The brightly lit camp of Renly's army was full of noisy clashes of armor and the neighing of war horses.
The sky at this moment is a bit white, and it is not far from dawn. The noble families in the River Bend and the Stormland are constantly competing for weapons and equipment for the military camp and a large amount of military grain and grass.
Most of these supplies were provided by the wealthy Highgarden, so the cavalry of House Tyrell constantly had conflicts with soldiers of other houses, and later even small-scale battles broke out.
Outside the camp, there were many nobles from the Stormlands, eagerly awaiting the arrival of their next object of allegiance, His Majesty Stannis.
In the blood-stained royal tent, Renly's body was placed on a long table, and the luxurious crown was placed on his chest.
Margaery wore an exquisite rose dress and walked around the royal tent with a frown on her face.
Loras's face was full of sadness, and his eyes were filled with tears as he looked at Renly's body, which had been arranged relatively peacefully.
"Loras, we have to get out of here quickly!
More than 80,000 soldiers outside have begun to loot supplies, and there are also many people from the Florent family who are trying to persuade them to join Stannis!"
Behind Margaery's beautiful appearance is an equally smart brain. She accurately judged the situation at the moment and persuaded her brother.
"Leave? No, it's impossible! I want to avenge Renly!
I will gather more than 50,000 troops from the Reach and chop Stannis into pieces!"
Upon hearing this, Loras immediately pulled out his long sword, pointed in the direction of Stannis, and fiercely issued his declaration of revenge.
"The guards say Renly was killed by Brienne of Tarth! Besides, father and Randyll Tully are still gathering men in Highgarden. You have never led troops to fight, even if you can gather them in the Reach.
Can soldiers and horses defeat the battle-hardened Stannis?
If we don't leave, let alone gather troops, the vassals outside who want to join Stannis will capture us and sacrifice us to him.
Loras, wake up!"
Hearing Loras' unrealistic words, Margaery grabbed her brother's shoulders and shook him vigorously.
"I don't believe Brienne killed him! I once saw Brienne look at him with the same look as me!
Moreover, who can benefit the most from Renly's death?
Stannis!"
While talking about the thoughts in his mind, Loras walked to Renly's body and put down the sword, knelt on one knee and stroked Renly's face, and continued,
"He could have become the only king of the Seven Kingdoms, a wise and kind king!"
"Loras, he is indeed a wise and benevolent king. If you really want to avenge him, we will immediately gather the soldiers and horses of the Reach and return to Highgarden.
Otherwise, before Stannis comes, you will be chopped into corpses by those rebels.
When the time comes, you will be lying in a cold tomb, and Stannis will still be smiling on his throne.
Is this... the result you want?"
Margaery came to Loras' side, reached out and stroked her brother's soft brown hair, and spoke gentle words of comfort.
Sure enough, Loras was moved by Margaery's carefully thought-out words.
Before he stood up, he kissed Renly gently on his forehead, and then said to his sister: "I will gather the troops now and prepare to leave. But... I have to take him with me!"
"Of course, his body must be taken away!
By the way, Loras, we don’t want those weapons, equipment and food. Anyway, Highgarden doesn’t lack these.”
Margaery nodded and answered to her brother.
Loras nodded, glanced at Renly with nostalgia, turned and walked out of the king's tent to gather the troops loyal to Highgarden.
Margaery saw him walking out of the royal tent and walking to Renly's body.
She looked at her husband, the king, with a contemptuous smile on her lips, and said to herself: "Oh, since you are a handsome husband,
He is also a king with noble blood flowing in his body. He is truly the perfect candidate in my dreams!
Even if you like my brother, I don't mind, because I just want to be a real queen.
But now that you are dying in such a humble manner, what have you made me become?
Renly, just watch! I will definitely become the only queen of the Seven Kingdoms!"
As Renly's captain of the Kingsguard, Loras did not lead troops to fight, but he did other things in a completely orderly manner.
After a while, he had assembled the more than 50,000 troops loyal to Highgarden in the Reach.
