"Strategy, strategy, that's a nice thing to say. Mrs. Dustin pouted angrily: "Burton, we all admit that you have a bright mind, but don't be like Horland, under the banner of strategy, but give Lord Robb bad ideas!"

Luce Bolton smiled faintly, nodded slightly, and got straight to the point: "After the Battle of Long Lake, Egger still 'seemed unguarded' to open various communication channels between the land grant and the north, and specially sent night watchmen to various castles to carry out procurement tasks. Among them, the collection of dragon crystal saltpeter and other materials is probably just a pretense, and the real purpose is actually to spread public opinion favorable to him throughout the northern territory and the seven countries through the mouths of everyone. ”

"This is quite a clever trick, and it is conceivable that if we hadn't learned from Jon about the cause and consequences of the Dragon Queen's flight to the North to help in the war, I am afraid that this room would still be discussing how to deal with the Mad Queen's dragons, right? Burton narrowed his eyes, hiding the cold glint in his eyes, "At this point, we have lost the first hand. While we were sitting here in a flamboyant motion, the news that Iger wanted to spread had spread like a ripple of water. The Night's Watch has done his best in this war against the Wraiths, and it is not possible for us to silence thousands of people and forcibly blacken him - we have been discussing the military power of the land grant and the north, but I will say that the truth is: even if the north were to fight the land grant, this war would be difficult to organize, because the other side has used tactics to break down our internal resistance!"

Under the gaze of dozens of pairs of eyes, Bolton paused for a few seconds and then changed his words: "Clever move, but the person who made the move has forgotten: the opening of information and the flow of people is a two-way street! Iger can use public opinion to silently influence the north, and we can also take this opportunity to influence the land grant and the night watchman in reverse!"

"Well said, how?" Karstark rolled his eyes, "and we're sending to the land giveaways to tell the barbarians from outside the Cypriots that Egger's allegiance to the queen and fighting for her throne is a violation of the law and a shameful oath...... And then expect these guys to band together to stop him?haha!"

"No, Lord Bolton should mean - secretly contact the people who have the motive to oppose Egger, and use their power to overthrow him from within at a low cost!" When most of the northern nobles were still confused, Horan Reed was the first to follow the old skinning train of thought, but before the words fell, he quickly showed doubts, "Wait...... Lord Burton, I've heard that you've always been very supportive of Egger, so why did you take the initiative to deal with him this time?"

"I don't have a personal relationship with Egger. At that time, he supported him because he was the only one who had the ability to lead the Night's Watch against the Strangers and protect the North, and it turned out to be so, and now it is because he has undeserved ambitions, and no longer protecting them has shaken the North, which is also my interests...... Whether it is for or against, it is all for the sake of the north, and has nothing to do with personal feelings. Old Skin's face was expressionless, and he replied lightly before revealing the topic, "Aren't the Night's Watch organizing an expedition outside the Fortress to try to destroy the remnants of the Aliens?" I can probably guess the purpose of Egger's move: he thinks that once he destroys the Wraiths once and for all and ends his mission as Commander-in-Chief of the Night's Watch, there is no reason to stop him from taking off his black clothes to serve the Queen. It was a beautiful idea, but it gave others an opportunity to take advantage of it—we could have calculated it all, pretended to agree to his terms, and even fully supported and cooperated with him in this expedition, so that his expedition could be carried out smoothly...... Then, while he's gone!"

Old Skin's mind was already more detailed than most of the northern nobles, and when the thinking of the rest of the people in the house was still at the level of "whether to start a war with the land grant", he had already relied on the calculations he had started early and the deduction of days and nights to find the best way to deal with Egg, and naturally he was more clever than everyone else. Even the Earl of Glover and the others, who supported the neutrality plan, turned their heads with great interest, intending to hear what he had planned.

