"----Of course it would be best if we can all come to an agreement, but if we can't come to an agreement, there may not be bad news from Highgarden--
"What bad news? There can be no bad news!"
Mace spoke out to deny Brightwater Keep Earl's "worry" about Highgarden.
Seemingly dissatisfied that Allister Florent's power was "on par" with his own, he emphasized after the interdiction. "Highgarden is protected by three high walls. If Ironborns don't know how to advance or retreat, just cry and wait for death under the city wall!"
He was dissatisfied, but he recognized Allister as the only "warrior" in the account. He thought that someone finally understood, and immediately agreed with Brightwater Keep Earl who was originally agreeing with Matus.
"Then let's take a fighting stance and put Titus·Peake on the stage so that he can't get off the stage!
If he really wants to go to war, he has to convince other nobles in the coalition to share the losses; if he retreats, Iron Throne will not allow him to delay, and our bargaining chips will be a few points stronger!"
According to Mace, it is so difficult for him to "control" a southern border army all from the Reach area. The Titus·Peake on the opposite side will definitely not be much better - he will certainly not be able to control the Stormlands nobles who are good at Wu Chengfeng and those barbaric the North people.
As Lord of Highgarden spoke, his expression softened a lot and became excited again.
He forgot that this was Goldengrove Earl's initiative, and only thought that he had a clever plan to calm the world.
With the support of Matus and Allister, Mace stood up with great confidence, trying his best to exude the depth and majesty of "High Steward of the Reach", and issued the order, "Send the order, the whole army will strengthen the camp, prepare weapons and food, and the troops directly under House Tyrell will move to the front of the array! I want to see if the "Southern Expeditionary Army" on the opposite side dares to take action seriously!"
Highgarden has the endorsement of Goldengrove and Brightwater Keep, which is already significant enough.
When the lords saw this, they stopped expressing random opinions and nodded to express their acceptance of the order.
At least with this plan, there is no need to make the humiliating decision of "surrender" immediately, and there is no need to immediately share the huge sum of gold coins, which can temporarily alleviate the current conflict.
The arguments in the luxurious tent gradually subsided, and the lords of the Southern Border Army dispersed one after another. They went back to their camps to arrange preparations for the war, or to find a skilled military prostitute to have fun and relax and relieve the restlessness caused by tense business affairs.
Watching their colleagues go away, the two Earls, Matus and Allister, whose proposal was accepted, looked at each other, both smiled bitterly and sighed softly.
They all knew that this was just a temporary measure.
The troops in the south have been disorganized for a long time, and the nobles have their own agendas. Even if they put on a show of fighting, it is just a show.
Allister Florent walked to the door of the big tent, nodded to Honeyholt Earl Ben Bisbury, who was older than him, and Bleibbar Earl of Half Dome, and then left the tent.
The reason why Allister Earl was able to break up with the "old man Oldtown" who had not been seen for a long time in the southwest area of the Reach was precisely because of the support of these two families near the source of Honeywine.
In this confrontation between the two armies that does not know whether it is a disaster or a blessing, they will both advance and retreat together.
To be honest, Allister didn't expect that today's Mace·Tyrell would be so stubborn that they would have the courage to confront Starpike Earl on the opposite side.
If this was not a battlefield, Allister would have to satirize Mace, or at least give him some yin and yang.
But Allister could only think about it now. He was no longer in that mood, and he was worried about other trivial matters.
This old patriarch of House Florent married Meera Ya·Clyne from Red Lake City. He has three children except for one son, Aleken·Florent, and the eldest daughter Melissa. ·Florent married Randyll·Tarly of Horn Hill, and the second daughter Rhea·Florent became Hightower Earl Leyton·Hightower's fourth wife.
He is worried about the outcome of his daughter Melissa.
Under normal circumstances, according to Queen Alysanne·Targaryen's "Widow's Law":
Even the lord's second wife can enjoy her own legal rights. After the eldest son or daughter inherits the title of his deceased father, he is required to treat his father's widow well and not lower her living standards.
However, any widow left behind by the lord, whether she is the second wife, the third wife, or the fourth wife, is never allowed to be expelled from the castle, nor is she allowed to be deprived of her servants, clothing, and monthly money.
Of course, due to the priority of the "Inheritance Law", this law also explicitly prohibits the practice of passing on castles, land and wealth to the second wife and her children, thereby depriving the sons of the lord's first wife of their legal inheritance rights.
Alysanne·Targaryen is the grandson of "Conqueror" Aegon - the queen of Jaehaerys·Targaryen I. The couple is keen on conducting royal family tours across the country.
Through the parade, the royal members of Targaryen can not only immerse themselves in the respect and love of their Seven Kingdoms subjects, but also, if necessary, let their subjects know what awe is.
After experiencing countless circuit court referees, Jaehaerys I formed his "core team" on the legal side:
Except for House Targaryen, Brother Bath is the "most knowledgeable about dragons" on Westeros;
Benifel Grand Maester believes that Ms. Clarisse of Starfall should become the queen, and also hopes to separate the territory of the Dayne family from Dorne;
Albin Marseille Earl for Master of Laws, Stonedance;
And his own queen, Alysanne·Targaryen, riding the dragon "Silverwing".
