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64. Three thousand people

Link's decision was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, stirring up ripples throughout Winterfell, and the news spread like wildfire.

Upon hearing this, many residents shook their heads, their faces full of disapproval.

"I think the lord has lost his mind. How dare he start a war with Ironhammer Territory? Isn't he courting death? Do you think he can defeat them?"

"Even the once-renowned old city lord wouldn't dare to easily clash with Iron Hammer, would he?"

"Yes, I've also heard that Schumpeter, the lord of Ironhammer Territory, is a ruthless killer. If he really takes Winterhold, will we still have any peace?"

"No, I have to leave now. I don't want to go to my death with this foolish lord!"

After the crowd dispersed, similar discussions echoed throughout the streets and alleys of Winterfell, lingering for a long time, with many people harboring the idea of ​​fleeing Winterfell.

However, many more people resolutely chose to stay.

"Leave? What right do you have to leave! Only cowardly cowards like you would think of running away!"

A farmer who looked to be in his forties with a kind and honest face suddenly became furious when a guy tried to persuade him to leave Winterfell. His face turned as red as a ripe tomato.

"If it weren't for the lord, could you live such a peaceful life? The lord built us wooden houses to shelter us from the wind and rain, repaired toilets to solve our sanitation problems, built gravel roads to make travel easier, and exempted us from so many heavy taxes and levies, allowing us to live a comfortable life. Do you really want to give up so easily?!"

His words immediately resonated with the people around him.

"I've heard that Schumpeter is extremely cruel, making his people work day and night in the mines, and that many have died from exhaustion in those dark and dreary mines. My life was given to me by the lord, and even if I die, I want to die in this Winter City rather than be a slave to Schumpeter and be worked to death!"

“That’s right. We’ve all seen how Winter City has developed recently. It’s thanks to the Lord’s dedicated management and selfless help that we’re able to live with dignity like human beings. What’s so scary about Ironhammer Territory? At worst, we’ll just die! If I had to go back to those hellish, hopeless days, I’d rather be dead sooner!”

"Yeah, fuck Hammerhead! Fuck Schumpeter! If you want to destroy Winterfell, you'll have to step over my dead body first!"

There's a saying that goes: I could have tolerated the darkness if I had never seen the light.

Link gave them a comfortable life, allowing them to live peacefully and normally in Winterhold.

Anyone who wants to take all of this away, anyone who wants to turn them back into slaves, they will fight to the death!

......

"What? What did you just say? Repeat it again!"

Inside the lord's manor of Ironhammer Territory, a furious roar exploded like thunder.

Schumpeter's eyes were bloodshot, as if they were about to spit fire. He slammed his hand on the armrest of the chair, and with a "crack," the sturdy chair instantly shattered into several pieces.

His eyes widened in anger as he stared intently at the kneeling servant below, his voice filled with fury and disdain.

“Great Lord, the lord of Winterfell is truly ignorant of his own limitations, daring to openly declare war on us. Such an arrogant act clearly shows that he does not take you seriously!”

The servant trembled with fear, lay on the ground, and stammered as he imitated Link's words, trying to fully demonstrate Link's "arrogance".

"Good, very good! I haven't been this angry in a long time!"

Schumpeter was panting heavily, his eyes gleaming with a sinister light, like a hungry wild bear in winter, exuding endless danger.

"It seems I haven't displayed my authority for too long, causing them to forget my methods. Now, they dare to provoke me like this! Issue the order to immediately summon all the troops within the territory. I, Schumpeter, will personally lead the army to raze Winterhold to the ground! My authority will not be trampled upon by anyone!"

With Schumpeter's command, the entire Iron Hammer Territory's forces began to mobilize rapidly.

The army began to assemble rapidly, the sounds of horses' hooves, footsteps, and shouts mingling together, and a tense and oppressive atmosphere filled the air, as if a storm was about to break.

As the days went by, the atmosphere in Winter City grew increasingly heavy.

The invisible smell of gunpowder in the air seemed ready to ignite at any moment.

