In the Riverlands, within the Whispering Wood.
Since House Stark and House Frey formed an alliance, Robb Stark had split his forces into two.
Roose Bolton led 17,000 men to the Trident to intercept Tywin Lannister.
Robb Stark himself led a cavalry force of 4,000, including 1,000 cavalry provided by House Frey, across The Twins.
On his way south, after passing Seagard, he absorbed the forces of the Mallister family of Seagard. Subsequently, some sellsword knights, minor lords of unknown names, and scattered soldiers of the Riverlands joined them.
Today, the strength under Robb Stark had reached over 6,000, of which more than 4,000 were cavalry—truly an elite force.
The combined forces, under the leadership of Robb Stark, charged straight toward the Lannister troops besieging Riverrun.
Due to the unique terrain of Riverrun, the 15,000-strong Lannister army was forced to disperse, stationing in three camps: east of the Tumblestone River, east of the Red Fork, and northwest of the Red Fork. Only in this way could Riverrun be completely besieged.
However, this also created a situation where, although Robb Stark's force could not compare to the total 15,000 men under Jaime Lannister, he had more men than any single one of the three camps.
This meant that as long as he used a strategy to lure out the enemy commander, Jaime Lannister, Robb Stark could combine his forces and defeat them one by one.
Just at this moment, Robb Stark encountered Marq Piper of the Riverlands.
Marq Piper was the eldest son and heir of Lord Clement Piper of Pinkmaiden.
Unlike his father, Lord Clement Piper, who had a rotund figure, Marq Piper was tall and thin, with golden curly hair and quite a handsome face.
From him, Robb Stark learned that several Riverlands lords, including Edmure Tully, had been captured by the Lannisters and were being held in the Lannister camp east of the Tumblestone River.
But what surprised Robb Stark the most was: when Lord Clement Piper had been stabbed at close range by Jaime Lannister, he had managed to rely on his large belly to catch the dagger, seize a horse, and charge out of the encirclement with his men.
Upon hearing this, Robb Stark did not know whether to cry or laugh. In any case, Theon Greyjoy beside him laughed until he was doubled over, taking a long time to recover.
Since the Battle of Casterly Rock, Jaime Lannister had won the skirmish at Riverrun and subsequently besieged Riverrun.
Meanwhile, Tywin Lannister had captured Pinkmaiden, Stone Hedge, and several other castles. After his home, Pinkmaiden, was captured, Marq Piper had led his knights out.
He had continuously led his remaining troops to raid the Lannister army's supply lines, striving to wait for the day the Northern army arrived to support them.
After listening to Marq Piper's words, Robb Stark had a plan in his heart.
He first sent out several units of two or three hundred men flying the Tully banners to wander about right under Jaime Lannister's nose, giving Jaime the illusion that scattered Riverlands soldiers were attacking their supply lines again.
He then lured him to the ambush site: the Whispering Wood, no more than two days' journey from Riverrun.
As the horn of Maege Mormont's troops sounded, Greatjon Umber, Rickard Karstark, and the forces of the Mallister family of Seagard and House Frey, who had long been lying in ambush in the dense forest, all obeyed the order and charged out, launching an encirclement on Jaime Lannister.
The big fish had taken the bait; it was time to pull in the net.
It must be said that Robb Stark's strategy was very successful; he had so easily surrounded the kingslayer Jaime Lannister.
The drizzle fell incessantly, and the moonlight was mottled like frost.
Trapped in heavy encirclement, Jaime Lannister looked decadently at the cloudy sky. Raindrops hit his handsome face and flowed down his neck into his golden armor; the sudden chill made him shiver.
Jaime Lannister looked around; to his left was Patrek, to his right was Tion Frey, and behind him were countless Lannister soldiers. They looked at their commander, Jaime Lannister, waiting for his final order.
Everyone already understood their current situation; surrounded by heavy encirclement, they had no way to fly out.
Jaime Lannister panted heavily, trying to recover his strength.
