Game of Thrones: Kings in the North

Chapter 148 The Prisoner of Baishu Village
Beyond the Great Wall, a world of ice and snow.

Riding on a warhorse, with the direwolf banner fluttering above his head, next to the broken chain giant banner of the Umber family and the white sunburst banner of the Karstark family, the crossed battle axes and the rusty crown banner of Lady Barrenton Ballerina , Ed was riding at the front of the team, Old Bear, Bunyan, and Greatjon Umber were riding beside Ed.

The direwolf walks at night and sunshine, guarding Ed around him on the left and right.

The eagle of the skinchanger in the sky was still hovering in the air. Laresa, Jon, Robb and Helen all tried to shoot the eagle down with bows and arrows, but the eagle was far out of range. Nobody tries to shoot eagles anymore.

Ed noticed that the land north of the Impassable Great Wall is fertile black land just like the northern border. However, the climate here is colder than the northern border. Even in summer, the ground is always covered with a layer of snow. The land is not suitable for growing crops.

However, there are forests everywhere outside the Great Wall, and the ghost forest stretches all the way to the sea, and its area is about the same size as the wolf forest.The forest can provide a large amount of animal hides, meat, wild fruits, wood and amber, and there are fish to eat in the rivers and streams outside the fortress.

The savages outside the Great Wall rely more on the gift of nature, forests, and rivers bring them prey, fish, and wild fruits. Perhaps it is for this reason that the savages believe in the old gods and worship those who belong to stones, forests, streams, and rivers. nameless deities.

The old gods are the common beliefs of the people of the North and the wildlings. Ed hopes to make good use of this point, bring the kingdom of the wildlings into the territory of the North, and make the wildlings the people of Winterfell.

Once Ed successfully defeats the wildling army, the northern border will gain a large area of ​​land outside the Great Wall and the population of wildlings.

The northern border is vast and sparsely populated, and many lands in Winterfell are still abandoned. Even if Ed merged the land beyond the Great Wall, he would not have the time and energy to develop it.It was the population of savages that attracted Ed.

There are Hornfoot Men, Frozen Shoremen, Giants, Troggs, Night Tribes, and even Skinchangers. If these wildling tribes can be subdued, Ed will have a wild force and a lot of labor.

War is a double-edged sword. If you win, you will soar into the sky and be sought after by thousands of people; if you lose, you will fall into the abyss and be reviled by others.

When the Rock King of Skagos Island and the Iron Bitch Helen Pike instigated the rock tribe's rebellion, Ed did not hesitate to lead the northern army to strike hard, smashing the Rock King and capturing the Iron Bitch. As Jing's personal prestige rose rapidly, Ed hit the iron while the iron was hot, and launched a ban on salt, carried out large-scale construction projects, and promoted military settlements.These policies were supported by northern nobles and vassals.

Ed had no doubt that if he had led the northern army to defeat Skagos Island and allowed the rock species to rebel, it would be impossible for the various policies of Winterfell to get the cooperation of the northern nobles.

Only by showing strength can the vassals and subjects be convinced.

Now outside the Wall, in the territory of Mance Rayder, the King Beyond the Wall, Ed desperately needs a victory.

Ed is eager to win, but war always has risks, and Ed also has to consider the risk of defeat.

Once the Northern Territory is defeated, Mance Rayder will tear apart the defense line of the Great Wall, and the savage army will destroy the fortress on the Great Wall. The food reserves of the Great Wall's icehouse will also fall into the hands of Mance Rayder and the wildling army.

The savages in the east will break through the blockade of Eastwatch, take a boat across Seal Bay, and rush to Skagos Island. At that time, Samro, the Rock King who has long colluded with Mance Rayder, will take the opportunity to retake Abyss Castle and kill him. Kill the leaders of the rock tribes who were loyal to Winterfell, and jointly occupy Skagos Island with the wildlings, and rely on Skagos Island to continuously attack the North.

Once defeated, it will bring disaster to the northern border and the Night Watchman Corps, so Ed must be careful, so as to win the final victory of the war.

The first battle occurred in Baishu Village.

Baishu Village is one of the savage villages closest to the Impassable Great Wall. When Feilan and Jeremy Lake entered the village with hundreds of scout cavalry, they shot and killed two savage men standing guard at the entrance of the village. There were more than 200 old and weak people in the village. Women and children can only surrender.

These savages were escorted to Ed, and Ed found that they were all old people, women, and children. They were driven to the entrance of the village wearing animal fur coats and dirty woolen coats emitting a fishy smell.

The heart tree at the entrance of the village is a weirwood, on which a human face is carved with the blood of animals, with scarlet eyes staring at everyone.Rangers and Winterfell soldiers captured the wildlings and drove them to Eddard.A spearwife was kicked to the ground by a ranger, some wildling children were crying, the old man watched dumbly, and toddlers were wailing.

"Don't be too rough!" Ed yelled loudly, "These people have already surrendered."

A fat spearwife waited for Eddard, "You bloody crow, stop being hypocritical here, we won't surrender. Mance Rayder, Varamyr the Sixshapes, Tormund the Giantsbane, will Kill you all."