Most of the nobles in the Stormlands were still looting the supplies that Loras did not want. A few, especially the members of the Florent family, were watching Loras's actions closely, and seemed to understand that he wanted to lead his troops to escape.
However, their number is too small, and Stannis has not arrived yet, so no one dares to forcefully come forward and stop Loras's more than 50,000 troops.
The two brothers, Loras and Margaery, took Renly's body and more than 50,000 Reach soldiers and horses, and galloped towards Highgarden on the Rose Avenue.
More than an hour later, as the sun first emerged, Stannis led Davos, Melisandre, and Shiran on horseback to the front of the chaotic army camp.
Outside the camp, most of the nobles from the Stormlands and a small number of nobles from the River Bend were waiting outside to welcome him.
When Stannis approached on horseback, all the nobles, big and small, knelt on one knee and swore a very sincere oath of allegiance to him.
Of course Stannis would not believe that these nobles who immediately surrendered to him after Renly's death were very 'sincere' loyalties.
Even though he wanted to hang all the vassals who had been on Renly's side from the beginning, for the sake of more than 20,000 cavalry and infantry, he could only nod expressionlessly and accept their allegiance.
Although Renly's army was claimed to be one hundred thousand, it was actually only about eighty thousand. More than fifty thousand soldiers from the Reach were brought back to Highgarden by the Loras brothers and sisters.
Five to six thousand soldiers, led by their respective lords, returned to their own territories.
The remaining army of about 25,000 is composed of most of the Stormland nobles and members of the Florentine family in the River Bend.
This time Renly, the 'giant', fell, and Stannis instantly transformed from a dwarf into a fat man.
The total strength of the army has increased to about 33,000. At the same time, the weapons, equipment and military provisions provided by High Court are fully sufficient for his recent war needs.
Stannis's army currently has cavalry, infantry, and fleets, coupled with his excellent combat command capabilities and Melisandre's magical assistance.
He can be said to be the strongest force in overall strength among the current kings, except for the combined armies of the Northern Territory and the Iron Islands.
Melisandre came to the camp. I don't know if it was because of magic. She asked Stannis to arrange a relatively remote military tent for her because she needed to pray quietly.
After Melisandre left, Davos walked beside Stannis silently, always looking like he was hesitant to speak.
His sight could clearly see that compared to yesterday, Stannis was obviously older today. Not only was his beard white, but he also had strands of white hair on his temples.
Finally, after entering Renly's former luxurious royal tent, Davos said: "Your Majesty, I feel that I must talk to you about what I saw in the cave last night."
"I think I made it very clear to you before. You just need to send Lady Melisandre away, and there is no need to ask about anything else!"
After hearing Davos' words, Stannis replied with a gloomy expression.
"But what price did you pay? Is it worth it? Your Majesty!"
"Now, most of Renly's vassals have joined me, except for the Tyrells who fled like cowards.
However, Mace Tyrell alone does not pose much of a threat.
Soon, I will take King's Landing and sit on the Iron Throne!
Do you think it’s worth it?”
Stannis stared at Stafford with sharp eyes, his tone full of affirmation that he was about to obtain the Iron Throne.
"Your Majesty, even if it's for the Iron Throne, I don't think it's worth it..."
"Okay, I don't want to talk about this anymore!"
Stafford, who insisted on his belief, still wanted to continue speaking. However, Stannis interrupted him with a direct and unkind tone.
"Your Majesty, when will we set off for King's Landing?"
Seeing that Stannis was really angry, Stafford could only suppress his emotions and change the topic.
"Wait until we integrate the 25,000-strong legion first!
When the time comes, we must first deal with the pitifully small defensive fleet on the Blackwater River in King's Landing City, and then send all 30,000 troops to King's Landing City to capture King's Landing City in one fell swoop!"
Stannis looked at the map placed in the king's tent and told him his battle plan.
"A very good plan, Your Majesty. However, I beg you not to take Lady Melisandre with you.
It is now spread among the army that as long as she whispers beside you, you will follow her instructions.
You paid a price to win these vassals from Renly, please don't lose them because of her!"
