In the Riverlands, within Riverrun.
Black wings bring black news.
Having just received news of the defeat at Casterly Rock, Edmure Tully and the others were shocked; no one expected Jaime Lannister to break through their defensive line so quickly.
Moreover, scouts had returned yesterday reporting that Pinkmaiden, southwest of Riverrun, had been occupied by Tywin Lannister's army.
This was disastrous, as Jaime Lannister could advance into the heart of the Riverlands along the River Road at any time.
Tywin Lannister could also march north from Pinkmaiden, then take Acorn Hall, and besiege Riverrun from the southeast.
This effectively meant Riverrun was now sitting right in front of the enemy.
Furthermore, in the past few days, Edmure Tully had seen with his own eyes the commoners of the Riverlands being brutally slaughtered by the Lannister army from the castle walls; he could no longer endure it.
"My lords, we absolutely cannot sit here and wait for death while defending Riverrun. We must at least ensure one route is not blocked," Edmure Tully said.
"Besides, the smallfolk of our Riverlands are being wantonly slaughtered by these Lannister bastards. We must go out and save them!"
At this moment, Riverrun's steward, Uthorless Wain, could no longer watch, and he stepped out to say: "Edmure, we absolutely cannot go out now! Once we leave, with our current forces, we will never withstand the fierce onslaught of the Lannister army."
Lord Titus Blaywood of Ravens Tree Hall also stood up to advise: "Our only advantage now is this castle of Riverrun. I believe we must hold fast and wait for reinforcements. Defending Riverrun in a siege battle will at least prevent the Lannister cavalry from playing a major role."
The lords present echoed his sentiments; after all, in their eyes, the commoners outside were not as precious as they themselves were.
"If you won't go, I will!" Edmure Tully looked at these lords, his head hot with anger, and after throwing those words, he grabbed his helmet and walked straight out.
"Edmure!"
"Edmure!"
Even though the people in the council chamber called out with all their might, it did not make him stop.
Edmure Tully walked out of the council chamber and went to the temporary housing built for the refugees.
"I am sorry, everyone. The Lannister army is coming, and Riverrun will likely not be able to hold out. Please leave here quickly. Perhaps heading north offers a slim chance of survival..."
Edmure Tully said to the refugees who had come to him for shelter; he had no other options now.
He had thought he could protect everything, but he never imagined that when the critical moment finally arrived, he would be unable to do anything.
After speaking, Edmure Tully led his troops to prepare to leave the city for a decisive battle against the Lannisters, both to prevent Riverrun from being completely besieged and to give the commoners more time to evacuate.
He even sent a small squad of men to escort the commoners to safety.
Seeing this, the commoners were deeply moved by Edmure Tully.
In these chaotic times, where would any lord or knight care about the lives of the lowly commoners?
"My lord!" A deep voice rang out.
Edmure Tully turned back to look and saw a man of tall, sturdy build with a full beard, but his left eye had been slashed blind, and there was a murderous aura about him that was different from ordinary people.
The man looked quite old, at least over fifty, and combined with the scars from blades on his arms, Edmure Tully surmised he was likely a retired veteran.
"My lord, we owe you our lives. From now on, no matter what happens to the Riverlands, we only recognize you! Old Jack thanks you!"
Old Jack widened his only remaining right eye and gave Edmure Tully a military salute.
Subsequently, the several hundred commoners of Riverrun all knelt on the ground, kowtowed collectively to Edmure Tully, and then, with tears in their eyes, turned and left.
Edmure Tully looked at the backs of these unarmed, elderly, weak, and disabled commoners as they moved away, sighing heavily.
He truly did not know what the outcome for himself and these people would be.
"Seven hells, this damned war!"
Near Riverrun.
Watching the rapidly approaching army led by Jaime Lannister, Edmure Tully could not help but gasp; this army must have numbered at least ten thousand.
Although he was scared to death inside, he could not show it on the surface, because his vassals and soldiers were all looking at him, and these people needed his command.
Edmure Tully looked down and stroked the heavy armor he wore, which was engraved with the House Tully coat of arms and words; this armor carried the glory of his father, Lord Hoster Tully.
Now his father, Hoster Tully, was bedridden, and it fell to him, the only son, to lead the lords of the Riverlands.
Edmure Tully thought to himself: Father, if you were here, what choice would you make?
Soon, the Lannister army drew closer, and Edmure Tully firmed his resolve; he finally had the determination.
He took a deep breath, drew his longsword, and looked at the many soldiers surrounding him; among them, he even saw those lords who had opposed him.
Despite his stubbornness and their disagreement, these people could not bear to watch their liege lord go to the battlefield alone, and they were still willing to rally around this young man, Edmure Tully.
Edmure Tully was very moved, and he shouted loudly to everyone—
"My lords and knights, the Lannister army is coming, and their behavior is shockingly cruel. If we retreat now, our homes will be occupied and ransacked, and our people will be ruthlessly slaughtered by them."
