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Tap, tap, tap!
Outside Riverrun's western wall, the Westerlands army camp was filled with neighing horses and hurried footsteps, all blending into a song of chaos.
Brynden stood atop Riverrun's wall and looked at the camp opposite him, where the situation was abnormally chaotic. He frowned, thinking about what Tywin Lannister was playing at.
Tap, tap, tap!
As he was considering it, quick steps came from the stone stairway. Brynden turned and saw Edmure, his whole face bright with joy, leading his guards quickly toward him.
"Uncle! Good news, wonderful news! My nephew is truly incredible. While we were besieged by House Lannister, he conquered the Iron Islands and helped Theon Greyjoy ascend as king of the Iron Islands.
"Then he formed a joint army with the ironborn, struck Lannisport by surprise, and took Casterly Rock, the castle that had never fallen!"
Hearing Edmure loudly announce the news, even Brynden, who usually did not show joy or anger, smiled faintly despite himself. He answered, "That is indeed good news. No wonder the Westerlands army has been in chaos since this morning. It seems they are preparing to withdraw."
"Hah, no, that is not it!"
Edmure had jogged all the way and spoken loudly, so he panted heavily a few times before continuing excitedly,
"That happened more than half a month ago. The Lannisters have been blocking our messages, so we knew nothing.
"Only a few days ago, Robb landed at Seagard with twenty-five thousand northern soldiers and took the Twins.
"Walder Frey, the traitor who betrayed his liege, was killed by his twelfth son, Lothar Frey, with his own hands.
"Now the northern army is coming toward Riverrun.
"Mm. Robb wants to join with Riverrun and strike the Westerlands army from both sides. Uncle, this is a fine opportunity!"
"He took the Twins? That boy truly did well.
"But you said Robb wants us to attack the Westerlands army together? Did his letter say that?"
Hearing Edmure continue with good news, Brynden swung his fist in excitement, but he was uncertain about Robb's final intention.
At Brynden's question, Edmure's expression paused slightly. Then he nodded hard and said excitedly, "Of course. As long as we defeat the Westerlands army this time, House Lannister will decline from now on.
"Robb might really take the Iron Throne!
"Heh heh. When that happens, House Tully will be the most powerful house in the Seven Kingdoms after the royal family."
"Heh. Do not think that far yet. Think about how we should cooperate with the northern army and keep this fleeing Westerlands army from escaping."
Seeing the longing on his nephew's seemingly fierce face, Brynden immediately interrupted Edmure's dream and turned to a practical topic.
Just after speaking, the ever cautious Brynden suddenly thought of something and asked, "Where did the raven letters come from? Could this be a trick by Tywin?
"And after such a long time of blocked messages, how did ravens suddenly fly in today?"
"Uncle, you are too cautious. We received two raven letters today, one from Seagard and one from the Twins. Both were sealed with the sigils of House Mallister and House Stark.
"As for how the ravens flew in, look at the chaos in the Westerlands army. They can hardly flee fast enough. How could they keep blocking messages?"
"Mm. What you say has some reason. Since the raven letters are genuine, the Westerlands army truly is preparing to retreat.
"However, before the northern army arrives, defending from Riverrun is one thing. If we leave the city for a field battle, we will most likely..."
Although Brynden had long served as Knight of the Bloody Gate in the Vale, he still understood Riverlands troops well.
"Uncle, Robb also mentioned in his letter that before leaving Casterly Rock, they scouted more than ten thousand Westerlands cavalry that had just set out from the Golden Tooth toward Casterly Rock.
"Based on the time, they must still be on the road toward Riverrun. We have more than seven thousand soldiers in Riverrun, nearly five thousand of them cavalry!
"If the enemy has no cavalry, all we need do is harass the Westerlands army as it retreats toward the Golden Tooth. There is no need to fight them head-on."
Edmure spoke with complete confidence, and this reasoning was quite orderly.
"It is indeed as you say. If we only harass their retreat, there is no problem. But I still feel that Robb asking us to strike the Westerlands army from both sides is too aggressive.
"The Westerlands army has suffered at least seven or eight thousand casualties in their sieges over this period.
"But that has not injured their foundation. Even if we join with the northern army, we cannot guarantee that we can defeat them in open battle."
Brynden turned to look at the chaotic Westerlands camp, still clinging to caution.
"Uncle! This is merit lying on the road for us to pick up. What are you still worried about?
"If House Tully wants to be valued in the future, we must have merit to match.
"If we can harass the Westerlands army during its retreat this time and allow the northern army to chase and defeat it, then this will be great merit that decides the victory of this war."
