The Lannister soldiers who were following Tywin's orders to burn, kill, and pillage in the Riverlands were finally caught by Roman.
To complete their tasks quickly, and because the war had been going too smoothly for too long, these soldiers of the Westerlands had abandoned large-scale operations in favor of small squads roaming everywhere to commit arson and murder.
Facing these disorganized soldiers, the cavalry of Harrenhal felt as if they had stumbled upon a treasure!
Against a typical Lannister squad, the Light Cavalry was more than enough to completely annihilate them.
However, if they encountered a well-equipped and well-coordinated unit, the Harrenhal Light Cavalry would first take turns pursuing them, giving them no chance to escape, and wait for the Ironmen to arrive before charging together to kill them.
The once-insufferable Lannister army was beaten so badly they fled at the mere sight of their enemies; later, as soon as they saw silver armor, they instinctively wanted to run, regardless of who the opponent actually was.
Gods Eye, Lakeport.
Several Lannister soldiers were sprinting frantically along the road they had come from.
It had just rained a few days ago, and the ground was incredibly muddy, but the Lannister soldiers still ran with all their might, the splashed mud coating their lower bodies.
Behind them was the constant sound of approaching hooves, growing louder from a distance, regular and rhythmic.
One Lannister soldier ran too fast, tripped, and fell directly into the muddy water.
As he scrambled panic-stricken out of the mud, he realized the puddle in front of him was filled with blood; the smell of earth and blood mixed together, terrifying the soldier into crawling backward.
But this retreat gave the pursuing cavalry an opportunity; by the time the Lannister soldier reacted, a spear had already pierced through his throat.
The Lannister soldier collapsed to the ground; in his final moments, he saw a group of silver-armored cavalry charging into his teammates and slaughtering them. He deeply regretted not listening to the veterans' advice to flee, and now he was being butchered like livestock.
Around the Gods Eye, such scenes were happening every moment; any Lannister soldiers who failed to rejoin their units in time met this fate.
Roman seized the opportunity presented by Tywin splitting his forces to seize grain, dispatching the Harrenhal cavalry to advance rapidly and annihilate the Lannister vanguard forces directly in various villages.
Only a few soldiers were not killed; they were captured by Harrenhal and brought before Roman.
Roman didn't even want to look at them, saying casually:
"Throw these things into the mines. The new vertical shaft mines have just been completed; let them go and scout the way."
"Yes! Lord Roman."
Fili was also excitedly reporting the battle results at his side, the young girl's flushed face filled with irrepressible joy.
But Roman knew these were merely Tywin's vanguard; that old the lions had been hiding, likely preparing a major move.
He said to the warriors: "Everyone fought beautifully, but do not be complacent. The main Lannister force has not yet arrived; we have only caught a few petty thieves. The real test is still ahead."
"From now on, maintain full alert. Do not let the scouts and ravens stop. Meanwhile, have several battalions of Light Cavalry split off to attack the Lannister supply lines in the rear. Don't let Tywin live too comfortably!"
Tasks were issued one by one: the Light Cavalry raided the rear to attack the Lannister supply lines, while the frontline soldiers advanced steadily, occupying Riverlands territory while driving out the Lannister forces.
Roman and Fili rode to a Lakeport. It had originally been an inland river port; he had stopped here for supplies while escorting gifts before, and at that time, the number of ships was countless, a scene of prosperity.
Now, it had been completely ransacked by Tywin. Not only was the harbor destroyed, but the surrounding houses and fields had been burned to ashes, and nine out of ten local homes were empty.
After Roman cleared out the Lannister soldiers here, he brought people from the Harrenhal lands to build a Stronghold and houses, while also beginning to restore production to provide supplies for the army.
"Fili, if we want to control these territories, we must first drive the Lannisters out of here. Go find any large camps nearby; we need to reduce Tywin's strength before he attacks."
The girl nodded and began scouting according to Roman's orders, while Tywin was also actively adjusting his strategy.
In a dense forest in the Riverlands, Tywin held a meeting with the Lannister generals.
"That fellow Roman has a scouting advantage we don't possess; those annoying ravens have been hovering over our heads constantly. So, do not think about launching a sneak attack. We can only hope to win by gathering a large force for an offensive. Tell me, where should we strike next?"
Tywin was still somewhat wary of Roman's 8,000 regular troops, but the generals didn't care at all, not taking Harrenhal seriously. They only felt that Roman's victory over The Crownlands allied forces was because those nobles were too weak.
Ultimately, they decided to set the battlefield near the foundation of a Stronghold Roman was currently building, which also happened to be a transport hub.
