The king on the Great Wall

"Master Carter, Lord Jon, you two guess, what are these people doing?"

The two turned their heads to observe with stiff faces for a while, both of them had some points in their hearts, but they both closed their lips tightly and said nothing.

Eggben didn't intend to wait for their answer, and quickly revealed the answer: "Yes, they are building a gallows, a gallows for traitors."

"The two of you either oppose my ideas, or have personal grievances with me, and have doubts about my personal qualities... In short, there are many differences and contradictions, but you are not traitors, at best you can only be regarded as Opponents." Iger put his hands behind his back and said in a calm tone, "Anyway, the fact now is that I have become the commander-in-chief. And whether you believe it or not, at this moment, my new commander-in-chief thinks Yes, there is only one item of 'how to make the Great Wall into a monolith so that the strange ghosts can't step in', and I don't have the intention to engage in infighting with you again."

He looked at the two of them coldly. They were about the same height, but because they were younger and stood straighter, they seemed to be looking down: "You can keep your opinions and opinions and be my opponents forever. But I will never Anyone is allowed to stand in my way and ruin my business at this time. If anyone is there, he is my enemy and a traitor to the Night Watchman Legion! No matter how old his qualifications, how noble his background is, how old he is I will mercilessly hang him on the gallows prepared for traitors!"

……

After clarifying this simple stake, Iger pointed the finger at specific individuals.

"Carter Pike. Both Maester Aemon and Ser Mallister think that I should let you continue as Commander of Eastwatch. Out of respect for both of them, I choose to give you a chance and choose to believe that you will Let go of your personal prejudices, put the interests of the legion and all mankind first, and guard Donghaiwatch well. I assure you, I will not summon you frequently, let you go back and forth between Donghaiwatch and Houguan Town, and then put down your weapons and body searches to humiliate you and waste your time. And you—you have to assure me that you will do your job as I expect you to.”

Although his face was full of anger, Carter's answer was unexpectedly straightforward: "I will put aside my personal prejudices, obey all your orders, and guard East China Sea Watch!"

"Very good, I believe it. In the process of helping the Northern Territory to expel the Ironborn invasion, I captured dozens of surrendered soldiers. They have agreed to join the Night Watchman to atone for their crimes. They are now being held in Houguan Town. You too Born in the Iron Islands, I believe you can take good care of your fellow villagers—these dozens of people, don’t let half of them escape, or you will resign yourself!”

"Besides, I also received a report that on Seal Bay, the part of the sea where the easternmost end of the Great Wall extends into the sea, has begun to show signs of freezing. In order to prevent the army of the dead from passing through the frozen sea and bypassing the Great Wall , I will send an additional 200 people to Donghaiwatch in addition to those dozens of surrendered soldiers. No matter what method you think of, what method you use, prevent the sea area from being completely frozen!"

It's true that Seal Bay is connected to the Shivering Sea, and under the action of ocean currents and tides, the water surface freezes rarely, but nothing is certain... Concerns about the White Walkers coming on the ice have always been among the Night's Watch Existence, Iger naturally has to guard against this happening.However, the more important task of these 200 people is to slowly infiltrate Eastwatch, monitor and quietly take Carter Pike to the ground.

If Carter fulfills his duties as a commander honestly and takes it as his own responsibility to guard East China Sea Watch, then the people transferred by Iger will obey his dispatch and follow his orders like normal subordinates... But if Carter has planned a conspiracy, or for revenge Signs such as his deliberate inaction or even letting the ghosts pass through—although it is unlikely—then these dark chess buried in Donghai Watch will be activated in an instant, taking Carter and taking over the castle.

There is a bond between the commander and the soldiers in their respective fortresses, and Iger does not deny this.But he never believed that this feeling would be so strong that everyone would rebel or die with him—especially after he started sending money to all the night watchmen.

