Two days later.
Hother Amber, the last acting lord of Winterfell, finally arrived with three hundred spearmen and one hundred archers.
By this point, all the vassals who could reach Winterfell, except for those from remote areas and White Harbor, had arrived.
The troops brought by the various vassals, large and small, ranged from several hundred to several dozen men.
After taking stock, Galon discovered that he had as many as 3,500 troops under his command.
Apart from the two hundred or so cavalrymen that Karstark brought, most of these men were infantry.
After consulting with Maester Luwin, Galon decided to have Lady Mormont's second daughter lead about six hundred troops from Glover, Bear Island, and Sevon to garrison Winterfell and protect Stark.
The remaining three thousand men followed Galon south to wipe out the combined forces of Euron Crows Eye and Victarion.
The army set off the next day.
Galon had his cavalry lead the way, while he led the infantry behind, and the farmers pushed and pulled supplies at the very back.
After walking for an entire morning, Galon and his men finally arrived at the Baihe Ferry.
It had snowed in the North a few days ago, and the ice on the White Knife River was so thin that it cracked at the slightest step of a horse's hoof.
The wooden bridge was crowded with people.
Garon frowned as he watched House Bolton's army dawdle as they crossed the river.
"Go, tell Ramsay to speed things up!"
"Tell him that if he delays any further, he will be court-martialed!"
Since Sansa appointed Galon as supreme commander in the name of Stark of the North a few days ago, Galon has been reorganizing the army in Winter Town.
We have to rectify this situation.
The vassals brought different troops, and even the types of troops were quite different.
Those with wealth would bring well-equipped spearmen and archers, while those with less wealth could only bring iron weapons.
To ensure unified command, Garon roughly divided the army into units of ten and one hundred men, following Deepwood Motte's unit division rules.
A vassal with few troops would command a ten-man squad, while one with many troops would command a hundred-man squad.
In addition to training the troops to work together, he also strictly enforced military discipline in the past two days.
Thanks to Galon's remarkable military achievements, many vassals, though privately complaining about the strict military discipline, had no choice but to obey Galon's orders on the surface.
Especially after Galon made an example of a few typical cases, using them as scapegoats.
So after Garon sent messengers to inform Little Flayer, House Bolton's army quickly sped up its advance.
"snort!"
" Little Flayer is deliberately making things difficult for himself. It seems we should give him a glorious mission before the war begins—to send him to his death."
Galon's gaze was deep and thoughtful as he decided on the fate of House Bolton as cannon fodder.
Once he turned his gaze away from the bridge, he ordered the rest of the men to speed up.
After all, time is passing day by day, and Ironborn won't wait for them.
Just then, a Karstark cavalryman rode up from a distance.
"Lord Galon, men from White Harbor are sailing downstream!"
The cavalry pointed downstream of the White Knife River and reported this.
Galon paused, his gaze following the direction the cavalryman was pointing.
Water plants swayed on the river surface, and in the distance, only a few sails and a white mermaid with a blue-green background were visible.
" White Harbor..."
Galon murmured to himself.
He thought White Harbor wouldn't be able to come anytime soon because it was too far away.
"Give the order to be on high alert!"
He waved the reins, spurred his horse, and stood on the flat ground not far from the wooden bridge, waiting for them.
As the boats at White Harbor docked, the sound of their gunwales scraping against the ice was low and harsh.
An elderly, extremely obese figure stepped ashore, his steps steady, the edges of his cloak damp with moisture.
The newcomer was none other than Lord Wiman Mandel, Lord of White Harbor!
After he got ashore, he didn't rush over.
His gaze first swept over the soldiers on guard, then over Galon who was waiting ahead.
Lord Wyman's gaze held both politeness and assessment, as if he were trying to guess Galon's identity.
Galon recognized Lord Wyman at a glance.
After all, his physique is too easy to recognize.
Upon seeing this, Galon immediately dismounted and hurried to meet him.
" Lord Wyman, I am Galon Glover of Deepwood Motte, and I am now under the command of Lord Stark to lead the armies of the North!"
Lord Wyman's face flashed with a strange expression, then he dragged his obese body forward a couple of steps and said with a smile.
"I 've heard of Lord Galon's formidable reputation even in White Harbor."
" Winterfell has now appointed you as its supreme commander. What a young talent!"
His face was kind and approachable, but his eyes were scrutinizing Galon, as if judging whether Galon had the strength to command an army and fight the Ironborn. Galon noticed his gaze but didn't seem to care.
"There was nothing we could do about it; Ser Rodrik tragically died defending the city..."
Before he could finish speaking, Lord Wyman's expression changed, and he exclaimed urgently, " Ser Rodrik is dead?"
