The king on the Great Wall

"Who, Bowen Marsh? A fellow who can only count spoons? Not to mention Othel, who is used to obedience. He does what the Lord Commander asks him to do, and now that Mormont is dead, he listens again." Bowen Marsh's words—"

"Me." Jon said decisively, "If it were me, would you consider it?"

"You?" Carter Pike stopped complaining in surprise, stared at the other party for a while, and shook his head: "No, no, your qualifications are too young, you even joined the Night Watchman for only a year, you Enemy Iger West outlasts you."

"Even if I'm the night watchman who just joined yesterday, I'm still qualified to run for election." Jon retorted unceremoniously, "When Elder Xiong was successfully elected as the commander-in-chief, he didn't wear black for many years. If he can be successfully elected, Relying on the aristocratic status of the original Earl of Bear Island, the experience and ability to manage a party and lead troops to fight, and the blood of the Mormont family and the northern princes who broke the bones and the tendons! And these conditions, I have all have!"

Royce, like the Stark family, has the blood of the ancestors, and he is the original Earl of Runestone City, nicknamed Bronze Jon. There is no doubt about his ability and experience, and his blood and birth are also famous and noble enough... Carter Pike frowned and thought for a while , I really can't find any reason to refute it.After a long time, I finally came up with a question: "Old Xiong voluntarily joined the Night Watchman, but you——were forced to put on black clothes because of the failure of the rebellion."

"King Robert called it a 'treason', but... swear to gods old and new, we only wanted to drive Lysa Tully, who murdered our lord, out of the Vale, and everyone in the Seven Kingdoms knew how Something happened."

"Don't mention rebellion or rebellion, you are indeed qualified to participate in the election." Carter waved his hand, motioning several subordinates to put away the dice and coins and leave: "But what do you use to convince me, take the two hundred dollars in my hand vote for you?"

"Because if you continue like this, you won't be able to win the position of commander-in-chief, and I can offer a better choice, that is—the three of us rule together." Jon Royce raised his head and expressed his vision: "You are good at handling ships and fighting, and Sir Mallister is good at dealing with noble kings. These skills can be used by the Night Watch Legion. Let me be the honorary commander-in-chief. You are still in charge of Eastwatch, Melis Sir Te is still in control of the Shadow Tower, and we will discuss and decide on other important matters of the Night Watchman Legion, how about it?"

"Chih—" Carter chuckled lightly, but didn't answer right away.

"Sir Mallister has already said that as long as you agree to this plan, he will also vote for me. As long as you can easily win two hundred votes from the Night Watchmen of Castle Black, you will be able to achieve great things." Royce bit Gritting his teeth, he told a big lie. "Agger West has been away from Winterfell for several days, and he will be back at Castle Black in these two days. I hope to get your reply as soon as possible."

……

The commander of the Shadow Tower was born under the Hong Bell Tower in Haijiang City, and he is a mallister through and through.The collar and cuffs of his black velvet tunic were trimmed with ermine, and his cloak was fastened by the claws of a silver eagle.His beard was white, his hair was mostly bald, and his face was deeply lined, but still quick, with teeth in his mouth, and years had not dimmed his blue-gray eyes or dimmed his nobility.

"Lord Jon." When Jon entered the Spear Tower where the Shadow Tower delegation lived, the old nobleman greeted first, "The Royce family and the Mallister family have been friends since ancient times. Even more so decades ago... I sincerely hope that you are not here to convince me to vote for Carter Parker. No offense, but it should be Parker who should quit. I have more votes than him , and more suitable than him."

"You are indeed more suitable than him." Eon Royce nodded, determined to quickly explain his intentions, so as not to be forced to listen to a bunch of nonsense from him like when he persuaded Pike: "But you and Carter Pike have been enemies for too long He is worried that when you come to power and become the commander, you will deprive him of his status as a commander in Eastwatch."

"He would say that?" Dennis looked at Jon unexpectedly, "You and I both know that a decent person would never engage in such a nasty thing of public revenge. Tell him that if I win the election, he can keep his original position. "

"Of course I believe in your character, Sir Mallister." Jon spread his hands helplessly, "Cat Pike didn't express his worries, I could see everything. He was born in ironmen, and Growing up watching rape and killing on the deck, experiencing intrigue... Violence and suspicion have soaked his bones, believe it or not, he will not accept your promise obediently."

