The full moon hung high in the sky, its light spilling across the Mander River like a thin silver veil, serene and beautiful.
The Crabb Clan Soldiers, returning from scouting, soothed his trembling horse and said, "Lord Gryn, many people are shouting that the Golden Rose's camp at Bitterbridge is in complete chaos. We can only scout from afar."
Another tribal soldier spoke up, "My lord, I saw many cavalrymen with Flaming Heart Banner hanging on their lances; they are the soldiers attacking the Reach."
Gryn frowned slightly. Melisandre Shadow Assassin... Could Stannis hold on?
Then, why did Stannis launch a surprise attack on the Golden Rose's Bitterbridge camp...? If it were me... well, leaving a hostile army of 100,000 behind, no one would feel safe advancing into King's King's Landing.
As for the evidence... it seems that one of Lord Gryn's tasks was to cut off Stannis's escape route.
If they continued forward, Gryn and his men would easily get caught up in chaos, so he decisively ordered them to stop.
As night fell that day, the renowned Randyll House Tarly suddenly died in his tent.
Then, Stannis's 12,000 cavalrymen raided the 80,000 Golden Rose soldiers at the Bitterbridge camp.
Before the attack, many knights felt that a sneak attack violated knightly honor, but Stannis Baratheon said that he was taking back his brother's things from a thief.
When news of Randyll House Tarly's death spread, Bitterbridge was thrown into chaos. Then Stannis's cavalry appeared as if by sudden arrival, and the soldiers of the Golden Rose collapsed almost instantly.
After that night, the mountain of provisions at Bitterbridge fell into Stannis's hands.
After that night, Stannis had more than 30,000 infantrymen under his command.
After that night, Earl Mathis Rowan of the Reach only had time to gather his remaining 20,000 troops and hastily retreat towards the Longtable Hall to the south.
To the northeast of the High Heart of the Riverlands (a high hill, rumored to be a sacred place for the Children of the Forest ).
That same night, Roose Bolton's the North army launched a surprise attack on Tywin Lannister's Westerlands army.
Eager to save his eldest son, the Old Lion marched toward Riverrun, with the steady Roose Bolton cautiously following behind.
On that day, news of Eddard Stark's return to Winterfell greatly boosted the morale of the lords in the North. Roose Bolton happened to discover a flaw that Tywin Lannister had deliberately left, providing an opportunity for a sneak attack.
That night, the 16,000 the North troops who had ambushed the Westerlands army were instead attacked by 15,000 Westerlands troops led by Kevan Lannister, while Tywin Lannister personally led over 3,000 cavalry to raid the North army's rear.
When the Karstark Family's defensive line of spears and shields was breached by the Lannister ' heavily armored Red Cloaks, Roose Bolton quickly chose to retreat.
After that night, including the more than 3,000 Dreadfort soldiers who hadn't been able to join the battle, Roose Bolton only managed to gather more than 8,000 remnants of the North.
That night, the number of the North soldiers killed, wounded, or missing reached more than 7,000.
Despite being ambushed, the skilled the North soldiers managed to take down more than 4,000 Westerlands soldiers.
Therefore, Tywin Lannister had no choice but to order the Westerlands army to rest.
Riverlands, Riverrun.
Three days ago, Tyrion Lannister sent several "peace envoys" to Riverrun. They surrendered their weapons and promised peace to Edmure Tully.
Edmure Tully the Red Keep envoys to fine wine and food and allowed them freedom of movement within Riverrun.
Among the messengers Tyrion sent... some were skilled in hand-to-hand combat, some in lock-picking, and some in mimicking other people's voices.
Late on the fourth night, they worked together and successfully rescued Jaime Lannister.
But... just as they escaped Riverrun, they ran into Edmure Tully, who was returning from the brothel.
Ser Jaime and his men fought valiantly, but were taken prisoner once again.
Edmure Tully was furious at being deceived. He stopped treating the Lannister prisoners well and not only moved Ser Jaime from the tower cell to the filthy Dungeons, but also chained his hands and feet together and nailed his shackles to the stone wall to prevent him from escaping again.
That night, Stannis successfully raided the Golden Rose's army; that night, Tywin successfully counterattacked the North army that had launched a surprise attack; that night, Ser Jaime's escape attempt failed.
Before dawn, Lord Gryn, who had set out not long ago, found a beauty on the Mander River... well, a "beauty," Brienne of Tarth.
On the riverbank, Knight Gryn sat in a folding chair, while Crabb Clan Soldiers buried several corpses that had been lying near "Beauty".
Brienne, now bandaged by the accompanying Maester, approached Gryn, bowed, and stood silently before Gryn.
Seeing that she remained silent, Gryn spoke up first, "I'm so glad to see you again, Miss Brienne."
As Gryn finished speaking, the "beauty" looked at Gryn with her blue eyes, the only thing on her body that could be described as beautiful.
Seeing Brienne looking at him, Gryn gave a gentle smile.
The person before her seemed to radiate a warmth like that of summer. Brienne immediately lowered her eyes, but quickly looked up again, repeating this three times. ☢🐠 🎉🏆
He looks a lot like him.
After a moment of silence, Brienne moved her thick lips and said, "My lady, thank you for your help. I will remember your kindness."
Her gaze darted away. "I have important matters to attend to. Please allow me to take my leave."
After saying this, Brienne touched her chest and bowed slightly.
Gryn glanced at the longsword tucked at Brienne's waist; he recognized it as Renly Baratheon's sword.
He began, "Miss Brienne, I've heard that you were once one of Renly Renly's Rainbow Guards?"
Brienne answered earnestly, "My lord, I am King Renly's Blue Guard."
"Let me guess..."
Gryn shrugged and then said, "You want to kill Stannis?"
Brienne gripped the hilt of her sword tightly with her thick, calloused fingers and said, "I swore an oath, three times in total (Chapter 214)."
Gryn nodded and said, "I agree that oaths must be kept."
He paused for a moment, then continued, "But Stannis's army is currently formidable, and he undoubtedly has many knights sworn to protect him."
Brienne's blank gaze suddenly sharpened, and she said, "I'm not afraid of them. I'm just as strong as they are."
It was a courageous answer, but the astute Gryn "read" in it Brienne's determination to follow Renly to the underworld; she wanted to die in battle.
"You attribute Renly Renly's death to your own mistakes..."
Gryn looked at Brienne: "This Blue Guard, right?"
He added, "Unfortunately, the Gods gave you the body of the Warrior, but not a clever mind."
Brienne's usually composed face showed a hint of anger. "I... nobody understands."
Gryn sighed almost imperceptibly. After a pause, he said, "Miss Brienne, revenge is not about sending yourself to your death."
Brienne looked up and stared blankly at Gryn.
Gryn added, "In a duel between swordsmen, the opponent won't stretch out their neck for you to cut, but as long as you haven't fallen... there will always be an opportunity, won't there?"
Gryn rose from his chair, gently patted Brienne's strong arm, and said, "Miss the Warrior, do you still have any questions?"
Brienne's gaze settled on the ground. After a pause, she raised her head, a glimmer of light appearing in her blue eyes.
Her tone was very serious. "My lord, I am willing to serve you, if you will accept."
Seeing Gryn hesitate, she quickly said, "You saved me, and I have no way to repay you... Moreover, your invitation last year gave me honor (Chapter 88)... And I can feel your kindness... And I understand that when the time comes, you will not force me to stay."
Her gaze was pure and simple. "Please grant me this request, promise me you won't stop me from taking revenge on Stannis."
Gryn nodded slightly and said, "I promise you, when the time comes, I will not stop you from taking revenge on Stannis."
The tall Brienne awkwardly knelt on one knee, drew Renly's longsword, and placed it horizontally in front of Gryn's feet.
"I, Brienne of Tarth, am your loyal protector, or... whatever role you assign me. I will protect your safety and obey your commands. In times of peril, I will give my life. In the name of the Old and New Gods, I solemnly swear."
"I, Gryn Crabb, swear that you will always have a place by my fireplace, that your meat and wine will always be on my table, that I will never let you do any unjust thing, I swear in the name of the Old and New Gods."
King's Landing, the Alchemists' Guild.
The Alchemists' Guild is an ancient organization. Its formal members call each other Sages, and they also have apprentices and assistants to help them with their work. The Sage who leads the guild is the Alchemists' Guild master.
The Alchemists' Guild once flourished, but in recent centuries, the maesters of the Citadel have gradually replaced the alchemists in other regions.
The Guildhall of the Alchemists was a large labyrinth made of black stone. Tyrion Lannister, Podrick, and Bronn, led by Guild Master Hallyne, made countless left and right turns before finally arriving at the Iron Torch Corridor.
The Iron Torch Corridor was a long, echoing room where green flames danced and leaped around the twenty-foot-high black iron beams. Will-o'-the-wisps flickered on the gleaming black marble walls and ceiling, and the entire hall was bathed in an emerald glow.
Tyrion sighed inwardly, then... continued on his way.
The long cellar was damp and dark, with saltpeter covering the damp stone walls. The only source of light came from the sealed iron-bar glass oil lamp that Chairman Hallyne carefully carried.
Just when Tyrion thought his short legs were about to give out, they finally arrived at their destination.
Tyrion saw red earthenware jars shaped like plump grapefruits... Tables stretched out in the distance, each with four identical round jars arranged in a row, leading into the dark depths of the earth.
Tyrion, with his hands behind his back, examined it for a moment and said, "May I pick it up and take a look at ' Wildfire '?"
Wildfire is a flammable liquid that can burn for a very long time; it is said that once Wildfire is lit, it will burn everything to ashes.
Chairman Hallyne was wearing an old black and red striped robe. His face was pale, and his hands looked soft and wet.
His attitude was extremely obsequious. "This is my honor, Your Lord Hand."
He added cautiously, "The pottery jar is very thin and fragile. I suggest you don't use force to avoid breaking it."
Tyrion nodded slightly, picked one up, examined it carefully, and said, "It feels rough to the touch, hmm... is it mixed with pebbles?"
Chairman Hallyne chuckled and said, "You're truly wise. This was intentional; if the surface were too smooth, it would easily slip from your hand."
Tyrion tilted the jar slightly, the " Wildfire " solvent slowly flowing towards the opening. "It's very thick..."
Chairman Hallyne immediately explained, " Your Lord Hand, this is because of the cold air underground. As the temperature rises, the Wildfire will flow smoothly, just like... lamp oil."
Tyrion carefully placed the jar back in its original position and said, "I've heard that this thing can't be extinguished by water?"
Chairman Hallyne nodded and said, "Exactly. Once it starts, the Wildfire will burn fiercely until it's completely consumed. Moreover, it will seep into fabrics, wood, leather, and even steel, causing them to catch fire as well."
Tyrion had heard of the Red Priest Thoros's flaming sword, which was said to burn for an hour if coated with a thin layer of Wildfire.
Tyrion rubbed his chin, pondering, "These... the 'fruits' left behind by King Aerys ( the Mad King ), can they still be used?"
Chairman Hallyne's cloudy eyes seemed to glow. "Oh, of course, of course you can use them... Your Lord Hand, but you must be extremely careful when using them. If stored for too long, the Wildfire will become... hehehe, just the slightest spark, even a tiny ignition, will ignite it instantly. Even a slight increase in temperature can cause the jars to spontaneously combust, so never expose them to sunlight, not even for a short time. Once the inside catches fire, the intense heat will cause the Wildfire to expand violently, and the jars will shatter into pieces in an instant. If there happen to be other jars nearby, it will trigger a chain reaction, and then..."
Tyrion interrupted impatiently, "How many jars do you have right now?"
President Hallyne chuckled first, then replied, "This morning, the wise man Monsit just told me the statistics. We currently possess a total of 7,840 jars, including 4,000 jars preserved from the time of King Aerys."
Tyrion pondered for a moment, then said, "Wise one, I hope your guild brothers will work hard to produce as many of these 'fruits' as possible, but..."
His tone shifted, and he warned seriously, "Don't rush the work unnecessarily. After all, I don't need any flawed Wildfire, not even a single one... I care a lot, and I won't allow any accidents to happen."
The Hand of the King's "promise" made Chairman Hallyne's expression turn almost lewd. " Your Lord Hand, please rest assured, there will be absolutely no surprises. The Wildfire are all made by well-trained assistants, and the operation takes place in a series of empty stone chambers. Each bottle is immediately handed over to an apprentice and sent here after completion. Above each workshop is a room filled with sand, and the ceiling is enchanted with... hehehe... the most powerful protective spell... Once a stone chamber catches fire, the ceiling will collapse, and the sand will immediately extinguish the fire."