……

After knocking on this one, Iger turned to the other person: "Master Yon, whether or not you form the Alliance of the Righteous is a betrayal of the Iron Throne, I don't care. But Weimar Royce was not killed by me." One point, I will not explain it again. I have to admit that his sacrifice gave me a chance to escape... I don't like him, but he fought to the death, there is no doubt about it. Out of respect for the martyrs and former comrades-in-arms With all respect, I really don't want to kill his dad—unless you make me."

"If you continue to go against me stubbornly, I assure you, you will definitely lose. And speaking of this, I have to remind you kindly: You are not just a child like Weimar... If you hinder me in the land-grant Action, affect my arrangement to guard the Great Wall, I will execute you as a last resort."

"It's conceivable—your remaining two sons and one daughter are likely to try to avenge you." Iger's eyes flashed fiercely, and he tried to make a ferocious expression of gritted teeth: "Although I am arrogant, I am With this confidence—if I have to fight against the entire Royce family, I will definitely win!"

"If your children, relatives, or subordinates come to avenge you, come one, I will kill one, come two, and I will kill one pair. If necessary, I will do what King Robert did to the remnants of the previous dynasty, Targaryen, Kill all the 'Royce' completely, leaving no one behind. If you don't believe me, go and try!"

Jon Royce met the threat with his gray eyes so fearlessly that Iger didn't know if his words had any effect.

"Of course, don't worry, I won't give you another chance to die." Iger withdrew his demonic vicious expression, "From today onwards, you and all the princes and nobles who have sinned in the valley will be transferred to the logistics department. Responsible for Houguan Town’s purchase of odds and ends from the Seven Kingdoms and transportation. I will assign one or two colleagues to each of you to cooperate with you and monitor your whereabouts...I will never let you have any free time or opportunity to think about it.”

The embellishment sounds good, but the essence is very simple: to completely separate Yon Royce from his forces - the rest of the valley princes who were also exiled to the Great Wall - at the same time exile the Great Wall and the land grant, and send people Surveillance, the frivolous menial jobs that, no matter what they do, can never threaten to affect the big picture.

***

The above is the final arrangement that Iger finally gave up the "once and for all" approach after struggling in his heart for a long time.

He knew from the very beginning that it was impossible for him to ease relations with these two guys, especially Jon Royce, and get back together.Rather than being gentle and being seen as weak, it's better to be a total villain.

There are two possible outcomes of doing this: either the two people are really frightened, and there will be no more internal struggles in the legion;

Iger couldn't predict that outcome, but in order to ensure that the loss would be minimized in the latter case, he also arranged a backup plan: he would let Carter Parker go back to Eastwatch—after he had installed Behind the hands and eyes.As long as the reckless man makes the slightest change, even if it's just a little sign, Iger will relentlessly support the role of "wicked person" and kill the grass and roots without leaving any future troubles.

He gave his opponents a way to survive, and it was up to them to choose whether to leave or not.

……

"No, Jon isn't going anywhere, he's staying at Donghaiwatch." Just when Iger had finished saying everything he wanted to say, he was about to wave his hand to make the two of them leave.Carter Pike suddenly said coldly, "In the name of the Drowned God, I swear that I will never fight against you in any form, but I just make one request: He stays at Castle Black."

Iger looked at the speaker unexpectedly.

What he said to these two old men today was carefully considered, and he did not accept the bargaining order, but who would have thought that he would encounter an unexpected backlash at the end of what he had said.

He stared at Carter earnestly for a while, and suddenly understood why the other party had a firm expression of refusing to back down and never giving in: he probably thought that he transferred Jon to find an opportunity to play against him. Feeling to get rid of people.

This is really... an answer to a saying: as long as people make progress, one day they will become the bad guys in other people's stories.

Conscience, Iger never thought about it that way.

The reason is simple: as a well-known public opponent of himself, no matter when, where and in what form Jon Royce died, the land-grant people and even the Seven Kingdoms... especially Stark and Royce The big family will all conclude that they killed themselves.Since side effects cannot be escaped, why bother to hide it?

If Iger is determined to kill, he will definitely declare the canonical punishment, so as not to engage in any meaningless sneaking.

