What was Tywin thinking?

[Shouldve Taken The Black]

2 minutes ago, Humble Maester said:

E: all of this conjecture, of course.

Quite. I think we've established that there are enough reasonable explanations for how the Mummers got there for the beginning of the war for the story to hold up. 

Thought of another though: Jaime was just wrong, Tywin didn't "bring" the Mummers over, and they just turned up in Westros looking for work at some point, (perhaps in Oldtown or Lannisport), and Tywin just hired them as soon as the war broke out/got close. Much like the Second Sons ending up in Slavers Bay - no-one in the Free Cities would hire them and they drifted west. 

[Lady Blizzardborn]

11 hours ago, Dofs said:

This is wrong, the war between the North and Tywin started before Ned's execution. Ned's arrest was the cause of the North rising, not his death.

Yes and no. Robb called his banners and went to relieve the Riverlands while Ned was still alive, but he wasn't proclaimed king and didn't go to active, full-out war until after Ned's execution. Up until Ned's head was chopped off, a peace deal was still possible. After that the gloves came off on all sides.

 

[Lord Lannister]

1 hour ago, Lady Blizzardborn said:

Yes and no. Robb called his banners and went to relieve the Riverlands while Ned was still alive, but he wasn't proclaimed king and didn't go to active, full-out war until after Ned's execution. Up until Ned's head was chopped off, a peace deal was still possible. After that the gloves came off on all sides.

 

Agreed. Tywin expected and wanted such a deal. Even after Robert's death, Tywin expected the twin blows of defeating Robb Stark's host and capturing Riverrun to bring his foes to the table. Holding the Edmure, Eddard, Hooster and Robb would've forced his foes to sign a favorable peace. Clearly that didn't work out, but even while they held Eddard a negotiated deal was possible. Eddard for Jaime was quite obvious after all.

Once Joffrey executed Ned, as you say the gloves were off. It's telling how desperate Tywin was that he had to send Tyrion of all people to bring Cersei and Joffrey into line, that he felt his best chance for personal survival was in the field rather than in King's Landing.

[BRANDON GREYSTARK]

Tywin's plan was sound

A delaying action against Stannis , while using guile to defeat a green boy whim he hope to be more brave than cautious  , he would knock  king Robb out of the war ,then he could turn his attention to the real threat Stannis .

[Coolbeard the Exile]

5 hours ago, BRANDON GREYSTARK said:

Tywin's plan was sound

A delaying action against Stannis , while using guile to defeat a green boy whim he hope to be more brave than cautious  , he would knock  king Robb out of the war ,then he could turn his attention to the real threat Stannis .

I reread game of thrones very recently and that seems to be the case. He wanted to knock out the Tully's Starks and potentially the Arryns and then face Stannis. He was completely suprised by Renly and seemingly he kept alot of troops back in the Westerlands to ward of the Ironborn.