Harrenhal Two days have passed.
The huge army stood still and made no move.
The atmosphere in Suleiman's main tent was so depressing that it could make water boil.
The lords of East Riverlands gathered here, like a group of beasts trapped in a cage.
Their faces were full of anxiety and panic, and they had no idea what Suleiman wanted to do.
Neither suppress them nor march towards King's Landing.
William. Mooton can't bear it anymore.
His fat face was covered with sweat, not from hot flashes, but from fear.
"It's been two days! Master Suleiman!"
His voice was sharp with excitement.
"We've been here doing nothing for two whole days!"
"Every moment of delay puts a noose around our necks!"
"What do you want? Give me the answer!"
Sir Ronald of the House Darry army was also full of indignation.
"Raymun. Darry sir went to deliver news to you, why did you arrest him!"
"Why haven't you let him go yet?"
On Walter. Hean's cheek, a horsewhip mark that penetrated into the flesh had scabbed over, making it look particularly ferocious.
He gritted his teeth and frowned. "Since we gathered our troops, the news must have reached King's Landing."
"Jon. Arryn will not sit idly by, he must be mobilizing the army.
"We have no retreat! Master Suleiman!"
"If you want to kill us all and atone for your sins from Usurper, please do it!"
Riverlands The lords were all talking and spitting.
Anxiety and fear make them lose their daily dignity.
"Yes! We have assembled the army! In the eyes of Usurper, we are already traitors!"
"If you stop now, you will be sent to the guillotine one by one!"
"We must march on King's Landing immediately! Before they can react!"
Kole. Hewen stood in the shadow of the corner, watching all this quietly.
His eyes fell on Suleiman with a trace of inquiry.
He couldn't figure it out either.
After seizing absolute control of the army without any blood, why did Suleiman choose to stand still.
This is unreasonable.
Suleiman sat behind the table and seemed not to hear the noise around him.
There was a map spread out in front of him, and he was playing with a Lannister family golden lion chess piece in his hand.
He seemed to be thinking about his next move and turned a deaf ear to the roars of the lords.
His calmness made the already anxious lords even more irritable.
"Suleiman-sama!"
William. Mooton took a step forward and placed his hands on the map table.
He leaned forward, his face full of panic.
"What on earth are you thinking!"
"Do you think Robert. Baratheon will forget what we did if we drag it on?"
"He will only come back with greater anger and hang us all on the wall of Harrenhal!"
Suleiman finally responded.
He slowly raised his head, looked away from the map, and fell on the face of William. Mooton.
"Mooton-sama."
Suleiman spoke, not loudly, but it made the whole tent quiet instantly.
"Since you know this will happen, why do you want to participate in the conspiracy of Walter. Hean?"
William. Mooton was stunned.
He didn't expect such a harmless accusation to be waiting for him.
His face turned the color of pig liver, his lips were trembling, but he could not utter a single word.
His brother Miz. Mooton is a close friend of Rhaegar. Targaryen, and House Mooton did fight for Targaryen until the last minute.
But this time, he did it for the benefit of the family.
Walter. Hean told him that the church would launch a riot at King's Landing, followed by Faith Militant.
Their troops entering King's Landing, the Reach and Dorne will respond immediately.
Golden Company will log in to Westeros.
He didn't believe it at first. The story was so beautiful that it was false.
But the church really launched a riot, and King's Landing seemed to be able to open the city without blood.
Then the others are most likely true.
If Targaryen returns, House Mooton, as the staunch royalist Lords in the two wars, will regain glory, gold, and land, far better than anything they have now.
Suleiman's eyes swept over every lord present.
"War is not a fight between people."
"Soldiers are crafty."
He gently placed the lion chess piece in his hand on the map, making a soft "click" sound.
The lords looked at each other, the anxiety on their faces did not subside, but instead added a layer of doubt.
Just when the atmosphere in the tent reached its peak, the tent curtain was suddenly opened.
Bryn walked in quickly, leaned close to Suleiman and whispered softly.
Almost at the same time, there was a commotion outside the tent.
Several attendants and knights also rushed in in panic, each running towards their lord.
The whole tent instantly became a mess.
All that could be heard was the increasingly heavy breathing of the lords.
"No..
", The young lord of the Guburk family was the first to groan, his face as pale as paper.
"Seven is on...
William. Mooton's body swayed and he sat down on the chair behind him, as if all his strength had been drained out0
Panic spreads like the plague.
Every lord who heard the news had anxiety and fear written on their faces.
