The king on the Great Wall

While relaxing, Iger did not ignore another detail: "Just talk to me?"

"Well, just talking to you." Mormont shrugged: "They are currently coming west along the Great Wall under the escort of a small group of rangers, and they will probably stop by to inspect the newly opened fortresses of Sable Hall and Beacon Tower ...you will be at Castle Black in a few days, and then you can talk to them."

***

It's so weird.

That's right, I am indeed determined not to let any other Night Watchmen get involved in the industry. So far, the logistics department is completely his own... except for the name, it is completely independent of the Night Watch Corps.

This is a fact, and it is also an obvious manifestation of "having two hearts", but Mormont acquiesced to this situation for the sake of the overall situation. In various attempts to guard the Great Wall, Iger also behaved like an ordinary night watchman officer in public, giving face to the commander-in-chief and never tearing things down.

He and the Night Watch Legion are actually in harmony, but I am afraid that only a small number of followers and close friends of Mormont, James, and Egger know the inside story, not even Jon Snow, the chief ranger, craftsman, and affairs officer. There is no doubt, why is the iron bank across the narrow sea so clear that when they send an investigation team to the Great Wall, they just say "only talk to the chief logistics officer"?

This is obviously a manifestation of the internal situation of the Night's Watch, and it is an amazing display of intelligence gathering capabilities.However, by passing Mormont so bluntly, where does Xiong Lao, the genuine "Commander-in-Chief", be placed?

Fortunately, Mormont doesn't seem to be bothered about it... This nobleman who supported joining the Night's Watch Legion really put the interests of the Legion above his own.

***

"Okay, then I'll talk to them and try to get a loan for the Great Wall to buy food from the other side of the Narrow Sea." Regardless of the storms and bad weather in the Narrow Sea, the distance from East China Sea to Essos is actually Shorter than the Great Wall to the Reach. "But the problem we are facing now is: even if the negotiation ends quickly, our people follow this investigation team and immediately return to Braavos to start shopping for food for the Great Wall. When the food is transported to the Great Wall, there must be at least two or three months."

"Our reserves won't last until then?"

"If you plan carefully, you can." Iger shook his head, "But this is thousands of mouths, and it is not guaranteed that it can last in theory. Any problem will be a disaster. We have to think about it for a while."

Mormont nodded. "What's your idea?"

"Reach a settlement with the savages as soon as possible, let them pass the Great Wall, and obtain their food reserves. At the same time, free up manpower, go south to help the northern border drive out the ironmen, and restore the northern border's logistical supply to the Great Wall. The success of the first half of the plan will bring more benefits to the Great Wall. Buy for a month or two, and once the logistical supply to us from the north is restored,"

Mormont frowned. "The Night's Watch shall not take part in the feud within the Seven Kingdoms."

"I didn't see any fighting within the Seven Kingdoms. I only saw a group of pirates from the Sunset Sea harassing the northern border, cutting off the food transportation line of the Night Watchmen, and disrupting the normal operation of the logistics department." Iger snorted: "In addition, I Guaranteed, no half of the Night's Watch will be involved in the battle to drive out the Ironborn."

In terms of words, the Iron Islands are indeed not one of the "Seven" countries, and they are indeed in the sunset sea... It seems that it can be done without the participation of half of the night watchmen?

This is obviously arguing or even talking nonsense, but rabbits bite people when they are in a hurry. War can be fought for any reason. When interests are damaged or even life and death are at stake, who would be rigid enough to stick to the rules? ?

……

"Oh... Iger, you have a bright mind. I trust you, so I support your series of plans, but you are playing bigger and bigger now." Mormont tapped his fingers on the table nervously, his mind spinning rapidly: " The plan works, but it has to go well to continue... What if, the Iron Bank doesn't agree to lend to the Great Wall, or we don't get enough food from across the Narrow Sea? When food isn't enough to feed everyone , Shall we slaughter all the savages put into the Great Wall? Even against the enemy, I can’t do such a thing!”

