King of The Wall

2021-01-06

Chapter 308 "Gentleman's Agreement"

The power of the Logistics Department hangs over each newly opened fortress.

While Denys Mallister was still getting inside information from Rickard Karstark, Igor had heard the news that Night's Watch had arrived in Icescar.

However, he neither cared about it, nor did he know that it was the Shadow Tower Commander who came, and didn't expect that the other party would come to oneself so soon.

"Ser Mallister!" After a moment of astonishment, a warm smile appeared on Igor's face: "You are here, and the city of Frozen Scar really shines, I don't know if you have official business to do, or I'm also curious about the living conditions of the new land grantors, and want to come and visit and guide?"

"It's official business, and it's related to you." Denys stood at the door calmly, looking around the room. Night's Watch industry employees who were together and were discussing some big plans: "Lord Chief Logistics Officer, can we talk privately?"

Igor has already guessed what the other party is going to talk about. Basically, Etiquette and upbringing made him hold back a smug smile, and he deliberately waited for three seconds before nodding, signaling all his subordinates to go out.

All of Igor's henchmen in this room not only know the whole sequence of events, but they even discussed the arrival of a messenger in Shadow Tower a moment ago. When I saw Ser Mallister at this time, I don't need to think about it and know the reason why he came here - I complained but found that it was too late. I didn't want to be busy, so I just came to negotiate.

Although everyone followed Igor's orders and filed out of the house, many of them glanced at him with contempt or mockery as they passed by.

......

Denys moved away from the door without any fluctuations in his heart, and when the people inside were clear and the door was closed, he took a step to the front of the crowd. The table around the meeting: "I have to say, the younger generation is really not to be underestimated. I have to admire your methods and means of dealing with the crisis this time."

"Methods and means? It’s just speak frankly, and I finally got the forgiveness of the North nobles through sincerity.” Without Arya’s tip-off and Bolton’s cover, this oneself would have been impossible to pass so easily, but the secret behind this is naturally impossible to tell Outsiders—especially opponents: "I don't know why Ser Mallister is visiting, why?"

They are still opponents, and the old Knight fully understands Igor's alienation and caution at this moment, and he looks at it. Furnishings in the house, walking towards Igor, close enough to hear each other without effort: "This election wasted so much of the Night's Watch Legion's time, I'm here to end this shit."

"In order to select the right person, it's worth spending some time." Igor asked with a smile, "I don't know how Ser Mallister is going to 'finish this shit'?"

"Make a deal - you promise me a few conditions, I withdraw from the election of Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, and instruct the Night's Watches in Shadow Tower - to vote for you."

"I Respect for you, Ser Mallister, and eager to get your support...but not in this way." The smile on Igor's face disappeared in an instant, and he lowered his face and put on a stern expression of refusal: "I prefer to walk The right way is to rely on ability to get what you deserve, not through some behind-the-scenes, dirty benefit exchange."

If it has not been a few contests, I have a certain understanding of the youngster in front of me, Denys Almost ashamed by Igor's devotion to righteousness that inspires reverence. And now, Denys is very clear: tonight the deal is bound to be reached, and the opponent's appearance is just to build and strengthen the atmosphere of the seller's market, trying to completely gain the upper hand from the very beginning, in order to better bargain That's it.

In the case of a sure win, he is indeed qualified to show off.

"I'm getting old, Igor." Denys smiled and shook his head, draped his coat on the hanger by the wall, and sat down in a chair each minding their own business without being invited: "— My brain is not flexible enough to have any more exciting debates with you on topics such as worldview or morality... There are no outsiders here, please allow me to take off my 'coat' for a while." He pun said, and then the words were amazing. "I believe that anything in the world can be traded, honor, chastity, loyalty, respect... given the right time, at a reasonable price. Instead of talking shit like 'dirty' or 'clean', why not listen first What can I offer you?"

Igor couldn't have imagined that a feather-loving person like Ser Mallister could release himself to such an extent. This kind of rebellion is extremely outrageous, like the lines of the villain in the story, I can think about it in my heart, but say it...

It's a goddamn cheerful person, and Igor can't continue acting for a while. As the other party said, there are no outsiders here, so why not tear off the disguise once in a while and come to a hearty and candid negotiation?

