In the same hall where Iger had been interrogated as a deserter and where the Night's Watch had met for generations, another meeting of the Night's Watch was urgently convened. Unlike any previous time he had entered the room, Iger sat behind the elevated bench, second to the left of Commander Mormont, and fifth-in-command, symbolizing the Legion's Relay Commander-in-Chief, Chief Ranger, Officer, and Craftsman, and for the first time looked down at the rest of the officers and soldiers of the Black Castle below.

Some of the Righteous League nobles and knights who had been sent to the Great Wall by Robert after the Rebellion in the Vale were also present, and they were of noble birth and now mostly held mid-rank positions in the Rangers...... But in this kind of plenary meeting, you can only honestly sit at the long table below. They may hate Egger so much, but they can't afford to be the chief logistics officer who is far above them...... This feeling is completely different from being in the king's temporary situation - "the forces of potential enemies are not as good as their own, and the situation is completely under their control", which is really great.

"I am fully aware of what happened to Castle Black during my absence, and I thank you brothers for holding on to our base camp during the Rangers' absence. After clearing his throat, Mormont said: "In addition to praising the participants in this battle, there is also an important topic for this meeting - how we should deal with the follow-up attack of the wildlings in the future. ”

......

"The two cans of wildfire that the Chief Logistics Officer brought in the other day at Castle Black have achieved amazing results in the defense, if this material can be supplied in sufficient quantities...... The wild man couldn't get even half a step close to the Great Wall. The Chief Affairs Officer turned his head and said.

The craftsman agrees: "If the wildfires are gone, a similar effect can be achieved with a sufficient amount of bitumen and lamp oil." ”

"Bowen, Osser, you are off topic. Maester Aemon coughed and shook his head: "Commander Mormont's 'response to the subsequent attacks of the wildlings' refers to the defense of the entire Great Wall, not just the gate of Castle Black. ”

Mormont nodded, affirming the blind bachelor's explanation: "The sharp-eyed people should have found out, I didn't bring back all the rangers I brought to the East Sea. Why? Because before and after the attack on Castle Black, Donghaiwang was also attacked by a large number of wild people. There are more than the number of Black Castles...... Fortunately, our harbor stronghold had been fortified decades earlier to defend against attacks from the sea, and it was not attacked from the north of the wall at the same time. Relying on the efforts of all our brothers and the initiative of the Rangers, we repelled the attackers, but also paid more than a dozen casualties. In order to consolidate the defense of Donghaiwang, I left twenty rangers there, and only half of them were brought back. Jeremy Lake, give you a brief update on the state of Castle Black's defense to the west. ”

"News of wildlings appearing everywhere, such as the Dog-headed Harbour in the Deep Lake House, the Jingle Shirt in the Night's Castle, the Weeper in Icemark City, and the Wildlings along the Great Wall...... One moment they climbed near the Queen's Gate, and the next they smashed the walls of the Grey Guards...... However, as soon as we arrived and landed in the city, they fled and resumed their activities the next day. Jeremy said, "Fortunately, the defenders of the Shadow Tower carried out your orders and did not leave their posts without permission, otherwise the west end of the Great Wall would have been lost...... Mance's aim was to distract us, and he almost succeeded. ”

With caution, the Great Wall survived the first round of the wildlings' attack under Mormont's command, but Elder Xiong did not feel any ease: "The situation along the Great Wall is basically like this, and now that we are completely in trouble, the enemy has probably surpassed the members of the Night's Watch Legion by crossing the Great Wall and entering the land grant, but because of the level of training and equipment, it is not yet possible to pose a frontal threat to us." They are wandering around in the land grant, and we can't ignore it, but we can't stop it...... The Night's Watch is the master of both the land and the Great Wall, but we are now so tight that we don't even dare to send patrols on our own territory south of the wall. If we can't find a solution, I'm afraid our watch will end before this winter comes. ”

"The Night's Watch is powerless to solve the dilemma they are facing. "We must ask the King and the Duke of Winterfell for help, the war in the south is over, and King Stannis will surely come north to help." ”

"I've released all the crows I can send, but I've come back with bad news - Storm's Rest has been captured by an unknown army, and the occupiers have erected the True Dragon Banner of the previous dynasty, known as Rhaeggar's son. As a member of the Targaryens, there was not the slightest fluctuation in Maester Emon's tone: "The Riverlands have recognized their identity and formed an alliance with them, and I am afraid that King Stannis will choose to lead his army south first to subdue his own fort." ”

......

