Martha led Beth to the villagers' gathering place and left. Meanwhile, Ethan returned to his brothers, sat down next to Lennar, and asked with concern, "Lennar, you still can't feel the power of light?"
Lennar smiled bitterly, touched his messy hair, and replied, "No—did you really plant the Seed of Light in me? I can't feel it at all. It's been like this from the beginning."
Ethan nodded, confirming, "I really did plant it, just like I did for Kevin and Jon outside Riverrun."
Lennar sighed, smiling bitterly, and said, "Maybe I'm not devout enough."
Ethan remained silent, his heart filled with confusion. As the founder of the Anshe faith, he knew that the Sun God Anshe was merely a background story created by Blizzard to introduce a new class, but in his heart, the ideals of freedom, equality, and fraternity represented by Anshe were incredibly real. He had personally witnessed a world without aristocratic oppression, where the sons of workers and peasants could become leaders. This made him both the least devout and the most devout believer.
So Ethan asked in a low voice, "Lennar, do you truly believe in Anshe? Do you truly believe in the liberty, equality, and fraternity it teaches?"
Lennar remained silent for a long time, finally shaking his head and replying, "I'm sorry. I've always longed for the world you described, and I desperately wish it truly existed. However, I've traveled throughout the Westerlands and the Reach, singing for porters in dockside taverns, performing for merchants in town squares, and even entertaining nobles in castles, but I've never seen true equality. I've only seen commoners kneel on one knee, lower their eyes, and address nobles as 'Sir' or 'Madam'—otherwise they're punished for disrespect. Can believing in Anshe change that? I think it's unlikely."
Ethan frowned and retorted, "Is that so? But I've always spoken like this, even when talking to Robb Stark or Lady Catelyn."
Lennar chuckled, pointing to Ethan's sword and armor, and said, "Look at your equipment, listen to your manner of speaking and your habits. Who would mistake you for a poor commoner? They weren't this polite to me."
Ethan shrugged and replied, "I always thought they just respected my martial arts skills and ability to heal."
"Hmm, that's possible," Lennar nodded in agreement.
Afterward, Ethan finished his soup, but his mood became somewhat troubled. He left the campfire, walked to a rock by the stream, and sat down, letting the water flow gently past his feet. He fell into deep thought. Now that he had decided to raise the banner of rebellion and create an independent force, what should he do next?
Ethan began to sift through his memories, recalling stories of founding monarchs and powerful warlords throughout Chinese history:
Chen Sheng and Wu Guang at the end of the Qin Dynasty, who successfully launched an uprising using methods such as hiding messages in fish bellies and the fox's cry over a bonfire, occupying Dazexiang and the surrounding area, and establishing the Zhang Chu regime as their base; Xiang Liang and Xiang Yu, after killing Yin Tong, the governor of Kuaiji, with Xiang Liang declaring himself governor and Xiang Yu becoming a divine general, they toured and occupied the subordinate counties, gradually expanding their power; Liu Bang, after joining the outlaws in Mangdang Mountain, in response to Chen Sheng and Wu Guang's uprising, conspired with his former friends in Pei County and successfully killed the county magistrate, subsequently occupying Pei County as their base.
Similarly, during the French Revolution, the citizens of Paris rioted, stormed the Bastille, and transformed the entire city into a revolutionary stronghold, ultimately spreading the revolutionary tide throughout France.
Thus, it is clear that to successfully launch a revolution, a stable base is essential. This base area needs to be governed according to the proclaimed political ideals, transforming it into a model of an ideal society to ensure a continuous supply of manpower and resources.
For Ethan, finding a suitable piece of land in the Riverlands and establishing a power based on the Anshe faith became his only option if he wanted to succeed.
However, he also faced many difficulties.
First, his men were all Northerners, completely ignorant of the geography, resources, and lords' strength in the Riverlands. Blindly choosing a place to settle would only waste already scarce resources.
Therefore, Ethan considered adopting guerrilla tactics, attacking the Westerlands army's supply convoys and raiding squads. He hoped to use this method to exploit the Westerlands army's wealth to acquire equipment, gold, and other military supplies, gradually accumulating prestige and experience. In this world, money and food are essential for recruiting soldiers and strengthening one's power.
