The Glory of the Seven Gods of Ice and Fire

Chapter 233 Great Retreat
Jon raised his head and looked at the Wall, which had stood in Westeros for thousands of years and had protected them over the years.

But now, this wall can no longer protect them, because the White Walkers have crossed the wall, come to this side, and surrounded them.

So, the Night's Watch had to retreat.

The Nightfort is now very busy. This largest fortress of the Night's Watch was once abandoned for a long time, but with the recovery of the legion's strength, the Night's Watch also returned to the castle. In recent years, this place has once again become the residence of the commander-in-chief.

In order to resist the White Walkers who attacked after the fall of the Wall, the Night's Watch concentrated a large number of troops here, so many rooms in the Nightfort were cleared out, but they could not live in it for long and had to retreat.

In front of Jon, the black brothers and southern volunteers were loading large amounts of supplies onto carriages. As the headquarters of the Night's Watch, the resources gathered in the Nightfort were enormous, and these supplies were especially important for the legion that was about to retreat from the Great Wall.

After all, what they are about to embark on is a long march, and they will be in danger before they get the protection of Hugo's army.

Many Night's Watchmen were moving things in silence, but Jon could see that they were resentful. After all, they were going to abandon the Wall and their base. The fact that they didn't curse was already a result of the Old Bear's burning of his past prestige.

As Bear's officer, Jon naturally knew how bad the current situation was, but even so, retreat was still a difficult choice for everyone: they were about to be the first Night's Watch in history to leave the Wall behind and flee in a panic.

Old Bear was the first commander-in-chief to make this decision. Everything was undoubtedly more difficult for him. His name would be recorded in history books for doing this, and no matter who he won or lost in the end, he would most likely get a bad reputation. Many people would regard the retreat of the Night's Watch and the killings caused by the White Walkers as Old Bear's responsibility.

Jon felt sad for the old man. As someone close to Mormont, he knew how difficult it was for the old bear to make this decision, and he was also sad for his reputation after his death.

Ghost sensed his master's emotions, so he rubbed Jon's hand with his nose. Feeling the warmth from the little wolf, Jon smiled and touched Ghost's head. Ghost was always so considerate and could always soothe him.

"Mormont was only doing what he was supposed to do, Jon."

An old and familiar voice sounded behind Jon. It was Maester Aemon, who was being helped by Sam to board a cart filled with maesters' belongings and ancient books of the Night's Watch.

"He chose responsibility, that's all, Jon. I once told you that everyone needs to make a choice. I chose responsibility, and Mormont also chose responsibility. I am sad for Mormont's future, but I respect his decision. He fulfilled his responsibility. So, Jon, if you want the Lord Commander's efforts not to be in vain, then do your job well."

Maester Aemon's emotions were very complicated, with sadness, determination, and praise. Jon had heard Maester Aemon's story before, and at that time he doubted Maester Aemon's chance to stay at the Wall, but after so many years at the Wall and staying with the Lord Commander for so long, he was able to experience the true feelings contained in it. Therefore, Maester Aemon's words undoubtedly awakened Jon, and he nodded firmly to the maester. Seeing this, the maester did not say much, but let Sam help him to his seat.

Jon went to help pack the commander-in-chief's luggage. Although Mormont didn't have much stuff and he had already finished packing it, Jon now felt that he should go and take another look to see if there was any way he could help.

After completing the preparation of supplies, the night watchmen and volunteer teams set off.

But there were still a small number of Night's Watchmen who stayed in the Nightfort and Castle Black. Most of these Night's Watchmen were too old and had no abilities. They were unwilling to leave their second home like this. In their view, they were already half buried in the ground, and it didn't matter whether they died earlier or later. So they chose to stay and fight to the death.

Old Bear did not force them to leave, but left most of the wildfire to them. Wildfire was really inconvenient to carry, so leaving it to those who wanted to die together with the White Walkers was undoubtedly the last choice.

Just like that, under the watchful eyes of these old men, the large group left the Great Wall. Many people cried when they left. Although most of them were exiled, when they really left, they found that every bit of life at the Great Wall, the people and things they saw, still tied them to them.

This sad mood swept through the entire Night's Watch, but no one could indulge in this mood for too long, because the White Walkers were right behind them, and the various horrifying legends about the Pale Knights drove them on the road like a whip.

The team first went to Houcrown. In recent years, with the increasing security of the donated land, the increase in the strength of the Night's Watch, and the resettlement of the families and followers of the Eastern exiles, Houcrown has prospered and restored its former appearance.

Thanks to the lower tax burden in the Night's Watch territory - because there are not so many messy lords - the gifted land prospered immediately after its security was guaranteed. A large population was concentrated around Houguan Town, and now the farming population near Houguan Town had to move south with the Night's Watch.

The total number of people in the team heading south, including the night watchmen, volunteers from the south, and residents who received donated land, was over ten thousand.

Naturally, some people did not want to leave the homes they had built with great difficulty, but Old Bear directly took coercive measures to take them away. These civilians were excellent soldiers for the White Walkers. He also ordered that as many local tombs as possible be burned to prevent the dead inside from becoming White Walker soldiers.

The movement of such a large army southward was a huge test for the organizational ability of the Night's Watch. Fortunately, the Legion was no longer the impoverished group of less than a thousand people, and the sufficient manpower allowed them to organize a team - of course, all kinds of coercion and even fighting were inevitable.

When the large group left the Crown Town, the White Walker's army had already reached the Nightfort and Castle Black, and the army of the dead rushed towards the remaining Night's Watch...

(End of this chapter)