Chapter 187 Soldiers Arrive at the Great Wall

The Great Wall once was glorious. At its peak, more than 10,000 troops were stationed along this hundreds of miles of ice and snow wall.

You know, the land near the Great Wall has been covered with ice and snow for years. Even in midsummer, it is difficult to melt the snow. Large-scale agricultural planting is almost impossible. Therefore, the logistics of these 10,000 people are almost entirely maintained by the rear. .

And the huge army of 10,000 Night Watchmen produced may be the largest standing army in the history of Westeros so far.

What is sad is that this once huge and glorious force now has less than 800 people left, and it is filled with all kinds of villains, rapists, thieves, robbers, and small nobles who have made mistakes. Or knights and so on.

It is simply impossible to expect them to block the savage army with tens of thousands of soldiers on such a wide defense line. Even if they are replaced by elite soldiers with strict discipline, they cannot do it.

Clay, with five thousand cavalry, left the huge military camp outside Winterfell and quickly headed north along the King's Road connecting Castle Black and Winterfell.

Marching on this road with the best traffic conditions in the entire northern border, Clay increased the marching speed by one-third. Even so, the entire army did not feel tired because they were all walking on smooth roads. It's like getting on the highway.

Jon Snow and Commander-in-Chief Mormont had already set off for Castle Black one step ahead of them. This was not like Stannis, who landed at Eastwatch and then headed directly towards Mance, seemingly without any need for logistics. Redman passed by.

If the Northerners want to take a boat, and with such a large-scale cavalry, they probably can only let Clay take them to White Harbor. Only their own fleet can transport so many people there in one go.

As a commander, he considered going to Castle Black first, but he didn't plan to rush into the army. He had no idea what the battlefield situation was. He didn't even have a map. He couldn't fight based on his feelings, right?

Therefore, the 5,000-strong army will definitely stay in Castle Black for a while. After Clay understands the situation and formulates a battle plan, he can finish the job with a thunderous strike.

If you attack without preparation, if something goes wrong and these wildlings escape, it will be a bad thing, because the threat of the White Walkers is still there, they will still go south, and the Night's Watch has closed the door to peace talks. .

By that time, Clay's 5,000 men were firmly pinned here, guarding against the all-pervasive savage invasion. This was not the result he wanted to see.

His style of using troops has always been to look for the right opportunity and strike swiftly and decisively without leaving any consequences.

The further north you go, the colder the weather becomes. After crossing the Long Lake, there are even snowflakes in the sky.

The climate in the north is very sensitive to the transition from late autumn to cold winter. Winter has not yet arrived, but from here, it is already a world of ice and snow.

Going all the way north, passing through Xinxindi, Houguan Town, Zengdi, and Mole Village, at the end of the King's Road, Clay saw the huge city wall that attracted people's attention for the first time.

It is gray-black, stretching from the east to the west of the field of vision. The top layer is white, which is snow that has not yet frozen into ice.

Like a lonely giant beast, it has been crawling at the northernmost point of the kingdom for thousands of years, silently guarding humans in the south. This is the Great Wall of Despair, one of the nine great walls described in the book "Man-Made Miracles" by Lomas "Long Legs" One of the miracles.

Coming here, the magic power in Clay's body became restless. He was very sure that the Great Wall itself contained huge magic power, which allowed him to clearly feel it from a considerable distance away.

"Damn it, do the Night Watchmen stay in this damn place all this time?"

Earl Glover cursed in a low voice. He had just dismounted and checked the ground. The ground was frozen harder than steel. It took him a long time to dig out a small piece, but it was actually full of sparkling ice crystals.

The soil here is already frozen, and no crops can grow here. Only the tree species in the Ghost Forest can plant their roots deep into the warmer ground and survive the wind and snow tenaciously.

Earl Glover rubbed the sprained thumb he had just dug out, got on the horse's back, pushed the horse with his legs to come to Clay's side, and whispered:

"Lord Clay, should we go directly to Castle Black with the whole army now? Should we still follow the old rules and send people around to guard the place?"

