The king on the Great Wall

"How does the prince want me to prove it, or how can I prove it?" Varys asked back, "There are indeed several methods of identification in folklore, but none of them require the presence of children and parents, and the bachelors have already proved it through experiments: All methods, including blood, are unreliable. Even King Robert, didn't he finally figure out whether his three children were his? Aegon Targaryen was sent by his father Rhaegar's best friend Joan En Clinton brought him up, doesn't that explain the problem? If he is not real, how could Earl Clinton be willing to pretend to be dead for his self-destructive honor and hide his name for more than ten years?"

"Who can prove that the Earl of Clinton is real? The Earl of Griffin's Roost I know is a proud young man with a bad temper. How could he be willing to be a baby daddy? I don't believe it."

"Lord Oberyn doesn't believe it, why not just go to Griffin's Roost and see the Hand of the True King?" Varys said without hesitation: "Earl Connington has undergone some changes in the past ten years, but he has not been disfigured." , since you are familiar with him, you should recognize him."

Oberyn frowned and glanced at his brother.

Sitting in a wheelchair beside him, Doran Martell, who was silent from beginning to end after reading the letter, spoke: "Lord Varys, no offense intended—but if someone brings me a letter, I will Send a brother over to verify the authenticity of the content, and my family will not be left alone."

"Prince Doran's worries are very reasonable." Varys looked normal: "So, to show my sincerity, I would like to stay in Dorne as a hostage."

……

Are you a hostage?The lives of the ten eunuchs are not as important as his only younger brother. Dao Lang did not say this, but shook his head: "Even if all this is true, then what does my dear nephew want me to do? Dorn strongman Miru Sha... that's just a bold statement, not every Dornishman is a Red Viper. The Dorneland, plus a mercenary group that will return defeated every time they come to Westeros, it's not like that at all. A combination that can take the Iron Throne."

"And what about the bend in the river?"

"Riverbend?" Doran's expression changed slightly: "Why do they help? Let me guess... The Aegon Targaryen you mentioned has already engaged Margaery Tyrell?"

"No, Aegon's queen will be Daenerys Targaryen." Varys shook his head: "In order to avoid future disputes over inheritance rights, the best way is to let the last pair of Targaryens combine with each other." ...King Aegon promised Rose something else - security, family continuity, and a voice. Stannis is not Robert, who can show mercy as long as the enemy is willing to bend the knee...he will not easily let go of supporting his brother's rebellion The House of Tyrell. For Riverbend, since it is bound to bear the wrath of the Iron Throne, why not bring in one or two allies and fight vigorously?"

"The Tyrell family?" Oberyn sneered. "We lost two battles in a row, and the battle in King's Landing was even more severe. Why are they still unwilling to give up and continue to toss? It's really admirable perseverance!"

"The Reach is the Reach." Varys smiled back, "Even if he suffers two more defeats, he will still be the thinnest camel in the Seven Kingdoms."

***

This sentence is irrefutable, especially in Dorne, whose territory is mostly desert, and whose population and products rank last among the Seven Kingdoms.

The living room facing the flowing water garden was quiet for a while, except for the chirping of birds and insects outside the window and the breeze blowing. After a long while, Dao Lang spoke again: "Dawn has shed enough blood more than ten years ago. Now, My sister's revenge has been avenged, and we have no intention of participating in the dispute."

"Vengeance avenged?" Varys screeched in disbelief. "Is the Prince taking the head of the 'Magic Mountain'? If that's avenged, then I may be thinking too highly of the Dornishmen." Bloody!"

"Bad tactics, Lord Varys, we are not children anymore." Oberyn laughed, "It would be interesting if Riverbend is really confirmed to enter the game, but my nephew's queen who is said to have three dragons What? If Daenerys also shows up and recognizes my nephew's identity, even if my brother doesn't agree, I will go alone and join the real dragon."

"Princess Daenerys... is still in Meereen in Slaver's Bay, entangled in many trivial matters, and it is difficult to escape. My people are doing everything possible to invite her back to Westeros as soon as possible."

