The Mountain of Ice and Fire

“Mountain, we'll do as you say. You'll be the supreme commander of the allied forces,” Robb Stark said slowly. “I'll be your second-in-command. None of the Seven Kingdoms can come to support the North, but you've come, and with dragons. That alone is reason enough for us to listen to you.”

Queen Mother Catelyn Tully, Queen Roslin Frey, and the Northern nobles were all silent.

What Robb said was true.

But in fighting in the North, how could the Mountain be more suitable than Robb?!

Grey Wind jumped off the table and sat down beside his master, Robb, like a dog. His wolf head was higher than the table, his wolf eyes staring at the Mountain, his tongue lolling out like a dog's, revealing dagger-like wolf teeth, and a low growl rumbling in his throat.

Grey Wind's reaction was a reflection of Robb Stark's inner thoughts.

The Mountain knew that Robb and his siblings all had the potential to be wargs, but only Jon Snow, in his battles against the wildlings and the White Walkers, had been stimulated enough to become a true warg without a teacher.

Robb Stark, who had not yet become a warg due to some catalyst, still had a deep understanding with his direwolf Grey Wind.

The Mountain understood that to glimpse Robb Stark's inner emotions, one could understand them by looking at Grey Wind's reaction. Robb was a passionate young man; he appeared calm on the surface, but his heart was churning with turbulent waves.

Robb's statement of allowing the Mountain to be the supreme commander of the allied forces seemed easy, but in reality, it would have a huge negative impact on the soldiers in the North. The Northern soldiers and people loved and trusted Robb Stark, and they generally hated the Mountain's character and doubted his abilities.

Although the Mountain had warned Eddard Stark during the Red Wedding at House Frey, saving the lives of all the soldiers in the Northern army, the common people and ordinary soldiers did not know this secret, nor could they know it.

After Robb said he agreed to let the Mountain be the supreme commander of the allied forces, the meeting hall was silent again, this time with a suffocating heaviness, as if an invisible iron plate was pressing down on everyone's heads.

The Mountain's gaze slowly swept over the Queen Mother, the Queen, the King, the many courtiers, and the guards. He said, "Since King Robb supports me as the supreme commander of the allied forces, when the Southern army arrives, we need to hold a ceremony of investiture before the Old and New Gods. Under the witness of the Old and New Gods, I want everyone to swear to abide by my military orders. In order to defeat the White Walkers and protect the North and its people, the soldiers must strictly enforce orders and be completely obedient…"

The Mountain did not say the last sentence, 'Disobeyers will be executed.' This sentence was too stimulating. Saying it now would make the Northern warriors feel very uncomfortable, and it would be counterproductive, possibly causing unforeseen events. It would be natural and indisputable to say it at the investiture ceremony when the Southern army arrived.

“Lord Mountain, I would like to hear your guaranteed victory strategy,” Queen Mother Catelyn Tully said in a hoarse voice. Robb's forced concession of military command increased her unease. How could the Mountain understand everything about the North better than Robb when fighting in the North? This was the North, and they needed someone familiar with the North to lead the army, while the Mountain was from the Westerlands.

“Your Majesty, the guaranteed victory strategy cannot be revealed now,” the Mountain said solemnly. “My strategy needs to be kept absolutely secret. The Night King is the godson of the Cold God and has a certain predictive ability.”

Catelyn Tully choked!

Queen Roslin reached out and grasped Robb's hand, fortunately under the table, where no one could see the Queen's consideration.

Roslin could feel Robb's hand was cold. This showed that the King was worried… the Mountain was too strong, and the King knew nothing about the Mountain's strategy, which gave him tremendous psychological pressure.

Roslin Frey knew that her husband was in a difficult position, but 'difficult' was not enough to express the many complex emotions in Robb's heart. Grey Wind was no longer sitting; he stood up, his wolf eyes staring at the Mountain with terrifying intensity, the cold light in his wolf eyes like sword light.

“Lord Mountain, if you can't tell us the strategy, how can we, the soldiers and people of the North, trust you?” Queen Roslin Frey said with a smile.

This sentence sounded ordinary, but it was actually very powerful. The gentle words contained a sharp rebuttal—if the soldiers and people of the North could not trust the Mountain, then naturally they could not honor the Mountain as the supreme commander of the allied forces.

“Your Majesty, after the Southern army arrives and the investiture ceremony is held before the Old and New Gods, I will naturally convene a supreme military conference to reveal my specific strategy.”

“Then, Mountain, what preparations should we make in Winterfell now?” Robb Stark said calmly.

“Robb,” the Mountain addressed him by his first name. This was not disrespectful; it only showed that the Mountain was too self-assertive and tyrannical. The King of the North was not the Mountain's king. In this world, if the status was equal or special, directly calling the king's name was not taboo; on the contrary, it had a sense of closeness. “Your military plans remain the same. I just need to add one thing now: dig deep tunnels under the walls of Winterfell.”

“Tunnels?” Robb asked, his eyes flashing. The crypts beneath his home were very wide and deep, and had already been used as temporary shelters for some of the people.

