The Mountain of Ice and Fire

“Is this the Mark City?” Edmure gazed at the tall city walls of Mark City.

“Yes, the castle of the Marbrand family,” the Mountain replied.

The sound of army training echoed from within the city, the battle cries shaking the heavens!

When Edmure passed Golden Tooth, he had also heard the sound of the army's early morning military training.

Golden Tooth was a border city, so Edmure hadn't paid much attention to the sound of military training. However, the military training sounds in Mark City were also deafening, as if a war was about to break out.

“Is this how the Westerlands usually train their army?” Edmure wondered with surprise.

“Farmers farm, hunters hunt, fishermen fish, miners mine, the army trains, each doing their own job, it's the same every day!” the Mountain said blandly.

To prevent the Riverlands from detecting the Westerlands' military preparations, Duke Tywin ordered military training to be limited to the guards of the major nobles and the city garrison, that is, professional soldiers. The people of the Westerlands continued to do what they usually did, and no conscription order was issued.

Only the Mountain's five hundred Clegane cavalry were formed by order of Duke Tywin, which also smoothly helped the Mountain and allowed him to complete the prototype of his force.

Duke Tywin had five hundred core personal guards, all cavalry, with strong combat power, responsible for protecting him and following him in the charge; once the war started, this particularly capable team could not be easily sent out to fight, it was the core force protecting Tywin, and would only be used at the most critical time; then another strong cavalry capable of突袭 was needed to take the lead, and the Mountain was undoubtedly the best choice.

Edmure was already alarmed. Their usual training also existed, but it was not such orderly and strict military training. The other nobles in the Riverlands also had training for the city garrison, but it was basically one day of training and one day of play, just doing morning exercises in the morning and then finishing. During training, there were no such imposing and solemn battle cries at all.

In comparison, the Riverlands' military training was not as arduous and diligent as that of the Westerlands. Apart from the training in Riverrun, the difference between the training of other nobles in the Riverlands and the training of the Westerlands nobles that Edmure felt was a bit large.

“Let's go into the city and take a look!” Edmure suggested.

“It's better not to go. I cut off Damon Marbrand's right hand some time ago and have already formed a hatred. Let's hurry past. In case Earl Damon sends troops out, there will inevitably be another trouble,” the Mountain said.

Edmure was shocked. The Mountain cut off Earl Damon's right hand?!

This news sounded very good, refreshing.

Earl Damon had lost his right hand, so he could no longer wield a sword.

Edmure was happy to hear about the conflicts between the Westerlands nobles, which made him feel very comfortable.

The two men rode past Mark City.

The guards on Mark City had long seen the golden lion flag symbolizing Tywin and the three black dog flag representing Clegane. The guards on the city raised the drawbridge, and did not greet or respond to the Mountain's passing.

Edmure turned his head and, with the Mountain's 'severed hand hatred' with Earl Damon, he saw that the guards on the city looked unkind, but no one dared to leave the city to intercept the Mountain to avenge Earl Damon.

Edmure brought a hundred-man guard, several knights of the family; the Mountain also brought a hundred Clegane cavalry, two teams of more than two hundred people, all cavalry, which was a very powerful army.

The Mountain's Clegane cavalry were all villains, and Edmure's cavalry were also well-trained professional soldiers, strong men and horses, and looked like they were not easy to mess with.

The Tully family's silver trout flag was also very conspicuous.

Damon Marbrand had a big grudge against the Mountain. He pretended not to know that the Mountain was passing by and ignored him.

He was also on the city wall, but he didn't show up.

The Mountain's raid on Riverrun in the Riverlands to胁迫 the Tully family had spread throughout the Westerlands. Everyone knew about it, and the major nobles in the Westerlands were all shocked. At the same time, everyone was very happy and hoped that the Mountain would suffer in the Riverlands. But soon Duke Tywin sent orders to various places, asking everyone to be prepared, in case the Mountain needed support, the Westerlands army could be pulled out immediately.