"You don't need to make a decision now, let's talk about it after I talk to the emissaries of the Iron Bank. If we don't get a loan, then we will pretend to negotiate with the savages and promise to let them pass through the gate of the Great Wall. When they gather together, we will launch another big attack." Large-scale raids, try to crush them and grab as much food as possible." This is cruel, but there is no place for warmth in front of Winter, "If we get a loan and we are sure that we can get food support from Essos, we will have another meeting, good Talk about the possibility of a settlement with the Wildlings."

"fair enough."

"Hmm... There are two other things. The priestess of Stannis and his real queen are rumored to be at Castle Black before dark, so please don't neglect Lord Bowen." Lock up a few wildling prisoners, after so many days, it’s time to use them. Let them out and let them tell Mance Rayder that we are willing to negotiate.”

Regardless of whether it is a real negotiation or a fake negotiation, the person must be found first. Mormont nodded quickly: "Okay, let's do it like this."

-

Chapter 234 Long-Term Food Coupons

After dragging the two wildlings with minor injuries out of the cell, feeding them the message they needed to convey, the night watchmen let them down from the Great Wall... The prisoners who had been imprisoned for many days were very excited about their freedom. After the ground, he quickly left the hanging basket, ran away, and quickly disappeared into the vast ghost forest.

As the three strongholds of the night watchmen and the seven newly activated fortresses resumed their garrison status and built walls, the defenses of the Grand Canyon and the Great Wall were finally connected as one. The frequency and scale of battles remained the same. The hope of people crossing the Great Wall and entering the land-grant is getting slimmer—through the birds and beasts controlled by the shapechangers, the people outside the Great Wall can indeed keep track of the distribution and movements of the defenders of the Great Wall at any time. The scouts are matched with the most ill-equipped and undisciplined main force in the world...

Mance Rayder is nothing more than a deserter from the Night's Watch. Gathering a hundred tribes of free folk and bringing them to the foot of the Great Wall is already the limit of his ability. A high-security line of defense with sentries and patrols everywhere.

As long as the news that the night watchmen are willing to negotiate is sent to the "King Beyond the Wall", no matter how suspicious or unwilling he is, he has to accept this olive branch and respond.

The initiative is entirely in the hands of the night watchmen.

……

The recruits brought by Melisandre and her followers soon joined the regiment and were quickly assigned to various departments to work.So far, Iger has no subordinates in the "Logistics Department" except Allisa Thorne, a nasty guy who is called the representative in King's Landing, but is actually completely empty.Probably because he felt sorry for this, so when he asked Mormont for someone, Elder Xiong readily assigned Humphrey Hill to the logistics department.

At this point, Iger finally had a real subordinate within the system. He appointed Humphrey as the "Chief Logistics Officer of Houguan Town" to work with "Mayor" Yam, responsible for the construction and improvement of the land-grant trading market, and sharing the pressure of the latter.

***

After a few days of busy work, Iger finally waited for the long-awaited messenger from the Iron Bank.

The three Braavosi descended to Castle Black, escorted by a small band of armed rangers, rode in through the new gates, and dismounted in the middle of the yard.

"Three gentlemen, welcome to the base camp of the Night Watch, Castle Black." Iger took the initiative to greet him: "The Chief Logistics Officer of the Night Watch, next to me is the commander-in-chief of the Night Watch, Jeor Mormont."

The chief of the three Braavos, a man tall and thin as a bamboo pole and wearing a purple felt hat, said, "Tychu Nestos, these two are my guards. Order from the Iron Bank, come to help the night watchman." He took off his hat and bowed, "Thank you two lords and the brothers of the night watchman for your hospitality and escort, I hope there is no trouble."

"Of course not, sir, I'm very welcome." Mormont smiled, at least the words were sincere: "Your Excellency now wants to enter the house to enjoy hot soup and meals, or to visit the top of the Great Wall? The Great Wall is in the dark. The height of the castle section from the ground is the highest, overlooking the ghost forest from here, the scenery is unique in the world.”

"No doubt... But overlooking the ghost forest, we have already experienced it in Eastwatch, and it is not very meaningful to look at it from a height of several tens of feet. After a long day of hard work on the pommel horse, I prefer the warm and quiet Room, let’s talk about the purpose of our trip.”