"We must not let down our guard at any time, even in a woman's bed. We must protect ourselves."

Nodding, Earl Glover understood what Clay meant, and quickly left. After a while, dozens of war horses left the large army in all directions. They were the scout troops released by Clay's army.

"Master Clay, arrangements have been made. I told them to just kill anyone who dares to attack them."

Clay nodded. This is the safest arrangement. There are only a few human settlements in this poor place, and people who see the Northern Cavalry uniforms will not have much reaction.

Of course, the night watchman's uniform is very easy to identify. This order is actually aimed at the small group of savages that may be encountered. Clay never gives his intelligence sources to others.

With Mormont playing tricks on him, Clay doesn't trust the Night's Watch. Although everyone is in the same trench now, if the Night's Watch side has any reservations, big problems will arise on the battlefield.

"Let's go, first go to Castle Black and meet our Commander-in-Chief Mormont. After all, we are guests. It is not appropriate to not even meet the master."

After that, Clay kicked his spurs, and the horse strode forward. Behind him, five thousand cavalry lined up in five neat columns, following their commander silently.

The horses' hooves trampled on the rammed earth road covered with a thin layer of snow, leaving shallow horse hoof prints in the shape of a bowl.

The howling cold wind, mixed with snowflakes as sharp as knives, quickly buried these traces, so that those who came later had no idea that anyone had been there.

The weather is cold all week.

…

The army arrived at Black Castle. This is one of the largest castles along the Great Wall. On the south-facing side, it is almost entirely made of wooden structures, with wooden watchtowers, wooden fences, and just the gate tower. A stone tower.

Most of the sworn brothers of the Night's Watch Legion had seen such a huge army for the first time. Five thousand cavalry were arranged neatly in five square formations on the southern plain of Castle Black.

The Stark family's running wolf flag and the Mandalay family's mermaid flag were flying high. The rest, as well as the Glover family's steel-framed Iron Fist flag, were slightly behind. Other than that, there was nothing else. Flag up.

Jon Snow led a dozen soldiers dressed in black and riding thin dark horses out of the south gate of Castle Black to meet Clay and his army.

"Clay, thank you for coming to support us. The Night's Watch Legion thanks the North for its assistance."

Jon said this welcome speech in a high-sounding formal tone, but he did not see the smile he expected on Clay's face. Clay just nodded coldly and gave the order:

"Is the camp ready for my troops to rest?"

"Uh...Okay, I'll take you there."

Jon Snow answered at a loss. Clay's reaction was a little beyond his expectation. He didn't understand why.

"Lord Glover, follow Jon and light fires for our soldiers. It's too cold here. Only warmth can allow the soldiers to preserve their fighting power. Remember what you should do."

Earl Glover agreed, his face also tense, as if covered with ice, not because of anything else, but because of Clay's tone when he said this. He and Clay went all the way south, and every time before going to the battlefield, This is Clay's tone. If you don't obey, you will die.

Earl Glover understands that everyone who has been with Clay knows that privately Clay is a very easy-to-get-together person, but as long as he talks to you in this tone, it means that he is serious and not joking. .

Earl Glover left with the confused Jon Snow. Castle Black left three people with Clay. Clay also left thirty Manderly family guards and followed Clay. Enter the south gate of Castle Black.

Directly opposite is a large square, which should be the place where the Night Watch Legion gathers and trains daily. Clay saw some weapon racks placed in the corners. There was no snow on them. It was obvious that someone was there. frequently used.

Commander-in-Chief Mormont was standing in the center of the square. Clay rode up to a distance of ten steps away from him and dismounted. Behind him, thirty elite Manderly family members also dismounted in uniform movements.

"Welcome to the North of the World, Lord Clay Manderly."

Lord Commander Mormont said, a smile on his face.

