Chapter 58 Chapter 57: Tyrion

Qila, the daughter of Zeke in Black Ear, went to scout first, and brought back news that there was an army at the fork. "Twenty thousand of them, counting their campfires," she said. "Red flags, with a golden lion on them." "Is that your father?" Bronn asked. "Or my brother Jaime," said Tyrion. "We'll find out soon enough." He surveyed his ragged band of bandits: three hundred of Stonecrows, Moonmen, The natives of the Black Ears and Burning Men, these were only the seeds of the army he set about building.And Gunthor, son of Gunn, was now gathering the other tribes.He didn't know what his father would say when he saw these people wearing animal skins and holding stolen scrap metal. In fact, he didn't even know what to say after seeing it himself.Was he their leader or a captive?I am afraid it is a combination of both. "I'd better go down by myself," he suggested.

"Best for Tyrion, son of Tywin," said Ulf, leader of the Moonmen. Xia Ga stared at him with wide eyes, showing a terrifying expression. "Dorfu's son, Xia Ga, doesn't like it. Xia Ga wants to go with the little man. If the little man tells a lie, Xia Ga will cut off his life—" "—feed it to the goats, I know," said Tyrion weakly. "Shagga, on the Lannisters, I will return." "Why should we take your word for it?" Zilla was a small, strong woman, as flat-chested as a boy, but not stupid at all. "The chieftains of the flatlanders have deceived the hill tribes before."

"Zira, it hurts me so much," said Tyrion. "I thought we were friends. But come on, come with me, Shagga, Conn For the Stonecrows, Ulf for the Moonmen, Timett's son Timett for the Scorchers, and you guys come too." The natives he named looked at each other warily. "The rest stay here and wait for my notice. When I'm not around, please don't kill each other." He put his legs between the horse's belly and galloped forward, forcing them to follow immediately or be left behind.In fact, it doesn't matter to him whether they keep up or not, I'm afraid they just sit down and "discuss" for three days and three nights.This is the most troublesome part of the aborigines. They have a weird idea that everyone has the right to express their opinions in meetings, even women have the right to speak, so they quarrel endlessly no matter how big or small the matter is.No wonder, for hundreds of years, they could not really threaten the Vale, save for the occasional small-scale raid.Tyrion intends to change this situation.

Bronn walked beside him, and behind him—after a few grunts—five natives on malnourished ponies followed.Each horse is skinny and pitifully small, and looks like a goat on the bumpy mountain road. The two Stonecrows were walking together, and Zira was very close to Ulf, because the relationship between the Moonmen and the Black Ears had always been close.Timett's son, Timett, walked alone.Every tribe in the Moon Mountains is terrified of the Burning Man, because they prove their courage by torturing themselves with fire, and even roasting babies to eat at feasts (this is what several other books say).And Timett terrified all the Scorchers, because when he was a man he had gouged out his left eye with a white-hot knife.Tyrion could tell that the rite of passage for a boy in the Scorching Man probably involved burning off a nipple, a finger, or (very brave or crazy) an ear.Timett's fellow Scorchers, overwhelmed by his gouging out, promptly made him "red hand," which roughly means war leader.

"I should like to know what their king burned," Tyrion said to Bronn when he heard the story.The mercenary grinned, and pointed to his crotch... But even Bronn was very careful when talking around Timett.Since this person is so crazy that he even dared to gouge out his own eyes, he must not be gentle with his enemies. The team rode down the foothills, and in the distance, on the unconcrete stone watchtower, guards glanced down.A raven soars high.The mountain road turned in the middle of the bare rock, and they came to the first checkpoint with heavy defense.The road was blocked by a low four-foot clay wall, guarded by a dozen or so crossbowmen standing on top.Tyrion told his companions to stay out of range, and rode up to approach alone. "Who's in charge here?"

The captain of the guard soon appeared, and as soon as he recognized him as the son of the lord, he immediately sent troops to escort them down the mountain.At a gallop they galloped across blackened fields and burnt cottages, into the riverlands, near the Green Fork, a tributary of the Trident.Tyrion didn't see the body, but the air smelled of carrion crows; apparently there had been fighting here recently. Half a league from the crossroads a fortification of sharpened stakes was erected, manned by spearmen and archers.Behind the line of defense, the camp stretches into the distance. Smoke from cooking smoke rises from hundreds of campfires like slender fingers. Men in full armor sit under trees and sharpen their weapons. Familiar flags flutter in the wind, and flagpoles are deeply inserted into the muddy ground. .

When they approached the wooden fence, a group of cavalry stepped forward to question them.The leading knight wears silver armor inlaid with amethyst, a purple and silver striped cloak on his shoulders, a unicorn pattern painted on the shield, and a spiral unicorn on the front of the horse-shaped helmet.Tyrion remarked, "Ser Fremont." Ser Flement Brax raised his visor. "Tyrion," he said in surprise, "my lord, we thought you were dead, or else..." He looked at the group of natives hesitantly. "These...companions of yours..." "They are my close friends and loyal followers," said Tyrion. "Where is my father?"

