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Game of Thrones White Dragon Rising
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Game of Thrones: Archer's Ordinary Life
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When the last representative of the Marcher lords' forces arrived, the Mountain Corps encampment was bustling with over one thousand five hundred nobles and soldiers from the Reach, the Stormlands, and Dorne.
None of these fifteen hundred men were ordinary levies; they were all trained guards, archers, or knights and squires.
If not for the daily discipline enforced by the Mountain Corps soldiers and the presence of a common enemy and goal, these groups, who inherently disliked each other, would have been at each other's throats long ago.
Even so, Arthur had to deal with at least one conflict between the vassals of the three regions every day.
His method of resolution was simple: he detained both parties involved in the conflict and formed them into a "Judgment Battalion." He gave them good food and drink and satisfied any reasonable requests they made.
However, he told them to hold onto the anger and courage that sparked their conflict. When they went to battle, their formation would be the first to charge.
The Seven would render a fair judgment. The righteous would survive to win honor and acclaim, while death, leaving their bones to bleach in the Red Mountains, would signify that their sins had been washed away.
Inside the main tent, Arthur summoned the representatives of the Marcher lords to announce the advance into the Red Mountains. Everyone was impatient to begin.
"This is exactly what we came for," Rolland Storm declared. "Lord Bryce sent word from Nightsong that our lands have been raided by wildlings."
A knight representing House Wyl added, "There is wildling activity along the Boneway as well. Reports of attacks on caravans and outposts are coming in."
Cletus Yronwood shouted, "Governor, I request the honor of leading the vanguard!"
"Request all you like," Bear Dee said airily, adjusting pins on the sand table to plan the march route. "As long as you can outrun our Mountain Corps."
"We will advance, but not blindly," Arthur said, pointing to a cluster of red pins on the sand table.
"We will systematically clear the peripheral wildling settlements, compressing their range of activity to ensure the safety of our supply lines against subsequent raids."
"The Governor speaks wisely. Protecting the supply lines is key to suppressing the wildlings," Randyll Tarly agreed.
"Given our current combat power and intelligence, the wildlings have no other recourse but to wait for us to overextend deep into the Red Mountains, attack our supplies, and let hunger and heat defeat us."
Arthur laughed. "We are better equipped than the wildlings, and better trained. But we cannot match their ability to endure heat and hunger."
A burst of laughter erupted from the gathered men.
As the laughter subsided, Arthur began to issue deployment orders. "Lord Randyll will lead the soldiers of the Reach and the Stormlands as the central force."
"Ser Mason will lead the Dornish soldiers as the rearguard to protect the supplies."
"Bear Dee will lead four hundred Mountain Corps troops on each flank, left and right."
"My Lord, I will not disappoint you," Ser Mason responded.
"Who will lead the vanguard?" Ser Barton asked.
"Governor, I request this honor!" Rolland Storm repeated.
"My Lord just said the center is where you belong," Cletus retorted.
"The vanguard is of utmost importance. It should not be led by hot-headed young men lacking war experience," Randyll Tarly said, crossing his arms. "That will only ruin everything!"
Shouts filled the tent instantly as all manner of men vied to announce their requests.
"I will lead the vanguard. This is my responsibility as Governor of the Dornish Marches." Arthur slammed his hand on the table, stood up, and announced directly.
"Those warriors detained in the Judgment Battalion... it was my order that brought them here to clash. Let me lead them in the charge."
"Governor, you cannot..."
Seeing someone about to protest, Arthur cut them off. "Enough. Go summon your soldiers and organize your ranks. One hour to eat your fill, then follow me to war!"
According to intelligence, the wildling tribes of the Red Mountains had not formed a unified entity. The tribal system relied on strength rather than bloodline or legitimate succession. Without a powerful leader to unite them, it was difficult for them to form a cohesive force.
Arthur led the vanguard, composed of over a hundred men from the Judgment Battalion and two hundred regular Mountain Corps troops.
The Judgment Battalion originally had only thirty-odd members. But when Arthur announced he would lead them as the vanguard, their numbers surged to a hundred within half an hour. It only stopped when Arthur deployed the Mountain Corps to suppress the farce.
Arthur hadn't expected so many people to exploit the loophole, seemingly unafraid of death. Among them were Rolland Storm, Cletus Yronwood, and the two Manwoody brothers.
With the buff from the [Barbarian Invasion] card, the force Arthur led moved swiftly through the Red Mountains, sweeping through the marked tribal settlements one by one.
Facing a fully armed, well-trained army of over two thousand men—bolstered by card abilities and superior intelligence—the wildling tribes, having lost their terrain advantage, offered negligible resistance.
This army of two thousand crushed them like they were fighting primitive men. Their advance was practically unstoppable.
They spent dozens of times more time marching and transporting prisoners than actually fighting.
This made Arthur, trekking through the rugged terrain of the Red Mountains, suddenly miss the Vulture King and his son Kian from the Torrentine valley.
If the wildlings hadn't bunched up their forces then, going door-to-door to root out tribes in every mountain valley would have been truly exhausting.
It took two months to clear most of the wildling tribes near Falcon Hill. During this time, they encountered a main wildling force of over three thousand men that had managed to organize.
But in the very first charge, the three thousand wildlings, relying on blood courage and numbers in a vain attempt to fight, were ruthlessly crushed.
Two months after entering the Red Mountains, Arthur saw that many soldiers were exhausted from the prolonged marching and fighting.
He announced a pause in the clearing operations and returned to the base to rest.
Upon returning to camp, the men who had fought to be in the vanguard and those who had snuck into the Judgment Battalion were no longer the ambitious figures they were before entering the mountains. They looked like frosted eggplants—wilted and defeated. As soon as they returned, they hit their bunks and fell asleep instantly.
Fewer people were present in the main tent than before the expedition.
Quartermaster Carlo reported, "The number of wildling prisoners sent out from the Red Mountains is approaching four thousand. Our casualties are over four hundred, mostly due to heatstroke and accidental falls."
Based on the records, Bear Dee removed a large swathe of red pins from the sand table near Falcon Hill.
After Bear Dee finished, Arthur looked at the remaining red and yellow pins on the map—three times the number removed. He felt a headache coming on. In the worst-case scenario, he still had six months of wildling suppression ahead of him.
Adding time for soldiers to rest and recover, conquering the wildlings of the Red Mountains was truly a heavy responsibility with a long way to go.
But all the hardship was worth it.
The captives could fill the labor gap in the Torrentine valley and continue to expand the recruitment pool for the Mountain Corps.
Simultaneously, through battle after battle, Arthur's personal leadership and majesty, along with the Mountain Corps' overwhelming combat power and discipline in the Red Mountains, left an indelible impression on the representatives of the Marcher lords.
Especially the troublemakers in the Judgment Battalion. Having witnessed Arthur fighting with Dawn and Zhan Lu for two months, they were all filled with admiration and worship!