The Mountain of Ice and Fire

The Mountain stared at Vargo Hoat.

Vargo Hoat was not afraid.

Shagwell was killed, and Vargo needed justice.

The Mountain was the boss of the Brave Companions, as well as the general of the Clegane forces and a count. He was the one who set the military rules here. He had to give an explanation for this matter. This was also an explanation to the Brave Companions and the Clegane army.

How could he command his soldiers without clear rewards and punishments?!

The Mountain understood Vargo. The transmigrated Mountain knew very well that Vargo Hoat would betray the Westerlands army in the later war and join Roose Bolton's team because Roose Bolton promised him Harrenhal and a title.

It was also this group of Brave Companions who captured Jaime Lannister and cut off Jaime's right hand with a sword.

This was a Vargo who did things for money and had no loyalty to anyone.

If the future trajectory of the world did not change, the Mountain would kill Vargo in the battle to recapture Harrenhal.

The Brave Companions would collapse.

However, the Brave Companions were powerful in combat. The mercenaries were all people who had undergone arduous training. Their lives were lived on the edge of a knife, and every mission could be their last. This gave the mercenaries a unique temperament, which was arrogance. It also gave the mercenaries a very realistic idea: fight for money!

In the great chaos of the Seven Kingdoms, the combat power of soldiers recruited from farmers, hunters, fishermen, and handicraftsmen could not be compared with that of professional mercenaries. Mercenaries far surpassed the new recruits from civilians in queue training, swordsmanship and military orders, basic battle formations, tacit understanding of offense and retreat, and fearless adaptation to the battlefield.

The Mountain was interested in the Brave Companions. He wanted to bring them under his command and turn this force into a Clegane force, rather than a Brave Companions mercenary group. When he hired the Brave Companions from King's Landing at a high price, the Mountain already had a plan: the big fish eats the small fish.

The small fish dies, and the big fish gets bigger. This was the principle of the transmigrated Mountain.

Finding a reason to kill Shagwell was the Mountain's intention. If he didn't get rid of a few leaders, he wouldn't be able to annex the Brave Companions. It was just that the Mountain hoped to capture the offending Shagwell for a public military trial, but Julli acted privately and killed Shagwell and hung him on the gate of the Tower of Dread.

Only a public military trial could justify killing people and swallowing the Brave Companions.

When Vargo Hoat appeared on the training ground carrying Shagwell's body, demanding justice from the Mountain, the Mountain had to change his prior thoughts and face this sudden event.

Julli's actions were lynching, while the Mountain wanted a public execution. Julli was impulsive, although she told the Mountain everything after she killed Shagwell.

The Mountain did want to give Vargo justice.

This justice was not in people's hearts, but in the Mountain.

Bearing the honor of the most evil villain in the Seven Kingdoms, the Mountain felt that doing many things was a matter of course, without the need to explain or give reasons. Do you need to reason with a villain?

But there was also a limit to this. Anything in excess would backfire.

Vargo wanted to reason and seek justice from a university man from a higher civilization who had read a lot of miscellaneous books. He was destined not to be the Mountain's opponent.

What's more, the Mountain had a big plan in advance, and he paid a high price to invite him here just to send him to the guillotine—plan ahead and then act.

"Captain Vargo, I will give you justice," the Mountain said. "Debts can be forgiven, but murderers must pay with their lives." The Mountain blew the iron whistle.

The sharp sound of the iron whistle rang out in the huge training ground, startling dozens of crows that flew up from the tower.

Vargo resisted the urge to cover his ears.

Vargo was not used to this sharp sound of the iron whistle.

He had never seen an iron whistle before, nor had he heard the sound of an iron whistle before this.

This was the Mountain's invention. The generals of the entire Westerlands army had specially trained the soldiers in the military commands of the iron whistle.

Infantry Commander Chiswyck Big-Head, Cavalry Captain Dunc the Tall, Captain Raff the Sweetling, Captain Polliver, Guard Captain Alyn, and Cavalry Reserve and Chief Affairs Officer Notebooks Mark all blew their whistles.

The Clegane cavalry, Clegane infantry, Clegane cavalry reserve, Clegane guard, and Clegane logistics team all assembled and approached the high platform on the training ground, each arranged in formation.

The remaining three hundred Brave Companions looked at each other on the training ground.

Captain Vargo made a gesture, so the Brave Companions also put away their swords and shields and rushed to the bottom of the high platform, forming a small square formation independent of the others.

To obtain more than three hundred well-trained and combat-effective soldiers, tempered in the flames of war, generally a new army of a thousand people could temper out three hundred ruthless veterans.

The Mountain didn't plan to recruit and train soldiers in Harrenhal, although there was a lot of food and wine piled up in Harrenhal, and the weapons and ironware in the armory were also piled up like mountains.