Clay didn't argue with him. The old guy got along with them. This was a conspiracy. No one could do anything about it. He felt uncomfortable. On the surface, he didn't need to compete with Commander-in-Chief Mormont, so he stretched out his hand. He took his hand and held it with the old guy’s hand:

"The Night Watch Legion is a strong shield that guards the kingdom. Supporting the Legion is also the obligation of us nobles. There is nothing to say."

Clay smiled, then exchanged a few pleasantries with Commander Mormont, and then walked into the towering tower called the Commander's Tower where the Commander-in-Chief of the Night Watch lived. He wanted to have a good talk with the Commander-in-Chief.

After closing the door, only Clay and Commander-in-Chief Mormont were left in the black room. There was a table between them, on which was placed the hot soup that the attendant had just brought in.

Clay stirred the soup and looked at the contents. There was almost no meat, just weird plant roots.

"Do you usually eat these things?"

"Yes, Lord Clay, this is pretty good. There are no products. We all rely on supplies from the south. Eastwatch occasionally sends some fish, but they all have a bit of a bad taste."

Commander-in-Chief Mormont said nonchalantly that he had long been used to the hard life here, and every Night Watchman was used to it. With the level of products here, it would be strange to still have meat every meal.

After a moment of silence, Clay said:

"I brought five thousand people this time, but they are all cavalry. After fighting this battle for you, we will leave. There is still a war in the south, a war we must fight. Therefore, we do not have the troops to defend you along the Great Wall. .”

"Oh, this is really not good news. It is to avenge Lord Eddard Stark, right?"

Commander-in-Chief Mormont asked. He was a contemporary of Ed Stark. Mormont's surname was the lord family of Bear Island in the north. Back then, he gave up his position as the head of the family and was driven away by Clay. Jorah Mormont came to the Great Wall and became the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch.

Therefore, he felt uncomfortable with the violent death of Ed Stark. Although the Night's Watch itself did not intervene in the affairs of the Seven Kingdoms, the memory of the past would not be falsified.

"Yes, so this battle must be fought. If something like this hadn't happened suddenly on the Night Watch, I would have gone south with His Majesty Robert."

Commander Mormont didn't say anything else. Clay's words were already very clear. We in the north still recognize you as the strong shield of the kingdom, so I will not avenge you for the time being. I will come to help you fight, but don't treat us as fools. .

The reason why Clay's troops this time are all cavalry is, first of all, because he is comfortable with cavalry, and secondly, the battlefield he estimates is all plains, and the snow is not thick enough now, so the horses can gallop at full speed.

As for the last reason, the cavalry cannot be kept here at all. If the infantry is brought here, it is possible that he will become the captain of the northern garrison at the Great Wall.

"Okay, now that I'm here, I have to get things done. Tell me about the situation of the savages first, so that we can have an idea."

Commander-in-Chief Mormont looked at the young man in front of him and couldn't help but sigh in his heart. After all, Wyman Manderly has an excellent heir, who can achieve this level under the age of twenty.

He originally didn't believe much in Clay's achievements in the south, but now he somewhat believes it, because the nobles from the north who came with him all followed the young man in front of him.

For example, right now, Clay Mandler was discussing a battle plan with himself, the commander-in-chief, and no other nobles were called in. This signal was very obvious.

The entire northern cavalry group of 5,000 people is under the control of this young man. He does not need to discuss with anyone. What he says is an order that cannot be violated in this army.

"Their situation. When you go up the ladder to the city wall at night, you can see the firelight of their camp. Mance Rayder claims to have put a hundred thousand people in front of us, but I guess he is bluffing. .”

"Are you saying that Mance Rayder's total force is not that large, or that he only has tens of thousands of people on the front and he divided his forces?"

"Yes, I am leaning towards him dividing his troops. The rangers from Shadow Tower and Eastwatch have both reported the presence of wildlings. Although the wildlings are tribes, they finally elected a king. What do you think of these two sides? The wildlings have nothing to do with Mance Rayder?"