Then he raised his longsword high; the moonlight shone on his sword and his golden armor, emitting a dazzling light.
"Brothers, we are now trapped in a heavy encirclement, unable to retreat. But we still have one last choice, and that is to launch a charge in the direction of that young wolf, letting the North see the might of us Westerners!"
Jaime Lannister looked at the knights; his gaze was firm, and his command was resolute.
"All troops, listen to the order! Follow where my sword points and charge! When narrow roads meet, the brave prevail!"
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
The men of the West also had the unyielding blood of men. Under the leadership of their commander, they united and launched the final charge.
As long as they killed Robb Stark of the North, they would not be considered defeated.
Tyrion had once said that his brother Jaime possessed a charisma that made people willing to follow him.
Jaime Lannister rode a white horse, charging at the forefront, with Patrek and Tion Frey and other guards following closely behind. The soldiers' killing intent boiled, and the golden armor shimmered dazzlingly in the moonlight, like a ray of golden light cutting through the dark night, shining forward.
Determined to die, Jaime Lannister suddenly remembered the words his aunt Genna Lannister had said to him in the tent the day before yesterday:
"Jaime, back then, my father, your grandfather Lord Tytos, betrothed me at a banquet to House Frey, which was far inferior in status to House Lannister. Honestly, I had already accepted my fate."
"But my brother, your father Tywin, for the sake of me, his sister, had a huge argument with our father in front of all the lords and knights present. Although the outcome could not be changed, from that moment on, I knew that at least my brother truly loved me."
"Jaime, you are the least like your father Tywin among his three children. Your father is calculating and steady, while you are proud, arrogant, and young and impetuous. Although you may not achieve your father's accomplishments in the future, you can be yourself."
"However, Aunt asks you: are you really the person you want to be right now?"
At this moment, Jaime Lannister remembered the old knight he had seen on the cliff north of Casterly Rock that day; Jaime remembered he was Lord Vance.
That heroic figure who would go forward even if thousands of men stood against him constantly impacted his mind, making him unforgettable.
Jaime recalled his dream from many years ago: to become a member of the Kingsguard, wearing no crown, fighting for no glory, taking no wife, fathering no children. Wearing white armor, draped in a white cloak, a white sword breaking the long wind, a white horse reflecting the silver saddle.
For so many years, the self-indulgent Jaime Lannister had almost forgotten his former self. That young, impetuous, and arrogant self.
But, just today, in a situation of desperation, Jaime Lannister seemed to have found back the self that once took loyalty and patriotism as its duty, and punishing the strong and supporting the weak as its honor.
His eyes were determined, his longsword gripped tight, riding his warhorse, rushing to the battlefield.
The white horse neighs against the west wind, the white sword hides the moonlight. The white cloak covers the clouds, the golden armor reflects the stars.
"Is this me? Is this me!" Jaime Lannister was filled with agitation, charging to his death. The sound of fast horse hooves echoed in his ears, making him constantly ask his own heart.
"This is you." A voice sounded, and Jaime knew this was his own heart responding to himself. Or rather, it was that young heart responding to the current self.
"But I have already lost myself once."
"Very good, then take back the lost self, and live for yourself once again!"
During the War of the Usurper initiated by Robert Baratheon, Jaime Lannister should have gone to the battlefield with Barristan Selmy and other Kingsguard, but was forcibly held hostage in King's Landing by "The Mad King" Aerys.
Now he was still a Kingsguard; this time he was not fighting for others, he was fighting only for himself, for that former self!
In a trance, Jaime Lannister seemed to hear the bells of the "Battle of the Bells" in Stoney Sept from many years ago. That war from many years ago that he had not participated in had always lingered in his heart.
The sound of bells, war cries, and horse hooves kept surging within his heart.
Accompanied by the ringing bells echoing in his ears, the golden lion was mighty and magnificent. It shook its mane, bared its fangs, waved its claws, and roared as it charged toward the place surrounded by wolves ahead.
