iron throne of ice and fire

Chapter 432: Under the Rushing City 9
The tent was hung with emblems of the nobles of the River Bend. On the long table covered with white linen, golden and crispy roasted chicken and huge roasted wild boar exuded an enticing aroma. Next to them were plates of fresh fruits and exquisite desserts.

The silver tableware sparkled in the firelight, the wine glasses were filled with fragrant wine, and the musicians played cheerful music for the lords of the River Bend.

Green really understands the art of war!

The Duke of Metz's eyes narrowed into slits, he stroked his beard, and said with emotion: "It's a pity that it's not my child."

He had been planning the Second Siege of Storm's End for a long time, and he wanted to prove his military prowess to the Seven Kingdoms with a beautiful victory.

Unfortunately...Sir Gilbert Farring, the acting lord of Storm's End, chose to defend to the death (Chapter 415).

Thinking of this, the Duke of Metz could not help but get angry. According to his original plan, Storm's End should be the main city that surrendered and asked for amnesty, and then where the rose flag appeared, the lords of the Stormland would surrender one after another, sweeping across the Stormland in a short period of time, becoming another famous general known to all the Seven Kingdoms.

The catapult...was his last resort!

However, he also heard some rumors from the Red Keep, some people secretly laughed at his art of war, and even said that he was the host of the banquet under Storm's End!
A hint of scorn flashed across the Duke of Metz's lips. What did those people know about the art of war? A siege was a long process. How could he guarantee the morale of the lords and knights without holding a banquet?
Duke Mace stroked his beard and said, "Although... my, Mace... Tyrell's art of war has not yet left the River Reach, but Grimm is a famous general known throughout the Seven Kingdoms."

The famous general under Riverrun also chose to build a catapult like him, which is enough to prove the wisdom of his art of war!
Hum hum.

The Duke of Metz raised his glass with great enthusiasm and said, "Everyone, for Storm's End!"

The nobles of the Bay sitting around the long table raised their glasses and responded in unison: "Long live the Duke of Metz!"

Amidst the laughter and joy, the Duke of Mace raised his head and drank it all in one gulp. Then he put down the glass, waved his hand, and said, "Musician, play the Victory Spear of Leo (the best knight of the Tyrell family, Chapter 347)!"

The lively music soon turned into a melodious tune, and the atmosphere in the tent became increasingly lively.

Garth Tyrell (Steward of Highgarden, uncle of the Duke of Mace) came to the Duke of Mace with a glass of wine and said loudly: "Cheers, our supreme leader."

The Duke of Metz would find a suitable excuse to hold a banquet almost every day. His uncle, known as "Gars the Fat", personally sent military rations from High Court, just in time to celebrate... The reason for the banquet the day before yesterday was that he personally hunted a beautiful deer.

He smiled heartily and raised his glass to his uncle. "Cheers, Tyrell."

Garce drank the wine in the glass in one gulp and sat in the main seat at the invitation of the Duke of Metz.

Garce moved his fat skin on the chair and said, "My Lord Duke, it seems that you have received good news?"

After he sat down, the Duke of Metz's big hand holding the letter was waving in his sight, and he had to ask... out of curiosity.

"Oh, this?" The Duke of Metz paused, lowered his eyes to look at the letter in his hand, shook his head helplessly, and said, "Alas, Green always likes to imitate me."

After that, without waiting for his uncle to respond, he handed the letter over.

Garce took it respectfully, squinted his eyes and quickly finished reading it. He paused, looked up at Mace, and said with a smile: "Duke Green respects you the most. This is known to all the Seven Kingdoms."

The Duke of Metz stroked his triangular beard with pride and commented: "I am proud of his achievements."

Then, under Mace's expectant gaze, Garce stood up and said loudly: "Everyone—"

As his chanting voice rang out, everyone gradually quieted down and focused their attention towards the main seat.

Garth raised the letter in his hand and looked at everyone, saying, "Tyrell's ally, the Lannisters, have surrounded Riverrun, but... Trout is going to make a final struggle. The reinforcement, Duke Crabbe, has the same pity for the lives of the soldiers as our supreme leader, and has chosen the same method as the Duke of Highgarden, using a catapult to force Brynden Tully, who is at the end of his rope!"

He swept his eyes over the crowd again, raised his glass to the Duke of Metz who was sitting next to him, and said loudly: "Cheers to our wise and benevolent Lord of the River Reach!"