When Stafford said this, his eyes were fixed on Stannis, and his tone was sincere and sincere.
"I will arrange for someone to send Lady Melisandre back to Dragonstone, and she will not be allowed to follow her in future wars.
I will divide the fleet into two parts, and appoint you and my brother-in-law Yimri Floren as fleet commanders to jointly take charge of my fleet!"
Stannis looked into his eyes, pondered slightly, nodded and answered.
"This... Your Majesty! I was once just a smuggler and had never commanded a fleet in battle.
Moreover, those nobles will not be satisfied either!"
Seeing that after Stannis adopted his opinion, not only did he not punish himself, but he also appointed himself as the deputy commander of the fleet, Stafford replied with some fear.
"This is my army, not theirs! Steve, don't let me down!"
"No, Your Majesty!"
…
The High Court is built of white marble and is protected by three circular walls also built of white stone. Each circular wall is taller and thicker than the previous one, and is guarded by slender and elegant round towers.
Overall, High Court is a relatively perfect castle that is both beautiful and strong in defense.
At the highest point of the High Court Castle, there is an unusually spacious room with very simple decoration.
Loras and Margaery stood in the center of the room, telling the story of the events in Renly's army. Beside them, the fat Duke of Mace with a triangular beard listened with an unhappy expression.
Directly opposite them, a thin old lady in her sixties, with silver hair and wrinkles on her face, was listening and rubbing her soft hands.
Behind her, stood a pair of twin brothers who were seven feet tall (about 2.3 meters), with well-developed muscles, deep blue eyes and thick red beards.
"...So, my brother and I returned to Highgarden with more than 50,000 Reach cavalry.
Grandma, do you think I am unlucky? I just won the queen's crown and then immediately lost it again!"
After Margaery finished telling her story, she asked the old lady in a coquettish tone.
It turns out that this person is Olenna Tyrell, known as the ‘Queen of Thorns’, the mother of the Duke of Mace, and the grandmother of Loras and Margaery.
"Hey, it seems that my dear granddaughter is going to bear the name of Kefu just like me!"
A smile appeared on Olenna's thin face, and she did not shy away from teasing Margaery about her own affairs.
"grandmother!"
Seeing Olenna speak like this, Margaery's pretty face suddenly fell down and she shouted coquettishly.
"Okay, okay! It's okay that you didn't marry this short-lived Renly. Compared to you, I think your brother is more sad!"
Olenna stretched out her hand to comfort Margaery, but the conversation changed to Loras' head again.
However, Loras had long been accustomed to his grandmother's harsh words, so he just lowered his head and remained silent.
"Ahem, let's get down to business! Now that Renly is dead, what do you think our Tyrell family should do next?"
With a slight cough, Olenna rubbed the gemstone ring on her thin fingers and asked.
"Reorganize your troops, kill Stannis, and avenge Renly!"
Upon hearing Olenna's question, Loras immediately raised his head and answered fiercely.
When Olenna heard what he said, she rolled her eyes, ignored his opinion, and turned her attention to Margaery.
"Renly is dead, but there is no shortage of kings in Westeros now. We should continue to find people to ally with!
Stannis, it is absolutely impossible for us to ally with him. Then only the Stark family and the Lannister family are left."
Margaery's thinking was very clear, and she spoke out loud about the choice now before the Tyrell family.
Olenna nodded noncommittally, and finally looked at her son, the Duke of Metz.
"Mother, I think that in the current war between the Stark family and the Lannister family, it is not clear who is the winner.
But they will definitely have very few troops left in the end.
I think we should wait in the High Court and see the situation clearly before making a decision.
As for Stannis, if he dares to lead an army to cause trouble for us, I will personally lead the Reach army to defeat him!"
When the Duke of Metz saw his mother looking at him, he immediately started talking, as if he was giving advice.
Snap, snap, snap!
As soon as the Duke of Metz finished speaking, Olenna applauded him, which made a happy smile appear on his face.
However, after Olenna finished applauding, she spoke: "I never thought you, the demented Duke of Highgarden, could say such a thing. Who taught you this? Is it your wife Ellery?"