Hand of the King Jon. Arryn, declare in the name of King Robert that all nobles, knights and soldiers who participated in the rebellion of Harrenhal, once captured, will be hanged, and their families will be exterminated, without mercy.
The words were harsh and cold, and there was no way out.
Everyone was shocked.
Although they had expected it, when the decision to liquidate the king's army actually came down, the panic was still suffocating.
Dead silence, deathly silence enveloped the entire tent.
The noisy voices of soldiers outside the tent seemed particularly clear at this moment.
Suddenly, William. Mooton stood up suddenly.
On his fat face, fear was replaced by a kind of crazy determination.
"Rise up the troops!"
He looked at Suleiman, his eyes filled with bloodshot eyes.
"Army! House Mooton is willing to be the vanguard!"
His voice was low and hoarse, like a dying beast roaring.
The roar broke the dead silence.
All the lords seemed to have been awakened, and they all turned their attention to Suleiman.
There is no doubt or luck in their eyes anymore, only the same emotion remains.
Burning madness.
"Rise up the troops! Lord Suleiman!"
"We have no choice!"
"Either he dies! Or we die!"
"Advance King's Landing! Retake Iron Throne!"
"Raise the troops! Raid the troops!"
"Raise the troops!"
The shouts formed a torrent and impacted the entire tent.
These nobles who not long ago planned to detain Suleiman as a puppet have now become extremely fanatical out of despair.
They regard Suleiman as their only life-saving straw.
Kole. Hewen Looking at the absurd scene in front of him, a strange thought came to his mind.
He looked at Suleiman, trying to find the slightest hint of movement on his face.
No, Suleiman is still calm.
He was like the center of a storm, remaining unmoved even as the world around him turned upside down.
Kole. Hewen understands, this news is most likely spread by someone sent by Suleiman.
This is also what he is waiting for.
No, there must be something else, what exactly is he planning to do.
Suleiman finally stood up slowly.
He glanced at the lords who were full of hope and fear.
This was the second thing he was waiting for.
Of course, Jon. Arryn's letter cannot be sent to the entire East Riverlands. That harshly worded letter is mainly targeted at House Lychester.
But he modified it slightly and spread a harsher and bloody message.
It doesn't matter whether the news is true or false.
For these frightened birds, this is enough.
This war starts from now on and will never end. There are no noble bottom lines and rules, and there is no way out.
Suleiman stood up and slowly pulled out Valyrian Steel Sword from his waist.
The sword blade was unsheathed and a sword sound was heard.
He waved his arm and split the table in front of him with his sword.
There was a click and sawdust flew.
He announced, "Initiation!"
He pointed to the ecstatic William. Mooton.
"Call the troops! I want to tell Riverlands people this news!"
He looked at the excited Walter. Hean.
"Send someone to the other side of the Narrow Sea immediately! Welcome back Viserys. Targaryen!"
"Our troops send King's Landing!"
Under the shadow of Harrenhal, an army of 40,000 people was silent and oppressive.
The air smelled of sweat, horse manure and fear.
Twenty thousand East Riverlands conscripts and twenty thousand ragged Poor Fellows.
They stood together, the boundaries were blurred, the equipment was mixed and old and tattered, and they couldn't tell each other apart.
Jon. Arryn The copy of the "death edict" was circulated in the army like snowflakes.
First there were whispers, then suppressed commotion, and finally a deathly silence.
Everyone's face was covered with a layer of fear and numbness.
They are soldiers, farmers, the Smith, ordinary people recruited by their lords, and believers who respond to divine revelation.
They never thought that they would be called traitors and sentenced to death for the genocide of their entire clan.
Suleiman walked out of the main tent without wearing armor.
He only wore a simple black leather armor, with the Valyrian Steel Sword hanging from his waist.
He climbed onto the temporary high platform, followed by Walter. Hean and William. Mooton with solemn expressions.
The eyes of forty thousand people were focused on him.
There was fear, confusion, and a faint hope in those eyes.
Suleiman looked around at the boundless sea of people below the stage.
He saw some familiar faces, perhaps soldiers who had fought bloody battles with him in Riverlands.
He also saw those unfamiliar faces, those poor people who were driven by faith and had weathered faces.
The same thing is that they all have faces full of fear.
Throw yourself into a place of death and survive; be trapped in a place of death and then live.
Suleiman opened his mouth, his voice was not loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.
"I really don't want Riverlands to be involved in wars and wars again."
There was a hint of exhaustion and a hint of heavy sadness in his voice.
"Trident's flowing water has already carried too much blood."