At this moment, the words of House Lannister's motto resounded in everyone's mind.
"Hear Me Roar!" the golden lion roared.
"Hear Me Roar!" Jaime shouted.
Do not ask for whom the bell tolls; the bell tolls for me!
In the Whispering Wood.
Robb Stark looked at the Western soldiers charging toward him without any panic.
Because Robb Stark did not take these people to heart; he already had a calculation in his mind.
"Pass my order: the two armies behind the Lannisters are to quickly close the encirclement, and the rest of the troops are to close in on me! The Lannisters are at the end of their rope; they are just lacking this last breath!"
Military orders were like mountains, words were like the wind. The many noble knights of the North now admired Robb Stark from the heart; they all saw the powerful military ability of this young wolf.
It was from this battle that Robb Stark would become completely famous, becoming a rare famous general on the battlefield who could trade blows with the veteran military strategist Tywin Lannister, making everyone convinced by his loyalty under the name of the young wolf.
A cornered beast's fight, Robb Stark sighed. He knew very well that these Lannisters were already determined to die.
In fact, from the very beginning, Robb Stark had ordered the army to pretend to open a gap in his own direction, using himself as bait to lure the Lannisters into the trap.
The Lannister army indeed fell for the trick, with the entire army charging toward him.
When these Westerners were less than 5,000 meters away, a hail of arrows suddenly shot out from the dense forests on both sides, causing countless casualties in an instant.
But these people were surprisingly tenacious, risking serious injury to charge toward Robb Stark, swearing to take his head.
Theon Greyjoy wanted to shoot the Lannister commander Jaime Lannister directly, but his several consecutive shots were firmly blocked by Jaime Lannister's two guards, even though both of them were already struck by several arrows, their armor stained with blood.
"Blackfish" Brynden Tully saw the situation was not good and immediately reorganized the army with Theon Greyjoy to return to support the commander, Robb Stark, in the rear.
Jaime Lannister took the lead, leading the dwindling army, charging toward Robb Stark.
Almost there, almost there! Jaime thought to himself.
The two armies were less than 2,000 meters apart! Jaime gritted his teeth, wiped away the blood that was about to blur his vision, and his green eyes stared fixedly at the figure surrounded by stars and moon. He used his already hoarse voice to boost morale one last time, relying on only that one word:
"Kill!"
There were less than two hundred soldiers left behind him. Even though they knew they would lose, they were still high-spirited.
Close, it was already close! Just a few hundred meters away! Jaime Lannister seemed to see hope.
He shouted to the Northern soldiers not far away: "Robb Stark! Do you dare to fight me one-on-one!" He desperately hoped that Robb Stark was a young, impetuous, and short-tempered person.
But he was quickly disappointed. What greeted him was not Robb Stark himself, but several guards around Robb Stark.
Just when the distance between the two sides was one hundred meters and the Western soldiers behind Jaime were few, an arrow suddenly shot out, piercing the drizzle, heading straight for Jaime Lannister's eyes.
Jaime Lannister was shocked and narrowly dodged it. But just as he finished dodging and gradually sat steady on his horse, three consecutive arrows suddenly shot out, flying rapidly toward him, aiming at his eyes, right hand, and left leg respectively.
This was Theon Greyjoy's famous stunt: Three-Star Consecutive Arrows!
Jaime Lannister had no choice but to quickly flip off his horse, falling into a pool of mud, barely avoiding this fatal attack.
Theon Greyjoy behind Robb Stark curled his lips, as if complaining about himself. Robb Stark patted his shoulder, signaling not to worry.
Sure enough, as soon as Jaime Lannister fell off his horse, several Northern guards surrounded him. He turned his head to look behind him and found that there was no one left behind him.
Jaime Lannister sighed heavily and stood up with difficulty from the filthy mud.
Subsequently, his eyes were firm, holding his sword, killing intent boiling, and he roared as he charged toward his opponents who outnumbered him several times.
Hear Me Roar!