Hell, what's going on? Egger chuckled in his heart, another completely unplanned variable, and after a few days back at the Wall, he already had a general idea of the state of the Night's Watch— Without the more than 200 elites sent by the Ranger Expedition, the defense of the Great Wall is indeed much easier, but it can only allow the night watchmen to hold out for a few more days, without foreign aid, this war of 1,000 against 100,000 will inevitably end with the savages breaking through the Great Wall and attacking the north.

"As for the princes of the northern border, it is not impossible to draw out any manpower. ”

"It's the last autumn harvest before winter, even if there are manpower, I'm afraid it will all be used to harvest crops, where can we support us!"

It's really fatal, the reason why he still chose to go north to Castle Black after Stannis took King's Landing was because he fell in love with the huge and ownerless human resources of savages...... These days, he often climbed to the top of the Great Wall and looked out at the Ghost Forest, and in the eyes of countless fellow Night Watch people, the "enemy" who was all over the mountains and wilderness, in his eyes, was the cheapest and most accessible labor force in the world.

However, these guys are not obedient kittens, they will join their command when they beckon and show friendship, and the key step in subduing the wild man is to first use overwhelming military superiority to knock them down, and then slowly tame them......

Stannis, who didn't make it to King's Landing, was able to say something as righteous as "I should save my country and win the throne", and he really put the proclamation into practice...... But now that this Baratheon, who cares about the common people, has successfully sat on the Iron Throne, but because of various reasons such as "the outside must first settle the inside", he can't rush to the north to support?

Can you not be so sarcastic!

The side effects of the plot getting out of control always appear at the most unpredictable moment, and Eggerton gritted his teeth and continued to ask: "What about Lord Eddard Stark, he is the guardian of the North, and it is impossible to ignore the safety of his own territory, right?"

"The northern army is following Stannis south to Storm's End, the crows have wings, but the northerners don't, even if they return to help immediately after the war, they won't be able to reach the Great Wall in a month, and we're afraid we won't be able to hold out that long. ”

Maester Aemon's latest news disrupted Egger's entire plan, and he frowned, confused as he pondered how to break the game.

......

Jon stood up underneath, "We should negotiate with the wildlings and make a deal with them - the Night's Watch will open the door and let them in, and they will obey our laws." We have a common enemy, and in the coming winter, the Great Wall needs the strength of every living person. ”

"Let the savages enter the Great Wall?" Without a second of pause, the voice of opposition immediately sounded: "Lord Snow, I think you were stunned by that savage female cousin!"

Jon ignored his old rival's questioning, and instead looked directly at the top of the Night's Watch sitting at the front of the hall: "Commander Mormont, a few days ago we captured alive several wild men who attacked Castle Black, and one of them, after interrogation and persuasion, agreed to confess Mance's plan to attack the Wall, but she only refused to say it in public. ”

"'She'? What am I talking about! I'm afraid it's not persuasion, but pajamas......

Mormont slapped the table, interrupting the sarcasm of a few Night's Watch who were not used to seeing Jon, "Enough, bring that wild man up." ”

＊＊＊

The room was still noisy and noisy with hundreds of people, and Jon got up and left the hall, and ten minutes later, brought back the wild woman who was shackled and handcuffed.

All eyes were on the female savage.

Ygritte was not at all as beautiful as the actress in the TV series, she had an ordinary round face, a lion's nose, her eyes were wide apart, and her teeth were not very straight. The fiery red hair and the fairly beautiful blue-gray eyes barely added a few points to her...... Despite this, in the Black Castle, where women are never seen all year round, she is much taller than the prostitutes in Mole Village, and she still manages to arouse the sexual interest of many night watchmen.

Mormont looked at the captives for a moment and asked, "Miss Savage...... What's your name?"

"Ygritte. ”

"Very well, Ygritte, is it true that Jon said that you were willing to confess to Mance Rader's plan to attack the Wall?"

"That's right. ”

"You want to say in public, almost everyone at Castle Black is here now, let's get started. ”

......

(Not quite right.) Egger, who was observing Ygritte, quickly became aware of the anomaly. He had thought that Jon and Ygritte were destined to know each other, so his "ignorant of anything" child could easily convince the latter to offer Mance Red's attack plan...... But looking at the expression of this savage girl, where is the appearance of half a "confession and confession"?

If I have to describe it, Ygritte is more like a revolutionary martyr facing the reactionaries, with the arrogant appearance of standing on the execution ground, determined to be generous and righteous.

Had it not been for the fact that he knew it was impossible, Iger almost suspected that Ygritte would have detonated the bomb on his body in the next second, and would have died along with the higher-ups of the Night's Watch...... so that her fellow savages can pass through the Great Wall without any problems.

......