Mormont smiled knowingly: "Understood, then go to my study. Jon... go to the kitchen and get something to eat, and some mulled wine."

……

The fire in the fireplace has been reduced a lot, but the room is still much warmer than the outside, Xiong Lao's crow shouted "Corn!" to welcome them, everyone hung up their cloaks and coats, and sat around the commander-in-chief's desk Down.

Iger waited for the guests to sit down and said: "It's a coincidence, just a few days ago, I planned to go to Braavos in person to apply for a loan from the Iron Bank to tide over the difficulties. I didn't expect the Iron Bank to send three people to take the initiative Visiting...all adults, why are you here?"

"I don't dare to call you adults, we are just small employees of the Iron Bank." Having said that, Tai Chu held his head proudly, he really has the qualifications. "Our purpose for coming here is very clear. The great men of Braavos have heard of the troubles the Great Wall is facing, and have instructed the Iron Bank to provide assistance within its capacity - we will provide an interest-free loan to the Night's Watch to help the defenders of the Great Wall. overcome obstacles."

Aiger and Mormont glanced at each other, both of them were a little confused: This is too funny, the Iron Bank may have obtained information about the appearance of the ghoul from Jaqen Hughar, and worried that the White Walker would invade the Seven Kingdoms and lead to a loan to the Iron Throne I can't get it back, so I'm willing to help, which is understandable...but it's a bank after all, so it rushed to the door and said, "I want to lend you money without paying interest"...

Probably too enthusiastic and proactive.

This is illogical... Iger was completely invalidated by the other party's words, and he didn't know how to respond. After thinking about it, one thing suddenly emerged from his memory: Jia Kun said goodbye to him that day. He paid himself a ransom, and said that it would be delivered within a few months. Is this loan offered to the door, and the part of the interest that was waived, the ransom that the faceless man promised that day?

If this conjecture is true, then the influence of the high-ranking Faceless Ones on the upper and lower forces of Braavos is really far beyond expectations.Iger looked at the three people in front of him, wondering: Is one of them the new-faced Jaqen H'ghar?

"Of course, there are conditions. We require the Night Watchman's property as a pledge, and send observers within the Night Watchman's control area to ensure that the loan is used to defend the Great Wall... At the same time, if you want to borrow money from outside Westeros When purchasing supplies locally, priority must be given to Braavos."

Could it be that the purpose of the Iron Bank is to use the land grant as a gap to infiltrate forces into Westeros?Or use this loan as a breakthrough point to create an opportunity to annex the night watchman industry?Iger became puzzled. With Stannis sitting on the Iron Throne, no matter which one, it seems that it is not easy to succeed.

After thinking about it for a while, Iger decided to put the doubts behind him - at the moment when the logistics supply chain of the Great Wall is about to break, and the survival of thousands of people is a big problem, can he still refuse to come to the door for some doubts that have no shadow at all? Charcoal in the snow?

Instead of thinking wildly, it is better to find some more tangible benefits: "It is a reasonable request, but we also have some small expectations-the Great Wall is currently manpower-strapped, and there are very few people who can handle affairs independently. We hope that the Iron Bank can directly use food aid in the form of loans.”

The Braavosi raised his eyebrows unexpectedly: "My lord logistics officer means that the Iron Bank will arrange for someone to buy food for you and hire a ship to transport it to the Great Wall?"

"It would be great if that's the case."

Tai Chu laughed: "I heard that the chief logistics officer can seize all available people and opportunities, and now I see it, it really is."

Iger shrugged, taking this as a compliment to himself: "You agree?"

"The order I got is to provide as much help to the Night Watchman as possible within the allowed range, everything is negotiable... However, we must agree on all the details, no problem?"

"of course."

"Very good, then let's start, give me something to drink first, I'm so thirsty."

Out of respect, Egger pretended that Mormont was the master of this place, pulled him here, and negotiated with the messenger of the Iron Bank in front of him...

But in fact, Mr. Xiong couldn't talk about the contract at all.It took Iger and Tai Chu two or three hours to list out a clause and discuss the details.When the final result came out, and both Egger and Commander Mormont signed the contract drafted by Taichu, Jon Snow, who was accompanying him, was numb in his legs.

