A light drizzle had just passed, and the sun broke through the clouds, shining down on the earth and quickly dispersing the mist veiling the distant horizon. A gentle breeze stirred the fresh buds atop the trees, and the birds began to sing again. A slender young woman walked to the window, but she did not stop to admire the vibrant spring scenery outside. Instead, she raised her arms and, with two crisp clicks, neatly shut both window panels, sealing out the chirping and rustling of nature's revival.
Margaery Ty... no, it should be said, Queen Margaery Targaryen's personal maid shut the window, turned back to stand behind her mistress, and continued listening to the assembly.
This was the largest hall in Highgarden, now packed with nobles from every direction: golden trees, grapevines, archers, apples in various colors, and beehives... Nearly every somewhat famous and recognizable sigil, one that any ordinary Reachman could name, could be seen in this room.
The reason so many lords had gathered was obvious. After a month of struggle and effort, all attempts by the Reach faction to "end the war," or more bluntly, to "make peace with Daenerys," had failed. The Reach merchants' favorite partner, the current Hand, the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch whose name resounded throughout the Seven Kingdoms, Aegor West, had already led a great army out of the camp outside King's Landing several days ago. He was marching westward along the Rose Road with great momentum, and had now crossed the border and officially entered the Reach, heading straight toward everyone present.
The atmosphere in the hall was visibly heavy. Aside from the reality of "facing the strongest and most ill-intentioned enemy since Aegon the Conqueror," there was another matter making everyone even more tense: the absence of the immensely wealthy Hightower family of Oldtown, said to possess riches not inferior to House Lannister, and protectors of both the Citadel and the Faith. They had not only failed to send follow-up troops to the assembly at Highgarden, they had even recalled the small and symbolic cavalry detachment they had originally sent to encircle King's Landing, openly showing their lack of confidence in this war against Daenerys!
Lack of confidence was one thing. The Reach was full of powerful lords, and aside from House Hightower, everyone who ought to be here was here. What they lacked least at this moment were soldiers and provisions. The absence of a single house, one not famed for its military strength, did not even amount to one-tenth of their total fighting power and was practically irrelevant to the larger situation. However, if Mern IX, the last king of the Reach from House Gardener three hundred years ago, could speak, he would likely say, "Funny enough, that was exactly what I thought at the time..." As for the outcome of the Field of Fire that followed, no one in the Seven Kingdoms knew it more clearly or felt it more painfully than the Reachmen.
This time, the enemy was still Targaryens with dragons, and their own side still had House Hightower refusing to join the fight. The familiar formula, the familiar taste. This omen was so bad that everyone felt their scalps tingle and a chill run down their backs.
As for this matter, Margaery, like everyone else present, could only secretly clench her fists beneath the table. With a great enemy before them and survival at stake, no matter how furious they were, they could not get their priorities backward and turn around to punish the arrogant Hightowers first. But looking on the bright side, while they were being slapped in the face and betrayed, an excellent opportunity to revive and expand their house's power was also right before them. House Hightower had a long history and deep roots in the Reach, and had always been a major concern for House Tyrell. But this time, they had shown no sense of shared fate or the unity expected of the descendants of Garth Greenhand. They had become the first bannermen to defy their liege lord and draw public anger. Once this conflict was over, Highgarden would absolutely be able to unleash its thunderous wrath upon them with perfect justification, without fear of resistance or opposition, and smoothly extend its influence and reach into the lands around Oldtown, including the Honeywine and Whispering Sound.
A cough drew everyone's attention. On the wooden platform at the front, beneath the banners of the green field and golden rose and the three-headed red dragon hanging on the wall, the most outstanding member of the younger generation of House Tyrell, Margaery's brother Loras Tyrell, began informing the assembled nobles of the latest situation and battle developments.
