Littlefinger clearly hadn't gone far and soon arrived at the Prime Ministers Tower. He saw the messy state of the study and Tyrion's disheveled appearance, and couldn't help but smile, saying, "Lord Hand, should I call Archmaester Pycelle? He should be able to find some good salves."
"No need," Tyrion said very directly. "I need you to immediately ride a fast horse to Bitterbridge to see Duke Mace Tyrell. If you can persuade Duke Mace Tyrell to agree to restore the engagement and send aid to King's Landing, I will reward you with Harrenhal and King will name you Lord of Harrenhal."
"Really?" Littlefinger's expression immediately became serious as he confirmed.
Tyrion said very formally, "I can immediately sign the appointment order as Kings Hand. As long as you complete the mission, Harrenhal will be yours."
Upon hearing this, Littlefinger did not immediately agree. Instead, he walked back and forth in the room for a while before finally agreeing to take on the task.
However, he had a precondition: the appointment order could not be issued solely by Tyrion; it had to be jointly issued by the Kings Hand, the King, and the Queen Mother, and stamped with the official seal.
After all, there had been the precedent of Janos Slynt before, and he had to be cautious.
Although Janos Slynt had been publicly appointed Lord of Harrenhal at the King's Council, whether it was intentional by Lannister or simply forgotten, Janos had never received an official appointment order. Thus, when Tyrion became Kings Hand, he could strip Janos of his title without any burden and send him to join the Nights Watch.
Therefore, Littlefinger had to have an official letter of appointment to avoid being discarded by Lannister after serving his purpose.
Tyrion hesitated at Littlefinger's request but eventually agreed. In truth, he did have the intention of discarding him after use, because his position as Kings Hand was temporary, and the appointment orders he personally issued did not have much legal effect. Once a permanent Kings Hand took office, the appointment could be revoked.
Littlefinger's current approach clearly closed this loophole. Even if circumstances changed in the future, his title as Lord of Harrenhal would not be affected, unless the Iron Throne changed hands.
After receiving the appointment order, Littlefinger immediately set off for Bitterbridge. At the same time, Tyrion also ordered the recruitment of soldiers in the city. For this, he even took out the meager remaining funds from the royal treasury to cover the recruitment costs.
However, even with this, not many soldiers were recruited. Some had already begun to suggest forced conscription. Although Tyrion knew this suggestion was the most suitable for the current situation, he was worried that doing so would cause resentment among the city's populace. If this resentment were to erupt when Stannis attacked the city, cooperating with Stannis from within, then things would be dire. Therefore, even if forced conscription was implemented, it would have to wait until the war began and the city's people had no escape.
While Tyrion was worried about the impending siege, Robb Stark, far away in the Westerlands, was also concerned about his brother in Winterfell and his missing mother.
Due to the fatigue of continuous battles, old wounds, and worry for his family, Robb Stark fell ill. To prevent the Westerlands army from knowing, he had someone impersonate him, taking Grey Wind, and roaming the Westerlands, making it appear as though he was looking for an opportunity to attack Casterly Rock, while he himself remained in Cliff Rock City to recover from his illness.
"It's too late to say anything now. We should immediately send people to rescue Winterfell," Jon Umber suggested. "Let Daisy lead the troops back to the North! With her strength, she can easily take Winterfell and capture that traitor Theon."
"No." Roose Bolton, who was supposed to be holding Tywin's army in the Riverlands, came specifically to Cliff Rock City after learning of Robb's illness to check on his condition and voluntarily stayed to participate in the discussion regarding the fall of Winterfell. He directly opposed Jon Umber's suggestion, saying, "Currently, Daisy's Bear Island army is very important. It is precisely because of Daisy's containment that the army at Harrenhal cannot move. Once Daisy's army returns to the North, her movements will inevitably be exposed. At that time, Kevan Lannister from Harrenhal will surely reinforce Tywin's side, and Riverrun will then be in danger."
"Yes, Daisy cannot move." Robb, suffering from a high fever, was somewhat weak, but his mind was still clear, and he agreed with Roose Bolton's decision.
At this moment, a nurse dressed as a noblewoman walked in from outside, unimpeded. She came to Robb's side, removed the warm towel from his forehead, replaced it with a cool one, then unbuttoned Robb's shirt, took out an ointment, and personally applied it to Robb's chest.
The surrounding Northern officers seemed accustomed to this and showed no surprise. Instead, Roose Bolton, who had just arrived from the Riverlands, looked at the noblewoman with a slightly meaningful gaze.
Rickard Karstark, saddened by his son's death, had grown even older, but his temper had not diminished in the slightest; instead, it had grown stronger. He grumbled, "Are we just going to let Winterfell be occupied by a bunch of Ironborn and do nothing?"
A nobleman suggested, "Of course we must do something, but right now we simply cannot spare any extra troops to go back and rescue Winterfell. We can only let those who remained in the North organize people to aid Winterfell."
Someone retorted, "But the people remaining in the North cannot organize a complete army at all. The Ironborn are said to number over five thousand, and they are all elite warriors."
Someone else suggested, "How about asking the Nights Watch at the Wall for help?"
Immediately, someone shook their head and said, "No, the Wall cannot help us."
Everyone offered suggestions, but ultimately, all were rejected.
At this moment, Roose Bolton suddenly coughed twice, drawing everyone's attention to himself, and then said, "My Dreadfort still has some men. I can have my son Ramsay lead the team; perhaps he can help us rescue Winterfell from the Ironborn."
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