, picked up their weapons, and threw themselves back into the fight.
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