Victarion, Greyjoy's eyes were fixed on the castle in the rapids.
Riverrun was right in front of him, but it was like a hard bone that couldn't be chewed. The rivers were rushing on all sides. It was the man-made masterpiece of the Tully family, turning their castle into a real island.
How ironic that they, Ironborn, who drive long boats and call the ocean their home, are now blocked by several isolated islands surrounded by rapids inland. The rapids in the river make it impossible for the long boats to remain stable. On the towering city walls, archers patrol back and forth on the castle.
Any attempt to get closer has turned into stupid suicide. They are not good at making heavy trebuchets, and they hate protracted sieges. Every day, Ironborn's energy is worn away in this dull confrontation. They are Warrior, not consumables for climbing the castle.
"Commander-in-Chief!!" Aeron. Greyjoy rushed over quickly, his voice changed in tone due to shock. Behind him were several staggering figures, dressed in ragged clothes, with burn marks on their skin, and eyes as hollow as a body with its soul hollowed out.
Victarion turned to look at his younger brother and the decadent Ironborn behind him. This group of decadent people made him feel uneasy.
Aeron. Greyjoy's lips were trembling, and he could hardly utter a complete sentence. "Dagmer... He...
... His army... is completely destroyed!"
In the main tent of Victarion, the light from the torch cast a shadow on the rough faces.
When the survivor finally pieced together the full picture of the bloody feast using confusing language, the entire tent fell into a deathly silence. Everyone present was the leader who had licked the edge of his knife in the wind and waves. The expressions on their faces quickly changed from initial disdain to shock, and finally solidified into an absurd sluggishness.
A bearded leader muttered, "Pretend to surrender?"
"Massacre unarmed guests?"
"Violate Guest Right?"
He seemed to be listening to a bizarre story made up by a three-year-old child. Anyone who disobeyed Guest Right would be cursed by the gods. Everyone in Westeros had heard the story of Rat Cook...
"Playing intrigues and unruly...
, shouldn't it be us Ironborn? When will it be their turn.
Another survivor, Ironborn, suddenly collapsed and let out a hoarse roar, "It's Maron, Greyjoy!! It's Maron, Greyjoy!!!"
"That bastard! He is with the Riverlands people! He tricked us into Grell Castle's trap!!!"
.. More than two thousand people were killed!
The tent exploded in an instant. Guest Right violated Guest Right and betrayed his trust. More than two thousand people were killed. There was also a traitor, who was Balon Greyjoy's son...
As the discussion about Maron, Greyjoy grew louder, Victarion slammed the table, and the long oak table let out a painful groan.
His roar was like a thunder, suppressing all the noise. "Shut up!"
"This is nonsense! My nephew! A son of the Greyjoy family! There is no way he will betray us!"
He glanced at everyone with blood-red eyes.
"He must have been caught by those despicable Riverlands people! They used his name!"
Victarion spoke forcefully to defend the honor of his family, but his heart kept sinking. An irrefutable fact was like a cold iron anchor, dragging his insides. Maron. Greyjoy was captured alive by the Riverlands people, but did not choose the ending of death for himself.
The fact that Greyjoy was captured alive and did not choose death for himself is a shame that cannot be washed away.
He forced himself to calm down, but a deeper numbness spread from the soles of his feet to his whole body like cold sea water. The consequences of this massacre were far more than just the loss of two thousand people.
Riverlands people's will to resist... is so strong! House Grell would rather bear the eternal infamy of violating Guest Right, would rather be cursed by the gods, The knife pierced their chests from behind, just to severely injure them. What about the other Riverlands nobles? How to conquer and manage such a land, unless they can kill all the Riverlands people now...
House Grell started this. From now on, there is no trust between Riverlands and Iron Islands. Even if other nobles want to surrender, can they still dare to accept it? Even if they accept it, can they still cooperate sincerely? There may be a dagger hidden behind every smiling face.
From the moment of the bloody dinner, the two sides have been locked in a fight to the death. Every Riverlands person will be labeled as treacherous and untrustworthy in the hearts of every Ironborn. They are enemies who must be killed on sight. This is irresolvable hatred and cooperation is no longer possible.
