Come out of the Main Holdfast city gate and walk down the gentle slope, stepping on the streets covered with a thin layer of snow.
Luce Bolton agreed more happily than James expected, patting his chest and saying that the two hundred elite cavalry would be assembled before evening.
That's right, a full two hundred, even elite cavalry.
As soon as he heard that Jaime wanted to help him kill Stannis, Roose Bolton immediately patted his chest and doubled the number he had promised tenfold.
Obviously, the Flayed Man Duke's fear of Stannis Baratheon is far more real than his slight sense of responsibility for the Wildlings Army.
Before waiting for the army to be assembled, James, who was bored, chose to walk around.
Soon we arrived at Winter Town.
As a subsidiary town on the outskirts of Winterfell, as the name suggests, whenever winter is approaching for thousands of years, the North people will flock here frantically from all directions to spend the long cold winter relying on the hot springs and city walls of Winterfell.
I still remember that the last time he came here, Tyrion couldn't put it down. He didn't even stay in the guest room prepared for him by the Stark family in the castle, and stayed in the town's brothels all day long.
But unlike last time, brand new flags were hung under the eaves on both sides of the street. What was embroidered on the flag was no longer the direwolf of the Stark family, but the Flayed Man emblem of Bolton.
There is a side every few steps, rustling in the cold wind, seeming to remind every passing tourist that this castle has changed its owner.
The streets were swept clean and everyone was preparing for tomorrow's wedding, creating a festive and peaceful atmosphere.
But James couldn't seem to see any joy on people's faces.
This is quite normal. After all, when Winterfell was baptized by the Ironborn and Flayed Man in turn, Winter Town was also implicated to a considerable extent. Naturally, the impression of the House Bolton family was not very good.
The cold wind blew across the long street, and James shivered. He stopped involuntarily and looked around at the bustling crowd with numb faces. He suddenly remembered another familiar place.
Flea Bottom.
Ever since Corleone arrived in King's Landing, the originally stinky place has always been shrouded in a dim, warm glow, and the air has always been filled with the scent of wheat.
The streets there are more crowded than Winter Town, but people's faces are always filled with hope for life.
And those who bring change there...
Corleone.
Thinking of this name, James' left hand instinctively clenched.
After receiving the news from King's Landing at Castle Black a few days ago, James was not only sad but also worried and angry.
He couldn't imagine that the guy who always seemed to be calm and in control of everything would fall defenselessly into the hands of an assassin sent by Baratheon.
Jaime swore to the Seven Gods that if he were still in King's Landing and wearing the white robes of the Kingsguard, he would never let anyone with malicious intentions get close to Cersei and Corleone!
Absolutely!
At this moment, the signboard of an inconspicuous tailor shop fluttered in the cold wind, with spools and needles crookedly embroidered on it, attracting James' attention.
After hesitating for a moment, James pushed the door open and entered. The old tailor in the shop was sewing a shawl. When he heard the sound of the door curtain being opened, he raised his head and saw this one-handed knight who was dressed slightly strangely. A trace of surprise flashed in his cloudy eyes.
But James was already immune to this kind of gaze. He stepped forward calmly, took off Longsword from his waist and placed it on the counter.
The old tailor looked down and immediately saw that it was an extremely well-made Longsword. The scabbard was wrapped in black leather and the hilt was carved into the shape of a lion's head.
A small badge is engraved on the center of the lion's head, like a hand reaching out from the shadows.
"How long does it take to make a cloak like this?" James asked, pointing to Black Hand on the hilt of the sword.
Hearing this, the old tailor came closer and looked at it carefully. He quickly raised his head and replied in a very positive tone, "It's a very simple pattern. It's not difficult to make."
"We have ready-made cloaks. All we have to do is sew the pattern on. It won't take an hour."
One hour.
It happened to be the time when Luce Bolton's two hundred people had assembled.
James nodded. "Very good."
King's Landing.
Corleone was woken up by pain.
It was as if someone had taken his brain out of his skull, placed it on Anvil, beat it repeatedly, and then stuffed it back haphazardly.
His temples were swollen, as if someone had taken his brain out of his skull, placed it on Anvil, beat it repeatedly, and then roughly stuffed it back in.
This feeling is really not good.
He tried to open his eyes, and the first thing he saw was Rorge's ugly noseless face, but at this moment, Corleone seemed inexplicably kind to him.
"Sir." Rorge's eyes turned red, he muttered, but in the end he could only manage to call him this name.
Hearing this, Corleone leaned on the edge of the bed and tried to sit up, but a sharp stinging pain immediately came from his left rib. Only then did he remember that the ribs injured by Gendry were far from healed.
He gritted his teeth, used his right arm to support his body, and finally leaned against the bed.
"How long have I been asleep?"
"Four days, sir." Rorge replied happily, but his voice was choked with sobs.
After all, since following Corleone, he has never seen the other party in such a mess.