"As soon as possible, that is, not yet, Lord Varys." Oberyn made no secret of his contempt for word games, "It would be too much to try to trap us empty-handed—"

"Lord Varys." Prince Doran interrupted his younger brother, "Your mission is to convey a message to us, and you have completed it. But joining a war is a matter of great importance. Can you allow me to discuss with my brother before we do it? Decide?"

"That's natural. It's related to the future survival of the family. It needs to be discussed in the long run." Varys nodded. Although he seemed to have suffered a little loss in the conversation with Oberyn, he was an octospider, not a lobbyist... he Confidence in persuading Dorn to join the battle came from the intelligence returned by the little birds, not eloquence.He stood up and bowed slightly: "Then, let's take my leave first."

"Ariou, send Lord Varys back to his residence to rest!" Doran said loudly, watching his captain of the guards take the octopus away, and only sighed when he was sure that the other party could not hear him again, and looked at Ao Bo Lun.

……

"This eunuch, I'm afraid you don't know that you have sent Quentin to Meereen to marry Daenerys." Oberyn crossed his legs and said with a smile: "The so-called little Aegon, God knows if it is those mercenaries Because the bloodline of the Blackfyre has been cut off, it was a trick to find an excuse to fight back to Westeros. In my opinion, this octopod spider was tied up and sent to King's Landing, just as a gift of loyalty to Stannis—— Always be on the winning side, and now, Stannis has won."

"I've warned you for so many years, finally figured it out?" Doran smiled and looked at his younger brother.

"It's not that it's figured out, but stags are better than lions anyway. Stannis is harsh and rigid, but we, Dorne, can't get us anywhere. And we'll never have to worry about him taking sides with our enemies. .”

"Indeed, according to the principle of 'always on the winning side', I should immediately swear allegiance to Stannis. But this time, I'm afraid I have to do the opposite principle." Doran changed the subject: "You have to go to the Stormlands one trip."

"Huh?" Oberyn suspected that he heard it wrong: "But now the storm is a mess, with pirates, mercenaries, and armies of princes running around. Even if I have a few more arms, there is no guarantee that I will be safe."

"That's right, so I don't want you to go alone, but with an army."

"Take the army?" Oberyn was even more puzzled, which was completely inconsistent with his brother's usual cautious style: "But...the Dornish army entered the Stormlands without authorization, which is tantamount to declaring war on the Iron Throne. Didn't we discuss it before?" — to keep a low profile until Quentin brings Daenerys back."

"True, but Renly was alive then."

Doran looked troubled: "My previous plan was to sit and watch the two deer fight each other until Daenerys returned to Westeros-but as Varys said, this Baratheon family's struggle The infighting ended too quickly. The Kingland, the Stormlands, and the Northern Three Kingdoms have hardly lost their strength. If we do nothing, watch Stannis quell the rebellion in the Reach and drive the Golden Company back across the Narrow Sea , then when Daenerys returns, she will face the unified six kingdoms."

"Daenerys has dragons."

"Dragon is not invincible, we Dornees have slaughtered it, have you forgotten?" Doran shook his head: "Stannis will not be a popular king, but he will run the Seven Kingdoms in an orderly manner, and we cannot give him stability." The opportunity of Jiangshan. Otherwise, until we close our eyes, there will be no chance of revenge."

Oberyn still wanted to open his mouth, but suddenly realized something: it was too funny, in the past it was Doran who advised him to calm down, why is it the other way around this time?Since the eldest brother is determined to join the war, he must have thought it through carefully, and he just does it, there is nothing to doubt!

"Okay, since you said to go, then I will go, my spear is already hungry and thirsty."

"Don't worry, I just asked you to lead the troops there, but I didn't say when to go or who to fight." Doran said: "We have to wait for the news first. If that little Aegon who doesn't know the truth can't take Storm's End, then It's all in vain... The Golden Group patted their buttocks and went back across the narrow sea, but Dorne couldn't escape. Only when the news came that he took Storm's End and erected the true dragon flag, we will help Shi In the name of King Tanis to quell the rebellion, send troops to the north."

