After Gulian Swann left, the next guest who entered the study was the Dreadfort Earl O from the north.
Roose Bolton was wearing a dark red robe. He had a clean shaven face and very smooth skin, which was completely different from the rough faces common to the North people.
In addition to his appearance, his expression is also different from other the North nobles.
The most eye-catching thing on Roose's face is his surprisingly pale eyes, which are deeper than milk and shallower than rocks, like the surface of a frozen lake. When they stare at you steadily, there is no wave.
Looking at the other person's young face, who was neither handsome nor ugly, with extremely thin lips that almost became a thin line when pressed tightly, Titus actually felt for a moment that the other person's temperament was very similar to Ned----
Mainly because of the silence aspect, the two of them were very good at it.
Eddard, who believes that "people can only be brave when they are afraid", may he be the nemesis of people like Roose Bolton?
Roose Earl saluted and broke the silence in the room first.
"Duke Eddard·Stark has told us that after he leaves, the command of the the North army will be fully taken over by you, Mr. Titus. Karstark and I only need to obey the orders."
His voice was as light as a whisper, but it had a magical appeal that made people have to concentrate and listen carefully.
When speaking, Roose's demeanor was gentle and elegant, and there were no emotional fluctuations on his face, as if he could be so calm no matter what he faced.
From the appearance, this is a very well-established young lord.
Titus was also very polite to him. First, he motioned for him to sit down. His eyes passed over his unusually pale skin, and the various rumors about the Dreadfort Earl came to mind.
The North people are not all rough and arrogant as in the stereotype, the person opposite is very "fastidious".
This person believes that common bloodletting with leeches can remove a person's dirty blood, and he also agrees that frequent "blood transfusions" can maintain the health and longevity of the human body - other nobles of the North, so they call him "Master Leech".
Pay attention to it, really pay attention to it.
It is simply ahead of its time.
This man gave him the feeling that he was like the rich Western man who used his own son as a blood bag in his previous life----
Titus A glimpse of the leopard shows the cold-blooded ruthlessness of this person under his gentle appearance.
"Roose Earl, you and Karhold's Rickard·Karstark Earl will be responsible for guarding the left wing of the army. As for the remaining the North troops, they will be combined with Starpike's troops into the central army - do you have any objection?"
When dealing with this person, Titus didn't say much and just got to the point.
House Karstark was originally a branch of House Stark. Their coat of arms is a white sun star on a black background, and their clan language is "Winter Sun".
About a thousand years ago, Caron Stark made great achievements in suppressing the rebellion and was granted territory. He named his castle "City of Caron", and over time, it became Karhold today.
Within a few centuries, Stark in the city of Karon became Karstark in Karhold.
They have been guarding the northeast of Winterfell for generations, with a forest beside the Mo River as the center, controlling a vast territory. As far as the south of the Shivering Sea's Seal Bay, it is the land of the Karstark family, and his family's territory has a large forest and is very rich in material production.
Except for House Umber of Last Hearth, there is no territory further north than Karhold in the entire the North.
If you don't count the latecomer House Manderly, Karstark of Karhold and Bolton of the Dreadfort, they are the two most important and powerful vassals of Winterfell, and their power is not small.
Roose·Boton had no objection to Starpike Earl's arrangement, but mentioned. "The North people are used to the severe cold and dryness in the north. For us, the south is hot and humid. We need to prepare more medicinal materials to prevent acclimatization or the emergence of some epidemics----"
Dreadfort Earl stared at the map on the table with his light gray eyes, talking eloquently, his voice remained soft and never raised his volume.
No wonder Eddard chose him as his deputy.
Rickard Earl is indeed brave and courageous, and the number of cavalry brought to the south is more than that of the Dreadfort, but it is obviously not as meticulous as Roose----
Titus listened carefully to Roose Bolton's opinions, including every one of his demands, and some of the more important points, and asked Captain Wenda to record them down.
For others who could answer on the spot, Titus also responded verbally.
He was very satisfied with Roose's attentiveness, and Roose was equally satisfied with Starpike Earl's patient listening.
In the army of the North people, he could not find such a partner. He often could not say a few words, and the other party was either impatient or savagely noisy.
At the end of the chat, Roose also had a faint smile on his face.
Although it was just a slight curvature at the corner of the mouth, it was quickly captured by Starpike Earl.
Sure enough, no human being can have only one appearance.
This is true for Tywin, and so is Roose.
The key lies in who he is facing.
Even though "Master Leech" is from his "family background", he is good at skinning people alive, is cruel, and is good at calculations - now, he is still a young man under thirty years old.
Well, this should fall into the category of "Although he smokes, drinks, gets tattoos and perms his hair, likes blood transfusions and peeling skin, he is notorious--but he knows that he is still a good general"--
Titus After chatting with him politely, Earl gave him the Dreadfort of "My Blade" and left the study.
Roose When he stood up to say goodbye, his steps were steady and his back was straight and straight. He still looked like he was about to collapse but his expression remained unchanged.
Hei Earl can tell just by looking at his back that Roose Bolton during this period was really a good subordinate----
Next, he met with the vanguard candidate of the army going south. While the Gates of the Moon general Dennis Arryn was recuperating from his injury, he was temporarily in charge of the Ninestars knight who was in charge of the Vale of Arryn cavalry - Simon Temperton.
The latter was the third person to visit his study.
