A few days later, Roman, who was far away in The Crownlands, received a message:
Thousands of bandits had invaded the territory, only to be driven back by the townspeople's tunnel warfare, and subsequently forced to surrender by a single charge from the arriving Ironmen and Light Cavalry.
In the end, all the bandits were captured; those who had committed murder were executed, and the rest were thrown into the mines for hard labor.
Roman took a brief look, understood the specific process, and then said:
"Fili, in a moment, send out my letter of commendation. Then, draft another letter instructing the people at Harrenhal to summarize this operation against the bandits and circulate it throughout the entire territory for them to learn from."
"Yes, Lord Roman!"
Roman did not care about these minor episodes; he dared to lead his army on an expedition precisely because he had already made preparations to defend his home.
As for the tunnel warfare in the Strongholds and villages, let you Lannisters play with that; Roman also wanted to see what new tricks the nobles of Westeros really had.
Putting down the letter, Roman pulled his thoughts back to the construction of The Crownlands.
Now that the territory of the Hean Family had expanded several times over, it needed time to slowly digest these new lands.
The Kings Road in The Crownlands was already in Roman's hands. Beyond controlling the trade leading to King's Landing, he also used this as a foundation to connect places like Antler Keep and Sows Corner.
To this end, Roman specifically summoned the construction team to begin building various infrastructure in The Crownlands. The primary focus was on the imperial roads; these "highways" would allow Harrenhal's logistics to be quickly transported to the front lines.
At the same time, it would also enable Harrenhal to connect with The Crownlands, accelerating logistics and improving the mobility efficiency of the army.
Since the last great victory, Roman had been recruiting a large number of refugees in The Crownlands to work. On one hand, it supplemented the labor force; on the other, it prevented them from becoming marauders, which would increase the burden of management.
Compared to the nobles of The Crownlands, Roman not only provided food and shelter but also imposed no exorbitant taxes or levies. Those people whose families had been destroyed by the coalition's grain and conscription requisitions a while ago also came to seek refuge.
So many refugees came that shantytowns formed around the castle. Roman had no choice but to organize these people to build houses for themselves, and while at it, use the castle as a base to build larger walls using rammed earth techniques, which expanded the original castles into formidable Strongholds.
Now, every day when Roman opened his eyes, he would inquire about the construction progress in various places, until one day, a raven from Harrenhal brought an important piece of intelligence.
"Roman, scouts from Harrenhal have sent word that a Lannister army has been discovered near the territory. The leader is incredibly tall; it is suspected to be The Mountain!"
Upon hearing this news, Roman immediately summoned Fili to explain the subsequent plan.
"Fili, I must return to the borders of Harrenhal now. I heard that The Mountain has run over there. I am leaving this place to you."
The young girl looked at the excited Roman and pondered over the figure known as The Mountain. She searched her mind for a long time before remembering who it was.
Seeing the determined look on her lord's face, Fili nodded: "Rest assured, Lord Roman. I will manage the construction here well. Please take care of yourself on your way back."
Fili carefully tidied Roman's gear and clothing. Once everything was ready, she stood on her tiptoes and lightly kissed Roman on the face.
Roman also smiled and tapped the girl on the forehead. Immediately after, he gave clear instructions to the commanders of each department, then spread his wings and took to the sky, heading straight for Harrenhal.
Through long-term practice, Roman had gradually learned how to accelerate his flight and reduce wind resistance. Now, he could keep up with the fastest birds in Westeros, and even though he intentionally controlled his speed, it only took him one hour to return to Harrenhal.
The residents of Harrenhal only heard a roar from the sky, followed by a white streak cutting across the sky, leaving a pale white trail in the firmament.
Lady Helaena of House Hoare knew Roman inside out, and she had been waiting in the Harrenhal square for a long time for him to land.
"My Lady, I have returned."
"Good child, you have worked hard recently! I have read your reports from the front lines; you have done very well! However, you must still take care of your health. Do not become arrogant just because you have physical advantages, and do not take risks with certain matters..."
Lady Helaena of House Hoare had not seen Roman for a long time, so she began to nag. Roman could only coax the old lady first, then found Old Jessy to inquire about the specific situation.
Old Jessy, as the Drillmaster left in charge, was responsible for the overall defense of the Harrenhal territory. He easily handed Roman the relevant data and the speculations of other officers.
After careful confirmation, Roman thanked Old Jessy, then immediately rushed toward the general area and notified the nearby patrols to search carefully.
As for The Mountain's side, he led a Lannister squad and had also launched attacks on the Harrenhal territory during this period.
But they were either discovered in advance, finding only empty villages, or were driven out by the villagers using tunnel warfare.
Facing the armored Lannister soldiers, the effect of the tunnels was even more outstanding. Whoever dared to enter the tunnels in armor would surely die after hitting a trap; there was no way to save them, and they couldn't escape.
The Mountain's physique was too large to enter the tunnels, so he could only stay on the surface, but the militia would often emerge from small paths to throw oil pots at him.