In just two short days, more than twenty citizens of Winterfell have quietly packed their bags and left without saying goodbye to seek refuge in other cities.

They were afraid of the impending war, afraid of becoming victims of it.

"My lord, shouldn't we stop these people from leaving? If we let this go unchecked, I'm afraid even more people will leave later," Lina said worriedly, watching the departing figures.

Link simply smiled faintly, his expression calm: "It doesn't matter, let them leave if they want. People who choose to run away in times of crisis are of no use in Winterfell. What Winterfell needs are people who can share its joys and sorrows and overcome difficulties together, not these deserters."

He paused, gazing into the distance.

Let those who chose to betray us go.

Hopefully, when the war between Winterfell and Ironhammer Territory truly begins, they will not regret their choices today.

After all, the cruelty of war is far beyond their imagination. And Winterhold will also usher in its own turning point in this storm.

......

Time passed quietly, and the shadow of war eventually shrouded this land.

Inside the Ironhammer Territory, Lord Schumpeter rode a tall warhorse, looking down at the neatly lined-up army in front of the lord's mansion.

His fat face was now full of smugness and arrogance.

In order to establish his authority in Winterhold and demonstrate his inviolability as the lord of Hammerhold, Schumpeter has devoted almost all of Hammerhold's strength to this area over the past two days.

In addition to the original 1,700-plus regular troops, he temporarily armed more than 1,000 young men in just two days.

These young men were forcibly conscripted to join the army on the battlefield that would destroy Winterfell.

The force of nearly three thousand men was almost entirely covered in iron chainmail. Although it only covered the chest and abdomen, the fact that nearly three thousand men were all wearing such iron armor was enough to show that the Iron Hammer Clan was quite powerful.

However, this seemingly large team has very few truly elite members.

Those two hundred or so Schumpeter's personal guards were the core strength of this army.

They stood tall and proud, well-equipped, their eyes revealing absolute loyalty to Schumpeter.

As for the other soldiers, they were undisciplined, their steps were disorderly, and whispers and laughter could be heard from time to time in the ranks.

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65. If you have seen the light

But none of that mattered to Schumpeter.

Looking at the hundreds and thousands of soldiers, he felt secretly pleased, thinking that the lord of Winterfell would be terrified and run away in fear when he saw his massive army.

In his view, this army of nearly three thousand men was enough to terrify the people of Winterfell, so how could they dare to even think of resisting?

Schumpeter was immersed in his own fantasy world, as if he could already see the army sweeping across Winterfell and turning everything into ruins.

He raised his head, surveying his army with smug satisfaction, and roared, "That brat from Winterhold dares to defy my authority! Warriors of Hammerlords, raze Winterhold to the ground! Slaughter all the men there, let their blood stain this land! Ravage the women there, let them wail in agony! I will make everyone understand the terrible price they will pay for offending Hammerlords, for offending Schumpeter!"

Schumpeter's words were like sparks thrown into a pile of dry tinder, instantly igniting the fervor of the soldiers below.

"Roar! Kill them all! Kill them all!" The soldiers howled like wolves, their eyes gleaming with greed and bloodlust.

"Hahaha, I've been holding it in for so long, I can finally let loose!"

"Those beautiful women are all ours!"

These Iron Hammer soldiers were less of an army and more of a band of thieves who were insatiable in burning, killing, raping, and looting.

They had followed Schumpeter for a long time and were used to this kind of banditry; their very nature was barbaric and brutal.

Schumpeter looked down at the group of soldiers roaring and filled with desire, and smiled with satisfaction.

In his view, only soldiers driven by desire would charge at the enemy like hungry wolves, disregarding everything.

And he was the one who fed these hungry wolves.

As long as their desires are satisfied, he can command this army to be invincible and conquer all.

"Boys, let's go! Let's show Winterfell the might of our Ironhammer Territory!"

At Schumpeter's command, the warhorses neighed, and the army set off in a grand procession toward Winterfell.

......

When the Ironhammer Army approached to within ten miles of Winterfell, the city guards responsible for patrolling and guarding the outer perimeter keenly noticed this menacing force.