Training new soldiers first requires time; second, Duke Tywin will soon arrive at the Crossroads Inn not far ahead, which is a military strategic location that kills three birds with one stone. Harrenhal, because of its security and the mountains of supplies, will serve as Duke Tywin's main base.

The Mountain stood on the general command high platform on the training ground.

"Who killed Shagwell?" The Mountain asked in a deep voice.

"I did!" A clear female voice said crisply. Julli Clegane rode out of the queue.

Half a year of cruel training had made her body slender and fit, as if she had been training non-stop for several years. Julli's change was too great compared to before, it was unbelievable.

"Julli, why did you kill Deputy Captain Shagwell?"

"He sneaked into the Weeping Tower, first stole the cook's child, placed him in an empty room, and then went to steal the blacksmith's child. I returned the cook's child when he left, giving him the first warning; but Shagwell ignored the warning and stole the cook's child again, and I returned the blacksmith's child, giving him the second warning."

"Two warnings are enough." The Mountain shouted sternly, his eyes sweeping over the Brave Companions. "Do you believe that Shagwell is a deputy captain who steals children at night? Whether you believe it or not, I already believe it. Damn it!"

The Brave Companions members looked at each other. They naturally knew Shagwell's personality, and the situation Julli said was true. Everyone understood.

But just stealing children and abusing them would result in being killed?

This was too childish and ridiculous.

Captain Vargo chuckled.

Pate, Zollo, and the brothers of the Brave Companions could not accept it.

Stealing children?

Shagwell did more than just abuse children. He preferred to turn the male children he had enjoyed into eunuchs, and many children died because the wounds were not treated well and became infected. The necklace of male genitals on Shagwell's neck already explained everything.

Stealing children?

Could this be considered a crime?

"The servants, maids, masters, dog handlers, and soldiers in Harrenhal are all under my protection and are treated equally. Shagwell violated military orders, and Julli was right to kill him. If Julli is at fault, it is that she should have notified me beforehand. But the Weeping Tower is very far from the Burning King Tower where I live. The time it takes to go back and forth, I believe Shagwell has already harmed two boys. Julli decisively killed Shagwell on the spot. She did a good job in maintaining the majesty of the Clegane military orders."

The Mountain looked at the gradually changing faces of Vargo, Pate, and Zollo, condescendingly, tyrannical and domineering: "It is difficult to achieve great things without rules. Brothers of the Brave Companions, can you become knights by cheating and deceiving?"

The Brave Companions members were collectively silent!

"Can you own your own territory and castle by stealing children, abusing children, cutting off people's hands and feet, and earning a golden dragon a month?" Vargo's eyes showed confusion. He couldn't understand the Mountain's words. What did this have to do with Shagwell's death?

It had nothing to do with it!

"If you follow your previous practices and do not abide by my military orders, you will always be a mercenary. No matter how brave you are in battle or how superb your swordsmanship is, you will always have no food to eat in the second month after losing a mission. You will always have nothing but a sword and a life."

The whole place was quiet. No one knew what the Mountain wanted to explain?

"If you want to become a knight because of your bravery in battle, want to become a baron because of the battle exploits of killing an enemy general, and want to have your own territory, a small castle, and a noble woman as a wife through battle, then you must abide by the Mountain's military orders and not have the slightest violation. This is the first thing you must abide by and understand."

There was a commotion in the Brave Companions!

Everyone wanted to, but no matter who they were employed by, they were just selling their lives, and then getting a few gold dragons after the battle. They would spend all the gold dragons in brothels and gambling, and then live a life of nothing again.

Even if they killed a general, the noble's territory and wealth had nothing to do with them, and no knight would be conferred on them, because they were the Brave Companions, mercenaries who sold their lives for money.

The Mountain's words made most of the ruthless and cruel veterans in the Brave Companions excited!

The veterans of the mercenary corps always wanted to become knights; and even if they became knights, they were proletarian knights; and proletarian knights always wanted to become propertied knights, barons with territory and castles.

They were risking their lives, who wouldn't want to get a bigger reward?

*

0281 Chapter Eating the Brave Companions 2

Captain Vargo's face finally changed gradually.

The whispers of the Brave Companions brothers made him uneasy.

Pate and Zollo's faces also became surprised and uncertain.

Captain Vargo said coldly: "Mountain, what exactly do you want to do?"

"Let your people learn to abide by military orders and let them have the courage to fight to the death. In battle, they will have direction, honor, and wealth. People who fight bravely and establish military exploits, such as killing a great nobleman on the other side, will not only receive a reward of a few gold dragons, but should be knighted and awarded a small piece of territory, or a castle."

Boom!

The people of the Brave Companions clamored.

These people's blood was stirred up by the Mountain.

Even if the Mountain didn't give them these hopes, they would have to desperately move forward in battle, because the Mountain used them as vanguards. They were pushed to the front line to face the enemy. The first to die would be them, but the first to establish military exploits would also be them.

