The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Before coming, the Mountain had specifically sought out Jon Targaryen for a significant and far-reaching conversation.

Jon Targaryen resided in the three-story stone house that the Mountain had occupied during his tenure as Master of War.

The Night's Watch held a unique position; they were not under the command of the King, yet they were part of the nation; their supplies and manpower depended on the country, but their political and military affairs were entirely independent.

Jon, like Eddard Stark, deeply remembered the Mountain's great service in killing the Night King. The Mountain was also Eddard Stark's savior, and the foreteller of the Red Wedding at the Twins, whose counterattack, commanded by Eddard and Robb, saved the entire Northern army.

"Lord Commander Jon!" The Mountain spoke politely, but from his voice and imposing presence, no one could detect his politeness.

"Your Grace," Jon responded respectfully.

"Do you still remember the Night's Watch oath?"

"I will never forget it, Your Grace."

"May I hear the Night's Watch oath?"

"Of course, Your Grace." Although Jon felt strange, he solemnly recited it: "Night gathers, and now my watch begins. It shall not end until my death. I shall take no wife, hold no lands, father no children. I shall wear no crowns and win no glory. I shall live and die at my post. I am the sword in the darkness, the watcher on the walls, the fire that burns against the cold, the light that brings the dawn, the horn that wakes the sleepers, the shield that guards the realms of men. I pledge my life and honor to the Night's Watch, for this night and all the nights to come."

"Lord Commander Jon, 'the horn that wakes the sleepers, the shield that guards the realms of men.' What do these words mean?"

"We are stationed at the Wall, and if an enemy attacks, we will blow the horn to remind the people south of the Wall to prepare for battle; we are the defensive shield of the country, protecting the country's safety is our duty, and our only responsibility."

"Well said, Lord Commander Jon, 'the shield that guards the realms of men'? If the enemy does not come from the north, but from the south, from the sea, should you stand idly by, or should you raise your shield that guards the realms of men? I believe the oath 'the shield that guards the realms of men' clearly points out that it is not the shield that guards the Wall, nor the shield that guards the North, but refers to the entire complete nation."

Jon was stunned! It was the first time he had heard such an analysis of the oath 'the shield that guards the realms of men.' He found himself unable to refute the Mountain's words.

"When the Others attack, is it a war solely for the Night's Watch, or a war for our entire country?"

"A war for the entire country, Your Grace."

"When the wildlings attack, break through the Wall, and invade south in large numbers, does the war belong only to the Night's Watch or to the entire country?"

"The entire country, Your Grace."

"If foreign races attack us from the sea, launching a brutal war of aggression, does this war belong only to the King's Landing garrison and the Royal Navy fleet or to the entire country?"

"The entire country."

"The Night's Watch's supplies, military pay, and iron ore are provided by the country, or are they obtained by the Night's Watch itself through trade? Or is it only the support of the North?"

Jon felt his mouth dry: "The Night's Watch's supplies, military pay, and iron ore have long been provided by the country, Your Grace."

"What about manpower? Where do your recruits come from?"

"From all over the country."

"Which places?"

"Dorne, the Crownlands, the Reach, the Vale, the Westerlands, the Riverlands, the Iron Islands, the North."

"Lord Commander Jon, if the Night's Watch loses the support of the country, will the Night's Watch still exist? Once the new generation of free folk rises again, or in the next century of winter, the Others attack again, do you think the Wall and the North, without the kingdom's support, can defeat the free folk or the Others' attack alone?"

"Uh! Your Grace," Jon tasted bitterness in his mouth. "After I return to the North, I will report Your Grace's suggestion to the King in the North, and we will sign a peace agreement with the King-Beyond-the-Wall."

"How long can a peace agreement last? Jon. A year? Three years? Ten years? A hundred years? Once the people beyond the Wall have difficulty living, they will raid south for survival. Once this generation of Kings-Beyond-the-Wall and generals grow old, and a new generation of free folk rises, they will launch wars again and raid south, without a doubt. Do you agree with my judgment, Jon?"

Jon was silent for a long time: "...Agree...Your Grace..."

"The Battle of Winterfell ended with my killing the Night King, but where did the Night King come from?"

"The Land of Always Winter."

"What god does the Night King believe in?"

"The Great Other!"

"Have we killed the Great Other?"

"...No..."

"If the Great Other is not dead, the Others will definitely come back again. It's like the cycle of day and night."

"............"

"Lord Commander Jon, do you understand what I mean?"

"Your Grace believes that the Night's Watch system at the Wall should continue, and the Night's Watch must continue to guard the Wall."

