The king on the Great Wall

"Shut up your goddamn rhetoric after another!" Stannis finally couldn't help it, "I didn't see any gift from R'hllor, only you—the bondage from Asshai The shadow magic of the Shadow Warrior! R'hllor calls himself the Lord of Light, why would he use such a dark method?!"

"Shadow is the servant of light, the offspring of flame, and it was R'hllor who commanded shadow to assist you in ascension to the throne."

"Well—anyway, you can always come up with an explanation that looks like that."

"As Your Majesty wishes, I will put away all religious rhetoric." Melisandre's face remained unchanged, and she used an easier-to-understand explanation: "R'hllor did not show the death date of these people in the fire, they may Will die, but at least not recently."

……

The consumption of any spell is far beyond ordinary people's imagination. Melisandre has never seen this Aegon Targaryen, and has no way to know his voice, appearance and physical characteristics. She doesn't even know whether he is in Storm's End or which room he lives in. ...In this case, she has no way to kill this person.But these words, once said, will greatly affect the awe of others towards R'hllor, even if it is the prince in the prophecy, she does not intend to fully admit it.

"Using this kind of magic requires strength. If you insist on these people dying, it is a good choice to continue to sacrifice the blood of the king--and your majesty's flame is too weak. I dare not draw half of it, otherwise I will die Killed you." She didn't lie, she just modified it slightly, but there is indeed a solution: "Your brother's illegitimate child is a good choice."

"Enough!" Stannis understood that Renly's sudden death had already aroused all kinds of speculation in the Seven Kingdoms. If the same thing happened again, his prestige as king would be severely hit: "I don't want to Kinslayer again and again, now I have the strength to win without relying on your damn witchcraft. I will break Storm's End with dignity and hang those people who you said are not yet ready to die On top of the walls, so you know that even you can't see everything in the flames!"

"His Majesty--"

"Either use your skills to wipe out the enemies for me again, or shut up obediently. You have helped me, and I can show my tolerance, but I promise--next time you will hurt my vassals in front of my vassals." Majesty, you will find that a king's patience has no limits!"

Melisandre stopped talking, just looked at Stannis silently, and the room fell into silence again.

Stannis couldn't stand this confrontation, he turned around, sat down in the chair again, and stopped looking at Melisandre: "Let's go, get out of my sight, go back to King's Landing, to Dragonstone... Go wherever you want, go to preach, go to recuperate... In short, stop nagging in my ears, tell me where to go and how to do it! I must first stabilize my kingdom before I can mobilize enough resources to match my prophecy. That damned 'enemy' fights! I assure you, I will go to the Great Wall immediately when things happen in the south!"

Melisandre knew there was no turning back: Stannis was in awe of himself, but that awe...couldn't outweigh his own stubbornness and self-confidence.After standing at the door for a while, she turned around, opened the curtain, and walked out of the tent.

……

The sky had already darkened, and campfires had already been lit in the coalition camp. Soldiers along the way saw the figure of the red-robed woman leaving the king's tent alone, pointing and discussing behind her.

Melisandre didn't care about the eyes of the people around her. As she walked towards her tent, she was full of thoughts: she prayed to the holy fire for guidance, but only the cold and tall figure of the Great Wall repeatedly appeared in the fire. Tanis interpreted it as "The Son of Prophecy must rush to the Great Wall as soon as possible", but could it actually have other meanings—such as "The Son of Prophecy is already at the Great Wall", or "I must rush to the Great Wall as soon as possible"?

(Is it possible that I misunderstood the image displayed in the holy flame?)

It is difficult to get rid of this thought for a lifetime.She began to feel puzzled—and to resolve this doubt, there is no more direct way than rushing to the location where the image is displayed to find out....

-

Chapter 222 Land Grant New Residents

Iger originally thought that after leaving King's Landing and returning to the Great Wall, relying on the financial resources of the Night Watchman's property and his position in the Legion, he would no longer have to spend his brains in a low voice and talk about troubles or solve difficulties.It's a pity that things backfired. When I met Commander Mormont again, the first new task the old guy gave him was to persuade others to help.

Fortunately, this time the target was easy to deal with.