"That's a pity," said Ser Mallister blankly. "Cat Pyke is an admirable warrior, but you and I, both of noble birth, should know that some things cannot be settled with the sword alone. The Vigil The commander-in-chief of the People's Legion must be a leader, not a general, must have contacts, have the ability to communicate with other nobles, and deal with troublesome things—must be convincing and respectable enough."

The old knight leaned back in the chair: "I am not greedy for power. In the last election, when Lord Mormont's name was proposed, I gave up with all my heart. Earlier, I also made way for Lord Kogel —as long as the Night's Watch is in reliable hands, I'm content. Unfortunately, I can't bring myself to make way for Pike of Eastwatch."

"I understand and understand your concerns, Sir Mallister." Jon Royce nodded: "But if the commanders of the Shadow Tower and Eastwatch continue to hold on to their tickets like this, the Night Watchman The Legion will not be able to elect a commander-in-chief next year. If so, our Chief Logistics Officer will continue to play with his 'land-grant resettlement plan' until the gang of wildlings finally destroy the Night's Watch Legion."

"If you can't choose, keep choosing until I die or Pike changes his mind - there is no precedent in history." Sir Mallister did not have a son who was "killed" by Iger, he shrugged: "As for Iger And his savages can't last long, and there's not enough food."

"There's not enough food." Jorn nodded, "But once Iger can't feed the wildlings, do you think he will obediently send them away? Don't forget, there are countless winter reserves hidden in the cellar of Castle Black. If he incites those thugs to attack Castle Black, without the cover of the Great Wall, the Night Watchmen will not be able to resist the onslaught of tens of thousands of wildlings with just a single wall."

Mallister frowned and thought for a few seconds, then nodded: "It is indeed worth worrying about, what advice do you have for this?"

"I have a good proposal to offer—three people to rule together." Jon said solemnly: "I, who has neither personal grudges nor great friendship with the two of you, will be the honorary commander-in-chief to exercise the night watchman." The supreme leader has the power to suspend the land-grant resettlement plan, and retain the positions of the two commanders, and the major issues of the legion—the three of us will discuss and decide together."

After a pause, he decided to add: "Cat Pike has already said that as long as you agree to vote for me, he will also join."

-

Chapter 279 Delay is Victory

The wind was howling outside the window, and it was another day as usual.Sam put on his clothes and boots, walked out of his room, looked up at the cloudy and gray sky, suppressed the idea of ​​going back to sleep under the warm quilt, and walked towards the hall and election field.

There was no color in Castle Black, and even the skin of the people was pale against the black clothes; the ice walls were full of cold, like the heat of a fire.The cold wind pulled the corners of the clothes and trousers and poured into the gaps of the winter clothes. The cold feeling quickly spread from every part of the body. Sam pulled up the hood and wrapped the cloak tightly, and hurried to the destination.

It was terribly cold, and that was the result of Castle Black's walls and dense buildings, which blocked most of the wind from the cold.It is hard to imagine how bad the temperature and climate would be in the wilderness outside the wall.As for the world north of the Great Wall that has been completely occupied by the White Walkers and the dead... Sam couldn't help shivering just thinking about it.

The brothers who came to vote gathered in the cellar as usual. The election has been going on for almost three months, and there are only three candidates who have not withdrawn. Light.The patrol outside the wall has long since ceased, and the savages passing through the Great Wall have also stopped very quickly; the commander-in-chief has not been elected for a long time, and the ghouls have not continued to attack... All the soldiers and officers are in a rather slack state, and even daily drills are not enough. On and off.

Everyone usually votes routinely while eating breakfast every day, and then they go back to the tower or the top of the Great Wall to hang out.

But today, as soon as Sam entered the door, he felt something strange: Before he walked down the stairs, he heard the buzzing sound of discussions... The brothers crowded around the benches and tables, some were having breakfast, some Looking left and right to ask his companions, the voice echoed on the vaulted ceiling, making people feel as if their brains were numb.

This excitement only appeared in the first few days of the election. What happened?

Sam had a bad feeling, looked around and found his friends.

"what happened?"

Pip turned around: "Damn, why are you getting up now!"

"I don't get up at this time every day." Sam replied in a muffled voice, looking at Glenn - this big man always answered questions immediately, and never made jokes or jokes. Although sometimes he seemed silly, but Sam Like him: "What happened, why did everyone not leave after breakfast, what are they discussing?"

