Wildling Invasion
Inside the Great Hall of Winterfell, the fireplace crackled, and the Direwolf representing the Stark stood upright high above, with a group of vassals from the North seated before him.
Karstark of Karhold, Manderly of White Harbor, Bolton of the Dreadfort, Meggie Severn, and a host of other vassals gathered together.
Except for Earl Greatjon of Last Hearth, who is the furthest away, and lords from remote areas such as the Mountain Clans, almost all the vassals from the North came.
Less than three months after returning to the North, Robb summoned his vassals again, but he did not mobilize a large army, since this time they were only facing "bandits," or more accurately, attacks from Wildlings.
The Wall defenses have been severely weakened by the Wildlings ' attacks, and reports of Wildlings raids have been received from the North. Organizing an army to fight the Wildlings has become imperative.
"Sir Wylis, White Harbor is located in the south, so there's no need to conscript troops. Prepare the supplies needed for five thousand soldiers," Robb ordered. After the previous war, he had become accustomed to his role as the "North."
"Your Highness," Wylis replied, rising with a troubled expression, "the supplies needed for five thousand troops may not be able to be gathered in a short time, after all, the House Manderly has only recently been summoned—"
Robb looked rather grim; Wylis appeared noticeably heavier than when he returned to White Harbor.
He knew that despite his outstanding military achievements, relinquishing the crown would ultimately greatly damage his prestige.
A prince is ultimately no match for a king.
"Then let's start with three thousand, and Winterfell will pay the rest," Robb compromised. "My lords, the weather is getting colder and colder. A third of the North is no longer able to grow crops. We cannot allow the Wildlings to continue their southward invasion, otherwise, with Winter Is Coming, our food shortages will likely become even more severe. In this battle against the Wildlings, Winterfell will send three thousand troops, Earl Harrion, your Karhold will send one thousand."
"Yes, Your Highness." As members of the House Karstark, they naturally had no objections.
"Earl Severn, you have five hundred."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Earl Bolton, two thousand."
"Your Highness, Dreadfort may not be able to provide that many men at once, as we need to harvest the crops. How about a thousand?"
"
Roose Bolton began to explain the difficulties to Robb, saying that although there were only five hundred people, this was a start, and they could continue to negotiate elsewhere in the future.
"Five hundred spearmen! I'll compensate you for any crops lost due to the delayed harvest."
Robb frowned and said, and seeing his insistence, Roose Bolton didn't know what to say.
Robb had calculated that, although this was only targeting the Wildlings Beyond the Wall, an army of 10,000 was a minimum.
The North is too vast, and the Wildlings are too scattered. He must deal with the Wildlings problem as soon as possible, and then, following Winterfell's old practice, stockpile large quantities of food.
Before long, crops like wheat will be unavailable, and potatoes will be the only option left.
He believed that 10,000 people would be enough, not only because he was confident in his abilities, but also because he had a competitive spirit.
Robb may not be as good as Jon in other areas, but he believes he is no worse Jon in military matters.
Robb had almost forgotten Jon's instructions to him—to deal with Wildlings by primarily trying to win them over, appease and accept them, and only secondarily by suppressing them.
Robb instinctively turned his head to look at his side, where Luwin usually stood, but today he was delivering his wife Jeyne's baby, so the side was empty.
Jeyne's due date wasn't originally today, but she slipped and fell this morning, which forced her to give birth a few days earlier. Although Robb was still here, his heart had already flown to the delivery room.
"Your Highness," Roose Bolton suddenly spoke up, "I've heard that children conceived during wartime are stronger, and I imagine your child will be just as formidable on the battlefield as you are."
"Thank you for your blessing, Lord Bolton."
Roose Bolton's words made Robb feel much better, and the excitement of becoming a father for the first time stirred his heart.
Because Roose Bolton didn't do anything destructive in this timeline, he actually appears to be an honest and kind person.
At most, his abilities were lacking, and his corrupt character hadn't yet been exposed, so Robb didn't have any ill feelings towards him.
"I wonder if Your Highness has chosen a name for the young prince yet?" Meiqi Severn suddenly asked.
Everyone knew in their hearts that his name was probably Eddard.
Just as Robb was about to speak, a maid suddenly ran over and said, "Your Highness, the lady has given birth to twins."
In the spa room that was originally Catelyn's alone, the family gathered together to look at the two newborn babies.
Jeyne's face was pale and weak, but the smile and happiness in her eyes seemed to be overflowing.
Two little heads flanked their mother, one on each side. Jeyne asked someone to prop up her pillow so she could see more of her family.
