Roger. Leger faced the entire court, almost announcing a truth loudly:
"Did you hear that? This is the answer!"
He looked around at the crowd, his eyes scanning their faces that were either awed or flattering.
"Why doesn't he mobilize? Because he doesn't dare! He doesn't dare at all!"
"He just wants to rely on the nobles' arguments to pressure me to return the land."
Roger stretched out a fat finger, as if counting invisible enemies.
"The few people he had! Plus the bandits he recruited later! Those under him who can take up arms and fight! The total number is no more than 600!"
He held out a second finger.
"And who are they? A rabble that has never seen a formation! A bunch of bastards who can't even stand in line!"
"Even House Deddings! Not counting the soldiers on the front line, the number of soldiers that can be mobilized now will never exceed a thousand!"
Roger suddenly stood up and opened his arms, as if he wanted to embrace the entire hall.
"And what about me? As long as I give an order, Willow Town, my territory and my vassals can immediately mobilize two thousand soldiers! Two thousand farmers who are accustomed to obeying orders!"
He clapped his hands together.
"Six hundred against two thousand! Where does he have the courage to use the sword?!"
The conclusion was like a thunder, exploding in everyone's ears, and the courtiers immediately burst out in agreement like a roaring tsunami.
"Hahahaha!"
"That boy was just bluffing!"
"He must be trembling with fear in his cave now, fearing the lord's thunderous revenge!"
His son Jarell. Leger, a young man with brown hair and black eyes, eager to make a contribution, could no longer hold back and took a step forward.
"Father! We should attack immediately! Before the enemy mobilizes their troops! Crush them! Let everyone see the consequences of picking House Legg!"
Roger waved his hand and signaled his young son to step back. He was about to refuse because the other party had not taken action yet, but after thinking for a moment, he slowly said, "Of course! My son! I will give you fifty people to occupy that idiot's castle."
"What's it called? Foulkeep? Hahaha!"
Jarell. Leger was overjoyed, stood up, and glanced at everyone with excited eyes, as if the meritorious service was right in front of him.
And Roger sat back on the throne, with an old-fashioned, cat-and-mouse smile on his face, and kept laughing.
In this matter, he wanted to show his "kindness" and "calmness" in the process, which could better demonstrate his status and prestige than simple killing.
Roger turned to the bachelor who was standing aside, who was much older than him. The bachelor was wearing a gray robe, with several links made of different metals hanging around his neck. "Maester Tyrell, bachelor."
"My lord." The bachelor bowed.
"You answer a letter for me." Roger's tone was full of charity, "Tell that Suleiman in the mountains that I have received his transfer documents."
He deliberately emphasized the pronunciation of the word "pick", which caused a burst of laughter.
"As a reward for his courage, I, Lord Roger. Leger, Willow Town, graciously give him five days."
"Within five days." His voice became cold. "If he can come to Willow Town in person, present his sword, kneel in front of me, and beg me for forgiveness, I will consider forgiving him."
This humiliating order brought the atmosphere in the hall to its peak.
Only his younger brother, Lord Gyles, looked increasingly worried.
"My brother, maybe we shouldn't underestimate the enemy so much. What the spies saw may not necessarily be everything. We should at least mobilize the people first, just in case.
"That's enough, Gyles." Roger's patience seemed to be exhausted.
Roger stared at his younger brother, his eyes full of disappointment.
"Gyles, your courage is really getting weaker and weaker."
He turned his head and no longer looked at him, but his tone softened, as if he was teaching an unenlightened student.
"Have you ever thought about how wasteful it is to mobilize soldiers? The Gold Dragon in the vault and the grain in the granary are not used to feed a group of idle farmers."
"We only need to send people to keep an eye on him and House Deddings. Once the other side starts mobilizing, we will not be too late to mobilize. We have enough time. It will take a week to mobilize 600 soldiers, and another week to organize them into an army that will not break up because of the rush. Although it will take a month for us to complete the mobilization, it will only take a week for us to mobilize 600 people from the neighboring villages."
"Gold Dragon is spent on the edge of the knife. Since the enemy doesn't even have the courage to mobilize, why should I waste my food and Gold Dragon, asking the farmers to stop cultivating the land, causing no harvest this year, and accompanying him to perform a play that he himself dare not start?"
The courtiers began to have a chaotic discussion. As long as House Deddings was not involved in this war, there would be no accidents at all.
He waved his hand, signaling everyone to leave.
The courtiers bowed and left, and the hall soon returned to emptiness and silence. Only Leger. Roger was alone, sitting peacefully on his lord's throne.
He picked up a glass of wine on the table and gently swirled the crimson liquid.
five days.
He wanted the ignorant young man to suffer in fear and despair for five whole days. He could even imagine the wonderful expression on the other person's face when his reply was sent to the cave.
Then, like a dog with its spine broken, he would crawl to Willow Town and beg for his forgiveness.
This is the real victory, a victory that is not bloody but is enough to demonstrate his absolute authority.
The wind that was still howling outside the window seemed to have become docile.
Deddings Town in the Lord's Hall.
Lady Roslin was arguing with the steward over the moldy wheat in the granary, and there was a hint of exhaustion in his voice that could not be concealed.
Her words were interrupted by the sound of a guard opening the door, and his armor and stomach made a dull knocking sound as he moved.
Roslin frowned and stopped scolding the housekeeper.
She waved the butler to leave and looked at the messenger walking into the hall.
When the man saw him, he knelt down on one knee and held up a roll of parchment tied with a black ribbon.
Lady Roslin did not speak, but motioned to the maid beside him to take the form.
She untied the ribbon and the parchment unfolded in her hands.
Her eyes scanned the opening words of honorific, with a hint of insouciance at first.
But when her eyes moved down and she saw those harshly worded passages, her breathing stopped.
House Legg betrayed his trust, invaded our land, and killed our people...:
Her fingers tightened unconsciously, and wrinkles formed on the edges of the parchment.
..Suleiman, Vicon Gorge vassals, House Deddings vassals, will have no choice but to raise troops...
There was silence in the hall, except for the sound of the wind blowing through the windows.
Lady Roslin's cheeks lost color. She held up the submission, her hands trembling, as if it was not a piece of light parchment, but a red-hot iron.
She didn't expect that Suleiman would really dare to do this, and she didn't expect that he would actually announce the matter to the entire Riverlands.
Lady Roslin looked at the guard and ordered, his voice dry and trembling. "Go and ask Maester Walder to come to Council Chamber, immediately."
In Council Chamber of Deddings Town, the air was as solemn as the frozen soil of the North. On the huge oak table, there was only the submission from Lion's Den.
Lady Roslin was walking back and forth in the room with her hands behind her back, her skirt rubbing against the rough stone floor, making a rustling sound.
Maester Walder was sitting at the table, her gray hair combed meticulously.
He had finished reading the submission and was currently closing his eyes and tapping his fingers on the table, as if thinking about something.
Lady Roslin finally stopped and slapped his palm on the table, causing the parchment to jump. "Seven is on top!!!"
"What kind of person did I help in the first place!!!"