The big man nicknamed Stupid Bull replied honestly as usual: "Ser Denys Mallister and Lord Carter Pike withdrew from the election, and both voted for the new candidate-Yoan Royce."

"Lord Royce directly won nearly 600 votes." Pip shrugged and added details: "As long as there are more than [-] votes, he will be the new commander-in-chief..."

"670." Sam subconsciously said the exact number, and his heart sank: It's over, the worst situation has yet to emerge.

After repeated losses and additions, the total number of Night Watchmen has risen slightly from the lowest point, and currently has a total of 670 members.As long as there are [-] votes, two-thirds of the total number of the Night Watch Corps can be reached, and they can win the election and become the next commander-in-chief.

Gaining the support of the Commanders of the Shadow Tower and Eastwatch does not mean that he is directly elected as the Commander-in-Chief, but throughout the recorded history of the Night Watch, every candidate who has the support of the commanders of these two strongholds at the same time...

In the end, they all succeeded in being elected commander-in-chief.

That's right, every one, without exception!

The reason is simple. The Shadow Tower and Eastwatch are at the two ends of the Great Wall. Since ancient times, they have been the two forts with the largest number of soldiers stationed besides the headquarters of the Night Watch. This was the case when the Night Watch was still guarding nineteen forts. The castle hasn't changed since it moved to Castle Black, and it's still the same when there were five left... let alone a hundred years after there were only three left.

Although Commander Mormont reopened a large number of forts along the Great Wall with the support of foreign aid, the other sixteen forts were not completely guarded by night watchmen. There are many towers or Donghaiwang.

Sir Dennis Mallister and Carter Pike hold the voting rights of more than two-fifths of the members of the entire Night Watch Corps.For now, Jon Royce only had to manage to grab a hundred or so random votes from Castle Black's sworn brethren to seal the victory.

Just being stunned by the unexpected news, a tall night watchman ranger approached the discussion group of three people, and asked directly without any politeness: "Hey, what should we do now?"

……

The speaker is a Lannisport guard who followed Jaime Lannister to the Great Wall. Normally, the Westlanders form a small group by themselves, and they don’t and don’t bother with other night watchmen—especially Sam, Grenn Such "cowards" deal with "fools".But right now they have to communicate with their allies: Iger told them to vote for Carter Pike before leaving to close the gap between the top two in order to maintain a balance of power, but suddenly the top two all withdrew from the election, and the people in the West Territory suddenly At a loss, he asked the open supporters of the reformists.

"What should I do?" I don't know, Sam looked around in a panic.Iger was on his way back from the northern border, and Jon went to urge and warn him, and the Kingslayer hates being in charge and brainstorming... Now in this huge Castle Black, his cowardly fat man has become the leader of the reformists. Principal?

"Hurry up, should I vote for Bookwell, or re-nominate Sir James and give him the vote?" the Westlander urged in displeasure, "It can't be abstaining or throwing the vote to Royce, right?"

Abstention is impossible. According to the law of the night watchman, in order to ensure the election of the commander-in-chief, the winner only needs to get two-thirds of the actual votes. Even if half of the people abstain, No.1 only needs to get the remaining half. Two-thirds of the votes will be elected... Every abstention will only bring No.1 one step closer to being elected.

Fucking himself up, Sam feels like he's about to pee.But it's not his fault, no matter who gets the votes from Sir Mallister and Carter Pike, they will be invincible without any suspense... He tried not to tremble, and was silent for a while thinking He pretended to be thinking to cover up his panic, but suddenly a voice came out from the bottom of his heart.

(No, it's not over yet.)

"Invincible" does not mean "victory" after all.

It is true that every candidate who has the support of both the Shadow Tower and Eastwatch becomes Commander-in-Chief, but not every candidate who becomes Commander-in-Chief has the support of both the Shadow Tower and Eastwatch.There is no necessary causal relationship between these two things. In the final analysis, the key is still the two-thirds line—as long as the night watchmen of the two fortresses do not add up to two-thirds of the total number of people, then "get this The support of two commanders" cannot be equated with "becoming commander-in-chief".

Sam doesn't know whether Eon Royce persuaded Sir Mallister and Carter Pike to vote for him by means of personality charm, exchange of interests or other means... But he and hundreds of people in the past relied on the Shadow Tower and Eastwatch The commander who supported and won the election is different: he has only won the votes of these two strongholds for the time being.