In the past, to get rich from establishing military exploits was to loot the wealth on the corpses and rob the castles of nobles; now there was no need. The Mountain promised that the brave who established military exploits would become knights, and might even become barons, owning territory and castles.

"Are you announcing this on behalf of Duke Tywin?" Captain Vargo said coldly.

"I am Count Gregor Clegane, and I have the right to confer knights, and I also have the ability to confer viscounts and barons. Captain Vargo, do you want to become a formal member of the Clegane Legion?"

"I don't want to!" Pate said.

"Do you want to block your brothers' path to promotion? To be a mercenary who sells his life and has absolutely no future for the rest of his life? Without the honor of a knight, and even less the opportunity to become a viscount or get a piece of land."

"Lord Mountain, how much land do you have?" Pate said coldly. "You are bewitching people's hearts, trying to disintegrate and annex our Brave Companions. Mountain, if you really do this, you will lose your honor, and no mercenaries and free riders will join you anymore. You will also bring shame to the Westerlands because of this."

The Mountain said coldly: "Pate, my Clegane territory is not wide, but it is enough to bury you, a small clown." The Mountain said, "Chiswyck Clegane used to be a prisoner in the Lannisterport death row. He became a knight and obtained the Clegane surname, which I brought to him. Polliver, Raff, Dunc, they were just ordinary soldiers before, and now they are all knights and have become generals of the legion. This is the future I can bring to the brothers of the Brave Companions. What can you bring to the Brave Companions besides playing the clown?"

Pate's face suddenly flushed red, and his hand pressed on the hilt of his sword.

The Mountain shouted: "Chiswyck Big-Head and more than a thousand infantry brothers have joined my Clegane and sworn allegiance to me. Can't I include your mere three hundred Brave Companions? Dunc, kill Pate!"

Clang!

Dunc's long sword was unsheathed!

Clang!

Pate also unsheathed his long sword!

"Pate, if you win against Dunc, I will let you go! Someone, give Pate a horse."

Dunc shouted loudly, riding his horse straight at Pate.

Pate jumped on his horse and came to fight Dunc.

Whoosh!

An arrow shot over, hitting Pate's throat. Pate fell off his horse, without humming, and died immediately.

Dunc was stunned and shouted: "Which brother is so disrespectful to Dunc?"

No one answered.

The sound of a bowstring rang, and suddenly another arrow, as fast as a shooting star, went straight to Vargo, whose face was horrified. The arrow went like electricity and light, piercing the air and making a sharp whistling sound!

Puff!

An arrow hit Vargo's right eye.

Vargo fell off his horse, and his screams shook the sky.

A cavalryman rode out of the formation, holding a bow and arrow in his hand. It was Anguy the Archer.

Guard Captain Alyn shouted loudly: "Good archery, truly worthy of being the divine arrow that topped the Seven Kingdoms in the King's Landing Grand Tournament!"

Anguy looked at Zollo and reached for an arrow!

Zollo fell off his horse, knelt on one knee, drew his arakh and raised it over his head: "Lord Mountain, Zollo swears in the name of the Seven Gods and his own honor and life that from now on he will submit to the Clegane Legion, be loyal to the Lord, and offer his life to the Lord without hesitation in times of crisis."

The Mountain did not answer, and looked at Anguy!

Cold sweat immediately flowed from Zollo's forehead and neck, and the hands pressing on the ground trembled slightly.

Although the three hundred Brave Companions members were all silent, everyone's faces were eager to try, and they just wanted to join the Clegane regular army and end this mercenary career of relying on accepting tasks everywhere to eat.

The Mountain drew a very fragrant cake for them, and they could touch it. A great battle was about to begin, and the opportunity to establish merit would come soon.

As for Captain Wagner, who was groaning on the ground, none of his brothers reached out to help him. These guys were all heartless. Their long lives on the edge of death games had made them realistic and cruel. Mercenary warfare had nothing to do with national honor or personal glory; it was only about one cruel reality: making money to survive.

Angai dismounted, longbow in hand, and knelt on one knee. "Lord Earl, I acted without the General's orders, unable to resist shooting the clown and bringing down Wagner. Angai is willing to accept military punishment."

"Deduct three months' pay and night duty for one month," The Mountain roared.

"Yes, Lord Earl!"

"Since you've stepped forward, go ask the three hundred-plus brothers of the Brave Company if they are willing to kneel, submit to me, and swear allegiance!"

"Yes, General!"

Angai stood up, but before he could move, the three hundred-odd mercenaries of the Brave Company knelt in unison behind Fat Zorro. They held their weapons high above their heads, and in one voice, submitted to the Mountain and swore allegiance.

Thank you to the three readers, 【帅气无比的军少, 喜欢早起的鸟儿, 路过】, for your support and rewards! Thank you, handshake!