……

But Carter's step forward gave Iger at least one piece of information: the other party was scared, and he was really scared.And this means that the performance of playing the villain and the threat of the red nuts have worked.

Carter, this guy, was obviously tricked by Jon, but he still wanted to protect the latter, which really made Iger not know what to say.After thinking about it, he suddenly realized that perhaps it would be good to agree to this condition.

"Are you sure you insist on this?"

"I stand by that."

"Okay, let me put my ugly words first: if I find any sign or clue that Jon still refuses to give up and wants to continue to do bad things, I don't care if you know it or not, as long as you don't tie him up personally. Get up and send it to me, and I will directly believe that the two of you are conspiring." Iger narrowed his eyes and said: "If one day in the future, I have to hang him on the gallows below, I promise--he There must be a place for you next to you. Even so, you still insist?"

"I will control him. If he still ignores the overall situation, I will never care about affection again."

"I hope you can do it." Iger snorted, "I've said everything I need to say. Next, just stay at Castle Black for another two days with peace of mind. When I can leave and return to Eastwatch, wait for my nod." Besides... Finally, I will give you a suggestion, and it is up to you to take it or not: hand over the deicing of the Seal Bay to Jon. It will take more time and effort, and less energy to think about it."

-

Chapter 316

Carter Pike and Jon Royce are certainly not easy to deal with, but since the tunnel leading to the outside of the Great Wall from East Sea Watch has long been blocked, and they themselves are extremely cautious or intimidated by this mystery, it is difficult for them to find anything even if they think about it. spray.To deal with them, in the case of occupying all the advantages of position and strength, it is nothing more than tearing the face and killing them...

To put it bluntly, in the past two years in Westeros, people with higher status and more noble background than these two have died one after another like flies. It's just self-killing.

And the next trouble to deal with is really a big headache for Iger.

Melisandre, the lady in red.In terms of status, she is a priest of the Red God, an imperial adviser "sent" by King Stannis to help defend the Great Wall; Zheng Bei Zhan... not to mention that she is also a wizard who has mastered extraordinary powers.

I can't threaten, let alone deal with it. If this woman insists on putting "expanding the influence of the Red God" above the work of establishing authority and managing the land grant as the new commander-in-chief, Iger really doesn't know what to do with her .

After dinner, Iger walked around the room restlessly for a while, thinking about it, but in the end he couldn't come up with any perfect idea.

That's all, just call her here, see if you can understand her with reason and empathy, and persuade her to see the overall situation, not to continue doing such willful nonsense and disrupt the situation wantonly.

In the case where she thinks that she is the child of prophecy and that she has saved her life, it seems that it is not completely hopeless.

If we can't agree, let's think of "other ways"!he thought viciously.

***

After some hesitation, Iger decided to send someone to summon her instead of coming to the door himself.

Commander-in-Chief of the Night Watch Legion, theoretically no lower than the king's special envoy.Emphasis and fear are the same thing, but what should be done still has to be done. I am now the supreme leader of the land grant. If I humble myself because the woman on the opposite side has some extraordinary power, I will put myself at a disadvantage from the very beginning. bad position.

……

Seemingly waiting for his news, Melisandre came to Iger's room within a few minutes.

When she pushed the door and entered, Iger had already pulled out the steel sword that was still emitting a strong light from its sheath and placed it on the table, with a very clear sense of questioning.

The brightness of high-power LED lamps illuminates the whole room brighter than it is exposed to the clear sky, and it also makes it impossible for Iger to sit down at the table. He can only stand by the wall with his back to the light source and meditate.

"My lord commander." Melisandre walked into the room, and greeted casually in an ethereal and gentle voice, and then probably felt that the brightness was a bit too much, so she raised her hand to cover her eyes.

"Ms. Melisandre." Iger nodded back expressionlessly, then picked up a blanket and put it on the sword, covering most of its light.Afterwards, he turned around and stared at the red-robed woman for a few seconds before he said in an obviously bad tone: "You know the Lightbringer so well, I have a question to ask—if I just hang it up like this If it is used as a lighting fixture in the house, will it stay on like this forever, saving us a lot of lamps and candles for the Night Watch Corps?"