"Yes," the Mountain said in a deep voice, "but I am prepared to amend the laws of the Night's Watch, allowing the Night's Watch to marry, visit relatives, rotate shifts, receive high salaries, and obtain titles and lands for meritorious service. The three laws of not marrying, not holding lands, and not fathering children must be abolished. According to the law that the Night's Watch cannot marry, you and Ygritte may have already violated the law. Samwell Tarly and Gilly are even guilty of death, and their children are illegitimate children without fathers or mothers. I know that there is a Cypress Village in the Haunted Forest, and most of the children there are illegitimate children of the Night's Watch brothers. In Mole's Town on the Night's Watch's Gift, there are also many illegitimate children of the Night's Watch brothers. According to the law, the Night's Watch brothers who have children must be beheaded. But if all the brothers are beheaded, the Night's Watch will collapse."

"............" Jon was speechless!

"Jon, your current identity is still the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. I need your support to change the Night's Watch system, so that the Night's Watch is no longer a gathering place for thieves, robbers, smugglers, pirates, death row prisoners, vagrants, and unemployed people. The Night's Watch is like the Royal Navy fleet, a legion of the highest glory. Warriors come from outstanding knights from all over the country, and veterans who have served for one year are eligible to rotate to King's Landing to serve as garrison officers. The Night's Watch's military pay, supplies, status, promotion channels for meritorious service, and the titles and lands of senior officers such as the First Ranger and Lord Commander, I will solve them."

"...Your Grace...The Night's Watch is a legion independent of the Seven Kingdoms...I hope Your Grace will not change the Night's Watch's absolute independence in military and political affairs..."

"That was the past!" The Mountain said in a deep voice, "Don't forget that the Night's Watch's soldiers come from the Seven Kingdoms, and don't forget the Night's Watch oath - the shield of the kingdom. Not the shield of the Wall, not the shield of the North. The Night's Watch, like other legions, exists for the safety of this country."

Jon vaguely felt the Mountain's ambition. Was he going to include the Wall under his command? Then, what about the North? Between the Wall and King's Landing, there is also an independent kingdom: the North.

Jon agreed with the Mountain's proposal to abolish the Night's Watch's law of 'no children, no marriage, no land', which would make the Night's Watch brothers very happy, without a doubt. The Mountain would gain the support and love of the Night's Watch brothers, but Jon also felt uneasy. He was afraid that the Mountain would interfere with the military power of the Night's Watch and eventually control everything.

"Your Grace, if you no longer allow the Night's Watch's military and political affairs to be independent of the Seven Kingdoms, I am afraid I have to oppose you!" Jon tentatively said.

"If you oppose me, I will revoke your position as Lord Commander," the Mountain said without hesitation.

"Your Grace has no right to revoke me. My position as Lord Commander was elected by the Night's Watch brothers. Your Grace has no right to decide who will be the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, let alone revoke my position as Lord Commander."

"Then I will make sure you are not elected."

"You can't do that either, Your Grace."

"Oh? Jon, how many soldiers are left in the Night's Watch now?"

"Two hundred."

"I will send another thousand Clegane soldiers to the Wall to serve as Night's Watch, or two thousand-man teams. None of the votes of these thousand-man teams will be cast for you. Jon, you have no chance of winning."

Jon Targaryen was speechless!

He suddenly realized that if the Mountain wanted to implement his Night's Watch policy and interfere with the military and political affairs of the Night's Watch, he, the Lord Commander, would not even have a chance to fight back.

Complete crushing!

Jon stared at the Mountain. The Mountain, as burly as a giant, gave him an unparalleled feeling of strength, and unparalleled was the Clegane family motto.

"Jon, I am sending troops to guard the Wall, but it is not to take away your position as Lord Commander. I want to make the Wall a real shield of the kingdom, and also to prevent the Night's Watch brothers from being lonely for the rest of their lives. They have contributed themselves to the kingdom, and they should enjoy a prosperous, free, and happy life. They should have wives and sons who love them, and they should have the right to visit relatives and go home. Soldiers who have made meritorious service in battle should have the opportunity to be rewarded with titles and lands. Jon, will your two hundred brothers object to raising military pay, getting rotation, and having the right to go home to visit relatives?"

"None of the Night's Watch brothers will object, they will only accept it enthusiastically. But I hope that the Night's Watch will be completely independent in military and political affairs, as it was in the past."

"The Night's Watch can never be independent in military and political affairs. The Night's Watch itself has never been able to solve the problem of troop sources, nor can it be self-sufficient in living and military supplies. Without the support of the country, the Night's Watch brothers will starve to death. When winter comes, the North is also short of clothes and food. Every winter, many people in the North freeze to death and starve to death. This winter, the situation in the North will be even more difficult. Before the Battle of Winterfell, if I hadn't had the Tyrell family transport a large amount of food into the North, most of the people in the North would not have been able to survive this long winter. Years of civil war have brought the consumption of food and various supplies stored in the North close to the edge."