"According to intelligence from scouts and informants, Aegor's western expeditionary army has clearly brought enough powder weapons for a large-scale decisive battle. With this kind of disruptive and strange equipment supporting them, any ill-prepared and hasty engagement would be suicide. The frontline troops have already been ordered to actively withdraw the main force to avoid their edge, while at the same time sending cavalry scouts to keep approaching them for reconnaissance and harassment, striving to achieve two goals. First, to lure the western expeditionary army into sending limited cavalry to drive off our scouts, then use our advantage in local terrain and cavalry numbers to set ambushes, constantly wiping out small enemy units, blunting their morale and wearing down their strength. Second, to determine and master the route and pattern of their logistical transport, and attempt to cut off their supply lines after they penetrate deep into our Reach territory, causing them to defeat themselves without a fight once their provisions are exhausted..."
"That sounds quite nice, but has this plan worked so far?"
A mocking voice came from the front row. The speaker was none other than the commander of the Golden Company, Harry Strickland. During the great battle on the Blackwater Rush, he had suffered a "bombing" from Daenerys riding a dragon. Though he had not been directly struck by a bomb, he suffered double damage from the sweeping blast and flying shrapnel, bleeding from the head and falling unconscious on the spot. This caused the soldiers under his command to mistakenly believe he had died, turning an evenly matched confrontation into a crushing rout.
During the retreat while covering the Reach army's supplies, the Golden Company, acting as the rear guard, suffered enormous casualties and losses. Who could have expected that after finally retreating into the Reach, the Reach lords, terrified by the artillery bombardment, would frantically try to negotiate peace with Daenerys? This led to the Golden Company, elite guest troops as they were, receiving such poor treatment that they even had to beg for provisions. It was not until King's Landing imposed harsh terms and firmly rejected the Reach's overtures that Strickland, who had been neglected, was once more invited back and treated as an honored guest. After being treated hot and cold like this, it was no wonder that he, still not fully recovered from his injuries, was in a foul mood.
"Unfortunately, not yet." Loras Tyrell pretended not to hear the sarcasm in Strickland's words and calmly shook his head. "As of now, Daenerys's western expeditionary army has not penetrated deeply enough into the Reach, and their supply lines are not yet long enough to offer us an opportunity. On the contrary, the army itself, though numbering around forty thousand, is tightly grouped, with no units more than an hour's march apart. Even the scouts and forward patrols they send out are frequent and numerous enough to ensure they cannot be ambushed. They neither recklessly drive off our scouts nor greedily advance to pursue the bait we put before them. Their marching rhythm is steady, and before sunset each day they always halt, set camp, and prepare defenses. If I were to describe them, they would be..."
"A hedgehog with a persecution complex. Ridiculous on the surface, but impossible to bite into, which makes it precisely the hardest kind of enemy to deal with. This battle will not be easy." Jon Connington, the Hand, who was also seated in the front row accompanying King Aegon, cut in and added, "What's truly disgusting is that the provisions and military supplies used to maintain and deploy this force were most likely seized from the goods the Reach army abandoned in panic on the south bank of the Blackwater that day. If all of you had listened to me then and decisively destroyed the supplies for a light retreat, the enemy would never have been able to reorganize and conquer the Reach so quickly!"
Interrupting the assembly had not been Connington's intention, but his words immediately stirred agreement and commotion. A month ago, Margaery and Aegon's wedding on the Blackwater had been bombed and forced to halt midway. During the retreat, there had been a dispute over whether to destroy the supplies on the spot or take them along. In the end, however, the Reach nobles, unwilling to abandon their property, had overruled the commanders of the Golden Company and the prince's advisors, who only knew how to fight and paid no mind to logistics. Who could have guessed that this would lead to such a chain of dire consequences? Now that Connington had brought up the old matter again today, how could those "wise after the event" who believed they had been right from the start let go of the topic?
Seeing her brother on the stage beginning to lose control of the situation, and a dull argument on the verge of breaking out, Margaery's heart tightened. She quickly reached out and lightly scratched her husband's leg beside her.
(To be continued.)
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