Every soldier under the Night's Watch and every resident of the territory were toiling to prepare for the post-war reconstruction and the upcoming expedition outside the Fortress, but if we had to rank the "busyness" of the remaining 30,000 living people in the entire land grant, including the Great Wall, then remove the handful of special people in the inner fort of Houguan Town who were secretly plotting to conquer the Seven Kingdoms...... At least on the bright side, Carter Peck admits himself second, and no one dares to admit first.

There is no other reason - Donghai Wangwang is too special.

As one of the only three fortresses left before the Night's Watch expanded, it retained the tunnels leading to the outside of the fortress. Although the strange spirits were ordered by the High Command to fill in the debris and fill it with water before the attack came, after all, the time was short, and it was much easier to dig through it again than to make a new hole in the ice wall......

So, unlike most strongholds, who only need to prepare food and weapons for the next large-scale military operation and arrange drills, Carter Pike has one more task of digging tunnels.

If that's all, then at least there are Castle Black and Shadow Tower as brothers and sisters, but it's a pity...... Those who think this way must have forgotten that Donghaiwang is the only fortress along the Great Wall that was besieged by strange spirits but held at great cost in casualties.

Castle Black is in the middle of the Great Wall, and it is fortunate that it did not meet the sea of ghouls, so naturally it is not to mention, and the Shadow Tower was captured by the strangers in an hour, not to mention the wounded, and even the dead were resurrected by cold magic and attacked Houguan Town, inadvertently throwing most of the aftermath to the land-giving capital. Now the "stuffed immigrants" who are digging tunnels there can only do their work, but they don't have a lot of mess to worry about.

Only Donghaiwang, the fortress that held the eastern end of the Great Wall in the thrilling attack of the two lines of strange ghosts, had to burn the bodies of the dead, treat and care for the wounded who survived the battle, and rarely appease the families of the victims...... Even with the arrival of a large number of backups, the plight of insufficient personnel has not been completely alleviated.

In addition to this, there is a problem that no other fortress wants to encounter.

During the night of horror when the strange spirits attacked from both the east and the west, the fierce ice storm that blew from the land of eternal winter caused a large area of the sea in Seal Bay, which was already cold to the freezing point. Although the ice was frozen by supernatural means, there is nothing supernatural about it: it is a solid substance formed by the heat of liquid water, which is slightly less dense but unusually hard. Although the invasion of the strange ghosts has been thwarted, the frozen sea outside the port of Donghaiwang for more than ten miles will not disintegrate and dissipate by itself before the summer comes, which leads to a very embarrassing and extremely insecure state: if the strange ghosts who have fled back to the outside of the fortress gather a group of dead people to make a comeback, then they can still cross the Great Wall again and make a comeback without hindrance as long as they walk east along the Great Wall to the sea.

This, of course, is unacceptable to anyone.

As a result, although the war has shifted from defense to counteroffensive, the "Seal Bay De-Icing Team", which has been almost wiped out, must not only be rebuilt, but also expanded to meet its needs.

In this case, Carter Peck had to follow Egger's orders, despite the soldiers' doubts and pleas, and tried and executed a member of the de-icing team who attacked the commander on the night of the outbreak of war and became a deserter.

Although that guy really deserves to die, it's really unpleasant to do such a thing at such a time.

......

Carter Pike inspected the burial of the ashes of the fallen in the morning, then checked the preparations for the expedition, went down to the site symbolically before lunch to participate in the excavation of the tunnel, and in the afternoon listened to the slow work report of the de-icing team, and then learned about the soldiers' views on the hanged deserter Zit...... Just as he was struggling to rest for a while, another ship from White Harbor docked at the docks—the ice outside the harbor was frozen tightly, to be precise, and a small group of people descended from it, the leader of whom introduced himself as an emissary loyal to the Mandalay family, claiming to have brought secret news from the North.

While ordering the requisition of the ship from White Harbor and the sailors to join the de-icing, Carter met with the comers in high spirits. It didn't matter, but what he heard immediately startled him: Robb Stark, Lord of the North, had decided to overthrow the current Commander-in-Chief of the Night's Watch and put an end to Egger's plan to lead the Land-Grant forces to the Queen's allegiance and help her fight for the Iron Throne - and asked himself, the commander of the Eastern Sea Watch, to liaise with the Legion and organize operations within the Legion to prepare for the North's strong interference with the Wall.

This shocking news spooked the half-tired Carter Pike to his senses, and he put down a large number of his business and had a long conversation with the northerners from White Harbor, and the conspiracy was not until the sun had completely set.

The envoy of the Mandalay family was invited to rest in the guest rooms inside the fortress, while the commander of Donghaiwang and his henchmen felt like they were in a dream as they reflected on the heavy news they had just received while having dinner delivered to the office.

"My lord, what's the point of hesitation?The Night's Watch has nearly a thousand commanders-in-chief, but since ancient times, when did the Starks decide to choose someone to be the commander-in-chief, and which time did they fail?"