"............" Jon was speechless again.

Jon deeply knew that once the Mountain's proposal was known to the Night's Watch brothers, every Night's Watch brother would agree with both hands and feet. As for military independence and political independence, soldiers and generals would not care about this. They cared more about drinking hot beer and hugging their beloved girls in the cold weather, instead of sneaking around at the risk of being beheaded. They no longer had to run away at the risk of their lives, and going home to visit relatives became their most legitimate right. As long as they worked hard, they would have a way to be promoted to nobles, and nobles would have a way to be promoted to titles. This would make any warrior of any status and position excited.

Although he was wary of the Mountain's ambition, Jon was still convinced by the Mountain's 'reform'. As long as the things the Mountain said were introduced, the Night's Watch brothers would regard the Mountain as the king and god who saved them.

This gave Jon a feeling of suffocation.

The Mountain was too powerful. If he had the intention to unify the North, Jon believed that the North, like him, would not have the power to fight back. Years of civil war plus winter made the North vulnerable to the Mountain. However, the Mountain had never had malice towards the North. During the civil war, the Mountain saved the entire North twice.

"I need your support, Jon. Let us build a real shield of the kingdom together. The Night's Watch is rich and powerful, and elite soldiers and fierce generals are stationed at the Wall. This not only protects the Wall, but also protects the North. This generation of free folk may not invade the North again, but the new generation of free folk warriors will definitely raid south again."

——The Night's Watch is strong, which not only protects the Wall, but also protects the North; the new generation of free folk warriors will definitely raid south——The Mountain's words convinced Jon and touched his heart. If he did not agree to be the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, the Mountain would also arrange for his people. Refusal was invalid, and someone he didn't know would come to take office, but it must be the Mountain's confidant, which would probably not be good for the North: "Your Grace, I support your decision."

The Mountain extended his giant hand to Jon, and two hands, one large and one small, were clasped together.

"Jon, after the new laws of the Night's Watch are promulgated, do you have a woman you like in your heart? I am willing to be your matchmaker."

"Matchmaker?"

The Mountain showed a fake smile: "Daenerys Targaryen is unparalleled in beauty, and I am willing to be a matchmaker to let her marry you and become husband and wife."

Jon Targaryen's face flushed red immediately, and the young man felt that he had been humiliated: "Your Grace, Daenerys is my elder."

"The Targaryen family has a tradition of internal marriage, I know that."

"I cannot accept internal family marriage. I grew up in the North and believe in the Old Gods. Incest and kinslaying are absolutely unforgivable sins, heinous crimes."

The little calculation in the Mountain's heart disappeared. This kid's surname is Targaryen, but he is actually a Stark, and in his bones he is a wolf; Bran is a Stark, but he is actually a Targaryen, a dragon.

The Mountain nodded, and his eyes revealed admiration for Jon. Obviously, he thought Jon Targaryen's view was extremely correct! Eddard Stark had cultivated a true knight.

"On Dragonstone, didn't you get close to Daenerys?" The Mountain was still a little uneasy. He asked the 'dirty' thought hidden deep in his heart.

Jon's face turned even redder, and blue veins popped out on his neck: "Your Grace, please do not listen to rumors, and do not humiliate my honor and faith. Daenerys and I are innocent. She is my aunt."

Hehe, Jon and Daenerys are innocent!

The Mountain felt even more happy in his heart, and Jon's words were exactly what he wanted to hear.

The Mountain felt comfortable and enjoyed himself, but his face remained serious and solemn. "Alright, Jon, I take back what I said earlier, but I have some truly great news to tell you."

"What is it?" Jon's tone was wary. The Mountain's words had made him feel resentful and deeply humiliated, but he still had to maintain his manners.

"Sansa Stark will be marrying Raynald Westerling. Would you like to join us in the Westerlands for the wedding? I will also be going to the North to pick up King Eddard Stark of the North and his Queen, Catelyn Tully."

Jon noticed that the Mountain addressed Eddard as King of the North and Catelyn Tully as Queen.

"I am eager to attend Sansa's wedding, Your Majesty."

"Very well, it is settled then. For Sansa and Raynald's wedding, I would like to invite Daenerys Targaryen to attend as well. Do you think Daenerys will accept my invitation?"

"I do not know Daenerys, I cannot give you an answer." Jon's tone was quite sincere.

"Oh, then I will try to contact Daenerys and extend an invitation to her. If Daenerys refuses, I hope you can step in and help me."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

*

And so, the Mountain, now certain that Daenerys was 'single,' went to find her!

Thanks to [Chau534] for the reward, thank you, handshake.

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