#163Chapter 162 Ceremony
Robb is quite satisfied with the current overall progress.
Because everything else lies, but the Elden Ring in your hand does not.
Seeing the Elden Ring becoming more powerful day by day, Robb could be sure that his strategic direction was not wrong.
In order to better deal with the Long Night, Robb summoned two recruiting ministers.
"Currently, we have only two regular army armies in the Westeros Empire, namely the Blood Wolf Army and the Winter Wolf Army, with a total of 20,000 people. But with the expansion of our territory, there are now more armies in the River Bend, the Valley and Dorne. The army has not been organized yet."
Although Great Jon looks rough, he, like his son Little Jon, is both rough on the outside and delicate on the inside: "Your Majesty, I have been thinking about this issue recently and feel that the current military system is indeed somewhat imperfect, especially in various places. The newly conquered areas need some garrison to maintain stability. "
"Tell me what you think."
The Great Jon had already prepared the draft: "The Reach is the most obedient territory among His Majesty's newly conquered areas, and the soldiers there are also very loyal. I think the next soldiers of the Empire can be based on the soldiers of the Reach." "Main Body Construction."
There is another benefit of doing this that everyone knows but no one explains clearly.
The Reach is the most obedient, so the one with the greatest chance of rebellion is, of course, Dorne.
The Reach and Dorne have had a blood feud for generations. If they have the opportunity to fight Dorne one day, these Reach soldiers will probably support it with both hands.
Robb also agreed with the Greatjon's view: "Well, the third legion is mainly made up of soldiers from the Reach, with people from the Stormland accounting for a small half. The fourth legion is mainly made up of people from the Reach, and most of them are from the Reach." The people from Enhe Valley will also account for half."
"The navy also needs to be expanded. I need two armadas. The size of the Redwin fleet and my Royal Navy fleet must reach 40,000 people. You can do this."
Robb wanted to reduce the influence of various nobles, first by weakening their military strength.
The four legions mobilized elite soldiers from various regions, and all were brought under Robb's management and rule.
In this way, even if Robb does not use extraordinary power, he is still the most powerful force in the entire continent.
Robb also stipulated a mandatory decree: "It is decreed that, except for nobles of the Duke level, all small nobles are not allowed to have an army of more than a hundred people, and the Duke is not allowed to have an army of more than a thousand people."
Greatjon and Karstark looked at each other and felt that there was no big problem.
Because the small nobles could not afford to support many troops, they could easily draw hundreds or even thousands of troops during wars, which forced farmers to join the battlefield.
For some big nobles, what they fear most now is that Robb will attack them. They are hiding in the City of Stars and trembling, not daring to disobey Robb's orders.
The top nobles at the Duke's level would either wear the same pants as Robb or be threatened by Robb's control, let alone object.
Robb also made arrangements for future deployment: "Let the third legion be stationed in Dorne, and if anything happens, it will be dispatched immediately to counter the rebellion. The remaining legions will be integrated and rush to King's Landing within three months. , surround the entire city of Junlin, but don't fight!"
The two recruiting ministers nodded politely and took all of Robb's words to heart.
Robb prepared three legions to resist the wights, but in essence this was a battle between gods, and he had to rely on Robb to kill the so-called cold god alone to win.
The function of these three legions is to prevent the ghoul army from running south and killing innocent residents, causing damage to the foundation of their faith.
But before the wights arrive, Robb will definitely unify the entire Westeros continent. The only area that has not been conquered now is King's Landing.
Robb prepares to teach Joffrey a lesson he will never forget.
——
"Damn it, where are all the savages?"
Beyond the Wall, Lord Hightower and Stannis walked through the ice and snow for more than a month. Not to mention the wildlings, not even a single wildling hair was seen.
Earl Hightower found it very strange. He used to arrange smuggling transactions with the savages outside the Great Wall. Logically speaking, the savages were all around here. Why have they all disappeared? !
He has been away from Westeros for a long time. He was captured by Robb in Old Town, which caused him to lose control of the outside world, so the traces of the wildlings still remain a few months ago.