“Yes, new tunnels that are wide and deep enough. The entrance to the tunnels must be small, easy to defend and difficult to attack, but the inside of the tunnels must be wide and deep enough, like a wineskin, with a very large belly but a very small opening.”

“Mountain, even if we hide in the tunnels if the White Walkers attack Winterfell, it's not a long-term solution. No one can hide in the tunnels in winter and exhaust the White Walkers to death,” Lord Karstark said.

House Karstark was a branch of House Stark of the North.

A thousand years ago, Karlon Stark, the younger son of Winterfell, was granted land for his meritorious service in pacifying a rebellious lord. He named his castle Karlon's Hold, and after several centuries, Karlon's Hold became Karhold. The Starks of Karhold became Karstarks.

Karhold was located northeast of Winterfell, in the center of a forest on the edge of the Last River, close to the Shivering Sea. The Karstarks were tall and fierce, with long hair and beards, and liked to wear clothes made of seal, bear, and wolf skins. Their sigil was a white sunburst on a black background, and their motto was “The Sun of Winter.”

The lord of Karhold in this generation was named Rickard Karstark, a burly old man with completely white hair and beard, loyal and brave, with a fiery temper. His second and youngest sons were killed by Jaime Lannister in the Whispering Wood, and he harbored a deep hatred for House Lannister. Beside him, his eldest son, Harrion Karstark, had a thick, dark beard and a fierce appearance, like a humanoid beast.

Rickard Karstark's mockery of the Mountain's 'tunnel plan' caused a burst of laughter among the Northern nobles.

The Mountain did not take it to heart, as if mockery was a beautiful compliment to him. He smiled and said, “Lord Rickard, if Winterfell is lost on the ground, we certainly cannot hide in the tunnels forever, but we can hide for a while. During this time, my second plan will slaughter most of the wights, and there will be very few wights left, enough for you to crawl out of the tunnels again to kill them all and burn them to ashes. The Night King can only resurrect corpses, but he cannot resurrect ashes. Without the strength of his army, the Night King and the White Walkers will be completely wiped out by me and my dragons leading you with obsidian weapons. Even the Night King cannot withstand the stabbing of an obsidian dagger or the precise attack of an obsidian arrow. So, what is so scary about the seemingly powerful Night King? In my opinion, he is actually fragile and vulnerable.”

The Mountain spoke easily and calmly, with a smile on his face: “Everyone, fire is the nemesis of wights, and obsidian weapons are the nemesis of White Walkers. With the nemesis in hand, what is there to fear?”

The Mountain was exaggerating, but he was not bragging casually. The anxious Northerners needed the Mountain's certainty, confidence, and conviction of victory. This was a tactical boost, which was crucial to boosting the morale of the Northern army, without a doubt.

The laughter in the meeting hall gradually stopped and eventually disappeared. Everyone vaguely felt that the Mountain did indeed have a very complete plan. Perhaps, their bad impression of the Mountain had affected their trust in him, thus naturally creating resistance to the Mountain.

Robb Stark's heart stirred. He suddenly became sensitive to a very serious problem. This problem might be the fundamental reason why the Mountain was unwilling to reveal his military plan in its entirety. He needed to figure out whether the military plan that the Mountain was afraid to say was as he suspected.

For the sake of Winterfell, for the sake of the North, and for the sake of the people of the North, Robb Stark needed to know all of the Mountain's military plans in advance.

“Mountain, I fully support you as the supreme commander of the allied forces, and I hope you will allow me to be your second-in-command,” Robb said with such humility as the King of the North, which stunned the Northern courtiers, Queen Mother, and Queen.

The Mountain immediately became sensitive. Was this young Robb starting to dig a hole?! With guys like this who were old beyond their years, it was never a good thing when they took a very low posture.

“Robb, I am the supreme commander of the allied forces, and you are the deputy commander of the allied forces,” the Mountain replied to Robb's words, seemingly rough but actually cautious.

Robb nodded, looked at the Queen Mother, the Queen, the courtiers, and the generals, and said, “Do you believe me?”

Everyone felt strange in their hearts, but they all nodded and said in unison that they trusted His Majesty the King. The Mountain felt a trace of ominousness, but his expression did not change.

“Since you trust me, then please go out first. The supreme commander Mountain and I need to study the new military deployment plan for Winterfell in detail.”

After a moment of stunned silence, everyone understood that His Majesty the King was indeed powerful. The Mountain's excuse for not revealing the military plan in advance was for fear of the news leaking, but limiting it to only the supreme commander and the deputy commander would not involve the issue of military secrets being leaked. So, what other excuse could the Mountain have for not revealing the military plan?

Unless the Mountain did not trust his deputy and believed that the King of the North would leak the top military secrets to the White Walkers. But this deputy was the King of the North. He came from House Stark, which valued faith and honor above life. No one could doubt the faith and honor of House Stark.

Not even the Old and New Gods.

Everyone stood up and left one after another, looking at the Mountain with a hint of playfulness and mockery. Big heads did not have great wisdom. Although the King of the North was young, he had already proven himself to be invincible. In the civil war, the battles commanded by King Robb Stark of the North had never been defeated. Of course, the battles commanded by the Mountain had also never been defeated, but the Northern soldiers naturally believed in the King of the North more.