"No, even the real Lightbringer in the legend will only light up when the user is infused with magic power to exert its power. Your sword will shine because I stacked more than 20 swords on it at once. Strong light spell... the spell effect itself is not permanent, and steel is not a good carrier of magic power. After about one night, it will return to normal."

The witch admitted so frankly that she was the one who did it, which saved Iger a lot of trouble.An expression of displeasure slowly appeared on his face, and he asked coldly: "If I remember correctly, in this room, the two of us have had a long talk before and reached an agreement—— Help cooperate and fight against the enemy together, but I will not publicly admit any identity or convert to the Red God. Last time your people publicly claimed that I was the son of prophecy at Eastwatch. I haven't settled the account yet, so you came again at Castle Black May I ask, are you trying to break the agreement by making a fuss in front of hundreds of brothers without even saying hello to me this time?"

"Calm down, Commander-in-Chief." Melisandre shook her head slowly, took two steps in the room, and approached the man slightly with enthusiasm: "Please allow me to explain what happened today. A guess."

***

Under Iger's full attention, the red-robed woman described the ins and outs of what happened today, picked out her old injuries and some details that needed to be kept secret, and narrated the parts that did not need to be concealed.

While Melisandre was talking, Iger relaxed all the way, and after listening to everything, he couldn't laugh or cry.

Ever since we met, the red-robed woman has always maintained that mysterious, calm expression, as if everything is under control.This made Iger naturally have the impression that the opponent is a chess player with a deep city like himself and Lao Bopi, and everything is decided before moving.

So - when this happened in the afternoon, Iger subconsciously thought that she had premeditated and deliberately disrupted the situation.He wanted to take the opportunity to force himself to admit his identity as the Son of Prophecy, so as to create a situation like "divine right of the king" and "the Pope crowning the king" - a situation where religious power overrides the authority of the commander-in-chief.

Who would have thought that the facts seemed not that complicated at all, it was simply a brain twitch of a witch who was not as shrewd as imagined, and did something stupid.

Of course, Iger did not completely believe what the red robe woman said so easily—it was the same as when he himself faced Robb’s questioning about the siege of Castle Black: Melisandre was probably also using the method to shift the focus and turn the big thing into a small one. In such a way, she made herself think that she just "made a mistake" rather than doing something on purpose.

But even if that were the case, what did it matter?Iger is not Melisandre's lord, nor can she decide her fate.What he wanted was not to hold the witch accountable and make her accept punishment, but to try to ensure that the red-robed woman would no longer prioritize her "expanding the Red God's influence" over the big chess game in his stomach... Keep messing around and do things that shake your authority.

……

The new commander-in-chief thought a lot in an instant. What he didn't know was that Melisandre was actually as calm on the surface and worried in her heart: she believed in prophecy, and the Lord of Light showed it clearly in the fire—only with the prophecy Only by fighting side by side with the princes in the game can we win the upcoming battle.

She is now the only Red God priest on the Great Wall, representing R'hllor in the human camp in this war.If because of a moment of brain fever, he broke up with the commander-in-chief of the Night Watch, who is now commanding the entire land grant and the Great Wall defenders at the forefront of this ice and fire war, the human side will eventually lose the war because of this internal disunity, Let the cold god overwhelm R'hllor to win, that is really a crime.

At all costs, she must maintain a solid and good mutual trust with Iger!

……

Egger didn't know what Melisandre was thinking, but it didn't matter. He was keenly aware that the witch didn't want to confront him: the Red God priest with aloof status and no pretense towards anyone, not only Came here immediately after the invitation, and explained to myself the reasons for everything that happened patiently, without arrogance or impatience. It doesn't matter whether the content is true or false. This kind of "explaining" attitude itself is a kind of showing weakness!

