The Westerlands' gateway, Casterly Rock, was built against the valley, flanked by high and steep mountains that contained a vast amount of gold mines. This castle truly lived up to the name of Casterly Rock.
In front of Casterly Rock stood an army of over twenty-five thousand men.
Among them, a force of ten thousand, primarily archers, came as support from House Tyrell. Archers were no mere rabble; Soldiers capable of drawing a war bow had to meet extremely high physical requirements.
Tyrell had certainly invested heavily to support Jon, providing not only an army but also all the military rations and supplies Jon required.
These troops were led by Jon's second brother-in-law, Garlan Tyrell. Additionally, the "Knight of Flowers," Loras Tyrell, was also present, though he was mainly there to watch Jon make a fool of himself, or even to dispel any thoughts of Jon marrying Margaery.
At the thought of letting someone of Jon's background marry his sister, Loras felt uncomfortable all over.
Especially after Jon's verbal attack on the walls of King's Landing that day; that was a significant score to settle.
However, Jon chose to ignore Loras. Loras ranked third among the three Tyrell brothers, belonging to the type who held a distinguished status but no real power; there was truly no point in bickering with him.
Another eight thousand men were Jon's own army, with over five thousand being surrendered Soldiers from the Westerlands captured at King's Landing, while the rest were Riverlands militia and veterans from the Mountain Clans.
Jon had originally thought they would return home to enjoy their retirement once they had food, but these old men claimed that eating military rations had made their bodies sturdier, and staying by Jon's side might allow them to live a few years longer.
Jon did not expose their little schemes; it was nothing more than wanting to save more food for their families.
Another four thousand were the Riverrun army led by Brynden. After all, since it was right at their own doorstep, it would be improper not to send troops.
House Frey deployed two thousand men, perhaps for Roslin's sake, showing the same level of support for Jon as they once did for Robb.
There were also a thousand Karhold Soldiers led by Rickard. He had handed over the title of Earl of Karhold to Harrion in advance, deciding to stay behind to help Jon himself.
Now, his daily "job" was to stand below Casterly Rock and shout insults.
"Daven! I'm the one who slaughtered your old man! If you're not a coward, come and duel me! Don't hide in the city like a turtle!"
"Daven! Come out! Don't hide in the city and refuse to come out, I know you can hear me!"
"Daven..."
Inside Casterly Rock, Daven knew Rickard was outside shouting insults, but he simply stayed hidden in the city, as steady as a mountain.
Once Casterly Rock fell, Jon's army would drive straight in, Breakthrough Casterly Rock's satellite city, Sarsfield, and then fight all the way to the foot of Casterly Rock.
But if he could hold Casterly Rock well, Jon would be forced to detour to the southern Westerlands, dealing with the step-by-step resistance of various castles across the region.
In that case, the Westerlands army, with its geographical advantage, would grind down the invading forces; even the wealthiest lord could not sustain such massive war expenditures.
The worst outcome the Lannisters faced would be ceding half of the Westerlands, but as long as they retained Casterly Rock, they would eventually reclaim those lost lands.
And that was Tywin's core objective. So, no matter how much Daven yearned for revenge, he had to endure it.
At this time, a noblewoman of twenty-five or twenty-six came to Daven's study. This noblewoman had chestnut hair and a somewhat pale face, walking silently.
Her name was Alyssane Lefford. This name came from the Good Queen Alysanne of the Targaryen era.
Alyssane Lefford's husband, Leo Lefford, had drowned during the battle at the Red Fork River. Alysanne now led her seven-year-old daughter and four-year-old son alone, becoming the Clan Chief of Lefford Family.
In reality, there wasn't much for her to lead as Clan Chief now. When Kevan attacked King's Landing, the Westerlands' elite had basically been wiped out by him in one wave.
Lefford Family was now left with only the mother and her two children, plus a few elderly men.
Although the walls of Casterly Rock were high and sturdy, Alysanne did not feel any sense of security; instead, staying with the powerfully built, heavily bearded Daven made her feel more at ease.
Particularly among The Seven, The Father also possessed a golden beard, which provided her with a certain kind of spiritual solace.
"Ser Daven, the Soldiers told me the army brought by that bastard already exceeds twenty thousand. Can we hold them back?" Alysanne asked worriedly.
Facing this anxious woman, Daven, despite his extreme impatience, explained to her patiently: "Rest assured, My Lady. Although our strength is only six thousand, it is enough to hold Casterly Rock. The small path Robb found has also been blocked by us. That bastard cannot get through no matter what. And even if six thousand Soldiers aren't enough, we still have twenty to thirty thousand miners. Believe me, let alone twenty thousand men, even an army of a hundred thousand would have no chance of breaking Casterly Rock."
