The snow fell heavier and heavier, like a huge white curtain, completely obscuring the moon.

As far as the eye can see, it is a white world.

After the collapse of the Great Wall, the wind and snow from the land of eternal winter swept southward without any shelter, covering all the forests, fields, and villages.

But compared to the wind and snow, the Wraiths and their legions of dead minions are even more terrifying.

"Let's go!" Mance Rader woke up his men who were still in a state of blindness, "Go south!" Take all the clansmen and go south of the neck! ”

"But Caesar only allowed us to stay in the wolf forest unless we knelt down to him......"

"The Great Wall has fallen, and Caesar can still take care of you. Run, the stranger is coming, and we all have to die! ”

When the leaders of the savages heard this, they did not dare to delay any longer, and hurriedly dispersed to contact the clansmen to go south.

They had all seen the methods of the strangers, so they all knew very well that without the protection of the Great Wall, humans would not be the match for those monsters at all.

Running away is the wisest option.

But at the same time, they couldn't help but feel a little confused in their hearts-

Where can humanity flee?

The strange spirits will travel south with the wind and snow, bringing extreme cold and death.

If no one stops them, the south of the neck will also be shrouded in white terror.

But at this moment, everyone was still immersed in the fear of the collapse of the Great Wall, and when Mance Red roared, their hearts were filled with the thought of escape.

Mance dismissed the crowd and was about to go to find his wife, Dana, when he saw Eddard Stark, the commander-in-chief of the Night's Watch, running menacingly.

Before Mance could speak, Ed grabbed him by the collar and asked angrily:

"Mance! Was it the horn you blew just now? That's the real trumpet of winter, isn't it? ”

"My trumpet has long been burned by Caesar, and so many have witnessed it with their own eyes."

"But that's a fake! You lied to everyone! ”

"Well, I'll admit it, I don't know if that horn is real or fake." At this point, Mance had no choice but to confess, "We searched through the Fangs of Frost and Snow, and found only the tomb of a giant, and in it we saw a great horn.

As for whether it is the real trumpet of winter, I'm afraid only the gods know.

But I have no choice but to claim that the trumpet is the true Trumpet of Winter in order for you Night's Watch to open the gates and let us go south.

Of course, as you know later, Caesar burned the trumpet. ”

"And what about the real Winterhorn?"

"How do I know!" Mance tore the other man's hand away, "It's definitely not with us savages anyway." ”

"He's lying!" Ser Alyssa Thorne rebuked, "If you want me to say, you should kill all these humanoid beasts!" They will never be our allies! ”

"Eddard Stark, think for yourself." Mance stared into the Commander-in-Chief's eyes, "We've all entered the Great Wall of Desperation, what reason is there to destroy it?" When it falls, so do we. ”

Sir Alyssa said bitterly:

"Maybe some people are dissatisfied with the current treatment, and want to let the strange ghost in and destroy everything, so that they can take the opportunity to fish in troubled waters."

Mance sneered, "Don't think we're as mean as you southerners. ”

"Who are you calling mean?" Alyssa jerked out her sword.

The dozen or so night watchmen who accompanied him also drew their swords, and the savages on the opposite side also took out their weapons, and the atmosphere was tense to the extreme.

But at this moment, a mournful cry suddenly sounded:

"The stranger is coming! The Strange Ghost is coming! ”

In the middle of the confrontation, both sides looked back to the north at the same time, and through the snow-white smoke left after the collapse of the Great Wall of Desperation, they saw a thin black line appear on the horizon in the distance.

It was an army of ghouls composed of countless twisted figures, which were spreading at an extremely fast speed, accompanied by a howling north wind.

Mance pointed to the north and said loudly:

"See clearly, that's the enemy! Enemies of all humanity! Don't swing your sword in the wrong direction! ”

Ser Alyssa tried to speak again, but was stopped by Eddard.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Night's Watch said in a deep voice:

"The enemies of the Night's Watch are always from the North. Blow the trumpet and get ready for battle! ”

But someone was obviously frightened, and said, "Lord Eddard, without the Great Wall, I'm afraid we won't be able to stop the army of ghouls!" ”

"It's our duty!" Ed replied stiffly.