Mountain clan tribes rely on hunting and gathering in the mountains north of Wolf Forest. They have always had a mutually beneficial relationship with the northern princes and night watchmen. There is no conflict of interest. The relationship is close, and the natural favorability is positive.Coupled with characteristics such as poverty, pride, and sensitivity to honor—such a guy who has never seen the world and has a good face is actually the easiest target to deal with.

Iger's plan was to visit with respect, gifts and empty promises.

***

Like most of the night watchmen, Mormont was basically satisfied with the "ransom" that Iger sent to the Great Wall regularly, and had no intention of recalling it at all, let alone expecting the "Chief Logistics Officer" appointed by himself to return to the Great Wall voluntarily.

Therefore, when Iger unexpectedly reappeared at Castle Black with his men and horses, and joined the battle as soon as he arrived, Mormon, who didn't know that he was actually going north to avoid disaster, suddenly felt this way: all the precautions I had taken before And the means of control seem to have become the heart of a gentleman with the heart of a villain... Iger has now become one of his most valued subordinates.

The idea of ​​the northerners is very simple: there is no reason not to trust such a flexible-minded subordinate who is unrivaled in terms of personal contribution to the legion, and who is willing to return to the Great Wall at the most dangerous moment.

……

When Iger set off to visit the mountain clan tribe and asked Mormont to be escorted by Jaime Lannister and some of his companions, the old bear agreed without hesitation—the reason for naming Jaime was that Considering the extraordinary skills of the king killer, he also has the instinctive habit of "tying himself to important plot characters".

Accompanied by twenty newly promoted rangers and ten guards directly under him, he first came to the southern part of the Shadow Tower, the closest to the Great Wall, and the residence of the largest branch of the mountain clans: the Flint clan.

Clan Flint "of the mountains".The reason why the prefix is ​​added is because in the cold and long history of the northern border, some talented people in this huge clan went out of the mountains, made great achievements, obtained castles, fiefdoms, and titles of earls, thus creating their own branch families—— ——In order to distinguish it from the two families with the same surname of Widow Wang and Flint Finger, it is necessary to emphasize the living place "in the mountains".

The Flints who stayed in the mountains often prefer another title: "the original Flints".

The mountain clan's reputation for hospitality is well-deserved, and they are presenting gifts: a set of full body armor donated by Tywin, a few brand new steel weapons that have just started, a small pile of obsidian products, and some gadgets from the south... After reporting their names and identities , Iger and James received a warm welcome.This group of people in the mountains were not as occluded as Iger thought. It was very unexpected-not only had they heard of their title of "White Ghost Killer", but they could even name James, the most interesting The most surprising thing is: the news that "the guy who killed two kings" has come has attracted many young people to watch.

Clan leader Togenhen Flint personally hosted a banquet to receive the visiting night watchmen. Iger had never eaten so much wild game in his life, and he was full of wine and food before explaining his intentions to the other party.

"In the past six months, the Flint clan has encountered wildling raids many times... To be honest, we have a common enemy and are willing to help the night watchman."

Old Flint was quite straightforward, and he didn't mean to refuse at all—the reason is very simple. The Flint clan in the mountains and the Amber family in the Last Hearth City are the two closest to the Great Wall in the northern border. Bad luck first, they are grasshoppers on a rope: "But Lord Ned's son went to the south to fight the lion, and the clan sent thirty warriors to help out, and there were not many remaining men... If you go too far Go help the Night's Watch, we'll be in trouble when we're attacked ourselves."

It’s not an excuse for refusing to help, but the Flint clan itself really needs the protection of armed forces—not every savage from the Grand Canyon to the south of the Great Wall is an elite sent by Mance Rayder. They will rush to the night watchman's stronghold with a clear goal and fight with the "crows"... More of them just want to run to the south to avoid the ghosts and winter and survive.

In the process of going south, there was a lack of food and transportation, so they could only grab them along the way.

"This is indeed a problem." Iger thought for a while and asked, "How many people are there in the Flint clan?"

"More than 1000, maybe almost [-], I haven't counted. Flint is a big clan, but my clan doesn't all live in one place, but hundreds or hundreds of people live in a group, a total of five villages." The old man Flint said, "How many people are needed for the Great Wall? If it's dozens, I'll let you choose, but no matter how many there are, there's really nothing we can do."

tens of?Even if each of the more than 40 clans has dozens of members, that is far from enough, let alone those small clans with a total of only a few hundred people: "That's not enough, my lord, I hope the more the better."

