"We beheaded Joffrey!"
"We beheaded Joffrey!"
"We beheaded Joffrey!"
"—"
On the city walls, Jon had the soldiers shout this phrase repeatedly.
Jon's voice, of course, was not enough to spread across the entire battlefield, allowing tens of thousands to hear him.
There were no microphones in this era, and he didn't even have time to arrange a megaphone, so he had to resort to this method of everyone telling a little lie together.
And seeing this bizarre scene on the city walls, the soldiers who had been ready to charge hesitated.
Especially the knights; they only knew that there were currently two legitimate kings.
Or rather, relatively legitimate: one was Joffrey, the other was Stannis.
They only knew they were loyal to Joffrey, but if Joffrey died, why should they still shed blood?
If it were anyone else, they might still hesitate, but Jon was facing Randal Tarly, a seasoned veteran of many battles.
He wouldn't be fooled by such a small trick.
"Siege!"
Wearing his helmet, Randal Tarly expressionlessly gave the order to attack. The soldiers carried siege ladders, and archers lined up to advance and provide support.
But just then, the soldiers on the city wall directly lifted two crying blonde children and displayed them to the attacking army below.
The children's attire clearly indicated they were not from ordinary families.
Especially their blonde hair; even though the sky wasn't very bright, it immediately caught Randal Tarly's attention.
The two children were of different ages, one older and one younger, a boy and a girl.
The girl's body trembled, while the boy's body was tense as he sobbed loudly.
As everyone wondered, Jon directly stood on the battlements and shouted to the people below: "Randal Tarly! I am Jon Snow! The bastard son of the Hand of the King, Eddard Stark! What you see now are Tommen and Myrcella, the bastards of Cersei's adultery! I have broken into the Red Keep, and the false king Joffrey has already been executed! This is the proof!"
"Stop the attack! Stop the attack!"
Seeing this, Randal Tarly immediately ordered his soldiers to retreat, and it was clear that Garland and Petyr, who were a little further away, also saw it.
At Petyr's suggestion, Garland also quickly sent someone to stop Randal Tarly from launching an attack.
The three gathered again, mainly to confirm that Jon hadn't fooled them with fakes.
"Yes, those two children are indeed Princess Myrcella and Prince Tommen!" Petyr said gravely.
Upon hearing Petyr say this, Garland and Randal Tarly were at a loss for what to do.
Randal Tarly simply washed his hands of it; he only cared about fighting, and other matters were not his concern.
So Petyr looked at Garland, but Garland also didn't know what to do.
If you don't know what to do, look at the people around you, one by one, and someone with an idea will eventually speak up.
"Or close your eyes, lower your head, and pretend to be thinking. Yes, that's it; don't speak, let others guess." Garland's mind echoed the teachings of his grandmother, Olenna, the Queen of Thorns, and his elder brother, Willas.
The last sentence was from his younger sister, and his younger sister was the renowned 'Little Rose' Margaery Tyrell.
Petyr saw Garland lower his head, close his eyes, and remain silent, so he gave him time to think.
Who knew, one minute, two minutes, five minutes passed, and Garland said nothing, just stood there foolishly.
Finally, Petyr couldn't hold back and said, "Ser Garland, those are indeed Princess Myrcella and Prince Tommen, but they are not in the Red Keep. Jon said he killed His Majesty Joffrey, so why doesn't he produce King Joffrey's body? He must be bluffing us!"
Garland watched Petyr finish speaking, then looked at Randal Tarly.
Seeing Randal Tarly nod, he also nodded slightly.
"Hmm, you have a point." Petyr didn't know Garland well. Seeing him agree with his speculation, he felt relieved and at the same time sighed that this obscure Garland seemed a bit 'difficult to deal with'.
He quickly chose his words and said, "We can't let him deceive us. We must, as Count Randal Tarly said, seize the time to besiege the city. Otherwise, if Stannis truly gains the iron throne, how will Margaery become queen?"
At this moment, Randal Tarly, who had been silent, spoke, "What about the soldiers?"
"What?" Petyr didn't react immediately.
"The soldiers. Although Petyr's deduction is very reasonable, the soldiers may not understand it, and they will still feel suspicious. If we don't address the soldiers' doubts, our attack might be hindered. And what if? The Northern army was able to appear here against everyone's expectations; is it certain they won't break into the Red Keep?" Although Randal Tarly generally ignored political matters, once it involved military campaigns, everyone had to consider his opinion.
Petyr was a qualified schemer.
He could incite one or two people, but not necessarily tens of thousands.
Petyr knew that if Jon truly killed Cersei's three children, the so-called 'Lion-Flower Alliance' would immediately collapse.
The House Tyrell, relying on its formidable strength, would not suffer significant losses even if it was eventually restricted and marginalized by Stannis.
But he was different; his position as Master of Coin was granted by the previous Hand of the King, Lord Arryn.
He was merely a minor noble from the Five Fingers in the Vale, and a poor one at that.
Although he had enriched himself considerably over the years by handling Robert's dealings with the Iron Bank, he knew that without power, wealth alone would ultimately leave him vulnerable.
If Stannis realized that he was the one pulling the strings and thwarting his plans, even if he, as king, didn't pursue it, a host of people below him would still seek to trouble him.
Thinking of this, a cold sweat began to seep from Petyr's back. He subtly turned his neck, as if his breathing was somewhat labored.
