Northern Territory, the Border of Bairen River and Yangtou Mountain
Yangtou Mountain was a massive range spanning the Bairen River and the Suiliu River. It was the second largest mountain range in the Northern Territory. Because it was wide in the middle and narrow at the ends, locals had aptly named it Yangtou Mountain—"Sheep Head Mountain."
Since ancient times, Yangtou Mountain had been jointly ruled by the Howood and Moran families. However, in recent years, with the rise of White Harbor, the Howood family—supported by the Mandler family—had gradually expanded their influence over Yangtou Mountain.
On the eve of the "War of the Five Kings," the Moran family's stronghold was suddenly consumed by a massive fire. The Moran family publicly claimed it was set by the Howoods, while the Howoods vehemently denied the accusation.
The dispute caused an uproar that reached Winterfell itself. Both sides held firm to their claims, and over twenty skirmishes erupted between them.
But with Robert Stark's march southward, the matter gradually fizzled out. After the "Red Wedding," the Bolton family rose to prominence. Roose Bolton accepted the Moran family, granting them territory near the Bairen River.
The Domeric Bolton brothers had managed to conquer Howood Castle thanks to the Moran family's support. Following this victory, they began construction of their new family fortress south of the Bairen River, near Yangtou Mountain—Pinecone Fortress.
Today, Pinecone Fortress was unusually bustling. Scores of golems and goblins, coordinated by the small fae, were busily transporting materials that had only arrived at the fortress that very day.
This year had brought a bountiful harvest to the Bairen River basin, especially in the four system farms near Winterfell. With the new wheat sown, Marco could hardly wait to launch his "Autumn Campaign."
After accumulating forces over time, Marco had assembled around 7,000 thug soldiers. With 2,000 stationed at the outposts, he now concentrated nearly 5,000 thugs for the campaign.
Around 1,000 Northern Territory cavalry and roughly 2,000 clan archers formed the core of the army. They, along with the main forces, were stationed outside the city.
Yangtou Mountain was the Mandler family's natural barrier. The Mandler coalition and Stannis would never allow it to fall into Marco's hands. Cavalry and dragons could not operate effectively there, neutralizing Marco's advantages.
Thus, Marco had preemptively deployed troops to support Howood Castle and stationed forces here, ensuring that if Howood Castle fell, reinforcements could arrive swiftly.
Additionally, 1,000 stone golems and transport golems were being deployed to the battlefield. Marco intended to use this opportunity to test the combat effectiveness of the rock golems.
Rock golems were the foundation of all the golems Marco had developed. Later, more advanced golems would be built upon this base, often equipped with special outer materials to enhance their capabilities.
The world's metallurgical technology was still primitive, incapable of producing the iron golems seen in academy forces. That was why the system had not integrated golems into the ranks of standard system soldiers—the technology simply didn't exist yet.
Northern resources were scarce and difficult to mine. Marco had begun planning to use goblins for extraction. The Northern Territory was vast, undoubtedly rich in underground minerals—just undiscovered.
Marco marveled at how versatile the small fae were. They could not only assemble golems but even develop precise machinery independently. Their current project—the mining golem—was designed specifically to extract hidden mineral resources.
Looking at the stone golems, which were already seven or eight parts similar to academy iron golems, Marco nodded in satisfaction. Their movement was peculiar: the core constantly absorbed soil and rock to stabilize itself, akin to a treant's rooting skill.
At that moment, the sky echoed with the roars of dragons. A gust of blood-chilled wind swept over the land as dragons soared downward, landing.
Over time, the dragons had grown further. But as they aged, their growth slowed. Marco estimated that once they reached the size of a Blue Star tractor, they would be considered adults.
At that stage, growth slowed significantly, but their durability, agility, and metallic-looking scales would continue improving.
In Marco's view, Daenerys Targaryen in the TV series could have waited a few more years—allowing her dragons to mature fully, or even hatch their first eggs—before pursuing her Iron Throne conquest. This way, she could leverage dragon eggs to gain more support from the great houses.
But with her impatience and massive army, she rushed to Westeros too soon, gradually falling into the trap of the White Walkers and their master, causing humanity to lose its final hope.
The Stark bloodline was extraordinary. The Old Gods had once told Marco that the Starks carried the blood of past and future deities. Historically, Northern kings had always received the favor of the Old Gods.
After Bran became the Three-Eyed Raven, his presence was eerie in every way. Marco suspected that most later disasters were connected to the Old Gods. Whether the Night King truly died or faked it remained uncertain, and despite countless encounters, the Night King always escaped Marco's grasp.
"Roar…"
A questioning dragon's cry pulled Marco's wandering thoughts back. He shook his head, clearing all distractions from his mind.
He then pulled a large crystal from his pocket and tossed it into the mouth of his Crystal Dragon. Marco had always thought the name "Crystal Dragon" sounded epic, so he never gave it another name.
Elsewhere, Brinden's dragon, Green Dream, accepted a roasted goat from his hand. As dragons approached adulthood, they sampled a variety of prey to determine their preferred diet.
Dragon riders guided their feeding to prevent chaos. Left unchecked, dragons' curiosity could lead to disastrous habits—attacking their own kind or even humans.
Marco was well aware of these tendencies. For fire dragons, he strictly instructed Brinden Bloodraven and Morford Valerian to use Binding Spells to guide them toward eating cooked goats.
His Crystal Dragon and Yin Geng's Ice Dragon were less problematic, though equally curious and destructive. Marco and Yin Geng guided them to prevent accidents.
In terms of dragon-riding, Brinden and Yin Geng had innate advantages. Their Shapeshifter abilities allowed them to build rapport with dragons quickly, better directing their actions.
