With a new commander not born and no consensus within the upper echelons, the Night's Watch is now like a brainless beast, with all parts operating under the command of their "secondary nerve centers...... As for how much of the body that each high-level official can command, it can only be the eight immortals crossing the sea, each showing their magical powers.

And it wasn't all bad news - aside from the unscrupulous Shadow Towers and visitors from the East Sea, Egger was surprised to learn that he had a group of supporters he hadn't previously contacted, Mormont had activated seven abandoned but intact fortresses after the hill clansmen had settled on the Wall, and nine more that had been almost in ruins after the wildlings had passed through the Wall...... For the first seven fortresses settled by the hill clans, Mormont each had five to ten Night's Watch officers stationed to supervise and lead them, and the last nine originally planned to send the Black Brothers to supervise and manage the new landsmen once they settled down...... Originally, even the candidates were chosen, just waiting to go, but everything was stranded because of Mormont's accident - these soldiers and mid- and low-ranking officers who had been or were about to be stationed in the newly opened fortress had now become staunch supporters of the land-grant resettlement plan.

As to why these people suddenly supported Egger, there is really no awareness or big picture...... The reason is simple, two words: interests.

......

Those black-clothed brothers who have been or will be stationed in other fortresses are only a big soldier or squad leader in Castle Black, but once they are dispatched to other fortresses, not only will their status and title immediately rise to "fortress commander" on the surface, but they will also be free from the surveillance of many big leaders in Castle Black. Not only is it more free and easy to move around, but it can also manage and command hundreds of new residents...... As long as you have a little means, it is not a problem to get a little oil and water to improve your life.

For these reasons, one can imagine how disappointed and dissatisfied the gang were when they heard that Iger was not running for commander-in-chief, and that whoever the next commander-in-chief would be, terminate the land resettlement plan.

Luckily, the commander of the Long Night Fort approached Iger before the election began, asking him why he didn't run...... After a few conversations, Iger soon discovers that he has a group of hidden allies. He quickly stabilized the other party's emotions...... He also revealed a little about his plan and told them that as long as he did it according to his own arrangement, the land increase and resettlement plan would never stop.

Iger quickly contacted and secured more than a dozen non-Night's Watch garrison commanders or election representatives...... Although the number of votes in the hands of this gang is only a few dozen, it is also a force to be reckoned with when the total number of night watchmen has barely exceeded 1,000 after repeated personnel replenishment.

＊＊＊

After collecting the ashes of Commander-in-Chief Mormont, the election of a successor was soon held in the halls of Castle Black, where most of the people in the fortress were concentrated, except for the sentries on duty...... Egger didn't go—for fear of meeting the adversaries, but more importantly, he was busy plotting plans for the Night's Watch to move south.

Without the Commander-in-Chief's order, the Chief Logistics Officer apparently had no authority to command the Chief Affairs Officer, and Bowen Marthy had sealed off Castle Black's warehouses and refused to sell any supplies to the savages who came to procure them...... Thankfully, due to the lack of size in the cellar of Castle Black, some of the supplies handed over by the wildlings when they passed through the Great Wall a few days ago were transported to Houguan Town for storage, plus some of the materials that Egger urgently purchased from the north before the invasion of the Iron People, Houguan Town temporarily had enough supplies.

He had the news that the new landgivers who had entered the Cypriots had gone to Houguan Town to buy supplies, and the former hill clansmen had gone to Castle Black—at least, Powen Marthy had no excuse not to feed his friends who had been with him for many years.

Castle Black and Houguan had the same amount of supplies, and Iger was able to mobilize even slightly more...... But the former only needs to feed a few thousand people, while the latter has to feed tens of thousands. If we don't think about solving the urgent needs and building a small land-giving society, the plan will soon collapse under the pressure of food.

Hundreds of clansmen and wildlings had been summoned by Egger to gather outside Houguan Town, and live for a few days outside the walls of the logistics stronghold, waiting for the men who hired them to leave for any work anywhere, and things could not be delayed...... Just make sure that Castle Black can't elect a new commander-in-chief anytime soon, Iger thought to himself...... Maybe it's time for me to get away for a few more days.

......

The noise in the direction of the hall was so loud that the door could be heard behind closed doors, and after an afternoon Sam delivered the results of today's election: four hundred and eight votes for Sir Dennis Mellister, two hundred and fifty-seven for Carter Pike, one hundred and ninety votes for Otsell Yawick, eighty-seven votes for Warner Bookwell, fifty-one votes for James Lannister, sixteen votes for Melancholy Eddie, and eight votes for Three-Fingered Hab.

The eight voters who voted for Castle Black's cook, Egger, didn't know what was going on, and according to Eddie, it was probably Hab's brother who wanted to kick him out of the kitchen because of the unpalatable cooking...... The remaining votes for Warner Buckwell, Jaime Lannister, and Eddie were all smoke bombs deliberately set off at his behest, a total of 162 votes, which can be roughly regarded as the number of votes that he can actually control.

It is true that if Iger had prepared well and participated in the election himself, he would have received more than the one hundred and sixty-two votes for what he had done during his tenure as chief logistics officer, but as long as the commanders of Tokaiwang and the Shadow Tower had the power to vote in place of the four hundred brothers in these two fortresses, he would never have succeeded in being elected commander-in-chief.

Rather than stay at Castle Black, stupidly wasting time with a bunch of diehards on a long and hopeless election, it's better to leave for a while and do something meaningful. His departure will not only reduce the vigilance of the conservative camp and greatly increase the success rate of the delaying plan, but also take advantage of the opportunity to build up...... When you are sure, you will return to the Great Wall in one fell swoop and catch your opponent off guard.

......

"Everything was planned, it was great. Tomorrow put Jaime and Eddie out of the election, and he and his men all voted for Carter Peck. Warner Buckwell continues to run for office, and although I am not participating for the time being, I will have to keep the land-grant resettlement supporters on a flag. Iger nodded, relieved: "How to ensure that the next commander-in-chief cannot be born in a short time is up to you, and next, I have to leave Castle Black to do something else." ”

"Huh?" Sam looked a little flustered, "but...... Jon isn't here either, and you're gone...... Isn't it ...... on our side?"

"Isn't there no one who can carry the banner, right?" Egg smiled: "That kind of existence must be indispensable when needed, but at the moment, it is not indispensable...... Believe in yourself, with your mind, and you will be able to complete this task until I return. ”

——