"Perhaps I should persuade the Tyrells to switch allegiance to Stannis, perhaps I can—atone for my sins? No, would a great house change its colors so easily? What they care about most is face. It's too early to think about these things now. There are tens of thousands of troops here. Unless Aegon the Conqueror himself comes, and brings his dragons, no one can hold this place! Petyr, calm down, there will be a way, there will be a way—"
Petyr's mind raced, but facing the current situation, he couldn't help but feel a sense of powerlessness.
Just then, a Reach knight came to the three and reported loudly, "My Lords, Lord Mace asks why we have not yet entered King's Landing?"
Lord Mace was the Lord of Highgarden, Warden of the Reach, and Garland's father.
If Stannis seized the throne, it seemed only the House Tyrell could protect me. Realizing this, Petyr quickly said, "There's been a problem, Ser. Someone got here before us—"
Petyr explained the current situation to the messenger knight, and it was clear that this knight was likely a bastard of the House Tyrell.
The knight, presumably a bastard, returned to inform Mace of the situation after learning about it.
Now, the Reach army, caught between a rock and a hard place, could not force an attack on the city, and could only wait below the walls.
The standoff continued until it was fully daylight; they could even clearly see the expressions of the Northern soldiers on the city walls.
Fortunately, at this time, Martin had completed the reinforcement of the River Gate defenses.
News also came from Dondarrion that he had completed the construction of defenses in other directions.
Given Jon's current situation, he could withstand a fierce siege.
On the city walls, Jon, Harrion, and Dondarrion were also discussing the next plan.
Jon had just used the Myrcella siblings to buy them time to build city defenses, but ultimately, conquering the Red Keep was necessary for a decisive victory.
"Jon, we've just sealed off the Red Keep and can break in at any time. We're currently filling the moat with stones. If Arya's secret passage is fine, we'll soon be able to drag out that little king!" Harrion said excitedly.
He wasn't actually stupid; he knew that conquering the Red Keep not only meant successful revenge but also concerned the safety of their more than ten thousand men.
"Good!" Jon nodded.
They could say they lacked nothing now, only time. Filling the Red Keep's moat was indeed a massive undertaking and required time.
But Jon knew that even with a secret passage, conquering the Red Keep would likely still take some time.
He still had to consider how to defend the city, and at this point, Dondarrion mentioned wildfire.
"Jon, you already know the power of wildfire. If we have to defend the city next, we might be able to use it. I suggest we immediately start making wildfire to defend the city!" Dondarrion suggested.
His suggestion invigorated the others.
That's right!
The Imp, Tyrion, could use wildfire to defend the city, and so could they!
"Good! We'll burn these Reachmen to death with wildfire!" Harrion excitedly waved his fist.
"That's too—cruel." Harken had also understood what was happening.
He had always thought himself the bravest warrior of the Mountains of the Moon, and he never imagined he would one day utter such words.
He only felt that this 'outside world' was truly too terrifying; tens of thousands of lives were taken at will, squandered as if splashing mud.
Jon didn't know what he was thinking, nor did he intend to find out. He merely realized this was a good idea, so he looked at Thoros, who was a professional.
But the 'Red Priest's' words sent a chill through everyone's hearts.
"There's no time." Thoros shook his head. "Making wildfire is a complex process; it requires incantations, and there's a step where it needs to ferment for several days, like wine. We don't have enough time." Thoros's words poured cold water on everyone.
Without the potent weapon of wildfire, facing the combined Lannister and Tyrell forces in the future, everyone felt a bit uneasy.
That was an army of one hundred thousand!
Looking at the somewhat disappointed crowd, Jon suddenly thought of something.
The last Targaryen king, Aerys The Mad King, realizing his dynasty was about to fall, had ordered wildfire to be hidden in various places in King's Landing, apparently intending to annihilate the rebel army with it once they breached the city.
But this was prevented by his Kingsguard, Jaime Lannister, and thus never came to pass.
Afterward, no one was able to unearth this cache of wildfire.
Jon believed he might be able to try his luck; if it was there, great, but even if not, his Gods Perspective could monitor every city gate, and he could rush to any trouble spot immediately.
"Martin, you and Ser Thoros go to the Great Sept of Baelor. There might be wildfire there." Jon looked at everyone and said.
"Ah? How do you know?" Dondarrion and Dondarrion both asked in surprise. After all, Jon should be visiting King's Landing for the first time.
"I heard about it on the Wall. Anyway, we'll talk about it after the war. Hurry!"
"Yes, my lord."
"Harrion, hold the Lion Gate to the west. The Lannisters could arrive at any moment." As for Meici Severn, Jon didn't dare to expect him to hold Tywin for long; he would be thankful if he could delay him for half a day.
"My lord, should we bring out those prisoners to defend the city for us?" At this moment, Mond suggested, but Jon immediately rejected it.
"No, we are new here, and no one believes we can hold the city. When those prisoners see the enemy's massive army, it would be good if they don't collapse on the spot. Send men to keep a close watch on them for me."
"Yes, my lord."
As one order after another was given, Jon still felt a sense of unease in his heart.
This was not to say he lacked confidence in the war.
At this moment, his Gods Perspective had achieved complete coverage of King's Landing.
Nothing could escape his eyes.
He was just a little nervous, holding tens of thousands of lives in his hands, but now, there was no choice but victory.
From the moment he launched the coup and seized military power, there was no turning back.
Ãdvåñçé çhàptêr àvàilàble óñ pàtreøn (Gk31)