"So that's how it is." Oberyn suddenly realized, "In this way, even if things change, we can still fall to Stannis and retreat completely. That old guy Tywin used this trick."

"Despicable, but practical." Doran nodded: "What you do after arriving in the storm, you have to look at the situation. The first thing to be sure is whether the river bend has really joined the gold group, and the Tyrells will not intervene. The truth of little Aegon is meaningless. We will never stand alone against Stannis' attack. At that time, you will really help Stannis put down the rebellion and return several castles occupied by the Golden Company to the original ones. Master, just put on a show. Only when the River Bend really participates in the war can we consider other options."

"How to choose?"

"First, you have to meet little Aegon under the condition of ensuring safety. We cannot rule out the possibility that what Varys said is true. The appearance of the Targaryen family is different from ordinary people. If the child really looks like 'It can be confirmed at a glance that it is the child of Rhaegar and Ilia', then there is no need to hesitate, we will fully support it, and we will not hesitate to break our bones."

"It's not that the Targaryens have special looks, but that all Valyrians look like that." Oberyn shook his head and explained to his brother: "I have traveled across the Narrow Sea and seen many people with silver hair and purple eyes. People, it is impossible to judge whether this is my nephew based on his appearance."

"You can decide for yourself. It doesn't matter if you can't judge. What we have to do is to prevent Stannis from sitting on the Iron Throne while protecting ourselves as much as possible." Doran became serious: "If you can't judge the truth, then you will Treat it as an ordinary ally. In this case, don't take the initiative to confront Stannis and the Northern Alliance. It is the Tyrell family who are most afraid of Stannis' stability, and Stannis is most anxious to ask for help. What must be wiped out is the 'Targaryen remnants'. We stay away from the most intense conflicts and don't need to work hard. On the premise of ensuring that Stannis cannot win a big victory, we should try our best to protect ourselves and consume the golden group and the river bend first. The strength of the land—to ensure that when Quentin returns to Westeros with Daenerys, we Dorne still have the qualifications to stand in the team and the strength to determine the direction of the situation."

"understood."

"You will begin to assemble the army tomorrow, and take it to Yronwood City on the Bone Road to stand by, and act when news of Storm's End comes."

"Okay." Oberyn stood up and walked towards the door: "It doesn't need to be every day, I will do it now."

"Wait!" Doran turned around and called out to his younger brother: "I know you love adventure and war, but this time, I want you to swear—never put yourself in danger!"

"Do you still think of me as a child, brother?" Oberyn smiled. "Yes, I swear."

-

Chapter 215 The Savage Attacks

"Why are they burning the forest?"

"What else can fire be used for?" Iger gritted his teeth and said, "It glows and heats up. One can burn things, and the other can emit light. They may be using fire to intercept ghouls, or they may want to use the soaring flames as a means of fighting with them." A signal for those who crossed the wall to communicate. Taken together, Mance Rayder may wish to use the fire as a signal to launch a general attack, and at the same time use the fire as a barrier to ensure that he does not have to worry about the ghouls behind him when attacking the Great Wall!"

It's really lucky, why did I just catch up?

If it didn't take more than ten days to pick up Jaime in the west, he would have arrived at Castle Black and started to plan ways to deal with the wildlings; and thinking about it the other way around—if he hadn't met Arya's relatives on the way north from the Neck , I have been running at full speed in order to get rid of that annoying little apprentice as soon as possible... Even if it is a day or two later, the first wave of attacks can pass when I reach Castle Black.

One sentence sums it up: No matter whether it is earlier or later, he can avoid this dangerous battle or at least reduce its danger, but he just arrived at this just right time, without any preparation time, and he has no choice but to There is no rush to take up this challenge.

Is it a coincidence that I came here, or are the savages trying to make things difficult for me?

……

"General attack? Then what to do!"

After living on the Great Wall for a year, Jon is no longer the uninitiated boy he was at the beginning, but now he has someone who is older and more intelligent in his eyes, and subconsciously wants to be lazy—asking for Iger's Opinion.

"What else can we do, let's defend... Keep an eye on the outside of the wall!" Iger shouted to the night watchman who was standing guard on the top of the Great Wall: "Let's go down and arrange defense. Remember, as long as you see moving things approaching the Great Wall, don't hesitate. Blow the horn twice!"

"Understood, don't worry!"

"Come on, let's go down."

Iger is a night watchman and an officer... He can be afraid of death, but he can't avoid the battle. Since he arrives at this critical time, let's bite the bullet!

Iger and Jon got into the iron cage and gave the signal to descend.Amidst the creaking sound of the elevator, they returned to the ground after just climbing the Great Wall for a few minutes.

"Sam! Go call the chief clerk and craftsman, bring up all the weapons and armor in the warehouse, and distribute them to everyone—everyone, including the clerk and craftsman!" Jon stepped out of the cage Then he yelled at the night watchmen gathered in the courtyard of Castle Black: "Eddie, ride your horse to Mole Village and let the villagers take refuge in Castle Black. If anyone wants to attack here, they will definitely wash there first!"

(Jon already has his own friends and prestige among the Night's Watch.) Egger is slightly relieved.

Without the Ranger Expedition, Jon would have no chance to blend in with the wildlings, and naturally he would not be able to escape and report in advance before Mance launched an attack on Castle Black, which led to a serious lack of psychological preparation for the attack in Mole Village and Castle Black— — But looking at the bright side, because of his own existence, Castle Black is fully armed, and there are fifty more elite soldiers who came with James...

In the original plot, Castle Black can survive Mance's first round of attack with only more than 100 people and wait for Stannis' reinforcements. Now there are more than 300 people here, and they must be able to defend.What I have to do, first of all, is to save my life, and then: to ensure that the situation cannot be worse than without myself as a traverser.

"Let Maester Aemon write a letter to sound the alarm! Go and call Ser Jaime Lannister over, and tell his people—the recruits who came with him, not to disarm, and be ready to fight at any time!" Iger turned his head and brought black The servants of the castle said: "Move the two cans of wildfire I brought from Houguan Town to the top of the Great Wall, and handle them with care!"

Castle Black was in a hurry, and the night watchmen in the tower poured out one after another, took their weapons and gathered in the courtyard. When all the rangers left and only a group of craftsmen and stewards remained in Castle Black , at this moment, the main defensive force of Castle Black... has become a group of new recruits and foreign aid who have just arrived and have not yet sworn in.

***

As the sky gradually darkened, the steward exhausted everything, and moved out of the warehouse all the double-edged axes, sharp daggers, long swords, maces, spiked meteor hammers, studded leather clothes and chain mail, Tywin Lannis Te never expected that the batch of equipment he donated would come in handy as soon as it arrived—the team of officers in black armor even looked like elite soldiers.

The night watchmen stood in the courtyard whispering and discussing. The fire in the ghost forest in the north was burning more and more vigorously. The fire illuminated the night sky that should have been as dark as ink. Even if you don't climb the wall, you can look up...

"Are you sure the wildlings are going to attack today, Iger?" Bowen asked. "Maybe they're just trying to burn a clearing so they can pitch their camp together."

"I wasn't sure just now...but now I can!"

Iger didn't explain much, he stared at the south - the Mole Village was only a mile away, the Eddie he sent quickly returned on horseback, and shouted after tens of meters away: "Savages! The savages are attacking Mole Village ! We have to go to the rescue!"

The vegetables that the defenders of the Great Wall usually eat come from Mole Village, and there are even many "friends" of the night watchmen in the village. As soon as the news of his attack came out, it immediately caused a fierce reaction.

"How many are they?"

"How dare I get close, I took a look from a distance, at least hundreds of them..."

"Whatever it is, it's just a bunch of savages!"

"Let's go meet them!"

"Calm down!" Jon loudly stopped his brothers from shouting with high fighting spirit: "Our duty is to guard the Great Wall, we cannot leave Castle Black now!"

"They're killing our friends, and we're going to be huddled here?"

"Our duty is to guard the Great Wall!"

"You are just the commander-in-chief's clerk, Lord Snow, don't dictate!" A night watchman shouted loudly: "Commander Mormont is not dead yet, even if he dies, you may not be able to be a subordinate." Commander-in-Chief! If we can’t even protect the Mole Village right under our noses, how about guarding the Great Wall!”

