Patrick. Mallister feels like I am in a dream.
A few hours ago, the camp was a boiling pot of porridge, with panic and suspicion spreading everywhere.
Now, everything was quiet. The soldiers who had gathered together and whispered among themselves dispersed, wiping their weapons, feeding and looking at the horses, as if nothing had happened.
Patrick. Mallister couldn't understand what happened. He also had Lord Tytos. Blackwood join him. He spent a whole day to appease the soldiers' morale, but the effect was not as good as the moment this man came back.
He walked up to Tytos. Blackwood, with confusion in his voice. "Sir."
"Why? He doesn't abide by the "rules" everywhere. He simply doesn't look like a noble nobleman! Why is he so...::::
He couldn't find the right words to describe all this, because this man really didn't fit the image of a hero in any heroic epic he had ever heard.
Tytos. Blackwood didn't look at him, his eyes passed through the camp and fell in the distance. "It is precisely because he does not follow the rules and is not restricted by the rules like the nobles that he can win the hearts of the people."
Patrick. Mallister still wanted to ask, but saw that Master Tytos. Blackwood had already taken steps and walked straight in the direction of Suleiman.
In the command tent of Lymond. Lychester, Suleiman spread out a fine parchment map on the table. It was filled with strange lines and marks drawn with pens. It was messy and illogical.
Lymond came closer, his gray eyes full of curiosity. "What is this?"
Suleiman's finger pointed at one of the crooked lines, and his tone was calm. "Sir Lymond, starting from tomorrow, you will lead the army and strictly follow this line."
"This is the road map."
Lymond. Lychester was full of doubts, Suleiman took back his hand.
"My lord, please summon all your lords and lords, I require a war council."
This is interesting, Lymond laughed, "What?"
"A military meeting?"
"Don't you hate this the most? You say this is a waste of time for nobles to spend time together."
Suleiman didn't answer. He turned his head and looked at the gloomy sky outside the tent, with an inexplicable determination and seriousness in his eyes.
Lymond's smile disappeared. He didn't know what Suleiman had experienced or done in the forest, but he knew that this young man was going to do something big.
There are no tents and no chairs.
All the adults and knights of the coalition were standing in a muddy open space, with the cold wind blowing, and they were all wrapped in clothes.
Tytos. Blackwood stood at the front of the crowd. He looked at Suleiman who was walking slowly, walked up to him and said softly, "What are you going to do?"
Suleiman smiled at him, there was no warmth in that smile:
"Didn't your Excellency think that if I stick to the rules, I will only lead everyone to a slow death?"
"Today, I will show you, sir, what it means to be as difficult to understand as darkness and as moving as thunder."
Looking away from Blackwood, Suleiman paused and glanced at everyone present. He raised his volume so that his voice could clearly reach everyone's ears.
"I have found out that the number of Ironborn chasing after us has exceeded 2,500."
Two thousand five hundred people! The crowd exploded in an instant, with exclamations, gasps, and frightened discussions intertwined into a chaotic noise. This number was like a huge stone, pressing on everyone's heart, almost making them breathless.
Tytos. Blackwood also frowned tightly. He didn't understand, why Suleiman said this? Didn't he know that this would completely destroy the already fragile military morale? If it was serious, the team would be separated directly. As expected, the only commander of this team is the most suitable one!
Suleiman ignored the crowd's panic. He stood quietly, like a statue, letting the despair ferment and spread among the crowd until it reached its climax.
Then, he took a step forward and the voice sounded again:
"So."
"Master Lymond and I plan to gather all the horses, knights, and riders in our team, a total of three hundred people, to return to the dangerous place and fight for the survival of the army."
The whole world seemed to be quiet, everyone's eyes widened, and they suspected that there was something wrong with their ears. Three hundred cavalry went deep into the dangerous area. What kind of crazy idea was this? Isn't this just using the three hundred cavalry team as bait and meat to die, attracting Ironborn's attention, and giving this army a way to survive...
"We will march westward, towards the hinterland of Ironborn, to attract and hold back the huge Ironborn pursuers."
"The large force, led by Lord Lymond, continues to retreat eastward."
The air solidified. This plan was stupider and more crazy than the ambush proposed by Tytos. Blackwood. The nobles were going to be cannon fodder for the civilians? The three hundred most elite knights were going to be used as bait for thousands of mud-legged people?
Vance's Lord Keke almost laughed out loud. He thought this stupid suggestion was so interesting. He had never heard of the Lords serving as bait for the Mudlegs so that these beast-like Mudlegs could return home safely.
Suleiman did not speak, but scanned everyone with his black eyes:
"My fifty retinue of riders, all join."
Bryn, Rosso and the retinue riders stood behind Suleiman, raising their hands with expressionless faces, as if they were just performing a trivial task.
House Deddings Sir Old Lopin raised his hands silently, with no emotion on his weather-beaten face. The knights of House Deddings looked at each other, with reluctance and even anger written on their faces. This kid is crazy! But when he thought of the House Deddings land promised by Suleiman, if Suleiman could not go back, they would get nothing, and they could only passively acquiesce.
Raymun. Darry knew that this decision might be the best decision, allowing the army to return East Riverlands, but he still raised his hands, with an expression that looked tragic and heroic as he died generously.
Lymond. Lychester looked back at the Lychester knights behind him. They all showed hesitation, doubt, fear, and some were even Lymond. Lychester lowered his head and backed away until one knight slowly raised his hand. His eyes were full of determination. They were all second and third, until all the knights were coerced and raised their hands.
The behavior of these people is like a pebble thrown into a lake, causing ripples in circles.
Crazy, so crazy, Sir Keth's eyes wandered among the crowd. He now desperately hopes that Tytos. Blackwood can stand up and refute this ridiculous proposal, just like Suleiman refuted him before.
Sir Keth thinks he is really interesting. Previously in Oldstones, he hoped that Suleiman would stand up and refute Tytos's proposal to rescue Raventree Hall. Now he hopes that Lord Tytos would stand up and refute Suleiman's decision to commit suicide.
He looked at Master Tytos, and then he saw a shocking scene that he would never forget in his life.
Tytos. Blackwood, this lord who outsiders call Riverlands has an arrogant character and the most stubborn character, slowly raised his hand. The hand wearing a black leather glove and the House Blackwood Warrior behind him who raised their hands resolutely looked extremely solemn and rejected under the gloomy sky.
Sir Keth's mind went blank, and there was only one thought left in his mind. Although Sir Blackwood was known for his honor, Riverlands, it was really against common sense for nobles to serve as bait for soldiers, Suleiman... Could he really know black magic?!
Patrick. Mallister saw Master Tytos raising his hand, almost out of instinct, and immediately raised his hand without hesitation. The shocked House Mallister knights could only shake their heads and raise their hands after their young master.
In the blink of an eye, most of the nobles in this team made their choice. They were coerced by an invisible force and tied into a crazy chariot.
Suleiman looked at the knights with different expressions in front of him, with no expression on their faces, no words to encourage morale, and no explanation of any details.
He ended the meeting with just a few words.
"I will do great things for you, my lords."