A gust of north wind blew by, causing the oil lamp in the general's tent to sway restlessly.
The sobbing sound instantly startled Galon, who was immersed in the Shapeshifting Heart Tree.
He suddenly stood up and looked around.
In the dim light, Galon listened quietly to the sound of the wind, and only after a long while did he exhale a faint breath.
Only then did he have the peace of mind to quietly ponder the information he had just overheard.
Ned is still dead.
Yugaron gazed at the still flickering embers of the oil lamp and muttered to himself, "It seems that even with my reminder, he still failed."
A complex expression appeared on his face, and then he took a deep breath to suppress the turmoil in his heart.
" Ned is dead, Robb has taken over, and the timeline has reached its most critical moment."
"If nothing unexpected happens, Robb is currently trying to bypass the Golden Tooth and continue his attack on the West."
"Then, he got injured, met Jeyne from The Crag, had a one-night stand, and it all led to the Red Wedding."
"It's unlikely that a Red Wedding will ever happen again!"
Galon frowned, got up from his bed, picked up the oil lamp hanging on the tent flap, and sat down at the wooden table inside the tent.
He placed the oil lamp on the table, spread out the map, and located The Twins.
"Now, I have swept across the North, and the Ironborn's main force has been crushed by me."
"Once Moat Cailin is recaptured, Robb's retreat will be safe and secure. He won't be in a rush to return to Moat Cailin from The Twins; instead, he can choose to return via Kings Road."
"If that's the case, even if he breaks off the engagement, what can Frey do to him?!"
Galon tapped his fingers rhythmically on the wooden table, his mind racing as he considered and deduced the future situation.
"It's happened so fast! Things have been happening so fast lately!"
" The Iron Islands were originally supposed to wait until Robb became king before launching their attack on the North. But Balon launched a three-pronged attack on the North the very first moment Robb marched south, causing me to be able to turn the tide much earlier than I had anticipated!"
A hint of frustration flashed in his eyes.
Euron's unexpected intervention, while causing losses to the North, allowed Galon to shine more.
But this also significantly accelerated the time it would take for Galon to save the North.
Now, he has to face an awkward problem: if Robb leads his army back safely to the North, then Galon's efforts will be completely wiped out by Robb's return.
He gained nothing but Sansa.
Unless Galon can gain control of the dragons in advance through the dragon horn, and use the dragons to gain the support of Stark and the North.
But that would be the worst possible solution.
" Robb cannot return safely to the North!"
Galon's fingers, which were tapping the wooden table, paused, and his eyes suddenly turned fierce. "At the very least, we can't be back in the North so soon!"
"But how can I get him to stay in the Riverlands?"
Galon's gaze swept across the various forces in the south of the map.
"The Vale and Dorne remain neutral for now."
" Lion is preoccupied with its own problems and is still being beaten down by Robb. " The stag is still under contract, but judging by the timeline, Melisandre will probably make his move on Renly soon.
"Once Renly dies, the Rose family will completely side with Lion, and then Lion will regain the upper hand..."
His mind was filled with various clues from the original work as he carefully considered what he should do next.
" Stannis... Melisandre..."
"If we're talking about who can reliably defeat Robb on the southern front, currently only the Stannis, with the smallest force, can do it."
"After all, he possesses the formidable weapon that is Melisandre."
Galon turned his gaze toward Storms End, recalling the news he had just heard.
Before his death, Ned sent Rickon to Dragonstone, where he was detained by Stannis.
"And Robb has also declared himself king. Given Stannis's personality, he certainly cannot tolerate someone who is not from the House Baratheon becoming king. A battle between the two is inevitable!"
His eyes flashed, and he thought of a way to keep Robb in the South.
Stannis is rigid and rule-abiding, which sounds like his personality is similar to Ned Stark's.
But his methods are far more unscrupulous than Ned's.
Even if faced with death, Ned would not use dirty means to harm a child for his own selfish reasons.
But Stannis would.
He will use any dirty tricks to achieve his goal.
In the original story, due to the defeat in the war, he followed Melisandre's suggestion to sacrifice Eddard Rick Storm, merely wanting to use the king's blood to achieve victory in the war.
"If Stannis feels threatened by Robb, he will certainly resort to Melisandre's radical methods again."
"Using Rickon to control Robb, or even going further and killing Robb outright...::"
Galon tapped the Dragonstone with his finger, muttering to himself.
"What I need to do is continue to amplify Robb's danger until Stannis feels frustrated and fearful!"
"And once he senses the immense threat Robb poses, he will inevitably resort to Melisandre's magic sooner or later..."
With that in mind, he shifted his gaze to the northern border.
"Next, we need to quickly eliminate the Ironborn in the North, and after Asha seizes the Dragon Horn, we can head south to help Robb."
A smile crept onto Galon's lips; he had already decided what to do.
He stared at the map for a long time, carefully considering his plan.
Until dawn broke.
Galon pushed open the tent flap and ordered his men to summon all the officers still at the northern entrance of Ox Horn Mountain.
After everyone had gathered in the military tent.
Galon walked up to the group, pointed to the map, and explained the current situation.
"Everyone!"
" Although we won the battle at Ox Horn Mountain, Euron Crows Eye is still in retreat, and Ironborn is still entrenched at Moat Cailin."
" Moat Cailin is our gateway from the North to the South, and we must reclaim it!"
He paused briefly, noticing the excited expressions on everyone's faces, and then continued.
"Therefore, I have decided to march on Moat Cailin today, wipe out Ironborn, and reclaim it!"
Do you have any objections?
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone except Little Flayer exclaimed excitedly.
"Sir, please give the order!"
"Yes, I'll listen to the adults."
"Sir, you tell us where to attack, and we'll attack there."
During the foggy period, the atmosphere inside the military tent became lively.
Galon smiled and raised his hand to silence the crowd.
"In that case, I will begin issuing the battle plan."
He paused for a moment, then explained the plan he had just been thinking about.
"I will lead all the cavalry ahead to Moat Cailin to scout the situation."
" Lord Amber, lead your infantry along Kings Road toward Moat Cailin."
"As for Lord Ramsay, House Bolton's forces have suffered heavy losses, so I'll trouble you to look after their supplies."
Galon looked around at everyone, and seeing that no one else had any objections, he then added.
"Send a messenger to Torrhens Square via a detour!"
"Tell Lord Toha that I have led my army south to recapture Moat Cailin. Instruct him to allocate as many troops as possible to intercept the Ironborn fleeing towards Stony Shore!"
The others followed the deployment.
A series of orders were quickly relayed.
After a resounding victory, the Northern Allied Forces war machine, having only had a brief respite, began a new cycle of operation under the will of Galon.
As everyone left the military tent to prepare for departure, Galon also stepped out of the tent and gazed southwards.
At this moment, the morning sun bathed the entire valley in a vibrant golden light.
He looked at the busy soldiers, feeling a heavy sense of responsibility and a clear plan for the future.
"Recapture Moat Cailin and return to Winterfell as soon as possible."
"Seize the dragon horn "
"Then—head south!"
A sharp glint flashed in his eyes as he silently made his decision, facing the rising sun.