Stannis's face looked a little ugly. He seriously doubted whether Earl Hightower was playing a trick on him: "You said that the King Beyond the Wall has the Horn of Winter in his hand. Where are their people now?"
Earl Hightower was also in a dilemma. Otherwise, should he not want the blood of the wildling king?
Now Stannis is also under a lot of pressure, because the soldiers followed him outside the wall and many people have frozen to death, and now people's hearts have begun to float.
If we don't give the soldiers hope soon, they will mutiny!
Earl Hightower was afraid that Stannis would give up: "I have already seen the traces of the Horn of Winter. It is right next to Custer Castle, the transit point for the wildlings and the Night's Watch. We can just rush there!"
The Horn of Winter has always been in Earl Hightower's hands, but he can't take it out immediately now, otherwise it would be too fake.
Faced with Lord Hightower's lies, Stannis was a little skeptical.
At this time, the red-robed witch Melisandre stepped forward: "I also saw the prophecy in the flames. You will get a new life in Castle Castle and control everything."
With the Red Witch's bewitching words, Stannis has decided to go to Craster's Keep without Lord Hightower's continued explanation.
Since the defeat in the battle to attack King's Landing, Stannis has attributed his failure to not fully trusting the Red Witch.
And Melisandre has shown miracles many times, which makes Stannis believe that he is the 'king' she said.
Stannis looked at Lord Hightower: "Okay, this is the last time I trust you."
The group began to move towards the burned Craster's Keep again.
The team set off, and the Red Witch came to Lord Hightower.
Lord Hightower was still very wary of this witch who had been helping him, because he could not understand this servant of the Lord of Light.
She should know her plan!
Apostasy?
Melisandre did not communicate with Lord Hightower, but just passed by him, leaving a scent.
The two passed by, and a piece of paper appeared in Lord Hightower's hand.
What is this?
What on earth is this woman up to?
In a place where no one is around, Lord Hightower opened the note Melisandre left for him.
It was full of magic circles and inscriptions that normal people could hardly understand. Only people like Lord Hightower who often studied magic could understand it.
As he looked at it, Lord Hightower's eyes widened.
This... This is the specific method of the Lord of Light using the blood of the king for sacrifice!
According to the description above, you only need to sacrifice a real king to obtain the power of the corresponding god.
This is an extremely detailed method, which is many times more efficient than the method Lord Hightower developed himself!
And the method is safer and more efficient!
With this method, Lord Hightower is more confident.
Although Lord Hightower still doesn't quite understand what Melisandre wants to do, he can't care so much anymore. Sacrifice it and it's done!
It's another long journey.
Stannis brought his army and finally arrived near Craster's Fortress.
This place has been destroyed by Robb's dragon, leaving only ruins and a desolate scene.
Covered with snow, this place is about to become an underground fortress.
Earl Hightower volunteered: "I'll go down and look for it first. I have a strong sense of the Horn of Winter."
Stannis certainly wouldn't be at ease: "I'll send a few people to follow you..."
Before he finished speaking, Melisandre interrupted him: "I'll go with him, so he won't dare to play any tricks."
Stannis was immediately relieved: "Okay, it's up to you!"
Earl Hightower and Melisandre looked at each other and walked into Craster's Fortress, leaving Stannis and the army outside waiting.
Earl Hightower finally walked into the reception room of Craster's Fortress after struggling to dig through the snow all the way. Here, outsiders can't see what will happen inside at all.
But looking at the beautiful woman in front of him, Earl Hightower was still very vigilant.
Melisandre, however, looked nonchalant: "Just do what you want to do."
"Why are you helping me?"
"I'm not helping you, I'm helping my god, my master."
Lord Hightower was a little puzzled: "Your god wants you to help me blow the Horn of Winter? Did you misinterpret the prophecy?"
Melisandre was a little unhappy: "I have never misinterpreted it, and this oracle is extremely clear, clearer than ever before!"
"Okay."
Lord Hightower could no longer care about so much. The Horn of Winter was his only trump card. No matter what would happen after it was blown, he would do it!
