Why is Tarly the only one who seems so skeptical about Jon Con?

[LadyoftheNorth72]

At the final council meeting in aDwD, Tarly repeatedly interrupts mentions of Jon Con to say "If it is him." Anyone have any ideas as to why he seems so convinced (or wants to convince them) that it's not really JC leading the Golden Company's attacks?

Is it that he's just that much of a "I'll believe it when I see it" type, or does he know more than he should and is trying to throw the council off?

[Stormland's Fury]

I think he's just that of a skeptical person in general.

[-Ghost-]

Doesn't someone in the GC say that they still have friends in the Reach or something like that? Maybe it's him.

[roxWolfox]

Tarly never came across as a trusting type of guy to me. So his questioning or discounting what he considers a rumour isn't much of a stretch.

[Frances Bean Corbray]

He's deliberately underestimating the threat posed by that invasion, right in lock step with his liege.

Mace, from the majesty and splendor of his awe-inspiring hand-shaped Hand Throne (:D), is making it clear to the Lannister half of that ruling coalition that he and his army are Not Doing A Damn Thing until Margaery's trial is over. Thus any other business is unimportant. He blows off reports of Aegon from that Connington lad ("we will deal with this feigned boy in due time"). He dismisses Dany as "as mad as her father" and on the other side of the world.

Tarly is hammering home how much of a non-issue they consider this whole thing by refusing to accept even for the sake of hypothetical argument that The Real Jon Connington (presumably a more serious threat than an imposter Connington for the same reasons Kevan Lannister's internal monologue brings up) is even involved in this incursion. Funnily enough, towards the end of the scene even Mace seems to get a little frustrated with Tarly's stubborn refusal to acknowledge that Jon Connington might really be involved. But that's Tarly and why Tarly's so effective as Mace's right hand man. Stubborn, tenacious, unflinching. A hard-ass. Randyl Tarly is, in some ways, very similar to Stannis Baratheon, and it's no accident they both command significant respect as military commanders.

Mace, for his part, dismisses even the real Connington as merely the same jabroni that got run off during the rebellion and falls into the simple "we kicked his ass once, we'll do it again, whatever" line of logic. Which is every bit as flawed as Kevan's inner monologue points out, but regardless Mace's attitude makes it clear that the military might of Highgarden And The Reach, now the senior partner in the Royal Authority, is not going to bother addressing this issue until they get what they want: i.e. Mace's darling little girl the black widow of Westeros Margaery Tyrell safe and sound and with an un-besmirched name. And Randyl Tarly, whether he ultimately has a different agenda (and ultimately plans to join up with this Aegon/Connington team) than his liege or not, is for the time being best served by and quite content to continue to hold the party line.

[LadyoftheNorth72]

That makes sense.

You know, I realize that even in Westeros many parents love their children, but I can't help wondering if Lord Puff Fish would be flinging himself across the realm on behalf of his daughter's besmirched honor, if his entire claim to power didn't rest on her lovely little head staying attached.