"If it weren't for the death of Dennis Mellister's old fox in battle, the two fellows of Castle Black, Bowen Marcy and Othello Yawick, and the young wolf lord's own bastard brother Jon Snow who was dead to Egg, would the Stark family be able to look up to me as an iron-clad man?" Carter Pike was not polite, he pulled his share of food in front of him, glared at the speaker with displeasure, and then set off first," Don't think that Lao Tzu doesn't know what you're doing, it's done, I'll be the commander-in-chief of the night watch, and you can be promoted to the commander of the East China Sea, right?!"

Ein pursed his lips and did not speak.

With the feat of shooting two strange ghosts under the guidance of the red-robed monk, he, the chief ranger of the East China Sea, has skyrocketed in status and prestige in the fortress, from the original "top" to a heroic figure who is "under one person and above a hundred people". Coupled with the fact that he is the commander's henchman, it can be said that if there is no accident, he will be the next commander of Donghaiwang.

However, Carter Peck was in the prime of life, and he was as healthy as a cow, and he didn't know when he would have to wait until he died of old age to succeed him...... In such a situation, if you want to be promoted without resorting to the extreme plan of eliminating your predecessor, there is obviously only one way: you can expect the former to be transferred because of a change in position.

This was indeed the first impetus for him to persuade Carter to agree to the Stark family's plan, but what was wrong with thinking so? He didn't intend to harm Carter Pike's interests, he just hoped that he could fight to become commander-in-chief and promote himself!

"Do things, use your brains!" Carter Peck shoved a piece of bacon into his mouth, then pointed his head with the fork he had just forked the food, and reprimanded him inarticulate in a tone of hatred, "General Director...... Egger, after he went south to pursue and eliminate the strange ghosts, when he returned to Houguan Town, he ordered no one in the fortress along the Great Wall to leave the garrison without an order.

"Defend against us, his 'Brethren of the Night's Watch'! He had long expected that the Starks might come to this move, and now it did, so that his opponent's every move was judged in advance...... Do you really think I'll nod my head in agreement and wait for the Starks to take me to the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Night's Watch?"

......

Isn't it just cowardice, what kind of reason!

Ein almost rolled his eyes: he had been taught by Carter Pike, a notoriously limbed, simple-minded warrior commander, to "use his brains to do things"!

However, he didn't dare to confront his boss in person: "But, if the northern border is determined to replace him as a commander, how can he resist? The Stark family can gather more troops than the entire population of the land grant with an order!"

"Shit, you forgot about it only a few days after the war ended? The strange ghost brought hundreds of thousands of dead people across the Great Wall, and now how many are left? Every move is counted as dead, and people are useless!" Carter stuffed another mushroom into his mouth, indignant: "Will I send the position of commander-in-chief to the door?" But this kid from the Stark family, what kind of stupid idea did he come up with, what did he say- The Mad Queen's dragons have a way to deal with them, and all I need to do is secure the available forces within the Night's Watch, initiate an incident while Egger is on an expedition against the Wall, take control of the access to the Wall, and then turn him away when he returns, forcing him to leave his post and self-exile. 'That's it?'

"This plan sounds very feasible, is there any problem?"

"Big problem!" Carter chewed on the food in his mouth as if it were his enemy, "Not to mention that I've only been in the East Sea for so many years, and I don't have much of a Night's Watch connection—that's something that Dennis's old fox is good at." Not to mention that there are now more than 1,000 people in Donghai Wangli who can move, and only 200 of them are considered 'my people', and the news that someone from White Harbor is looking for me may already be on the way to Houguan Town. I'll just mention the simplest step of this: lock Iger out of the fortress so that he can't come back? I've already received an order to lead all the Rangers of the East Sea to go out of the fortress at the beginning of the expedition and serve as the vanguard of the expeditionary force on the eastern route! The time when the Starks want me to launch an incident to seize power, I should be with you, in the ghost forest, which is farther away from the Great Wall than Egger! Come on, teach me, how can I keep him out of the fortress so that he can't get in?"

"Huh?" Ein Imette was dumbfounded, "We're going to be the vanguard of the Eastern Route Army?" ”

"You'll know that there are ghosts, this is a direct order from the commander-in-chief of the night watch the day before yesterday to the commander of Donghaiwang, private!" Carter Pike picked up another potato and put it in his mouth, and at the same time used his free left hand to dig out a piece of paper on the table and threw it to the chief ranger: "Look, this guy, it's beautiful, but he really doesn't hide it at all, he just wants to tell you plainly, he can do everything he can do, don't want to mess around!"

"Now, do you still think that he will be stupid enough not to prevent the northerners from killing the dragon of the mad king's daughter?" Wiping the oil from his mouth, Commander Donghaiwang sighed helplessly: "I can't fight him, Bowen Marcy and Auxer Yawick can't fight him, and even Dennis Mellister has to honestly admit that he is inferior to him...... How old are you? You, just eat honestly, and then pretend that you haven't heard anything, what should you do? There are no people in this world who can cure him...... Maybe it was born, but it won't be me, it's not the Stark little doll with all the hair, and it won't be you!"