The clan leader shrugged: "It's a pity, my friend, there must be enough warriors left, otherwise when the wild men come to my house, how can I protect the old people and children?"

Old Flint's attitude is already very good. As a guest and friend, it is impossible for Iger to make such an unreasonable request for the other party to give up protecting his own people.The Great Wall needs to be guarded, and the old and children of the clan and tribe also need to be protected... He drank a few mouthfuls of the clan's self-brewed wine, pondered for a while, and suddenly slammed down the table: Move the old and children who need to be protected in the clan and tribe to the Great Wall that needs to be guarded. Isn't the problem solved?

"Master Flint, if I propose to let your entire clan move out of the mountains and live in the land-grant next to the Great Wall, would you consider it?"

"Live in the gifted land?" Old Flint never thought about this possibility, blinking: "It really kills two birds with one stone, but my clan relies on mountains to eat mountains, and lives on gathering and hunting. We don't cultivate land... What shall we eat after we go to live in the grant land?"

"You probably forgot that the person sitting in front of you is the Chief Logistics Officer of the Night Watchman—and my greatest ability is to earn money to support people." Iger raised his head and started the self-confidence mode: "I hereby make a solemn guarantee that you If even one member of your clan starves to death under the protection of the night watchman, I will raise my head to see you!"

……

Iger did a simple calculation: Regardless of the equipment and weapons, if you just "fed until you are hungry", the entire Flint clan can't eat a hundred golden dragons in a month, even if only one tenth of them can fight. Mercenaries are countless times higher.With Stannis in King's Landing and the Night Watchman's business running well, he can support himself.

Money is not everything, but sometimes in the pocket, it is really so tough!

It was the first time that the clan leader encountered such a proposal. He scratched his head and glanced at the clan members who were disturbed on both sides. He didn't know how to reply for a while.

Iger strikes while the iron is hot and continues to increase: "In addition to ensuring the food supply, the Night Watchman Legion will also provide an abandoned fortress for the members of the Flint clan who moved out of the mountain to live. As long as you clean up a little, in the next whole winter, you Clan members can live in a solid and warm stone house, instead of relying on digging holes to escape the cold wind!"

"Stone house!"

Old Flint didn't say much, but many of his descendants suddenly became excited. Many of the young people had visited Winterfell, the family castle of the lord, and had long been yearning for that kind of tall and sturdy stone building. Who would have thought someone would have this opportunity right now before them!

Just like all the children in the countryside want to go to the city, how can the clan people not want to live in a stone house?The younger generations who participated in the banquet turned their attention to the patriarch one after another, and they couldn't wait to ask the old man to agree.

Old Flint has lived for more than 40 years, so of course he won't be coaxed by such a condition.

He has already heard of the reputation of Agger West, and he has no doubts about the guarantee of such a celebrity and night watchman officer... and it is actually very difficult to guarantee that a clan member will not starve to death in Winter For one thing, it would be a lie to say that you are not moved.However, when he was young, he traveled away from the northern border and visited and saw the lives of people in various places. Due to the widespread existence of grain storage in the northern border and the tradition of establishing "winter escape towns", farmers living under the rule of the northern princes froze to death in winter The proportion of starving to death is indeed much lower than that of the mountain clans, but in Changxia, where the climate is mild and there are no natural disasters, the Flint clan, which occupies a large area of ​​mountain forests rich in resources and lives by hunting and gathering, actually has better living conditions than those of the Seven Kingdoms. Some self-cultivating farmers are relaxed and comfortable... It is really impossible for him to make such a decisive decision to give up such a large territory for a stone fortress.

Old Flint tapped the table with his red, rough, sausage-like fingers, and said in embarrassment: "Chief logistics officer, I believe in your promise, but after our clan moves out of the mountains, what if the territory is lost by wildlings or other surrounding clans?" Occupy, so what to do?"

……

After struggling in King's Landing for a year, he came to the north. The people he met were so honest and cute. It didn't take even half a second for Iger to hear the subtext of the other party: he wanted a stone house and food for the winter, but he didn't want Abandon the mountains and forests where the times survived.