Dennis Mallister and Carter Pike were both old men who had been dressed in black for decades. Even if the soldiers of Castle Black didn't know him, they were familiar with their names.But Jon Royce, to most of Castle Black's Night's Watch, was just a former earl and fallen nobleman from the Far Dales who was sent by King Robert for treachery - and he and Othell withdrew from the election , but cannot let the hundreds of brothers who support him vote for a specific person, the commanders of the Shadow Tower and Eastwatch can vote for him with the 400 votes they represent...but they cannot order Castle Black The brothers who originally supported the two of them also voted for Royce!

As long as we make good use of this opportunity, so that all the votes lost from the two commanders will not be collected in the name of Jon Royce, things will turn around!

The reason is very simple, even children can understand, but how to do it?

(drag!)

Another word popped up in his mind, and Sam didn't have time to think about it, so he suppressed his stammer and quickly gave instructions to the impatient Westlander: "Just vote for Warner Bookwell, there is no reason, anyway... It's the same anyway, just don't vote for Lord Royce."

The westerner glanced at Sam, who couldn't hide his panic, and realized that the other party probably had no idea. He nodded, turned and walked back to his small group.

"Hey, Sam." The melancholy Eddie also came over: "If you don't have any more good ideas, our new commander-in-chief is Jon Royce... Although I have nothing against this guy, I heard that he I have a grudge against Iger, if this is a narrow-minded person, and we are friends of Jon, and Jon is a friend of Iger, if he becomes a commander and wants to wear shoes for us, then it will be very bad!"

"Oh, it's not so easy to come up with a good idea. Eddie, can you stop making trouble?" Sam was thinking hard about a solution, and he hugged his head when he heard this.I have neither influence nor many friends in Castle Black. It can be said that it is difficult to prevent the situation from changing. After much deliberation, I can only hope to delay the time and wait for Iger or at least Jon to come back first and then find another way. "Glenn, please hurry to Houguan Town later, no matter whether Iger arrives or not, at least call Jon back first."

"Okay." The big man shrugged indifferently. "Let's go now?"

"No, wait, I will write you a note. If you see Iger, give it to him. If you don't see it, you should also give it to a reliable person in Houguan Town. Make sure that the Chief Logistics Officer returns to Castle Black. I can see it before." Sam looked around, but found no pen and paper, and was about to go back to the room to get it, but he heard the discussions of other brothers who were waiting to vote.

……

"Who do you vote for?"

"Whatever, let's vote for Royce. This forced matter has been dragged on for long enough, I've had enough, and finally I can choose the commander-in-chief. What are you waiting for?"

"Have enough? How comfortable life is without the commander-in-chief. No one is forced to practice, and there is no need to worry about who will be sent out of the wall to die. I don't think I have enjoyed enough."

"Shu Tan is Shu Tan. On the day when the ghouls attacked the city, I watched the whole thing on the top of the wall! Those ghosts are now on the north side of the wall, thinking about how to kill us - I heard that the leader of them is still wise. I I don’t want to be comfortable for a while, and then I don’t know when I will be overwhelmed by the dead.”

"Damn, it makes sense. But, I don't know this John Royce at all."

"A bad commander is better than nothing. Besides, Sir Mallister and Lord Carter Pike support him. How bad could it be?"

……

"Wait a minute, I'll leave the note after I give you the note." Sam realized something was wrong.Sending a letter to Iger can be delayed, but if no one stands up to say or do something at this moment, it will be meaningless to send any number of messages to anyone... But he turned his head and found that among his friends, except for Jon Besides, no one can take on this important task.

It seems that he can only play by himself.

Sam swallowed, walked into the passage, and shouted as hard as he could, "Everyone! Listen to me!"

……

No one paid any attention, and everyone still discussed their own issues, and some people even came to the stage to vote intermittently, and it was unknown whether they voted for Royce or Bookwell.

"Stupid cow, come on." Pip pushed the big man with his shoulder.

Grant wasn't as stupid as he looked, he immediately understood, patted the table with his thick palm, and shouted with a voice ten times louder than Sam's: "Everyone be quiet! Maester Aemon's assistant I have something to say!"