"'The Alien Slayer', 'The Prophesied Prince', 'The First Commander-in-Chief to Face the Cold God in Thousands of Years'...... These names are too loud, but his achievements are really worthy of these nicknames. Egger's prestige and control in the land grant are quite good, and it is difficult for outsiders to shake them. If he is still within the ice wall, and tries to reverse infiltrate the Land Grant and the Night's Watch Legion, the Land-Granting Dwellers, and the Great Wall Defenders against him, it will not only be half the effort, but if he finds out, it will inevitably lead to a fierce backlash. However, it is impossible for anyone to be omniscient and omnipotent, once he leads his army north out of the Great Wall......"

"Well, once he leads his army north out of the Great Wall and leaves his stronghold, using what you call 'strategy' to weaken his authority and influence, it will be much easier to find internal opponents who can carry the matter. We are not fools, we need not explain everything!" Lady Dustin urged impatiently, "but our concern has never been Egger and the land grant he commands, but the Queen's dragons, and I only ask you—what are you going to do about it?"

"Dragon?" Luce Bolton curled the corners of his mouth, and this time he did not answer directly, but asked rhetorically, "Madam, what do you think...... What will the Queen and her dragons do as the Night's Watch pursues the Wraiths and expeditions outside the Fortress?"

"Isn't there definite news that both dragons were wounded, and one of them couldn't even fly? ”

"Yes, many people from the land grant say so, and the information is reliable, but given that most people have not seen it with their own eyes, it is conservative that the situation can be broadly divided into two possibilities. Luce Bolton nodded, and answered without hesitation: "Either you can fly, and you will definitely participate in this expedition to help the Night's Watch destroy the remaining strangers, or you can't fly and stay in the last Hearthplace City or the land grant to recuperate." Egger always has the ability and ability to please people, with Jao Mormont in the past, Lord Eddard and even King Robert in the back...... I don't know what kind of ecstasy soup he poured on the Mad King's daughter to make her willing to leave King's Landing and help him burn the dead. But one thing is for sure, she now favors Egger - and if the Queen really wants his loyalty, she can't ignore the latter's ideas. Iger doesn't want to go to war with the North, so there's no way the Dragon Queen would take it upon herself to burn us while he's gone......"

"So, the question in front of us is not actually 'how to deal with dragons now', but 'how to quickly master the ability to deal with dragons during the time that Iger is on this expedition'!

The echo of Count Burton's words gradually faded, but the new ideas provided by his great words did clear the minds of the other nobles in the room who were thinking.

"That makes sense! King Stannis's dragon hunting crossbow in King's Landing can't be transported to the north quietly, but if you just want to smuggle the blueprints, it's much easier, we can contact the south as soon as possible, try to get the blueprints, and hurry up to get the work together!" The Earl of Mandalay slapped his thigh, "When Egger returns from his expedition to the land, he will be surprised to find that we have not only weakened his absolute control over the land grant and the Great Wall, but also built weapons against dragons." As long as the countermeasures are in hand, the next step is to force the queen to go home obediently, or simply use a strategy to destroy her and her dragon, the initiative is all in our hands!"

......

It was still an offensive machination, and if Luce Bolton had proposed it at the outset, it would have been argued and opposed. But this time, with the two people of Holland Reed's anger in front of the big damage trick, the plan proposed by the old peeler seemed unexpectedly acceptable.

The nobles, who had only understood it one after another due to differences in their comprehension skills, began to talk to each other about the feasibility of the plan. Robb, as the master, sat on the first seat with a straight face and said nothing......

Not because of maturity and stability, but because in his mind, two villains are engaged in a fierce struggle.

As the Lord of Winterfell, he knew that for the sake of the Stark family and the North as a whole, Daenerys and Egger had to be restrained from trying to channel the power of the land grant to the South to fight for the throne for her, but as a teenager, he couldn't bear the psychological pressure after being rescued by Daenerys from the tide of corpses and learning from Jon that the Night's Watch did not deliberately release the water, and then asked him to use a shady trick against his benefactor and former friend...... Robb Stark, for the first time in his life, encountered a problem that his genius tactical mind could not solve.

The boss did not approve of this plan, and the other nobles were laughing at themselves no matter how heated they were—the old peeler saw Robb's expression in his eyes, and was secretly anxious in his heart. He could probably guess what was going on, the young wolf lord was an emotional man, and someone had to push him behind him in this inner struggle to make a big decision about his former friend.