They dared not slacken their efforts and immediately relayed this urgent message back to Winter City as quickly as possible.

"Dang! Dang! Dang!"

A piercing and urgent chime instantly resounded throughout the entire Winter City.

That sound was like a warning bell tolled by fate, making everyone who heard it feel a chill in their heart.

All the citizens of Winterhold tensed up instantly, turning their gazes toward the direction from which the bells were tolling.

They all knew what the bell meant—the Iron Hammer Army had arrived!

However, despite their inner tension, the eyes of these civilians of Winterfell shone with unwavering determination.

They quickly grabbed the sickles, pitchforks, and other farm tools at hand as weapons. Their hands, gripping the weapons, turned white from the force, yet they also exuded an undeniable determination.

They knew that the shadow of war was looming, and that they had to stand up for their homes and loved ones.

"My lord, the army that Ironhammer Territory has dispatched this time numbers nearly three thousand!" A city guard soldier, panting heavily as he ran all the way, knelt on one knee and reported.

"I understand. Go and get ready," Link said calmly.

In fact, Link already knew about this news.

Just last night, the black-knife assassins he sent out reported the movements of the Iron Hammer Army.

Link was not worried about this, because he knew in his heart that most of the three thousand people in the team were just civilians who had been temporarily conscripted.

They were untrained and utterly incapable of fighting; they were nothing more than cannon fodder used by Schumpeter to fill in the gaps.

Link stood with his hands behind his back, quietly surveying the soldiers and civilians of Winterfell before him.

Behind him, the direwolf banner of Winterfell fluttered in the wind, as if cheering for the upcoming battle.

"Lina, go and get all the high-proof liquor from the warehouse and pour a glass for each soldier," Link ordered in a deep voice.

"Yes, my lord!"

Lina accepted the order and soon returned with her men, carrying out jars of strong liquor and pouring a cup for each of the soldiers lined up in formation.

Link poured himself a bowl of wine, slowly raised his glass, and glanced at the soldiers and civilians of Winterfell in front of him. His voice was steady and powerful.

"Warriors of Winterfell, my people, we have endured countless hardships to achieve this hard-won happiness and peace. But Peter Grimm of Ironhammerlands seeks to take it all away and turn us into his slaves! Tell me, are you willing?!"

"No! No! No—!!!"

The warriors and the people roared in unison, their voices so powerful they seemed to tremble in the air.

"For Winterfell! For your beloved families! For your brothers! Warriors, stand tall! Let us use the blades in our hands to fight for our dignity and glory! A good fight is better than a hundred! Brothers, let those bastards see what we're made of! After this drink, we'll meet at the Martyrs' Cemetery!"

Link's voice echoed across Winterfell, igniting the passion and heroism in everyone's heart.

After Link finished speaking, he tilted his head back and drank the wine in his glass in one gulp. Then, without hesitation, he smashed the glass, drew the Kalia Knight's sword from his waist, raised his arm, and shouted, "Let's go!"

Under his leadership, the warriors of Winterfell finished their drinks, filled with anger and fighting spirit, and resolutely stepped onto the battlefield where their lives depended on it.

"My lord, we also want to go to the battlefield with you!"

"That's right, my lord, please take us with you into battle!"

The citizens of Winterfell were also outraged and roared angrily.

At this moment, they had already made up their minds to die.

For a long time, every lord treated them as slaves and private property, using them at will. Only Link treated them as real people.

Link built wooden houses and public toilets for them, allowing them to stand tall and live a life free from subservience and uncertainty.

What Link gave them was unprecedented dignity.

They yearn to protect this dignity, so that future generations can also live with dignity and integrity, just as they do now.

In this way, even if they died on the battlefield, they would feel that they had no regrets in this life.

However, Link slowly shook his head.

"You have proven yourselves with courage, but the battles to come are not for you. However, you can witness our battle from outside the battlefield."

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66. War

Link mounted a tall warhorse, raised the banner of Winterfell high, and then shouted to the fully armed warriors behind him: "Warriors, follow me into battle! Let those enemies witness our might!"