Her identity as the "son of prophecy" seemed to carry far more weight in the witch's heart than originally expected.When both parties put the overall situation first and are eager to bridge the relationship with each other, discover this first and keep the tough side—then you can occupy an absolute dominant position!

Iger quickly grasped this subtle psychological advantage.

***

He summed up the other party's explanation pretending to be annoyed: "So, in order not to waste the magic power that was about to disperse, you made an impromptu decision and played it on the spot, and secretly released dozens of... what spells are you using on my sword? But you know, once your brain is hot, I was almost blinded by my own sword!"

Annoyance is false, regret is true: Melisandre said that the magic power released by Maester Aemon when he was cremated was strong enough to bring people back to life, but she, like all other night watchmen, did not feel any abnormality... It seems that most of him is a completely ordinary person, who has nothing to do with extraordinary power.

"I considered this possibility when I was halfway through it, so I didn't continue to strengthen the spell. It's a pity that I still didn't expect that just twenty or so powerful light spells can have such a great power." Mei Lissandra chuckled apologetically and shrugged.At this point, she wasn't lying, casting spells was quite a luxury in this magic-drained world.Operations such as repeating a spell dozens of times, if it weren't for the cremation of Targaryen, she wouldn't have dared to think about it at all.It was a rare opportunity to squander the remaining mana without calculating the remaining mana. When she got excited, she couldn't control her speed. "I don't know, Commander-in-Chief, can your vision return to normal now? If not, maybe I can try to heal your wounds. R'hllor is the source of all goodness. Although we are called Vulcan Priests, we know more than setting fires Burn people."

The witch took two steps and approached, as if she wanted to cast a spell for Iger that could repair his physical injuries... The latter naturally raised his hand to reject it.After an afternoon of recovery, the dark spots in his vision have basically faded away—even if he didn't, Iger didn't dare to let a witch of unknown origin treat him casually.

The familiar heat from the red-robed girl rushed over, and Iger suddenly noticed that Melisandre was a little different from the past: Although she was still as beautiful and charming as everyone was accustomed to, she seemed to be ten years younger. The imperceptible traces of time in the details also disappeared, and the skin even faintly revealed youthful luster and strange splendor, which reminded the man of a word-immortal spirit.

Could this be some kind of charm spell?

He put away Qi Nian and continued to hold his face: "Ms. Melisandre, I have never doubted your willingness to help defend the Great Wall. What happened today, and the previous time at East China Sea Watch, I think you did it out of kindness Bad things, I won’t mention them anymore. But some requirements, I reiterate now, if you feel that I have no right to order you, or you really can’t do it. Then I’m sorry, I will be cruel no matter what, please play a bad face You left my place."

"Commander-in-Chief, you are the host, and I am the guest. I should take your request to heart. Please tell me."

"Not much, just two points." Iger said sternly: "One, don't let anyone, in any way, publicly declare that I am the prince in prophecy. It doesn't matter whether it is or not, don't forget, my 'ex 'But King Stannis now sits on the Iron Throne. He is a decent man, but no one will be happy to hear that someone has taken one of his honorable titles from him, and this war to defend mankind , I hope to get any help from the seven nations, isn't that too much?"

The smile on Melisandre's face remained unchanged, and she nodded.

"Second, in the future, you need to inform me in advance of any public actions that you will give the title of King of Light in the land... You don't need to go out in person, just send someone to notify you. If I don't respond to objection, it's permission, how about it? "

"Okay, two points. So, we have cleared up the misunderstanding and become trustworthy and close friends again?"

"Well, if you have to use such an adjective, so be it."

Communication is so important. This afternoon, Iger even thought about how to get rid of Melisandre if she refused to cooperate.But as long as you talk about it face-to-face, you will often be surprised to find that it turns out that you are just thinking too much.

Iger breathed a sigh of relief, and no longer made a bad face on purpose. He collected his emotions and thoughts, and prepared to end the meeting politely.

But at this moment, she was humble and obedient from the beginning to the end, reasonable enough to make people wonder if this is her own red robe witch, but she slipped, and approached his side under Iger's gaze, and held him right arm.