"That's right, I'm just the commander-in-chief's affairs officer, but you're just a craftsman, why don't we come and listen to the opinions of the chief affairs officer, chief craftsman and chief logistics officer?" Jon replied loudly, looking towards iger.

"We can't leave Castle Black." Smart, Iger secretly praised, but there was no expression on his face: "But we can saddle all the remaining horses and send people to patrol the surrounding area. If any villagers from Mole Village escape, Then give him asylum. Bowen and Oser, do you have any different opinions?"

"I agree."

"Defending the Great Wall is the first priority."

Although he didn't even touch his ass after returning to the Great Wall, even though most of the night watchmen present may even have almost forgotten what he looked like... But Egger is undoubtedly the chief logistics officer appointed by Mormont himself. As soon as he took office, he almost suppressed everyone present, and when the chief craftsman and affairs officer at the same level did not raise any objections, his order finally became the decision of the command.

woohoo-

There were still people who wanted to say something, but the two timely horns from the Great Wall put an end to the dispute. Iger was shocked, and immediately gave the order first: "According to the division just now, I will take a group to defend the city, and the rest Stay at Castle Black to prevent the wildlings from jumping over the wall. Remember one thing - abandoned towers, kitchens, halls, stables... whatever they take, we just need to guard the gate!"

……

Mance adopted an offensive strategy of attacking from inside and outside. Under such circumstances, it is undoubtedly much safer to stand condescending on the top of the Great Wall than to guard the gate on the ground with the elite savages crossing the wall.Iger didn't have much wealth, so he lost a little less. He took the initiative to grab the safer task of going up the wall, hoping that in addition to his own safety, he could also keep as many subordinates as possible that he brought to the Great Wall.

On the top of the Great Wall, the night watchmen began to use long poles to prop up the steel basin and light the flame of illumination in it.The wind is like a sharp sword, poking at the flame seedlings, and the orange light flickers.Soldiers put arrows, crossbows, spears and ballista arrows brought up from the ground under the battlements.In addition to these precious war preparations, the rocks that the night watchmen brought up early were also piled up all over the place, and the large wooden barrels containing asphalt and lamp oil were lined up in the corner, layered on top of each other, giving people a full sense of security.

Thanks to the stable supply of the Night Watch industry and the efforts of the officers, the Night Watch now has everything—except manpower.

Iger looked down cautiously, and quickly understood the third purpose of Mance's order to light the fire - with the brilliant forest fire a few miles away, the edge of the ghost forest under the Great Wall suddenly fell into the black effect of the lights, and the wild people The forest where they were stationed was pitch black, like an ocean of shadows, in which only the twinkling and moving stars could be barely seen.

The huge role of the isolation zone is immediately reflected at this critical moment: the snow field with a width of several hundred meters and the trees have been cut down, so that wild people have nowhere to hide. These "free people" do not have snow camouflage. Clothed and armored, they rushed out of the ghost forest, yelling, stepping on the snow and rushing towards the Great Wall, no matter how blind they were, they couldn't turn a blind eye.

Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa...

The horn sounded again, this time it was not the night watchman who blew it, accompanied by a vast wave of savages pouring out of the Haunted Forest like ants, at least a dozen horns sounded at the same time, mixed with the sound of many flutes and drums , with different timbres, no rhythm and rules, and shocking people purely by quantity and volume.

Amidst the noise, more than a dozen mammoths and a considerable number of giants also came out of the forest. Looking down from the Great Wall, the big guys standing among ordinary savages are as conspicuous as the elites of strange piles... Spreading his long legs, he rushed towards the Great Wall slowly, and the King Beyond the Wall's first frontal attack on the Seven Kingdoms began.

-

Chapter 216

The Great Wall is so huge that it is so high that all ladders and siege towers are powerless, and it is so thick that any ram would be amazed.Ordinary bows and arrows can't hit the wall, and trebuchets can't throw boulders that can damage the wall. If you try to attack with fire, the melting snow will quickly extinguish the fire.True, savages can crawl over, as the raiders did, but only if the mover is strong, steady, and quick-witted, and there's nothing for a large party with a family to do but storm the gates. Law.