"Long live the Duke of Metz!"

"Long live the Duke of Highgarden!"

"Long live Tyrell!"

The lords raised their glasses, responded loudly, and then one after another praised the Duke of Metz's wisdom in war.

The Duke of Metz drank a glass of wine with a flushed face, raised his big hand to press it, and said, "Sit down, please sit down, my loyal vassals."

The banquet continued, and after they sat down... After a pause, Garce leaned towards Duke Mace and said in a worried tone: "Mace, isn't Duke Green gathering refugees in the riverlands? How come he appears under Riverrun?"

Hearing this, the Duke of Mace stroked his beard and thought for a moment, then said, "Could it be that Cersei Lannister has issued another strange order?"

Garth took the letter, looked at it again, and said, "He brought 10,000 troops to Riverrun. Don't forget, he only mobilized a few thousand soldiers to conquer the valley."

The Duke of Metz's expression became slightly serious: "My uncle, what did you notice?"

The wrinkles on Garth's forehead deepened, and he said slowly, "Could he be targeting the riverlands? He brought enough troops to drive out the Lannisters there."

The Duke of Mace frowned and asked, "Green is going to compete with Lannister for the Riverlands?"

After thinking for a while, he showed the arrogant look of the head of the Tyrell family: "Green's strength is not enough to swallow the Riverlands. The refugees everywhere are a bottomless quagmire. If we don't get support from Tyrell, Crabbe and Lannister will be dragged down."

After a pause, the Duke of Mace sighed with great regret: "Uncle, I wish I had more daughters... If Tyrell and Crabbe were to marry, the Riverlands and the Stormlands would all be in Tyrell's pocket."

As for the Lannisters without Lord Tywin... he has not forgotten his hatred for Loras (Chapter 146).

Garce nodded regretfully. It was a humiliation for the current Crabbe family to propose a marriage with Miss Tyrell, a branch of the family. Moreover, it was rumored that the Duke already had a fiancée, although she was a so-called princess that an impulsive young man had "picked up" across the strait.

The benefits brought by the marriage were so tempting that Garce couldn't help but suggest to his nephew: "Perhaps, there is a way..."

Hearing this, the Duke of Mace showed a rare serious look to his uncle: "Take back this idea. In my eyes, Green is like my child... Moreover, in a few years, the Tyrell family will be upgraded to the Queen's family, which is most important to us."

He stroked his beard... and added in his heart that if Storm's End was included, he would be the most outstanding leader in the history of House Tyrell, and no later heir could surpass him!

Garce did not raise any objections. He nodded and said, "That's true. An unexpected enemy can easily cause things to go wrong."

After a while, the Duke of Metz paused while stroking his beard. Perhaps his uncle's worries could not be ignored.

As usual, he called the attendant behind him and ordered, "Copy this letter and send it to Lady Olenna by raven and arrange it immediately."

The young servant from the Reygood family in the River Reach took the order and left. At the door of the tent... he almost collided with Ser Theodore Tyrell who was walking quickly. [Theodore Tyrell is the uncle of the Duke of Mace, the commander-in-chief of the Oldtown Garrison, and the grandson of Morin Tyrell]

The two men nodded to each other, and Theodore Tyrell adjusted his clothes slightly, then strode through the crowd and leaned over to whisper in the Duke of Metz's ear.

After listening to this, the Duke of Metz turned his head and stared at Theodore for a while, and his face suddenly became heavy.

He suddenly stood up and said, "Give me the letter."

The movement in the main seat quickly attracted everyone's attention. The tent gradually became quiet and the atmosphere became solemn.

After reading the letter several times, the Duke of Mace, holding the letter in his fat hand, shouted angrily: "Damn Greyjoy! Damn pirates!"

The new leader of the Iron Race, Euron Greyjoy, led the Ironborn to plunder the Shield Islands in the Riverlands.

[The Shield Islands consist of four islands: Greenshield Island ruled by the Chesta family, Greyshield Island ruled by the Green family, Oakshield Island ruled by the Hewitt family, and Southshield Island ruled by the Sire family. It is located west of Highgarden and is considered to be a shield to prevent pirates from harassing the Mander River Basin.]