As soon as he entered the door, he was full of praise for his behavior of upholding justice and not hesitate to offend Duke Casterly Rock, but also bring "The Mountain" to justice in public.
At the same time, Sir Simon also admired Black Earl's extraordinary martial arts that surpassed ordinary people.
He is also an expert in combat and knows how difficult and dangerous it can be for ordinary people to face opponents like Gregor·Clegane.
Therefore, his praise is not comparable to ordinary compliments. The words of praise in his mouth all seem to come from the sincerity, and they are extremely professional, which is much better than the praise of other ordinary people.
Titus knew as soon as he heard that the southern expeditionary army was in his hands.
It's not because of Simon Temperton's praise for him, but Ninestars Cavaliers' attitude says it all.
Jon·Arryn The canyon knights that the Duke gave him had almost 1,500 people, one person and two horses. All members were heavy cavalry covered by human and horse armor. This did not include the knights' attendants and the attendants' pack horses----
The latter can be used as a reconnaissance light cavalry or mounted shooting support.
After several visits to the entire continent, except for the Eyrie, the only ones who can come up with a similar cavalry lineup as a family are Lannister and Tyrell, who are known as Westeros.
Hightower If you use your strength, it might work.
But even if the last three families could really put together a heavy cavalry force, they would never be as powerful as the Canyon Knights in terms of combat effectiveness.
Because in addition to funds, mounts, equipment and other hardware, they seriously lack the software advantages of the Canyon Knights - which is a combination of the personal teachings of the knight family, the tacit understanding of each other's combat qualities, the actual combat experience of conquering clans and tribes, and the strongest religious belief in the entire continent.
Looking across Seven Kingdoms, no one is more loyal and brave than the Canyon Knights. They are the role models of Andals chivalry.
With them as the vanguard of this southern expedition, Titus basically doesn't have to worry about the luxurious cavalry that the Reach people spent a lot of money to raise.
Those guys who are strong on the outside but hard on the inside are just a piece of cake in front of the large-scale Canyon Knights.
In terms of military affairs, Starpike Earl handled it very smoothly.
Titus took a moment to discover that Master of Whisperers Varys still didn't show up at Red Keep.
Mr. Black Earl is famous for collecting money to do things. Regarding Varys, he has already informed Small Council, and also privately reminded Robert I and his Hand of the King that they should be cautious enough when using bald eunuchs.
However, this bald eunuch seemed to be more cautious than them, even a little vigilant.
Looking at this posture, it seems that you want to wait until Titus leads his troops south before he shows up?
Two days later.
Southwest of King's Landing, on Kingsroad outside King's Gate.
The sun pierced the clouds and shone on the military formation that could stretch for several miles.
Starpike Earl Wearing a black armor ghost helmet, riding a jet-black and extremely elegant sand war horse, he stood at the forefront of the military formation.
Behind him are flags of various colors fluttering like a surging wave of colors.
The three Castle Black on the orange base will soon not be enough to represent the number of cities controlled by House Peake;
Silver pterosaurs and gold rings on a blue background are supported by Three Castles Banner on an orange background;
Black and white swans fight left and right, lightning stars complement each other, three golden wheat straws sway gently in the wind, and the black nightingale sings loudly and quietly spreads its wings——
There are also silver wolves galloping across the earth, a skinned man with foundation and a ferocious face, white sun shining brightly, blue Green Men fish leaping on the flag, crossed double axes supporting the black crown, red-maned black horses galloping like flying, brown moose standing calmly and still, steel-armored fists clenched towards the sky, roaring Giants's angry eyes breaking the chains----
The nine stars on the oblique cross are the symbol of the vanguard of the army, and they are particularly eye-catching at the front of the queue.
Dozens of flags are scattered high and low, with intertwined colors. Behind each flag is an ancient family that has been passed down for hundreds of thousands of years.
They come from all over Seven Kingdoms, but they gather here for the same purpose, ready to go, and their momentum is like a rainbow.
Both sides of Kingsroad were crowded with King's Landing people who spontaneously came to see him off.
Men, women and children supported the old and young, waving flowers or cloth in their hands. Cheers and shouts came one after another, almost drowning out the neighing of the horses in the front row and the clash of the knights' armor.
"Black Earl!"
"Long live black Earl!
The noise in the crowd grew louder and louder.
The reason why they are so supportive is because they have already heard about Black Earl's feats--
It was this powerful Earl who denounced the atrocities of the Westerlands army in the throne room and brought to justice the "The Mountain" who caused chaos in the Xicheng District and wanted to harm the orphans and widows of the previous royal family.
It was he who sought justice for the people who had suffered during the war.
The news in the throne room that day had long been spread. Under the guidance of appropriate "propaganda", the black Earl in the hearts of King's Landing people was no longer a distant Dornish Marches lord, but a great hero who protected justice and supported the weak.
"Titus, now you are so proud!"
Amidst the warm cheers mixed with a few "Long live Robert I!", Robert I himself approached the high-spirited "Black Earl" with some jealousy.
He is not like Aerys II. What he is jealous of is not that Starpike Earl is more loved by civilians than him today, but that the latter can lead troops to fight.
Titus sat on Black Pearl, waving to the King's Landing people who were waiting in the aisles to see him off, and calmly replied to the king, "I'm just proud! And what's the matter with your tone? You are the one sitting on the throne, and I am also fighting for you, okay?"
"I would rather trade with you. Iron Throne will sit for you while I go fight the Reach!"
Dreadfort Earl Roose Bolton: