The king on the Great Wall

The little girl who was still calm just now twitched and introduced in a murmur, "This is the paper that has been made. We are trying to find a way to make it thinner and stronger."

This is the original plant fiber paper?Iger looked at the stack of slices with undulating surface and uneven thickness on the table, and was a little speechless. If no one told him, he might think it was something like tofu skin.

Iger twisted one with his fingers and observed it carefully.

The color is yellow and dark, which is probably the only way to do it without bleaching process; it feels hard, like a napkin that has been wet and then dried; the surface is quite rough, and at first glance it looks like the skin of Shandong pancakes. Pulling... There was a crisp "click", and the paper was torn.

Tyrion is really not joking, this paper is of poor quality even for wiping his ass.

Nina's face turned red in a flash. Although she was quick-witted and articulate, she couldn't speak for a moment. She could only stare at Iger nervously, for fear of being the "behind-the-scenes boss" that Lord Tyrion called angry.

Of course, Iger was not angry. He just wanted to see the original samples, and he could see the perfect industrial creation like modern paper at once.The thing doesn't work yet, but it's "paper" and that's enough.

"That's not possible..."

Iger murmured, just now, after a tour led by the girl, he regained the feeling of inspecting and accepting projects on behalf of customers as a supervisor before crossing. Since the "leader" is here for inspection, it is natural for him to say something according to the rules after the work is done. Although he knows nothing about papermaking, he still wants to try to help.

If you don't know how to do it, you can't give random pointers, so just pick a routine that is sure to be correct. As long as the direction is right, the front-line technicians will definitely make progress after repeated experiments.

……

"First of all, the thickness is uneven. This must be a problem with the last two steps. The steps of soaking, boiling, and mashing the raw materials must be thorough. If manpower is not enough, try to improve the equipment or use animal power. Don't worry about the cost, money is not Question." He started his head, and his thoughts quickly became smoother.Although I have never been in contact with it, the basic knowledge and abilities needed to solve the problem are common in all worlds: "In addition, go to a craftsman to weave some smoother and finer mats for fishing, and spread the mashed raw materials in water. After uniformity, use a sieve to sieve out the coarse debris inside, and then use a mat to fish it out quickly without rubbing."

"Yeah." Nina stared at Iger with shining eyes, and nodded repeatedly.

"As for the color, there are two ways to improve it. One is to use chemicals to decolorize and bleach during the processing of raw materials; or to add dyes in the last step to forcibly dye white. Which one you choose is up to you. Money is not a problem. Not necessarily It must be as white as snow, but at least the color should be uniform and thin enough to form a sharp contrast with the characters." Iger continued: "The surface is too rough and uneven... There is no easy solution for this at the moment. First, find someone to dry it. Polish it, pay attention to use something smoother, don't wear it thin or worn out... Press it with something after it is half dry, how many people are there in your family? Try not to hire outsiders for the time being, if you can't, come to me or Tilly Mr. Ang, it's still the same sentence, money is not a problem."

This boss is so awesome!Nina thought to herself and nodded repeatedly.And the demeanor and actions when pointing the country and saying "money is not a problem" are also very domineering!

The little girl who came to join in the fun didn't have so many worries, Arya said with a smile: "You know a lot, master."

"Don't interrupt." Iger rubbed the little apprentice's head, thought for a while, and said: "These are minor problems, but the paper is not strong enough, which is a fatal flaw. There is no good way, see if you can It’s impossible to use other raw materials... Well, by the way, add paste or other glue in the last step to see if it can be better. Money is not a problem. Let’s make usable paper first, and then consider reducing costs. .”

"Add paste?" Nina blinked, and suddenly realized: "Yes, why didn't I think of it!"

……

No one spoke for a few seconds, and there was a moment of silence in the workshop before Tyrion asked in a low voice, "It's gone?"

"It's gone." Iger passed the leadership addiction and was intoxicated in pleasure.

"Do you remember?" The dwarf nodded, this time he was asking Neil and Nina.

"Remember, remember!"

"Very good, you have also heard the boss say that money is not a problem." The little devil said seriously: "Work hard, the paper that can be used is made, and the reward is indispensable."

"Well, I almost forgot." Iger remembered, "When the available paper starts to be mass-produced, one-tenth of the profit of the paper mill will go to you brothers and sisters."

-

Chapter 75 Letter from the Great Wall

There was a sound of gasping for air, and even Tyrion looked at the speaker with hellish eyes: Hey, although the reward was agreed earlier, such an important decision should be discussed in advance, right?

Tyrion struggled to hold back the urge to object in person, and he didn't question until he went out: "Brother, that's one in ten! Although I don't object to using some means to retain talents, have you ever thought about it? To make this factory bigger, how much investment do we have to continue to add in the follow-up? You don’t make too many promises, and you will give them one-tenth of the brother and sister as soon as you make a decision. God knows how much this tenth will be in the future! Even if Ni Na, this girl is very cute, so you don’t have to do it. If you want a girl, I’ll find one for you at night. Look at her adoring eyes. Don’t be impulsive, just say one-tenth.”

"Nina is going to become my teacher's wife?" Arya only heard the second half of the sentence, and she didn't know why the topic changed so quickly. She looked confused: "Didn't the night watchman swear not to marry a wife?"

"What's the mess?" Iger also broke away from the illusion that the leader was giving a speech at this moment, only to realize that he might have been too excited just now and didn't stop the car.But what was said was water that was thrown out, and there was no way to take it back, so I had to apologize to Tyrion again and again, and quickly explained: "Don't be nervous, anyway, I just said, there is still room for compensation without signing an agreement. In this way Well, when the time comes, change what I said to one-tenth of the profit of 'this' paper mill, which is the paper mill in the yard we just saw. The expanded part is not counted, let alone the follow-up Industrial chain. To take a step back, the paper produced will not be sold outside for a certain period of time and will only be used by our own printing factory. Isn’t it up to us to determine the price and profit of paper?”

"You intentionally set the price low, and he's not a fool, won't he find another way out!" Tyrion thought for a while, and accepted the first plan: "Well...if it's just a part of this workshop, then give Half of them are not too many, so let’s decide.”

"Well... In fact, so what if we give more, we are playing a money game, and the worst thing about this game is to distribute benefits to the direct participants. When the paper mill grows bigger, we will issue bonds Come and give dividends to the brothers and sisters, in this way, they get the benefits, but most of the money is still in our capital chain, wouldn't it be the best of both worlds?"

"But what if people take the bonds and exchange them for money?"

"Of course it's easy to give money. The most important thing in finance is credit. Don't think about whether someone has taken the money away. As long as we control and ensure that the money in our hands is still sufficient, that's enough. When the credit is stable, the person who took the money will return it." It will be saved back." Iger said: "When the usable paper is born, you can start preparing for the expansion. During this process, please remember to cooperate with King's Landing and the rich and powerful big families and businessmen in the king's territory. Thinking about getting the benefits for themselves, although the Lannister family is well-known, the strong dragon does not overwhelm the top snake, and the best way to prevent other people from robbing the business is to turn everyone who is a threat into a partner."

"Forming a 'community of interests', isn't it the first time you've said that I look so stupid." Tyrion looked in a good mood, "There are cooperative projects of 'borrowing money' and investment, but nothing The Night Watchman bonds are much more attractive, and I am now considering whether to open another investment debt project.”

……

For Tyrion, the core member of the Lannister family, this unformed "community of interests" is probably just the difference between earning more and less earning, but for Iger, this will be a part of his gradual contact The upper-level resource holders...and squeeze into it to occupy a place, and a shortcut to fight for the right to speak and influence.

With Arya and the Stark guard who was in charge of protecting her, the two of them were very conservative in many aspects of their communication, and when it came to core secrets, they consciously changed the subject.

"The hut over there is the printing place I prepared, go and have a look?"

"walk."

So, the group visited Tyrion's "printing factory". Since the problem of papermaking has not been resolved, the so-called printing factory is only a place rented to two sculptors for daily living and working... Here, Iger I saw the engraved bond printing plate and the ongoing engraving of the content of the "Seven Stars Bible".

"Have you contacted the church?" Iger asked.

"Not yet. If the church doesn't want it, then I'll sell it myself. I'm afraid there won't be a market for the cheap "Seven Stars Bible"? That's a hell of a thing."

"It's possible that if the church declares that the printed "Seven Stars Bible" is impious, it's a blasphemy against God..."

"Bah." Tyrion spit on the ground: "Can I go to his piousness? If it doesn't work, put a pure gold statue of the seven gods on the archbishop, and promise to let him go. If it doesn't work, it will be broken." I'm Tyrion Lannister's fortune, and I won't kill him!"

"Okay, okay!" Arya cheered loudly in support: "If you're dead, let's believe in the old gods together!"

"You little slicker is really smart!"

"Don't spoil the children." Iger rolled his eyes at Tyrion, who was pretending to be fierce: "You just print, anyway, I will fully support you."

***

Just kidding, Iger’s doubts are not without reason. A large number of printed "Seven Star Bibles" will increase the influence of the church in the short term, but in the long run, it will have a negative impact on the ability of the church to control the people. It's very simple: the "Seven-Star Bible" can generally only be read by middle- and high-level clergy, while low-level missionaries and ordinary believers can only fully listen to the priest's interpretation of the scriptures and doctrines.And once the printed version of the "Seven Stars Bible" is circulated, literate people can read and understand the content by themselves, it will be difficult for the church and priests to maintain their own interests through lies and fallacies, plus various other The role of books in the popularization of knowledge, Westeros will soon usher in a huge religious change.

But he didn't say these thoughts and guesses. He could think of these not because he was smart but because there was a lesson to be learned from history. People in the Church of the Seven Gods may not have such god-level predictive ability and strategic vision.Besides, "The changes that may happen in the future: it really has little to do with me: let it be King's Landing and the religious situation in the Seven Kingdoms are turned upside down, what matters to me now is to earn money for the Night Watchman Legion and myself. Let Tyrion do it After being suppressed by "Maegor the Cruel", the power of the Church of the Seven Gods in Westeros is not like that of Christianity in Europe. Dare to roast Lannister, and even fight against the big interest groups that may have become a climate by then?

***

Engraving printing is not technically difficult at all. Iger didn't find the opportunity to point out Jiangshan again to win admiration, so he explained the principle of "movable type printing" to Tyrion and the two craftsmen.After some discussions, this more advanced technology was finally abandoned. The reason for this is a bit complicated: the letters are carved into small pieces, and then the energy is put into assembly, padding, and proofreading. Then print... These steps, whether it is the selection of raw materials, the technology of the engraver, or the skill proficiency and knowledge level of the printer, are quite high, not to mention the subsequent classification and management...

In the case that the level of light and heavy industries is not enough, the efficiency of hand-made movable type is low and it is easy to cause the letters to be of different sizes and strokes. , it is likely to produce the result of "a lot of cost, but the printing effect is not as beautiful and tidy as the engraving", and-whether it is a calendar or the "Seven Star Bible", there are a large number of illustrations and charts, which make the movable type hardly show how big it is. Advantage.

At this stage, my goal is to complete the original accumulation and dig out the first pot of gold as soon as possible by printing supplies with huge demand. What is needed is "reliability" and "stability", not "advanced" that is not clear.

***

Tyrion was shocked by the concept of movable type printing, and regretted that his own business could not immediately adopt this advanced technology, and sighed helplessly.

"Don't sigh, this technology will come in handy one day in the future." Iger comforted: "When the funds are abundant, you can print all kinds of scientific and literary books you dream of. At that time, movable type printing will be useful. The land of martial arts."

"Well, let's talk about it later, the most important thing now is to make money."

The two adults have been busy with business all day, but Arya, a heartless girl, ran around happily and opened her eyes by the way. Seeing that the sky was getting dark, under the urging of her own guards, the girl did not stop. He willingly said goodbye to the master and the little devil, and followed the bodyguards back to the Red Castle.

Aiger and Tyrion also returned to the inn, dismounted and handed the reins to the attendants of the inn, ready to end the busy day.

Walking through the door, the servant Jack who has closed the office and is waiting in the hotel lobby is greeted: "Egger, someone from the Red Castle has sent you a letter, which seems to be from Castle Black."

A letter from Castle Black?Iger took the roll of parchment with black wax, frowned and opened it. The agreed time to provide the second batch of supplies is still early. What good can a letter come at this time?

-

Chapter 76

"What was in the letter?" Tyrion asked curiously.

"It's not a good thing." Iger's brows tightened more and more: "As of the sending of this letter, Bunyan and his patrol team still haven't returned to Castle Black. Organize a large-scale and in-depth northward reconnaissance. The letter not only asks Yoren to bring the recruits back to the Great Wall as soon as possible, but also asks me to prepare a batch of weapons, cold-proof items and portable dry food that can deal with the White Walkers and send them to the north."

"Why is it another ghost?"

Tyrion wondered, he really didn't believe in ghosts and legends, but the two are currently working together to start a business with a very honest attitude, and he couldn't figure out why Iger would lie to himself about this unrelated matter.

The trusted person repeatedly repeated a thing he didn't believe in a serious and solemn tone, which made him a little shaken... Shaking his head, the dwarf gave up thinking about the ghosts and touched his chin: "That's not right , Hasn’t our first batch of supplies been sent out? According to the agreement, the next batch should be in a month or two. What does it mean to rush now?”

"It should be that the boat hasn't arrived at East China Sea Watch, after all, it departed from King's Landing." Iger looked solemn, "I have to urge the obsidian mine to be mined in two days. ,rest."

***

Iger just wants to start a good business with Tyrion in King's Landing, live a good life and do his own thing, how can the tide of the plot linger, and he won't let himself be safe for a moment?

Benjen Stark's disappearance was arguably expected, but things aren't quite the same now.When he was on the Great Wall, Iger thought that the chief ranger’s insistence on going north to find traces of the White Walkers was just out of a sense of responsibility and stubbornness, but after learning a lot of inside information from Melisandre, his perspective on things changed, and he faintly I have a feeling that Bunyan's disappearance and becoming a "cold hand" may have been arranged by the "old gods" or the Green Prophet.

That false god probably needs a servant who is "not a living person" so he doesn't need supplies and "has no body temperature" so he is not easy to be discovered by ghouls to move north of the Great Wall to ensure that Bran can still survive after passing through the Great Wall. Someone responded; think about it a little more, maybe a few little wolves were sent to the Stark children for the same purpose, because the wolf spirit physique of the latter needs a medium to activate... Especially Bran, With a partner like the direwolf who is far stronger and more sensitive than humans, it will definitely be much safer in the process of accepting the inheritance in the north.

……

Stop, Iger pinched his thigh and reminded himself of the iron law again: "Everything can be explained by conspiracy theory, but it doesn't mean that everything is really a conspiracy." Instead of thinking about the so-called Green Prophet's arrangement, it is better to Think about things that have not yet happened, that are related to their own interests and that may be changed: the large-scale northward reconnaissance that Mormont is about to organize.

This bold military operation known as the Ranger Expedition was not a wrong decision in itself—with the elite combat forces all accompanying them, the more than [-] night watchmen could almost walk sideways outside the Great Wall.Without the cooperation and siege of tens of thousands of savages, it would have been impossible to eliminate this team of young adults, half of whom were professional soldiers.It is a pity that what the expeditionary army encountered at the Fist of the First Men was not savages, but an army of dead people that were incomprehensible and had never been encountered before...

In that battle, the already weakened defenders of the Great Wall lost almost all their elite forces including the rangers and most of their command system, leaving only two-thirds of the old, weak, sick and disabled left behind. Slack, if it is an ordinary army, it is not an exaggeration to cancel the organizational designation. Even if you grit your teeth and persist, you will have almost no resistance in the follow-up savage attack, and you will try your best to block the first wave of the savage attack...

Thinking of this, Iger's subconscious thought was: Could it be that the Green Prophet deliberately facilitated this expedition, so that the wildlings could easily cross the Great Wall and hide behind the wall after the Night Watchman's strength was greatly damaged, so as not to grow the dead army of the White Walkers?

But he immediately threw away this thought, he was almost made nervous by the existence of these extraordinary powers, and couldn't help but think about it.Regardless of the impossibility of the Green Prophet commanding the army of ghouls, wouldn't it be much easier to let the wildlings enter Mormont's mind and directly instill the idea of ​​"let the free folk pass the wall"?

In addition, judging from the original plot, the so-called whispers in the ears and subconscious provocations of these gods may not be as powerful, direct and effective as I thought - the Green Prophet is in a weakened and dying state, and it is very likely to launch this expedition It was just Mormont's own thoughts, really.

What should a calm, sane person be thinking at this moment?

——Does this plot affect me, do I need to intervene, and if so, what should I do?

***

In terms of results, the fiasco of the Rangers Expedition and the mutiny that occurred in Custer Fortress during the retreat process directly led to the death of the old slick Mormon and the final rise of Jon Snow.On the one hand, the great loss of the Night Watchman's strength and the power of his young friend who "knows nothing" may make it easier for him to improve his own influence and voice, and pave the way for leaving the Night Watchman... ...But on the other hand, the southern part of the plot has changed with his intervention. If the War of the Five Kings does not happen, then Stannis will not be able to rush to help the Great Wall at a critical moment. Back to the savages, what if the night watchmen can't hold the Great Wall, and the whole army is wiped out and the savages enter the fortress, what should I do if I am a caught fish in the south alone?

Wait, if the War of the Five Kings hadn't happened, the northern princes themselves would have the strength and reason to send troops north to help, and the savages are still unlikely to get inside the wall as they wish... and the participants must have the right to speak. If these big northern families Summoning the army to help defend the Great Wall of Desperation will inevitably dictate to the Night Watch Corps. When the time comes, no one can tell what to do as the self-proclaimed "Chief Logistics Officer" who is far away in King's Landing.

……

After a brief deduction in his mind, Iger quickly became dizzy.There are too many factors that will affect future development. Researching and speculating on the future situation is what large think tanks and national think tanks should do. It is really impossible for one person to complete the work of a team, let alone—even those professional People and teams make mistakes when they should.

I don't have the ability to preview the future, and I don't have Littlefinger's innate ability to profit from chaos. Thinking about these problems is really a waste of energy. What should I do?The least effort is to do nothing, provide supplies according to Mormont's instructions, and then let them fend for themselves...

Suddenly, a plot seen in the latest season of the TV series before time travel gave inspiration to the night watchman-in the original plot, until the battle of the five kings was decided, the damned should escape, and the dragon mother also ended her After returning to Westeros after his adventures and experience in the Eastern Continent, Jon Snow foolishly took people out of the wall to catch a ghoul and brought it back to King’s Landing to show the world, telling people: your previous War is all nonsense, the real enemy is here!

Because of this stupid and belated activity, Daenerys also gave the Night King a dragon that can destroy the Great Wall-the screenwriter made the story develop like this, no doubt out of plot needs and to balance the strength of the enemy and us Compared.But Iger is different, he is not a screenwriter, he is a time traveler, he doesn't care whether his story is wonderful or not.If possible, he wished that those thrilling stories would not happen at all, he wished that all the other ghosts would be strangled to death in the lair, and none of them would run out, he wished that he could live in peace like this until he died of old age on the bed.

If at this critical time when history is about to turn, the Night Watchmen can catch a ghoul and send it to King’s Landing, where they can eat, drink and have fun in the Red Castle, thinking that it is enough for them to bring their brother Edra to King’s Landing to play the Game of Thrones on their behalf Everything is fine and the world is still peaceful. Let's take a look at Robert. What kind of explosive impact will it have on the future?

