With the exception of White Harbor, Robb and the hundreds of Winterfell guards he brought with him had never seen anything more lively north of the Neck.

Occupying the hut were the employees of the Night's Watch's Logistics Department, who were busy receiving guests inside the façade, selling only food, clothing, and household items. At least four heavily armed guards are at the door of each room to maintain order...... Since important resources are non-negotiable based on official pricing, the transaction process is quiet and fast, despite the large number of passengers: pay the money, approve the identity - and deliver the goods.

"To ensure safety, the stores themselves do not store any goods, and all important supplies are stored in warehouses behind the fence, which are pulled out by the staff of the logistics department in trucks and transported into the stores every morning before they open. The supply of key materials such as grain and grass is limited, and there are restrictions on the sale of a single commodity to each tribe according to the number of people, that is, each tribe can choose to buy a little less and save money for other purposes, but must not buy even a little more. Iger ordered the land-giving troops he had brought back to stay at the original assembly place and gradually disband, and led Robb's patrol team to march slowly along the last section of King's Road leading to Houguan Town, and introduced Robb as he rode along: "No one is allowed to carry weapons on this street, except for the soldiers of the Night's Watch and the employees of the Logistics Department, and it is strictly forbidden to quarrel, brawls and other acts of disruptive order, and violators will be punished very severely." ”

Robb couldn't help but nod, but became interested in Egger's last sentence: "What kind of harsh punishment?"

"There are three levels of gravity: fines, flogging and hanging. The land grant does not have sufficient law enforcement and judicial power, and we do not have the resources to lean in this area to improve the legal system, so we can only use simple and crude methods first. ”

"Just these three punishments?" Robb frowned suspiciously, "It's simple and rude, but it's ......"

"I know what you're worried about, but the land grant is not the same as the other seven kingdoms of Westeros, there are no rich people here, and money is both food and clothing, tools...... It is a resource that everyone depends on for their livelihood, and no one dares to consider themselves surplus - especially the newcomers to the land, so naturally there is no such thing as paying a fine and breaking the law with impunity. Iger quickly answered: "It should be added that the fine is not only imposed on the individual perpetrator of the bad act, but on the basis of the head of all members of the clan to which he belongs. The most important point is that even if the offender is punished for the latter two punishments, the joint fine will still be enforced. ”

Robb was amazed: "Will the joint fine be carried out no matter what?" that is, if someone makes a mistake, even if he has been hanged, the whole tribe will still not escape the joint punishment?"

"Yes, it sounds unheard of, and somewhat unreasonable, but no one has ever put in a large number of Cypriot foreigners in the past—special things have to be done. In this way, not only can the new land-grantees be effectively used for self-management, but also the small group consciousness within the tribes themselves can be reduced, and their attempts to jeopardize the safety of the land-grants can be suppressed. ”

"In this case, isn't it true that the bigger the tribe, the more it will suffer?"

"We welcome requests from large clans to divide their own families. Iger shrugged, no tribe had actually mentioned it yet, but in the event of a future appearance, he would definitely do his best to assist and cooperate.

"What if a large tribe openly shields their own people and rebels against the law enforcement and management of the Night's Watch?"

"Thanks to the self-dedication of a tribe called 'Tours,' the Night's Watch has told all the new giveaways what happened to them with a bloody demonstration. I am doing everything I can to feed these people, not to be grateful, but to ask them not to trouble me, and if even this little request does not satisfy me, Rao is such a good temper as me...... It's also going to be angry. ”

As long as you are not a fool, you can naturally understand the meaning of Egger's words. Robb had heard everything that had happened during the time of the land grant, and he was satisfied with this strict management and hard-line attitude. It was just a casual question, and naturally it would not be over and he would question, and as the team advanced, he quickly became interested in those stalls.

The vendors were shouting, the customers were louder, and there were children laughing and crying in the crowd. The pigs are humming, the sheep are bleating, and the chickens and ducks are clucking or rattling. There is also music mixed in with the human voices, but unfortunately it is not beautiful, and it only takes a few sounds to tell that the people who make these sounds are neither orthodox instruments, nor are the musicians who play and sing them.

