After Renly finished reading the letter, his expression changed.
"Dorne has sent troops," he said to the Stormlands nobles gathered around him. "Oberyn Martell, the Red Viper of Dorne, has personally led an army of ten thousand men through the Bone Road into the Stormlands. They may have already surrounded Blackcrown by now. Lord Dondarrion has written asking us to send reinforcements."
Loras was stunned, his previously good mood plummeting to freezing point. "What? Are the Dornish insane? What do they want?"
Renly gripped the letter, his fingers tightening. "They aren't insane. They must have pledged allegiance to the Targaryen long ago. Don't forget the previous reports about dragons appearing in Dorne."
He stood up and paced back and forth in the tent. The gathered nobles were also contemplating their next move.
"The Dornish have always hated the Lannisters because they killed Princess Elia and her children. Now that the Targaryen has returned, they will naturally side with them."
"So what should we do now?" Loras asked anxiously.
But before they could fully digest the news, another messenger entered, handing over a letter. Loras, being somewhat impatient, snatched the letter first and began reading.
A moment later, his face turned grim as he reported to Renly, "Your Grace, this is an urgent dispatch from King's Landing. Dorne has mobilized ten thousand troops from the Prince's Pass and surrounded King's Landing. Judging by their banners, the commander should be Lord Florent of Brightwater Keep. Lord Caron of King's Landing is also requesting aid from us."
Lord Mace looked somewhat pale today, as if he hadn't rested well.
"The Reach..." he murmured upon hearing the news. "Will The Reach also..."
However, before he could finish speaking, a third messenger entered the great tent.
"Duke Tyrell, this raven message is from Highgarden." The messenger immediately spotted the 'Inflated Fish' Lord sitting there.
Lord Mace stood up, his expression serious as he accepted the letter. After opening it, he realized there were two letters inside. After reading the one on top, he slumped back into his chair.
"This is a letter from Lord Randyll Tarly of Horn Hill, stating that Count Illyn Wood of Dorne has personally led an army of ten thousand, stationed between Horn Hill and King's Landing, subtly threatening The Reach..."
"What does the other letter say?" Renly continued to ask.
Lord Mace Tyrell replied evasively, "This one is from my mother, expressing her concern for me. Lord Randyll's letter was first sent to Highgarden, and then forwarded here from there. My mother read its contents and worried about my safety."
The tent fell into a deathly silence again.
No one present noticed the slight flicker in Lord Mace's eyes, except for Loras. He could tell his father was definitely hiding something, but it wasn't the right time to bring it up directly. He could wait until they returned to question his father about the real situation and see if it needed to be reported to Renly.
Judging by the time the raven message arrived from Highgarden, which was similar to the messages from the other two castles, it was clear that Lord Randyll Tarly was at least far more capable than the other lords.
He truly deserved his fame as one of the great commanders who rose to prominence during the War of the Ninepenny Kings. His military talent should surpass that of the old lion Tywin by a good margin. After all, Tywin's military strength was currently being completely suppressed by Robb; Tywin must be stronger in overall capability.
"Your Grace," the other nobles turned to Renly collectively, their voices urgent. "We cannot march north to King's Landing now. We must deal with Dorne first." Their families had brought almost all their forces; what remained would hardly be enough to resist the Dornish invasion.
Lord Mace also spoke up, echoing them, "Yes, yes, we must deal with Dorne first. Our base cannot be lost."
Renly looked at them, then at the three red dots he had just drawn on the map representing the Dornish armies. His face became extremely grim. Over thirty thousand Dornish troops were pressing the border from three directions simultaneously. The rear of their army had suddenly become the new battlefield.
He knew that the best opportunity to advance on King's Landing had completely passed. So, he could only offer a wry smile. "It seems we have to settle matters on our doorstep first. Send the order down; the entire army is to prepare for withdrawal."
"Withdraw?" Loras was still somewhat unwilling. "Withdraw to where? Such a great opportunity."
"Withdraw back to Storm's End," Renly looked at him and said. "The rear of both The Reach and the Stormlands are already threatened. We cannot fight a war on two fronts with King's Landing. We must secure our own territory first before making further plans."
Loras wanted to say more but ultimately kept quiet. The other nobles breathed a sigh of relief and quickly went to arrange the army's withdrawal. Only Renly, Loras, and Mace remained in the tent.
Loras recalled his father's actions earlier. Now that only the three of them were present, he could finally ask. "Father, you concealed the contents of that other letter, didn't you? Now it's just you, me, and His Grace. Are you still not going to tell us?"
Renly also stopped thinking and looked seriously at his 'father-in-law' before him.
"You know, Margaery went to Valyria before," Mace finally began to speak hesitantly. "She tried to persuade us to surrender to Viserys, but she didn't come to Bitterbridge as previously agreed; instead, she went to Highgarden. She has already persuaded the other members of House Tyrell, and several major lords of The Reach have also been persuaded by my mother."
Now, The Reach, besides them, might have entirely submitted to Viserys.
Renly's face darkened completely.
Loras also frowned. "Father, what are you saying? Margaery and Grandmother..."
"I don't know," Mace interrupted him. "This letter was written by your grandmother. She has now appointed Willas to be fully responsible for matters in Highgarden. The letter also says she hopes we can see the situation clearly and voluntarily take the black. Also..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but the way he looked at Renly made Loras understand completely, because the letter Margaery had arranged to be sent to them earlier mentioned it.
He had originally planned to wait for Margaery to arrive at Bitterbridge, then turn around and persuade her to marry Renly to become his Queen, deepening the ties between House Tyrell and House Baratheon. After all, he himself could not marry him, and Renly was the King and needed an heir.
Mace paused, then looked at Loras and said, "Mother also said in the letter that Margaery is willing to persuade Viserys to give Renly a chance to take the black for your sake."
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