Galon nodded, a look of sorrow on his face.
"Yes, Euron Crows Eye launched a surprise attack overnight. Although the Jazz defended with all their might, they were still defeated by Euron."
"Although I led my cavalry to rescue Asha Greyjoy overnight after defeating and capturing her, I was ultimately too late."
"By the time I defeat Euron, Sir Alex Ferguson will be too weak for the task!"
In just a few words, he not only explained the death of Ser Rodrik, but also made Lord Wyman understand why he was the supreme commander.
Sure enough, Lord Wyman's scrutinizing gaze softened and turned sorrowful.
"Alas, just a month ago I was discussing important matters with Sir Charles and Lady Catelyn in White Harbor."
"But I never imagined that this parting would be the last time we would meet."
Lord Wyman sighed, shook his head, and didn't know what to say.
Fortunately, at that moment, a tall, blond man jumped ashore from the boat behind. He was overjoyed to see Galon and rushed over.
"Lord Garen!"
Galon looked in the direction of the voice and saw that it was Newgate, whom he had previously sent to Moat Cailin.
He was overjoyed and exclaimed, " Newgate? You're alright?"
When the message was sent from White Harbor, it only said that Moat Cailin had been occupied by Ironborn and that some of the garrison soldiers had fled to White Harbor, without mentioning that Newgate was among them.
This led Galon to believe that Newgate had been killed in battle.
Surprisingly, he was still alive.
Newgate greeted him with a smile and briefly recounted Moat Cailin's story.
After he finished speaking, Galon patted him on the shoulder and said happily, "It's good that you're alive!"
"Lord Garen!"
Lord Wyman, unable to bear their conversation any longer, interrupted them, saying, "I have important intelligence to report; please come over."
A thoughtful look flashed across Galon's eyes.
He nodded to Newgate first, then walked with Lord Wyman to a rocky outcrop beside the ferry.
The soldiers consciously kept their distance from each other.
" Lord Wyman, is there anything urgent?"
Lord Wyman replied softly, "On my way here, I encountered farmers who had been plundered by the Ironborn. From them, I learned that the Ironborn are heading towards Ox Horn Mountain and are expected to arrive within three days at the earliest."
Galon's expression turned serious, and the terrain of the Ox Horn Mountain range instantly appeared in his mind.
The Ox Horn Mountain range is divided into two main mountains, East Horn Mountain and West Horn Mountain, through which Kings Road runs.
The two main mountains on either side are not high, only about 300 meters above sea level, and are covered with oak and sentinel trees, making them ideal for ambushes.
Once the Ironborn cross the Ox Horn Mountain, the North will no longer have a geographical advantage over the Ironborn, and the two sides will have no choice but to fight each other in the open wilderness.
"No, we can't let the Ironborn get through Ox Horn Mountain!"
Galon's heart instantly tightened.
He must block the northern entrance to Ox Horn Mountain before Ironborn crosses it, trapping the armies of Euron and Victarion inside.
"Looks like you thought of that too!"
Lord Wyman laughed.
Seeing that Galon realized this, he felt a temporary weight lifted from his shoulders.
"I brought Newgate and others with me this time, along with six hundred infantrymen. I'm entrusting them all to your command!"
"Lord Galon, I hope you will make good use of them."
Galon's expression brightened, and he laughed, " Lord Wyman, rest assured, I will never let Ironborn advance another step!"
He paused, then asked, "Does the Earl intend to fight alongside me?"
Lord Wyman shook his head. "I'm too old; my body can't take any more strain."
He looked at Galon and offered a brief explanation.
"I have urgent business to attend to in Winterfell. I've received some intelligence from Dragonstone, and I think Lord Stark should be informed first."
Galon paused, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes.
But just as he opened his mouth to ask, he noticed that Lord Wyman was smiling without saying a word, so he wisely refrained from asking.
Then Galon turned and waved to Newgate.
"You will take thirty men to escort Lord Wyman to Winterfell. Once there, follow Lord Mormont's orders and garrison Winterfell!"
Newgate nodded. "Yes, Lord Galon!"
At this moment, Lord Wyman also sent his captain of the guard over and instructed him to follow Lord Galon's orders.
After confirming that everything was correct, Lord Wyman mounted his horse and set off for Winterfell.
Galon watched him leave, and once his figure was out of sight, he immediately gave the order.
Tell everyone to speed up the journey.
"I need to reach the north entrance of Ox Horn Mountain by noon tomorrow!"
In an instant, the entire army sprang into action, heading straight for Ox Horn Mountain.
Just as Galon was about to engage in a major battle with the Iron Islands, the Riverlands Riverrun also encountered a turning point in its fate.