Old Bear Mormont said: "Wildwoman, Lord Eddard is not the Night's Watchman, he is the Duke of the North, Eddard Stark of the Winterfell family!"

The fat spearwife squinted at Ed's direwolf crest, "You are the legendary direwolf lord? You shouldn't have led troops to plunder White Tree Village."

Ed said coldly: "I didn't plunder. On the contrary, wildling raiders kept crossing the Great Wall, abducting women and children, burning, killing and looting. Mance Rayder even made himself king, gathered an army of wildlings, attacked The Great Wall of Desperation, the Northern Territory and the Night Watchmen had no choice but to send troops to attack."

A little savage girl about ten years old stood up, "Lord Wolf, Mance Rayder summoned the free folk, and all the young and middle-aged people in the village followed him to Frostfang, but we are innocent , we took no part in Mance Rayder's rebellion."

A skinny boy about 12 years old clenched his fists, "The dog-head Harma will put all your heads on the spears, and your heads will hang with the dog's head. If you don't believe me, just wait and see!"

Greatjon Umber kicked the foul-mouthed boy to the ground, and an old wildling with a white beard tried to charge up, but was knocked to the ground by the Winterfell soldiers.

After a while, the barbarians quieted down.

Ed stood in front of the heart tree, "I believe that you free people have nothing to do with Mance Rayder's rebellion. However, the war has broken out, and the young people in your village have all followed Mance Rayder. The old and the weak, women and children, have no way to protect themselves, so I will send people to escort you to settle down in the northern border south of the Great Wall of Desperation."

The wildlings exchanged suspicious glances, even the old bear Mormont, Bunyan and others were greatly surprised.

Old Bear Mormont leaned close to Eddard's ear and whispered, "Lord Eddard, the young and middle-aged men of White Tree Village have all gone to war. These people are either the husbands of these spearwives, or the fathers or brothers of these wildling children. If you move these savages to the north, will it cause a rebellion?"

Bunyan echoed: "Yes, Ed, don't underestimate these spearwives. They kill without batting an eyelid. These wildling children will become a threat to the North when they grow up. Don't forget Mance Red."

"Mance Rayder is an orphan of wildlings. The shadow tower rangers patrolling outside the Great Wall found Mance Rayder and brought him back to the Shadow Tower. Under the care of the night watchman brothers, Mance Rayder grew up. He also became a proud ranger, but when he became an adult, he not only betrayed his oath, but now he has become the king beyond the wall who is against the kingdom."

Sauron Smallwood wore a black wool coat with the acorn crest on his ringmail. He had always been a hawk among the Night Watchmen, and he said harshly, "Lord Ed, Benyan and Commander Mormont is right, these wildling children, women, if you take them to the North, they will be a disaster to the future. They should be killed and their bodies left here to feed the crows, as a gift to Mance Rayder warning."

Ed said indifferently: "We are here to suppress the rebellion, not to kill innocent people indiscriminately. When marching and fighting, attacking the heart is the first thing. The savages dream of the warm land south of the Great Wall. We moved these savages to the north, Mance. When Red's subordinates hear the news, they will lose their morale."

Ser Odin Wheelers approached, a thin old man with the gray squirrel of House Wheelers on his leather armor, a family from the Reach who always boasted of a nephew who was giving Highgarden Miss Margaery Tyrell is the guard.

Due to the old age of Bear Old Mormont, the brothers in black often talk behind their backs about the candidate for the next Commander-in-Chief of the Night Watchman. Colin, Shadow Tower Commander Dennis Mallister, Eastwatch Commander Carter Pike.

Sir Odin Wellers' temper is like his family coat of arms squirrel, cautious, good-natured, polite to everyone, and soft-spoken, when he heard that Ed was going to take the wildling captives to the south of the Great Wall , immediately objected softly.

"Duke Ed, the Night Watchman is the strong shield that protects the kingdom, but now you want to capture the wildlings and take them to the south of the Great Wall. Have you ever thought about the risks involved? The Night Watchman's fortress is backed by the Great Wall, but the south There are no fortifications at all on one side, joining the wildling rebellion and capturing the fortress of the Night Watchman, wouldn't Mance Rayder easily break through the Great Wall?"

Ed nodded, "Sir Odin, I fully anticipated the risks you mentioned. Don't worry, I will properly arrange the wildlings and never give the wildlings the chance to attack the village, let alone the Great Wall. You can't, Let me put all these innocent savages to death?"

Old Xiong shook his head and sighed, "Lord Ed, I don't agree with killing innocent people indiscriminately, and I don't agree with allowing wild men to pass through the Great Wall. If you insist on resettling wild men, you can't give land, otherwise I can't explain to the brothers in black. Nor to King Robert on the Iron Throne."

At the mention of the Iron Throne, Sir Odin Wheelers grasped at it like a squirrel at a pine cone.

"Duke Ed, the wildlings are the enemies of the Seven Kingdoms. To allow the wildlings to enter the Seven Kingdoms, you should send a raven to King's Landing and ask King Robert and the former Prime Minister Jon Arryn for advice. Otherwise, King's Landing The royal family may blame the Night Watch Corps, and the brothers in black should not be blamed."

