Grasping Military Power (Third Update)

On the training grounds of Winterfell, Robb was doing recovery exercises. When he had first woken up three days ago, his body had indeed been very weak.

But after several days of high-protein nutrition to replenish his strength, combined with his naturally good physical constitution, his body had basically recovered in just three days.

As soon as his training ended, Toren, standing to his left, stepped forward to hand him a towel. Since Theon had led his team out, the two Karstark brothers had been constantly at Robb's side.

Smiling, he nodded and took the towel to wipe his sweat. In his mind, Robb estimated that Theon and the others should still be on the road, chasing their quarry.

"Ed, gather all the Wolf Guard who don't have assignments! Toren, go and have the officer corps of Winterfell assemble as well."

Robb had no more mind to waste wondering whether Theon would complete his mission successfully. Certain that his body had recovered, he immediately gave orders to Ed and Toren beside him.

"As you command, Lord Robb!"

After the two Karstark brothers left, they wasted no time in relaying Robb's orders.

After a short wait, aside from the six Wolf Guard who were on duty, the rest of the Wolf Guard had formed up in neat ranks on the training grounds.

The officer corps of Winterfell, including Ser Rodrik, was slower, taking more time to assemble.

"Brothers and sisters, I was unwell some time ago. I thank you for your daily protection, which allowed me to regain my health."

Robb began his speech loudly, his tone filled with gratitude. He first bowed to the Wolf Guard warriors.

Straightening up, Robb raised a hand to stop the Wolf Guard, who had stirred slightly at his bow, and continued speaking loudly.

"During the time I was asleep, I had a long nightmare. I saw Winterfell ravaged by war, saw the banners of the Northern nobles cut down, saw the people of the North weeping and wailing."

"You might think this was just a dream, that it means nothing. But the wildling I captured told me that beyond the Wall, a King-Beyond-the-Wall is gathering a hundred thousand wildling warriors to attack the Wall. They say they even have the legendary giants."

"Of course, in our understanding, they could never possibly cross the Wall. But what if they succeed? Are you willing to watch your own houses fall, your own kin die horribly or wish they were dead, and yourselves become food for those wildlings?"

By the end, Robb was emotionally charged, pointing north and shouting loudly.

"No!"

"Never!"

"Kill them all!"

The Wolf Guard warriors roared, their emotions fully roused. After spending this time with him, they had come to greatly admire Robb, so most of them chose to believe what he said.

The officer corps of Winterfell was a different story. Including Ser Rodrik, they echoed the shouts along with the rest.

But in their hearts, they were mostly dismissive. In their minds, the Wall had stood for a thousand years. Even a hundred thousand wildlings, let alone ten thousand, could never take it.

"In the name of Robb Stark, heir designated by Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North, and acting Lord of Winterfell, I declare that from this day forward, Winterfell enters a state of war readiness. All troops of Winterfell are under my control and shall obey my command!"

Robb clearly saw the stark difference in reactions between the Wolf Guard and the Winterfell officers.

But he paid it no mind. He directly announced the ultimate goal of today's performance in a loud voice.

When Robb declared full control of the army, Ser Rodrik raised no objection. After all, he was wholeheartedly and loyally devoted to serving House Stark.

The officers under him, however, began to murmur among themselves.

The factional structure of Winterfell's officer corps was simple, divided into three parts. The Cavalry department, responsible for scouting, message relay, and warhorse management. The Archery and Infantry department, responsible for city defense and maintaining order. And the Logistics department, responsible for support and supply.

Each department was managed from top to bottom, and orders were normally passed down this way.

In truth, each military department was like an independent unit. The distribution of military supplies and the assignment of duties were all controlled by the officers of each department.

With this announcement, Robb directly centralized military authority in his own hands. Naturally, these officers began to murmur.

"If anyone has objections, speak up now. Don't discuss it in private!"

Robb had no intention of playing mind games with these officers. Since his original plan was to replace them with the Wolf Guard anyway, he spoke without any courtesy.

The Winterfell officers were not fools. Hearing Robb's stern tone, none dared to continue their private discussions. Each one immediately stood tall and straight, unwilling to be the one to stick their neck out.

After all, Robb was Eddard's designated heir and the famous Young Wolf Lord. The Winterfell army belonged to House Stark in the first place. It was only natural for him to take command of the military. Moreover, everyone had seen the combat prowess of his Wolf Guard. After the last wildling purge, the one hundred and ninety-plus soldiers who had been on perimeter guard duty had already sung their praises to the skies.

Thus, without any major upheaval, the military authority of Winterfell was nominally seized into Robb's hands.

The next day, after giving the Wolf Guard a private briefing, Robb dispersed them to begin taking control of Winterfell's three major military departments.

For officers who obeyed the reassignment orders, Robb would still employ them. After all, when he later summoned the banners of his bannermen, he would need his own trusted officers to supervise and manage them.

As for officers who were disobedient and unwilling to relinquish power, he produced blackmail material obtained through certain channels, directly threw them into the dungeon, and gave them a choice: either death or taking the black.

Maester Luwin and Ser Rodrik fully supported all of Robb's lawful and proper methods.

Because, with Eddard away, they regarded Robb as the one to whom they owed their allegiance.

Catelyn remained constantly by Brandon's bedside, paying no attention to any of this.

In truth, she originally had no authority to interfere with Robb, nor would she have done so.

Aside from Daisy, who insisted on staying behind to protect Robb at all costs, the remaining twenty-four Wolf Guards dispersed to take control of Winterfell's army of four thousand three hundred men.

They followed Robb's orders, teaching the Winterfell soldiers the training content they had previously received each day.

All of this had been considered by Robb in advance.

The basic quality of Winterfell's soldiers was fairly high. To increase their combat effectiveness in a short time, the only options were to strengthen their equipment and intensify formation drills.

Strengthening equipment was out of reach—Robb had neither the gold nor the resources.

Though the North was vast, compared to the South it could be called barren. In terms of equipment, they could never match the Lannisters, who owned gold mines.

What about adding some ancient equipment from Hua Country in his past life?

That wasn't feasible either.

After all, the warriors of Winterfell had trained for decades, using the same standard weapons day in and day out.

If you took the standard longswords they were familiar with and replaced them with Tang Dao, setting aside the question of which was superior or inferior...

For the Winterfell soldiers, the Tang Dao would be a completely unfamiliar, unwieldy weapon. They simply couldn't adapt in a short time.

Forcing them to wield Tang Dao in battle would undoubtedly lower their combat effectiveness—there was no doubt about it.

However, many of Hua Country's ancestral weapons and equipment were better and more practical than those of Westeros. Robb planned to experiment and gradually introduce them later.

The remaining choice was only to train the Winterfell soldiers in formation drills, and the results had already been demonstrated by the Wolf Guards.

Without a doubt, an army that obeyed orders and maintained tight formations would be far more powerful than one that scattered the moment it charged.

An extra chapter, thanks to the readers who vote, comment, and follow every day. Please continue to support!