The halls of Castle Black echoed with Eddard Stark's voice until it faded away.

"That's the king's order," said the commander-in-chief of the Night's Watch, putting away the letter, "so prepare yourself, for we are to open the gates and let the savages ......."

"Wait a minute!" A voice suddenly sounded.

Eddard followed the prestige and saw Stannis Baratheon slowly standing up.

"Master Stannis, what is your opinion?"

"This king of yours," Stannis said, raising an eyebrow, "how are you going to house hundreds of thousands of wildlings?" ”

"This, he didn't say in the letter."

"So there's just no plan." Stannis pursed his lips disdainfully, "Once so many savages go south, what if there is a conflict with the people of the Seven Kingdoms?" Lord Eddard, your northern frontier is the first to bear the brunch. ”

"I'm no longer the guardian of the North." Ed said, "As for your concerns, I'm sure there will be a solution. Moreover, His Majesty said that he would lead the Seven-Nation Alliance to the north to support the Great Wall, and when the army arrived, I believe that these savages would not dare to cause trouble. ”

"The king is going north with a great army? For what? Could it be that the legendary Alien is really coming? ”

"Yes." Jon Snow said, "I've seen them with my own eyes at Ancestral Fist Peak!" Believe me, the wildlings aren't a threat, the strangers are. ”

"Hehe, how much credibility does an illegitimate child have?"

"He's a chameleon."

"And broke the oath."

Faced with a wave of doubts, Jon almost blurted out his true origins.

But fortunately, Ed was the first to speak:

"I believe in Him! If the ghost is a lie, I will take all the responsibility! ”

Loud words echoed through the hall, silencing all voices of doubt.

There is no doubt that the name Eddard Stark still carries its fair weight, especially among the Night's Watch.

Over the years, since the Aliens have never appeared, the southern nobles have long forgotten about this almost banished northern legion, and the Stark family has been silently supporting them.

Stannis saw Ed make such a promise, and said no more.

Ed nodded slowly and said, "Very good, since everyone has no opinion, we need to send an envoy to negotiate with the wildlings." ”

"I'll go!" Jon immediately volunteered.

Ed looked at him deeply and did not refuse:

"Okay, there you go."

Jon nodded, and strode out under the gaze of all sorts of eyes.

While waiting to open the door, Ed chased after him and said:

"If you want, I can reveal your true origins."

"No, father." Jon said, "At the Wall of Desperation, Targaryen is not necessarily nobler than Snow, but it will cause more trouble. Also, I don't want people to respect me just because of my last name. ”

Ed didn't say anything more, just patted him on the shoulder.

The city gate slowly opened a thin crack, and a biting cold wind blew in, carrying snowflakes and ice particles, making it impossible to open your eyes.

"Take care!"

"You too."

Jon said goodbye to his father and turned and walked into the snow without hesitation.

Not long after leaving the Wall and heading north, Jon was spotted by patrolling wildlings.

After he came to his senses, he was taken into the tent of the king of the outside world.

"See you again, Raven." Mance Rader said in a flat tone, "I really admire your courage to dare to come to see me after betrayal." ”

"I'm here to save you." Jon said.

"Save us?" Mance raised an eyebrow, "How to save it?" ”

"Your Majesty has agreed to let you into the Great Wall."

"Which Your Majesty?" "In recent years, the people in your iron chairs have changed too often. ”

"It's His Majesty Caesar."

"Caesar...... "Mance fell into reminiscence, "I remember that boy, when we met him on the banks of the Trident, he was just a baron. ”

"You've actually seen Caesar?" Jon was astonished, even he had only heard of the legendary new king.

"Yes, I met him, and he was a very interesting guy. However, you agreed to let us into the Great Wall, there should be conditions, right? ”

"Yes, you must not take the initiative to attack the people of the Seven Kingdoms, and all tribal leaders must swear allegiance to His Majesty Caesar and accept his arrangement......"

"He wants us to kneel?" Mance interrupted.

"Yes," Jon nodded, "to get south of the Wall, you'll have to give up your so-called 'freedmen' status. ”

"Do you know why I defected from the Night's Watch in the first place?" Mance asked rhetorically.

"Why?"

"Because I'm tired of kneeling." Mance said coldly, "My people don't want to kneel either. We are born free people, and if we don't have freedom, we might as well die. ”

"Perhaps what you are about to face is more terrible than death." Jon said, "You've probably seen how the corpse got back on its feet. Stay north of the Wall, and that's what will happen to you. ”

"Do you really think the Great Wall can stop us?" Mance smiled and pointed to the corner of the tent.

A horn was placed there.

The horn was large, with curved lines eight feet long, and the opening was so wide that he could fit it all from the elbow down. If it came from a bison, it would be the largest cow ever made.

At first, he thought it was inlaid with bronze, but when he got closer, he realized it was gold. Ancient gold, engraved with runes, fades to brown.

Jon suddenly remembered an ancient legend, and his face suddenly changed:

"Winter's Horn?"

"Yes," said Mance, "this is the trumpet of winter." It is said that if it is blown out, the Great Wall of Desperation will collapse. ”

"It's just a legend, no one has ever tried it......"

"The Strange Ghost was once just a legend." Mance reached out and stroked the curves of the horn, "But now, the legends are coming true." ”

Jon pursed his lips and said:

"Why didn't you blow the horn before that, but kept sending troops to attack the Great Wall?"

"The horn sounded, and the Great Wall collapsed. So, what else can humans rely on to keep out the strangers? "Of course, I underestimated you, and now that the Night's Watch has been reduced to less than a thousand, it's still more difficult than I thought.

But I'm sure you can understand that if it's a last resort, or if your conditions are too much, I have a final choice. ”

Jon didn't speak for a moment.

Compared to the beginning of Cheng Zhu, he finally feels that things are a little tricky now.

"I know you can't decide," Mance began, "so let Caesar come to me in person." It is believed that he will give an acceptable condition. ”

Jon glanced at the giant horn again, nodded and muffled:

"I'll take your request back, but I can't guarantee that Caesar will be willing to see you."

"He will." Mance smiled confidently, "We had a good chat last time, and I'm sure he won't turn down an old friend." ”

(End of chapter)