The Lannister army made no attempt to hide its movements, which made Roman realize that Tywin knew exactly what Fili's ravens were for.
This time, Tywin gathered a full force of 8,000 men and struck directly at Roman's front lines, while the remaining soldiers were dispersed to constantly harass Harrenhal territory.
Tywin calculated that since Roman wanted to reclaim the land, he would be unable to withdraw his troops to deal with the Lannisters.
Listening to the scout's report, Roman couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Since they respect me so little, I cannot let them down. Muster 1,000 cavalry and 1,000 Armored Infantry to engage the enemy!"
Roman led his team forward, first using the ravens to observe the Lannister marching route, and then setting an ambush on their inevitable path.
Because Roman had fewer troops, he chose to occupy the high ground, first letting the Light Cavalry harass the Lannister army to lure them into attacking.
Meanwhile, the soldiers in the rear began organizing a defensive formation, digging Pit traps, placing Anti-cavalry spikes, and scattering Caltrops across the ground.
Relying on the hilly heights, Roman positioned his Crossbowmen on the slopes so that every one of them could see the enemy's movements, increasing both range and accuracy.
When the 8,000 Lannister troops reached the front, they found that the Harrenhal soldiers had already occupied the favorable terrain and controlled the only road; if they didn't pass through here, the Lannister army would have to wade through the water network of the Riverlands.
But these Westermen, seeing the Harrenhal battle formation, didn't think twice and led their troops in a direct charge.
As the assault troops selected by Tywin, they were all fully armored and well-trained.
Roman watched as this group of Lannister soldiers skillfully formed a battle array and pressed toward him; he initially held his position, letting the Crossbowmen and Ballistae prepare.
The Lannister soldiers charged forward with full confidence, only to hear the faint sound of whistling air, followed immediately by the sight of their teammates being sent flying backward.
The strike from the Ballistae arrived before the arrows, followed by a sky-covering rain of arrows. Because the Harrenhal soldiers were firing from high to low, they easily seized the opening advantage.
Although the Lannister soldiers did not fear ordinary arrows, the rain of arrows was mixed with Armor-piercing arrows fired from God-arm Crossbows and Ballistae, and the Lannister formation soon began to waver.
The Lannister generals realized their infantry could not gain an advantage and immediately sent their cavalry forward.
But when the lions's cavalry arrived at the front, their horses' hooves were first pierced by the Caltrops hidden in the grass. A large number of Lannister warhorses suddenly collapsed, directly dragging down their charging speed.
"There are traps on the ground! Slow down! Slow down now!!"
The cavalry in the lead discovered the anomaly and quickly reined in to slow down, but the cavalry behind them didn't know about the traps and continued charging at full speed, leading to a massive collision among the Lannister cavalry.
The Harrenhal soldiers took the opportunity to use Ballistae to attack these slowed cavalrymen, momentarily blocking the Lannister assault.
But the lions's reaction was swift; they quickly dismounted to manually clear the Caltrops from the ground while enduring the rain of arrows.
After losing over a hundred soldiers, the Lannister cavalry charged once more, but they soon encountered Pit traps and Anti-cavalry spikes. Furthermore, they had now entered the effective range of the God-arm Crossbows, and the Lannister cavalry suffered an even greater blow.
The generals of the lions house, seeing the offensive blocked, immediately dispatched the rear reserves to help. Under the advantage of numbers, the Lannister forces finally pierced through the Harrenhal soldiers' defensive line.
But just as they were prepared to strike at the Harrenhal battle formation, the sound of horn blasts suddenly echoed across the battlefield. The Lannister soldiers discovered with horror that two units of cavalry had charged out from behind the hills.
These cavalry units had been specifically hidden by Roman before the battle began, waiting to strike once the Lannister army pressed forward and bunched together.
"Everyone, form ranks! Do not lose your footing! We have the advantage in numbers; form a formation and prepare to counter-attack!"
The Lannister generals reacted quickly, immediately arranging for the infantry to form a Spear Wall on the flanks and commanding the cavalry to prepare to meet the Harrenhal cavalry.
Roman: "The time has come!"
Suddenly, a dazzling white light erupted on the hill as a fireball shot into the sky at high speed, followed by a thunderous roar.
This change drew the attention of everyone on the battlefield, and the Harrenhal soldiers instantly erupted into a massive cheer.
While the Lannister crowd looked up, still wondering what this thing was, Roman had already moved.
The Lannister soldiers watched as that White Flame charged toward them like a swallow skimming the ground; at this moment, they suddenly remembered the legends concerning Roman.
Now, the legend had become reality.