"He temporarily uses the hotel at the fork in the road as his command headquarters." Tyrion couldn't help smiling wryly, the inn at the intersection!Perhaps the gods in the sky really have their own justice. "I'm going to see him right now." "Yes, my lord." Ser Fremont turned his horse and gave an order, and three rows of stakes were pulled from the ground, clearing a path for Tyrion and his men to pass through. Duke Tywin's military camp stretched for several miles, and Zira's estimate of 20,000 people was not far from the truth.Common soldiers camped in the open, knights pitched tents, and some lords had tents as large as houses.Tyrion glimpsed the red bulls of House Prester, the dappled boar of Lord Crakehall, the burning tree of House Marbrand, and the badgers of House Lydon.He ran quickly, and the knights greeted him one after another, while the militiamen opened their mouths in surprise when they saw the group of aborigines.

Shagga's mouth was not too open; apparently he had never seen so many people, horses, and weapons in his life.The other mountain bandits concealed their surprise a little better, but Tyrion didn't think they were as surprised as Shagar.Things were growing in his favour, and the more subdued they were of the power of the Lannisters, the easier it was for him to manipulate them. The inn and stables were not so far off as I remembered, but the rest of the village was now nothing but rubble and charred foundations.A gallows had been set up in the hotel courtyard, and the corpses hanging from it were swinging back and forth, and the whole body was covered with crows.When Tyrion approached, the crows "quacked" and fluttered their wings into the air.He jumped off his horse and looked up at the remains of the body.Her lips, eyes and most of her cheeks were gnawed clean, and her red teeth were exposed, revealing a ferocious smile. "I'm just asking you for a room, dinner and a bottle of wine." He sighed accusingly.

Several young boys came out of the stables hesitantly to tend their horses, but Shagga would not surrender his mount. "The brat won't steal your mare," Tyrion assured him. "He just wanted to feed it some oats, drink some water, and brush his back." To be honest, Shagga's own fur coat also needed brushing, but it would be too unskillful to say it directly. "I promise you, the horse will never be hurt." Shaga's eyes widened, and he let go of the rein. "This is the horse of Shagga son of Dolf," he growled at the stable boy. "If he doesn't give you the horse back, chop off his life and feed it to the goats," Tyrion promised. "But you must find the goats first."

