After Jaime captured Edmure and besieged Riverrun, Tywin made his move.
The Old Lion set out from Casterly Rock, marching toward Fingers.
The Lannister army advanced with irresistible force, and the riverlands nobles crumbled at the first touch.
Edmure had originally scattered all his troops to hunt the Mountain. After Roman killed the Mountain, the Riverlands' forces were still wandering outside. By the time Jaime defeated Edmure, the Riverlands' army had been unable to regroup.
Division.
Edmure once failed to understand why his father always beat his breast and stamped his feet when mentioning the division of the Riverlands; now, he understood it deeply.
On this day, Jaime brought Edmure to the outskirts of Riverrun.
"Edmure, do you think if I had you call out to the gates, your vassals would surrender the city for the sake of their liege lord?"
"I am not so shameless as to trade the safety of my people for my own life!"
Jaime: "Heh, then I shall wait and see."
The riverlands nobles had already been dazed by Jaime—first the great defeat at Casterly Rock, then being routed in pitched battles against the Lannister army. Now, facing Tywin, they were even more powerless to fight back.
Tywin did not intend to occupy the Riverlands at this time; he only wanted to quickly plunder the region and send the stolen supplies to King's Landing.
Thus, wherever the Lannister army led by Tywin reached a castle of a Riverlands noble, they would plunder it clean and then set it all ablaze.
From Fingers to Acorn Hall and then to the western shore of the Gods Eye, Tywin advanced with irresistible force, burning, killing, and looting along the way. The local residents either died by Lannister blades or were forcibly conscripted into labor, dying as camp followers.
Fili received a large number of refugees fleeing from west of the Gods Eye every day. She could only take in these displaced Riverlands people with a heavy heart.
The massive influx of refugees also caused unease among the people of Harrenhal, who had heard of Tywin and Jaime's military exploits in the Riverlands.
Although everyone believed it was impossible for Roman to lose, they still felt a hint of anxiety, wondering if they too would one day become part of these refugees.
But this pessimistic mood vanished without a trace as a ball of White Flame landed.
Roman immediately rushed back after finishing his instructions on the vital tasks for the Sows Corner defensive line. He flew at full speed through the air, with fire and thunder overflowing from his magic. The massive sound of thunder echoed through the clouds, and passersby knew Roman was back as soon as they looked up.
Fili watched Roman land on the training grounds and hurried forward, her tone brimming with joy.
"Lord Roman! You're back. Is everything alright in The Crownlands?"
"Fili, thank you for your hard work." Roman straightened the girl's collar. "I have finished setting up the Sows Corner and Antler Keep defensive lines. Now that Tywin is approaching Harrenhal, I will not stand idly by."
"You have done very well during this time, Fili. Take a rest now; I'm going to talk with Instructor Jessy."
Roman gave Fili no chance to object, forcibly handing her over to Lady Helaena.
Subsequently, Roman went to the council chamber to discuss how to face the enemy with the Spymaster and Instructor Jessy.
Old Jessy: "That old lion Tywin is very cunning. He has used several body doubles, so even the ravens cannot find his hiding place. Furthermore, he is intentionally clearing out ravens and suspicious personnel along the way. Our intelligence network cannot find his exact location."
Roman nodded. Tywin knew his abilities and wouldn't be foolish enough to show his face openly. However, Roman didn't plan on searching for Tywin either; he had plenty of ways to make the man come out on his own.
Old Jessy continued to add: "In addition, Tywin is implementing a policy of killing all, burning all, and looting all in the lands he conquers. Except for the eastern Riverlands and north of Seagard, other areas are already a mess, with villages, towns, and castles destroyed."
Roman: "This guy intends to go all the way and has no intention of seeking peace at all. Have any other riverlands nobles asked us for help?"
The other officials shook their heads upon hearing this, indicating that since the riverlands nobles last refused Harrenhal's help, they had not sent any more replies.
Roman curled his lip. "They probably can't speak anymore. Their homes are gone, and they're likely either in a Lannister dungeon or on the run."
Then Roman pointed to the large area of land west of the Gods Eye and said:
"There's no need to worry about them. Our first goal is to occupy the land on the western side of the Gods Eye. Other than that, do not attack. The Lannisters are the ones in a hurry now; we hold the most grain in the Riverlands, and Tywin will eventually run into us himself."
Orders were quickly dispatched, and the Harrenhal Legion, like a well-oiled machine, began to operate swiftly and efficiently.
Relying on the already well-constructed granaries and armories, the Harrenhal Legion immediately crossed Harlen Town and began its westward offensive.
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West of the Gods Eye, Lannister military camp.
A group of Lannister soldiers were boredly shooting arrows into the sky. Their superiors had ordered them to drive away Fili's ravens, but the soldiers had lost interest.
"Every day is like this, so boring! Are the people of the Riverlands all cowards? Is there no one who can fight?"
"Stop talking and hurry up and shoot down these ravens, or how will we report back?"
That Lannister soldier didn't think so. They had been used to these ravens since they set out from Casterly Rock, but so what?
Every castle they passed along the way was easily taken. The ravens were useless except for being annoying and could not stop their advance at all.
The soldiers had originally worried that Roman would lead a raid because of the rumors about Harrenhal, but after fighting for so long without encountering any effective resistance, everyone gradually stopped caring about Harrenhal.
"I say, don't be so serious. Instead of shooting these black birds, why not think about which Riverlands woman to sleep with tonight!"
The soldier's words provoked laughter from his companions, and the group began to make comments about the prisoners in the army, saying all sorts of foul things.
But that duty-bound Lannister soldier ignored them. He climbed up a small hill, hoping to use the terrain to shoot down the ravens.
However, the ravens ultimately escaped safely, not forgetting to caw mockingly at the Lannister soldier before leaving.
The soldier angrily threw a stone in the direction where the ravens had disappeared. This attack had no substantial effect, but following the stone's path, the soldier saw something unusual.
Whenever this soldier recalled this moment afterward, he would say with a shudder:
"It was a wave! I saw a silver wave crashing toward me!!"
A few days later, Tywin, hiding in a dense forest, received an urgent report from the front line.
The troops deployed west of the Gods Eye in the fief of House Goodbrook had been completely annihilated. The enemy was suspected to be the Harrenhal cavalry.
Tywin's brow furrowed. He knew Roman had made his move.
"Come then, let me see just what Ser Roman, who has awed the North and the Riverlands, is truly capable of!"