Winterfell, as the home of the Stark family, is already lively in the north, but compared to here, it is as peaceful as a temple.

......

"Critical resources are in the hands of the Night's Watch Logistics Department, but we also allow land-givers to exchange other things for themselves—gathering hunt gains, handicrafts, self-raised livestock, etc...... Of course, the newcomers donor donor don't have much to exchange for other than manpower, and most of the stalls are the original donors. In a sense, it's 'locals'. ”

Yamm executed everything Iger had arranged, even better than he could have imagined. Everything in front of them is not completely in response to the illusion created by the leader's inspection, the night watchman logistics department is only by sending a large number of guards, fine-tuning the prices of today's important resources, controlling the identity of those who enter the market, and temporarily providing free food and lodging...... In other ways, a small part of a large number of clansmen and savages who can speak the lingua franca and cooperate more honestly are gathered here, deliberately creating a crowded, noisy but orderly image of the "land donation capital".

The scene of Houguan Town will determine Robb Stark's first impression of the land grant resettlement program, and the first impression will always be one of the most important factors influencing people's decision-making.

Robb was not the only one who was interested in those stalls, and as Egger continued to introduce the general situation of Houguan Town to the leaders of the patrol, Arya jumped off her horse and rushed to the stalls on the side of the road.

Robb and the guards from Winterfell immediately stopped their horses, and also got off their mounts and chased after their own young lady.

......

It is possible that it was only one person who stoned Commander Mormont to death, perhaps because he was outraged by the loss of his loved ones when the tide of ghouls attacked the last group of foreigners who passed through the Great Wall, and he may not even have thought about killing Elder Xiong. But assuming that it was pointless, the stone, which weighed no more than two pounds, finally struck the vital point and crushed a venerable and wise old nobleman.

This incident caused the revulsion of the night watch, the indigenous people of the land grant, and the people of the north to a record high, and also dealt a near-fatal blow to the land grant resettlement program. Robb jokingly asked Egger a moment ago if he should wear a helmet when he entered Houguan Town, and now that Arya was running away from the group, he naturally became nervous immediately.

(There weren't a few savages on the streets, and there was no safer place to do it than here.) Iger knew this, but he had to make a full show of his safety, and he also had to make a look of concern for Arya's safety, and also dismount and follow behind the wayward little she-wolf.

Although Arya is a noble lady, she is not a "city person" who has never seen anything. She paced briskly past chicken coops, gloves and boot stalls, chased a cat away, and was finally drawn to a stall selling roasted game by a strange smell.

A dozen small skewers sit on a small stone stove, baking a bunch of meat from small birds, rabbits, and even some unknown rodent.

"What is this. Arya reached for a bunch.

"Quail. The stall owner was displeased with Arya's direct use of her goods, but looked up at the group of Winterfell people who had gathered around her and sandwiched the girl between the stars and the moon, and realized that it might be the people in front of him who had to deal with the arrangement of Houguan Town: "Maybe not, it's all birds anyway...... It tastes pretty much the same, stuffed with onions and 3 copper cents. ”

"Money?" muttered one of the Winterfell guards, "do you know who the person in front of you is?"

The stall owner looked up at the crowd, of course he didn't know any of them, but he knew what to say, "Who—has to pay." ”

"Who brought the money?" Robb shrugged, of course he didn't come all the way to be a bully, so naturally he couldn't let his sister eat for nothing. Unfortunately, as the Duke of Winterfell, he didn't have the habit of carrying a bunch of change when he traveled.

"I'll do it. Seeing that the people of Winterfell began to dig into their pockets, Egg, as a landlord, walked to the front of the crowd and found three copper plates.

Arya took a bite of the oily, fragrant bird on the stick, chewed the bones and swallowed, "I want a skewer!"

Ai Ge Yiyan bought another bunch, the girl's hands were occupied by snacks, and she was about to leave satisfied, when she turned her head and suddenly realized that she was the only one eating, which was really inappropriate.

