Roose Bolton believed that the reason Jon and Robb's 'double act' was so effective was because Jon had the identity of an 'enforcer.'
As long as that identity was shattered, he would lose his backing for anything he did afterward.
Ramsay listened intently and finally understood Roose Bolton's meaning, then said with a gleam in his eye:
"I understand, Father, you want me to find a way to provoke him!"
"Exactly, and do you know how to do it?"
"Mhm!" Ramsay nodded vigorously.
He himself was a bastard, and he knew best what bastards cared about.
At that time, he would just mock Jon's identity as a bastard.
In fact, there was also a pecking order among bastards.
If the mother's status was noble, then the bastard would also be nobler.
Someone like Jon, who didn't even know who his mother was, was almost at the bottom of the bastard pecking order.
So, in the next few days, the Northern army's camp entered a state of 'abnormal normalcy.'
The soldiers were all well-behaved and did not disturb the people.
There wasn't even any friction between themselves.
This made Jon feel nine, even ten, parts wrong.
"Jon, are these lords afraid?" Theon and Jon stood on the city wall, looking at the large army camp outside.
"Afraid? I think a big fish is about to bite. This is the calm before the storm."
Jon knew that someone was about to 'set him up.'
The target might be the 'enforcer' identity Robb had bestowed upon him.
Seeing him say this, Theon clearly became excited:
"Then what do you plan to do?"
"Do you know about trial by combat?"
"Ah?!"
That day, Jon was patrolling as usual.
Suddenly, someone ran over to report to him that there had been some conflict between the Bolton family's army and Harras's army.
The two sides had already come to blows.
Jon knew this was a trap set by Roose Bolton, so he secretly said to Theon:
"Theon, go call Robb. Tell him I'm about to kill someone."
"Jon... you?"
Theon came from the Iron Islands, and the people there called themselves 'Ironmen.'
For a true Ironman, taking a life was a welcome form of entertainment.
But for Theon, who grew up in Winterfell, it was somewhat brutal.
Moreover, he saw that Jon's expression was very calm when he said he was going to kill someone.
'No, who among us is a Greyjoy? Who is an Ironborn?!'
He suddenly realized what Jon was going to do.
Theon quickly and silently left the group and headed in the direction of Winterfell.
When Jon arrived at the scene of the conflict, he found a group of people fighting in a chaotic mess.
To make the scene appear uncontrollable, many people's shouts and curses were deafening.
Jon looked at them with a cold sneer on his lips, thinking that these guys weren't even acting well, unwilling to shed any blood.
The most seriously injured among them only had nosebleeds; most just had messy hair and disheveled clothes.
But for acting, of course, you have to do the whole show.
Jon knew that Roose Bolton or his son Ramsay was nearby.
But he didn't look around; instead, he waved his hand, and more than twenty young Winterfell soldiers behind him began to indiscriminately beat people with long staffs.
However, these people had clearly prepared; they wore inner armor.
Although some were hit on the head, they weren't directly scattered like the previous soldiers.
Seeing such a sight, Ramsay, not far away, smiled triumphantly.
He looked at Jon and whispered to a few noble youths beside him:
"The bastard wolf has already entered my trap."
Although he was a bastard, everyone could see that Roose Bolton was preparing to raise him as his heir.
So, the Bolton family's vassals were happy to get on good terms with Ramsay.
They would provoke Jon with him, and at the same time, they would serve as witnesses to prove that he acted out of spite, not enforcement.
This way, Robb would no longer be able to handle it by 'punishing both sides equally.'
At this moment, the soldiers who had been in conflict gathered in a circle, actually holding their ground, and began to confront Jon's 'enforcement team.'
But the next second, Jon joined the battle. His staff work was sharp, and his movements were agile; still, no one could stand against him for even a single exchange.
Just then, a fellow with a distinct Dreadfort accent spoke:
"Jon Snow! You, a deserter who ran back from the Wall, what right do you have to swagger around here?"
"Ah? A deserter!"
"This guy is actually a deserter!"
"The Starks actually sent a deserter to manage us. What right does he have!"
The surrounding crowd began to whisper, and even the Winterfell soldiers who had been following Jon felt a bit unsteady.
Although Robb had already clarified that Jon's return was the result of negotiations between himself and the Wall, in this situation, any explanation was a loss.
The noble youths around Ramsay had already started pointing fingers at Jon.
One of them, a noble youth with a mustache like fuzz, continued:
"Jon Snow! You deserter, you honorless bastard, tell me, after all these years, do you even know who your mother is?
Have you ever thought that she might be lying in some man's bed right now? Hahaha~"
There was a round of standard villainous laughter.
"Is this guy, who usually acts so arrogant, just a bastard?"
"Tsk, what's a bastard got to be so proud about?"
"Hey! I remember, I think I saw his mother in some brothel."
All sorts of foul language swept through the crowd, and the pointing gazes were like steel needles piercing Jon, who held the long staff.
The Winterfell soldiers who had been following Jon these past few days unconsciously wanted to keep their distance from him.
They naturally knew about Jon's bastard status.
But being watched by so many people gave them a sense of shame, like being stripped naked and paraded through the streets.
Ramsay watched Jon triumphantly, waiting for Jon to act excessively out of anger.
Only then would he truly have fallen into his trap.
If it were the old Jon, he probably wouldn't have tolerated it at all.
But it wasn't now. Jon suddenly noticed that all these people's words had one common characteristic—they all had a Dreadfort accent.
As if to show off, the young man with the fuzzy mustache took a few steps forward and continued to badmouth Jon's mother.
Jon looked at this guy in front of him as if he were looking at a dead man walking.
Just then, Roose Bolton also arrived, accompanied by the Earl of Karhold, Rickard Karstark.
The Karstarks and the Starks shared the same ancestry.
Even the name Rickard was Eddard's father, Robb's grandfather.
So, among all the Northern lords, he was the one who caused the least trouble.
Because he kept his subordinates well-disciplined, Jon had never troubled them either.
Roose Bolton found an excuse to invite Rickard to his camp.
The reason he invited him was to show Rickard how arrogant and domineering Jon was.
If even Rickard lost faith in Robb, then he would surely panic.
At that time, he could take the opportunity to 'return a favor' to Robb, taking command of the army.
Thinking of this, Roose Bolton was in a good mood, but he still pretended to be displeased and said to Rickard:
"My apologies, Ser Rickard, for letting you see such a spectacle."
"Ser Bolton, there's no need to apologize; these things happen often."
As the two approached the scene, they soon both saw Jon being watched by everyone like a monkey.
After seeing Jon, both of them were momentarily dazed.
He looked so much like Eddard Stark!
If they didn't know better, they would think he was Robb.
Likewise, they also heard the insults directed at Jon from the surrounding crowd.
'Deserter, bastard.'
When such words reached Rickard's ears, he frowned slightly.
"Is he really a deserter?!" Roose Bolton feigned surprise, "It seems he only inherited Eddard's appearance, not his honor.
However, even if he's a deserter, it still somewhat disgraces the Stark family."
Roose Bolton continued to raise the stakes, ensuring that Rickard would stand with him at the critical moment to pressure Robb.
Just then, Jon suddenly moved. He walked step by step towards the thick-necked man.
Seeing his angry expression, Roose Bolton and Ramsay practically burst into smiles.