However, the Westerlands army's movements were unpredictable, making intelligence gathering a pressing problem. Therefore, establishing contact with the local people of the Riverlands became a key task.
Unfortunately, Ethan lacked suitable personnel. His only Southerner was Lennar, a bard from the Westerlands, making it extremely difficult to find locals as guides and assistants. Ethan couldn't help but feel regretful; if he had known he would return to the Riverlands from the Westerlands so soon, he shouldn't have let John go in the first place. He should have found a reason to keep him, and he wouldn't be in this predicament of having no one to rely on.
Just as Ethan was troubled by this, Matt—the oldest and most respected elder among the survivors of Stonebridge Village—came to his side, took off his hat, and respectfully bowed, saying, "Lord Ethan."
Ethan quickly waved his hand. "Um? Mr. Matt, you're too kind. Don't call me 'Lord'—I'm not a nobleman."
Matt immediately changed his address, saying, "Then, Commander Ethan, I'd like to discuss with you what our next steps should be."
After thinking for a moment, Ethan said, "Since I rescued you, I naturally won't abandon you. At least, I'll get you back to Stonebridge."
However, Matt looked worried. "But Stonebridge is no longer safe; it's too close to the Westerlands. When Ser Jaime led the Westerlands through, several villages closest to the River Road were ravaged by war. Now we've been captured by the Westerlands again. I heard from the soldiers guarding us that they captured us to fill the moat of Pink City. If they don't have enough sacks, they'll use our corpses. Whether Pink City falls or not, we commoners are doomed."
Then Matt continued, his tone pleading, "So we just discussed it, and if possible, we hope you and your soldiers can escort us back to the village and protect us for a few days. After we harvest the ripe crops, we'll hide in the mountains and come back when the war is over."
Ethan frowned and asked, "What about the land? Will it be abandoned?"
Matt sighed helplessly and said, "It's better for the land to be abandoned than for people to die. During the time you protect us, your village will be responsible for your food. But our village can't afford it anymore; you know, all our money has been robbed by the Westerlands army." "They're gone."
Ethan muttered to himself, "And then they all went into my pocket."
But he didn't voice his thoughts, only nodding slightly in agreement to Elder Matt's suggestion: "All right, I can grant your request. I also need a place to rest the troops, but you must obey my orders, whether entering or leaving, or moving around."
Upon hearing this, Elder Matt immediately bowed and said gratefully, "That's only natural. Thank you for your great kindness!"
Since the main task of the Westerlands squad that Ethan had wiped out was to capture prisoners, the village's houses and farmland were not greatly damaged. After a good rest, Ethan escorted the villagers of Stonebridge Village back to their homes, and the villagers quickly returned to their work.
Under Elder Matt's organization, the women, the elderly, and the children went into the mountains ahead of time. According to Elder Matt, there was a piece of land and several shacks in the mountains, which the villagers had secretly cleared to avoid taxes from the Piper family. This time, the survivors were being relocated there.
Only a dozen or so young, strong men remained in the village, solely responsible for harvesting the crops. While this would be less efficient, it would allow for greater flexibility in case of danger, whether fighting or retreating.
As previously agreed, Ethan dispersed his soldiers to set up sentry posts along the main roads surrounding the village. If any enemy approached, they would light fires and raise smoke as an alarm. Ethan's other soldiers would quickly assemble to prepare for defense, while those remaining in the village would immediately take their valuables and retreat into the forest.
For the first few days, everything was peaceful. However, on the morning of the fourth day, when less than 20% of the land remained to be harvested, a group of a dozen or so demoralized soldiers suddenly appeared from the direction of Pink City.
Leading them was a mounted cavalryman carrying a long spear with a banner depicting a pink, nude woman hanging from its tip.
As a freeman from beyond the Great Wall, the scout guarding the road, Tran, did not recognize the meaning of the banner.