The other party was standing by oneself, and his posture fell behind. Igor showed a smile without acting skills and sat down: "Okay, I'd like to hear the details."

"Before you moved troops to surround Castle Black, you already won more than half of the votes in the election, more than me and Cotter combined, and victory is on the way. This time this happened, you are in Castle Black's approval rating will drop off a cliff...but considering that most of those 500 votes are from staunch supporters of reformists, or simply the people you got into Night's Watch Legion, it is conceivable that the situation will be further Seriously, your votes won't fall below one third at once. No matter how much I struggle with Cotter, you will remain invincible, and it's only a matter of time before you become Lord Commander."

Igor nominee: "No Wrong, that's what I judged too. But this is my bargaining chip, what can you offer me?"

Denys raised his right hand and stretched out three fingers: "Election months in advance, A loyal Shadow Tower commander, and an immediate chance to avoid risk."

*******

"Elected months early." The meaning is self-evident - when Igor decided to take the risk of launching a mutiny, one of the important goals was to use this "big move" to deter the still hesitant mid-set up Sect grass, to speed up the campaign. , but didn't expect...the grass on the wall hadn't blown up yet, but the big fish, Denys Mallister, was shaken out first. As Shadow Tower Commander, the second-largest fortress along the Wall, Denys's influence is immeasurable - if not for the fact that he is no longer able to vote on behalf of Shadow Tower's 236 Night's Watches, he can even vote. Let oneself ignore Castle Black's lost votes and win the election.

"A loyal Shadow Tower commander". It's understandable - even as an opponent, Igor has no doubts about Denys Mallister's character. If he has made up his mind to support oneself, he will never make small moves after the fact - it doesn't matter whether the relationship is close or not, as long as he executes the order, no outward devotion but inner opposition, he can be considered loyal.

As for "a direct chance to avoid risk"? Igor thought for a moment, and probably understood what Denys was referring to.

＊＊＊

Igor straightened out his thoughts in one breath, and seeing the other party's unfinished appearance, nodded motioned for the other party to continue.

"I heard that the loan grain is about to arrive at Eastwatch. I believe you made arrangements for the only port of Night's Watch at the same time as you imposed a blockade on Castle Black."

"Yes, although I don't often lead troops to fight, I still have basic military common sense. Castle Black and Eastwatch's operations were carried out on the same day, front and back, and now the people from the logistics department have moved in. Eastwatch, keep the port under surveillance." In this air of candor, Igor bluntly admits: "But it's the 'unloading team', there's not a lot of weapons, and the process of getting into Eastwatch is very peaceful, I think This kind of daily activity inside Night's Watch does not need to be reported or explained to anyone."

"Indeed." It is also impossible to ask Igor to question him again, Denys nodded and affirmed the other party's statement, and then changed his voice: Eastwatch's loan payment hasn't arrived yet, right."

"Well, no Arrived... to be precise, I haven't received the news of 'arrived'."

"That is not yet - at least you have to be prepared for this." Denys showed obvious meaning. Smile: "What if Cotter Pyke took someone directly back to Eastwatch after the Castle Black siege was lifted, and found that there were a bunch of unknown people living at home who were taking orders from you. Guess what would happen?"

"I've arranged for-"

Denys interrupts Igor: "Yes, I'm sure you have a plan, but you should know: the perfect plan exists only in the imagination Things don't always go 100% as expected - instead of risking another mess on Eastwatch's side, consider another possibility. With my support, you were elected Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, At that time—whether it was letting Cotter obediently and honestly stay at Castle Black, or simply bypassing him and ordering Eastwatch’s defenders to cooperate with the logistics department to receive the loan from the Iron Vault, as a direct superior, you had a thousand absolutely ways to Pack him up. Even if he doesn't obey or clashes with your people at Eastwatch, you'll be dignified to settle the Night's Watch civil unrest when you send troops again, and with the power you have at your disposal right now, there's no risk at all."

...

These, Igor can understand without Denys saying that.

Let's be honest - being elected Lord Commander a few months early is tempting, but it's not so attractive to Igor that he'll take the initiative to negotiate terms, and the reason is simple : What he cares about is not whether the Trifling Night's Watch Legion with more than 1,000 people listens to oneself's orders, but the land grant of tens of thousands of residents and the development of the Night's Watch industry power.