"No, it's nice that you didn't forget Big Brother, but I'm not hungry. Robb waved his hand and refused.

"He won't eat you, master!"

This is really a typical I treat you to pay, Egger was amused by Arya's unashamed "magnanimity", and simply took out a silver coin and bought all the things that had been baked in the stall.

Half a minute later, Robb, Egger, and Ser Rodric, including several captains of the guard, continued their way to the gates of Crown Town, each with a skewer.

As soon as you bite into it, the onion strips that fill the bellies of these small game games make a crunchy click, and the gravy rushes into your mouth. Robb finished eating in a few bites, wiping his mouth and hands with a cloth: "It's not that Winterfell can't eat these things, roast chicken, roast duck, roast goose, as long as you tell the kitchen, what's nothing?"

"Those guys know lemon cake lemon cake, and I hate dessert the most. ”

Robb smiled helplessly: "The kitchen has been done because Sansa told the kitchen that she likes to eat that, and you don't squeak, who knows what you like to eat?"

"Not to mention, these little game meat are sometimes better than poultry in the pen. ”

"For children, snacks are more fragrant than food. ”

"I'm not a child!"

Egger originally reported the general situation of Houguan Town to the head of the northern realm, but was tossed by the master Arya like this, and the topic suddenly changed in a strange direction. To be honest, the barbecued game in everyone's hands was not delicious enough to be specially described, but anyone who was in a hurry for a day would eat whatever they would eat when dinner was approaching, and everyone led their horses to nibble on roasted game while talking, and soon approached the gate of Houguan Town.

As the landlord of this place, Egger finally brought the topic back: "Houguan Town allows everyone who lives in the land grant to visit, but this gate is only allowed to enter the night watch, logistics department employees and guests. The guests are the leaders and retinues of the hill clans or Cypriot tribes who are invited, as well as people from the Seven Kingdoms of the South. ”

"Those who come to buy food and wait for the assignment of work......"

"Stayed outside. The street we just passed through took on most of the functions of Houguan Town's external interaction, and the tents and simple houses built on the ruins of the original village outside the street were the temporary residences of the new donors. Iger explained, "There are enough people to live in the walls of Houguan Town, but I don't dare let them in...... The outsiders have no siege skills, they are protected by walls, and 10,000 thugs can't help this town, but if there is internal chaos, it only takes three or five hundred to destroy this place. ”

Surprised by Egger's calmness, Jon turned his head, "Even you don't trust your new land-grantee, but you're always trying to convince me and others to support your land-grant resettlement plan?"

Robb is not a pampered little prince who grew up in a deep palace and has no common sense of life, and blindly reporting good news and not bad news is likely to cause the opposite effect of expectations. Iger decided to add a little credibility to the arrangement and deception: "Believe it or not is not the key at all, in the coming winter, we need the strength of these living people, and this is the key to my layout of all this." Half of the buildings in Houguan Town are used to store resources, while the remaining half is surplus for the employees of the logistics department and the night watchman industry, and in the future, this part of the building will serve as an education. ”

"Indoctrination?"

"When we let the foreigners cross the Great Wall, we agreed that the head of each tribe would hand over a child as a hostage – my idea is that to control these children is to control the future of those tribes. "And the so-called control, of course, does not mean to lock them up in shackles and cages, but to let them learn our language and script, let them eat and live with the children of the original landowners and mountain clans and tribes, and let these hostages become a bridge between us and the foreigners—in a way of assimilation, so that the new landdonors can become a part of the land grant." ”

One of Egger's personal guards loudly announced his identity, and the gate of Houguan Town slowly opened, and Mayor Yam came out to greet him with a hurried look that only knew that the Guardian of the North was visiting, and Egger also ended his speech at this moment: "Disarming and strict management by law are hard, but assimilation by the power of time and habit is soft." To consider "believe it or not" the new land-givers is to leave the future of the defense of the Great Wall to the thoughts and wishes of these barbarians. But to subdue them with both hard and soft is to take everything into their hands...... Isn't it much more reliable to rely on means to ensure control than to have ethereal 'trust'?"

——