The Iron Throne of Ice and Fire

Old Xiong laughed heartily again, and everyone couldn't help but laugh along with him.

At this time, Coach Alliser snorted coldly and said: "If it weren't for the Iron Throne, he definitely wouldn't have come all the way here. Oh, the threat of the White Walkers is already in front of us, but these people only care about their own power and interests. , they will always be like this.”

Old Xiong coughed a few times before he stopped laughing. He turned his head and glanced at the instructor and said, "The night watchmen don't need to care about things in the south. We only need to protect the Great Wall."

Coach Alliser opened his mouth and said: "Commander-in-Chief, the Night's Watch should ask the nobles in the south to stop the civil war and join forces to deal with the invasion of the White Walkers."

Mr. Xiong shrugged: "The problem is that the southern nobles think the night watchmen are joking. You should understand that, my instructor."

Coach Alliser sneered: "Even if we throw living corpses in front of us, I will never believe that they will put the responsibility of resisting the White Walkers first. They will always be more concerned about the fight for the Iron Throne."

Tyrion looked back at Alliser and suddenly grinned: "Master Coach, if you can convince His Majesty Stannis to marry Queen Cersei in a while, I guarantee that the war in the Seven Kingdoms will end immediately, and then everyone will come over to fight the White Walkers."

Alliser Thorne sneered: "I don't believe that a group of usurpers can be that great."

Then, he pointed his finger at Tyrion: "Lannister, you are a descendant of the usurper, and I will not trust your loyalty to the Night's Watch."

Tyrion spread his hands and pursed his lips with a smile: "You are absolutely right. Everyone in the Seven Kingdoms knows that Lord Tywin loves his dwarf son the most. Please stay vigilant."

"You little dwarf who can only dance with your tongue, you are a disgrace to the Night Watch..."

"Allisa."

Old Xiong's voice interrupted the instructor's words, and he said with a serious expression: "The Night's Watch Legion never participates in the disputes of the Seven Kingdoms. This is a tradition we must follow."

After looking into Mr. Xiong's deep eyes, Allisa's chest slowly rose and fell, and she moved her lips and said, "I'm sorry, Commander-in-Chief."

The old bear lowered his eyes, looked at Tyrion, and said: "Stannis already has a wife, my steward, don't let me hear such jokes again in the future."

Tyrion bowed obediently: "I follow your teachings... Well, I'm sorry, I will keep my tongue."

Maester Aemon's old voice sounded: "If the Night's Watch breaks eight thousand years of tradition, anyone in the Seven Kingdoms will have an excuse to interfere in the affairs of the Night's Watch."

Old Xiong laughed, nodded, and said, "This is exactly what I want to express."

…………

Snowflakes were flying in the sky, and the sound of horse hooves came from far and near, penetrating the biting cold wind.

Hundreds of horsemen halted in front of Castle Black, the flaming red-heart banner crackling in the wind, and the red gold crown on Stannis Baratheon's head shining in the sun.

Elder Xiong led everyone to the front, caressed his chest and said: "Your Majesty Stannis, welcome your visit, the Night's Watch Legion salutes you."

Sitting on the saddle, Stannis looked down at the people who were saluting for a while. Tyrion's short figure was very conspicuous in the crowd, and his eyes stayed on the dwarf for a moment longer.

Stannis's voice was as cold as winter: "Commander Mormont, I hope to know the defense status of the Wall immediately."

"Of course, this is the obligation of the night watchman." After a pause, Mr. Xiong looked around, and then said: "Shall we go in and talk?"

Stannis tapped his chin, and in the crowd... Tyrion's eyes couldn't help but roll slightly. Although he didn't see any other expressions on his stone-like face, he felt that the stag was still a little satisfied with the old bear's straightforward response. .

Tyrion's eyes suddenly moved, Huh, beauty? !

The position of Stannis's flagbearer was a woman who was not holding the flag high. He saw the beautiful little face in the bright red hood.

Making eye contact, she smiled softly at him.

With the sound of horse hooves, the old bear jumped on the horse and led Stannis and the others into Castle Black.

Sir Bronn glanced at the people in the distance, turned to Tyrion, who was still standing there, and smiled obscenely: "My lord, she is indeed very charming."

Tyrion seemed to have come back to his senses, nodded, and said solemnly: "It is very charming, but also very dangerous."