"At this moment, I, Edmure Tully! Swear in the name of the Lord of the Trident and the Duke of Riverrun! Your parents will be cared for by House Tully, and your children will be raised by House Tully! Your names will be sung by the world, and your deeds will last forever!"
"Brothers, draw your swords! Behind us is our home, behind us are our people; we have no way left to retreat!"
At this moment, Edmure Tully's back looked so tall and dazzling.
Infected by him, the soldiers behind him all drew their longswords and followed him, charging toward the massive Lannister army.
In the songs sung by the world, fierce and evil monsters can always be defeated by brave and righteous knights.
However, war is not a song after all; when the lion shows its claws and fangs, even the most righteous and brave trout will be killed instantly.
Edmure Tully led everyone straight to the Lannister command center, which was the location of the main general, Jaime Lannister.
The Lannister offensive was swift and powerful, like a lion's sharp claws swiping across the trout of the Riverlands, scraping off the fish scales on the right side in just one round.
Edmure Tully turned his head and saw a troop of soldiers on the right being scattered directly by the Lannisters.
But there was no turning back now; he could only lead the army in a swarm.
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
On the battlefield, dust flew, battle cries shook the sky, and almost every moment someone fell and died.
Jaime Lannister's swordsmanship was superb; on the entire battlefield, if it came to one-on-one combat, no one could survive under his hand.
Jaime Lannister first used his sword to block a fierce attack from a knight of House Mooton, found the opponent's center of gravity, deflected the attack, and at the same time immediately stabbed into another person's chest nearby.
He quickly turned, pulled out his blood-stained longsword, kicked the slowly cooling corpse toward the opponent, and in those few seconds while his vision was blocked, he stabbed another sword directly into the opponent's throat.
"Lannister!"
Edmure Tully, who was fighting an opponent not far away, saw this and his eyes reddened.
He gritted his teeth, his head hot with anger, gripped his longsword, let out a roar, and killed toward Jaime Lannister.
Jaime Lannister smiled confidently at the sight.
After the two exchanged a few moves, Jaime also knew Edmure's level.
His longsword suddenly spun a big circle in his hand, changed to a backhand grip, and pressed Edmure Tully's desperate straight thrust to the ground.
Immediately following, Jaime kicked with his left foot, causing Edmure Tully's right hand holding the sword to ache.
Then Jaime gripped his longsword with his right hand and immediately swept it across his front, catching Edmure Tully off guard, who could only quickly lower his body to dodge the blow.
Just at this moment, Jaime closed in quickly and kicked Edmure Tully in the chin, making Edmure see stars and feel dizzy.
The next moment, Jaime Lannister seized the opportunity and slammed an iron mountain lean into Edmure Tully's chest.
Edmure Tully fell to the ground instantly; he felt a sharp pain coming from his chest, making him want to vomit.
When he opened his eyes again, Jaime Lannister's cold longsword was already resting against his throat.
With the Riverlands' main general, Edmure Tully, as well as multiple lords captured, the scales of war began to tilt.
"If you don't want him to die, surrender quickly!"
"Surrender quickly!"
Cries of surrender rang out from the battlefield, which also meant the war was coming to an end.
The Riverlands soldiers, seeing that the situation was lost, helplessly dropped the weapons in their hands, preparing to be captured.
They also knew very well in their hearts that this was a battle whose outcome could be foreseen from the very beginning.
Only Lord Titus Blaywood of Ravens Tree Hall, seeing that the situation was developing unfavorably, decisively led a group of surviving troops to break out of the encirclement.
It just so happened that at this moment, the army of the bow-legged Lord Clement Piper, who had been scattered by Jaime Lannister at the south camp of the Casterly Rock mountain pass, also arrived at the battlefield to rendezvous with them, and the two joined forces to retreat into Riverrun.
"Jaime Lannister, you won this time. I will surrender, but I ask you not to harm my soldiers who have already surrendered. They were all conscripted by me; if there must be a result, then count the lives under their hands on my head."
Edmure Tully was in despair; he had thought of many things, but losing was losing, and now he just wanted to save everyone's lives.
"Edmure! What kind of bullshit are you talking about! When I was killing people, you hadn't even grown your teeth yet! When is it your turn, this kid, to die for me!"
"Hahaha, I killed quite a few Lannisters, why should it be pinned on your head! You still need to stand back!"
"Don't even think about being a hero by yourself, I tell you, no way!"
From this, it could be seen that Edmure Tully had a high status in everyone's hearts.
Although his ability was not very strong, his kind and sincere heart made the lords of the Riverlands willing to die for him.
"I promise you."
Jaime Lannister looked at the determined Edmure Tully, as well as the lords behind Edmure who were shouting non-stop.
Jaime's mood was somewhat complicated; he suddenly felt that the Edmure Tully in front of him was much happier than himself.
Because Jaime Lannister was not sure if he were captured, whether he would have this determination to actively sacrifice himself to preserve his companions?
Would his subordinates also be like this group of people from the Riverlands, desperately attracting the enemy's attention, wanting to protect him?
Jaime Lannister sighed as he walked past Edmure Tully, saying slowly—
"Ser, you are a good man, but not a qualified commander."