The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Two days later, the Amber Army and the Free Folk Allied Forces arrived at Winterfell. On the same day, the Northern Army and the Night's Watch also reached Winterfell.

Winterfell was filled with elite soldiers, and morale was high!

King Robb of the North sent out the best scouts in the North to scout for the movements of the White Walkers. After the White Walker army occupied Last Hearth, they did not follow south. They concentrated inside and outside Last Hearth and remained still. The army of wights that would not stop advancing stopped for the first time.

In the main hall of Winterfell, the Mountain and Robb held the first real Allied Forces meeting.

The Mountain, Robb, Jon, Eddard, Jaime, and Tormund Giantsbane represented the supreme commanders of the Allied Forces.

Jaime was the Mountain's assistant, Eddard was Robb's assistant, and Jon and Tormund each represented their own independent legions.

On both sides of the hall stood renowned generals. Among them, the Mountain had the most generals. They included tribal chiefs from the Claw Isle and cavalry generals from the Mountain's direct lineage. Among them, the horse archer Anguy won the national archery championship in the Tourney of the Hand in 298 AC. Almost all the great nobles of the Seven Kingdoms had seen his divine archery skills, making him the most well-known general among the Mountain's forces among the nobles.

Anguy Clegane married Elanore Mooton, the heir to Maidenpool, and had already joined the ranks of true nobility. His father-in-law, Earl William Mooton, was a great noble who had sworn allegiance to the Mountain.

Anguy was also the adopted son of the Mountain with the highest military achievements! His divine archery was invincible, always able to strike first and kill the most important enemy generals, thus winning the first功. Lord Randyll Tarly, the famous general of the Seven Kingdoms, died under Anguy's arrow.

But the most eye-catching was the cavalry general Polliver Clegane.

His right face twitched from time to time, and his right eye blinked from time to time, as if he had the talent of a comedian. He also liked to stare straight at people, maybe at your eyes, maybe at your nose, or at your hands. This habit of his did not distinguish between men and women. His eyes always revealed a fanatical desire, and he would suddenly whisper in your ear, his eyes fanatical and his tone humble: "Your eyes are so beautiful, perfect. Would you be willing to sell them to me for ten gold dragons as works of art? Don't worry, my eye-gouging technique is skilled and unmatched, and will never cause you any extra pain."

Unlike the evil aura of the Mountain's bandit generals, the Northern generals were serious and rigid. In addition, the calmness and introversion of the Vale generals were also different. Standing at the forefront of the Vale generals was Littlefinger Petyr Baelish.

Petyr Baelish was talented, serving as the Allied Forces' chief administrator, in charge of all logistics, and also as the Warden of the Vale. Except for the Mountain, whose title was Warden of the East and who was his immediate superior, the laws stipulated that the Vale generals had to listen to the orders of the Guardian of the Eyrie after Lysa Tully and Duke Robert Arryn died.

After Jon sat down at the commanders' long table, he inconspicuously stared at Littlefinger Petyr Baelish. The words of his father and uncle, Eddard Stark, echoed in Jon's ears: The most untrustworthy person in the Seven Kingdoms is Littlefinger Petyr Baelish. He was a key figure in the coup in King's Landing in 298 AC. He betrayed Eddard Stark, which resulted in the deaths of all of Eddard Stark's followers in King's Landing.

The Night's Watch generals gathered with the southerners for a large military conference for the first time. Tormund Giantsbane did not act like a rough wildling. He sat next to Jon, at the very edge of the commanders' table, but his aura was not suppressed by the Mountain, Robb, Eddard, Jon, and Jaime.

Only two people stood in Shireen's army's position: Davos Seaworth and Melisandre.

The Mountain raised his hand, his eyes swept across, and the noisy hall immediately became quiet.

Among the many generals, the Vale and Clegane men accounted for the majority. The Clegane men were loyal to the Mountain, while the Vale men were conquered and governed by the Mountain: he was the Warden of the East.

The Mountain said in a deep voice: "First, I want to tell you an unfortunate piece of news. Shireen's army was completely destroyed by fire. The arsonist was Queen Selyse Florent. Her Majesty Shireen also died in the fire. The Shireen Dynasty, founded on Dragonstone, no longer exists."

There was no whispering or commotion in the hall. Everyone remained absolutely silent. Everyone had already heard of this news. Many people felt strange in their hearts. They instinctively thought that, on a dark and windy night, the Mountain might have used his dragon to burn down those big ships.

The Mountain's eyes swept across the audience: "I know that you all have many doubts in your hearts. I will not explain to you in detail. We have more important things to decide, which are related to the life and death of all of us. I will only say one thing: Selyse Florent has always believed that the Lord of Light is the only true god, and that her husband Stannis is the only true king. But someone told her the truth: if Stannis was the only true king, he would not have been killed by me."

Many people's eyes fell on Davos Seaworth and Melisandre. These two prime ministers and grand magisters of the Shireen Dynasty were the only two survivors of the fire. What secrets did they know?