Sam was disliked by his father because he was fat and timid, and few people in Castle Black thought highly of him. Only with the title of Maester Aemon's assistant could people calm down and listen to him.

"Our Sir Fat Pig has something to say?" Someone laughed. "Do you have something to say, or Maester Aemon asked you to convey his meaning?"

Sam knew he couldn't answer that question.Seeing hundreds of pairs of eyes turning to him in unison, he suddenly felt his legs go limp, but he still managed to speak: "Sir Mallister and Lord Carter Pike can finally let go of their prejudices and reach an agreement. ...Rejoice. I don’t know if Lord Royce will be a good commander, but I want to remind everyone here: the commander-in-chief of the Night Watch is a lifelong duty, and once you are elected, you cannot go back on your word.”

He looked at the two commanders, swallowed again, and continued: "No matter who you vote for, I hope you will vote because you know the candidate and support him, not because he If you vote for him, you will be able to elect the Commander-in-Chief'...and make a choice rashly."

"Lord Tarly." Dennis Mallister, who was sitting at the front table, turned around and looked at Sam with a gentle expression: "Is this Master Aemon's advice?"

No, Sam knew that he couldn't reply like this. He carefully considered his words and gave an ambiguous answer: "The bachelor put on his necklace and swore an oath...he said he would never take sides in the election. This is mine. Personal Opinion: I don't know Lord Jon Royce well, I would like everyone to give him a few days before everyone votes for him, to explain the policies he will adopt as Commander-in-Chief and to prove that he has ability to take on this responsibility.”

The old knight smiled slightly: "Master Aemon is very thoughtful, I agree with this point of view, brothers, before voting, you can sit at Lord Royce's table, have a drink, and listen to his experience and ideas."

(This matter has nothing to do with Maester Aemon at all. They insisted on associating it, but they didn't lie on purpose.) Sam didn't intend to pick up the fact that he had accidentally lied to Maester Aemon, and Maester Aemon's qualifications and prestige among the Night's Watch were unmatched. Comparable, if there is no such relationship... no one would listen to half a word of this "dead fat man".

……

"But who can we vote for?" Someone immediately asked: "We don't know about Jon Royce, but Warner Bookwell has only joined the Night Watch for a few months, so how good is it!"

"Vote for yourself." The melancholy Eddie replied, crossing his chest, "at least you can't become the commander-in-chief inexplicably. Master Aemon's meaning is very clear-it is better to be short than to be indiscriminate!"

"Vote for Lord Royce, and he is likely to become the commander-in-chief, but vote for someone else, we can still have time to think carefully and judge." Sam caught a glimpse of the man sitting not far from Sir Mallister. Jon Royce looked at this side coldly, couldn't help shivering, and realized that he couldn't say more: "I've finished what I want to say, in order not to show bias, what should I do next, It's up to you brave brothers of the Night's Watch . . . to decide for yourself."

The whole body was trembling as if it was not his own. Before showing his ugly face, Sam quickly turned his head to signal Grant to follow him, and ran out of the hall as fast as he could.

-

Chapter 280

The section of the King’s Road within the grant land, from the detour to the north and tens of miles to Castle Black, has been renovated and compacted early. It is wide and straight, and there are regular inspections and maintenance. Even if the continuous heavy snow does not cover it, it is frozen solid The dark pavement is very eye-catching in the white wilderness, as if the gods have drawn a black line leading to the Great Wall on the ground.

"The round-trip time between Castle Black and Houcrown Town has been successfully shortened from a full day to more than half a day. In the foreseeable future, we will continue to renovate the southward route of Houcrown Town... Open up the north-south artery in the land grant Finally, I also plan to repair the east-west route that is close to the Great Wall and connects the nineteen fortresses along the route, so as to form a T-shaped high-quality traffic trunk road in the land-grant.” Iger rode on horseback alongside Robb and Jon, braving the cold wind He explained his infrastructure plan to the guardian of the northern border: "In this way, in the future, whether it is the transportation of supplies, food and grass, or the transfer of troops in case of emergency military situations, the efficiency will double."

Arya interjected with some dissatisfaction: "Is it only the road to the land-grant? The road from Winterfell to the land-grant is not very good. It's still called the King's Road."

Robb turned his head to look at his younger sister who couldn't sit still on the horse because of the cold wind, and shook his head: "Speak up, children, don't talk too much, it's windy outside, go back to the carriage."

