Arthur recalled his battle against the Ironborn at the edge of the forest. Those so-called four or five hundred Ironborn, apart from a few who were genuinely Ironborn, were mostly Riverlands refugees who had been swept up. Their smooth plundering, creating fear and rumors, was entirely built upon the cowardice of the Riverlands lords.
He now had a judgment: the true number of Ironborn in this invasion was definitely not large. The reason they could advance so easily was not invincible military might, but the deep-seated cowardice and selfishness of thelands nobles, who had not encountered any real resistance.
Five hundred elite commoners, over four hundred new commoners in Daintings City, another four hundred mobilized from Lady Rona's lands, plus the Daedings Family army and the armies of their vassal colleagues, could still raise over a thousand or even more. Perhaps he didn't need to wait any longer. Defeating the nominally "three thousand" Ironborn would make him famous throughout the Seven Kingdoms.
After much deliberation, the more he thought about it, the more sense it made. He had to send troops now. Perhaps he could seize the opportunity to achieve an unprecedented feat.
Arthur spoke to Lady Rona, who was sitting on his lap: "Help me get paper and a pen."
He pondered for a moment, then dipped his pen in ink. A "generous" reply was written in a single stroke. In the letter, he first righteously expressed his concern for his liege's predicament and declared that he would immediately answer the call, personally leading his army to the Green Fork River crossing to rendezvous with his colleagues.
Then, he changed his tone, beginning to report on his troop strength. He had mobilized nearly nine hundred soldiers, almost the entire strength of his domain, without any reservations, to aid his liege. Citing the previous skirmishes with the Ironborn army which had resulted in casualties, and the need for provisions and military supplies to replenish new recruits, he righteously requested a large amount of provisions, arrows, and weapons from Lady Roslyn.
A raven flew high, carrying this letter to Daintings City. Lady Roslyn, upon receiving the reply, was overjoyed, as if she had grasped the last straw. Little Suleiman was truly a model of loyalty for her family! She immediately wrote back, agreeing to all of Arthur's requests and promising that weapons and equipment would be gathered in Daintings City, awaiting his arrival.
Having gotten what he wanted, Arthur immediately began to act. The first thing he did was to send away Old Nicken and Lady Rona. Lady Rona's eyes were red from crying, but she dared not defy his decision. She could only be half-forced into a carriage bound for Lions Den amidst endless kisses and admonitions. After sending away the last of the tenderness, Arthur's gaze completely turned cold.
He stood on the castle walls, loudly proclaiming to the soldiers mobilized by Lady Rona, his voice echoing over the castle: "Lady Rona has gone to a safe place, but as your liege, she has an obligation to contribute to her liege!"
"Now, in her name, I will lead you to fulfill this obligation!"
He gave no one a chance to refuse. What was hers was his, there would be no dissenting voices. He directly conscripted these four hundred farmers that Lady Rona had mobilized to defend the castle, merely promising these terrified farmers that after the war, those who survived would receive land and generous rewards.
And so, Arthur led his troops to the Green Fork River crossing, stopping and starting along the way to urgently train the soldiers.
However, when he arrived at the rendezvous point, he once again profoundly witnessed the shamelessness of the feudal lords, and how pure he was, and why he was considered a model of loyalty for Daedings Family.
The so-called "vassal alliance" of Daedings Family had already gathered sparsely by the river, waiting.
Arthur scanned the group. The only one who truly seemed to have answered the call and made an effort was Lord Yorkes, who had served as an envoy for the House Ryger, sending over a hundred relatively well-equipped soldiers.
The troops sent by the other lordly families were a complete joke. Some sent thirty or forty people, all thin and sallow, their weapons either pitchforks or rusty short spears, clearly farmers just filling out the numbers. Some didn't even bother to pretend, sending twenty or thirty people who looked like they had simply rounded up some fleeing Riverlands refugees to make up the numbers.
The most ridiculous was a family named Pyle. Their reinforcements totaled only eight people, fewer than even a slightly wealthier landed knight had brought.
Arthur looked at this motley, dispirited "vassal alliance" of Daedings Family before him, which looked like it might scatter at any second, then turned to look at his own troops behind him. Although nearly half of them were farmers, they had at least undergone emergency training, with veterans serving as officers, and now stood in neat formation.
He said nothing, just shook his head silently.
He truly was a model of loyalty for Daedings Family. No wonder Lady Roslyn thought he was easy to talk to...
...
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