"Pycelle came to see you several times, and every time he said that you were fine except for your physical injuries, but he couldn't wake you up."
"Bah! That damn old loser took hundreds of Gold Dragon from us every month, but in the end it was of no use to him!" Rorge let out a sigh of disdain.
Hearing what he said, Corleone closed his eyes and tried to calm down his breathing.
Four days.
He remembered that the time his consciousness stayed in the realm of the King of Light was just a matter of talking about a business incident and accidentally beheading a priest, no more than a quarter of an hour at most.
But in reality, my body has been unconscious for so long!
It is estimated that the cost of souls traveling tens of thousands of miles is much greater than he expected.
It seems that the next time you use [Fate's Gambit], you really have to weigh whether the person standing opposite is a person or something else.
Although this skill is almost invincible, if it happens again, he really doesn't know if his body can withstand it.
But... it's not a loss this time.
After all, the King of Light owed him a favor.
After thinking for a moment, Corleone opened his eyes and continued to ask, "Did anything happen in King's Landing these days when I was in coma?"
Hearing this, Rorge took a deep breath, immediately resumed his expected ability as Black Hand Mafia steward, and reported quickly.
First, old Randyll Tarly took advantage of Corleone's coma for a few days to quickly fill the power vacuum as Minister of Justice.
He declared martial law throughout the city on the grounds that "Stannis Baratheon sent assassins to kill Queen Mother and the Prime Minister."
News of Cersei's death had spread throughout the city, and Randyll cleverly pointed the finger at Stag loyalist remnants who was far away in the North, and took the opportunity to start cleaning up the city's garrison.
"That damn guy replaced most of us in the gold robes."
As soon as this was mentioned, Rorge couldn't help but gnashed his teeth. "Bronn has almost become a bare commander now. He is so angry that he bangs the table every day at Gold Cloaks Headquarters. All he has to do is fight him with a sword, but that guy himself has no foundation in the golden robe."
"As for the traitor Gendry, he was immediately imprisoned in the deepest cell of the Capital Guard headquarters, and was personally guarded by Randyll Tarly's bodyguards brought from Horn Hill. Our people tried several times, but couldn't reach him at all."
"Marga li Queen came to visit you twice, but I rejected you both times."
Speaking of this, Rorge's voice was slightly lowered. "Since you passed out, the Tyrell family has openly supported all Randyll Tully's actions in the court. Their attitude is completely different from before."
"I suspect...Queen is not here to visit you at all, but to see if you have...
"I understand." Upon hearing the news, Corleone did not appear too surprised.
His alliance with the Tyrell family was originally based on the same interests. Now that Tywin's life and death are unknown, Cersei died unexpectedly, and Lannister has almost been excluded from the Game of Thrones center.
If it weren't for the fact that Black Hand Mafia's power has already penetrated every aspect of King's Landing, the Tyrell family might not have allowed him to become Acting Hand of the King.
For Olenna Redwin, whose desire for power is no less than that of Old Lion, there is only one best candidate for Prime Minister, and that is her stupid son who has no opinion.
Corleone was assassinated and fell unconscious this time, which just provided them with an opportunity.
"I guess they are already discussing how to remove me from my post." Corleone raised the corners of his mouth slightly, and his tone was very determined.
"That's right, my lord!"
Upon hearing this, Rorge immediately condemned angrily. "Those heartless bastards convened a royal meeting the day after you fell into coma and proposed that you Acting Hand of the King be revoked from your position!"
"It's shameless to say that Mr. Corleone's health is unable to perform his duties as prime minister"!
"They don't even think about who stabilized the situation in King's Landing when Tywin led his troops into the city. They plan to seize your position as Prime Minister so soon. I mean, don't you understand that the idiots in the Hand of the King are sitting there?"
"Fortunately, Lord Finance Lord Lake and Pycelle worked together to withstand the pressure, thus buying you an extra week!"
"Fortunately, you woke up in time, otherwise all our efforts during this period would have been in vain for them!"
Rorge became angrier and angrier as he spoke, and his fists were clenched to the point where they could almost drip with water!
However, Corleone is still very calm.
After all, according to Rorge, it just proves that he is not without foundation in King's Landing.
Judging from the current situation, the Lake family has become his most reliable ally. Old Rifrey is indeed a person worthy of close friendship. Not only did he not hesitate when sending troops to fight against the Lannister, he even stood firmly on his side after he passed out.
I just didn't expect that that old-fashioned guy Pycelle would dare to fight against the Tyrell family for him.
Isn't he a loyal Lannister?
Could it be that he was really bribed by just a few hundred Gold Dragon every month?
"Rando Tarly has just arrived in King's Landing. Even with the support of the Tyrell family, he shouldn't have been able to sideline Bronn so quickly."
Suddenly, Corleone keenly grasped an unusual place among the messy information provided by Rorge.
"How many people can he bring? Fifty? One hundred?"