He began to chant the spell, which he had researched himself, plus the note Melisandre gave him before, adding the two together, his research results have reached a higher level.
"I will draw the formation, blood sacrifice everyone in the formation, and blow the horn!"
Lord Hightower finally said to Melisandre, then closed his eyes and began to cast black magic.
Outside the Fortress of Craster, suddenly, the wind and snow blew.
The wind howled, rolling up thousands of piles of snow, and the surrounding vision became blurred!
Stannis vaguely felt that something was wrong, but the current situation was not very bad. He had a glimmer of luck in his heart and did not call the soldiers to rush in or leave.
It was not until strange symbols formed by snow accumulation began to appear on the ground that Stannis felt that the situation seemed a little wrong.
"This old man is a ghost, rush in and destroy the snow on the ground!"
Stannis shouted, and the soldiers around him immediately did so.
These symbols formed by snow accumulation have not yet been fully formed, and they are very fragile. When the soldiers touched them, they completely collapsed.
However, the soldiers who wanted to rush into Fortress Craster were blocked by invisible forces and could not rush in at all.
Inside Fortress Craster.
As Stannis's soldiers destroyed the magic circle created by Earl Hightower, Earl Hightower was immediately hit back. Before the horn was blown, he spit out a mouthful of old blood and died on the spot.
Melisandre looked at Lord Hightower's fallen body, calm and composed, as if she had foreseen such an ending.
"What a fool."
Melisandre walked forward, gently placed her finger on his forehead, and began to communicate with the great Lord of Light, using his divine power.
Oh!
Earl Hightower's closed eyes suddenly opened, and the blood on the corners of his mouth had not yet been wiped dry, with a look of disbelief on his face.
He is back from the dead!
Earl Hightower looked confused. He felt that he had lost a memory of his childhood, and also felt that he had lost a little emotion: "What happened?!"
Melisandre said calmly: "You failed and died. Then you were resurrected by me. It's that simple."
Earl Hightower, who had received help countless times, was somewhat silent.
Melisandre asked strangely: "Since you are all resurrected, why don't you work hard and continue your career?"
Of course it's because I don't know how much interest you will recover from me!
Earl Hightower cursed in his mind, but still got up. This matter had become an obsession and he had to complete it.
beep--
Earl Hightower blew the Horn of Winter directly, and before it lasted long, he was frozen into an ice sculpture and died on the spot, still keeping the action of blowing the horn.
At this time, everyone outside was in chaos!
Even if there was just a brief blast of horns, this army of thousands of people was still a little confused.
Their expressions were a little dazed, as if their brains had been hit hard with a hammer!
When they were confused, the wind and snow swept around them again, and the runes on the ground appeared again.
Stannis's resistance is slightly stronger: "Destroy the strange snow runes on the ground!"
There were also a few able-bodied soldiers who saved their sanity and tried their best to destroy the snow runes with their weapons.
The storm subsided again.
However, not long after, the storm came again!
This time, no one can stop this.
A huge magic circle formed, covering all the soldiers including Stannis, and a strange cold began to erode everyone's heart.
A blue light began to emerge, and the soldiers began to turn into ice sculptures.
Stannis fell into despair, and a faint blue crept into his eyes.
…
Inside Castle Castle.
Melisandre looked at Earl Hightower, who had lost most of his humanity due to multiple resurrections, and wondered: "Why did it stop?"
Earl Hightower's voice was extremely hoarse, and it was almost impossible to hear the tone of a normal human being: "The blood of the king is not enough... there cannot be only one Corpse King..."
"Han Shen has such a big appetite?"
Melisandre was surprised. The blood of a king and the blood sacrifices of thousands of soldiers could not satisfy the magic consumption of pushing up the Great Wall?
Earl Hightower has basically lost most of his humanity: "We have to look for it again. I remember that the Golden Legion is also a stray dog now. Let's start with them..."
In the wind and snow, the Custer Fortress was hidden.
Two figures, one black and one red, gradually disappeared into the distance.