The Glory of the Seven Gods of Ice and Fire

Chapter 230: Decision on the North
White Harbor, the most prosperous city in the north of the Seven Kingdoms, has become even more prosperous. People from the East, speaking in different accents, fill the streets of the harbor. Fully armed soldiers can be seen everywhere on the streets, and flags with seven-pointed stars can be seen everywhere. If it weren't for the severe cold unique to the north, this place would be no different from the Andal land in the south.

To many northerners, the sight of the seven-pointed star covering the sky at the mouth of the White Blade River made them feel complicated. After all, this was the land of the North, the paradise of the old faith.

In ancient narratives, the ancestors lived an idyllic life in Westeros for thousands of years, but all stories must come to an end. Since the Andals crossed the narrow sea and landed in Westeros, their land has been constantly conquered, and the ancestors have constantly fled to the desolate and barren North. Now, thousands of years have passed, and the Andals have long been regarded as part of Westeros, but in many stories passed down from generation to generation by the people of the North, the image of the Andal knights in iron armor and iron horses is still so terrifying.

However, it is ridiculous to say that this time the Andal Knights went north not to destroy the last kingdom of the ancestors and spread the true faith of the Seven Gods throughout Westeros; on the contrary, they came because of the legends and to help the ancestors fight against the ancient threat of the Far North.

For the believers of the Seven Gods in the North, nothing can make them feel more wonderful than this scene. White Harbor has always been an isolated island in the old faith. Although the faith of the Seven Gods has expanded in recent years, facing the vast number of pagans outside the city walls, they are still timid and worried about being expelled by the lords and killed by fanatics.

However, they no longer have to worry. The might of the expeditionary army intimidates the smaller ones. Lord Manderlay is said to have received help from Lord Hugo and is working to separate White Harbor from the rule of the pagans. For them, no situation can be more optimistic than this development.

Of course, the locals now have a difficult task to face, which is to serve the army brought by the Eastern Regent. Considering the huge wealth displayed by the Duke, most people are positive about this. After all, people can't resist money.

For this sea crossing expedition, Hugo attached great importance to utilizing the manpower of the North. Most of the Northmen who were originally planning to go to the East in White Harbor were hired by Hugo. Many of them served as laborers, and even more were repairing the road to the north.

That's right, road repair. Although the North has benefited greatly from the prosperity after the expedition, due to the vast land, sparse population and limited financial resources, the lords of various places are not as active as the South in repairing roads. They put more money into the castles or towns within the territory. Apart from the King's Road funded by the kingdom, the only remaining roads that are in good condition are the ancient roads in the Red Kingdom - considering that the Red Kingdom has been conquered by the Wolf for thousands of years, these long-disrepaired stone roads are far from strong enough to carry tens of thousands of troops. The difficulty of the road problem is no less than that of the White Walkers who may break through at any time.

As the Art of War states, marching and logistics are the foundation of warfare. Hugo did not want his army to arrive in the North after so much hardship only to be defeated due to supply problems. Therefore, since he stepped off the warship, he has been working hard to repair the roads near White Harbor. However, in order to repair more roads and better maintain logistics, Hugo had to negotiate with the two families in the North that were currently confronting each other - Stark and Bolton.

After all, his future journey north would require him to cross the front line where the two sides were confronting each other.

After stabilizing Manderlay, Hugo sent a letter to Eddard Stark and Roose Bolton, inviting them to negotiate at the border of White Harbor, and promised the safety of the two chiefs with his own reputation. Faced with Hugo's invitation and guarantee, the two leaders also readily agreed to Hugo's request. Now, Hugo and his guards are preparing to set off.

"…Take my handwritten instructions and find the best clipper at the dock. There is no time to waste. When you return to the East, you must tell Gleicher clearly that orders must be carried out and that he should not complain to me all the time. I arranged for him to sit in that position not to listen to his complaints, but to ensure effectiveness. Now is a critical moment, and we must do what needs to be done. Repelling the evil spirit is the top priority. I have announced that I will be responsible for any tragedies in the process, and I have also given him the authority to execute it. So why are you still hesitating?"

Before climbing onto his warhorse, Hugo made clear his orders to the messenger sent by Grachel. Facing the messenger with a bitter look on his face, Hugo did not waver in the slightest. When the war began and the entire East followed Andas's horn, Hugo once again experienced the financial difficulties after many years. Over the past decade, he had accumulated a lot of resources for this war, but since the war began, the fruits of his hard work were still decreasing at a visible speed, and this would only get faster and faster.

Therefore, domestic collection and levy must be put on the agenda.

However, with the sudden arrival of the long winter, Hugo's recruitment work undoubtedly encountered great difficulties. Although the threat of the White Walkers made people willing to cooperate with the officials, their obedience was ultimately limited. After all, who knew whether the Regent could defeat the White Walkers.

Moreover, in the eyes of many native Easterners, the invasion of the White Walkers is only a matter of Westeros. What does it have to do with the descendants of these city-states? In those ancient legends, the White Walkers never crossed the narrow sea. These monsters only wreaked havoc in Westeros. So does all this have anything to do with the eastern coast of the narrow sea?
Due to the current fanatical trend among the Seven Gods believers, this kind of thinking is not yet seen in public. After all, no one is stupid enough to say something that would make themselves the target of public criticism. However, the external environment cannot limit people's thoughts. This view is prevalent in the minds of many Oriental people.

Therefore, if Hugo wants to gather more resources, the obstacles he will encounter will inevitably increase gradually. However, the political system that Hugo spent so much time building was not meant to stand idly by at a time like this.