"Not to mention, the dismissed Lannister soldiers have not gone far, and almost all the Tyrell family's troops were taken away by Mace. It is impossible for Randyll Tarly to allocate manpower to guard against their counterattack."
"Unless... he can accurately identify every officer we have placed inside the golden robe and replace them all!"
"You are absolutely right, my lord!"
Hearing what he said, Rorge immediately slapped his forehead and shouted, "That Randyll Tully seems to have figured out all our arrangements in advance. Every gold-robed captain who has close contact with us has been dismissed from his post on charges of corruption!"
"I was just worried about you, and I didn't think deeply about it. You said he is a country bumpkin from the Reach, how can he know so much about our arrangements in King's Landing?"
Yes.
How did Randyll Tarly do it?
Not only Rorge couldn't figure it out, but Corleone also fell into deep thought.
In King's Landing, if there is such a guy who knows Black Hand Mafia so well and spares no effort to provide information to Randyll Tarly, who is it...
Suddenly, a gleaming forehead appeared in Corleone's mind.
Varys!
That damn eunuch!
It must be him!
Since that time, Varys targeted him at the imperial meeting without any basis, and Corleone launched an in-depth investigation into him.
Thanks to the memory of his previous life, he did not take any detours, but directly sent people to Pentos on the other side of the Narrow Sea to secretly track an important character who had appeared several times in the original plot but few people paid attention to.
Illyrio Mopatis!
The wealthy merchant governor of Pentos who once provided shelter to Daenerys and her two siblings, later introduced her to Khal Drogo, and even personally presented her with three dragon eggs!
This investigation actually allowed Corleone to find out some interesting things.
According to the intelligence that came back, Varys started doing business with Illyrio in Pentos, but the relationship between the two seemed to go beyond business cooperation.
According to the memories of an old man who once worked as a servant in the Governor's Palace of Pentos, he said that every time Varys came to visit, Illyrio would shun all the servants, and the two would talk in the secret room until late at night.
This is very thought-provoking.
How could a prosperous wealthy businessman in Pentos "accidentally arise" to take in the children of the former royal family from across the Narrow Sea?
And what a coincidence, before that, his best "friend" had already traveled thousands of miles across the Narrow Sea and became an important intelligence manager under the Iron Throne?
If you say that these two guys don't have other thoughts, I won't believe it even if I beat Corleone!
What goes against common sense the most is that when Petyr Baelish was stirring up trouble in King's Landing with his conspiracy, Varys kept saying that all his actions were not for personal desire for power, but simply for the sake of the entire the Seven Kingdoms.
It sounds lofty, but this guy has been fully aware of Petyr Baelish's conspiracy from beginning to end, but chose to remain silent and let the situation develop to an irreversible point.
This kind of ambiguous attitude cannot be explained by "simply for the Seven Kingdoms".
The reason why he targeted Corleone was probably because he was afraid of him.
After all, as Farmer and Corleone from the Riverlands, it only took them just one year to gradually take control of the situation and even become Acting Hand of the King. This was not a good thing in the eyes of Varys.
Because every step of his growth and rise to power was outside of Varys' plan!
Once you understand this joint, everything will be explained!
"My lord."
Seeing that he was silent for a long time, Rorge thought that Corleone was struggling with the matter of his previous assassination, and took the initiative to suggest. "What should we do with that damn traitor and assassin?"
"Although he is locked up and we can't contact him now, the assassin was immediately put under strict guard by Lyn Corbray Ser. We may be able to execute her first to scare Randyll Tarly...
Speaking of this, Rorge could no longer suppress his emotions. The cruel expression on his face that he hadn't seen for a long time showed that he had been enduring it for a long time.
After all, with Rorge's character developed in Flea Bottom, it was quite restrained not to draw a sword and stab Gendry and Arya to death on the spot.
If Corleone had both advantages and disadvantages, this guy might be able to carry a sword and lead people into the Red Keep, and let Randyll Tarly be buried with him!
After all, Corleone has always been fine. Who told you that something would happen the moment you came to King's Landing?
Bah! Broom star!
And now that Corleone is awake, Rorge urgently needs an answer.
To kill, it is better to wait for a few days before killing.
Corleone did not answer immediately, but stood up on the edge of the bed, dragged his aching body slowly to the window, and opened a corner of the curtain.
The afternoon sun falls on my face.
Outside the window, the Flea Bottom was still running smoothly, with children laughing and playing, vendors hawking, and the strong smell of fireworks blowing in the face.
And all of this is an order established by him himself.
"Where is Sansa Lady Stark?"
After a long silence, Corleone suddenly said this out of nowhere.
Rorge obviously did not expect this answer. He was stunned for a moment before replying, "Laundry Alley, sir."
"Every day during this period, she comes to wipe your body, put on new clothes, and then takes the changed clothes and washes them with her own hands."
"Send for her."
Hearing this, Corleone seemed to have made some kind of determination, and his dark eyes showed unprecedented seriousness and solemnity. "I want to see her."