Under the signboard of the hotel stood two guards in red robes and lion helmets, one on the left and one on the right guarding the door.Tyrion recognized the captain of the guard. "Where's my father?" "In the hall, my lord." "My men need food and drink," Tyrion told him, "and I'll leave it to you." He entered the inn and saw his father at once. Tywin Lannister, Duke of Casterly Rock City and Guardian of the Western Territory, is now in his fifties, but he is as strong as a twenty-year-old boy.Even when he was sitting, he still looked tall, with slender legs, broad shoulders, flat stomach, and thin but muscular arms.Since the original thick blond hair began to thin out, he ordered the barber to shave his head bald; Lord Tywin is a decisive person, so he also shaved all the beard from his lips and chin, leaving only his cheeks Sideburns, two strong blond beards covering from ears to chin.His eyes were pale green with a hint of gold.A foolish jester once joked that Lord Tywin shit had gold in his shit—the man was said to be alive, but in the deepest dungeons of Casterly Rock. Lord Tywin was drinking a bottle of ale with his last remaining sibling, Ser Kevan Lannister, when Tyrion entered the inn lobby.Uncle is a little fat, his head is going bald, his chin is full of flesh, and his yellow beard is trimmed very short.Ser Kevan saw him first. "Tyrion?" he said in surprise. "Uncle," said Tyrion, with a bow, "my lord father. It is good to see you." Duke Tywin didn't get up, he just looked at the dwarf son meaningfully. "It seems that the rumors about your death are self-defeating." "I'm sorry to disappoint you, my lord father," said Tyrion. "You mustn't jump up and hug me, I don't want you twisting your back." He walked across the room to the table, feeling misshapen as he walked. The legs are swaying, and they are particularly eye-catching.As long as his father's eyes rested on him for a moment, he was uncomfortably reminded of all his deformities and defects. "Thank you very much for sending troops to fight for me." As he said, he climbed onto a chair and took his father's wine bottle to pour. "Come on, you provoked the chaos." Duke Tywin replied, "If it were your brother James, he would never submit to the hands of a woman." "That's one of the differences between James and me. He's taller than me, too, if you notice." Father ignored his quip. "It's about the honor of the family. I have no choice but to send troops. Those who let the Lannister family bleed will be punished. Don't even think about getting out!" "Listen to my roar." Tyrion said with a grin, which is the motto of the Lannister family. "Honestly, I didn't shed a drop of blood, although I got close a few times. Morris and Jack died." "So you need new recruits?" "My lord father, I don't need to bother you. I found a few myself." He tried to swallow the ale. The wine was brown and full of fermented taste. It's a pity that my father hanged the proprietress. "How is your battle going?" It was my uncle who answered, "So far so good. Ser Edmure divided his men into small groups and sent them to the borders of the territory to prevent our surprise attack. Your lord father and I smashed most of them one by one before they joined us. .” "Your brother won one battle after another," said his father. "First he routed the armies of Lord Vance and Lord Piper outside the Golden Tooth, and then he fought the main force of the Tullys at Riverrun. In one battle, the princes of the Three Rivers were defeated, and Sir Edmure Tully and many of his vassals and knights were captured together. Earl Blackwood gathered a few remnants and fled back to Riverrun, guarding behind closed doors, while James stepped up the siege. Others Most of the princes scattered like birds and beasts, and fled back home." "And your father and I are destroying them one by one," said Ser Kevan. "Without Lord Blackwood in command, Raventree fell at once, and the Lady of River Ann gave Harrenhal for want of men. Gray Ser Gob burned the Pipers and the Brackens to the ground..." "So no one can stop you?" said Tyrion. "Not quite," Ser Kevan said. "The Mallisters still hold Seagarden, and Walder Frey of the Twins is raising troops." "It's all right," said Lord Tywin. "The Freys won't send troops unless they smell victory, and the air smells of rout right now. As for Jason Mallister, he lacks the strength to fight alone." Well, once Jaime captures Riverrun, the two of them will follow suit. If the Starks and Arryns don't send troops, this battle has already been won." "If it were me, I wouldn't be too worried about the Ayrin family." Tyrion said, "But the Stark family is different, Lord Eddard—" "—is our hostage," said my father. "He rots and stinks in the dungeons under the Red Keep, and cannot lead troops to fight." "It cannot be helped," Ser Kevan agreed, "but his son has summoned the lords, and is now sitting at Moat Cailin with a large army." "Any sword can only be known after it has been tried." Lord Tywin said, "The Stark kid is still a child, and he must like the sight of horns blowing and flags flying, but war is a matter of slaughter after all. , I'm afraid he can't bear it." It seemed interesting developments had taken place in his absence, Tyrion thought. "When there's a lot of 'massacre' going on outside, what is our brave king doing?" he asked, "I'd like to know what happened to my beautiful sister who can talk Persuade Robert to agree to imprison his dear companion Ned?" "Robert Baratheon is dead," his father told him. "It is your nephew who now reigns in King's Landing." This really surprised Tyrion. "You mean my sister is in power?" He took another sip of his drink.Now that Cersei's husband is dead, if she takes power, the situation in the kingdom will be greatly turbulent. "If you'd like to help, I've got a mission for you," said my father. "Marq Piper and Karel Vance are making waves in our rear, raiding my territory across the Red Fork." Tyrion clicked his tongue. "It's just a few parasites making trouble. If it was normal, I would be happy to give these rude guys a little color, but Father, I can also be used in other ways." "Really?" Dad seemed unmoved. "There are also two remnants of Ned Stark, who specifically harass our food requisition troops. One is Beric Dondarrion, the noble young master who wants to be a hero, and the obese monk he brought with him, my favorite The one who made the sword breathe fire. Can you use your ability to escape to deal with them? Of course, you can't make any bigger mistakes for me." Tyrion wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and