"No, I'm not cold, it's so interesting to listen to the master's nonsense!"

……

Damn, my grand and long-term construction plan turned into nonsense in this girl's mouth?Arya really didn't hold back at all when she spoke... Iger was almost so embarrassed that he touched the back of his head. He tried not to show his embarrassment, and nodded with a smile: "If Lord Stark allows, we will renovate the Wolf Forest section of the King's Road in the north. Of course, the road condition of this section of road is much better than that of the gift lot, and the workload of widening and flattening is not too big. If it is repaired well, in the future, if the defense of the Great Wall is in an emergency, the speed of the northern army's support will also be greatly improved."

Robb's lips moved, and he wanted to say, "I haven't agreed to proceed with the land grant resettlement plan," but the sight of Houcrown changed his impression of the plan to contain and rule the wildlings.He thought for a while, and finally just nodded, signaling Iger to continue "blasphemy".

"In addition, I have a new idea. In order to prevent the savages taken in from endangering the northern border, the new land-grant residents accepted by the land-grant resettlement plan were not evenly distributed throughout the land-grant, but were allocated according to the plan and lived in In a large triangle formed by the Great Wall, the Shadow Tower, and the line connecting Donghaiwang and Houguan Town, there is a large section of no-man’s land as a buffer between the Great Wall and the northern border." Iger licked his lips and continued: "Wait for this T-shaped After the construction of the main road is completed, I will also repair the straight road sections of Houguan Town, Shadow Tower and Donghaiwang—in this way, a T is matched with a V, and 99% of the population of the entire land grant is roughly surrounded by this triangular route system Covered. Based on this, I hope to build a simple public transportation system."

"Public transportation system?" Robb had never heard such a combination of words.

"When the savages passed through the Great Wall, except for pure meat and poultry, all living things such as cattle and horses were confiscated by the Night Watchman Army... This is true that the animal power available to the Great Wall defenders is unprecedentedly sufficient, but it makes the newly gifted land The villagers were caught in the predicament of having no livestock to use. When they came to Houguan Town to buy grain and grass, they all had to walk on their legs and be pushed by human carts. It would take several days to buy grain back and forth." Iger said: "I hope that in the future, after the main road is repaired , regularly dispatch horse-drawn carriages to and from Houguan Town and the Shadow Tower at both ends of the Great Wall and East Sea Watch along a fixed route, allowing any land-grant residents to take a ride along the way to improve the efficiency of livestock use. Cattle and horses, but idle there."

"It sounds a bit too idealistic." Robb smiled amusedly: "If you send a few carriages for tens of thousands of people, the wheels must be broken if the horses are not exhausted."

"Of course, there is a simple way to control the number of passengers - just pay for the ride, and it can also be used to recover currency and control the amount of new land-grant people's property. The land-grant situation is special. It is only a pocket-sized society, but the population is full. Gathering together... All ideas can be boldly tried here, and even if something goes wrong, it can be stopped quickly, and there will never be any serious consequences and far-reaching effects."

"Public transportation!" Arya exclaimed excitedly, "Can you also get a round-trip carriage between Houcrown Town and Winterfell, I will be bored at home in the future, and I can take a ride to the gifted land Come and play."

"How far is it from Winterfell to Houcrown Town!" Robb glanced at Arya: "Also, I must remind you, dear sister--now, I am your parent and I love you, so I can't do anything." Everything goes according to your wishes. Without my company or permission, you must never leave the castle at will, and I don't care who you go to do! If you do it again, don't blame me for being like my mother, and guard you like a prisoner! "

The girl understood that she could not raise objections on such a principled issue, so she pouted her lips and muttered in a low voice, "I see."

……

Although the weather was bad, there was still something to be thankful for: there was no snow on the top of the head, and the strong wind was not blowing from north to south. Although it was strong, it didn't blow everyone speechless. A group of hundreds of people continued to walk along the avenue against the wind , while chatting to maintain a mental state, while trying to maintain the forward speed.

At noon, they found a place sheltered from the wind and stayed for a while. Not long after they finished their lunch and started on the road again, a black spot suddenly appeared on the gray northern horizon. It quickly emerged from the distant mist and turned into a figure, facing the team. Okay, quickly approaching the distance that can be recognized by the naked eye - it is a man in black.

More recently, Jon first recognized the identity of the visitor: "Glenn!"