And this kind of development, even if the position of Lord Commander is vacant, can still proceed.

But—plus the loan food is still unfinished, and the conservative opponents are still glare like a tiger watching his prey, thinking of ways to destroy the good situation of the land grant resettlement program, let He was a little uneasy.

In fact, even if Denys Mallister doesn't come to oneself today, Igor will most likely take the initiative to talk to him when the North tour group is sent off.

Innate, the party who proposed the negotiation, was in a weak position. In this regard, Mallister's visit was indeed a surprise. Although it was not provide timely help, it was also a big help.

Igor lifted Erlang's legs and didn't pretend to think anymore: "Your conditions."

"The same three." Age like Denys, the skin has become irretrievably pale The arm that is slack, but still holds up three fingers in mid-air is quite stable: "1. Cotter Pyke and I are still the commanders of Shadow Tower and Eastwatch, and the personnel changes of the two middle and high-level officers who want to be within the wall need to be changed. Approved by the two of us; 2. No one, including Yohn Royce, shall settle accounts in the autumn, and rectify them to death. Agreed."

Although the first two conditions are a bit unpleasant, except for Cotter to continue to serve as Eastwatch commander, the rest were originally Igor's plans - but only the third point touched his Bottom line.

"The first two points are no problem, the third one is impossible." Igor resolutely and decisively said, not pretending this time: "I have too many things I want to do, and there are a lot of rules I want to change. Heaps. If you have to discuss everything with you, you're going to have to schmooze -- and probably through Raven rather than face-to-face, back and forth, and it's so annoying." , Since it is a transaction, it is inevitable to bargain.

"Well, maybe it's a bit too much, so let's take a step back and narrow down the legal scope that needs to be negotiated." Denys was not at all surprised by Igor's reaction: "With the serious Night's Watch -- That is, the ones you swore - directly related laws. For example, you want to change your Night's Watch status from lifetime to opt-out... Changes like this need to be discussed with me, how about that?"

The Night's Watch exit mechanism is a big cake, Igor has drawn it to many people, it is normal for the news to leak... didn't expect Denys to come for this, Igor thought.

On the surface, the other party did take a step back, but in fact... the nature of the matter has not changed. The first two conditions were passed after he endured it. After all, oneself doesn't care if Night's Watch really loves and supports oneself: black clothed person, just keep the Wall for me, and I don't expect you to do it for me Rebel and conquer the world. Not to mention that Igor doesn't have that idea yet, even if there is one in the future... In the Night's Watch industry, the logistics department, and the land-grant people, there are passionate and self-motivated people who can accompany him, no less than the three melons in Night's Watch. Two dates.

What is different from the first two points is that even the third condition after making concessions is still a challenge to the highly centralized power of Lord Commander, and will accompany Igor for a long time. That is - as long as Denys Mallister is not dead, Igor will have to be restrained by him if he wants to make changes to the internal laws of Night's Watch. God knows how old this old man can live? Although the per capita lifespan in this world is extremely low, Maester Aemon is a living example of longevity.

Although Igor didn't mind it very much, he knew that once he agreed, the oneself restrained by this rule would be an "incomplete" Lord Commander of the Night's Watch.

Igor was about to say no, but with a second thought, he decided to switch to a more euphemistic way.

"Yes, but I have strings attached." He stared into Mallister's eyes, said with a smile: "If you can get my votes over 2/3/before Cotter Pyke leaves Castle Black If I win the 2022 election, I will agree to all three conditions.”

…

The team dispatched to the Castle Black heralds has already departed and will arrive in two or three days. It's dark today, Raven can't fly, and Castle Black's daily election vote starts at dawn - which means: even if Denys Mallister decides to quit the election right now and backs Igor with all his might, he won't. The law affects tomorrow's vote.

Besides, Shadow Tower has only a little over 200 people, although there are quite a few, but at the moment, one person, one vote, not everyone will follow the commander's wishes, and the situation cannot be reversed in an instant.

