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On the training grounds of Winterfell, Robb was doing recovery exercises.
When he woke up three days ago, his body had been extremely weak.
But after a few days of eating protein-rich food, combined with his already strong physique, his body had basically recovered.
As soon as he finished training, Torrhen, who was standing to his left, stepped forward and handed him a towel.
After Theon left with the team, the two Karstark brothers had stayed by Robb's side the whole time.
Robb gave a slight smile, took the towel, and wiped the sweat off his face.
He figured Theon and the others were probably still on the road, chasing their targets.
"Edd, gather all the Wolf Guard who aren't on a mission.
Torrhen, go call the military officers of Winterfell as well."
Robb had no interest in thinking about whether Theon would succeed.
Now that he was sure his body had recovered, he gave his orders right away.
"Yes, Lord Robb!"
The Karstark brothers quickly went to carry them out.
After a while, all the Wolf Guard who weren't on missions, except for six, were already lined up on the training grounds.
The officers of Winterfell, including Ser Rodrik, took a bit longer.
"Brothers and sisters, some time ago, my health wasn't good.
Thank you all for guarding Winterfell every day and allowing me to recover."
Robb spoke loudly.
With a sincere tone, he bowed first to the Wolf Guard.
After straightening up, he raised his hand to calm the slight stir among them and continued.
"While I was unconscious, I had a nightmare.
I saw Winterfell destroyed by war.
I saw the banners of Northern houses cut down.
I saw the people of the North crying and screaming."
"You might think it was just a dream.
But the wildlings we captured told me something important.
Beyond the Wall, a king is gathering a hundred thousand warriors.
They say there are even giants among them."
"Of course, we all believe they can't cross the Wall.
But what if they do?
Would you watch your homes fall?
Your families die, or suffer worse than death?
Would you let yourselves become prey for those wildlings?"
As he spoke, Robb pointed north, his voice rising.
"No!"
"Never!"
"Kill them all!"
The Wolf Guard roared in unison, completely fired up.
After spending so much time with Robb, they already admired him deeply, and most chose to believe his words.
The officers of Winterfell reacted very differently.
Including Ser Rodrik, although they shouted along, most of them were still skeptical.
In their minds, the Wall had stood for a thousand years.
Even a hundred thousand wildlings, or even a million, could never bring it down.
"As Eddard Stark's heir, and the one in charge of Winterfell right now…"
Robb's tone became firm.
"From today onward, Winterfell enters a state of war readiness.
All military forces will be under my control and command."
Robb clearly noticed the difference between the Wolf Guard and the officers.
But he didn't care.
This was the real purpose of his speech.
When he declared full control over the army, Ser Rodrik raised no objections.
After all, his loyalty to House Stark was absolute.
But the officers beneath him immediately began whispering among themselves.
The structure of Winterfell's army was simple.
It was divided into three main parts.
The first was the cavalry, responsible for scouting, communication, and horse management.
The second was the archers and infantry, responsible for defense and security.
The third was the logistics corps, responsible for supply and support.
Each group had its own chain of command.
In practice, they operated almost like separate departments.
Equipment distribution and task management were handled internally.
Once Robb gave his order, all military power went directly into his hands.
Naturally, this caused some unrest.
"If anyone has objections, say it now.
Don't whisper among yourselves."
Robb had no interest in playing political games.
His original plan was already to gradually replace them with the Wolf Guard.
The officers were not fools.
Hearing Robb's tone, no one dared continue whispering.
They straightened up immediately, looking forward.
No one wanted to be the first to oppose him.
Robb was Eddard Stark's heir.
He was already known as the Young Wolf.
The army of Winterfell had always belonged to House Stark.
It was natural for him to take control.
On top of that, the strength of the Wolf Guard was obvious.
After the last battle, the soldiers on perimeter duty had already spread exaggerated stories about them.
So, without much resistance, control of Winterfell's army officially passed into Robb's hands.
...
The next day, after speaking privately with the Wolf Guard, Robb dispersed them and began taking control of the three main branches of the army.
Officers who obeyed and accepted the changes were kept in position.
In the future, when calling the banners of vassal houses, he would need loyal officers to manage those troops.
As for those who refused to cooperate or refused to give up their power…
Robb presented evidence he had already prepared and sent them straight to the cells.
There, they had two choices.
Die.
Or take the black.
For these actions, Maester Luwin and Ser Rodrik fully supported him.
To them, with Eddard gone, Robb was now the one they served.
Catelyn stayed by Bran's bedside the entire time and didn't involve herself.
In truth, she never had authority to interfere with Robb's decisions.
Except for Dacey, who insisted on staying by Robb's side, the other twenty-four members of the Wolf Guard were spread throughout the army.
They took control of the troops, which totaled around four thousand three hundred soldiers.
Following Robb's orders, they taught the soldiers of Winterfell the same training methods every day.
Robb had already thought all of this through beforehand.
Winterfell's soldiers had a solid foundation.
To improve their combat effectiveness quickly, there were only two options.
Better equipment.
Or better formation training.
Better equipment wasn't possible right now.
Robb didn't have the money or resources.
The North was vast, but compared to the South, it was poor.
There was no way to compete with the Lannisters and their gold mines.
What about introducing weapons from his past life?
That also wasn't realistic.
Winterfell's soldiers had trained for decades using standardized weapons.
If a soldier used to a longsword suddenly received a weapon from Robb's past life…
It wasn't about which was better.
To them, it would be completely unfamiliar.
They wouldn't be able to use it properly in a short time.
If forced to use it in battle, their effectiveness would drop.
Still, Robb knew many tools from his past life were more practical.
He planned to introduce them slowly in the future.
For now, the only option was to strengthen formation training.
And the results had already been proven with the Wolf Guard.
An army that could hold formation was far stronger than one that fell apart as soon as it advanced.
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