"No. If we are too aggressive and fall into Tywin's trap, do not speak of merit. Our lives will be in danger."
After Edmure finished, Brynden still shook his head and refused to send troops.
Edmure grew anxious. He bit his lip hard and said firmly, "Uncle, Robb is the King in the North we have acknowledged. This is his order!
"If you are unwilling to obey, then take two thousand soldiers and defend Riverrun. I will take five thousand cavalry and harass them.
"No more discussion. It is decided. I will gather the men."
Watching Edmure turn and hurry down the wall with his guards, Brynden could only remain helplessly where he stood. Although he did not agree with rashly sending troops, Edmure was right about one thing. Even if Robb was their junior, he was still the King in the North. They could not refuse his order.
The sun gradually climbed toward the middle of the sky. In the Westerlands camp, more than twenty thousand Westerlands infantry began withdrawing from Riverrun.
But their direction was not west toward the Golden Tooth, as Edmure had expected. Instead, they moved east toward the crossroads of the Trident.
The moment Brynden noticed this, he came down from the wall and found Edmure, who was making preparations for battle, to tell him.
Edmure's judgment was that Tywin feared the northern army would continue south. He was preparing to go to Harrenhal and hold the kingsroad to King's Landing.
Moreover, Edmure felt this situation was even better for sending troops, since they did not need to worry about cavalry returning from the Westerlands.
Seeing Edmure's fighting spirit, Brynden could only nod silently, hoping his judgment was correct.
In any age, a hasty withdrawal of more than twenty thousand men was bound to bring chaos.
After Brynden repeatedly confirmed that the vast majority of Westerlands soldiers had been gone for some time, and that only several hundred rear logistics troops remained in the enemy camp, he sent a messenger into Riverrun to tell Edmure, who had been waiting for a long time, that he could attack.
Clatter!
The chains on Riverrun's gate rattled. The heavy iron-plated oak gate quickly dropped across the moat, which had already been filled in.
Tap, tap, tap!
As a low horn sounded, Edmure, dressed in House Tully's distinctive fish-scale armor and looking vigorous, charged out of Riverrun at the front, heading straight for the Westerlands camp.
Around five hundred Westerlands soldiers in worn armor were searching the messy camp, looking for anything valuable.
When they heard the thunder of hooves and looked up to see thousands of cavalry riding out from Riverrun, their faces changed. With no will to resist, they immediately scattered.
"Kill!"
Edmure rode his warhorse, surrounded by elite guards. Sword in hand, he began chasing the fleeing enemy soldiers.
Rip!
Edmure held the reins with one hand, controlling the horse, while leaning far to the front right. The sword in his other hand followed the motion and carved a deep bloody line down the back of a fleeing Westerlands soldier.
The moment the man was badly wounded, he fell heavily to the ground and lay still, seemingly dead.
The five thousand Riverrun cavalry did not spend much time before wiping out the five hundred or so Westerlands soldiers.
The battle in the Westerlands camp was easy. Edmure killed four enemy soldiers to his great satisfaction.
Tap, tap, tap!
When he rode to the last Westerlands soldier, who had knelt early to surrender and so avoided death, the kneeling man immediately stood and cried out before Edmure's horse, "My lord, my lord, I am not your enemy! I am only a Riverlands fisherman! Please do not kill me!"
Rip!
Listening to him shout, Edmure's proud expression changed sharply. He drew his sword and thrust it through the man's throat.
"Hmph. You think you can fool me?"
Pulling his sword from the soldier's gurgling throat, Edmure sneered, then turned to the other cavalrymen and ordered, "Check for any enemies we missed. Rest briefly. Then we continue the pursuit!"
"Yes, my lord!"
Edmure's men carefully searched the chaotic Westerlands camp.
Every enemy was dead. Apart from dozens of trebuchets the Westerlands army had been unable to take away, nothing valuable remained in the camp.
After a short rest, Edmure led the five thousand cavalry east along the river road, continuing to pursue the fleeing Westerlands army.
On the broad, flat river road, one could occasionally see abandoned supply wagons, tents, shields, and other materials.
Edmure rode constantly around these scattered objects, but a confident smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
All the traces along the road proved completely that the Westerlands army was fleeing in panic and had not deliberately set a trap.
After riding for most of half a day, Edmure's pursuit force could already see the infantry at the tail end of the Westerlands army.
Edmure desperately wanted to prove his ability and kill or delay as many Westerlands soldiers as possible, but he was not stupid.
He did not lose his head and charge directly. Instead, he sent a thousand cavalry to each wing to harass the rear of the Westerlands army.
