The Power Belonging to a King

This eastward expedition saw the soldiers of the Crabb Territory almost completely mobilized, with 100 Crabb Clan Soldiers, 400 Thorn Legion, 100 Crabb Longbow Legion, and 200 Crabb Spearman Legion, totaling 800 combat troops. Adding 300 auxiliary soldiers responsible for logistics, the total force was 1100 men.

For the Crabb Territory, it had been a long time since such a large-scale expedition, and the excitement of the crowd was palpable. Only Gryn remained remarkably calm.

Uncultured. Gryn thought with a hint of disdain.

To Gryn, a force of this size was merely a brawl between villages.

The fourth day of marching marked the first engagement since heading east.

After a month of continuous training, the Crabb longbowmen had become more seasoned.

Several volleys of arrows directly shattered the assault of about 500 Mountain Wildlings.

As dusk approached that day, a few veteran clan soldiers finally lost their temper.

The continuous marching had already been exhausting, and today they had won a victory, yet there was no alcohol, no camp followers, and they weren't allowed to touch the prisoners.

It wasn't disloyalty to the lord, but rather the sudden change in so many habits led to negative emotions like annoyance, dissatisfaction, and suppression. Coupled with their naturally irritable tempers, they finally erupted.

The noisy few wouldn't understand that such behavior could bring great chaos to the camp.

Military orders are like mountains.

Gryn, understanding the principle that mercy cannot command an army, would only impose stricter discipline on the soldiers to quickly correct the bad habits that affected combat.

Sensing the commotion outside, Gryn, holding his riding crop, strode out of the tent, quickly mounted his horse, and on the way, snatched a spear from a soldier. Without hesitation, he hurled it towards the clan soldier who was shouting the loudest.

With a whoosh, the spear pierced the clan soldier's chest and emerged from his back. The force of the spear sent the man flying several meters before the spear, with the man still attached, plunged deep into the ground, its tail still quivering.

The soldiers gathered nearby felt their breath catch, and a sudden silence fell.

Tap-tap-tap~~ The only sound remaining was the slow, rhythmic hoofbeats.

Gryn gave a slight tug on the reins, and his horse shook its head, letting out a soft snort as it slowly walked through the crowd.

Gryn's gaze, devoid of emotion, swept over the crowd, exerting a pressure like a great mountain, heavy and oppressive. The soldiers trembled and one by one, knelt on the ground before Gryn.

Gryn's voice, much louder than usual, boomed, "I told you, no loud gatherings in the camp!"

"Look at me, look at your lord. The laws I have decreed, if you dare to disobey, it is an offense to the lord. There is only one outcome for offending the lord: death!"

The people of the Crabb Territory, living within the relatively isolated Crackclaw Point, were indeed backward in their civilization. Gryn's reasons for wanting to change what he defined as bad habits would be incomprehensible if explained, and might even confuse them if he spoke too much.

Since they couldn't understand, there was no need for tedious explanations. He would make the soldiers remember with their bodies that the lord's laws were not to be defied.

"I repeat, Crabb soldiers, while at war, there is no alcohol, no women!"

"In wartime, there is only obedience to the law!"

"If you win the war, I will reward you greatly for your bravery and for adhering to the law! Farmland, houses, delicious food, fine wine."

Gryn pointed his riding crop at the soldiers closest to him and said, "You few, stand up and answer me."

The ones pointed at shakily stood up.

"Answer me, do you understand? Can you abide by the law?"

They all replied, "Yes," "We can," "I promise."

Gryn then pointed to another spot and asked the same question.

"Louder! Didn't I feed you well? Shout for me, 'Obey the lord's law!'"

"Obey the lord's law!"

"Obey the lord's law!"

"Obey the lord's law!"

"Obey the lord's law!"

"Obey the lord's law!"

The soldiers' shouts grew more unified, the sound waves rising higher and higher!

Gryn's originally indifferent, expressionless face finally broke into a slight smile.

Gryn then ordered that the soldiers' dinner be supplemented with meat.

The soldiers, who had just shouted their resolve to the lord, cheered again, disregarding the soreness in their throats.

As the Crabb soldiers advanced, the Mountain Wildling tribes finally realized that the Crabb soldiers were a force that could not be faced by a single tribe. In haste, several large tribes formed an alliance.

A coalition of over 3,000 Mountain Wildlings gathered on the opposite side, covering the hills.

The Crabb Spearman Legion, with crisp slogans, orderly formed a three-layered defensive formation.

The Crabb Clan Soldiers, in groups of 50, were divided into two units, flanking the sides of the Spearman Legion's formation.

Behind the defensive formation were the 500 Thorn Legion and Crabb Longbow Legion.

The wildlings' horns sounded, and they charged.

Each Crabb Longbowman carried forty arrows, and as the three thousand Mountain Wildlings launched their assault and entered the two-hundred-yard effective range of the longbows, they were met with a baptism of twenty thousand arrows.

At the Whispers, the two Seven Septons who had volunteered to accompany the army stared at the battlefield, their hearts filled with immense shock.

"This is no longer a war between equals."

"Indeed. If the Crabb archers numbered ten thousand, they would be invincible."

"After a decade of silence, this house is on the verge of rising under the leadership of its young lord. Without external intervention, the entire Crackclaw Point will sooner or later fall into his grasp."

"Have you decided to intervene? If you have, I will contact the High Septon in King's Landing as soon as possible. Perhaps we could try contacting the Hand of the King, Lord Jon, directly; he might be more concerned about this situation."

"However, I would like to offer a word of caution. Crackclaw Point is the land of the First Men; they never trust outsiders. The Old Gods are deeply rooted here. The young lord is willing to support us, but he requires stable rule after the war and desires the light of the Seven even more."

"..."

"He has conditions!"

"Oh? Aside from bringing divine light to those suffering in this world, what else can we offer? Surely not the pathetic few Copper Stars in a poor septon's pocket?"

"You misunderstand. It is not Copper Stars, nor is it Gold Dragons; he demands the power to appoint and dismiss the Territory Bishop! Ha, that is a power that belongs to the King!"

"The cheese is truly tempting. If we gain the support of the young lord, the entire Crackclaw Point will enter the embrace of the Seven. This would be a monumental achievement, a new chapter in the history of our faith."

"This is truly an offer that is hard to refuse."