said with a smile, "Father, it's touching to know that you trust me so much. Well, you want to give me... twenty people? Fifty? Are you sure you can allocate so many people? Sigh , never mind, if I run into Thoros and Lord Bailey, I'll give them a good ass." He climbed out of his chair and staggered to the sideboard, where there was a plate of cottage cheese surrounded by fruit. "But first, I have to keep my word," he said, cutting off a piece of cheese. "I want three thousand helmets, three thousand mail armor, swords, lances, steel spearheads, maces, battle-axes, gauntlets, girdles, knee-guards, breastplates, and wagons to carry them— " The door slammed open behind him, so hard that Tyrion almost let go of his food.Ser Kevan jumped to his feet, cursing, and the captain of the guard flew across the room, crashing into the fireplace and rolling into the cold ashes, his lion helm on one side.Shaga rushed in, and with a snap, he snapped the captain's saber in two with his knee, which was as thick as a tree trunk.Then he dropped the broken sword and swaggered into the hall. Before he arrived, his body smelled like rotten cheese, which was particularly choking in the closed room. "Little devil in red," he growled, "next time you dare to draw your sword in front of Dove's son Shaga, I will chop off your lifeblood and roast it with fire." "Why, no goat?" said Tyrion, biting into the cheese. Several other aborigines followed Shagga into the hall, and Bronn was among them.The mercenary shrugged regretfully at Tyrion. "Who are you?" Lord Tywin asked, his tone as cold as frost. "Father, they come home with me," Tyrion explained. "May I keep them? They won't eat much." No one laughed. "Why do you barbarians interrupt our council?" Ser Kevan demanded. "Flatlanders, you say we are barbarians?" Conn is actually quite handsome if you help him take a bath. "We are free men, and free men have a natural right to all councils of war." "Which one of you is Chief Lion?" Zira asked. "Both of them are old men," announced Timett's son, Timett, who was not yet twenty years old. Ser Kevan reached for his sword, but his brother put two fingers on his wrist to stop him.Duke Tywin remained calm. "Tyrion, where's your manners? Hurry up and introduce us to these... distinguished guests." Tyrion licked his fingers. "With pleasure," he said, "this fair maiden is Zilla, daughter of Zeke of Black Ears." "I am not a maiden," Zira protested, "my sons have cut off fifty ears." "May they cut fifty more." Tyrion staggered away from her. "This is Conn, son of Korat, who lives like Casterly Rock, and the hairy one is Shagar, son of Dorf, and they are both of the Stone Crows. This is Ur, son of Umar, of the Moonmen. Husband. This is the Red Hand of the Burning Man, Timett's son. This is Bronn, a mercenary, who has no specific allegiance. In the short time I have known him, he has rebelled twice. My lord father, he You should be on good terms with me." Then he turned to Bronn and the natives, "Let me introduce my father, Tywin, son of Tytos of House Lannister, Duke of Casterly Rock, Guardian of the West, Shield of Lannisport , and the everlasting Hand of the King." Lord Tywin stood up, the majesty and imposing manner fully befitting the above title. "Even in the western region far away, we have heard about the heroic deeds of warriors from various tribes in the Mingyue Mountains. My lords, what wind brought you here from your own fortress?" "Let's ride horses," Shagga said. "He promised us clothes and weapons," said Timett's son. Tyrion was about to tell his father about his idea of ​​turning the Vale of Arryn into a smoking wasteland, but the door opened again, so he had to stop for the time being.The messenger quickly glanced at Tyrion's group of aborigines with strange eyes, and then knelt down on one knee in front of Lord Tywin. "My lord," he said, "Ser Addam wants me to report to you that the Starks have begun to move down the causeway." Lord Tywin Lannister didn't smile, Lord Tywin never smiled, but Tyrion had learned to watch his father's joy, and it was clearly written on his face at this moment. "So the little wolf has finally moved his den and is ready to play with the lions." He said in a slightly satisfied tone, "Excellent. You go back and tell Sir Adam to retreat immediately. No fighting with the northerners until he arrives, but I hope he sends men to harass the flank and try to lure them south." "Everything is as you ordered." The orderly rode away. "The terrain is good here," Ser Kevan pointed out. "Not only is it close to the ford, but it's also surrounded by pits and pickets. If they go south, I think it's better to wait for work and fight here." "After seeing the strength of our troops, that kid may lose his courage and retreat directly." Duke Tywin replied, "And the sooner we defeat the Stark army, the sooner we can get rid of the restraint, draw our hands, and deal with Shi with all our strength." Tanis Baratheon. Tell the drummers to beat the mustering order, and send word to Jaime that I will march at once to fight Robb Stark." "Yes," Ser Kevan said. Tyrion watched with interest as his father turned to face the semi-savage group of natives. "The men of the mountain tribes are said to be fearless warriors." "That's right." Kang En from the Stone Crow Department replied. "It's the same with women," Zira added. "Send troops with me to fight against the enemy, and I guarantee that you will get everything my son promised, and even more." Duke Tywin told them. "How do we know that you will keep the promise," said Ulf the son of Umar. "Besides, we already have the promise of the son, why do we need the promise of the father?" "I didn't say you 'need'," Duke Tywin replied, "I was just saying that, nothing else. You don't need to fight with us. People from the northern kingdom of winter are made of black ice. They, even my bravest knights would be afraid." Oh, that is beautiful, Tyrion thought, with a sly smile on his face. "The Burning Men fear nothing, and Timett's son Timett will fight with the Lions." "Where the Scorching People have been, the Stone Crows have gone first." Conn said not to be outdone, "We will go too." "Shagga son of Dolf will chop off their lifeblood and feed it to the crows." "Chief Lion, we go with you," Zeke's daughter Zira agreed. "But your half-human son will be with us too. He traded his promises for his life, and his life is ours until we have the weapons he promised." Tywin turned his head and looked at his son with those golden eyes. "With pleasure." Tyrion smiled resignedly.