The journey of the film and television world is endless [continued]

After the High Sparrow took control of the church, the armed forces of the church swept through heresy in King's Landing, and of course seized a large amount of property in the process. The church was not short of money, but lacked enough weapons and people who could use them.

A large number of bankrupt knights and mercenaries chose to turn to the church. They were all qualified warriors. There were also many wealthy businessmen who donated money and materials to the church in order to buy peace with money.

The church now had both funds and manpower, and the High Sparrow successfully established the "Sons of Warriors" - the Holy Sword Knights, which consisted of 217 knights. In addition, the size of the Poor's Assembly had reached nearly 6,000 people, and the 1,400-man Star Knights had become the backbone of the church. At this point, he finally had enough confidence to face the royal family and the nobility.

After learning that the church's strength had greatly increased, Cersei was filled with worries. She knew that the current situation was very unfavorable to her. Therefore, she resolutely gave up the strategy of armed confrontation that she had prepared, and chose to act in secret instead.

On the one hand, she sent her men to quietly assassinate those who openly humiliated her based on the intelligence provided by Varys. These assassins acted quickly and secretly, making it difficult for the enemy to guard against them. On the other hand, Cersei made full use of her connections and wealth to actively win over the noble forces in the West. She cleverly used various means to make these nobles stand on her side. At the same time, Jaime also secretly contacted some vassals in the West, and they jointly planned to seize power.

As time went by, Cersei and Jaime's plan gradually took shape. Finally, one day in the throne room, Tommen suddenly issued an order to remove Jaime from his position as captain of the Kingsguard. This move shocked the dozens of lords present. Then, Tommen solemnly declared in the form of a pardon: "I, Tommen I of the Baratheon family, hereby release Jaime Lannister from his oath. From this day forward, you will no longer serve in the Kingsguard. However, in gratitude for your years of loyalty and dedication to the Iron Throne, I hereby formally anoint you the Duke of Casterly Rock and the Warden of the West!"

This pardon was like a bombshell, causing an uproar in the throne room. Everyone was shocked, and their eyes turned to Cersei and Jaime. At this time, Cersei showed a barely perceptible smile on her face. She knew that this decision was not only a reward for Jaime, but also part of her and Jaime's careful planning. From now on, Jaime will become the actual ruler of the West, with more power and resources, and all of this will lay a solid foundation for their future plans. As the order was announced, Jaime took off the white robe and armor that symbolized the identity of the Kingsguard without hesitation in front of everyone. His movements were crisp and clear, and he didn't give anyone a chance to object.

At this time, Kevan's face was so gloomy that he almost dripped water. Since Tywin's death, the position of Duke of Casterly Rock has been vacant. His two sons, Jaime joined the Kingsguard, which meant that he would not be able to marry and have children, and gave up the inheritance of the family; and Tyrion was exiled and far away from the center of power.

Originally, Kevan's family had a chance to inherit Casterly Rock. But Lancel suddenly got carried away and joined the church, which made things complicated. If it weren't for this accident, Kevan would have already started planning to seize power, which is why he always disagrees with Cersei.

However, Kevan's two younger brothers, Tyget and Gillian, are now very dissatisfied with his inaction on the issue of Cersei. They firmly believe that only Jaime is qualified to inherit the title, so they stand firmly on Jaime's side. This internal contradiction makes Kevan feel very difficult.

At this moment, at the gate of the Red Keep, Cersei was bidding farewell to Jaime. Jaime said worriedly: "You are about to face trial, and I am really worried about leaving you alone in this dangerous situation."

Cersei gently stroked Jaime's face and responded tenderly, "My dear, the Westerly is where you should go. You are needed to lead there, and I will face everything with strength. Go and lead our army, and let them clearly understand who they should truly be loyal to. This is what father has always expected of you! As for the trial in a few days, don't worry, I have the Mountain! In the arena, no one is his match, except, of course, that monster Garlon." Her eyes revealed an incomparably firm and resolute look.

