"That's outright murder! I demand blood for blood!"
Inside the meeting room at Winterfell, Earl Seven, Maege Cerwyn, roared at the lords of the North, his face flushed.
"My men were acting in self-defense. Your men were sneaking after them, and when they were discovered, they proved inferior in combat. They deserved to die."
Opposing House Seaworth was a man who appeared refined, yet everyone could see the cruelty in his bones. He was the infamous Earl of the Bolton Family, Roose Bolton, also known as Roose Bolton.
Roose Bolton's voice was not loud; instead, it was gentle, making everyone present strain to hear his words clearly.
Maege Cerwyn raged, "What the hell are you talking about?! What combat? Can stabbing someone in the back be called combat? It was clearly a sneak attack! Murder!"
"Putting that aside, mutual surveillance at this time—do you intend to break the alliance?"
"And your subordinates suddenly killing someone isn't breaking the alliance?"
Both sides argued, while the other lords remained silent, instead looking meaningfully at the young man seated at the head, their nominal leader, Young Wolf Lord Robb.
They wanted to see how Robb would handle this matter.
Actually, this matter stemmed from Robb's earlier order for Maege Cerwyn to monitor Roose Bolton's subordinates. Unexpectedly, after only a few days of surveillance, they were discovered and killed by the other party's men. There was still some disparity in the strength of his subordinates.
However, this was a good opportunity to consolidate some power into his own hands.
Robb shrugged helplessly, then slowly spoke amidst everyone's gaze: "A life for a life, blood for blood. This is a rule passed down from ancient times, Earl Roose, hand him over. I will personally execute him."
Roose Bolton's face instantly turned ugly. He stared at Robb with a gloomy gaze.
He had originally thought that Robb, being only a teenager, would be an easy target to manipulate. Even if he had some ability, he still needed training. Unexpectedly, after entering the city, he was constantly monitored and suppressed, with the other party giving him no opportunity at all.
The Bolton Family was powerful in the North, so they had always resented the Stark Family's rule, often rebelling.
But three hundred years ago, the leader of the Stark Family besieged the Bolton Family in their castle for several months. They had no choice but to surrender when they ran out of supplies.
Currently, Ned Stark's prestige in the North was unmatched, and he had a close relationship with King Robert. Even if Roose Bolton desperately wanted to replace him, he was powerless.
But now that Robert had died suddenly and Ned's fate was uncertain, with only Robb, a teenager, leading the Stark Family, a glimmer of hope rose in Roose Bolton. Thus, he had secretly begun frequent contact with forces outside the North, hoping to seize an opportunity for a decisive strike.
As for why he didn't contact forces within the North, it was because they were all loyal to the Stark Family. Roose Bolton had no doubt that the moment he revealed his plan, the Stark Family's army would appear before him the next second.
This incident was indeed Roose Bolton's men's fault, but Roose Bolton just wanted to be unreasonable and gloss over the matter, so that the lords of the North would see the Young Wolf Lord's weakness.
When the alpha wolf shows signs of fatigue, it's the best time for the pack to attack.
But he was somewhat surprised; Robb's decisiveness did not seem like something a fifteen-year-old should display.
Now, with public opinion and righteousness not on Roose Bolton's side, and failing to intimidate the Young Wolf Lord, Roose Bolton decided to hold back for now.
"As you wish, Lord."
Robb received an unsatisfactory answer; he actually hoped Roose Bolton would refuse him, so he could give him an offer he couldn't refuse, further enhancing his prestige.
Looking around at these loyal but unruly lords, Robb cleared his throat.
"My lords, our goal is to march into King's Landing and rescue my father. All of you are lords of the North. I do not wish for today's incident to happen again. If everyone expends all their energy on internal strife, not only will we fail to take King's Landing, but we will also die without a burial place."
"Therefore, to maintain our army's combat effectiveness and to prevent such chaotic killings from recurring, I have decided to establish a military police force."
All the lords present frowned slightly. They didn't know what this military police force was for, but just hearing the name gave them a bad feeling.
"I have already had Maester Luwin draft a military order, which clearly states what should be done and what should not be done."
The lords understood this. Although they didn't have formal military orders, each had their own rules, and the lords would also impose restrictions on their subordinates, so there was no reaction.
"All units will uniformly adapt to all military orders. You may add rules yourselves, but you must never remove any. All soldiers of the entire Northern army who violate military orders will be executed by the military police force I just mentioned, according to the military orders!"
The lords below were in an uproar. In the past, when everyone fought, they led their own soldiers. If the lord wanted someone to charge, they would simply lead their subordinates and that was it. As for internal matters within the unit, they resolved those themselves.
Now, the Young Wolf Lord wanted to acquire a portion of the army's disciplinary power, which made them all a bit uncomfortable.
"This has benefits. Everyone will follow unified rules, preventing anyone from slacking off or being lenient with their own deserters!"
"No, who will lead the military police force? If Roose Bolton leads it, I'll be the first to refuse!"
"What are you arguing about? Will the Young Wolf Lord let that coward Roose Bolton lead it? Use your brains!"
"I object! This is very complicated. Why should my subordinates be managed by others?!"
Roose Bolton's face flickered between light and shadow. He knew these people were putting on a show, just to prevent him from becoming the captain of this military police force.
Below, they were in an uproar, but Robb, who had proposed the idea, remained calm, sitting in his chair, playing with Grey Wind's chin, making the Direwolf purr contentedly.
Only when the voices of discussion had quieted down did Robb shift his attention from Grey Wind to the lords under him.
"Are you all done discussing? I already have a candidate for the captain of the military police force: Earl Maege Mormont of Bear Island."
One lord immediately objected: "Huh? A woman?! Why would a woman…?"
Someone next to him covered his mouth: "Shh, do you want to get beaten? That's the Earl of Bear Island!"
Robb smiled and introduced to the still-unconvinced lord: "People from Bear Island are powerful warriors. Maege's brother is the current Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, and her nephew is the former Kingsguard. As for her herself…"
As he spoke, a middle-aged woman stood up. She looked about fifty or sixty years old, with white hair and a face full of scars, wearing a coat sewn from wolf and bear furs. She was tall and stout, more than twice Robb's size, and more formidable than most men present.
Somewhat strangely, her right hand was wrapped in bandages, looking like a fresh injury.
She exuded an intimidating aura without speaking, slowly scanning the lords present. Under the deterrence of her presence, few lords dared to meet her gaze, and the lord who had spoken presumptuously wished he could hide his head under the table.
Maege laughed heartily: "Hahahahaha, it seems some people's balls have shrunk into their bellies."
Then, she left her seat and came to Robb's side, looking at the small figure, two or three times smaller than herself, and recalled the scene when they first met:
At that time, Maege, like many others, was still somewhat skeptical of this young man and wanted to give the lord before her a show of strength. So, when they shook hands, she applied a little extra force.
The result was her right hand being wrapped in bandages. According to the maester's examination, it might take a month for those shattered bones to be able to wield a sword again.
From that moment on, Maege offered her loyalty without reservation.
She willingly knelt before Robb: "Thank you for your trust. I will uphold justice and fairness, spreading your righteousness and equity throughout the army."
Everyone watched Robb, who sat calmly before the formidable figure, casually placing his hand on Maege's head as if bestowing an honor, and their hearts were filled with surprise.
When did this Young Wolf tame this unruly giant bear?
Robb smiled and said: "This matter is settled. By the way, if anyone objects, you can take your people back to your castles now, but I promise you, when I return after fighting the Lannister, I will drag you out of your beds and chop off your heads to hang on spears."
"As for whether I can do it, my enemies will find out."