While guiding the dragons, a Wind Dragon Guard soldier suddenly arrived, respectfully delivering a Raven Message to Marco before stepping aside.
Marco opened the scroll and read carefully. After finishing, he looked westward with a peculiar expression, as if pondering something.
Moonshadow noticed his actions and asked:
"Marco, what's wrong? Is something happening in the west?"
Marco handed her the message, his expression strange.
"Xian Greyjoy and her sister Asha Greyjoy have arrived at Dragonhorn with a fleet and sailors. They are stationed there, seemingly waiting to negotiate with our people."
"Isn't that good?"
Daenerys asked, puzzled. She couldn't understand why Marco looked like that. To her, it seemed like a sign of allegiance from the Ironborn—Marco shouldn't have reacted this way.
Marco chuckled wryly.
"If it were that simple, yes. But you need to understand: Deepwood Motte and Bear Island have never pledged to us. Now, they seem united—likely planning to clash with the Ironborn first."
Maeve frowned.
"Then let them fight! Severn City has already submitted. Only the minor nobles along the Sunset Sea and near Carling Bay remain. Better to break them now than waste effort later. Marco! You're too kind. If it were me, I would have wiped them out already. Only the blood of rebels can forge true justice."
Marco paused thoughtfully before smiling and explaining:
"Both sides think the other belongs to me, so no fighting has broken out yet. Let's send envoys to assess the situation first. We may have to fight many servants of the Old Gods later. Besides, who would ever complain about having too few soldiers?"
At that moment, a cavalry unit arrived, led by Rams Snow, now one of Marco's generals.
Marco had told Rams that if he executed his missions diligently, Marco would remove his illegitimate surname and grant him a new one.
Unlike Domeric, who preferred studying magic, Rams excelled in military strategy. In every battle, he demonstrated remarkable tactical skill.
Marco had been supervising Brinden's guidance of him. Rams' previous behavior stemmed from never having a good mentor. After being educated by Domeric, his character and temperament improved greatly.
Roose Bolton still subtly looked down on Rams' lineage, and his cold, reserved nature meant he couldn't teach Rams properly.
Now Marco had given Rams a stage—his ruthlessness didn't matter, as long as he didn't turn against their own. Rams' actions could help Marco conquer the world, so past mistakes were irrelevant.
After arranging his cavalry, Rams rode forward alone to Marco. Dismounting, he reported:
"Your Majesty! As expected, Stannis and White Harbor's forces did attempt a surprise attack on Howood Castle, but I have surrounded their troops. Their water and food supplies have been poisoned. They will surrender within a month."
Marco nodded in satisfaction. Then, he suddenly looked at a nearby soldier, issuing a command via magical control.
He then turned back to Rams, inquiring in detail about Howood Castle. Currently, around 2,000 ordinary soldiers were stationed there, mostly Manderly coalition forces.
The problem: the shapeshifters of Wolf Fang could not infiltrate Howood Castle. According to Bloodhand intelligence, several red-robed monks were present.
"Rams, did you encounter anything unusual on your way here?"
Rams paused, shook his head.
"All arrangements have been completed. Nothing unusual to report."
"I forgot—you haven't mastered the powers of the Mysterious Aspect yet. I'll modify you later."
Rams was elated beyond words.
Just as he was about to speak, the flying dragon guard soldier returned and whispered something in Marco's ear. Marco pondered for a moment, then called Rams closer.
Time passed quickly. Night fell. Pinecone Fortress fell silent, lit only by scattered fires from night watch soldiers.
Nearby, in a forest, a hidden army gathered. Three red-robed Lahlo priests chanted, praying over a pile of flames.
The fire twisted unnaturally, distorting the surrounding space. From outside the forest, none could see what occurred within.
A man in armor engraved with a flaming stag emblem asked:
"All ready? Servants of our god, our soldiers are prepared to slaughter the heathens. My blood boils with anticipation!"
An elder red-robed monk spoke suddenly:
"Your courage is known, Asser! Soon we will strike. We will offer our enemies' blood as tribute to the great Light King!"
The force numbered around 3,000, mostly cavalry from Stannis' army, with roughly 300 from White Harbor.
Their mission: attack Valerian Empire soldiers stationed at Pinecone Fortress. Red-robed priestess Melisandre, aware of Marco's movements, relayed intelligence to Stannis.
Stannis devised this plan: lure Marco's garrison using Howood Castle defenders, raid under cover of night, then retreat. The main goal: burn Marco's supplies.
"Woo…"
Horn blasts pierced the night. Cavalry wielding burning weapons charged from the forest, hooves and cries echoing.
The vanguard charged into the camp, finding empty tents. In the supply area behind, however, over a thousand "figures" stood densely packed.
Stannis' cavalry charged, but soon discovered their lances struck not flesh, but solid stone.
"Ka-chaa…"
The sound of grinding stone echoed as over 1,000 rock golems activated. Stannis' cavalry was smashed to droplets, like waves against rocks.
As the cavalry commander Asser Florin realized the situation, he ordered retreat via horn.
At that moment, dragon roars filled the sky. Frost and crystal dragon breaths crossed the battlefield from both flanks, throwing the cavalry into chaos.
In the confusion, they fled, seeking survival. Fortunately, the horns continued, guiding soldiers toward safety.
The first fleeing units ran south for over ten minutes, arriving at the designated forest where friendly troops awaited, marked by three bonfires.
As Asser Florin finally exhaled in relief, a pungent smell from the forest made him sense danger. He barely had time to react before…
"Boom…"
A pillar of fire descended, engulfing his unit. Reacting, he jumped from his mount, but the extreme heat ignited his horse.
Asser Florin and his three guards were instantly incinerated. Flames quickly spread around the forest.
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