Davos's face twisted, his expression painful, while Melisandre was beautiful and charming, with bright eyes and white teeth, and lips as red as blood.

"Okay, now I want to announce an appointment. I propose to appoint Lord Davos Seaworth as the commander of the Allied Forces' navy, in charge of the fleets of the North and the Vale, responsible for the transportation of dragon crystal weapons from Dragonstone, and to ensure the safety and smooth passage of all sea transport of supplies from the South to our Northern Allied Forces. The soldiers, officials, and militia in Winterfell add up to more than 100,000. The food, clothing, weapon maintenance, and horse feed for these people cannot be separated from the support of the southerners, and transporting supplies by water is the fastest way." The Mountain looked at the commanders around him. "My lords, does anyone have any objections?"

The Mountain raised his hand! Jaime, as his assistant, raised his hand!

Robb raised his hand! His assistant Eddard Stark also raised his hand!

Jon and Tormund raised their hands together!

No one in the hall had any objections!

Passed unanimously!

The Mountain looked at Davos Seaworth!

Davos Seaworth stepped forward: "Commander-in-chief, I need a fast horse and a guard of at least twelve men."

"I'll give you two fast horses, and I'll give you five guards," the Mountain said. "Komm Warner."

Komm Warner stepped forward: "Father, I want to stay by your side."

Last night, the Mountain held a simple formal adoption ceremony presided over by Melisandre. Komm Warner, like Landon Garner, was already the Mountain's adopted son.

"Komm, you are the fiancé of Rosamund Lannister of Lannisport. I cannot allow you to die in battle before you get married. You will take your four family guards to protect Lord Davos Seaworth and be responsible for the safety of sea transport of supplies. After the war with the White Walkers is over, I want you to marry Rosamund Lannister," the Mountain said without hesitation in front of all the generals.

The haggard Jaime Lannister, with his long hair and messy beard, was expressionless!

"Father, during the war with the White Walkers, I want to protect your safety by your side."

"Komm, after you leave, there are General Anguy and me!" Landon Garner, another adopted son from Claw Isle, laughed. Landon Garner married the Countess Royce, the most powerful and influential woman in the Vale.

"Komm, this is a military order." The Mountain frowned slightly.

"Yes, Father." Komm knelt on one knee and tapped his left chest three times with his right fist, making a loud sound.

King Robb Stark of the North immediately wrote an order to Earl Manderly of White Harbor, stamped it with the seal of the King of the North on the spot, and then signed and sealed it with wax. The Mountain also wrote an order, signed it, and stamped it with the seal of the Warden of the East. Earl Graveson, the lord of Gulltown in the Vale, stepped forward and also signed and stamped his family seal on the Mountain's order. Both orders were handed to Davos Seaworth.

From then on, the naval jurisdiction of White Harbor in the North and Gulltown in the Vale fell entirely into the hands of Davos Seaworth.

Soon, Komm Warner led the four most valiant warriors of the Warner tribe, escorting Davos Seaworth out of the hall. They were going to ride to White Harbor in the North, first take over the naval power of White Harbor, and then go to Gulltown to take over the naval power of Gulltown.

Davos was familiar with every waterway in the Narrow Sea. He was the best smuggler in this sea, and the Mountain knew that he was also the best naval commander. In the Battle of the Blackwater, Stannis would not have been defeated so miserably if he had used Davos to command the navy.

"The second piece of military intelligence is that Lady Melisandre saw in the flames that Daenerys Targaryen will attack the Iron Islands on a dragon." This was a lie. Melisandre only saw the Iron Islands in the flames, but did not see Daenerys attacking the Iron Islands on a dragon.

But the Mountain interpreted the revelation of the Red God in his own way, and he came to a definite conclusion, and then announced it in public. If he misjudged—just like Melisandre always misjudged—it would have serious consequences.

The Mountain's military intelligence report caused a commotion in the audience. Everyone thought that they were going to discuss the military deployment and tactics of the war with the White Walkers, but the Mountain suddenly turned to Daenerys Targaryen.

*

The Mountain noticed an uneasy commotion among the generals from Claw Isle. Claw Isle was the tribe in the Seven Kingdoms that was most loyal to the dragon riders. They regarded themselves as dragon warriors and were very loyal to the Targaryen family. They would not like to fight Daenerys Targaryen.

However, the Mountain was now also a dragon rider, just with a different surname. He possessed the dragon Sheepstealer. The Mountain had also conquered the peninsula's divine beast Red Smoke and become the recognized king of the peninsula.

*

"Daenerys is not attacking King's Landing, but attacking the Iron Islands?" Jaime was the first to speak, with a deeply questioning tone.

"A feint attack on King's Landing, and an actual attack on the Iron Islands. She has two advantages. First, to help the Baratheon family regain the Iron Islands, use the influence of the Baratheon family to gain the support of the Ironborn of the Iron Islands, strengthen the navy, and create momentum for her to seize the Iron Throne; second, iron ore."

