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#238 - Chapter 12: Red Fort Response

In the Red Keep, nobles whispered, this sudden change disrupting everyone's plans and making the situation unpredictable. Those who had placed great hope in House Tyrell were especially disheartened.

However, compared to the others' panic, Duke Tywin was much calmer. Even though Mace Tyrell had failed, fifteen thousand men, even if they were all fools, should have been able to inflict some losses on the enemy.

He still had nearly twenty thousand troops guarding King's Landing, and things hadn't reached the point of no return. Moreover, Randyll Tarly's thirty thousand troops and Kevan's twenty thousand were not far away and could be called back at any time, so he still had the strength to fight.

Most importantly, Jaime had returned 'safely'. Well... relatively safely, except for losing his left hand. In reality, it was entirely his own fault! At the time, taking advantage of Brienne's lack of vigilance, he had cruelly pushed her off the bridge and fled alone, weighed down by heavy shackles. However, fate seemed to enjoy playing tricks on people. After nightfall, he unfortunately encountered a pack of fierce, hungry wolves. Unarmed and shackled, he could neither fight back nor escape the wolves' encirclement. Before long, he was torn and bloodied, his condition truly miserable. If Brienne hadn't happened to come along and bravely rescued him, Jaime would probably have become wolf fodder.

To make matters worse, his poor left hand had suffered terrible wounds, the deep tooth marks left by the wolves harboring countless germs. Sure enough, the next morning, Jaime developed a high fever. Helpless, Brienne had to temporarily leave the forest and seek help from a nearby village. Unfortunately, they were intercepted by Bolton soldiers on their way and effortlessly taken back to the infamous Harrenhal.

Inexplicably, Roose Bolton, for reasons unknown, treated them both with unusual warmth, even sending Qyburn to treat Jaime's illness. But Jaime's injuries were too severe, the wound infection was very serious, and if he wanted to save his life, Qyburn had no choice but to perform an amputation – removing the tissue above the radius of his left hand. Not only that, he even defied Robb's orders and secretly sent people to escort them back to King's Landing. Their chosen route was through Rosby, which happened to avoid the fierce battle on the Kingsroad.

However, Jaime's mood remained extremely low, as he found it difficult to accept the cruel reality of suddenly becoming a cripple. After returning to King's Landing, he even kept Cersei out of his room. Instead, Tyrion entered with a flagon of wine. These brothers, one who had lost an arm and the other whose face was disfigured, were truly in the same boat.

"Damn it~ Damn it~ Damn it! Why does this always happen to me? Was I born to break oaths?" When Jaime learned that not a single member of House Stark remained in King's Landing, he angrily kicked a chair far away.

Tyrion: "It's not your fault, my dear brother. Just today, Garlan crushed Mace Tyrell's fifteen thousand Reachmen with overwhelming force. Few of the defeated soldiers returned, but some saw Sansa and Rickon on the battlefield. Let that busty, oversized beauty go to Highgarden. Surely Garlan has two Starks; that should be enough to satisfy Lady Catelyn."

The two drank through the night until they were awakened by Tywin's servants the next day at noon to attend the Small Council meeting.

At the Small Council meeting, the ministers heatedly discussed the previous day's crushing defeat. Jaime and Tyrion remained silent, sitting quietly to the side. Then, Garlan Tyrell rose and recounted the entire event in detail. After Garlan finished speaking, Duke Tywin fell into a brief silence, then slowly said, "So, Garlan has never shown his true strength. I remember when Lord Robert knighted him in Lannisport, he was not yet fourteen! Yet in less than ten years, he has acquired such power." He turned his head sharply, his eyes fixed on Tyrion and Jaime: "You have always had close relationships with Garlan. Didn't you notice anything unusual before?"

Tyrion frowned and spread his hands helplessly: "Father, I have always followed your orders these years, never leaving Casterly Rock or King's Landing until this trip to the North to reunite with Garlan. I only know that he stayed in Winterfell for a few years, not only carefully teaching the Stark children, but also adopting Eddard's youngest son as his godson."

Jaime gritted his teeth and lowered his head slightly, replying: "Father, to be honest, I don't have much contact with Garlan. When Ser Tygett served in King's Landing, I often drank with Becquet, and occasionally met Garlan. I only know that his martial arts are very high. If it really came to a life-or-death fight, I'm afraid he could cut off my head in a few moves."

At that moment, Pycelle's young apprentice stepped in and respectfully reported: "Good morning, Lord Hand, good morning, lords, please forgive my intrusion. This is an urgent message from the rookery, personally written by Ser Garlan of Highgarden and submitted to the Small Council. I dare not delay for a moment and brought it here immediately."

Pycelle carefully took the letter, carefully examined the sigil, and after confirming that it was correct, he said: "Lord Hand, this is indeed Ser Garlan's sigil, and the seal has not been tampered with." Then he handed the letter to Tywin.

Tywin took the letter and quickly scanned it, but his face remained indifferent, as if the letter had not caused the slightest ripple in his heart. However, those who were good at observing noticed the slight twitch in the corner of his eye.

After reading the letter, Tywin casually threw it on the table and said in a calm tone: "You might as well take a look!" Everyone passed the letter around, secretly speculating about its contents.

When it was Petyr's turn, he pondered for a moment and then expressed his opinion: "Lord Tywin, in my opinion, we should send envoys to negotiate with Garlan. His demands are not harsh and can be considered. The previous war must have captured many Reach nobles, so showing some goodwill to the other side will be conducive to subsequent negotiations. Moreover, what we need most now is time. I plan to leave immediately for the Vale and try to persuade Lady Lysa to stand with the Iron Throne."

Cersei immediately agreed: "Yes, Father. Just give him that broken sword, and we must not let Garlan pose a threat to King's Landing at this critical moment, after all, Joffrey's wedding is imminent."

Duke Tywin was silent, seemingly weighing the pros and cons. After much deliberation, he finally nodded, agreeing to Petyr and Cersei's proposal, and turned to Tyrion and said: "Then you will be responsible for arranging the negotiations with Garlan. I believe Garlan will not make things difficult for you. Bring that Catelyn's handmaiden with you, doesn't she want to pick up the Stark children? Let her go and ask Garlan for them."

After the meeting, Tyrion returned to his room with a bitter face, pondering to himself. He knew that this task was not easy, and Garlan was not an easy opponent to persuade. But he also knew that if he could not complete the task successfully, his position in his father's eyes would be even lower. He shouted to the outside: "Podrick, go and invite Lady Brienne. Tell her I have important matters to discuss."

Completion Check: The entire original text has been translated.

Length Comparison: The translated text is comprehensive and maintains a similar length to the original Chinese text, ensuring no information is lost.

Confirmation Statement: The translation is complete, accurate, and reads naturally in English.