Ygritte looked around the house and made sure that most of the night watchmen were there, and then she raised her head proudly and said, "Kneeling man, you can't hold the Wall, if I were you, I would quickly open the gates, take off my black clothes and surrender to Mance, so as to have a chance to live." ”

Mormont waved his hand to stop the commotion of his subordinates, and stared at Ygritte with a displeased expression: "I remember that you came to confess to Mance Red's offensive plan, if you talk nonsense, go back to the ice prison, but this time, we will not give you furs." ”

The threat seemed to be in effect, and Ygritte paused, apparently swallowing back what she had meant to say.

"I have to admit that you crows are much better than expected. Deliberately snorting loudly to show disdain, the savage returned to the point: "But don't think you can stop the freedmen. There are too few of you and too many of us. Our assault on Castle Black was a test time, as Mance Rader told us before he left...... If this attack fails, he will not make another futile attempt, but will send 10,000 men to the east to the sea, where he will make a raft to cross Seal Bay and attack the East Sea from behind, and another 10,000 men will be sent west to cross the Grand Canyon lightly, and attack the Shadow Tower from the south, while the rest of the men and horses and mammoths will go to the forts you have abandoned in detachments, and work in a dozen places at the same time, digging through the blocked gates, and easily passing through the Great Wall. At that time, even if you can fight ten times more, you will be overwhelmed by our crowds!"

"Half of those 10,000 people would drown in Seal Bay, and half of the other 10,000 would have died at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. ”

Ygritte scoffed: "I don't know how to count, but the two halves who survived are combined, and we can still have 10,000 people cross the wall and appear behind you." ”

"It's a good plan, and if it's really implemented efficiently, we can't stop it. Mormont was not at all irritated: "Then why don't you just start it? With your numbers, while attacking the Black Castle, digging walls and climbing over them on a large scale in various places, there is no pressure at all." ”

"Mance wants you to feel invincible and send someone to negotiate!" said Ygritte contemptuously, "In exchange, the king of the outer chambers guarantees the lives of all crows...... I know it's unlikely, but I suggest you think about it, and if you have ideas, I can speak for you—"

"Talk about your mother's sentence!" Noi, the blacksmith, roared at once, and suddenly stood up and poured a glass of water at the female savage: "As long as we have a brother alive, the savage will never want to pass through the Great Wall and set foot on our land!"

"Your land?" screamed Ygritte, dodging the water, "and the freedmen have lived here for generations, and you suddenly came and built a wall to keep us out, and then claimed that the south side of the wall was your land!

"Shut up!" Iger snapped back to reality from his musings, and interrupted the argument before more people could roar.

No wonder Ygritte agreed so readily, she was not confessing to Mance's plan of attack at all, but demonstrating! It is a pity that the wild man has the capital of arrogance this time. The idea of negotiating with them and trying to subdue them was first poured into Jon's head, but Ygritte was so provoked that it couldn't be put on the agenda.

In fact, with Stannis not going north to support, Egger should probably be thinking more about how to defend the Great Wall at this moment, rather than subduing the wildlings: "Ygritte, I have some questions for you...... Why did you set up camp so close to the Wall, does it have something to do with the Stranger?"

"We call it a white ghost. "Yes, the Free Folk encamped near the Wall because we found that the closer the White Ghost was to the Wall, the weaker he became. So far, there has been no record of them entering within a mile of the Great Wall, and they rarely even bring the living dead. ”

Another guess came true, and Egger couldn't help but rejoice in his heart: was he able to kill that strange ghost in the first place, did he also have the credit of "the battle site is very close to the Great Wall"?

"Let me guess that the reason why you didn't dig the wall is because you didn't have time. Egger stared at Ygritte and said, "The bottom of the wall is more than a hundred feet thick, and contains a stone base, so you must first find the location of the gate blocked by the Night's Watch before you can excavate it." The passage where the stones are piled up and watered is frozen and hardened, and it will take you a lot of time to dig them, and the slightest harassment from the Night's Watch will delay the work indefinitely. But as winter falls, the Wraiths are getting stronger and stronger, and soon, they will be strong enough to ignore the influence of the Great Wall, and at that point, even if you stick to the Great Wall, you won't be able to stop them from rushing into the camp and killing them, am I right?"

Ygritte was speechless, stared at Egg hatefully for a moment, and snorted, "You don't understand anything, Raven. ”

"Yes, I don't know anything, but I can see that although there are many more of you than we are, time is on the side of the Night's Watch. Iger snapped his fingers with feigned ease, "If there's nothing else of valuable information to offer, take her down, Jon." ”

——

[Big Chapter, make up yesterday's]