Very reasonable desire, not even greedy, Iger gritted his teeth and continued to give out empty promises: "You can leave a village to watch over your territory, if someone else takes your place when you go out to help the night watchman in the future Territory, when the war is over, the Night Watchmen will be your solid backing, we will step forward, even send troops... to defend your right to own the territory at all costs!"

"Aren't the night watchmen impartial?"

"The Night Watchman is indeed impartial, but the Night Watchman industry is not." Iger said without hesitation: "Take a step back and say that harming the interests of the Night Watchman's allies is harming the interests of the Night Watchman... If someone bullies you, How about impartiality?"

One party is rich and powerful, and the other party has no excessive demands. The negotiation went smoothly beyond imagination, and all the problems were resolved. Old Flint smiled on his face: "The chief logistics officer is really a real person. If so, then my answer is also very simple." : I will leave a hundred people to watch over the territory, and the rest will go out of the mountains and move to the fortress provided by the night watchman. In the next war with wildlings or other ghosts, we will all advance and retreat with the night watchman!"

-

Chapter 223 Open and honest

James and the Westland volunteers he brought to the Great Wall were well equipped and well trained, and Mormont quickly arranged for them to join the regiment after returning to Castle Black.Unsurprisingly, James became a Ranger Captain, an officer of all sizes... at least in name, and he's now Iger's sworn brother too.

After the dinner party, the night watchmen's guests were accommodated by old Flint. As officers, Iger and James were able to enjoy one of the strongest windproof tents in the entire clan.Sitting on the bed, James glanced at Egger: "You just added a thousand mouths to the Legion and allowed a fortress so casually, will Mormont have any objections?"

Hehe, the kingslayer who has been boring for a month is finally willing to chat?

Iger looked at him unexpectedly: "A thousand mouths, I am responsible for feeding them, and I don't need Mormont to worry about... As for the so-called fortress? It's just a rat-infested ruin, which is worthless to the night watchman. If Mormont would rather let They are not used for the rescuers I brought in, the night watchmen really deserve to die, there is no hope of keeping the Great Wall, maybe I should plan a way out sooner."

There were nineteen strongholds along the Great Wall, and the Night's Watch was only strong enough to guard three of them.This means that there are sixteen vacant seats. Iger's original plan was to subdue the savages and let them settle in to fill them up. But after going to the front line for on-the-spot investigation, he found out that if he didn't quickly find foreign aid to help fight the savages, these gangs originally planned to subdue and use them. The people outside the Great Wall are going to kill themselves.In desperation, they had no choice but to start the land-grant residents filling plan in advance... It just changed the target from savages to clan people.

The friendly troops who originally lived in the north were definitely much easier to manage than the savages, but the disadvantages were also obvious: the clan people were not homeless and could come and go freely.When the winter is over, the temperature rises and the mountains return to life, many of them will inevitably leave the fortress again and return to their habitats. genus, not to mention Iger who has just arrived.

Clan people or savages, who is better to use as a helper... The pros and cons of it can only be revealed by time.

***

After the silence, the atmosphere was quite awkward. Since James took the initiative to open the chatterbox, Iger was more than happy to show his favor to such a powerful thug and an important nobleman, and made a close call: "James, it has been a few days since we arrived at the Great Wall. How is the gap between people’s life and imagination? If you encounter any problems, just tell me that it can be solved, and I will definitely help.”

"Thank you." James removed the armor, put it away, lay down on the bed, put his hands on the back of his head, and looked at the top of the tent to rest: "But you should take care of yourself first."

Take care of yourself?Iger was at a loss, and he was a superior after all. He wanted to win over the newly promoted Ranger Captain, but whoever thought of a disagreement would be taught a lesson. This is unbearable: "What do you mean?"

"Do you really think that everyone else is blind?" James snorted. "The first time we met in Winterfell, and the second time we met in King's Landing, I thought you looked like a human being. Who knew you still had such a hobby."

"What hobby?" Iger became more and more confused the more he listened. There were many things he could not see, but none of them seemed to offend James Lannister in front of him: "Can you explain clearly."

"On the way north, the little boy next to you." James snorted, "The pants are full of blood, as if we can't see it? What you like is your own business, but you have to pay attention to it, you Do you want to kill him? Where is the child now, is he recuperating in Winterfell, or where did you deal with it?"

……

Iger opened his mouth and froze for a moment.