In Igor's expectation, things will probably develop like this: news of Denys' withdrawal from the election reached Castle Black, and then a large number of votes were cast for oneself in Shadow Tower on the second day, making him lose a lot of Castle Black's votes. In the case of the number of votes, it still has an absolute advantage... In this situation, the Night's Watch who had changed their minds started to vote for oneself again one after another... Voting is once a day, so slow, the fastest There will be 5-6 days before the election will be known.

By then, Cotter Pyke had definitely left Castle Black long ago.

This additional condition is a mission that is almost impossible to complete. Since it is almost impossible to complete, it is equivalent to not agreeing to the opposite third transaction content.

On the other hand, if Denys Mallister's influence on the Night's Watch Legion is so great that he can turn the tide in an instant, what about making him a "Deputy Lord Commander"?

...

"Okay, I agree." Unexpectedly, Denys agreed without blinking an eyelid, "So, are we a deal?"

"Deal." Accident is an accident. Igor doesn't intend to take back the words of oneself, and it's also very happy to be a gentleman who is hard to chase once in a while. "I'm just curious, why you have such a bad relationship with Cotter Pyke, why did you include in the deal keeping him as Commander of Eastwatch?"

"You never managed a castle, never Legal understanding: A fortress commander is more than just a superior to the soldiers. We are parents, both parents and mothers, not only to ensure the correct command of the brothers and not let them die for no reason, but also to take care of their food, daily life and health. Everyday life." Denys Mallister said with a smile: "You don't know the temper of that guy Bowen Marsh, he must have been poor in his last life, and he managed the materials strictly. The materials he sent to Shadow Tower and Eastwatch were based on the head. The ration is only to ensure that we can perform our duties and will not freeze to death and starve to death. If we want our brothers to eat meat, drink wine, change new clothes, etc., it all depends on the commander's oneself ability. .Cotter Pyke is doing business for the benefit of the brethren using the occasional merchant ship that docks at Eastwatch, and I do this by dealing with mountain people, a few well-connected nobles, and even wildlings..."

He paused for a while, as if remembering some good memory, and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth: "The two of us have been commanders longer than the old man in Mormont has been Lord Commander! It's not an exaggeration at all. To say, we have feelings with most of the fortress soldiers. This bond may not be as exaggerated as it is to die, but it is definitely stronger than you think. It is a taboo to change generals before the battle, even more how is the fortress commander Officer!"

Igor looked thoughtful nodded: "I understand..."

"You understand best, yes, you have the right to make personnel transfers after you become Lord Commander .But remember, Night's Watch is not an ordinary service soldier. The soldiers at the bottom are mostly criminals and hooligans abandoned by Seven Kingdoms. In the ghost place of Wall, relying on a little illusory sense of honor to warm up, never wait until you can The day you retire and retire. But scumbags are also loyal! Even if you replace a qualified candidate, or even go to Eastwatch in person, you will never be able to make those people as good as they were under Cotter Pyke in a short period of time. Arm Commander - In the face of the threat of Others and the dead, we can't and shouldn't take this pointless risk."

After thinking about it, Denys added: "I hate Cotter Pyke. No It's fake, and I'm all for whoever you want to be Eastwatch commander after this life-and-death war is over. "

Igor can't find the problem in Denys this remark, he has reason to believe that, at least at this point, the Old Guy is really just thinking of the Wall defender.

"Okay, then let this stinky old bastard enjoy being a commander for a while. ”

 …

The negotiation ended successfully, and Igor had some follow-up discussions with him, and he would immediately negotiate the changes to the Night's Watch law as soon as he took office. After that, we made an agreement with each other, and we will talk about the follow-up matters later.

The deal was reached, and the two packed up their flying postures and expressions, and said goodbye to each other.

Before Denys went out, Igor Only then did he suddenly remember something and stopped him: "Ser Mallister, I publicly declared last time at Castle Black that you and Cotter Pyke are the ones who try nothing and accomplish nothing. You must understand that this is an expedient measure in an emergency situation, not the truth. Now, I want to take back these words. You are definitely one of the most noble and admirable people I have ever met. Please forgive me offend. "

The old Knight turned back and showed a slightly tired smile: "You will probably be the last Lord Commander I will swear by. I try to convince oneself that you will do better than me, do not let me down. ”

—

(end of this chapter)