Mance also kindly reminded:

"The Great Wall of Desperation stretches for thousands of miles, how can we just rely on our people to hold such a line of defense. I admire your courage, Lord Eddard, but for now, the wisest option is to retreat temporarily. Gather the armies of the south, choose a more suitable location, and re-establish the defensive line to stop the strangers. ”

Ed groaned slightly, and realized that this was the best choice.

"Someone must stay behind to cover the retreat of the army." He said, and then ignored Mance and the others, and turned to walk towards Castle Black.

It is also strange to say that such a huge wall of the Great Wall collapsed with a bang, but it did not affect the nearby castle, as if this ice wall that stood between heaven and earth had turned into light smoke and dissipated without a trace in an instant.

But without the cover of the Great Wall, Castle Black is like a stripped girl, unsuspectingly exposed to the ghosts.

At this time, the army of ghouls attacked from the north, and the night watchmen in the black castle panicked, and some even packed up their things and tried to take advantage of the chaos to flee south.

Eddard stood in the square south of Castle Black, and said to the herald:

"Blow the trumpet! All the army assembled! ”

"Yes, sir."

He looked at the scholar again and said:

"Release all the ravens at once, send them to King's Landing, to all the cities of the South, and tell the people that the Great Wall has fallen and the strange spirits are coming!"

"Yes!"

Ed searched the crowd, but did not find the figure of his eldest son, Robb, but saw Jon Snow running over in a panic.

"Jon, where's Robb?"

"Robb, he'......" Jon didn't know how to answer the question for a moment, but the army of ghouls was about to be killed, so he had to gather his feelings, pull his father aside, and whisper what had happened before.

Such a bizarre and sad story even made Eddard Stark, who had already experienced countless storms and waves, lose his temper.

"You say yes...... Robert...... Blowing the trumpet of winter? ”

"Yes, father." Jon said in a harsh tone, "But I suspect that's not the real him." I don't know, but the real Robb wouldn't do that. It is impossible to know about the strange horn I found from the Ancestral Fist Peak...... It's even more unlikely to fall into broken ice......"

Ed's mouth moved, and he was speechless for a moment.

But soon, he regained his composure, even coldness.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Night's Watch again ordered:

"Jon Snow, you immediately organize the evacuation of the Night's Watch Legion's logisticians."

"Father, what about you?"

"Of course I'm going to stay and fight, it's the duty of the Night's Watch."

"But you people alone can't hold the Great Wall...... Without the Great Wall, this line of defense is over. ”

"The North is behind us, and the Seven Kingdoms are behind us." Ed said lightly, "Even if they are destined to not be able to hold on, I have to buy them some time." ”

Jon tried to persuade him again, but Ed commanded in no uncertain terms:

"Jon Snow, this is an order for you, not a consultation with you."

"Yes...... My lord. Jon had no choice but to accept it.

Ed reached out and patted the other party's shoulder, and said in a slow tone:

"It's not just a matter of retreating, but also stopping the northerners from moving south, which is a daunting task, you understand?"

Jon nodded heavily.

Eddard then left him behind and walked over to the hastily assembled legion of the Night's Watch.

In the panic and hurry, the ranks were chaotic and far fewer than they should be.

Ed didn't care about the deserters at this time, he looked north, only to see a black cloud covering the snow and spreading at a rapid speed.

There are too many enemies.

And it's too powerful.

Not only do they not have enough troops, but they also lack weapons to fight the ghosts.

The Great Wall fell too suddenly, the southern army didn't have time to go north, and the Dragon Crystal weapons were not fully ready.

Even a determined Eddard Stark felt hopeless at this moment.

But at this point, he had no choice.

This was his duty and glory as the commander-in-chief of the Night's Watch.

It is also his responsibility and glory as a Stark.

And having just heard the news of his eldest son's death, Ed didn't even have time to grieve.

If the Horn of Winter is really Robb's blowing, then the responsibility must be borne by the Starks, whether or not it is of his true will.

Either way, Ed couldn't back down.