"Lord Mountain, if Daenerys really attacks the Iron Islands, what countermeasures do you have?" Eddard Stark said slowly.

Although he was not the main person in charge, no one dared to ignore his existence. In fact, in the hearts of the Northern nobles, Eddard's weight was far above that of King Robb of the North. In the hearts of the great nobles of the country, Eddard's weight was also stronger than Robb's.

"I am worried that Daenerys will launch a full-scale attack on Westeros at the critical moment of our war with the White Walkers. We now need the full support of the southerners. Her attack will cause our supplies to be cut off and help the White Walkers defeat us," Lady Melisandre said. These were the words the Mountain wanted her to say, and she said them at the right time.

The Mountain wanted to ensure that the people of Claw Isle continued to be loyal to him and would not be shaken by the arrival of Daenerys. Therefore, he had to attribute all the responsibility for provoking the incident to Daenerys. To make the dragon warriors believe that it was Daenerys Targaryen who should be spurned. The Mountain did not want his subordinates from Claw Isle to split.

"Daenerys Targaryen has always been the friend I most want to ally with." The Mountain began to reason with them emotionally. These words were mainly for his subordinates from Claw Isle. The subordinates from Claw Isle were already very loyal, the most loyal—the chief of the Warner tribe was his adopted son, the chief of the Garner tribe was his naval commander, the chief's cousin was his adopted son, the chief of the Foote tribe was one of the three captains of his bodyguard, and Lady Doughty and Jenny, the spiritual leaders of the peninsula, were both blood witches, sisters and close friends, and their loyalty to him was unshakable—but it was never wrong to take precautions, "On the day I became the Duke of Dragonstone, I sent someone to see Daenerys. When she comes to fight for the Iron Throne, I will not fight her. I will give Dragonstone to her. My territory is in the Westerlands."

In the hall, the eyes of the subordinates from Claw Isle shone, and they felt comfortable in their hearts. They knew that Lord Mountain would not lie to them. However, the aftereffects of these words were very serious—the Northern nobles, Vale nobles, and Southern nobles all looked at each other. The Mountain had already prepared to surrender before Daenerys had even attacked?! Was he going to betray the current king?! Be loyal to the Targaryens?!

Everyone's eyes gathered on the Mountain. Many brave generals had sharp eyes.

The Mountain said lightly: "I am willing to give Dragonstone to Daenerys because I want to ally with Daenerys. The goal of the alliance is to resist our greatest threat, the White Walkers, just like we have put aside our hatred and united together."

"Mountain, did you know a few years ago that the North would be attacked by White Walkers?" Jaime sneered.

"I knew!" the Mountain said calmly.

"Who can prove it?" Jaime pressed.

"I can prove it!" Eddard Stark said in a deep voice. Jaime deeply believed in his honor and integrity. The nobles of the Seven Kingdoms could not stand the rigidity and seriousness of the Stark family in the North, but everyone believed in and would not desecrate the integrity and honor of the Stark family.

"In 298 AC, King Robert held a national tournament to celebrate my appointment as Hand. At that time, the Mountain came to the Hand's tower and advised me to focus all my energy on the North. At that time, he reminded me of the White Walker attack, but I didn't believe a word he said. I was imprisoned in the black cells by Cersei. The Mountain risked his life to rescue me. He hoped that I could return to the North to gather the strength of the North to fight against the White Walker attack before winter came."

Instantly, the hall was as quiet as if it were empty.

Eddard Stark was actually rescued by the Mountain, and the Mountain had warned Eddard in 298 AC. At that time, the Mountain was a loyal dog of the Lannister family.

"To fight against the White Walkers, I saved Lord Eddard Stark. To unite the strength of Daenerys, I sent envoys long ago to form an alliance with her. As long as Daenerys fights alongside us against the White Walkers, or at least doesn't help them attack us, I am willing to give up my territory, Dragonstone, for her to reside in temporarily. As for who will ultimately sit on the Iron Throne, I do not know. I only know that if the White Walkers slaughter the North, the entire continent of Westeros will be destroyed. Our families, relatives, friends, and subordinates, including ourselves, none will be spared."

Melisandre's clear and captivating voice rang out: "The night is dark and full of terrors. When the red star bleeds, a hero will draw a sword and lead us to fight against the White Walkers, kill the Night King, and protect the survival of the human race. This hero is Azor Ahai reborn. In the Age of Heroes eight thousand years ago, the great hero who forged Lightbringer and drove the White Walkers into the Lands of Always Winter was Azor Ahai."

Melisandre's voice was extremely pleasant to listen to, just like the sound of hymns sung in a prayer ceremony. "My lords, the Mountain is Azor Ahai reborn!"

The Mountain stood up, a giant among men, his voice like spring thunder: "I do not know if I am Azor Ahai reborn. I cannot disprove it, nor can I confirm it. But I do know that we should send envoys to negotiate peace with Daenerys Targaryen, rather than wage war."