How dare the little squid invade Rose's territory? !
Crazy pirates will attack any port in the Seven Kingdoms... Tywin's previous warning (Chapter 371) suddenly emerged in his mind, which made the Duke of Mace even more furious.

After his anger, the Duke of Metz became a little hesitant. He thought of many ways to deal with the situation, but he couldn't decide which arrangement was the most appropriate.

If he fails to command properly at this time, it will greatly affect Tyrell's prestige in the Riverlands.

Duke Mace looked around at the lords and knights of the Reach who were all staring at him. His most trusted Olenna was not there... He even regretted not bringing Count Matus with him (Chapter 409).

Although his thoughts were in a mess, his majestic expression did not change at all. He calmly sat back in his chair and handed over the letter: "My uncle, please read the contents to everyone."

After saying this, he made a gesture, and the servants and musicians in the tent immediately left the tent at the urging of the attendants.

"Gods, where did the Crow's Eye get a thousand warships?!"

"We should rush back immediately and hang all those invading pirates!"

"My Lord, this is a repeat of Greyjoy's Rebellion. Please lead us to attack the Iron Islands directly and capture Pike as we did ten years ago."

"Greyjoy might show up under Highgarden Castle!"

"Where is the Redwyne fleet? They're guarding Blackwater Bay!"

…………

Amid the noisy sounds, Duke of Mace sighed secretly. Did the gods want him to give up Storm's End again?
At this time, Garce suddenly patted Duke Mace on the shoulder and whispered, "My Lord Duke, Garlan and his army should have arrived near Brightwater City. You may send troops to support him and let him be responsible for defeating Greyjoy."

Upon hearing this, the Duke of Metz's eyes lit up. Yes, Garland!

But... he immediately hesitated: "Crow's Eye is a very cunning and cruel pirate. If I don't go there myself, can Garlan be his opponent?"

Garce smiled slightly. "There are also Lady Olenna and Willas (the heir of the Duke of Mace) in Highgarden. Their wisdom plus Garlan's bravery... If we add your reinforcements, Greyjoy will never be a match."

"very good."

Lord Mace stroked his beard and said, "After I capture Storm's End, the next step... is to personally lead the troops to the Iron Islands. I will let the Seven Kingdoms know the consequences of invading the Reach."

"Everyone."

He waved his hand and gave a loud order: "The Chesta family, the Green family, the Hewitt family... the armies of these families I mentioned should start preparing immediately. Tomorrow, Steward Garth will lead you to Brightwater City to join Sir Garlan's army and wipe out those damn pirates brought by Greyjoy!"

The next day, the Duke of Metz brought 50,000 troops, 30,000 of which set out as reinforcements to support Sir Garlan, while he led the rest of the army to continue besieging Storm's End.

…………

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Early morning, the king's bedroom.

"Little King, my little king, it is time for you to get up. The Seven Kingdoms are waiting for you to rule."

His eyelids moved slightly, Tommen Baratheon opened his eyes drowsily, and rubbed the corners of his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Good day, Margery."

Margaery Tyrell was wearing a simple burgundy dress, her long brown curly hair was a little messy and draped over her shoulders, and her face was slightly flushed.

She was sitting on the edge of the bed at this time, looking at Tommen who had just woken up with a pair of elk eyes tenderly: "Good day, my little king."

Tommen leaned against the head of the bed and puffed his cheeks. "I'll be ten soon. I'll be your husband in a few years. Very soon."

Hearing his words, Margaret's maids standing not far away let out a low laugh.

"Oh yes, I would be honored to be your wife soon."

Margaret smiled, blinked her beautiful eyes, and said, "Then, my respected future husband, may I have the honor of changing your pajamas for you?"

Then she reached out and took a dark green robe from the maid and showed it to Tommen. "I had someone make this, my lord. Do you like the rose embroidery on it?"

"I like it very much. I like everything you give me." After a pause, Tommen pulled the quilt to his chin and said, "I can change it myself. I'm not a child."

Little Rose tilted her head to look at him: "Oh, I noticed that my little king seems to be shy?"

Tommen immediately denied it: "I am not shy, I am very brave. When I was practicing sword yesterday, my left hand and right hand said that I was a fearless king."

"It was my fault. I should not have doubted the courage of the master of the Iron Throne." Margaery leaned forward, their faces very close. "Will you forgive my rashness, Your Majesty?"

(End of this chapter)