The Iron Bank will provide a loan with a total cap of [-] golden dragons, and will be responsible for converting the amount into food and grass and transporting it to the Great Wall. ...All expenses incurred during this process, including the salary of the person in charge, the cost of hiring the ship, the loss and compensation in the event of an accidental shipwreck... will all be recorded in the account of the night watchman, that is--the hundred thousand golden dragons.

Once this winter passes, the Night's Watch will have 20 years to pay off the loan.

***

"Are you sure that's okay... That guy named Tai Chu even told us clearly that after converting all the costs, we are equivalent to getting grain at twice the price of buying grain from the northern border." Send the envoy of the Iron Bank out of the house and After the arrangement was completed, Mormont asked in an uncertain tone: "That is to say, we will probably get food worth [-] gold dragons in the end, but we owe them [-] at once... The so-called interest-free is simply a good-sounding idea." In the name of the name, they played a little trick and took the interest in other ways!"

It may seem like a scam, but as a family member of the night watchman industry, Iger, who is familiar with the process of making money, knows that the Iron Bank has no ulterior motives in this transaction, and is sincerely helping: "They are businessmen. , it is impossible to expect them to get no benefit at all... It is really troublesome to get 20 gold dragons worth of food but owe [-] yuan, but the fact is - directly giving us [-] gold dragons for us to operate is not necessarily To be able to buy as much food as the Braavosi can provide us. On top of that, we just signed for it, and even if it costs us, it will be at least [-] years later!"

"Well, in the end, the property of the Night's Watch is mortgaged anyway." Mormont shrugged, "I'm probably dead at that time... Forget it, I don't care, you can mess with what you make, and I don't care about it." Opinion."

"Thank you for your support." Iger said sincerely.

……

Walking out of the room where he stayed for a long time, the scene in Castle Black was as usual, but it had completely changed in Iger's eyes, and he really had no turning back now.There are countless people in the world who have offended the king but live a happy life, but no one can repent and escape the punishment after reaching an agreement with the Iron Bank.

Until he signed the letter just now, he had the opportunity to quietly cash out the Night Watchman property as much as possible, and then fled to the other side of the Narrow Sea with the money to live in seclusion, far away from a bunch of broken things on the Great Wall of Impossibility, and live a comfortable and comfortable life The life of a rich man...but driven by something that can be called ambition or self-motivated, I have made the opposite choice.

Like a gambler who has won money, he wants to try to win something bigger. Now, he has put all the chips he has won before - the Night Watchman property and his current status, all on the table again.

After buying and leaving, he had no time to regret or hesitate, and Iger's expression became firm: the long-term food supply has been settled, and before the first shipment of food from Braavos arrives at Eastwatch, how should he think about it? The savage had the food he needed for the next month, and the month after that.

-

Chapter 235

Storm's End itself is a huge tower, surrounded by an outer wall that is 100 feet high and 40 feet thick... the seaside is even twice as thick.

This is the strongest castle in the Seven Kingdoms. Like Casterly Rock City and Eagle's Nest City, it has never been attacked from the front.Taking advantage of the chaotic moment when Renly was dead and the vassals of the Stormlands were leaderless looking for a way out, the Golden Group relied on deception to sneak attack and capture Storm's End. There is no other way to get it...

However, Stannis has lived here for more than ten years, and even fought the world-famous "Siege of Storm's End" defensive battle using it as a pawn, and he is familiar with and understands every brick, every stone, every plant and every tree of this castle.He is confident that he can take it easily, show his strength and authority as the new king, and even subdue the Seven Kingdoms.

But when he actually attacked the castle, Stannis realized that things were not as easy as imagined.Legend has it that magic is woven into the walls of Storm's End, but unfortunately that magic doesn't seem to make the walls thinner and brittle just because the besieger was born and raised there and is its de jure owner.Stannis' management when defending this place back then has now become an obstacle preventing him from winning the war: this strong city, which was originally famous on the mainland, has been rebuilt and repaired by him during the War of the Reavers, and it is integrated from top to bottom. No loopholes at all.

