Game of Thrones: King of Harrenhal, starting with a blue hand stat panel

Chapter 77 The Black Riders of Sanhe

"There will be a day of revenge, when the solid alliance built by Jon Arryn begins to crack. And right now, you and I have already seen some cracks appear," Doran said to Oberyn Martell.

The Robert brothers' disagreement, and the disagreement between Robert and Cersei.

These differences will objectively exist, but they have not yet reached the point where the Martell family can get involved in the power arena.

"The Ellenwood family has been appeased, but you still need to appease the more warlike families like the Fowler and Manwood. As for the Dane family, Earl Alan is a melancholic man. He is more cautious than we are and will not be our enemy," Doran analyzed.

Dorne is a land that is accustomed to doing things its own way, and Prince Doran is not as powerful as the other great lords of the Seven Kingdoms.

Dorne's ranking is: first, House Martell of Sunspear, by the sea, and second, House Ellenwood, the "Guardians of the Stone Road".

The third princes will be either House Fowler, the "Guardians of the Prince's Pass," or House Dane, the "Kings of the Turbulent River."

Then came the Braymont family and the mad Uller family, the Manwoldi family, from the source of the turbulent river.

For years, the Doran brothers have been balancing and appeasing the various factions in Dorne.

Doran used his son as leverage to appease the Ellenwood family.

As for the Dane family, they are related to the Martell family, and Dane also had a marriage alliance with the Targaryens.

Prince Doran trusted them completely, and since Starfall City was far away on the western coast, the Dane family also wanted to stay out of it.

Lords of Divine Grace City: Earl Trimond Gorgnless, Earl Fowler, Earl Dagos Manwood.

The Uller family of Prison Gate and the Wells family of Bone Road.

These avengers have been dissatisfied and have been won over by Oberyn Martell.

"I will keep them in check," Red Viper promised.

Viserys is now absent from both brothers' plans.

They did indeed possess the treaty that helped restore Viserys, but as Robert's reign lengthened, the Dornish cautiously entered a period of silence and stagnation.

Poor Viserys, he didn't even understand that he was engaged until his death.

"I understand. But are there things I need to tell Ariane?" Red Viper asked.

"I plan to tell her when she's older. As a prince of Dorne, I have too many things to consider." Doran looked at the orange tree; a blood orange fell to the ground, releasing its rich fragrance. "Arianne has her responsibilities, and Quentin can keep the Ellenwood family in check."

Doran's family life is in trouble. His wife, Melario of Norfolk, has returned to Norfolk after giving birth to their youngest son. She can never forgive Doran for giving their second son, Quentin, to the Ellenwood family as an adopted son.

Arianne is not Oberyn Martell's daughter, and Ellenwood's troubles were caused by Oberyn Martell, so Oberyn Martell can't offer much advice.

000

It took Arthur quite a bit of time to get to Starfall City, but it was much faster once he left Starfall City by going against the flow.

After leaving Starfall City and arriving at the old town, they no longer took those fancy flower boats, but instead rode swiftly back to Harrenhal, covered in dust from their journey.

Arthur no longer needed to restock or socialize at various castles, making his journey much faster and more efficient.

When Arthur left Harrenhal, he was just a boy. When he returned, he had become famous and was the most promising new knight in the Seven Kingdoms.

Returning to Harrenhal with Arthur were his newly recruited servants.

Arthur brought back various gifts from Starfall City and the Reach, including a crossbow.

Arthur first visited his grandparents, and then Earl Walter called Arthur into the lord's room.

A huge yellow banner with a black bat on a yellow background hangs on the stone wall of the lord's room, where Earl Walter and Arthur sit at a long table.

Earl Walter was not only a shrewd lord, but also a kind grandfather.

Arthur is the hope and future of the River Ann family, and also a work of art perfectly crafted by Earl Walter.

Arthur had seen and heard a lot along the way, and his relationship with the Dane family had deepened, much to Earl Walter's satisfaction.

"You only visited Starfall in Dorne, and didn't see anyone from House Martell?" Earl Walter asked.

"Yes, Grandfather," Arthur replied.

Earl Walter nodded: "Prince Doran is such a cautious man; I've heard he rarely makes public appearances because of his grief."

"He's being overly cautious," Arthur thought, but didn't say anything more.

"You won the championship on Dragonstone, and you earned the title of Knights of Light in the Reach and Dorne. I can now confidently hand over the family's military power to you," Earl Walter said with great satisfaction.