Hugo has always had a view that a good reputation is essentially a resource. When it is time to use it, this resource must be used decisively, otherwise it will be a waste. Therefore, we must collect when it is necessary, plunder when it is necessary, allow bloodshed when it is necessary, and be prepared to kill when it is necessary; in this situation, getting resources is the most important thing. If people starve to death for this, then let them starve to death. It is better than the number of people who will die after the White Walkers win. If I win this battle, there will be scholars to defend me. If I lose, I will not have the opportunity to care about my reputation.

After ruling for so many years, Hugo had already realized his position. The Seven Gods were merciful, but they also preferred those who were self-reliant. Moreover, in the current situation, I am afraid there would be a chaos in the sky. It would be ridiculous and pathetic to blindly give up on oneself and only ask God for great power. For the sake of war, some things must be done... But who knows how long this war will end?

Hugo could only hope that the prosperity of the East in recent years would allow most people to survive this war.

Therefore, Hu Ge, who had figured out the reason, did not let his subordinates do the dirty work for him. He directly issued the order and announced that he would be responsible for the consequences. He did not intend to let his subordinates take the blame for him.

Of course, Hugo will not let his subjects bear the burden of this war alone. Braavos is dead, but the remaining three city-states of the Confederation still exist. For these new forces who choose to integrate into the order of the Iron Throne, Hugo's requirement is to "prepare for the war" - except that it is not the fight for the Iron Throne as the city-states want, but to fight against the White Walkers.

At the same time as deciding to go north, Hugo also issued a conscription order to the three northern cities, and began to mobilize these "allies" to join the war. Of course, considering the situation of these allies, Hugo did not force them to recruit troops, but arranged tasks according to national conditions: Lorras had to form a large logistics fleet to supply the army with the abundant local fish catch, and if necessary, he had to undertake some other types of transportation tasks; Norvos had to allow the hill Andals in the territory to join Hugo's army and provide them with weapons and equipment. Of course, if the head of the monks was willing to send a volunteer army to offer glory to his secret god, Hugo would also welcome it; as for Qohor, Hugo had the most requirements for them. The Armament City not only had to provide sharp swords and strong horses to the army heading north, but also had to send the Holy Army to help in the battle - Hugo specifically requested this army, and he did not forget the role of Valyrian steel against the White Walkers.

Hugo's demands were many and high, but the rewards he promised were also generous. For Lorras, he supported the city-state to take over the northern route of Braavos, promised a larger scale of trade, and was willing to form an alliance with it after the war to contain the Ibbenese; for Norvos, he conveyed his willingness to accept the local Andals of the Old Faith, and allowed the long-bearded monks to spread the faith in the Seven Kingdoms of the East and compete fairly with the Church of the Seven Gods - but everything had to be done peacefully; for Qohor, Hugo sent a large amount of wealth and materials under the stone wall, and dispelled the concerns of the casting masters in the most straightforward way. With generous rewards, the three city-states no longer waited and watched, and they moved according to Hugo's requirements.

Hugo never forgot to be on guard against the remnants of the Confederacy. This time, he asked them to help, on the one hand, to show them that they were integrated into the system, and on the other hand, to consume them and reduce the pressure on the remaining troops. This time, Hugo brought almost all the elite forces of the Seven Eastern Kingdoms with him. There were not many mobile troops stationed in the territory. If the Iron Throne or other forces took advantage of this to attack, the situation would undoubtedly be very passive - but the benefits of doing so were also very high. As long as he defeated the White Walkers, most of the obstacles in Hugo's bid for the supreme power of the Iron Throne would be solved.

There is gain in loss and loss in gain, this is the truth of the world; Hugo made his choice and accepted everything that would happen calmly.

Next, Hugo and his guards rode away from White Harbor. Everyone they met along the way made way for them, and many bowed to the God's Blessed Ones to express their gratitude. After all, in the context of the White Walkers heading south, Hugo chose to go against the trend and lead his army north, resisting fate like the "last hero". Regardless of success or failure, this was a very heroic choice.

Following the planned road, Duke Andas soon arrived at the scheduled negotiation site. His subordinates had already set up a camp there, and the seven-pointed star flag in the center of the camp separated Stark's direwolves and Bolton's skinners.

Looking at this scene, Hugo couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Stark and Bolton's troops were hostile to each other, but now that his people were standing there, separating the two sides, they dared not act rashly; and with his arrival, the two sides that were on the verge of a fight also restrained their hostility towards each other. It seemed that both families were willing to give him face. It was a good start.

For some reason, Hugo's thoughts drifted to the past, and he recalled the days when he begged for alms in the castles of Westeros nobles for the expedition; at that time, just for a few dozen peasant soldiers or a dozen days of food, Hugo had to make his requests with a respectful and even humble attitude, and had to endure the suspicion and contempt of many people. Now, it was the turn of these nobles to fear and obey him.

Entering the big tent, Hugo met Eddard Stark and Roose Bolton. The two northern leaders expressed their respect to Hugo with a very humble attitude. After all, the great lord in front of them could decide the future of the North at any time. This time when Hugo went north, he had 60,000 spears behind him, and that was not counting the volunteers who were coming from the seven kingdoms of the east and west. This army was enough to sweep the entire North.

Looking at the descendants of the two Kings of Winter and Red, Hugo couldn't help but think of his own plan. According to his plan, neither of them would be satisfied. But, so what? He was only informing them of the result, not asking for advice. The current consultation meeting was at best a way for both parties to back down. If they were dissatisfied, they could be compensated in other ways after the war, but the plan for the North would never change, and they had no capital to refuse.

With this thought in mind, Hugo began to preside over the meeting with a smile on his face.

(End of this chapter)