After more than ten years, Stannis finally had to experience the taste of gnawing on this hard bone by himself.

……

No loopholes to drill does not mean invulnerable, Stannis knows which direction to attack from will make it difficult for the defenders to pour defensive firepower, which part of the wall is low and easy to climb, which door is the easiest to break through... Storm's End Although it is difficult to attack, as long as he is given time to prepare calmly, it will only be a matter of time before a series of targeted siege weapons are built and assembled, and it will be only a matter of time before he can take it home.

But many changes made his wishful thinking come to nothing.

First of all, the Dornish army—led by the Red Viper Oberyn Martell, blatantly ignored orders and went all the way northward, approaching only a dozen miles away from Storm's End before stopping and camping, and refused to come to face it. Please explain this arrangement.Although he did not take the initiative to provoke or attack, this obvious hostility forced Stannis to allocate a large number of people for vigilance and defense, which greatly slowed down the progress of the siege.

Next came the Northern Army, who encountered the Riverbend Army for the third time west of Bronze Gate.This time, Randall Tarly and the elite of the Reach came along the Avenue of Roses, and Robb Stark was no longer able to repel each other in one battle like the previous two battles in the West and King's Landing. Put on a stance and fight head-on, bloody battle for two days.The northern army fought their first tough battle since dispatching troops, suffered a small loss due to the inferior number of troops, and was forced to retreat to Tongmen City, relying on the castle to continue to prevent the Riverbend Army from approaching Storm's End.

What's more troublesome is that the news of the iron people's invasion and raid on the northern border also came at this time... Now the hearts of the northern soldiers are fluctuating, everyone wants to return, and the fighting spirit is greatly reduced.

***

An empty treasury made matters worse—every day of the war, he had to pay his soldiers.After severely punishing the kingdom and the vassals of the Stormlands who betrayed themselves, and receiving a large ransom from Tywin Lannister last month, the pressure on funds has indeed eased, but one month has passed , The money is almost spent again.

Stannis sat in the tent, looking at the table full of bad news, feeling overwhelmed by the heavy reality.He began to regret driving Melisandre away.This damned woman keeps saying that she is the chosen one, the prince in the prophecy, and the Allah of the Seven Kingdoms... But after she has been so bewitched that she believes it, and even impulsively commits the heinous crime of killing relatives, she doesn't help herself to firmly lay down the throne. Instead, he forced himself to go north to deal with the savages.

What's worse, at the moment when I needed the help of extraordinary power the most, she just walked away, slapped her butt and ran to the Great Wall... It was true that I let her go on impulse that day, but I didn't say that I let her run that far. away!

To summon her back?But if you do that, where is the face of a man and the dignity of a king?

Just thinking about it, more troubles came to him.

"Your Majesty, the envoy of the Iron Bank is asking to see you."

Stannis' face turned livid: "He's here to ask for a debt again... see you!"

Barristan, who was standing by the side, couldn't stand it any longer: "Your Majesty, you can see no one, except those who cannot see the Iron Bank... In case they interpret this offense as your intention to deny the debt, and go find someone else who is willing to admit it. If those in debt cooperate, there will be no peace in the Seven Kingdoms!"

"Should I be afraid of the bankers on the other side of the narrow sea?"

"Your Majesty, we all know that you are the most courageous in the Seven Kingdoms." The onion knight Davos understood Stannis' temper, and quickly smoothed things over: "But you don't need to take meaningless risks to prove it... the best The way to do it is to summon the messenger of the Iron Bank, declare that you acknowledge the debt, and explain to him that you are currently facing the difficulty of insufficient funds. Just make a statement, and you don't need to really pay half a golden dragon... to delay this difficulty past."

Stannis understands that the two important ministers are offering loyal and honest advice, but he just can't swallow this breath: Robert has won unprecedented personal prestige by borrowing money to spread his wealth, but he has turned the Seven Kingdoms into a mess.After I took over, there was not a single golden dragon in the treasury, but it was not fair at all to pay back that appallingly huge debt for my vagrant brother!