Compared to Stannis's gaze that "scratched" his body like a knife, those scarlet eyes made Tyrion feel even more inexplicable fear.

"Danger? I have heard of her. She is called King Stannis' witch..." Sir Bronn pinched his chin, paused, and said, "Well, the king's night must be very wonderful."

Tyrion grinned: "If it's too wonderful, it wouldn't be wonderful."

As he spoke, his smile faded and he said seriously: "How old do you think Stannis is?"

Sir Bronn thought for a moment, scratched his hair, and said: "Fifty...more than sixty?"

Tyrion shook his head and said: "Thirty-five years old, he is only two years older than James, but his current appearance... I even found age spots on his face. The defeat on the battlefield may have affected To Stannis, but there is no way he will age like this, he is pure iron known to all the seven kingdoms."

Sir Bronn's previous warm fantasy was shattered. He couldn't help but glance in the direction of the Black Castle and said: "Do you suspect that the king's witch has taken away the king's... What method did she use? Hiss..."

As he said that, he didn't know what he was thinking of. Bronn took a breath. The air was cold, and as a result, he kept coughing.

Seeing this, Tyrion laughed happily and said: "These are just my own guesses, Bronn."

Sir Bronn coughed a few more times, approached Tyrion, and said, "My lord, has Duke Green told you about His Majesty Stannis's red-robed woman?"

Hearing this, Tyrion raised his eyebrows: "You seem to know a lot more than I thought?"

Sir Bronn's face immediately showed a familiar look of wretchedness: "My noble lord, Bronn will always be loyal to you."

Tyrion looked at Bronn suspiciously, shrugged, and said, "He told me to stay away from her as much as possible."

After waiting for a while, Bronn asked: "Then what?"

Tyrion spread his hands and said, "No, um, no more."

Sir Bronn scratched his hair and said tentatively: "This means... Duke Greene doesn't think she is very dangerous?"

"Let's go."

Tyrion took a step forward and continued: "Maybe you can try, but I think the word 'stay away' is enough to prove her danger."

He paused, patted Bronn's thigh, and said: "Mercenary, from now on, the two of us must be inseparable. This is my order."

…………

In the Great Hall of Castle Black, Stannis stood in front of the burning fireplace, while others stood around.

"Mance Rayder? Did this former traitor of the Night's Watch become the King Beyond the Wall? Mormont, you sent me the warning messenger raven that he led the wildling army south, then... you tell me now, how many he has Soldier?"

Elder Xiong paused and said, "Your Majesty Stannis, we don't know the specific number of people yet."

Stannis asked coldly: "Since no specific information has been investigated, why did you ask for help from the Seven Kingdoms? Have the Night's Watch learned the clown's behavior now?"

Elder Xiong was silent for a moment, then slowly replied: "Tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of savages."

Hearing this, Stannis's teeth chattered: "What a ridiculous number. Jeor Mormont, if I had the power to deal with you, I would hang you immediately."

Maester Aemon walked out from behind Elder Xiong tremblingly and said: "Your Majesty, the number of Night Watch rangers is not enough to conduct a large-scale investigation. We can only confirm that many... or most of the wildlings are heading south. , their goal is to break through the Great Wall of Despair.”

Hearing Aemon's voice, Stannis's deep blue eyes moved slightly, and his pursed lips opened slightly: "Aemon Targaryen."

Maester Aemon bowed slightly and said, "I am only Aemon. The maester made an oath that when he wears the necklace, he must give up his original family name."

Stannis stared at Maester Aemon for a while, then nodded slightly. When his eyes turned to the old bear again, there was movement from the direction of the door. Tyrion limped over, and Ser Bronn followed him. behind.

In the solemn atmosphere, Tyrion passed through several people and came to the front. He stroked his chest respectfully and said with a smile on his face: "Your Majesty Stannis, I'm sorry, my legs are short and I'm late."

Stannis stared for a while and said: "Tyrion Lannister... you burned my fleet at King's Landing. You defeated me."

Tyrion glanced at the red-robed woman standing next to Stannis, bowed, and said sadly: "Your Majesty, I apologize to you for the crimes I have committed. I..."

Stannis waved his hand and interrupted: "It is not a crime to defeat me, it is a crime to betray the legitimate king. You have put on black clothes. According to the laws of the kingdom, all previous mistakes and crimes have been wiped out. I have no right to pursue you."

