why couldn't/ didn't Robb stark raise new forces after the whispering woods?

[Bannerman of Winterfell]

from the clash of kings Robb was struggling for men, he had enough cavalry to pillage and damage the west but not enough men to threaten casterly rock or lannisport.

If the north is so big even with low population density it should've had more people than the west and more men to conscript from.

When the freys and karstarks left them, robb started running place to place for men with a begging bowl.

Why didn't he raise another army in the north or levy new men from the riverlands which he had control of?

Viserys was the beggar king and it seems that rob was the poor king. He had to bend to walder frey just for 4000 men when he could've levied 20,000 new men from the populous riverlands

[geogus]

I didnt get why he never tired t raise a new host. Most likely, the north has the mapower to do so.

Besisdes that, they were full of dragons, gold and cattle to buy mercenaries or pay for troops, since they raided the west

[Mad Monkey]

Sequestration cuts to defense spending.

[Blutraven]

Before the Ironborn took Moat Cailin and Winterfell it still looked like he was going to win so there wasn't an immediate concern over the amount of troops. After Moat Cailin and Winterfell were taken it would have been too difficult to get a serious amount of men down through The Neck, he couldn't ferry men down from White Harbour as the Riverlands doesn't have an eastern coast. Every house in the Riverlands declared Robb the King in the North and Trident and was fighting for him (except for the Freys after the Crag) so he couldn't get another house to send men. The smallfolk are too spread out and had almost all their crops and farms burned so they couldn't fight.

When Robb went to Walder Frey he needed those 4,000 men straight away so he could take the North back.

[franbatista123]

Riding south for the first time: when fighting outside the North, the amount of men available to him is not nearly as high as the men available when fighting in the North itself. Plus he was in a hurry. so the amount of men he could take was not very high. Plus the Neck. Plus Supplies for those extra men.

Why he didn't raise another army in the North: Ironborn, the fall of Winterfell and other places were what prevented him from raising another army.

Why he didn't raise levies from the Riverlands: This region was devastated. The Freys were the only ones with a big amount of troops left.

Why he bent to Walder Frey: He needed to reconquer Winterfell. He needed those men ASAP.

[Team_Rob]

That always baffled me. Mostly because the story needed him to have such a small army in comparison to the army Renly had. The ideal thing for him to do would of been to have Ser Rodrik to raise another host just in case.

[James Arryn]

That always baffled me. Mostly because the story needed him to have such a small army in comparison to the army Renly had. The ideal thing for him to do would of been to have Ser Rodrik to raise another host just in case.

Renly could feed that huge army.

[Bright Blue Eyes]

Before the Whispering Wood, he lacked the time to wait for them.

Between the Whispering Wood and the Ironborn invasion, he lacked the need. He even sent the Riverlords home since he couldn't make a use out of them.

After the Ironborn invasion, the Stark leadership inside the North was destroyed and the Neck blocked anyway.

After the Battle of the Blackwater, he needed the Twins since the Freys could have cut his lands in two separate parts, unable to reinforce each other.

[Gurkhal]

Before the Whispering Wood, he lacked the time to wait for them.

Between the Whispering Wood and the Ironborn invasion, he lacked the need. He even sent the Riverlords home since he couldn't make a use out of them.

After the Ironborn invasion, the Stark leadership inside the North was destroyed and the Neck blocked anyway.

After the Battle of the Blackwater, he needed the Twins since the Freys could have cut his lands in two separate parts, unable to reinforce each other.

1. True

2. False. Edmure got the Riverlords sent home while Robb campaigned in the West. And most likely they were left in the Riverlands to not leave that entire region at Tywin's mercy or give Tywin a complete freedom of movement for his troops. Same reason as to why they didn't bring Bolton along. Also it seems that most of the Riverlords' troops were infantry while Robb took the cavalry with him, and thus they wouldn't be optional for the type of campaign that Robb and the Blackfish seems to have envisioned.

3. While several lords were indeed lost we see that there were still many lords left, lord who could have lead their men and raised new forces in Robb had commanded them. And the Neck being blocked seems more of an argument to actually raise new troops so that it can be opened again.

4. True, and I think that it ties in with the point above.

[Bright Blue Eyes]

2. ...the Lords sitting on their asses at Riverrun and chewing their nails, because they couldn't attack Harrenhal with even ten times the numbers.

3. None with the necessary authority. Bolton and Manderly engaged in civil war, Hornwood dead, Tallhart and Glover lost their seats, Karstark mentally instable, Dustin and Rhyswell not particularly well disposed towards Winterfell - or each other (and a female to boot), leaving pretty much only the Umbers and Reeds of the upper level, not the most respected of the Northern Lords.

The North needs a Stark, or someone associated primarly with Winterfell instead of another House.

[Michael Herman]

I think that the huge numbers that the West can raise and the comparatively minor numbers of the North and Riverlands can raise are plot devices and don't really fit in with the lore that well.

[Gurkhal]

I think that the huge numbers that the West can raise and the comparatively minor numbers of the North and Riverlands can raise are plot devices and don't really fit in with the lore that well.

I think it fits entirely well. The North is sparsely populated and contrary to popular belief that means few people are around.

And the Riverlords did gather armies at the start of the wars, and Jaime cut them to pieces and bits. That's the reason combined with the fact that much of the operations took place in the Riverlands as to why the Riverlords are unable to marshal larger numbers.

[Bright Blue Eyes]

I think that the huge numbers that the West can raise and the comparatively minor numbers of the North and Riverlands can raise are plot devices and don't really fit in with the lore that well.

Important distinction: Can raise and does raise. The North raises 1/3 of it's full strength, the Riverlands probably 1/2, the West 110% (including sellswords). It's due to geographical constraints, time constraints and strategical constraints.

[Matoro]

The North is big. Like, nearly half of the Westeros. Big and sparsely populated. It takes time to gather people. Recruiting takes months, marches to Winterfell/WH another months. A march to south yet more. Robb took "ready" men with him and marched hastily to south. Rodrik was raising a second host. So were all other lords, they all have now fresh troops in DwD. It just took too long. After Moat Cailin fell, there was no means to send the troops to south (nor did the lords want to send them, because of ironborn at their doors). I don't see any cheap plot devices here if you think about it; medieval mobilization was very different thing than modern military.