Later, the Mountain's extortion of 13,000 gold dragons and a thousand war horses from the Tully family spread to the Westerlands very quickly. In almost a day, it seemed that everyone in the Westerlands knew about it. Everywhere there were rumors that the Mountain had captured Duke Hoster and was doing whatever he wanted in the Riverlands, which made the Westerlands nobles excited and envious.

What was exciting was that the Mountain had won honor for the Westerlands people, and what was envious was that the Mountain had gained too much profit and even greater honor! In front of Duke Tywin, the Mountain would only be more favored in the future, and his arrogance would become even higher.

Soon, Earl Damon heard that Earl Edmure Tully had come to the Westerlands at the invitation of the Mountain. He himself did not believe this rumor at all until he personally saw the Tully family's silver trout flag appear on his territory.

This made Earl Damon completely unable to understand!

The Tully family should hate the Mountain and be mortal enemies with the Mountain. Why would Edmure, this romantic and filial son, follow the Mountain into the Westerlands? And he was not going to Clegane's Keep, nor was he going to Duke Tywin's Casterly Rock, but to the Westerling family. This was completely unreasonable.

Unless...

Unless there was something in the Westerling family's Crag that attracted the Tully family!

What could that be?

The Tully family had been declining for generations, and the family treasures that should have been sold had been sold. What was Edmure Tully here for?

Earl Damon couldn't figure it out!

He decided to find out.

Damon Marbrand was not easy to show his face. He was also a dignified earl, but he had friends, noble brothers who were friendly with Gavin Westerling. Letting them go would both save the earl's face and solve the earl's doubts.

*

In the Westerlands capital, Duke Tywin also received a raven letter from Earl Leo of Golden Tooth.

“The Mountain invited Edmure Tully into the Westerlands. What could this mean?” Duke Tywin did not understand the Mountain's intention. He pondered in his heart, but did not say this out loud.

The Duke handed the letter to Grand Maester Pycelle.

The Grand Maester did not understand either after reading it.

The Mountain had just slapped the Tully family in the face, and the Tully family had become good friends with him again? Did it mean that the Mountain's slapping the Tully family made the Tully family feel grateful? Did the Tully family praise the Mountain for slapping them well?!

That didn't make sense!

Every noble has a maester by his side, and these maesters all come from the same place: the Citadel. The maesters' studies, exams, employment, appointments and removals, and power are all in the Citadel. The maesters have the same origin, and although they have sworn not to participate in politics and remain neutral, that is a beautiful lie.

It is also common for maesters to communicate with each other. Their planning for their lords and actively participating in the lords' affairs themselves have already made it impossible to maintain so-called neutrality, whether in politics, military affairs, or any other aspect.

“I'll write a letter to Maester Yassa!” Grand Maester Pycelle said.

Duke Tywin nodded.

Maester Yassa, the Grand Maester beside Earl Gavin Westerling of the Crag, has served the Crag for many years and is a classmate of Grand Maester Pycelle who graduated from the Citadel in the same year.

To know anything that happens around a noble, nothing is better than asking the maester by his side.

The Mountain invented the thermometer and handed it over to Jeyne to complete, but he has not yet taught anyone the modern science of using pasteurization to kill germs in milk while retaining beneficial bacteria or bacterial spores. Duke Tywin of the Westerlands naturally does not know about it either.

In the Mountain's territory, the Riverlands' milk production is the highest in the Seven Kingdoms, and it also supplies milk to King's Landing, but once pathogenic milk breaks out, even if only one place breaks out, all the milk in the Seven Kingdoms can only be poured into rivers and ditches.

Turning pathogenic milk into healthy milk is a seasonal project to make quick money! The time is not long, and it is concentrated in the two months when pathogenic bacteria break out most intensively: July and August.

July has arrived!

Thank you: Chau534 and Longyi Zero for the rewards, thank you, handshake!