With a slight roll of his eyes, he had an idea.

"My lord, I understand that you don't want to take revenge on Iger and the Dragon Queen, but you need to understand...... With the ability to 'eliminate,' you have the power to 'choose mercy'! This suggestion I have put forward does not have the necessity of putting them to death, and with the means to contain Iger and the means to deal with the dragons, to put it mildly—you can use the bargaining chips to force Iger to step down as commander-in-chief, so that he loses the authority to command the Night's Watch to participate in the dispute between the two kings, and to preserve the integrity of our armed forces in the north; Without a large army swaggering through your territory and throwing itself into the war in the South, King Stannis cannot be angry with you, and the North can at least maintain maximum neutrality!"

"Further afield, as long as the man you choose replaces Aiger in control of the land-grant's forces, the land-grant's strength can be considered the strength of the North, and we have the weapons to deal with dragons...... In this case, whether Daenerys or Stannis finally win the Iron Throne, they will be afraid of the strength of the soldiers in the North and will not dare to reward the heroes with our interests. For the sake of your family and children, you must at least be able to protect yourself and not be emotional!"

Those who support it echo it, and those who oppose it can't think of a suitable reason, and after thinking about it for a while, the family and children ...... These two words finally overwhelmed the hesitation, and Robb, who had just had a son of his own, finally gritted his teeth and made a decision.

"Didn't all the high-quality timber in the north support Icefjord Harbor before...... It was used by the craftsmen of Kumashima and White Harbor to build ships. Robb said slowly, with a solemn expression, "Can we get the blueprints and gather the raw materials to make the finished product within the time of the Night's Watch's expedition?" Also, Jon is my brother and refuses to betray Egger, is there anyone else within the Night's Watch who can take Egger's place?"

"The material is not the problem. The Earl of Mandalay took the initiative to answer: "As the largest transit point for foreign trade in the north, White Harbor has all kinds of resources in the city's warehouses, and can afford to build a few fleets, and is afraid of a few dragon hunting crossbows? Although the things in the warehouse are only the custody of the Mandalay family, not the ownership, but the things are in my hands, and if they are temporarily requisitioned for the safety of the north, who can stop them?" As for the candidates, ......

"Candidates?" said a rare smile as Ruce Bolton watched everything go smoothly—sincerely, "but don't forget, the most important part of the land's inhabitants today, the hill clans, have sworn allegiance to the Lord of the North. They are obligated to obey the orders of House Stark and fight for the interests of the North. As for the new commander-in-chief in the future of the land grant...... If Dennis Mellister hadn't died, he would naturally be the best choice, but people can't be resurrected after death, and in terms of seniority, only Carter Pike, the commander of the East Sea Lookout, can barely handle this position. Let's discuss now who in this house is familiar with him, and who is more reliable, and is willing to negotiate with him in secret. ”

Most of the Neutrals had a good relationship with Egger and did not want to fight against him, while the Main War Faction was not accustomed to Egger's actions and was adamantly opposed to him leading the Night's Watch into the Seven Civil Wars...... Not everyone can afford to spend a lot of money, they are exhausted by two or three years of non-stop war, as long as they don't fight, they can say anything. The plan perfectly balanced the needs of the various factions, and was eventually approved by Robb Stark and won the support of most of the northern nobles.

Seeing the dozens of northern nobles in the room discussing the details of the implementation of their proposed plan, Luce Burton restrained his smile, picked up the water cup on the table, and took a sip of the already cold water inside.

There is no problem with the plan, and no matter how much the smartest person in the world thinks about it, he can't smell the slightest abnormality - because when he designed this plan, he really conceived it completely from the standpoint of the North.

And the way to turn this strategic decision, which has been to protect the interests of the North from beginning to end, into the Bolton family's greatest opportunity for a comeback in thousands of years is infinitely simpler than itself: remove the "I don't want to hurt the Dragon Queen" part of the final discussion of this meeting, slightly embellish and add oil, try to stab Daenerys Targaryen, and tell her that this is Robb Stark's own idea.

He would love to appreciate the true dragon's wrath again—especially not against himself.

——