So what is his purpose under this damn castle? His grand plan to rely on differentiation and intimidation to quickly disintegrate the enemy and quickly establish dominance against Iron Throne was completely shattered by this shameless conspiracy and massacre.
"Commander-in-Chief!" Nute the Barber stumbled in quickly.
"Lymond. Lychester! Lord Harroway's Town is gathering an army! He calls on all the lords of East Riverlands to participate!"
The news brought by Nute the Barber was like a basin of ice water, poured on everyone's head. In the suffocating silence, a voice finally sounded.
"Commander-in-Chief, leaders."
Victarion followed the sound and it turned out that he was the leader of the Reader Rodrik, Harlaw, and Harlaw Island. He had a neatly trimmed short gray beard, and his temperament was incompatible with the rough leaders around him.
From the moment he decided to launch this rebellion, he was the staunchest opponent. He once persuaded his brother not to rebel against Robert. Baratheon. After capturing Seaguard, he firmly opposed the army's entry into Riverlands, believing that fighting deep inland was a huge folly.
Now, unfortunately, everything has come true for his judgment.
Rodrik. Harlaw's voice was calm and clear, which seemed particularly harsh in this chaotic tent. "We must admit the reality."
"Riverlands people will not surrender to us! Help us fight against Baratheon!"
"We must retreat to the sea and engage the enemy on our own territory!"
He looked around at everyone with sharp eyes.
"We entered Riverlands this time and have robbed enough wealth, slave labor and Salt Wife."
"Now, Riverrun has been unable to capture it for a long time, and Luanhe City has reached a stalemate. The entire Riverlands regards us as mortal enemies and cannot cooperate at all."
"And our troops are seriously insufficient and supplies are scarce. What on earth are we going to do here?"
"The North, Vale's army and the royal army are approaching. If we continue to stay in this hostile mud, what if we capture Riverrun? What's the point of all this?"
He took a step forward, looked around at everyone again, and then looked directly at Victarion.
"Commander-in-Chief, please give the order! Now return to Iron Islands with the spoils and troops. We are still the winner and superior side of this war."
"And if we stay here pointlessly, we will only lose everything!"
A leader immediately jumped up and roared, "The Reader!"
"Have you lost faith in our victory?"
Rodrik. Harlaw turned away coldly, without giving in. "I have never lost confidence in our victory at sea!"
"But I've lost all patience with us wasting time, wasting our strength here!"
All eyes were focused on Victarion, and the only sound left in the tent was heavy breathing.
Victarion was silent for a long time, as if weighing a scale, with cruel reality on one end and his brother's will on the other.
Finally, he spoke, his voice tired but unquestionable. "My brother, King Balon, will never agree to withdraw our troops."
Rodrik. Harlaw frowned and urged, "Then send the raven to Pyke! Explain our current predicament to him! Advise him to stay rational!"
"Then send the raven to Pyke! Explain to him our current predicament! Advise him to stay rational!"
Victarion shook his head slowly. He knew his brother better than anyone else, Balon. Greyjoy, a man whose life was dominated by pride and stubbornness. To admit failure would be more uncomfortable than to kill him. In his dictionary, withdrawing troops was equivalent to failure.
If he proposed to withdraw the troops, his brother would only think that he was cowardly and cowardly, and would never listen. Caught between loyalty and reality, he could only choose a compromise, but possibly more dangerous path, a huge gamble.
After thinking about this, he stood up. The huge figure cast a heavy shadow, covering half of the tent, and his voice was as loud as ever. "Except for the troops besieging Riverrun, all troops who are besieging other family castles must withdraw!"
Everyone was shocked and looked at each other, thinking that he had adopted Rodrik's suggestion, but what Victarion said next made everyone's hearts sink.
"Gather all the retreating troops! Get under Riverrun! Prepare to fight Iron Throne's army!!"
Victarion slammed his fist on the map, hitting House Grell's castle in the middle.
"Send out the army! Go to the land of House Grell! Kill everyone you see! I want Riverlands people to know! The consequences of betraying Ironborn!"
After the order was issued, the leaders dispersed one after another. The Reader Rodrik. Harlaw and his two sons behind him also walked out together.
Outside the tent, the evening wind blew and chilled his body. Rodrik. Harlaw looked at his two sons and said softly, "We will die without a burial place."