Robb, Catelyn, Sansa, Arya, Bran, and Rickon — the North was cold, but the scene before her made her feel exceptionally warm.
Robb and Jeyne's two children were delivered by the experienced Luwin, and all three were safe and sound.
--
"Robb, both children are healthy. As you planned, this one will be named Eddard, and this one will be named Lyanna," Catelyn said, pointing to the two children who still looked warm.
Of the two children, the boy Eddard had Stark gray eyes, while the girl had blue eyes. This perfect combination of genes made Catelyn very happy.
"Thank you for your hard work, Jeyne." Robb held Jeyne's hand and gently kissed her forehead.
Sansa, Arya, and their siblings were peeking into their nieces' swaddling clothes.
At this moment, Rickon suddenly spoke up, "How long will it take before they play with me?"
Rickon's words drew chuckles from the crowd, and the birth of the two new lives lessened the sorrow considerably.
At this moment, Catelyn suddenly spoke up, "Alright, Jeyne needs to rest. You all go and do your own things."
After Sansa and the others left, the room suddenly felt empty, and Robb himself was pulled outside by Catelyn.
Are you going to war with those Wildlings?
"Yes, Mother. They recently attacked villages near Last Hearth. If we don't deal with them, our food storage plans will be affected."
"I'll have Sir Cassel accompany you. You're a father now, so be careful."
"Um.
Catelyn remembered that Eddard had worried about the Wildlings in the North before his death and said he would lead the army to eliminate the threat.
It is only natural that a father's unfinished business should be passed on to his son.
"There's one more thing, Robb. I didn't tell you while you were meeting with your vassals that Jon has already captured Casterly Rock."
"What!" Robb's eyes widened, and the distance between him and his mother Catelyn, suddenly closed.
"Yes, Jon has captured Casterly Rock. This is the message from the Citadel. Jon has sent Tywin's head to the Citadel, and from Citadel's King's Landing." Catelyn's voice was clearly trembling with suppressed excitement as she recounted this. "You can tell your vassals in the North about this; it will benefit your future rule over the North."
Robb readily agreed and immediately informed the vassals in the North Jon's conquest of Casterly Rock and Tywin Lannister's death.
As expected, Roose Bolton and the others were quite surprised when they heard the news, especially the lords who had invaded the Westerlands with Robb. They had witnessed firsthand how difficult it was to conquer Casterly Rock.
"Jon is truly excellent! Lord Eddard would be so pleased to hear this!" said Meiqi Saiwen, who had been saved by Jon. Harrion also thought Jon was brilliantly dressed.
"Hahaha, those damn blondes will be gone from this world."
Seeing everyone's reaction, Roose Bolton and Wylis suddenly spoke at the same time, "Your Highness,"
The two looked at each other somewhat awkwardly, then gestured for the other to speak first.
Finally, Roose Bolton spoke first, "Perhaps I'm mistaken, there are still some new recruits undergoing training at Dreadfort, and we can send another thousand men to participate in the battle."
"Yes, that would be perfect."
"Lord Bolton, you'd better not use leeches to bleed yourself anymore. Who knows, those things might suck away your memory too?" Meiqi Saiwen joked, but Roose Bolton just smiled and didn't say anything.
In the North, the Stark were divided into the Stark and the Karstark. The Karstark even took a large portion of the territory that originally belonged to the House Bolton, in order to suppress the House Bolton.
Now that Jon has captured Casterly Rock and brought the entire Westerlands under his control, the Stark are even more powerful.
Perhaps a hundred or two hundred years from now, after several generations, the Stark of Casterly Rock and the Stark of Winterfell will gradually lose their blood ties, but as long as Jon lives, the two will be absolute allies who watch over and help each other.
Roose Bolton had already realized that his illegitimate son Ramsay, whom he had legalized, was not very capable, and that he shouldn't even think about scheming anything for the family until he passed away.
He even had to guard against Jon giving Robb advice to make things difficult for him.
Sure enough, Wylis said something similar to what Roose Bolton was going to say. He indicated that White Harbor had just "sold a shipment not long ago, so providing the supplies needed for an army of five thousand men wouldn't be a big problem."
Robb didn't hold it against him; he knew his brother had helped him again.
After the meeting, the feudal lords would stay for a day or two before riding back. A month later, they would meet up near Long Lake and then head north.
Robb was busy fighting, Catelyn was naturally not idle either. According to her agreement with Jon, she needed to go to Casterly Rock for the wedding.
Before leaving, Jenny asked Catelyn to ask Jon for one or two of his clothes or cloaks, saying that according to the custom of Cliffrock, this would bring the child protection and good luck.