When the Riverrun cavalry on both wings entered range, they drew bows and fired at the enemy's rear.
Accuracy did not matter. Once they began shooting from horseback, the rear troops of the Westerlands army had to form defensive ranks, raise shields, or hide behind supply wagons to avoid the arrows.
And when the Westerlands soldiers truly formed up to meet them, Riverrun's cavalry immediately put away their bows and rejoined Edmure's main body, riding slowly behind the enemy with no intention of engaging.
The rear of the Westerlands army was nearly ten thousand pure infantry. Seeing that the Riverrun cavalry refused to come close and fight, they restored their retreat formation and continued forward.
At that point, under Edmure's command, the Riverrun cavalry harassed them again just as before.
For the rest of the day, Edmure kept commanding in this way, displaying the cavalry harassment tactics he had learned to their fullest.
Under such harassment, the morale and stamina of the Westerlands rear troops steadily declined. Even their retreat formation seemed to begin growing disordered.
Finally, the rear troops of the Westerlands army seemed unable to endure the harassment any longer. They detached several hundred Westerlands soldiers from the main body to form a loose battle line in place as a rearguard, while the main force continued withdrawing.
Seeing this, Edmure remained quite cautious. He worried that these several hundred Westerlands soldiers had been deliberately left behind as bait to hold up Riverrun's harassing cavalry.
Only after the rear of the Westerlands army disappeared from sight did he command the Riverrun cavalry to charge those several hundred soldiers.
The whole charge went smoothly. Before the Riverrun cavalry even reached them, the formation of Westerlands soldiers collapsed outright.
It was another chase with no suspense. Before long, most of the several hundred Westerlands soldiers were killed. A small number surrendered early and survived.
Because the pursuit was still continuing and they could not guard prisoners, Edmure directly ordered the surviving men beheaded, even those who still lied at the end and claimed to be Riverlands commoners.
After devouring these several hundred Westerlands soldiers, Edmure had the accompanying record officers note the achievement, then began pursuing the Westerlands army again.
For the next five days, Edmure cut nearly three thousand men from the rear of the Westerlands army like a dull knife slicing flesh.
The increasingly panicked Westerlands army also abandoned more and more supply wagons along the road. The number of soldiers at its rear visibly decreased.
On the morning of the sixth day, the hurriedly withdrawing Westerlands army reached the crossroads of the Trident.
This was a vital location. North and south ran the kingsroad connecting Winterfell and King's Landing. East led to the high road toward the Vale, and west led toward Riverrun.
Just like the past few days, Edmure's five thousand Riverrun cavalry were still chasing the enemy's tail and had reached the end of the river road.
When the rear of the Westerlands army passed through the crossroads and withdrew south along the kingsroad, Edmure thought for only a second before deciding to continue the pursuit.
Tap, tap, tap!
The five thousand Riverrun cavalry rode around a great many abandoned supply wagons and continued forward.
They did not notice that after they passed, Westerlands infantrymen crawled out from those wagons they had not bothered to inspect.
Ooooh, ooooh!
When Edmure and his five thousand cavalry reached the crossroads, a loud horn suddenly sounded from the rear of the Westerlands army ahead.
The army that had been fleeing in panic suddenly stopped. Several thousand Westerlands soldiers swiftly formed a fairly neat battle line, occupying the whole kingsroad and facing Edmure's force.
"Something is wrong! Go, we return!"
Edmure, who had enjoyed smooth success all the way, clearly sensed the strange atmosphere. He immediately pulled on the reins and ordered a retreat toward Riverrun.
Step, step, step!
On the river road behind them, where they had just passed, several thousand Westerlands soldiers with spears appeared as if from nowhere, completely blocking the road back.
"North! To the Twins!"
Although he did not know why there were Westerlands soldiers on the river road, Edmure reacted instantly and prepared to retreat north along the kingsroad toward the Twins.
Tap, tap, tap!
Tywin came slowly from the north along the kingsroad, with Kevan and Stevron, leading more than three thousand mixed cavalry and over five thousand Westerlands infantry, closing in on Edmure.
"Go east! To the Vale!"
Knowing now that he had been tricked by Tywin, Edmure sharply pulled the reins and squeezed his horse's flanks, sending it toward the high road to the east.
Rumble!
The five thousand Riverrun cavalry had only just set foot on the high road when thunderous hooves sounded ahead.
Edmure looked forward with an ashen face. A cavalry army from the Vale, larger than his own, wearing shining metal armor and equipped with excellent arms, was charging toward them in a wedge formation.
Seen from above, Edmure's five thousand cavalry were like prey trapped in a carefully woven spiderweb, with nowhere left to flee.
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