In the end, The Mountain could only flee in a panic into a small grove in the Riverlands; only here could he avoid being discovered by the Harrenhal soldiers.
The entire Lannister squad was in a state of depression and fear, not only because the Harrenhal soldiers were pressing in step by step, but also because The Mountain was venting his anger on his subordinates due to the failed operations.
By now, several Lannister soldiers had already been cruelly killed by The Mountain for inexplicable reasons that angered him.
"Why are some people missing? What is wrong with you lot? Can't you even watch over your own men?!"
That day, The Mountain threw a tantrum because there were deserters among his men. He gave his squad leader an ultimatum: if they couldn't find the soldiers who had fled, he would kill them as well.
The subordinates, listening to The Mountain's unreasonable demands, dared not speak and could only nod while trembling like chicks.
"I give you two days. If the deserters are not caught, I will chop off your arms, roast them, and stuff them down your throats!"
Just at this moment, a strange whistling sound came from overhead. Everyone was still looking up in confusion, not knowing what had happened.
But then, a white pillar of fire suddenly descended from the sky, instantly igniting the resting Lannister soldiers, but it uniquely spared The Mountain.
Immediately following this, the sound of dense hoofbeats erupted. The Harrenhal soldiers quickly surrounded The Mountain's squad and swiftly killed The Mountain's subordinates.
But towards The Mountain, they neither attacked nor spoke; they just quietly formed a circle until a massive ball of White Flame landed.
The fire scorched the surrounding ground, burning various plants and fallen leaves to ashes. Roman walked out of the fire and casually extinguished the White Flame.
As soon as The Mountain saw Roman, he remembered the humiliation he had suffered at the Hand's Tourney. Instantly, his anger burned, and regardless of whether he could win or not, he picked up his greatsword and charged.
Roman did not say a word. He took out his warhammer, assumed a stance, and easily dodged The Mountain's several slashes.
Subsequently, Roman seized the opportunity, smashed The Mountain's shield with one hammer blow, and then knocked away The Mountain's greatsword with another.
He couldn't be bothered to play cat-and-mouse with this piece of scum. Roman swung his hammer horizontally, smashing The Mountain's knee armor, turning it and his knees into scrap.
The excruciating pain made The Mountain cry out, and Roman subsequently smashed The Mountain's other knee with another hammer blow.
This mountain of flesh wrapped in iron armor crashed to the ground with a loud thud. The nearby Harrenhal soldiers, seeing The Mountain kneel, erupted into intense cheers.
Roman picked up a spear and flicked off The Mountain's helmet. At this moment, The Mountain's flesh-filled face had lost all color and was shaking uncontrollably.
"Gregor Clegane, now I am going to put you on trial. I will recount the sins you have committed throughout your life. Do you have anything to say?"
The Mountain spat and sneered: "You stinking lizard of the Hean Family! I should have... Helaena of House Hoare and that maid of yours..."
Bang!!!
Roman couldn't be bothered to listen to his trash talk; he smashed a hammer blow onto his chest, knocking him down.
"Hahahaha! This piece of scum hasn't realized that Lord Roman is toying with him!"
Accompanied by the sneers of the Harrenhal soldiers, the armor on The Mountain's chest caved in, but because his armor was made of specially thickened plates, this hammer blow did not kill him.
The Mountain was still thinking about how to sneak-attack Roman while on the ground, but Roman directly smashed his elbow joints with two hammer blows, completely crippling The Mountain's limbs.
Roman stood beside The Mountain and began to recount The Mountain's crimes one by one: murder, arson, rape, robbery, and so on.
"Under the witness of the gods, I hereby sentence you to death!"
Roman raised his warhammer and brought it down blow by blow. With every strike, Roman would name the people and villages that had been devastated by The Mountain.
At first, The Mountain could still talk tough, but within seconds, he started coughing up blood.
Roman started striking from the abdomen and slowly moved towards the head. The Mountain's armor gradually deformed under the immense force and embedded itself into his body.
The Mountain's internal organs were also slowly pounded into a pulp by the warhammer. At first, The Mountain was just spitting blood, but subsequently, pieces of internal organs sprayed out from his mouth.
By the time the organs inside him became more and more pulped, what sprayed out of The Mountain's mouth turned into minced meat.
The Harrenhal soldiers shouted excitedly from the side:
"Haha! Well hit! Beat this beast to death!"
"Lord Roman, don't use too much force, let him live a little longer! I want him to watch his own internal organs spray out of his mouth!"
Roman stopped after striking over a hundred blows. It wasn't because he was tired, but because apart from his head, The Mountain no longer had any part of his body intact.
Flesh, broken bones, internal organs, and armor fragments were mixed together, staining the soil black.
Roman pulled The Mountain's intact head out of the bloody mud and held it up to show the surrounding soldiers.
Amidst the cheers of the crowd, Roman led the soldiers back to Harrenhal happily.
Next, he was going to use The Mountain to properly disgust Tywin.