Seeing Daven say this, Alysanne felt slightly more at ease. At the same time, she tentatively moved two steps closer to Daven and continued asking, "Then should we incorporate those miners into the army as soon as possible? Having more people guarding would be safer."
"That won't do, My Lady. Our provisions are limited, and those cowardly miners are simply not suited for the battlefield; they would only affect morale. How about this," Daven said, standing up and moving a bit further away from Alysanne, "I will select another three thousand from the miners to train them. And My Lady, if that bastard isn't stupid, the final battlefield should be in the south. When the time comes, Lord Tywin will personally take command to face him. As long as we keep the gates shut tight, there is nothing to fear."
Seeing Daven intentionally distancing himself, Alysanne stopped moving forward, instead taking a few steps back and nodding. "Then I shall leave it to your hard work, Ser."
Daven knew Tywin's entire plan. They were in agreement that Jon could never break Casterly Rock; after all, Jon had no record of ever taking a city by storm.
The incident at King's Landing could at most be considered a sneak attack.
Perhaps Jon was quite formidable in field battles, but facing this fortress-like castle, there was absolutely no possibility for opportunism.
On the other side, a consensus had also formed within Jon's army: taking Casterly Rock would be by no means easy.
"Jon, our daily food consumption is not small now, and the Soldiers are all itching for a fight. Why don't we try attacking the city tomorrow!" Rickard tried to urge Jon to attack.
In the military tent at this time, Jon sat in the position of commander-in-chief. This time he did not need anyone's appointment or permission, nor did he need to play any games of advancing by retreating; the command of the army was in his hands.
But the responsibility of the war also weighed entirely upon him.
Sandor Clegane stood outside the tent, with Robb Frey standing by his side.
Closest to Jon were Garlan and Loras, while Brynden and Rickard sat on the other side.
Hoster, having followed Robb into the Westerlands, was experienced and was thus sent to help Jon with the siege. Martin still commanded Jon's Heavy Armor Battalion, serving as the trump card and backbone.
As for Monde, Jon had him follow Lyman back to Darry City to assist Lyman in the reconstruction of Darry City and its territory.
Because the Westerlands were rich in Ore, their smelting technology was very advanced, and the heavy armor of the Heavy Armor Battalion received high praise from many.
Additionally, Jeyne's father and brothers also joined Jon's army with a small number of men. After all, their Family's castle, Cragspire, was still in the Westerlands, and they needed to reclaim their territory.
Furthermore, Melisandre had also arrived from King's Landing. As Varys said, she was likely there to help him.
But as for how she would help, Jon didn't have the slightest clue.
Would she use a Shadow Assassin like the one that killed Renly?
But the creation of a Shadow Assassin required the union of Melisandre and Stannis, who possessed king's blood.
Though he also possessed king's blood, neither Melisandre nor Stannis should be aware of it.
Unable to figure it out, Jon simply stopped thinking about it; in any case, he had his own methods.
"It is not yet the time. Casterly Rock has sufficient defenders; a rash attack will only result in the senseless loss of lives."
Before Jon could finish speaking, Loras, who was to the side, crossed his arms and said, "Then I wonder what good plan our Lord Jon has? You should know that the grain you are consuming now is being hauled out of Highgarden's warehouses."
Everyone could hear the sarcasm in Loras's tone, but they said nothing, only looking from Loras back to Jon.
After all, this was Jon's "Family matter"; it was inconvenient for them to interfere, whether they were vassals or allies.
Jon did not argue with Loras, but instead spoke calmly, "An attack naturally requires the right timing. If there is no opportunity, we create one."
Jon walked to the map and said, "Casterly Rock's terrain is perilous; it is one of the strongest fortresses and strongholds in the Westerlands—"
"Casterly Rock is the strongest." Loras interrupted again.
"Lor!" Garlan stopped him in a low voice. Although Garlan was slow to react, he still observed basic etiquette.
"—one of them." Jon said nothing to the interruption, but continued his explanation. "If I were Tywin, then based on my, 'Tywin's', understanding of Jon, I would certainly think that 'I' (Jon) would not launch a frontal assault on Casterly Rock. The north has narrow terrain, with almost only a tiny bit of space by the coast that is passable, and Tywin has long since reinforced the fortresses there. The only place where a final battle is possible is the south."
Although the group didn't immediately grasp Jon's complex logic, they all understood his meaning.
"So you're saying you want to flank them from the south?" Loras asked.
"No, I want the people in Casterly Rock to think I'm going south. Once the majority of the troops in the city are moved away, we will launch our attack and take it in one fell swoop! After all, no matter how sturdy a fortress is, it still needs Soldiers to defend it, doesn't it?" Jon revealed his final plan.
"The defenders of Casterly Rock aren't fools. Why do you think they would listen to you?" Loras asked again.
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