Now that I have decided to change the plot and have already started to make things happen, I am not afraid of making things big!

-

Chapter 77

It is impossible for me to return to the Great Wall to participate in the action of capturing ghouls, so how to remotely control the night watchman army to complete the bold feat of "catching ghouls alive" without command authority... But I have to use my brain to plan again .

Of course, since Mormont intends to write a letter here to ask for people and supplies, he obviously does not intend to launch an expedition immediately, and he still has a short period of time to plan this matter, so let's put this aside first and focus on the present.

……

At supper, Iger relayed Yoren the urging from the letter he had received.Lao Langya originally had some money in his pocket, enough to enjoy a few more days in King's Landing, when he suddenly received an order to return immediately, his astonishment and loss could not be concealed.

"You can walk slowly on the road." Iger subconsciously advised him. After being a night watchman for a year, he fully understood the other party's feelings at the moment, "When are you leaving?"

"Walking slowly on the road is indeed a good way, but it is not daring to stay here after receiving the order." Yoren said distressedly: "Anyway, we have gathered more than a dozen people, and the preparations have already been completed. Done, let's go tomorrow."

"Okay, then I ask you for someone. We talked about that before. Jaqen Hegar, who was arrested for stealing books, left me for help."

"That dangerous person?" The old man stared at his black-clothed brother wonderingly: "What do you want him for?"

"Since he stayed in the library for several nights looking through books, he should be literate." Iger explained: "The office just needs someone who can read and write."

"It's not common to see a girl with a hang, and it's hard to find a man who can read?" Although Yoren is illiterate, he is also amused by this excuse: "I'll say something ugly, Iger, they can even come to the library in the Red Castle Go free, you get him out of the shackles, and he's gone as soon as you turn your head. I've made up my mind that I won't take him with the other two until I get to Castle Black and hand him over to that fellow Alliser. The murderer let out the cage."

Iger fully agrees and supports Yoren's judgment and decision, but if he can't keep Jaqen, can Castle Black be able to keep it?With the skill and unpredictability of this top spy of Braavos, even a master of Barristan's level may only get away with it by blocking people in the room.What I want to do is just sell him a favor—since I will run away sooner or later, then I will release him at least one month in advance, which is not a small favor. As for the next one, I can keep him for a few days. It's day.There is no harm in getting acquainted with such a capable man.

He didn't talk nonsense anymore, and directly stuffed a round shiny ball into Lao Langya's hand: "Don't worry about it so much, promise this matter, the travel expenses will be enough for you to eat and drink all the way to Castle Black, not only that, come back to King's Landing, I'll pay you ten more."

Give me back ten?I'll be glad you didn't run away next time you're in King's Landing.Yoren curled his lips in disdain, but squeezed the heavy gold coin in his hand, and finally nodded: "Okay, be careful yourself, don't let the Kingsguard discover that the guy they caught is alive and well outside again, and don't be caught Kill that guy."

"I'll be careful."

***

Tyrion's passion for entrepreneurship is still high, he gets up early every day and goes out without a trace. This little man and his brother Jaime Lannister can be regarded as two extremes - the elder brother is the heir chosen by his father, but he yearns for knights Spirit, honor and public recognition; while the younger brother, a dwarf whose father hated having to be born, subconsciously crazily longs for the affirmation of his father and family.

He is keen on the career he found suddenly, not so much for making money, but probably because he wants to win his father, Duke Tywin, a second look.

Alas, Iger, don't worry about others, but think about your own affairs.

After clearing his mind, Iger got dressed and went out of the room.After washing up, he made an appointment with Yoren at the breakfast table to meet and handover, and went to the office as usual, starting the life of the "head of the night watchman's office" as a monk striking the clock for a day.

After the sun rose a little, Arya also rushed to class very diligently, but Iger was ready to go out and grab Jaqen H'ghar at this moment.