The Andals were the second group of humans to arrive in Westeros. Unlike the First Men, who came to the continent via the Arm of Dorne, they sailed to the Fingers of Westeros and then conquered the Vale of Arryn. From the Vale of Arryn, they slowly spread to every piece of land in southern Westeros.
The nobles of the Vale of Arryn are the Andals with the purest bloodline in Westeros today, and even though times have changed, they are still proud of it.
As the Andals with the purest bloodline, the Vale nobles have a natural contempt for the wildlings and disdain to associate with them. For this reason, they refused Lyonel's summons, and it would not be surprising if they threw themselves into the arms of the North.
"Not surprising," Lyonel said with a dismissive look upon hearing Gradan's reply. He was still stationed in Saltpans, mainly to test the attitude of the Vale. He was prepared to fall out with the Vale, but the fellows in the Vale only refused the summons, seemingly wanting to sit on the fence and watch the fire from the other side, unwilling to commit until absolutely necessary.
"Your Grace, what if the Vale sides with the Direwolf?" Gradan couldn't help but ask. He always thought it unwise for Lyonel to take in the wildlings, as it might push the lords of the Vale towards House Stark.
"Gradan, my lord, please put this matter aside for now!" Lyonel said, somewhat annoyed that Gradan was still harping on the subject. "I have already taken in those wildlings. You can't expect me to kill them all!"
"Of course not, but before you did this, couldn't you have thought about the consequences?" Gradan asked with a hint of reproach. At this point, banishing or killing the accepted wildlings would damage the king's prestige.
"Then help me think of a solution! Isn't that the meaning of your existence?" Lyonel said with a playful tone.
"I..." Gradan opened his mouth.
"Hmm? You don't have any good ideas?" Lyonel drawled.
"I'm sorry, Your Grace," Gradan said with a look of shame. He didn't have a good solution to the current situation either.
"Alright, alright." Lyonel thought to himself with a sneer, seeing Gradan like this. This Master of Arms has some vision, but not much ability, just like most maesters. Can't count on him!
Since Lyonel couldn't count on Gradan, he personally summoned the envoy sent to the Vale, inquired about the Vale's response, and sent scouts near the Bloody Gate to monitor the movements of the Vale's army there.
Before the army officially departed from Saltpans, Lyonel was not worried about the Vale turning against him. He had left himself plenty of room to maneuver.
The Vale is called the Vale because its overall terrain is a natural basin, with the Eyrie as its core and surrounded by mountains on all sides. Only a road through the Mountains of the Moon connects the inside and outside, making it a place where one man can hold the pass, and ten thousand cannot pass.
In the past, the lords of the Vale defended against foreign enemies by guarding the Bloody Gate on this road. As long as they closed the Bloody Gate and didn't come out, no one could get in. But conversely, if the Bloody Gate was blocked, no matter how many troops were inside, they couldn't get out, unless the Vale lords' armies each had a dragon.
Lyonel carefully measured the width of the Bloody Gate passage. After calculation, he only needed two regiments to block the army inside the Vale, and the remaining twelve regiments would be enough.
While Lyonel was making various calculations in Saltpans and waiting for an opportunity, the twelve regiments led by Velas and Randal were helpless against Riverrun.
Riverrun is located at the intersection of the Red Fork and the Tumblestone River. It is a triangular city, surrounded by water on two sides. The side without water has been artificially dug out into a moat and equipped with sluice gates. As soon as someone attacks, the gates are opened immediately, and the entire city becomes an island.
As an island-type city, Riverrun is even more difficult to attack than the Vale. After all, the two sides of this triangular city are wide rivers, making it impossible to set up scorpion crossbows or catapults. The only side that can be approached has a huge moat, making it impossible to break through.
Since they couldn't break through, they could only besiege the city, but besieging the city was also more difficult than imagined, because Riverrun could almost be considered surrounded by water on three sides. The Red Fork and the Tumblestone River were too long, and Velas and Randal couldn't possibly block the water flow. The people in Riverrun could easily pass through the outer encirclement by simply rowing a boat.