"What?" Iger frowned suspiciously, not forgetting the bad things.With the ability of the red-robed girl, if she wanted to deal with herself, she definitely didn't need such complicated physical contact.

"You are very anxious, Commander-in-Chief. Are you flustered because you have never ascended to such a high position, or are you anxious about the upcoming battle?"

Iger was taken aback, and after a little thought, it seemed that after he learned that he was elected as the commander-in-chief, his emotions really experienced abnormalities and fluctuations...

No wonder.Just like the well-known psychological experiment "Don't think of an elephant", a priest tells you "you have a problem" in a nagging tone, looking back at yourself under this hint, naturally you are not sick or you are sick, the problem A whole lot.

Want to play tricks with yourself?This level of tricks is not enough!

Iger narrowed his eyes and was about to respond, but the witch didn't give her a chance.

"It is important to perform your duties and guard the kingdom of mankind, but you must also pay attention to the balance between work and rest. Don't let the war start, and you can't hold on first. Remember: the body is comfortable and the heart is smooth, so that everything can go well." She lifted Picking up Iger's right arm in his hand, he slowly but firmly guided it to touch his waist, "Men and women are born with different qualities. The supreme wisdom of the King of Light clearly tells us: Combination can produce strength... Of course, the Commander-in-Chief must have sneered at this, so let’s be blunt, even if the joy of fish and water does not produce any power, it can also be used as a way for us to understand each other more deeply and establish a closer and stronger alliance. way?"

In the hand, there was incredible heat and softness from the witch's waist, and Iger knew that he was thinking wrong again.Melisandre is not trying to play tricks, but seducing herself!

-

Chapter 317 Open Source

Just like the spiral of civilization development, all stories seem to have some twists and turns.Mormont's accidental death made the human defenders at the forefront of this life-and-death battle stalled for several months without making any major moves.If there is anything to be thankful for, it is probably that almost every party in this election has maintained a bottom-line view of the overall situation and restraint—the human side's footsteps "although they have not advanced, at least they have not been affected by excessive internal fighting." fall back".

Now, everything is finally back on track...on Iger's track to be precise.Give full play to the spirit of optimism and think about the good. People who are full of ideas go to battle in person, and they may be able to play this game of chess more thoroughly than standing behind others.

……

Iger asked Carter Parker to "obtain permission before returning to Eastwatch" in order to wait for the loan grain from the Iron Bank to arrive. The purpose is not complicated: to convert the last possible variable into a definite amount based on the principle of prudence.

Nearly 20 days after receiving an unofficial reminder from the Iron Bank, the much-anticipated grain fleet finally arrived at the night watchman harbor without any mistakes.With the presence of hundreds of people from Houguan Town who had been mobilized to Donghaiwang early on, the scene was stable and the whole process of unloading grain was extremely smooth.In just a few days, the food worth tens of thousands of gold dragons and enough food for the land grant was removed from the boat for dozens of days, and quickly transferred to a place full of full support and obedience under the push of people. The reformist night watchmen and mountain people under the command of Iger, and the newly opened fortress "Beacon Tower" without half of the opposition, can be transported to Houguan Town as soon as the weather improves.

So far, the handover of power at the top of the land-grant has finally come to an end, and no one in the open or in the dark can do anything to cause serious problems.After sending someone to tell Carter that he could go back and continue his post, Iger also packed up his luggage and took his entourage, and rushed to Houguan Town, which was still in ruins a year ago, but is now the only town in the land-grant, and has been successfully upgraded to the new night watchman base camp.

In this fortress completely filled with his own people, the first commander-in-chief of the night watchman who is not a native, the first one who was not in the election site when he was elected, and the first one who did not sit on the Great Wall after taking office... will remotely command the entire grant land, and do everything possible The northernmost frontier of the Seven Kingdoms was established as the tenth largest region in Westeros after the Seven Kingdoms, the Iron Islands and the Narrow Sea Islands.