Bluffing

A formidable enemy lies ahead.

Let's start with the opening meeting.

James stood against the wall of the council chamber and spoke first.

"Save them! Of course we must save them."

"Duskvale is located in the northeast, forming a strategic defensive position with King's Landing."

"If that place falls, Stannis's soldiers can easily land and join forces with those traitors to attack us from the land."

He walked up to Ed, eager to try, his eyes burning with passion.

"Your Majesty Prime Minister."

"Just hand over the soldiers to me. I'll have Stannis's head in a day."

He glanced at Joffrey again, a golden smile spreading across his face.

"Of course, if you don't want him to die."

"Captured alive is also acceptable."

Lord Gells, who was in the audience, coughed twice.

"Sir James is right."

"If Stannis can establish a foothold in Duskwood, he can easily besiege King's Landing from the north and build siege engines."

"By then, we'll be at a disadvantage."

Count Riverey, sitting next to him, grasped at the straw and echoed his sentiments.

"Yes, yes, that's right..."

At that moment, two voices rang out simultaneously.

"They can't be saved!"

Cersei and Tyrion exchanged a glance, their expressions somewhat subtle.

"You go first," the older sister said, raising her chin.

The younger brother didn't stand on ceremony either, pointing his finger at the map on the table.

"Although King's Landing has 10,000 garrison troops, only 3,000 of them are of any use. The rest are new recruits who have been trained for less than ten days and are as tender as spring grass."

"Then there are some mercenaries hired with money."

"They joined the garrison only because they heard our propaganda and wanted to protect their beer and their lovers."

"If things go wrong, it will turn out like this..."

He clenched his fist, then relaxed it.

"Bang."

"They collapsed immediately and fled."

"Letting them defend the city is fine; at least the city walls will give them courage. But to let them launch an attack?"

The little devil shook its ugly, large head.

"That's like driving sheep into a wolf's den."

"Mmm-hmm." Cersei nodded, unusually refraining from being sarcastic. "That's what I think too."

James looked very unhappy.

He muttered to himself, "What do dwarfs and women know about fighting..."

After being glared at, he swallowed back what he was about to say.

But he was still unwilling to give up and loudly volunteered.

"Your Excellency, I don't need those young grasses, nor do I need infantry."

"You just need to hand over all the cavalry to me, while Stannis is still establishing his foothold and attacking Duskwood."

He raised his right hand and made a chop motion towards Varys's neck.

"Snap!"

"I'll cut off his retreat, kill the woman in red, and take that blazing red heart flag!"

The eunuch was so frightened that he arched his back, pulled his neck back, and turned his head to reveal a mournful look in his eyes.

The little devil sneered.

"Silly brother, have you ever thought about this?"

Why did Stannis choose this particular time to attack Duskwood?

James scratched his face.

"Because he's fishing, deliberately luring us into attacking." The little devil's finger tapped heavily on the map.

"He has a naval advantage, and his troop transport speed is much faster than ours."

"And so far, no news has come back about how many ships Stannis sent, whether it was a feint or a real attack..."

The eunuch slumped up his hand.

"Yes, sir, there are a hundred ships, led by that pirate, Salado Sun."

"His Valyrian was a giant ship with three hundred oars, capable of carrying at least five hundred people."

Rivery's face went from flushed to deathly pale.

"If one boat has five hundred men, then a hundred boats would mean tens of thousands of people crossing the sea, wouldn't that?"

"My lords, Stannis has launched a full-scale attack! My Duskvalley cannot be defended by myself!"

The little devil rolled his eyes upwards.

"If every ship is one of those big ships, then we might as well just go back to bed and wait to die."

"Lord Varys."

"Next time you have this kind of news, tell us earlier, instead of waiting until we ask."

"Yes, Your Excellency Tyrion." The eunuch covered his mouth with his sleeve and chuckled softly.

James still looked disdainful.

"Just a bunch of pirates, nothing but rotten fish."

"Even including those traitors, there are at most ten thousand people."

"Let me take those good lads with me. They can take on ten men each, no problem."

Cersei finally couldn't hold back any longer.

She suddenly stood up, walked around the long table to James, and pushed hard against his chest with both hands.

"Get out of here! You've taken him away, what will happen to Junlin?"

"What if Stannis's remaining men take the opportunity to attack the city? Don't they know how to use their brains and think things through?"

James was pushed back against the wall by her: "Then I'll just come back again, won't I?"

"Supported high in the fortified city, one can fight ten against one."

"That's what Dad said."

"You still have nine thousand men, and with such high walls and catapults, it would take at least ninety thousand men to take it down."

Cersei gritted her teeth and twisted his mouth.

"Dad also said that guards aren't soldiers. What kind of time is this for you to keep spouting nonsense?"

Gails coughed again: "If the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold."

"We can't just stand by and watch Stannis attack without any pressure, can we?"

"Yes, yes," Rivery said, gripping Gales's hand tightly. "Old Rossby, how come I never realized you were such a wise and sensible person?"

The little devil grinned wickedly.

"Because Rossby is in the middle."

"If Mugu Town is lost, it will be the next place to suffer."

Rivery shook off his hand.

As Cersei sat down again, Jaime peeked out once more.

"Your Excellency, listen to this: they're already living in fear even before the war has started."

"If we don't save Duskvale, these opportunists will switch sides to Stannis tomorrow."

"Hmph, go ahead and provoke him here." Cersei said with a gloomy face.

"Honor is above all else. Jaime, you've sent him to rescue them, and he's actually willing to go."

"When we're all dead in King's Landing, he'll return to the North to continue being the Duke of Winterfell."

"Maybe I can even get a reward from Stannis for sacrificing family for the greater good." Her tone was very sarcastic.

"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager!" Ed finally spoke.

Cersei glared back defiantly.

"What? Did I say something wrong?"

"Our Sansa and her sister are in the city too. If you want them to go down with King's Landing, feel free to send troops."

The little devil poured himself a glass of wine and sipped it slowly.

"Good sister, your level of threat is only slightly better than James's tactics."

"Shut up!" Cersei shouted.

"At least he's a bit taller than you," James joked.

"Okay, okay, I'll shut up." The little devil put down his glass and looked at Ed.

"No, I have to say one more thing."

"Your Excellency, this is a trap. Stannis is betting on your sense of honor."

"If you send cavalry to rescue him, he will attack King's Landing directly, forcing us to rush back and forth to his aid."

"If you send infantry to rescue him, he will land on the spot and fight a decisive battle with us in the open field."

"If you don't save him, he will join forces with the rebels to take down Duskvale and spread rumors about the Iron Throne's weakness."

"I'm done talking."

"What to do next is up to the Prime Minister."

Ed tapped the table lightly, lost in thought.

A moment later, he turned his head to the left.

"Why are you looking at me? You are the regent, you are responsible for making the decisions." Joffrey immediately waved his hand.

Ed stood up, his eyes gleaming with a bright light.

"Of course we should save them."

"Moreover, we must publicize it widely and spread the word far and wide."

"I, Eddard Stark, will personally lead the army to defend the city and uphold our honor!"