"Okay." Arthur didn't refuse. He already had his own team, and now it was Harrenhal's entire force.

This is quite normal. Arthur is the only heir left in the He'an family, and there are no collateral or branch families. Sooner or later, Arthur will be needed to revitalize these family businesses.

Arthur, on the other hand, has proven his ability and charisma.

"How many troops do we have left? Grandfather," Arthur asked.

"At its peak, the main family's forces numbered around four thousand, similar to the 'Red Lion' Reyes family back then. Following the defeat at the Battle of the Trident and the fines paid to the Iron Throne, Harrenhal's forces now number only two to three thousand, with many of the core knights and riders having perished. These forces are from the main family, not including the hired knights, free riders, and mercenaries who came for our reputation and gold," Earl Walter recounted.

"But now, with the booming sales of sweet corn and carrots, the annexation of Whitewall City, and your reputation, given time, the River family will have no problem restoring its peak strength. As Darryl and Mudon weaken, the mercenaries of the Trident River will first consider recruiting us."

The great knight's appeal was extraordinary.

The charisma and reputation of such warriors naturally attract many followers, something that gold cannot match.

"That means our fiefdom and population can support four thousand troops, while gold and knightly prestige can attract mercenaries," Arthur calculated.

Harrenhal's territory is rich, and if there were a large port, Arthur felt he could bring out more troops.

No wonder the Frey family had such a large and powerful army in the original story, with the main family alone numbering over four thousand.

The Freys were already wealthy, and with the Royalist families of Rivershire, Morton, Darryl, and Leicester all weakened, the Freys's siphoning effect on the East Riverlands would become apparent.

With Arthur's intervention, Frey would never have become so arrogant; instead, it was the River family that was being blocked.

“That’s right.” Earl Walter nodded, then recalled the vanished Red Lion. “Back then, the Reyes family in the West was incredibly powerful, with four thousand men. Roger Reyes was exceptionally skilled in combat and considered by many to be the most formidable warrior in the Westerlands at the time. In addition, Earl Roger had many allies, and his reputation for bravery attracted many followers, so they could have mustered more than eight thousand troops. But he was in a hurry to confront Tywin, and only took two thousand men into the encirclement, ultimately resulting in his death and the extermination of his clan.”

"That's Tywin Lannister, ruthless and cold-blooded," Arthur said thoughtfully.

Tywin Lannister has begun a bloody struggle, and this game is far from over.

"Indeed," Lord Walter voiced his concern. "Tywin has always been ruthless, as many have experienced in Castamere and Taber Hall, and in King's Landing. Unfortunately, the Riverlands are right at the gateway to the West, which is why we need to intensify our military training. Tywin's men are well-equipped and have more training time than the average lord."

Many of the feudal lords in the Hejian region believed in the illusion of peace and tranquility.

But defeated lords like Lord Walter harbored a deep-seated suspicion and hostility toward Tywin.

"Then I'll start with the cavalry and longbowmen," Arthur pondered. "I'm going to build a new Mikawa army!"

Crossbowmen were also a type of military force, but the crossbow had a short range, limiting its uses.

Even so, the Myr crossbows that Arthur brought would still deliver a deadly rhythm on the battlefield.

"The cavalry are the true elite of the family. Even among the main force of the He'an family, some are farmers from the territory equipped with sickles, pitchforks, and wooden spears; the core is still those cavalry," Earl Walter explained in detail.

The Lannisters were the same, except that the Lannisters had a larger standing army and were better equipped and trained.

Earl Walter is no longer a fierce warrior, but his administrative skills are beyond question, and he is very perceptive of these numbers.

Arthur: "Grandfather, I need complete armor and horses. I'll have the River House cavalry forged first. Rosso and Songer, whom I brought back, are both excellent warriors."

"Very well." Earl Walter fully supported Arthur. "Wealth, armor, horses—the family will fully support you. However, training takes time and won't happen overnight."

"That's alright." Arthur smiled smugly, indicating that they would use whatever they had for now.

“I still have some men I can recruit,” Arthur said. “The Iron Throne punished many Riverlands knights, and with the fines paid by Morton, Darryl, and Leicester, many cavalrymen were forced into becoming free riders and wandering the Riverlands. And these men are also good recruits.”

"Those people you mentioned, that could be a connection," Earl Walter's eyes lit up.

With enough gold and popularity, recruiting a sizable army shouldn't be too difficult.

Arthur could almost see a black whirlwind sweeping across the land, the Black Riders of the Three Rivers that he led.