"I just want this land to recuperate and let you return to your homes and kiss your wives and children."
The crowd in the audience became commotion.
A wrinkled veteran couldn't help shouting, "Sir! We don't want to fight either!"
"But King's Landing's Iron Throne! Wants to kill us all!"
"That's right! Why should they kill us?"
"We only follow the Lord's orders!"
"We fought off Ironborn for the king! Why should you kill us!"
The wave of fear turned into a wave of anger, spreading through the crowd.
And those people who Suleiman arranged to speak out first have quietly retreated into the crowd.
Suleiman raised his hand and pressed it down gently.
The noise miraculously subsided.
He took out a roll of parchment from his arms and slowly unfolded it.
"In the name of King Robert. Baratheon, Hand of the King Jon. Arryn declares."
He chanted, his voice cold and emotionless.
"All nobles, knights and soldiers who participated in the Harrenhal rebellion, once captured, will be hanged without mercy."
After he finished reading, he raised the parchment so that everyone could see the sealing wax Hand of the King on it.
"You heard me."
"In their eyes, you are not Warrior who have shed blood for the kingdom, or farmers who have worked hard."
"You are traitors and a plague that must be eradicated."
"They don't even give you a chance to be tried or the right to defend yourself."
"Just because you are gathered here, you deserve to die."
"Your wives, your children, and your parents will all die because of you."
There was dead silence, and muffled cries resounded from the crowd.
A young soldier threw away the spear in his hand, knelt on the ground, covered his face with his hands, and his shoulders shook violently.
His cry was like a signal.
More and more soldiers and civilians knelt down, and desperate wailings could be heard one after another.
They are finished, everything about them is finished.
Walter. Hean looked at this scene, his hands and feet felt cold.
Suleiman What are you talking about?
He looked at Suleiman, his eyes full of regret and pleading.
Suleiman didn't look at him.
His eyes swept across the sea of desperate people below the stage.
"Look what they did!"
His voice suddenly rose in pitch, like a sharp sword piercing the despair that enveloped Harrenhal.
"King's Landing's people were starved of food, and the civilians who were driven crazy even began to kill each other!"
"And those people sitting in Red Keep, what are they doing?"
"They are planning how to deprive you of your land and how to fill their coffers with your lives!"
He pointed to the crowd.
"What a sin I have!"
His question was like a thunderous explosion, and the soldiers kneeling on the ground slowly raised their heads.
The tears on their faces have not dried up, but other flames are burning in their eyes, anger and hatred.
"They say we are traitors, so let's act like traitors for once and show them!"
Suleiman's voice became as hard as steel.
"If they want to kill us all, then we will kill them first!"
"If they don't give us a way to survive, we will have to fight our way out!"
He paused, and every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth.
"If you don't do it, you'll die, if you don't do it, you'll die!"
"If you take a step back, you will find yourself in an abyss. Your family will be buried with you!"
"The next step is to face mountains of swords and seas of fire. Maybe we can win a glimmer of hope!"
"Tell me! Which way do you choose!"
A fanatical believer of Poor Fellows raised the ax in his hand and let out a roar.
"Kill!"
"The gods are on our side!"
His companions followed suit and raised their weapons.
"Kill!"
"In order not to die! The only option is to send them to death!"
The shouts were like a prairie fire Wildfire, sweeping across the entire military formation in an instant.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
The soldiers picked up the spears on the ground, the farmers clenched the pitchforks in their hands, and the Smith raised the heavy hammers.
Desperate cries turned into angry roars.
Fear was completely ignited by the desire to survive, turning into a flame that destroyed the world.
Suleiman pulled out Valyrian Steel Sword from his waist.
He raised the sword high, and the blade reflected a cold light under the gloomy sky.
"Usurper Government! Tyranny is rampant! People are in dire straits! God punishes people with anger! Seven Kingdoms Flags of righteousness are raised everywhere!"
"Today I am Riverlands! I can't bear it anymore!"
"Let's work together!"
"Draw your sword and rise!!"
The roars of tens of thousands of people merged into a torrent that shook the earth.
"Draw your sword and rise!"
"Advance the troops King's Landing!!"
"Send them to death!"
Kole. Hewen stood at the corner of the high platform, looking at the figure surrounded by the enthusiastic crowd.
In a short period of time, this complex army was unified. They were no longer subordinates to be managed, allies with evil intentions, and confused believers.
They are a community of destiny who share life and death with Suleiman and are forced into a desperate situation.
He carefully designed a situation that made everyone actively choose to follow him amid fear and hope, heading towards the only way he had preset for survival.