"Throw stones! Shoot arrows! Don't let them get close to the Great Wall!" The blacksmith who climbed to the top of the wall with Iger knew more about the defense of the Great Wall, and he commanded loudly without hesitation.

Buckets of pitch were quickly stuffed into the catapult and then set aflame with torches.The wind moves the fire, and the arrogance is violent.With a loud roar of "Let it go!", the balance arm fell, and the throwing arm slammed on the crossbar with a "bang", and the burning asphalt bucket rolled and flew out in the dark night, emitting orange-white flickering light, swaying in the dark night. A bright streak hit the ground, bursting into flames.The two mammoths near the landing point were frightened, and the giant rider on top tried his best to stabilize the elephants, roaring in an ancient language, the sound was like thunder from ancient times, and it was clearly discernible even on the top of the Great Wall.

Nearly a hundred defenders used all kinds of equipment to attack the enemies under the Great Wall. The spears and steel swords above the Great Wall were useless. Iger also took a bow and carefully pointed his head down to shoot arrows.The cold wind blows from the northeast, and when it is blocked by the Great Wall, it turns into an east-west airflow against the wall. The flow speed is particularly fast. In this darkness and strong wind, aiming becomes a meaningless operation. Everyone is just picking people Arrows, oil barrels, and stones were poured in many places, and all the attack methods were swallowed by darkness as soon as they left the top of the wall. Among them, the heavier oil barrels and stones could at least ensure that they fell near the intended landing point, and occasionally burst into flames. As for the arrow...whether it is blown away, which unlucky person is shot...or finally nailed to the ground, it is completely resigned to fate.

Savages continued to pour out of the woods towards the Great Wall, and soon the narrow strip below became a white flour pie sprinkled with embellishments—the wildlings were black sesame seeds, and the giants and mammoths were various Nuts.

In the TV series, in order to make this offensive and defensive battle wonderful, the director designed and arranged various offensive and defensive means for both sides, but in fact, there is no wild man climbing the wall to give the night watchman a chance to shoot himself down. Ordinary wildlings, giants, and mammoths all rushed to the outer gate of Castle Black's section of the Great Wall with a clear goal, determined to break through the gate and enter the south of the wall.

The task of the night watchmen is to kill endless enemies monotonously and hopelessly.

"City gate!" Iger noticed the problem with some of his soldiers, walked along the defense line and shouted: "Don't worry about those idiots standing by the side and shooting arrows, they can't shoot so high! Everyone is aiming at the people who are close to the city gate !"

***

The so-called city gate is actually just a curved and narrow tunnel in the ice wall, which can't even accommodate two horses marching side by side.Compared with the huge wall of the Impassable Great Wall, the scale of the passage is pitifully small. There are three iron fences blocking the way. Even if the enemy breaks through the outermost solid gate, the inner passage is very easy to defend... But the number of wildlings is the number of your own side A hundred times, there are also giants, once the battlefield is turned into a narrow passage to fight each other, the night watchman will not be an opponent at all.

At all costs, the Night's Watch must keep the battle going - across the Wall!

Screams and screams continued to come from the city gate, and attackers were hit and fell from time to time. The casualties in the battle were overwhelming. Dozens of wildlings had died at the hands of the night watchmen. But there were no casualties.But he couldn't be happier: there were still thousands of wildlings, and what was more important: they were already approaching the gates, tinkering with the outer gates to Castle Black in the night!

"Stop them! Throw whatever you want, don't feel bad!"

Castle Black on the south side of the Great Wall also blew the horn twice. Glancing at another group of enemies flocking towards Castle Black from the direction of Mole Village on the south side of the wall, Iger gritted his teeth and pinned all his hopes of defending Castle Black to those still below. Jon and James returned to the north side of the wall: in the night, it was difficult for people on the top of the Great Wall to see what the wildlings below were doing to the city gate, but everyone knew: if the other side was allowed to toss, Castle Black will surely be breached.