Ignoring Tyrion, Stannis looked at the old bear and said, "Let's go ahead and talk to me about the Night's Watch's deployment on the Great Wall."

Under Stannis' sharp gaze, Mr. Xiong slowly spoke: "There are 721 Night's Watchmen on the Great Wall, stationed at Castle Black, Shadow Tower, and Eastwatch (a port town belonging to the Night's Watch)."

Stannis frowned: "As far as I know, there are a total of nineteen castles along the three hundred miles of the Great Wall."

His teeth creaked again, and he stared at the Commander-in-Chief of the Night Watch with cold eyes. The people around him suddenly felt the cold wind from outside entering the room, making people shiver.

Melisandre approached lightly, put her pale and slender hand on Stannis's arm, and said warmly: "Your Majesty, this is exactly why the Lord of Light guided you here. Today's Night's Watch has nothing to do with it. Strength to stop the invasion of darkness.”

Coach Alliser glanced at the old bear who was scratching his head, stood up, and said: "Stannis Baratheon, the Commander-in-Chief will lead all the Night's Watch to defend the Great Wall to the last man. Moreover, the Night's Watch will never be your competition. Chips to the Iron Throne."

"I know the history of the Night's Watch."

Stannis' eyes coldly swept across the Night's Watch present, and continued: "I can also promise you that I will not let you raise an army to deal with the gang of traitors and usurpers who have given me a headache. In the future, I will not I repeat, I tell you, there is only one reason why I am here. As a legitimate king, I am fulfilling my responsibilities and obligations."

After a pause, his eyes were fixed on the old bear: "Commander-in-Chief Mormont, I will make up for the defense line of the Great Wall, but I want the castle and the 'land grant'."

[The land grant is 150 miles of land south of the Great Wall of Despair. In the east is a large rolling plain, leading to the Shivering Sea, and in the west is increasing woodland and mountainous land, leading to Ice Bay. In order to support the Night's Watch, this land was permanently gifted to them as a source of sustenance. 】

Stannis's blunt words caused a strong reaction from the Night's Watch present.

"The increased land is the Night's Watch's land!"

"You are robbing it!"

"The Night's Watch does not welcome robbers!"

When the Night's Watch stopped talking, Stannis crossed his arms and said, "I brought 5,000 troops. If I want, I can indeed seize it by force, but I would rather ask for your consent and obtain it legally."

Coach Alliser said angrily, "You should know that the gifted land is permanently given to the Night's Watch!"

Stannis glanced at Alliser, nodded slightly, and said, "According to the laws of the kingdom, I cannot occupy, confiscate or deprive the Night's Watch of its increased land from you, but the gift can If it is a gift, it can be given again. Instead of being angry and useless, you should think rationally about my proposal now. "

The atmosphere was solemn and silent for a long time. Old Bear stared at Stannis's face like a stone sculpture and said, "Your Majesty, I want to know why you want to get the gift land?"

"Of course, it is to make good use of it."

Stannis snorted coldly and continued, "The status of Eastwatch, Black Castle and Shadow Tower remains unchanged and is still in your hands. But in order to improve the defense of the Great Wall, the other castles must be handed over to me for protection."

Old Bear frowned and said, "The Great Wall Most of the castles are almost in ruins and are no longer suitable for…”

Stannis interrupted coldly: "Ruins can be rebuilt."

Old Bear looked at the people around him and said in surprise: "You mean to rebuild? How to rebuild?"

Stannis snorted again: "This is what I am thinking about. Your task is to give me a list as soon as possible, detailing the specific conditions of the abandoned castles and the materials needed for reconstruction. Within a year, I will have garrisons stationed in every castle on the Great Wall and light night fires in front of the gates."

"Light night fires?"

Seeing Old Bear's confusion, Maester Aemon explained to him : "This is a common ritual of the red priests of Essos, similar to the prayers of the Seven Kingdoms."

"The night is dark."

Melisandre lifted her hood, her bright copper-colored hair fell on her shoulders, her red eyes slowly swept over the crowd, and said: "The sword cannot resist the darkness, only the light of the true God can do it. Never underestimate the power of darkness, brave Night's Watch, the war we are going to fight is not for land or glory, but a war between the living and the dead."

Her eyes seemed to be burning with fire: "If King Stannis fails, the world will perish with him."