Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Chua! Chua! Chua!
The 120 soldiers of the Thorn Legion loosed their arrows in unison, the whistling shafts filling the air with an endless roar.
Their repeated volleys blotted out the sky like dark clouds, a dense and overwhelming rain of arrows.
Thud!
Thud! Thud!
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The charging wildlings were pierced and fell one after another, their cries of agony echoing everywhere.
The wildling leaders had never witnessed arrows raining down over such a long distance. Terrified, they roared even louder, urging their people to advance faster.
Knight Mason stared at the killing ground more than a hundred meters ahead of the line, where the Thorn Legion's volleys had cut through the wildlings. He was secretly astonished.
When the continuous volleying reached twenty shots, Gryn could clearly feel the Thorn Legion's rate of fire slowing.
More than two hundred wildlings had fallen to the sustained barrage. Chaos spread among them, and a small number ignored their leaders' shouts and fled.
When the volley count reached twenty-five, dozens more had fallen, and the wildlings began to retreat en masse. Gryn decisively ordered the archers to stop shooting.
Knight Mason directed the 200 Crabb Clan Soldiers held in reserve—armed mainly with shields, longswords, and spears—to advance on the fleeing wildlings.
The Crabb Clan Soldiers marched forward in great strides, chanting in unison, their momentum unstoppable.
The Crabb Clan Soldiers had served for an average of more than ten years. Every one of them was a veteran who had seen countless battles.
Starting with Gryn's mother, the Crabb Clan Soldiers were the elite warriors who had survived years of fighting the Mountain Wildlings. They were the foundation of House Crabb.
As the Crabb Clan Soldiers marched forward in great strides to their orderly chant, the wildlings, already scared out of their wits, grew even more terrified and confused.
Every now and then, a leader gathered a few people and sent them charging at the Crabb Clan Soldiers' formation, only for them to be swallowed up by the ranks in an instant.
To Gryn, the wildlings waiting to be captured or surrendering were all future subjects. Judging by their performance today, they certainly lived up to their name.
As he considered how he would govern these wildlings, Gryn could think of only one solution: strict laws.
Gryn couldn't help thinking that the laws might even need to specify which foot people had to step out with when leaving home.
The Game of Thrones was about to begin. The troops at his disposal were his real trump card. To achieve results in a short time, Crabb Territory could only become a vast military camp encompassing all its subjects.
Gryn had settled on the right path for developing his territory, and he no longer hesitated.
The Thorn Legion had only been formed a few days earlier, yet it had managed twenty-five volleys. Its performance today had been nothing short of astounding, and Amparo had proven her ability to lead troops.
As the Thorn Legion rested, some of the spearwives simply... set off a chain reaction. Gryn didn't know how to describe it. Perhaps it was too hot, and they had taken off their tops?
A sea of pale skin. Gryn got a clear impression of the spearwives of Crabb Territory: sturdy and... ample.
Following Gryn's gaze, Amparo, who had stood beside him with a stern expression, noticed what was happening too. Something seemed to have occurred to her, and her cheeks flushed red.
Some spearwives noticed Gryn looking. Instead of being shy, they boldly looked back and even thrust their chests out.
In his previous life, Gryn might have whistled and given them a thumbs-up.
A lord had to maintain a proper image. That was what Gryn remembered being taught by his mother in his original body, and he agreed. Besides, on the continent of Westeros, a thumbs-up didn't mean approval.
An unfamiliar gesture could easily be misunderstood. In Crabb Territory, men had to learn to protect themselves when they went out!
Gryn merely smiled faintly and let his gaze drift elsewhere.
There was no point trying to explain to them why soldiers needed to maintain a proper appearance, and this wasn't the right time to bring it up.
Gryn decided to add proper appearance to the soldiers' future training. Given enough time, they would all get used to it.
After resting for a while, the Thorn Legion joined the Crabb Clan Soldiers under Gryn's orders and pursued the retreating wildlings.
Knight Pell's Survey Corps had already captured a tribe. Their first battle had gone very well. Thanks to the surprise attack, only a few people had suffered minor injuries, and no one had died.
The Survey Corps had taken nearly three hundred prisoners in the first tribe they captured.
The Mountain Wildlings lived by hunting and gathering wild fruit. Their spoils consisted mostly of furs and dried meat. The Survey Corps found only a small pouch of Gold Dragons in the tribal leader's house—around a dozen, fewer than twenty.
They made the prisoners carry the spoils, and Knight Pell ordered the tribe's dwellings burned to the ground.
He also executed some prisoners on the spot when they rebelled in response to the burning of their tribe. The Survey Corps sent twenty men to escort the prisoners to the territory first.
Knight Pell told the squad leader escorting them, "Someone will take custody of the prisoners near the territory. If you get hungry, chew on some dried meat. Don't stop. Once you've handed them over, come straight back and meet up with me. Stay alert on the road. I'll be waiting for you at the second tribe."
"If the prisoners show even the slightest sign of trouble on the way, kill them immediately. Don't hesitate."
After giving his instructions, Knight Pell patted the squad leader on the shoulder and said, "Go."
Knight Pell finally finished dealing with three large tribes by nightfall.
The Survey Corps rested at the third tribe, then set out at dawn the next day, escorting the prisoners and spoils back to the territory.
On the way back, the Survey Corps encountered several groups of scattered wildlings and captured dozens more.
In its first battle, the Survey Corps lost twenty-three men.
After two days of brief rest, House Crabb's soldiers began making planned strikes against the remaining small tribes, in groups of thirty to fifty.
All the prisoners were escorted to Crabb Territory, and every dwelling in the wildling tribes was burned down.
Knight Mason personally escorted the last batch of prisoners, then returned to Whispers. There, he happened to see Steward Herschel standing outside the storehouse, his big belly sticking out and a smile on his face.
Knight Mason was in a good mood too. He teased, "Old friend, you seem to be in high spirits."
Steward Herschel replied with his usual beaming smile, "Good day, Ser Mason. The storehouse is nearly full of furs. We haven't had such abundance in a long time."
Knight Mason sighed. "Indeed. The lord seems born for war. The wildlings hadn't even reached us before the Thorn Legion's volleys broke them. We've never suffered so few casualties."
"Herschel, I have no doubt at all about the lord's decision to reclaim Crabb's Lands. I'm full of confidence."
"Indeed, Ser. I'm full of confidence too. House Crabb will reclaim its old lands in the end!"
"Ser, go on in and get ready. Surana and I have spent several days preparing for tonight's victory feast. It'll be extremely lavish. We can have a good drink tonight."
Whispers, inside the lord's study.
Gryn, Maester Al, and Kalaia had nearly finished tallying the spoils of war.
There were more than 2,500 prisoners in total, including nearly 700 elderly people and children.
Of the remaining 1,800 or so, 1,200 were women. There really were far more women than men.
To prevent the prisoners from banding together, they first had to be separated completely. Each person had to be surrounded mostly by people from unfamiliar tribes.
To absorb the population as smoothly as possible, this needed careful planning. There was no need to rush; stability came first.
Once they had been separated, they would be sent in batches to different parts of the territory and assigned work.
At first, the legions would need to work with the Constable to keep watch over them and maintain order.
Gryn leaned back in his chair, feeling somewhat tired.
He was indeed tired, but he was in good spirits. With the prisoners taking over the labor, Crabb Territory could free up most of its able-bodied people.
Crabb Territory could begin a second round of recruitment right away. For now, building up the troops was Gryn's source of joy.
Raising an army made me happy!
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