If the Mountain's military plan was perfect, that would be best, but even if it was not perfect, it would become perfect with the participation and formulation of King Robb of the North.

Everyone felt relieved!

As if in an instant, everyone had left completely, and only the Mountain and Robb were left in the huge meeting hall.

The Mountain shrugged and said, “Robb Stark, you do indeed have extraordinary qualities.”

“Mountain, House Stark has immense respect for you, and you have come to save us once again, to save my people. The life-saving grace you showed to my father, the great life-saving grace at the Red Wedding, House Stark and the people of the North have no way to repay you. Please accept my shallow tribute.”

Robb stood up, his expression solemn, facing the Mountain, with his right fist placed on his left chest over his heart, and bowed deeply!

The Mountain accepted Robb's tribute!

He deserved it, and he would definitely not be pretentious.

The two sat down again, and Robb said, “Mountain, I need to know all of your military plans in order to cooperate with your deployment and make the best arrangements. The Northern army will all obey your orders. If any Northerners disobey the commander's orders, including me, you have the right to punish them according to military law.”

While asking to know all of the military plans, Robb also gave the Mountain the highest military power in the Northern army: the power to punish any Northern general who disobeyed orders according to military law, even himself. Robb mentioning himself was, of course, just an attitude. When the supreme commander and the deputy commander disagreed, the two could only negotiate and compromise. The Mountain could not touch Robb; as soon as he did, the allies would become enemies, and the benefactor would become the enemy.

But Robb's attitude was also very helpful to the Mountain's military prestige. He needed to have this attitude.

Robb Stark's statement once again blocked the Mountain's retreat, and it could be said that it was completely blocked. If the Mountain did not reveal his military plan again, he would be unsympathetic, unreasonable, and detrimental to the alliance. The two sides could not trust each other.

The Mountain looked at Robb, and Robb's expression was calm. The Mountain said, “Okay, Robb, have you roughly guessed my military plan?”

“I have guesses, but they may not be correct.”

“Then let's say it together and see if what we are thinking is the same.”

“Okay.”

The Mountain made a gesture, and the two of them said in unison, “Fire!”

Robb paused, and there was still disbelief in his voice: “Mountain, are you really going to burn Winterfell?”

The Mountain pondered for a moment and said, “How many years has Winterfell been built?”

“Brandon the Builder Stark built the Wall eight thousand years ago. That was in the Age of Heroes, and the construction of Winterfell was even before Brandon the Builder Stark,” Robb said hoarsely.

“It is indeed a pity that Winterfell, which has been around for at least eight thousand years, will be burned to ashes, but a castle that has been around for eight thousand years is better torn down and rebuilt with a new castle. A new castle, a new era, a new Stark, a new dynasty,” the Mountain said in a deep voice.

Robb Stark was silent for a long time, then said softly: “Mountain, isn’t there a better way?”

No wonder this big guy didn't dare to reveal any plans in advance, and no wonder he wanted absolute military command. He was going to sacrifice Winterfell to win this decisive battle.

“Bringing all the wight army into Winterfell and then setting the city on fire is the best military plan to weaken the Night King's army. The White Walkers who have lost their army will not exceed one hundred. At that time, ten thousand arrows will be fired together, and as long as the White Walkers and the Night King are hit by an obsidian arrow, they will shatter into ice crystals.”

Robb Stark stared at the Mountain, for a long time, and said, "The Mountain, Winterfell is not yours. It belongs to House Stark. After the great fire, the rebuilt Winterfell can never regain its eight thousand years of ancient history."

"First came the people, then the city. Robb, this is a war for the survival of the Northmen. War means destruction."

"My father and mother would never agree to your insane military plan."

"That's why I need you to keep it a secret." The Mountain stared at Robb Stark. "Queen Cersei has already appointed me Warden of the North. After the Battle of Winterfell, I will not lead troops to subdue the North. If you support my military plan to burn Winterfell, I will support your independence of the North after the war."

Robb turned and walked to the hall window. From the window, he saw the tallest ruined tower of Winterfell. The ruined tower was an ancient watchtower, its top collapsed by lightning, leaving it a mere stump. Bran Stark fell from that ruined tower, breaking both his legs. He looked towards the ancient godswood, the glass gardens, the maester's tower, the kennels… In the godswood stood three ancient trees, millennia old: weirwoods, priceless beyond measure.

Weirwoods, the sacred trees before which the Northmen kneel in prayer. On every weirwood in the North, an ancient, weathered face is carved.

"Can the weirwoods be protected?" Robb said softly.

It was a question without an answer, so the Mountain chose not to reply. "Robb, I will never order the city burned unless absolutely necessary, unless it's the last resort. No one has the heart to burn eight thousand years of Winterfell to the ground." The Mountain's lie sounded utterly sincere.

Those who accomplish great things do not concern themselves with trivialities. To win against the White Walkers, Winterfell is a small price to pay.