Velas and Randal couldn't capture Riverrun, and the people in Riverrun didn't fight back either. They didn't have the ability to face more than seven thousand strong men, so they sent a raven to Winterfell for help overnight.
House Tully of Riverrun and House Stark of the North were so close that they would嫌肥 (implying they are extremely close). The current Duke of Riverrun, Edmure Tully, is not only Robb Stark's uncle but also his brother-in-law, as he married a daughter of House Frey of the Twins.
Robb Stark of Winterfell did not hesitate after receiving the raven from Riverrun. He directly marched south in the name of aiding Riverrun, even saving the time to summon vassals and troops, because he had been waiting for this moment for a long time, and the Northern lords had also been waiting for this moment for a long time.
The North is bitterly cold. Before Aegon's Conquest of Westeros, the Northerners would go south in droves to plunder every winter. After Aegon's Conquest of Westeros, the Northerners could no longer carry out large-scale plunder, but there would still be large groups of civilians traveling south together, because even vagrancy in the south could provide a way to survive, while staying in the north only meant death.
Although the North has not yet received the white raven from the Citadel, they have calculated that they have passed more than a dozen spring, summer, and autumn years. The later the winter comes, the more severe it will be. The severity of this winter will far exceed previous ones. If they want to survive, they must store enough supplies and wealth, and where do these supplies and wealth come from? They can only go south to rob.
It was under this psychological drive that the Northern lords instigated Robb Stark to declare himself king. Robb Stark himself was not as righteous as his father, but he still respected existing traditions to some extent. He originally wanted to raise Stannis's banner and have Stannis crown him king, but unfortunately, Stannis was unwilling to lend him his banner, leaving him to crown himself.
Even after ascending the throne, Robb Stark did not immediately march south. He kept delaying until Riverrun was besieged. He believed that the time had come, so he immediately led the gathered Northern vassals and troops to march south, intending to unite Riverrun in the name of rescue and then kill into the wealthy areas to carry out looting.
Robb Stark led his army south, and his first stop was the Twins, where his father-in-law Walder Frey was located. His wife, Roslin, gave birth to a son for him two years ago, but the child died not long after birth. After he ascended the throne as King in the North this time, he made his brother Brandon his heir, which strained his relationship with House Frey, but Walder Frey still welcomed him.
The nobles of the Vale of Arryn are the Andals with the purest bloodline in Westeros today, and even though times have changed, they are still proud of it.
As the Andals with the purest bloodline, the Vale nobles have a natural contempt for the wildlings and disdain to associate with them. For this reason, they refused Lyonel's summons, and it would not be surprising if they threw themselves into the arms of the North.
"Not surprising," Lyonel said with a dismissive look upon hearing Gradan's reply. He was still stationed in Saltpans, mainly to test the attitude of the Vale. He was prepared to fall out with the Vale, but the fellows in the Vale only refused the summons, seemingly wanting to sit on the fence and watch the fire from the other side, unwilling to commit until absolutely necessary.
"Your Grace, what if the Vale sides with the Direwolf?" Gradan couldn't help but ask. He always thought it unwise for Lyonel to take in the wildlings, as it might push the lords of the Vale towards House Stark.
"Gradan, my lord, please put this matter aside for now!" Lyonel said, somewhat annoyed that Gradan was still harping on the subject. "I have already taken in those wildlings. You can't expect me to kill them all!"
"Of course not, but before you did this, couldn't you have thought about the consequences?" Gradan asked with a hint of reproach. At this point, banishing or killing the accepted wildlings would damage the king's prestige.
"Then help me think of a solution! Isn't that the meaning of your existence?" Lyonel said with a playful tone.
"I..." Gradan opened his mouth.
"Hmm? You don't have any good ideas?" Lyonel drawled.
"I'm sorry, Your Grace," Gradan said with a look of shame. He didn't have a good solution to the current situation either.
"Alright, alright." Lyonel thought to himself with a sneer, seeing Gradan like this. This Master of Arms has some vision, but not much ability, just like most maesters. Can't count on him!
Since Lyonel couldn't count on Gradan, he personally summoned the envoy sent to the Vale, inquired about the Vale's response, and sent scouts near the Bloody Gate to monitor the movements of the Vale's army there.
Before the army officially departed from Saltpans, Lyonel was not worried about the Vale turning against him. He had left himself plenty of room to maneuver.
The Vale is called the Vale because its overall terrain is a natural basin, with the Eyrie as its core and surrounded by mountains on all sides. Only a road through the Mountains of the Moon connects the inside and outside, making it a place where one man can hold the pass, and ten thousand cannot pass.
In the past, the lords of the Vale defended against foreign enemies by guarding the Bloody Gate on this road. As long as they closed the Bloody Gate and didn't come out, no one could get in. But conversely, if the Bloody Gate was blocked, no matter how many troops were inside, they couldn't get out, unless the Vale lords' armies each had a dragon.
Lyonel carefully measured the width of the Bloody Gate passage. After calculation, he only needed two regiments to block the army inside the Vale, and the remaining twelve regiments would be enough.
While Lyonel was making various calculations in Saltpans and waiting for an opportunity, the twelve regiments led by Velas and Randal were helpless against Riverrun.
Riverrun is located at the intersection of the Red Fork and the Tumblestone River. It is a triangular city, surrounded by water on two sides. The side without water has been artificially dug out into a moat and equipped with sluice gates. As soon as someone attacks, the gates are opened immediately, and the entire city becomes an island.
As an island-type city, Riverrun is even more difficult to attack than the Vale. After all, the two sides of this triangular city are wide rivers, making it impossible to set up scorpion crossbows or catapults. The only side that can be approached has a huge moat, making it impossible to break through.
Since they couldn't break through, they could only besiege the city, but besieging the city was also more difficult than imagined, because Riverrun could almost be considered surrounded by water on three sides. The Red Fork and the Tumblestone River were too long, and Velas and Randal couldn't possibly block the water flow. The people in Riverrun could easily pass through the outer encirclement by simply rowing a boat.
Velas and Randal couldn't capture Riverrun, and the people in Riverrun didn't fight back either. They didn't have the ability to face more than seven thousand strong men, so they sent a raven to Winterfell for help overnight.
House Tully of Riverrun and House Stark of the North were so close that they would嫌肥 (implying they are extremely close). The current Duke of Riverrun, Edmure Tully, is not only Robb Stark's uncle but also his brother-in-law, as he married a daughter of House Frey of the Twins.
Robb Stark of Winterfell did not hesitate after receiving the raven from Riverrun. He directly marched south in the name of aiding Riverrun, even saving the time to summon vassals and troops, because he had been waiting for this moment for a long time, and the Northern lords had also been waiting for this moment for a long time.
The North is bitterly cold. Before Aegon's Conquest of Westeros, the Northerners would go south in droves to plunder every winter. After Aegon's Conquest of Westeros, the Northerners could no longer carry out large-scale plunder, but there would still be large groups of civilians traveling south together, because even vagrancy in the south could provide a way to survive, while staying in the north only meant death.
Although the North has not yet received the white raven from the Citadel, they have calculated that they have passed more than a dozen spring, summer, and autumn years. The later the winter comes, the more severe it will be. The severity of this winter will far exceed previous ones. If they want to survive, they must store enough supplies and wealth, and where do these supplies and wealth come from? They can only go south to rob.
It was under this psychological drive that the Northern lords instigated Robb Stark to declare himself king. Robb Stark himself was not as righteous as his father, but he still respected existing traditions to some extent. He originally wanted to raise Stannis's banner and have Stannis crown him king, but unfortunately, Stannis was unwilling to lend him his banner, leaving him to crown himself.
Even after ascending the throne, Robb Stark did not immediately march south. He kept delaying until Riverrun was besieged. He believed that the time had come, so he immediately led the gathered Northern vassals and troops to march south, intending to unite Riverrun in the name of rescue and then kill into the wealthy areas to carry out looting.
Robb Stark led his army south, and his first stop was the Twins, where his father-in-law Walder Frey was located. His wife, Roslin, gave birth to a son for him two years ago, but the child died not long after birth. After he ascended the throne as King in the North this time, he made his brother Brandon his heir, which strained his relationship with House Frey, but Walder Frey still welcomed him.
