Bad News

Watching Theon summon the soldiers to clear away the bodies, Robb—his face and head spattered with blood because he had been standing so close to Roose—called out to him, "Bury the bodies with the heads. There's no need to put them on spikes."

"All right, Robb. Go wash your face first!"

Seeing the state Robb was in, Theon handed him the cloak he had picked up and spoke.

Robb didn't answer Theon. He took the cloak and used its inside to wipe the blood from his face,

Then he turned toward the Northmen in the stands, whose expressions varied, and said, "Roose Bolton, the criminal who disrupted order in the North, has received the punishment he deserved.

"His bastard son, Ramsay Snow, has earned merit by reporting his father. I'll write to His Grace the King and request that Ramsay Bolton's name be legitimized, allowing him to inherit the title of Count of Dreadfort.

"Do any of the Northern houses present have objections?"

The Northern nobles saw the bodies and bloodstains the soldiers were clearing from the platform. They all remained silent and raised no objections.

In truth, the noble representatives who had come on behalf of their houses had no right to object. As for the lords who had come in person, most of their children held high offices in Winterfell, so they were even less likely to object.

Seeing the entire gathering fall silent, Robb's bloodstained face formed a somewhat chilling smile. He continued, "Everyone, today's proceedings are over. Return to Winterfell and present your evidence to claim the goods from your respective merchant caravans.

"By the way, all this cargo was transported from Dreadfort. Thousands upon thousands of eyes witnessed it, so there's no chance of fraud."

The noble representatives were relieved. After hurriedly bowing to Robb, they took their leave and prepared to return to Winterfell.

The lords from across the North, however, gathered around Robb to talk and strengthen their ties.

Count Wyman was among them. While asking Robb to explain terms he hadn't understood earlier, such as "currency circulation" and "stimulating domestic demand,"

He somehow ended up giving Winterfell the Myrish Ointment he had planned to sell at cost, treating it as tuition.

As the time Robb and the others spent talking gradually passed, all the noble lords finally set out for Winterfell before noon.

After washing up, Robb joined the soldiers in eating the lunch prepared by the supply corps. Then he began distributing rewards to the army for its accomplishments in battle.

The ranks of Theon and the four other commanders who had taken part in the fighting couldn't be raised for now. And the battle hadn't been significant enough to warrant granting them knightly lands, so Robb rewarded each man with Gold dragons according to his achievements.

Owen, who had led the spearmen in a desperate effort to pin down the enemy Heavy Cavalry, received twenty Gold dragons. Theon, who had commanded the archers and led the regular infantry against the enemy, received fifteen.

Little Jon, who had led the lancers in a valiant fight, received ten Gold dragons. Eddard, who had led the light cavalry in coordinated attacks, also received ten.

Toren, who had led the supply corps in its resupply and cover duties, received five Gold dragons. Trog, commander of the levied infantry, was transferred to Winterfell as an infantry commander and awarded three Gold dragons.

Robb set aside three hundred Gold dragons from the spoils in advance as rewards for Count Rickard and the Karstark cavalry. He also reclaimed the goods lost by his own merchant caravan.

The more than three thousand Winterfell soldiers in the camp received a hundred Silver stags each, except for the Archer Infantry, who had already received their rewards in Ironstone Town.

Of course, each soldier's battlefield record of enemy heads taken was tallied by the military judge. Once they reached the required number, they could advance one rank.

Each of the more than five hundred and thirty Winterfell soldiers killed in battle received two hundred Silver stags in compensation, and their names were entered in the Warrior's Tomb.

Each of the 2,800 levied infantrymen killed in battle received one hundred Silver stags in compensation.

The compensation Robb paid out this time wasn't merely generous—it was exceptionally so.

To put it in perspective, during the later wars in Westeros, prices soared, yet even the Hound's life was worth no more than a hundred Silver stags.

Including the rewards for the Karstark cavalry, Robb spent a total of 2,100 Gold dragons—about the value of a fraction of Dreadfort's Gold dragons.

Dreadfort's wealth, accumulated over many years, was indeed impressive. It held more than 12,300 Gold dragons alone, and its other supplies were worth several thousand more.

But Robb considered the warhorses and the many weapons and suits of armor to be the most practically valuable spoils of war.

After all, Gold dragons had to be converted before they could be used in battle, while warhorses, weapons, and armor could be put to use immediately.

In the original story, Highgarden possessed immense wealth, money, and food. Yet the whole family was ultimately wiped out, and Cersei took countless Gold dragons to repay the Iron Bank's debts.

Now that he had acquired these supplies of war, all Robb needed to do was train enough capable soldiers, and Winterfell's elite forces could at least double in size.

Although Robb had obtained a great deal of House Bolton's spoils through this war, compared with the assets and debts of the southern regions—often worth hundreds of thousands, even over a million Gold dragons—

The North was still far too poor!

The North's environment was ill-suited to slow, steady development, and Robb had very little time to grow stronger.

As the War of the Five Kings drew ever closer, he was consumed by anxiety and kept searching for ways to rapidly strengthen his army's combat power.

The little things from ancient Hua Country that came to mind could occasionally have surprising effects, but they weren't something he could rely on.

By the time Robb had finished dealing with matters in the camp and returned to Winterfell, the sun was already sinking toward the horizon.

When his party was still some distance from Winterfell, they saw Catelyn riding ahead with two guards.

The moment he saw how fast they were riding, Robb's heart lurched. He immediately urged his horse forward to meet them.

"Robb! Your father had a terrible argument with the king, then resigned as Hand of the King.

"My sister Lysa sent more than a hundred knights from the Vale in my name. They seized the Imp and Ser Rodrik at the Crossroads Inn and took them by force to the Eyrie."

As Robb and Catelyn met and reined in their horses, she spoke urgently.

"That news is several days old. We don't know what's happening now! I'm so worried about Ned!"

"Mother, there's no use panicking. We can leave Tyrion and Ser Rodrik alone for now.

"As for Father... I'll handle it!

"Let's return to Winterfell first!"

After reassuring Catelyn, Robb called for everyone to return to Winterfell.

Lysa Arryn had personally intervened, sending soldiers to seize Tyrion and Ser Rodrik. This was completely different from the original story.

But the sellsword Bronn should have gone to the Eyrie as in the original story, and Tyrion would probably still get through it without a hitch.

As for his father, the time until King Robert was killed by a boar was growing ever shorter.

He had to act at once!

Riding his warhorse, Robb's thoughts churned. Once he had settled on his objective, he looked south with a firm gaze.

My thanks to Jin Xiaoyanei for the 1,500-point tip; to Will of the Old King and reader 20171201202649314 for their tips; and to Jin Xiaoyanei, Hao Dou → Su, Wind of Wonders, Yan Yan Zichuan, Early Bird Lover, and Mo Yu Shang Jue for their monthly tickets. I'd also like to thank all my wonderful readers for voting every day and following along.