The Golden Tooth, gateway to the Westerlands, was built against the backdrop of a valley, flanked by tall, steep mountains that were rich in gold deposits. This fortress truly lived up to its name.
Massed before the Golden Tooth was an army of over twenty-five thousand men.
Ten thousand of them were archers, a force provided by House Tyrell. Archers were no mere cannon fodder; soldiers capable of drawing war bows required significant physical strength.
The Tyrells had certainly invested heavily in supporting Jon. Not only did they provide the troops, but they also supplied all the necessary provisions for Jon's campaign.
These troops were led by Jon's future brother-in-law, Garlan Tyrell. The "Knight of Flowers," Loras Tyrell, was also present, though his main purpose seemed to be watching for Jon to fail—or perhaps hoping to squash the idea of Jon marrying Margaery.
The thought of someone of Jon's birth marrying his sister made Loras's skin crawl.
Especially after Jon's verbal assault on the walls of King's Landing that day—that was a debt not easily forgotten.
However, Jon chose to ignore Loras. As the third son of House Tyrell, Loras held a prestigious status but no real power. There was no point in bickering with him.
Another eight thousand men were Jon's own troops. More than five thousand of them were Western soldiers who had surrendered at King's Landing. The rest were Riverlands militia and veterans from the mountain clans.
Jon had thought the old mountain clansmen would return home to retire once they had food, but these stubborn old men claimed the army rations had made them stronger and that staying by Jon's side might help them live a few years longer.
Jon didn't expose their little white lie; they just wanted to save food for their families back home.
Four thousand men were from Riverrun, led by Brynden Tully. Since the war was on their doorstep, it would have been unjustifiable not to send troops.
House Frey contributed two thousand men. Perhaps for Roslin's sake, they supported Jon with the same vigor they had once shown Robb.
Finally, there were a thousand soldiers from Karhold led by Rickard Karstark. He had already passed the title of Lord of Karhold to Harrion and decided to stay behind to help Jon.
Now, his daily "job" was to shout insults at the Golden Tooth.
"Daven! I butchered your old man! If you're not a coward, come out and duel me! Don't hide in the castle like a turtle!"
"Daven! Come out! Don't hide in there! I know you can hear me!"
"Daven..."
Inside the Golden Tooth, Daven Lannister knew Rickard was shouting outside, but he remained as immovable as a mountain within the castle walls.
Once the Golden Tooth fell, Jon's army would march straight in, break through Sarsfield—one of Casterly Rock's satellite castles—and then push all the way to Casterly Rock itself.
But if he could hold the Golden Tooth, Jon would be forced to circle around to the southern part of the Westerlands, dealing with resistance from various castles along the way.
In that scenario, the Western army, holding the advantage of terrain, would drag the invading forces into a war of attrition. The massive cost of such a war was something even the wealthiest lord couldn't sustain.
The worst outcome for the Lannisters would be ceding half of the Westerlands. But as long as they held Casterly Rock, they would eventually reclaim the lost lands.
And that was Tywin's core objective. So, no matter how much Daven yearned for revenge, he had to endure.
Just then, a noblewoman of about twenty-five or twenty-six entered Daven's study. She had chestnut hair and a slightly pale complexion, walking almost silently.
Her name was Alysanne Lefford. She was named after the Good Queen Alysanne of the Targaryen dynasty.
Alysanne Lefford's husband, Lord Leo Lefford, had drowned in the Battle of the Red Fork. Now, she was left alone with a seven-year-old daughter and a four-year-old son, effectively becoming the head of House Lefford.
In reality, there wasn't much left to lead. When Kevan attacked King's Landing, he had essentially sent the elite forces of the Westerlands to their deaths in one go.
House Lefford was now just her, her two children, and a few elderly men.
Although the walls of the Golden Tooth were tall and sturdy, Alysanne felt no sense of security. Instead, staying with the burly, heavily bearded Daven made her feel safer.
Especially since the Father, one of the Seven, was also depicted with a golden beard, giving her a certain spiritual comfort.
"Ser Daven, the soldiers tell me that the bastard has brought an army of over twenty thousand. Can we hold them off?" Alysanne asked worriedly.
Facing this anxious woman, Daven was extremely impatient, but he still explained patiently: "Rest assured, my lady. Although we only have six thousand troops, it is enough to hold the Golden Tooth. The small path Robb found has also been blocked by us. That bastard cannot cross it no matter what. And even if six thousand soldiers aren't enough, we still have twenty or thirty thousand miners. Trust me, not just twenty thousand, even a hundred thousand troops could never breach the Golden Tooth."