The squire brought in the horses, and the standard-bearer came behind the Commander-in-Chief with the Stark House Icewolf banner and the Night's Watch's black banner.

Mance Rader came to meet him with a group of savage warriors.

"Eddard Stark, we free people are also not afraid of death, and we are fighting side by side with you today under your command."

"Okay." Ed nodded at him.

Then he looked at the army and said in a loud voice:

"I know you're afraid.

Me too.

To tell you the truth, my heart is beating frighteningly fast right now, and my intestines are crumbling in my stomach like a cold viper.

But we can't back down!

Because behind him are the seven kingdoms, which are countless villagers, lords, mothers, and children...... So we can't go back!

There's nothing to be ashamed of fear, unless you let them control you.

This is an impending war, a war between humans and the Strangers.

There is nothing more terrible than war, nothing is uglier than war, but there is also nothing more glorious than war.

Someone will die in the war, but many more will live.

Years from now, when the war is over, you will be heroes, sung by the bards!

Now, please say your final prayer. ”

Ed also bowed his head and prayed.

Pray to the ancient gods, that they will watch over their people, that they will give him strength and wisdom, and of course—

Victory.

The howling cold wind brought with it the smell of corpses, the smell of death, the smell of fear.

An army of ghouls, getting closer.

Without the Great Wall of Desperation, they are unstoppable.

Eddard Stark leads the cavalry of the Night's Watch to the front of the line.

"When you hear the trumpet later, follow my banner. If I fall unfortunately, the title of Dennis Mellister will be in command, and if Dennis also falls, it will be commanded by Mance Red, and if ......"

"If we all fall," Mance continued, "then the battle will be lost." ”

Ed didn't refute.

He knew the truth of what the other party was saying, and in such a chaotic situation, there really didn't make much difference whether there was a command or not.

Even this battle is destined to end in defeat.

Everyone knows this, it's just that no one says it directly.

No say die before the war.

Ed remembered that his father had taught him this, because the gods might be listening.

Hopefully, they're listening.

Suddenly, someone recited the oath of the night watchman:

"The long night is coming, and I will keep watch from now on until I die. I will not take a wife, nor a fief, nor have children. I will not wear a crown, and I will not compete for honor. I will do my duty and die in my life. I am the sword in the darkness, the guard of the Great Wall, the flame against the cold, the light at dawn, the trumpet that awakens the sleeper, the shield that guards the kingdom. I give my life and glory to the night watch, tonight, night and night. ”

At first, it was a few people, but soon, more people joined.

More and more people joined, and eventually even the savages joined in chanting.

Eddard Stark, of course, was chanting, too.

When he had finished saying the last sentence, "I give my life and glory to the Night's Watch, tonight, and night," he drew his sword, raised it high, looked at the army of ghouls that were getting closer and closer, took a deep breath, and gave the order to charge.

But at this moment, Mance Rader suddenly pointed to the sky and shouted:

"Look, what's that?"

Ed was stunned for a moment, then looked up.

Everyone looked up.

In the boundless wind and snow, a white shadow was rapidly swooping down.

A flame suddenly appeared with it, and the orange light swept down through the huge curtain of wind and snow.

There was half a heartbeat, and Eddard Stark feared that it was blown out by the wind.

But the flame was not extinguished.

It's getting brighter and brighter, it's getting more and more intense.

Like a flaming spear piercing the sky, it pierced the center of the ghoul army.

Rumble!

The flames exploded in the snow and ice into a brilliant firework, dazzling and dazzling.

Hundreds of exclamations rang out, and hundreds of people watched, gesturing, shouting, reaching out to touch their swords and axes.

"Caesar! His Majesty Caesar is here! ”

"His Majesty Caesar is here!"

Countless voices burst out from between thousands of lips and teeth, converging into one voice.

In an instant, it resounded through the sky, shattering the ice and snow.

The gloom in Ed's mind was swept away, and he pulled down the visor of his helmet, raised his shield, and slipped his arm into the belt.

The air was cold and bitter to breathe, but there was a sweet smell of fire, the taste of victory.

"May the gods watch over us," he cried out, following the white dragon flying through the sky, and ordered,

"All, charge!"

(End of chapter)