If they hadn't seen the prominent Bear Island banner at the front of the formation, they might have already been so tense that they would have ordered a state of alert, because the pressure from the approaching cavalry was simply too great.
Especially when they saw every cavalryman wearing exquisite cavalry armor, with steel lances in their hands, and carrying finely made standard longswords, each of them gasped. And when they looked at the army behind them, they suddenly felt a strange sense of shame.
"These should all be standard Summerhall armors!" Lord Roose Bolton of Dreadfort leaned towards Robb and whispered, "These armors are not for sale; only the armies under Summerhall can be equipped with them."
Upon hearing this, an unpleasant thought surfaced in Robb's mind.
As Roose Bolton said, Summerhall's weapons were the best-selling products on the continents of Westeros and Essos. Exquisite, sturdy, and affordable, they basically accounted for nearly ninety percent or more of weapon sales on both sides of the Narrow Sea.
However, everyone knew that Summerhall produced excellent weapons, but Summerhall's armor was even better, as evidenced by the standard armors of Summerhall's subordinate armies. Yet, Summerhall never sold armor to outsiders. Anyone who dared to sell armor or other protective gear, no matter how high their position, would receive very severe punishment.
Therefore, the fact that Bear Island was now equipped with so much Summerhall-produced armor only meant that Bear Island was now considered a force under Summerhall. This made Robb question the true purpose of Daisy Mormont, a former general under the Lord of Summerhall, coming to support him.
Soon, the contingent arrived before Robb. As the standard-bearer at the front stopped, the horses were reined in uniformly, with such perfect synchronization that they seemed like a single entity. The overall quality of the army was incomparably superior to that of other Northern lords.
After the army halted, Robb roughly counted. This force numbered at least six or seven thousand men, all armored cavalry. A hint of displeasure appeared on his face.
Then, the front of the formation split into two, revealing a path. Immediately after, a troop of beast riders, mounted on armored giant bears and clad in plate armor, escorted a tall woman from behind the crowd to the front.
"They are the Giant Bear Soldiers of the Beyond the Wall Wildlings tribes," someone immediately recognized the origin of this beast cavalry and whispered.
In recent years, Bear Island taking in Wildlings from Beyond the Wall was no longer a rare occurrence. Everyone in the North knew that this matter should have been condemned and challenged by the Nights Watch on the Wall, but the Nights Watch chose to turn a blind eye. This was not only because the Commander of the Nights Watch was the former Earl of Bear Island, Jeor Mormont, but more importantly, Bear Island's actions were done at the request of Prince Linde, the Lord of Summerhall. The relationship between the Nights Watch and Lynd was extraordinary; most of the Nights Watch were admirers of Lynd. Therefore, even though the Earl of Bear Island's actions were a great taboo, they did not cause much commotion.
Although Northerners were extremely prejudiced against the Beyond the Wall Wildlings, they had to admit that the Beyond the Wall Wildlings possessed impressive combat strength. Some special units among the Beyond the Wall Wildlings had left a formidable reputation in the North long ago, including the Giant Bear Soldiers of the Walrusmen from the Frozen Coast.
However, no Northerner had ever managed to subdue Giant Bear Soldiers in the past. So, when some people saw the presence of Giant Bear Soldiers under Daisy Mormont, most thought they were seeing illusions, until they saw the Giant Bear Soldiers escorting Daisy Mormont appear before everyone, only then did they realize those were real.
"Lord Robb Stark, I needed to gather my army after receiving your letter, so I arrived a few days late. I hope it hasn't delayed your plans." Daisy Mormont rode up to Robb and bowed to him.
Robb suppressed a slight aversion towards Daisy in his heart and offered a noble smile, saying, "No, Earl Daisy, you've arrived at just the right time. With your people joining us, our battle will proceed even more smoothly."
Smalljon could not suppress his curiosity and interjected, "Earl Daisy, may I ask how many people you brought this time?"
"Six thousand, all cavalry," Daisy replied.
Although they had somewhat expected it, everyone present still couldn't help but gasp.
Among them, besides the Stark Family, other powerful old noble families of the North, like House Bolton, had only sent four thousand men, and most of them were temporarily recruited farmers. Yet Daisy alone led six thousand well-trained professional cavalry. To them, this was simply too exaggerated to describe in words.
This also made Robb lose the desire to continue talking with Daisy. After a quick arrangement for Daisy's position in the marching column, he directly commanded the Northern Allied Forces to set off.
Daisy was not surprised by the cold reception. Before deciding to send troops, she had already written to Lynd, and Lynd had replied, telling her what she would encounter, which places needed attention, and what she needed to do. Robb's and the other Northern lords' attitudes were also described in the letter, as if Lynd had been standing there watching, perfectly accurate.
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