Hearing Daven say this, Alysanne felt a little reassured. She tentatively took two steps closer to Daven and asked carefully, "Should we perhaps incorporate those miners into the army sooner rather than later? Having more people guarding would be safer."
"That won't do, my lady. Our provisions are limited, and those timid miners are not fit for the battlefield; they would only affect morale. How about this," Daven said, standing up and moving away from Alysanne, "I will select another three thousand men from the miners to train. And my lady, if that bastard isn't stupid, the final decisive battle should be in the south. Lord Tywin will personally oversee the battle against him there. As long as we keep the gates tight, we have nothing to fear."
Seeing Daven deliberately distance himself, Alysanne didn't move forward again. Instead, she took a few steps back and nodded. "Then I leave it to you, Ser."
Daven knew Tywin's overall plan. They all agreed that Jon could never breach the Golden Tooth, as Jon had no record of taking a city by storm.
The taking of King's Landing could at most be considered a sneak attack.
Perhaps Jon was formidable in open field battles, but facing a fortress like this, there was absolutely no possibility of using tricks.
On the other side, there was a consensus in Jon's army as well: taking the Golden Tooth would not be easy.
"Jon, our daily food consumption is significant, and the soldiers are itching for a fight. Why don't we try attacking the city tomorrow?" Rickard tried to encourage Jon to siege.
Inside the command tent, Jon sat in the commander's seat. This time, he didn't need anyone's appointment or permission, nor did he need to play any political games. The command of the army was firmly in his hands.
But the responsibility of the war also rested entirely on his shoulders.
Sandor Clegane stood outside the tent, with Robbett Glover by his side.
Closest to Jon were Garlan and Loras. Brynden and Rickard sat on the other side.
Black Walder, having gained experience following Robb into the Westerlands, was also sent to help Jon with the siege. Martin continued to command Jon's Heavy Armored Battalion, serving as his trump card and backbone.
As for Mond, Jon had sent him back to Darry with Lyman to help with the reconstruction of the castle and its lands.
Since the Westerlands were rich in ore, their smelting technology was highly developed. The heavy armor of the Heavy Armored Battalion had received high praise from many.
Additionally, Jeyne's father and brother had joined Jon's army with a small number of men. After all, their family castle, the Crag, was still in the Westerlands, and they needed to reclaim their territory.
Furthermore, Melisandre had arrived from King's Landing. As Varys had said, she was likely here to help him.
But how she would help, Jon had no clue.
Using a shadow assassin like the one that killed Renly?
But creating a shadow assassin required Melisandre to couple with Stannis, who had king's blood.
Although Jon also had king's blood, neither Melisandre nor Stannis should know that.
Unable to figure it out, Jon simply stopped thinking about it. He had his own methods anyway.
"It's not the time yet. The Golden Tooth is well-garrisoned. Attacking rashly will only waste lives."
Before Jon could finish, Loras crossed his arms and said, "I wonder what brilliant plan our Lord Jon has? You should know that the grain you are consuming now all comes from Highgarden's storehouses."
Everyone could hear the sarcasm in Loras's tone, but they didn't speak, only looking back and forth between Loras and Jon.
After all, this was Jon's "family matter." Whether they were bannermen or allies, it was inconvenient for them to intervene.
Jon didn't argue with Loras. Instead, he said calmly, "Attacking naturally requires the right timing. If there is no opportunity, we create one."
Jon walked to the map and said, "The Golden Tooth is situated on treacherous terrain. It is one of the strongest fortresses and strongholds in the Westerlands—"
"Casterly Rock is the strongest," Loras interrupted again.
"Lor!" Garlan admonished in a low voice. Garlan might be slow to react, but he still observed basic etiquette.
"—one of them," Jon continued without missing a beat. "If I were Tywin, and based on my—this 'Tywin's'—understanding of Jon, I would definitely think that 'I' wouldn't storm the Golden Tooth. The north is narrow, with almost only a seaside path passable, and Tywin has long strengthened the fortifications there. The only possible place for a decisive battle is in the south."
Although the group didn't immediately untangle Jon's convoluted sentence, they understood his meaning.
"So you're saying you want to circle around and attack from the south?" Loras asked.
"No. I want the people in the Golden Tooth to think I'm going south. Once they move most of the troops out of the city, we will launch our attack and take it in one fell swoop! After all, no matter how strong a fortress is, it still needs soldiers to defend it, doesn't it?" Jon revealed his final plan.
"The defenders of the Golden Tooth aren't fools. Why do you think they would listen to you?" Loras asked again.