Game of Thrones: Joffrey the Chosen

Chapter 100 Beneath the High Pavilion (Updates will resume tomorrow; any extra chapters will be added later)

Traveling southwest along the Mandeb River, Joffrey finally came into view the nameless river that flowed in from the north to the south.

But the first thing that catches the eye is the military camp stretching for miles along the high banks of the river.

The wooden fences were arranged like saw teeth, with a watchtower every hundred paces. Smoke curled from the chimneys, mingling with the evening mist, like a gray veil shrouding the entire camp.

The horn suddenly blared, and a troop of cavalry rushed out of the door.

The leader, dressed in chainmail and wearing a gray and white woolen cloak, dismounted.

"Your Majesty." Jori Caesar knelt on one knee and began to recite the greeting that Joffrey had heard a hundred and eighty times.

"By the hand of the King and the Regent —"

Joffrey waved his hand: "Alright, alright, don't be so polite."

"What is Lord Ed busy with?"

Jori stood up and grinned, "The lord is having a meeting with the feudal lords right now, His Majesty's arrival is timely."

He waved his hand behind him, and the soldiers at the camp gate immediately moved the barricades to clear a path for the army.

Horse hooves trod over the compacted soil.

The camp was set up in a very organized manner, several times better than the one Joffrey had set up.

Northerners' tents are mostly made of thick gray wool felt, which is rather monotonous. The nobility in the river region have much more variety, and they also separate or tie their tents together according to the preferences of each family.

For example, the Bottons' Skinner and the Freys' Twin Towers came together.

Joffrey handed over the troops to the accompanying officers for placement, and then proceeded alongside Joffrey toward the central command tent.

"Has there been any fighting these days?" Joffrey asked.

"No matter how much we yell and curse, Duke Mays just won't come out." Jory shrugged. "I think this year's harvest feast will probably be held right here by the river."

Joffrey smiled. "Then we'll save on food supplies in the North, won't we?"

Even so, he felt heavy-hearted.

The war happened to coincide with the harvest season, and along the way, he had seen far too many wheat fields that had been requisitioned.

In the end, only one of the two major granaries, the river valley and the river bend, could be preserved.

A moment later, the central command tent appeared in front of Joffrey.

Although it was a size larger than the surrounding tents, it was as simple as that of a second-tier nobleman in the Riverlands.

Robert's hat is enough to build a hundred of these.

After the guards announced his arrival, Ed personally lifted the curtain to greet them.

"Your Majesty, you must be tired from your journey."

Joffrey took off his gloves: "The Prime Minister is the one who's working so hard, having to hold a meeting so late."

As he stepped into the tent, the smell of sweat assaulted his nostrils.

"Is this guy twelve years old?"

A loud voice suddenly boomed in my ear: "You all say the king is handsome, but you didn't say he's this tall."

"It's a pity he doesn't have a beard; he's not as imposing."

Joffrey looked up and saw a fierce and terrifying burly man looking down at him, his eyes wide like copper bells.

He was taller than the Hound, about the same height as Hodor of Winterfell, but twice as strong.

GreatJon Amber.

Damn it, why did this guy start the trouble first?

Unfortunately, Joffrey didn't borrow Grey Wind, so he couldn't bite his finger.

But before he could speak, a short figure squeezed through.

"Nonsense, it's better without a beard! How could such a handsome man dress like a savage like you?"

This is a woman, but her body is unusually strong.

But Big Jon only stuck out his buttocks once, and he pushed her aside.

"Get lost, you mother bear, he's already engaged to Ed's daughter, stop thinking about it."

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"You'd better find your daughter a bear too. But my son is lacking a wife."

"Bullshit! Your son is a savage just like you; whoever marries him is doomed!"

Joffrey was both amused and exasperated, and could only nod to Mrs. Maggie Mormont of Bear Island.

The other party returned the greeting politely, then pulled Great Jon Snow aside, seemingly arguing, or perhaps discussing something.

What followed was a long exchange of pleasantries.

Bolton, Karstark, Manderley; Brecken, Hoan, Mellist —

Joffrey patiently repeated to everyone, "My dear minister, you've worked hard."

After all, he couldn't skip the plot.

After much persuasion, Joffrey finally sat down in the seat Ed had reserved for him.

"My lords, let us discuss this."

How should Gaoting be captured?

Ed cleared his throat: "Your Majesty, we are currently at a stalemate on the riverbank."

"The Duke of Metz left at least three thousand garrison troops inside the castle, and about seven thousand more outside."

"Gao Ting is on the other side of the Mandeb River, so we're temporarily at a stalemate with him on this side."

The strategies for offense and defense differ.

Now it was Joffrey's turn to figure out how to cross the river.

Unlike Riverrun, which is crammed into a corner, High Pavilion, also a castle built at the confluence of rivers, is not tucked away in a corner.

In exchange for abandoning natural barriers, they gained a much larger scale.

It was built on a hill and had three concentric ring walls, all made of white megaliths, each one higher than the last.

The lowest wall encloses the entire foot of the mountain, and there is a plant maze between the second city wall and the first.

This maze can be used for recreation in peacetime and to defend against invaders in wartime.

Those unfamiliar with the area will only wander into dead ends and get hurt by the traps set inside.

"These Southerners really have a lot of free time," Big Jon shouted gruffly.

"I thought their castle being built like a garden was just a joke, but it turns out there really is a fucking garden inside!"

River Lake suggested, "Why don't we just burn it down?"

"Let's set up catapults on this side of the river and pour kerosene across."

No sooner had the words been spoken than a voice came from the corner.

"My lord, you are mistaken."

Matus Rowan stood up from his seat and squeezed to the edge of the table: "The Gardener's family had already begun to take precautions against this situation when they were still around."

"There are many pools in the maze, and the plants used are all water-rich varieties, so it's impossible for it to catch fire."

After discovering that the guy had actually defected, Joffrey, together with Ed Starnight, officially recognized him as a member of the party.

His men were also recalled overnight.

Okay, you've rested well in the rear. These are your original weapons and armor, which have been repaired and replaced with new ones if they were damaged.

Of course, neither Matus nor most people noticed anything amiss. Joffrey and Ed handled everything in secret and treated them as if they were allies who had defected.

Perhaps some people noticed something was amiss, but everyone kept quiet about it.

"What about wildfire? Can wildfire burn?" Rivery asked again.

The tent was quiet.

Ed gently shook his head: "Sir, this substance is too heinous. It's best not to use it unless absolutely necessary."

Most of the feudal lords had only heard the legend of wildfire and had never seen it with their own eyes.

Seeing that the leaders were opposed, they all nodded in agreement.

They had superior numbers and victory was assured, so why would they resort to such underhanded tactics?

Just push straight through and that's it.

Then they all vied to volunteer, asking to be the vanguard, shouting until their faces turned red and their necks bulged.

Joffrey looked at those confident faces, but his heart felt heavy.

Now that the allied forces have won a series of victories, everyone from top to bottom has become arrogant, thinking that Renly is no match for them and that Highgarden is within their grasp.

Tywin has used up all the pitiful soldiers he had previously deployed; now it's their turn to be arrogant.

What Joffrey wanted most was to end the war quickly; he didn't want to drag it out any longer.

Using wildfire would be much safer.

What if we recklessly drive into a crash?

No, I need to find a store I don't like and sell to them to calm these arrogant and unruly guys down.

Suddenly, a shout came from outside the tent.

Report one

A messenger strode in.

Joffrey took the parchment from him, opened it, looked at it, and then handed it to Steveren.

"Frey, your son and grandson have been arrested."

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