There is no such thing as fairness in the world. The throne that should belong to him, isn’t it only regained by war and evil means? Stannis quickly straightened out his thoughts, straightened his appearance, and said with a straight face: “Call that guy come in."

……

A new Kingsguard turned away from the tent, soon bringing in a stranger.

"Your Majesty, Curtis Lane is an employee of the Iron Bank." The Braavosi introduced himself, "I came here to visit Your Majesty to discuss the debt between you and the Iron Bank."

"Ha--debt problem. That's right, I didn't get half of the money from the Iron Bank, but I owe you millions of gold dragons as soon as I met. You call it 'debt problem'!"

"To be precise, it is 210 gold dragons, which is the amount that the Iron Throne defaulted on in the last repayment cycle..." Curtis added: "The debt belongs to the Iron Throne, whoever sits on the throne They all have to pay their debts, and we trust His Majesty Stannis has the common sense to understand that. Now, we would like your explanation of the default in the last payment cycle."

"Well, the explanation is--now I'm burning money and fighting wars, and I haven't even paid out a cent." Stannis is not interested in specific numbers at all. What's the difference between two million and two million and hundreds of thousands? : "The debt belongs to the Iron Throne? Very well, Barristan, take this noble messenger back to King's Landing, and have the Iron Throne removed from the throne room, and shipped to Braavos."

……

what's the situation?The information shows that Stannis Baratheon is a serious person who is almost boring, and he will play tricks without mentioning it.Curtis twisted his fingers, knowing that he might have come by accident and bumped into the other party's anger.The sharp tongue was caught off guard and could not be used at all, and it took several seconds before he spoke again: "Your Majesty, when we say 'the debt belongs to the Iron Throne' we mean-the debt belongs to the legitimate ruler of Westeros. Your words just now , by refusing to recognize himself as King Robert's rightful heir?"

"This is just a joke, Mr. Curtis, I think you can understand the concept of humor." Davos interrupted hastily, "King Stannis is King Robert's legal heir, he admits his brother's debt, but, in We are really unable to repay the loan before we wipe out the false king occupying Storm's End."

……

(Am I the rightful ruler of the Seven Kingdoms, and it's your turn to gossip, moneylenders?) Stannis was furious, but Davos' intervention calmed him a little.It's not what the king should do to speak quickly. He took a deep breath and swallowed back the words that came to his lips: "Okay, don't gossip, I admit the debt, but I ask for a postponement of repayment. At the same time, I I hope to apply for a new loan to solve the problem of insufficient military pay that I am currently encountering."

"The handling fee for deferred repayment is not low. If Your Majesty is sure to apply, I will negotiate with your Chancellor of the Exchequer later." Curtis lowered his head: "As for the new loan, please forgive me—according to the Iron Bank According to the latest risk assessment of Westeros, the risk of lending has seriously exceeded the standard, and before the end of this winter, I no longer have the authority to issue loans in any form to any force in Westeros."

"Risk assessment, exceeding the standard." Is it because of the savages, or that damned ghoul?These new words made Stannis even more unhappy: "In short, they force me to pay back the money first, but refuse to provide any assistance? Then what good does it do me to admit this debt?"

"The advantage is that the Iron Bank will provide protection and intelligence services other than money." Curtis replied: "As for the new loan, it is not absolutely impossible to obtain it. If you insist, you can fulfill the repayment in the next repayment cycle." On this basis, find a higher-ranking staff to try to apply.”

"Protection and intelligence services? What does that mean, if I don't pay back, my safety will not be guaranteed; without your intelligence, I can't win the war?" Stannis felt threatened, and finally annoyed: "I have my Kingsguard and Minister of Intelligence, and I don't need the 'protection' and 'intelligence services' of the Iron Bank! Now that you have received a response, I admit the debt, but pay back the money until I have it!"

"No threat at all, Your Majesty, please forgive me for any offense." Curtis bowed respectfully: "I understand your attitude, I will return to King's Landing now, and handle the application for deferred repayment with your Chancellor of the Exchequer and formalities. But out of courtesy and the right to know, I must inform His Majesty that the delay in repayment will cause serious interest, which will be harmful in the long run..."