Seeing that Jon remained silent, Bolin interjected: "Lord Bolton has already received instructions from King Robb. Your army must also obey his command."
Robb.
Jon silently repeated Robb's name in his heart, inevitably recalling scenes from his past life where business partners turned against each other halfway through a startup.
He just hadn't expected power to alienate people even faster than money; their brotherly bond had soured so quickly.
I have to jump ship. There's no other way. Jon reaffirmed his resolve.
Beside him, Martyn tensed up, his eyes darting between Jon and Roose Bolton. He thought that if this truly was Robb's order, it would be hard to refuse.
But Roose Bolton clearly intended to expend their forces. Martyn didn't know what to do, so he quietly looked at Jon.
At this moment, Roose Bolton quickly played the "good cop": "Bolin! This isn't your place to speak!" Then he turned to Jon and said, "Jon, this is just a suggestion. Your military talent surpasses mine. If you have a better idea, please propose it."
Roose Bolton knew Jon wasn't like the others; even with Robb's orders, he might not be able to command him.
The fact that other lords dared to hand their armies over to this bastard right in front of him showed that his command authority wasn't that secure, let alone commanding Jon.
But Jon was Robb's brother after all. If Jon dared to refuse today, he would immediately inform Robb and have Robb apply pressure.
Jon picked a dried fruit from the table, tossed it into his mouth, and said, "My dear Lord Bolton, you're only in your forties this year, right? How have you become so muddled?"
Roose Bolton's expression froze instantly. Jon's words were thorny; they sounded like a joke, but the sarcasm was unmistakable.
Seeing the smile fading from Bolton's pale face, Jon finally continued: "When Tywin leaves, he will at most leave a small number of troops and some mercenaries to guard the castle.
"You know mercenaries; they recognize money, not people. And anyone capable of forming a mercenary company is definitely no fool. They should be able to see the current situation. My point is, if we can buy them off with gold coins, let's not waste lives unnecessarily. What do you say?
"Of course, if they really are single-minded fools, it won't be too late to attack the castle then."
Seeing Jon deftly reject his proposal, Roose Bolton had to accept. It was indeed a more efficient method than a siege.
Even if he took it to Robb, no fault could be found in Jon's words.
Jon knew Tywin would likely leave behind a mercenary group called the "Brave Companions." With only two thousand men, how could they hold Harrenhal, the largest castle in the Seven Kingdoms?
Moreover, Tywin himself was in a precarious position. They were probably already thinking about how to jump off the sinking ship that was the Westerlands.
In fact, Jon really needed to find a way to get Harrenhal under his control.
Lady Catelyn should be returning soon, bringing news of Renly's death.
Immediately following would be the Battle of the Blackwater.
In the Battle of the Blackwater, Stannis would suffer heavy losses and flee north in panic, while the Reach army, entering the fray with "six god-tier items," would seal the victory.
Under these circumstances, even if Jon could control Roose Bolton, fires would inevitably break out on all sides.
Not to mention he was so far from Robb he couldn't control what Robb did with his pants.
And his "pig teammate" Catelyn would privately release Jaime, causing a rift between the Starks and the loyal Karstarks.
Jon knew all this but couldn't control any of it. His only chance was to seize the right moment and attack King's Landing alongside Stannis.
Then, using the merit of assisting in the siege, he could achieve his goal of switching sides. Controlling Harrenhal would allow him to prevent or delay Tywin from reinforcing the capital.
For the time being, all Jon needed to do was wait quietly. Once Tywin left, he would take Harrenhal.
But he couldn't just sit idle. During this time, naturally, he should accumulate as much strength as possible.
After leaving Roose Bolton, Jon announced the news of slaying The Mountain to the entire Riverlands and began conscripting soldiers.
He remembered that the famous "Brotherhood Without Banners" should still be active in the Riverlands.
Among them was a high-level talent capable of "resurrection magic." If he could recruit them, it would be ideal.
For the next month, the army experienced unprecedented calm.
Jon released news that he would seek a decisive battle and launch a general offensive against the Westerlands army—mostly to scare Tywin.
Additionally, he had The Mountain's corpse paraded everywhere. Soon, many stragglers in the Riverlands chose to join the Northern army.
Most of them chose to join Jon's command.
By now, the number of "assembled soldiers" in his hands exceeded five thousand.
From a mere bastard, he had leaped to become the commander of an army of five thousand.
Jon's army had become the most powerful among the Northern lords.
Now, except for the official title, he had surpassed Roose Bolton in every aspect.
On this day, however, Catelyn, who had attempted to ally with Renly in the Stormlands, suddenly visited the Northern camp.
Jon had thought Catelyn would do as she did in the original timeline: head north to White Harbor after Renly's death, then loop around to the Twins to rejoin Robb's army.
On second thought, perhaps in this timeline, both the eastern and western branches of the Northern army had achieved good results.
Catelyn actually chose to drop by the "Eastern Army."
As the mother of the King in the North and King of the Trident, her arrival was naturally warmly welcomed by the Northerners. A small reception banquet was inevitable.
"Thanks to Lord Bolton's command, Robb can focus on fighting in the West," Catelyn said with a smile, acknowledging Roose Bolton.
Although Roose Bolton quickly stood up, Catelyn keenly sensed the other lords' disdain.
Harrion spoke first: "My Lady, Lord Jon is also an excellent commander. If not for him, you might not be seeing many of us here today."
Harrion's words froze Roose Bolton in place, but no one objected.
After the Battle of the Green Fork, Roose Bolton's report had heavily praised Jon.
At the time, Catelyn thought Roose did so considering Jon's identity, so she hadn't thought much of Jon's contribution.
But hearing previously that Jon had annihilated the elite Westerlands heavy armored unit and slain The Mountain made her realize Jon might actually have real skills.
Now seeing these nobles so utterly convinced by Jon, she felt it somewhat incredible.
After all, in her eyes, her son was the most outstanding one.
Catelyn turned to look at Jon. He sat there steadily, and the surrounding nobles seemed to subtly center around him.
Brandon.
The name of her first fiancé suddenly flashed through Catelyn's mind.
The current Jon, whether in looks, power, or aura, seemed to be leaning towards Brandon Stark.
Suddenly, alarm bells rang in the heart of the King in the North's mother.
Although Jon stopping Robb from becoming King that day aligned with Catelyn's wishes, now that Robb was the King in the North, she had to consider her son's interests.