It turned out that James and the Westlanders had seen it too.But things seem to go a little too far: they misunderstood Arya as their own male favorite or child molestation—it is really abnormal to be able to make a little boy with chrysanthemums all over the ground and blood on his pants Yes, no wonder even James looked down on him.

Damn, Arya, this girl, really got herself into a lot of trouble!

Egger's head suddenly became dizzy. As the unsuspecting number one expert among the Night Watchmen, James has more than 40 elite soldiers in his hands. He can be regarded as a force worth fighting for on the Great Wall... But if this matter is not explained Clearly, in James' eyes, he has become a pervert who likes boys.Under such circumstances, let alone making friends or befriending one of our own people, I am afraid that it would be difficult to maintain a normal night watchman's colleagues and superiors and subordinates...

But how to explain this matter?If you tell James that the little boy he brought back to Winterfell is Arya Stark, then he will have a handle in the hands of the other party... Although Stannis is currently in King's Landing, in case the neutral image is broken , after all, it is not a good thing.

After thinking about it for a while and weighing the pros and cons, Iger gritted his teeth and gave him an excuse: "What do you know, what is the name of the child, whether it is a boy or a girl, how much do you know? You thought you knew something about me Essence and true face?"

"Huh?" James stared at Iger unexpectedly for a while, seeing his upright look, realized that he might have misunderstood something, and suddenly slowed down a lot: "Who is that child...is it a boy or a girl... ...Could it be a girl?" James, a man in his 30s, couldn't possibly not even know his aunt, so he immediately reacted: "That blood is——"

"It's good to know, I can't tell you the identity of the child, I just hope you can understand that I am not the kind of person you thought before."

"Okay, I misunderstood." Iger set off from King's Landing, and the child beside him disappeared in Winterfell again. James, as a member of the Lannister family, is of course well-informed.Combining many clues, it is easy to guess Arya's identity: "However, it seems that you have violated the principle of neutrality of the Night Watch."

"That's right, but I helped Tyrion escape from King's Landing on the day you broke into trouble, which also violated the principle of neutrality of the Night Watch." Iger retorted without backing down: "I think you should be able to understand - in this world, There are some rules that we don't follow completely, do we."

The room was silent for a few more seconds. James was a little embarrassed, and he stopped lying down and half sat up: "Okay, I made a mistake, I apologize." Shrugging, after a long circle, he finally Start answering the question that Iger asked at the beginning: "But since you have explained to me some misunderstandings and some things about me, I might as well make it clear to you in advance-no matter what my father said to you in Golden Tooth City Leave him alone... don't think about taking special care of me, or try to take off the black clothes for me, just let me be an ordinary night watchman."

Iger looked at James suspiciously, nodded, and waited for his next words.

"I don't have any opinion on you personally, I appreciate your kindness..." James paused and took a long breath: "But I have made too many mistakes in my life. Put on black clothes and run to the northern border of the kingdom Joining the Night's Watch was probably the rightest thing I've ever done. This time, let me finish my oath once. Maybe I'll be the one to die fighting wildlings or what you call the White Walkers The best ending, if you really want to help me, please send my remains back to Casterly Rock City."

……

Iger was a little surprised this time, but after thinking about it, James' thoughts were unexpected and reasonable... People are in different situations, and their thoughts may be completely different: I am racking my brains Make great contributions, snatch the right to speak and gain influence, so as to lay the foundation for being able to determine your own destiny in the future—take off your black clothes, and even do something big. But for others, joining the Night Watchman may have already Is the best home.

James is a grown man in his early thirties, and may seem headstrong, childish, and reckless compared to many of his peers...but he is not a child anymore, he has his own ideas, can take care of himself, and doesn't need Everything is pointed out by others and even provided with care.

The kingslayer has his own plan, so the so-called "salvation" and "repentance" are probably just his own sentimentality.

***

Although the two sides had some misunderstandings about each other, it was a good thing to clarify in time. Although this conversation was not pleasant, it did narrow the distance between the two sides, which was a good start.

"I understand, thank you for telling me what's in your heart." Iger nodded, "But since the open and honest dialogue has begun, I might as well make it clear: the Great Wall is the front line of protecting the human kingdom, not someone's own inner atonement , A place where you can let yourself go or get rid of your life. You want to be an ordinary night watchman, which is fine, but your oath requires you to protect your life so that you can continue to watch. Don’t take the initiative to seek death, which seems great and heroic It’s actually worthless.”

"In addition, there is one thing you probably have forgotten. You are the first buyer of the Night Watchman bond. The Night Watchman industry can go to today, and your first sponsorship, which has never been redeemed, is largely due to...you He is my creditor and entrepreneurial investor, even one of my benefactors. Even if you have lost that bond, it will not change the fact that you and I are not simply 'knowing' and 'sworn brothers' relationship— ——I will try my best to treat you as an ordinary night watchman. But please remember one thing: If I can't help but treat you preferentially or take care of you, it is definitely not out of sympathy, pity or looking at the face of your father and brother Doing this is really owed to you, please enjoy it calmly, don't think about it, and even feel that I am insulting you."

James looked at Iger thoughtfully, then smiled, although it was only a slight movement of the corner of his mouth, but it was a smile.I don't know if it reminds me of the bond that he no longer knows where to throw it, or the weird conversation he had when he was dragged by Tyrion to visit the Night Watchman's property, and even the weird connection between the two in the event of Bran's fall from the building. ...but the attitude has changed quite a bit from before.

"I understand. I also thank the Chief Logistics Officer for explaining this to me. I will keep it in mind."

James replied in the tone of a subordinate, although he still looked decadent and careless, but Iger understood that although the start of this set was a bit off, the results were quite fruitful.

Then the heavy curtain of the tent was lifted, and two young girls got in, with a mixed expression of shyness and secret joy on their faces: "Good evening, two adults, the patriarch ordered us... to warm the beds for the two distinguished guests. "

-

Chapter 224

Regarding the excessive enthusiasm of the mountain clan for the guests, Iger had already been greeted before he came, so he was not too surprised.Out of the consideration of following the customs and being polite, he and James followed the reminders and left two girls who visited late at night, and shared beds and blankets with them... Among the clan people, they were considered pretty, but the two night watchmen were still It doesn't matter if you are so iron that you can play 4P without any psychological barriers, so - "warming the bed" is really just warming the bed.

After bidding farewell to the Flint clan, Iger visited the Woll clan near the Ice Bay to the west.The conditions negotiated with Old Flint before are already a typical agreement that both parties can be satisfied with, and half of the conditions have not changed... Iger negotiated an agreement to settle in the land grant with the clan with the most members in the entire northern border.

Relying on the promise of two castles and "management of meals", Iger brought in two mountain clans and nearly [-] new residents for the land gift. Their joining made Iger know the feasibility of the plan.Even... On the contrary, he now has to start to think about the situation where it is too late to prevent it from happening—if he fails to control the amount of foreign aid he brings in, and ends up moving to the Great Wall, but he can't support himself, that would be ridiculous up.

There are a total of sixteen castles that can be stationed along the Great Wall. The ideal situation is that each of them is defended... This means that it is best to reach a similar cooperation with fourteen clans, which cannot be negotiated by Iger alone— —Whether there is time or not, as the chief logistics officer, he should not waste time and energy on such repetitive tasks.Now that he has confirmed that this series of conditions for staying in the land-grant can impress the mountain clan, he decided not to go to battle in person, but to let his subordinates visit.

Iger picked out five accompanying soldiers who were fairly clear-headed, and after explaining the conditions and all the details to them, he asked them to go south to find several other nearby clans under the escort of the guides and soldiers provided by the Woer clan. He returned to Castle Black with James and others.

He can bring reinforcements, but now he has to go back to ensure two things: [-]. Mormont can accept the conditions he negotiated; [-]. The reinforcements must be stationed before the wildlings officially attack the city.

……

After briefly telling what happened, Mormont nodded and agreed with Egger's plan. The Night Watchman has no choice now, as long as he can stop the wildlings, let alone sixteen abandoned fortresses, even if the clansmen want to live in Castle Black, it is not out of the question. .

After Iger finished his trip, Xiong Lao also told him the latest situation of the Great Wall's defense and a piece of good news: the wild people stationed outside Castle Black have left one after another, apparently to carry out what Ygritte said "Mance's Plan of Attack".Although King Stannis took most of his troops to the south, he sent more than a dozen fast warships to support Eastwatch—with this support from the sea, at least the line of smuggling from Seal Bay was cut off...