But in this turbulent era, anyone carrying a weapon was a potential danger. So he immediately threw a small stone onto Aldiba's head under the tree and shouted urgently, "Quick, light a fire!"
Aldiba immediately threw the embers in his hand into a pile of firewood that had been prepared beforehand, and asked Tran, who had just climbed down from the tree, "Are the Westerlanders here?"
"I don't know, but there are about a dozen of them, carrying a flag with a picture of a naked woman on it," Tran replied, his expression grave.
After speaking, Tran led over his mount, and the two mounted and galloped toward Stonebridge Village.
After listening to Tran's report, Ethan quickly made a calculation. If there were only a dozen or so people and a cavalryman on the other side, then there was no need to let the remaining villagers escape; he could simply lead his men out to block them.
So, Ethan immediately lit the fire in the village, signaling the scattered warriors to assemble. At the same time, he led a few men ahead to block the approaching enemy's path.
When he saw several fully armored warriors blocking his way, the knight holding a pink banner with a naked woman on it asked, "Who are you? Are you from the West?"
"Never mind who we are, tell me who you are first!" Ethan retorted.
"Me?" The knight pointed to the banner in his hand. "I am a guard of the Piper family, isn't that obvious enough?"
"Which family is the Piper family?" Ethan asked in a low voice to Lennar beside him.
"I am the lord of Pink City," Lennar replied.
Ethan nodded, then said to the knight, "I am a mercenary from the North, and these are my warriors. What do you want here?"
"Damn Northerners!" The leading knight spat on the ground and continued, "Stonebridge Village is the territory of the Piper family. We're going to the village to rest. If you know what's good for you, get out of the way."
Ethan sneered, "Don't know what's good for you?"
The knight was taken aback by Ethan's words and after a long pause said, "My men have been hungry for two days, and some are injured. We just want to find a place to rest and recuperate."
Ethan's gaze swept past the man and fell upon the soldiers behind him. Sure enough, several soldiers had bandages wrapped around their heads and arms, looking at him with lifeless eyes filled with pleading and despair. In this world, once you suffer an external injury, you're basically considered to be under the shadow of death.
Seeing their miserable state, Ethan felt pity and agreed, "All right, come with me, but don't cause trouble."
Stonebridge Village was now an empty shell, with only a dozen or so young men left to harvest the crops.
Ethan wasn't worried about them causing any trouble.
The group arrived at Stonebridge Village, and Ethan had Kevin find Elder Matt so he could identify the group.
Elder Matt arrived with a sickle and, after exchanging a few words with the cavalryman leading them, named "Duncan Piper," confirmed that they were indeed city defense soldiers from Pink City.
After settling the wounded in the village hall, Ethan instructed the other warriors under his command to continue their guard duty, while he stayed with Ser Duncan at the village hall. Then he asked, "Ser Duncan, since you are Lord Piper's soldiers, why aren't you in Pink City, but have come here instead?"
Ser Duncan looked sorrowful. "Pink City is finished. After the Earl was defeated by Jaime Lannister at Gold Tooth, we soldiers were scattered. After news came that the North had defeated the Westerlands outside Riverrun, we headed to Riverrun under the leadership of the Piper family. But a few days later, the North said they were going to take their cavalry to the Westerlands to make their fortune. Although I had a horse, my brothers were all infantry, so they were useless. They sent us back to defend Pink City. This time, before we even reached Pink City, we were discovered by Westerlands scouts on the outskirts and scattered. Out of forty-odd men, I escaped with only a dozen or so."
"Ha, you're really unlucky," Ethan sighed.
"Bullshit! To hell with that Young Wolf!" Duncan glanced at Ethan, and seeing no reaction, continued, "He came all the way from the North with his men, eating Riverlands' food and sleeping in Riverlands' beds, and then, without a care for our lives, led his troops to the West, even abducting a lot of our elite Riverlands cavalry. I don't know if he came to cause trouble or to help."
Jon interrupted, "Wasn't the Young Wolf's invasion of the West also to weaken the Westerlands army?"
Ser Duncan scoffed, "By the time your Young Wolf finishes his attack on the Westerlands, our Riverlands will be a wasteland."
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