With the joint efforts of this core team, the kingdom's laws were codified, organized and reformed. It took decades to finally achieve the Seven Kingdoms "Code".
Queen Alysanne·Targaryen has made many contributions, especially fighting for women's rights.
In addition to the "Widow's Law", she also took the initiative to abolish the "right of first night" of the Westeros nobles.
Even the area where the "first night right" is most widely used is Dragonstone, the ancestral home of the royal family.
When lords in other parts of the mainland exercise their right to the first night, serious nobles will choose to ask the groom for a "ransom money". Occasionally, there are indeed shameless lords who will ask the bride to "pay with her body".
In Dragonstone, House Targaryen men will, without exception, choose the latter approach, and the bride and groom will also be grateful for this. This is entirely due to the Dragonstone people's admiration for House Targaryen.
As the representative figure of Westeros's feminism, Queen Alysanne·Targaryen put an end to this bad habit.
When the "Code" is officially promulgated, any lord who continues to exercise the right of first night will be convicted of rape - as long as the "evidence" is conclusive.
However, Queen Alysanne's laws can't help Melissa Florent. They don't apply.
Not to mention that she is not the kind of widow who has continued her marriage, and she and Randyll·Tarly have no heirs yet. Even if they do, the final ownership of Horn Hill is no longer something that inheritance rights or widowhood laws can interfere with.
The Reach princes in the southern border army also knew about this. When King's Landing's decree came, many people thought that Brightwater Keep's daughter could not become Mrs. Horn Hill. Old the Fox would definitely not be able to hold back the bad breath in his heart.
They think Allister Florent is too simple.
It is a pity to lose the opportunity to get involved with Horn Hill, but the old Earl, who had several close contacts with the young Starpike Earl, has never given up the idea of "joining forces" with House Peake.
The rise of Titus·Peake further proves the foresight of his idea.
Allister Earl felt that he had not misjudged the person at first.
Starpike Earl It's really not that simple.
This person is young, but with his own strength, he has brought his family out of the abyss and even to a new level in just two years.
They Florent also want to try it.
However, the New Dynasty's thighs are not so easy to hold, and they have missed the best opportunity to enter the game.
Allister has actually been hesitating and thinking all day today, how to break the situation and how to get close to House Baratheon?
He could not think of the opportunity to contact the other party secretly or to "take the blame for the crime".
Fortunately.
Starpike Earl It's really not that simple.
When Allister withdrew from the noisy military meeting and returned to his private tent, the old nobleman, whose eyes and ears were clearer than those of the young people, noticed something unusual for the first time. Before attending the meeting, the bronze wine glass he had placed on the bedside table had been moved aside. And beside his pillow, which was originally empty, lay a mini letter sealed with lacquer.
The dim candlelight made the the Fox coat of arms hanging inside the tent flicker in and out, just like the change of expression between old Earl's brows.
Allister turned around abruptly and stepped out of the tent.
"Who has been to my tent? Did you let him in?"
His voice was low, with suppressed anger, and his gray beard trembled slightly.
As the lord of Brightwater Keep and one of the core leaders of the Southern Border Army, the defense here is far from strict, and it is by no means a place where outsiders can enter and exit at will.
Outside the tent, the two guards who were being questioned sternly by him immediately knelt down on one knee and replied with a pale face, "Sir Earl, since you went to discuss it, the two subordinates have been guarding the entrance of the tent, and no one has approached."
"Yes, sir, no one has entered the camp!"
There was only confusion and fear in their eyes, and their replies didn't seem to be fake.
Allister waved his hand and asked them to return to their posts, his white brows frowning even more.
No one came in or out? Then how did this letter appear on his bedside?
He ignored the two uneasy guards, turned back into the tent, and walked slowly to the bedside. His eyes fell on the solidified paint on the surface of the mailbox. When he got closer, he could see it more clearly. It was a "Three Cities" seal.
Peake!?
It's hard to imagine what method the other party used to deliver the secret message——It seems that in addition to leading troops to fight, this Star Shuttle Master Earl also has other mysterious methods——
After being surprised and thoughtful for a while, Allister Earl moved the candlestick in the tent to the low cabinet, carefully pried off the paint with a letter opener, and took out the rolled letter from the small tube.
Unfolding the compact letter paper, Allister discovered that it was made of fine parchment. The handwriting on the letter was fluent, neat and powerful, and it also had the elegant calligraphy that had just begun to become popular among the aristocratic groups in the southern part of the continent.
Huh?
He had another doubt.
Because these handwritings do not look like the style of Lord Dornish Marches, but more like the handwriting of a lady.
Alister suppressed the confusion in his heart and read the content of the letter again - "To my old friend and distant relative, Alister of Brightwater Keep·Florent Earl----"
House Florent of Brightwater Keep: