Casterly Rock Never Falls

Golden Tooth is the gateway to the Westerlands, with steep mountains on both sides, and the castle is built on a mountain pass.

This place is not only high in elevation, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack, but it also possesses abundant gold mines.

Of course, the gold mines in Golden Tooth belong to the Lannister, and their reserves far exceed those of the gold mines beneath Casterly Rock.

The gold mines of Golden Tooth, the gold mines beneath Casterly Rock, and the red gold mines of House Reyne, which were destroyed by Tywin, all belong to House Lannister.

Golden Tooth was strategically important and housed several thousand troops, but Tywin did not linger there. He quickly set up the defenses, appointed a general to guard the city, and then led the remnants of his army, who had fled all the way from King's King's Landing, straight to Casterly Rock.

He knew where he was most needed right now: Casterly Rock, the heart of the entire Westerlands.

Only by returning to Casterly Rock could he command the entire Westerlands, organize defenses, and resist foreign enemies.

Leaving Stony Sept and crossing Golden Tooth, we could see the Casterly Rock Stone Mountain, which looked like the Lonely Mountain, in the distance.

The two-hundred-foot-high stone mountain sits on the flat coast of the Sunset Sea, offering a panoramic view of the surrounding terrain. It is like a chess piece placed alone on a chessboard by the gods, a natural and massive fortress.

Furthermore, there is a shipyard cave beneath the rocky hill of Casterly Rock, where Lannister can hide their warships without worrying about storms.

If the Targaryen had had such a fortress back then, their fleet wouldn't have been destroyed by the storm and wiped out.

In short, seeing the rocky hills of Casterly Rock, Tywin felt a sense of relief, like a lion returning to its territory, finding a safe place to lick its wounds.

"Adam," Tywin called out to the bastard son.

"Grown ups."

How many people do we have left?

We still have more than 1,400 people.

"What about the wounded soldiers?"

"Reporting to you, sir, there are no wounded soldiers. All of our wounded soldiers have volunteered to stay in Stony Sept to cover the rear."

Hearing Adam's words, Tywin's eyes sharpened, and he turned to the blond Adam, asking, "Voluntary? How many of them volunteered?"

Seeing his lie exposed, Adam felt his heart pounding. He stammered, "Sir, there are some people who can't even ride a horse anymore, I—"

"Alright," Tywin interrupted him, "You did the right thing, I don't blame you."

"My lord, I am willing to accept punishment."

Tywin waved his hand and said, "Go and count the surviving soldiers. I will personally reward them when we return to Casterly Rock."

"Yes, sir." Adam's expression relaxed, and he went to do his work.

Tywin wasn't lying; leaving the wounded behind was the best course of action.

But at the same time, he felt a pang of sorrow. Of the army of more than 20,000 men, plus the Westerlands army led by Jaime, which totaled nearly 40,000, less than 2,000 remained. He felt as if his heart was bleeding.

After traveling for another two days, Tywin saw many ravaged villages along the way, and even saw corpses abandoned by the roadside, left to be fought over by wild dogs.

For a moment, he thought he had returned to Riverlands.

The fact that what he had done to the people of Riverlands was now being punished by the people of the Westerlands made him feel very uncomfortable.

Tywin clutched his chest, pondering to himself, "Is it because I'm getting old, that my heart has softened?"

No, that's not all. His three children are now all in enemy hands, and the Lord of Casterly Rock may be destined to die without an heir.

Before long, Tywin's army arrived at a sizable market town. Just as there are Winter Town near Winterfell, there are also towns of varying sizes surrounding a lord's castle fortress.

Not to mention powerful and wealthy lords like the Lannister.

The army Tywin led out of the Westerlands this time was mostly recruited from these towns and farms.

Just as Tywin was leading his army through the town, a group of civilians, though cleanly dressed, gathered on both sides of the road with sorrowful expressions.

They were reminding Tywin that this was not a victory.

Suddenly, a child's voice rang out from the crowd. "Mother! Where's my brother? Why can't I see him?"

The child's voice was like glasses clashing together, crystal clear, yet also jarring.

Tywin instinctively wanted to turn his head to see where the sound was coming from, but he held back.

Because he saw more civilians searching for their sons, brothers, and fathers in their ranks.

Soon, more people couldn't hold back any longer and asked Tywin, "My lord, is my son still alive? Is he at the back of your ranks?"

"My lord, where is my husband? Is he injured?"

"My lord, how is my brother? He's a spearman, and he's also very skilled with a bow. He said you praised him."

"Grown ups----"

With each question asked by the commoners of the Westerlands, Tywin felt as if another brick was being pressed down on his shoulders. With each question, the invisible bricks piled higher and higher, and he felt his back was about to give way.

Just then, Tywin heard a response from someone in the group.

"Mom! I'm here!"

It was a young voice, a call that made countless longing mothers crane their necks in anticipation, but in the end only one person got their wish.

Tywin glanced quickly at the mother and child embracing, and he thought of his brother Kevan.

They were brothers their whole lives. Kevan's wife, Dorna, might be in Casterly Rock now. How should he face Dorna?

Finally, Tywin could no longer maintain the dignity of a duke. He spurred his horse, and the steed, understanding, galloped off towards Casterly Rock.

By the time Tywin arrived at the foot of the rocky hill in Casterly Rock, it was already afternoon.

But at this time, Damion Lannister, the acting lord of Casterly Rock, had already prepared a welcoming ceremony for the true lord of Casterly Rock.

Damion was from a branch of House Lannister, about ten years younger than Tywin, and appeared to be a shrewd and capable man.

Daven, the son of Tywin's cousin, was guarding the city alongside Damion.

Daven's face was covered with a golden beard. He grew the beard to show his determination and to avenge his father, who died in battle in Riverlands.

In addition, there is Damon, who also took responsibility for the safety of Casterly Rock.

The Lannister are a large family, unlike the Stark or the Arryn, who would entrust key positions such as steward of the castle or captain of the guard to outsiders.

Those who work in Casterly Rock are all blond.

Looking at these Lannister, Tywin's face tightened even more. Take Daven, for example; he had lost not only his father, but also his two younger brothers, who were now imprisoned in the dungeons of Riverrun.

Led by Damion, the group bowed to Tywin. After the ceremony, Damon looked up and said, "My lord, please lead Lannister through this crisis! We will avenge this blood debt from the Stark and the Iron Islands pirates!"

"My lord, please lead us to avenge our blood debt!" Damion stepped forward and spoke up.

"Please, sir, lead us to avenge this blood debt!"

Led by the two men, the crowd bowed to Tywin of lions bowing to their king.

Seeing everyone's support, Tywin felt a surge of strength return. He placed his hand on his sword hilt and addressed the many blond-haired figures before him. "Casterly Rock will never fall! Let's go home!"

The Lannister began their march toward Casterly Rock.

As mentioned earlier, Casterly Rock is a castle carved out of a rocky mountain, almost integrated with the entire mountain.

Along the way, you can see arrow towers built at all sorts of tricky angles, especially in places with huge elevation changes. The Lannister of each generation made these places even steeper, requiring drawbridges to be lowered for people to cross.

And suspension bridges like these are practically everywhere you go.

Castles and fortresses like these have almost no drawbacks; the only drawback is that the rocky mountains are too high to dig wells.

But that doesn't matter, as their coastal location means that the year-round rainfall replenishes their water supply.

What the Lannister loved to proclaim most was the story of Visenya, one of Aegon the Conqueror's wives, who, upon seeing the grandeur and formidable defenses of Casterly Rock, remarked that it was fortunate the Rock King had surrendered; otherwise, even Dragonfire would have been powerless against a forced attack. This was meant to prove to the world that no one could conquer Casterly Rock.

Of course, whether it's true or not is impossible to know.

Finally, the group climbed to a relatively flat area.

Tywin saw the wide steps and the gate carved with the image of a roaring lion.

They need to get into Casterly Rock through the lion's mouth.

In fact, this gate was only changed to this state more than two hundred years ago, perhaps because the Lannister ancestors who visited Dragonstone wanted to imitate a Targaryen castle.

Tywin looked up and saw a clear blue sky. Compared to King's Landing, home felt much better.

The air was fresh, the road beneath our feet was clean, and everything was a bright yellow.