Well!
He cheated in advance, but was pointed out by his mother in public. The Duke of Metz smiled awkwardly.
But fortunately, all the people present were members of my own family, and there were no other outsiders.
"That boy Stannis is a smelly and hard rock. Our long-standing opponents, the Florent family, have always supported Stannis, so don't even think about negotiating an alliance with him.
The little wolf cub of the Stark family had some skills. He actually tricked Tywin and captured Casterly Rock, which had never fallen.
However, the people in the north are completely different from the people in the south. They can still fight, but do they want to be the kings who rule the seven kingdoms?
too young!
But Tywin is already in his twilight years, he is no longer the powerful lion that once rocked the Seven Kingdoms, and now he can't even protect his own Western Territory."
Although she has been sitting in Highgarden, Olenna has a very clear view of the current forces.
No one else spoke, and listened quietly to the speech of the actual controller of the Tyrell family.
"Margaery, you still want to be queen, right?"
"Yes, grandma."
Hearing Olenna's sudden question, Margaery smiled sweetly and answered in a clear voice.
"Is it okay to marry anyone?"
"Well, as long as you think he can become the king of the Seven Kingdoms, then I have no problem."
"Very good! Left hand, bring him in."
After hearing Margaery's answer, Olenna calmly gave instructions to the twin guards behind her.
As soon as she finished speaking, the tall and burly guard on the left walked towards the door. After a while, he entered the room with a black-haired boy of eight or nine years old.
"Robert Baratheon's bastard son was sent by Baelish. His current name is Renly Baratheon.
He was the illegitimate son legitimized by Renly I, and he specifically wrote a succession will, listing him as the first heir.
In other words, he is Renly II, Margaery, your new husband!"
What!!!
Everyone in the room suddenly showed expressions of disbelief after hearing Olena's words.
They understood that Olenna was preparing to support the puppet king and make her family the actual controller of the Seven Kingdoms.
As for the so-called legalization and succession wills, if she says they exist, they will definitely exist!
"The oath Eddard Stark made in Robert and his name... As long as he can destroy the Lannister family and kill the false king Joffrey, he can obtain the Iron Throne legally and reasonably!
How fascinating this is!
The glory and power we, the Tyrell family, have longed for are now before our eyes.
I have contacted Paxter Redwyne. The Redwyne family will advance and retreat together with our Tyrell family and fight to the end.
Defeat all the false kings and gain the highest glory together! Just like the Stark family and the Baratheon family back then.
Now, we have sufficient troops, warehouses full of rations, countless gold, and Renly II.
The inherent pattern of the entire Westeros has been broken, and this is an excellent opportunity for our Tyrell family!"
Olenna's words seemed to be full of magic, and everyone present fell into longing for the future.
Margaery seemed to have seen the future, where she would be the only queen of the Seven Kingdoms and her mother would grace the world.
Loras seems to have seen the future, and kills Stannis himself to avenge Renly I.
The Duke of Metz seemed to have seen the future. He led his army to defeat all the false kings, and finally sat on the Iron Throne.
Under this situation, the entire Tyrell family agreed with Olenna's general strategy of first supporting the puppet king and eventually replacing her.
In the next few days, countless ravens flew out of Highgarden, and the news spread that Renly II was crowned and Margaery was to be married.
At the same time, there is also a questionnaire signed by Renly Baratheon I to legalize illegitimate children, and a copied version of the succession will.
Finally, since the Tyrell family wants to establish themselves as kings, no dissent will be allowed within their rule.
The next day, the Duke of Metz ordered Randyll Tully, who was in Highgarden, to bring 20,000 troops from the River Bend to annihilate the Florentine family in Brightwater City.
This thorn in the flesh of this person who has long been opposed to and questioned the dominance of the Tyrell family!
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
Thanks to those who like to get up early, book friends 160601201604275, hell addicted to my monthly votes, and thanks to all the readers who have been voting and reading this far.
ps: In these two or three chapters, Westeros, which was expected to be at war with each other, slowly unfolded. The next chapter will return to the protagonist's vision.