Ed smiled and said: "Sir Odin, the former Prime Minister Jon Arryn is my adoptive father. I was his adopted son in the Eagle's Nest City. His wife Lysa is my wife Caitlin's younger sister. I and Jon Arryn is brother-in-law. As for King Robert, he is my brother, and our friendship is known throughout the Seven Kingdoms, and I trust they will support my decision."

"King's Landing is too far away from the Great Wall. Half of Westeros is separated. I sent a raven to King's Landing to ask for instructions from the king. I don't know when the Raven in King's Landing will fly back. Therefore, There is no need to consult the King and the Prime Minister."

In fact, Ed believes that the King's Landing royal family doesn't care about the war between the wildlings and the North at all, just as King's Landing didn't care about the rock species' rebellion before.

Ed turned to Old Bear Mormont, "I will place the wildlings in the territory of Winterfell. The wildling captives will be transported directly to the territory of Winterfell after passing through the Great Wall."

After finally convincing the commander of the Night's Watch, Ed pointed to the heart tree and turned to hundreds of wildlings.

"War is breaking out beyond the Wall. Mance Rayder can't save you, but I can. Before the heart tree, I promise you that as long as you cross the Great Wall and obey the laws of the kingdom, you can become the king of Winterfell." The people, use your labor in exchange for a warm fireplace, fertile farmland and a wooden house, and survive the cold winter with Winterfell."

Edman thought that these savages would be satisfied with the treatment, but he didn't expect that the savages either looked disdainful, or cursed endlessly, or were indifferent.

No one stood up to respond to Ed, and the situation was a bit awkward.

"Don't you want to go to the warm south? Don't you want your children and grandchildren to stay in the ice and snow for a lifetime, tortured by cold, poverty and disease, and repeat the tragedy of the previous generation?"

A bald savage old man said: "Lord Wolf, what you said is nice. I heard it on the seaside of Seal Bay. Some slave traders from Tyrosh, Rhys, and Myr also fooled the free people like this. What did you say that you went to the warm south, where there are evergreens all year round, and you can eat every meal."

"The result? We heard that this slave trader sold free men into slaves, either to row boats in Volantis, or to dig mines for slave owners, and the women were sold to Rhys, Tyrosh's brothel. They Did you survive, but lost your freedom, or what's the point?"

A short, wiry spearwife shouted, "That's right, the Wolf King wants us to kneel down in exchange for bread and a hearth. This is a dream!"

A little wildling girl who looks like Arya raised her fist high, "The free folk will never kneel!"

"Despise the kneeling people in the South!"

"The one who kneels will die!"

Sauron Smallwood let out a piercing laugh, "Duke Ed, look what you got for your kindness? These are a group of uncivilized barbarians who can do nothing but plunder and kill. To deal with such enemy, death is the greatest gift."

Ed pinched his lips with his hands and whistled, and the direwolf and the sun rushed out immediately.

The savages fell silent instantly, fear was written on their faces.

Ed snorted softly, "Free people, I never asked you to kneel, I just asked you to obey the law. I will give you a chance to settle in the northern border. If you miss it, you will never be able to ask for it for the rest of your life."

Osha the wild woman stepped out of the queue, raising her voice.

"I'm Osha. Some of the villagers may know me. I pass by Whitetree Village often. I'm a Spearwife, and I'm a Raider. I've had contact with Mance Rayder. I've had a drink with Tormund the Giantsbane." After drinking, I am very familiar with Harma, and besides, I have slept with the crows of the Night's Watch, and I have also been in contact with the White Walkers."

When it comes to the ghosts, the faces of the wild people are full of fear.

"The army of the White Walkers is marching south from the land of eternal winter. That old boy Mance Rayder can't fight the White Walkers at all, and Duke Eddard can't do it outside the Great Wall, unless we defend the Great Wall."

"I am a prisoner of Duke Eddard. He could have killed me, but he forgave me. I never knelt down. I worked in the kitchen of Winterfell, fed and clothed every day, and had several little lovers. I lived a good life." Very pleasant."

"I am looking for my family. I hope that my elder brother and my nephew can go to the warm north to settle down, so that they can survive and future generations can live a better life. Free folk, in the White Walkers and When the cold winter comes, you will shiver to death and turn into a blue-eyed ghoul, this kind of freedom is worthless!"

The wildlings exchanged suspicious glances.

A plump woman was holding a baby, followed by two children no older than five.

"My name is Mengsha. My husband was killed by free people in other villages. I have to live with my children. I am willing to go to the north to be a servant of the Stark family, as long as the wolf king is willing to support my children. "

This was the first savage to surrender to Ed, and Ed put his hand on Mengsha's shoulder.

"Mengsha, I swear to the gods that your children will have their own farmland and houses in Winterfell's territory. As long as they are loyal to Winterfell, Winterfell will protect them."

Mengsha took the lead first, and then several spearwives joined with their children, followed by the gray-haired old man and the skinny young man. They swore in front of the heart tree that they were willing to sacrifice their allegiance to Winterfell in exchange for the right to live in the environment.

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(End of this chapter)