After saying these words, she hugged Jaime tightly and whispered in his ear: "Go! Go and do what you should do. When you return to King's Landing next time, it will be time for us to take revenge. I will make everyone realize that the Lannister family has always been revengeful!"

Jaime then got on his horse and, surrounded by many knights, slowly left the Red Keep. He walked farther and farther away until his figure completely disappeared. Cersei stood there, staring quietly at the direction where Jaime was going, her eyes never moving away for a long time. When she finally turned around, she happened to see the Mountain standing by, and noticed the bloodstains still dripping from the Mountain's arm armor.

Cersei's mouth curled up slightly, and she asked with a half-smile, "Did you go hunting again today? How was the result?"

The Mountain slowly raised his hand and stretched out eight thick fingers. Seeing this, Cersei nodded with satisfaction and said, "Very good, in that case, you don't have to go out anymore. From now on, you stay by my side."

The Mountain nodded silently, standing beside Cersei like a rock, motionless. His tall and mighty figure exuded a suffocating aura, like an insurmountable mountain. Cersei turned and walked slowly into the castle, each step seemed so firm and powerful. Her eyes flashed with determination, as if she was full of anticipation for the upcoming trial. She knew very well that this would be a crucial contest that would determine her fate and future.

At the same time, Jaime led the cavalry to Casterly Rock. Along the way, he kept thinking about how to effectively integrate the troops and control the entire army of the West. He knew that in the face of the upcoming challenges, only unity and concerted efforts could defeat the enemy. At this moment, in King's Landing, various forces were also secretly competing with each other. On the surface, it seemed calm, but in fact, undercurrents were surging, and a thrilling power struggle was brewing.

----------

In the far north, in Castle Black, Stannis's army finally settled down. Although the severe cold here made them suffer a lot, they were not intimidated by the difficulties, but gradually adapted to this harsh environment. However, due to the lack of sufficient warm clothes, they were unable to take the next step and launch more in-depth military operations.

Fortunately, the second batch of aid from Braavos arrived in time. This batch of supplies mainly included a large amount of food and much-needed warm clothes, which brought great help to Stannis's army.

At the same time, the Iron Bank also sent Tycho Nestorth as an envoy to Eastwatch-by-the-Sea. At this time, the Iron Bank was in great trouble. They were not optimistic about the regime of King's Landing and were unwilling to continue to invest more money in this bottomless pit. They planned to support Stannis in seizing the Iron Throne with financial assistance and asked Stannis to acknowledge and promise to repay all debts owed by the Iron Throne.

When Tycho arrived at Castle Black, Stannis was still imprisoned in the dungeons. He had negotiated several times with Mance Rayder, but the King-Beyond-the-Wall had always refused to surrender, let alone lead the wildlings into Stannis' service.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Jon warmly received the Iron Bank's envoys. While waiting, he reached an agreement with Tychu to borrow money from the Iron Bank. The money will be used to buy food and supplies to help the Night's Watch survive the cold winter. As for repayment? Winter is coming, and no one is sure whether they can live to see that day.

As they were talking, Stannis walked in with a livid face, and it was obvious that his attempt to persuade them to surrender had failed again. Jon slowly stood up and said solemnly, "Since your Majesty is here, you can continue the discussion. I will take my leave now!" After that, he turned and walked towards the door.

Just as he was about to step out of the threshold, Stannis's low voice came from behind him: "Lord Commander Jon, please stay!" Jon stopped, turned around, and looked at Stannis.

Stannis stared at Jon, his eyes gleaming with determination. He said in a deep voice: "I have heard that you have some friendship with Mance Rayder. Here, I hope you can persuade him to surrender to me. I have given him enough time, but if he still refuses to be loyal to me, then I have no choice but to execute him."

Jon shrugged helplessly. He had long experienced the stubbornness of the wildlings. He replied calmly, "Okay, Your Majesty, I will go talk to him. However, Your Majesty, please do not have too high expectations for the results." After that, he turned and left.

After walking a few steps, a bright red figure appeared not far ahead. It was the red witch Melisandre. Jon nodded slightly as a polite greeting.