Soon the group passed through the golden corridor, which was indeed made of gold leaf.

The reliefs in the corridor depict the glorious history of the House Lannister.

Their history spans thousands of years, from the clever "Lann" who conquered Casterly to the present day.

The gold spent on this corridor alone is almost equivalent to the annual tax revenue of Casterly Rock.

The group continued forward and arrived at Valhalla House Lannister's headquarters.

Hundreds of suits of armor were neatly arranged in Valhalla, and all the damaged parts of these suits were repaired with gold.

These are the armors worn by the Lannister ancestors, as if the Lannister' bodies flowed with molten gold.

Tywin deliberately chose this location for the meeting, as if he could receive the blessings of his ancestors.

"Tell me, how can the Lannister overcome this crisis?" Tywin addressed the Lannister.

At this moment, Damion, the former acting lord of the city, stepped forward and said, "My lord, the Lannister have thrived in the Westerlands for over a thousand years. The Westerlands only recognize us. Although Stannis succeeded by chance thanks to that bastard son, his own strength has been severely diminished. I think we might be able to pay a sum of gold to ransom our families, and at most, waive the loan to the royal family. Perhaps Stannis will accept peace talks." Seeing that Damon was about to speak, Damion added, "Of course, my lord, I'm talking about a bloodless method. For the Lannister, gold is as precious as blood. If war really breaks out, we are not afraid! Golden Tooth is easy to defend and difficult to attack, Casterly Rock is like an insurmountable barrier. Stannis will absolutely not be able to break through!"

The relatively mature Damion analyzed for everyone the possible consequences of choosing between war and peace.

At this moment, Daven spoke up, "My lord, Stannis is also exhausted, but peace cannot be begged for; it can only be won with iron and blood. We can continue to recruit soldiers and fight them!"

We must let them know that we Lannister simply haven't won, we haven't lost!

"Yes! We just didn't win, it doesn't mean we lost!" Everyone agreed with his statement.

Despite having failed to win the war and having paid a heavy price, the Lannister remained full of confidence.

The Westerlands and Casterly Rock offer them a very high minimum guarantee, North and Riverlands have been fighting for more than half a year and are already exhausted.

Stannis's Stormlands also suffered heavy losses, and his most relied-upon fleet was burned to ashes.

Even if the House Tyrell were to negotiate peace with them, they certainly wouldn't offer any manpower or resources.

In their view, the worst outcome was simply closing the door and living a quiet life; there was nothing to be afraid of.

Confirming that the Lannister showed no intention of surrendering, Tywin's resolve hardened. He said, "Damon, immediately gather and train another ten thousand soldiers, and recruit all the free riders and warriors you can find at double the price."

"Yes, sir."

"Damion, once again conscript the nobles of the Westerlands, ordering them to undergo a second round of conscription and training. Then send one-third of the soldiers to Golden Tooth and one-third to Casterly Rock."

"Yes, sir."

"Daven, gather supplies, gold, and food for us. Also, instruct all our gold mines to increase production; gold output must double in the coming months!"

"Yes, sir!"

With each order issued, Tywin regained his feeling Lord of Casterly Rock.

After everyone left, he returned to his room. Through the window, Tywin could see the Sunset Sea directly; the golden sun gradually sank into the sea, casting dappled golden light on its surface.

"So beautiful."

Tywin sighed, watching the flock of seagulls take flight, and suddenly thought of his wife, Joanna.

Suddenly, Tywin chuckled.

His father, Tytos, was known as the "Laughing Lion" because he never got angry no matter how offended he was. He also made many ridiculous investments, all of which resulted in him losing everything.

Joanna, look at me now, I'm not even as good as my father. Not only did the three million Gold Dragon seem to have been thrown into the sea, but even our three children—

More than three million Gold Dragon, more than 30,000 soldiers, and three children—these cold numbers seemed to mock Tywin's incompetence.

But the tycoon quickly regained his composure, looking out the window at the slightly curved horizon—a beautiful sight only visible from a certain altitude.

A typical castle will appear flat when viewed from a distance.

The rocky hills beneath Casterly Rock are the foundation of this castle's invincibility.