Old York immediately beamed with joy when he heard the news that the war might end early.
Although he hadn't eliminated many enemies, everyone regarded him as a hero.
And his military merits were absolutely guaranteed.
For him, this expedition was a complete, even over-fulfilled, success.
He could return now without any problems.
"The war might only end, but the situation is still uncertain. Don't tell anyone else.
Also, training cannot be relaxed."
"Don't worry, Marquis!" Old York said excitedly.
Suddenly, he looked at Jon with an ambiguous gaze.
Old York once had a son, but unfortunately he died young.
Now he only had a granddaughter who was less than fourteen years old.
He thought to himself, if Jon was granted nobility because of this achievement, then he must secure him for his granddaughter in advance!
Feeling Old York's increasingly fervent gaze, Jon instinctively dodged.
He had seen this kind of gaze too many times.
In his previous life, when he decided to drop out of school to do business, everyone thought his life was over.
But when he made money and built a house for his family, matchmakers from all over the region practically wore out his doorstep.
He knew what Old York was thinking, but there was no need to expose him.
Then Jon looked at the old soldiers not far away; their training was quite decent.
Many of these men were hunters by trade; in fact, despite their age, these old men had a 'might as well die' attitude.
Their only reason for fearing death was that dying would be a loss.
It was said that to travel, each of them brought about thirty to fifty catties of grain from home.
As long as he ensured that the value of the final reward exceeded thirty to fifty catties of grain, then they were natural suicide squads or 'death warriors'.
And he had a good six or seven hundred such death warriors.
In addition to Jon's original five hundred or so men, plus these old soldiers and some soldiers who had lost their lords and joined Jon's ranks, the number of soldiers he could directly command already exceeded fifteen hundred.
Although almost all of these people were 'limited-time experience cards,' it was much better than when he had just left the Wall with no soldiers and had to be Robb's henchman.
And as long as he could maintain victory and eventually obtain a good fief, most of these people would continue to follow him.
Westeros people did not have the habit of 'being attached to their homeland and reluctant to leave'.
Two days later, just as Jon was further intensifying the soldiers' training, scouts suddenly sent back news.
The Westerlands army had strengthened its defenses and patrols!
This made Jon's heart sink.
'Could Eddard have been executed already?'
As the adoptive father of this body, Jon did not wish for Eddard's death.
But some things were beyond human power, and if it truly came to widespread chaos, Jon also had another plan.
A few days later, Roose Bolton convened another meeting.
At the meeting, neither the Northern lords nor Roose Bolton made Jon sit in a secluded corner again.
He was almost surrounded and seated in the center of the first row.
"Well done, Jon, I've heard all about it. Tywin was thoroughly taught a lesson by you. You've truly brought honor to us Northerners," Meici Severn praised.
"Yes, a bastard reprimanding a Duke, that's unprecedented," Harrion said loudly, but immediately felt it was inappropriate. "Uh, Jon, I didn't mean it that way."
Jon waved his hand, indicating it was fine.
Howland Reed, on the side, also smiled at Jon.
He truly liked this young man more and more.
And he hoped more and more that Jon would never learn his true identity.
Just as everyone was chatting and laughing, Roose Bolton entered the tent.
And the assembled nobles also quieted down at the appropriate moment, mainly out of respect for Jon.
Roose Bolton pretended not to notice this situation. He rarely smiled and said:
"My lords, I have good news to announce."
Seeing him say this, everyone leaned in to listen.
"Lord Robb achieved a great victory in the Whispering Wood. The Kingslayer, Jaime Lannister, is now imprisoned in the dungeons of Riverrun!"
As Roose Bolton's words fell, a burst of cheers erupted in the tent.
The energy was so strong it seemed like it would overturn the tent.
"Robb, well done!"
"Truly Eddard's son!"
"The Kingslayer should be worth a lot of money."
Everyone cheered and celebrated, discussing excitedly.
Roose Bolton sat at the head, waiting for everyone to vent their celebratory energy.
He looked down at Jon, but found that the bastard was not so happy.
'Is it because of jealousy?'
Roose Bolton thought darkly.
As an experienced military noble, he knew that Jon's ability to organize a counterattack when defeat was certain was almost a miracle.
The difficulty should have been higher than Robb's surprise attack.
But the fact was that Robb's victory, which involved capturing the Kingslayer Jaime, was more dazzling.
However, Jon was not as narrow-minded as he thought.
He knew that Eddard was executed around the time of the Battle of the Whispering Wood.
Combining this with the Westerlands army's abnormal behavior, he realized that Eddard was very likely already dead.
This meant facing more difficult and complex battles ahead.
At this moment, the cheers gradually stopped, and Roose Bolton spoke:
"Jon, the news from Riverrun seems to indicate there are important matters to discuss, and Robb hopes you can go there."
'Robb must know that Eddard has been executed, and he must be very distraught right now, which is why he's asking me to come.' Jon thought.
"Alright, I'll prepare and then depart." Then Jon turned to Meici Severn, "Lord Severn, I'll trouble you to manage the army's logistics for me for now."
"Go on, Jon, don't worry," Meici Severn said, patting Jon's shoulder.
Roose Bolton had originally planned to take over the logistics and distribution, but he didn't expect Jon to hold onto power so tightly, so he had to give up.
After the meeting, Jon didn't delay, and immediately set off for The Twins with Tormien.
From The Twins, 'transferring' to a boat would allow them to reach Riverrun faster and safer.
Jon decided to travel day and night without stopping.
Because he knew that Robb would soon be crowned 'King in the North' with the support of the Northern lords.
Although this title was resounding, it also brought many troubles.
After being crowned king, there would be no possibility of alliance with Renly, Stannis, or even Highgarden.
Wearing the crown meant facing a world of enemies!
...The Twins.
Old Walder had also heard about Jon, who had shone brightly on the battlefield.
At the same time, he had also received news that the Hand of the King, Eddard Stark, had been executed.
He had a hunch that Jon probably didn't know yet, so he started to scheme a little.
Jon had proven his military talent through this battle.
He had already proven his worth.
If his previous proposal of a so-called marriage alliance to Jon was to give Robb a warning and to test that 'expert' from Winterfell.
Then this time it was a serious intention to make Jon his son-in-law or grandson-in-law.
"Marquis, Jon has arrived."
"Quick! Let him in!"
Old Walder put down his wine cup and sat up straight, saying with some eagerness, like a hunter seeing a rabbit about to step into a 'trap'.
This time, no matter what, he must secure this bastard!