......

An opportunity to pull the opponent off the horse and replace him is in front of him, and it is fake to say that he is not impressed. But Carter Pike was born in the Iron Islands, and the culture of the Iron People ...... It is a little different from the seven countries of the mainland.

There, there are no oaths, honors, or innate nobility that proves that you are better than others in order to be in the position and respected.

In a boat, the best person will always be the captain, on an island, the most powerful person will always be the owner, and even the fact that the Greyjoy family is the master of the Iron Islands seems to be a matter of course, not from the beginning, but because the more powerful person, Aegon I Targaryen, eliminated the former king of the Iron Islands and then asked the Iron People to choose a leader and obey the management, which will be accepted by everyone.

On the Iron Islands, the cult of the strong is rooted in the culture. The weak should worship and submit to those who are stronger than him, and the defeated will have to confess to the winner and obey obediently...... Holding a grudge, holding back, waiting for an opportunity to take revenge?

And this kind of thinking inertia that has been imprinted into the subconscious by cultural customs since childhood will not be completely wiped out because he has been a night watchman for many years.

Carter Peck had gone to Castle Black to compete against the other contestants because he didn't feel that the other candidates were better than him. But then, Egger proved that he was better than himself, and that he could deal with the threat of the Stranger...... No matter how much he hates him, he should honestly continue to be the commander of the fortress in Donghai Wanglai, and he has no second heart...... Stand to reason!

He explained so much to Ian Imette today, and he insisted on convincing his henchmen that "it is right not to cooperate with the Starks", in addition to the reason that he felt that it was not feasible after thinking about it, the deeper reason was probably not even realized by Carter Pike himself: he had already decided that he could not defeat Iger in his subconscious.

Carter Peck, who is not afraid of heaven and earth, is scared.

......

After quickly reading the appointment letter from the commander-in-chief to the commander of the East Sea Wang, Ein Imette slowly put down the letter in his hand, and finally began to admit that he had never been masked...... The Commander-in-Chief, who was so familiar with Carter Pike that he could even say things like "use his brains," did seem to have something.

Is it really like just forgetting everything that the fat man said, and then pretending that nothing happened, waiting for the guy in front of him to grow old, and then going further after ten or twenty years?

"Don't think about it, eat it while it's hot, it's cold!" At this moment when the chief ranger was stunned, Carter had already wiped out his share of dinner, and at this moment he had picked up a knife and began to slowly swallow his teeth.

No, there must be something that I missed!, staring at the commander's teeth-picking knife in front of him, gritted his teeth and thought, and when Carter was about to be stared at by his eyes, Ein finally grasped the fleeting, fleeting thought in his mind.

If he wants to go further in his position, Carter Peck must be promoted or down. And for Carter Pike to be promoted again, the commander-in-chief must give up his position. I thought that the only way to bring Iger down was because I subconsciously felt that the "Commander-in-Chief" was already at the end - this is true in most cases, but it is not applicable to someone who has already pledged allegiance to the Queen!

"Your Excellency, you're right, you have to use your brains to do things!" the young Chief Ranger became excited, "Since you have decided not to be able to fight the Commander-in-Chief of the Northern Territory - I am a little convinced of this now - and have decided not to participate in the conspiracy against him, how can you not hurry up and show your loyalty, but decide to pretend that nothing has happened?"

"The Commander-in-Chief has decided to support the Queen's claim to the Iron Throne, so if he succeeds in sending the Queen to the throne in the future, will he and his henchmen continue to be the Night's Watch in this place of the land grant? Of course not, they will go to King's Landing to be important ministers of the court!

Carter Peck was a little interested, put down the knife and his legs, and leaned closer, "What do you mean?"

"Arrest that Mandalay man, tie him up, and send him to the commander-in-chief!" Aine slashed with one hand, made a fierce gesture, and then felt that something was wrong, and after a few seconds of thought, he shook his head and changed his mind: "No, no, no, no. If I were the Commander-in-Chief, I would definitely want you to ...... While pretending to agree to the conditions of the north, and secretly reporting the situation to him, so that he can be even more caught off guard by the other side!"

Carter Peck's eyes lit up, yes, this is the way to win and not lose, and maximize returns!

Zhengqiang suppressed his excitement and was about to discuss the details of who to send to inform, when a knock on the door suddenly sounded, and a veteran of Donghaiwang outside the door shouted at the top of his voice.

"Pike-sir! Several large ships came up beside the ice outside the harbor, with red dragon flags, and a large group of eunuchs and soldiers came down...... A fat man with a bald head and a thin man who looks very obscene, saying that they are the queen's hand and intelligence chief, how can this be handled?"

——

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