"If you say so, Mance Rayder is stalling for time with us. He will lead the main force himself, dragging hundreds of you people to Castle Black, and then let others bypass the Great Wall from Seal Bay or the Grand Canyon? "

Clay raised this question. If this was the case, then he would have to divide his troops immediately, break up the large troops into small groups, and hunt in small groups the savage groups that were preparing to go ashore or cross the canyon.

The Battle of Castle Black in my memory was not just about the wildlings bypassing the Great Wall and attacking from the weak southern part of Castle Black, causing great trouble to the Night's Watch.

"Not necessarily. I think Mance Rayder's desire to negotiate with us is still very strong. What's behind their butts frightens them. However, there are only a limited number of people who can pass through Seal Bay and the Grand Canyon. They don't have the courage to negotiate with us." That time.”

Commander-in-Chief Mormont shook his head. He and Mance Rayder were old rivals. They had tested each other along the Great Wall for many rounds. Clay felt that he could trust this judgment.

"Didn't anyone send someone to talk to Mance Rayder? What are they going to do?"

"I sent them, but the effect was not good. Those savages kept trying to get into the city, but as soon as the people I sent out put down their weapons and accepted management, they blew up their nests and made no progress at all."

Commander-in-Chief Mormont sounded a little impatient. This was not directed at Clay, but because he was angry at the mention of those wildlings.

"Stubborn."

Clay concluded coldly, and the old guy nodded vigorously next to him, that's what he meant.

"The news about our arrival must be kept strictly confidential and must not be known to the savages. Commander-in-Chief, you should understand what I mean."

Commander-in-Chief Mormont nodded. He knew what Clay was going to do. If he wanted to fight, the cavalry was not the infantry. If he could strike the opponent unprepared with a thunderous strike, the effect would be much better than doing it openly.

Sighing, he said:

"I will restrain my men. All rangers who leave the fortress will not be allowed to approach the savage camp again. I will try my best to ensure that your existence is not known to the savages."

Clay nodded and said no more. The situation was already clear to him. The Night's Watch had too few troops on the Great Wall and could only be concentrated at three points. Now Mance Rayder's army was blocking the door. This was tantamount to letting him down. The defenders of Castle Black were unable to move.

There are too few people in Eastwatch and the Shadow Tower itself, which means that the defense of the Great Wall has changed from one line to three points. Mance Rayder can break through from any position at will. If the Great Wall is not too high, it is almost impossible to climb up. Impossible, even if Clay came now, the Great Wall would have fallen long ago.

"The gate leading to the outside of the Great Wall. How many people can go out at one time?"

Clay thought of another problem. If the city gate is too small and only one horse can go out at a time, then among his five thousand people, the first person to go out in the morning will probably have dinner by the time the last person comes out.

During this period, if a savage scout came over to take a look from a distance, the suddenness of the cavalry in Clay's hands would be gone.

Stannis had a thousand men at the time, and he landed from Eastwatch, directly outside the Great Wall, so there was no such problem.

And a thousand people is actually not enough. After all, there are tens of thousands of people, that is, tens of thousands of pigs. A total of... ahem, it's a conspiracy.

Therefore, Stannis could only fight a rout, not a battle of annihilation. The escaped wildlings were still unruly and troublesome in the end.

But Clay was different. The five thousand men waiting for work were enough to form a huge encirclement on the plains, beat the savages to the point of pain in their hearts, and then chase the defeated soldiers and bite them, beating them until they surrendered.

"The door opening is quite wide, so three horses can go out at the same time without any problem. If you squeeze in, it's okay for four horses, but not more."

Clay was quite satisfied with this answer, which meant that he could take out the cavalry regiment in about four hours, and there was no need to go out with 5,000 men in one go.

Three thousand people went out first, directly disrupting the savages' formation and crushing their resistance. The remaining 2,000 people came out next and rushed directly in front of the savages' defeated army, hugging and surrounding them.

Clay dared to surround ten thousand elite Lannister troops with five thousand cavalry. Now he still has five thousand men in hand to surround tens of thousands of miscellaneous wildling troops. Clay believes that his men can do it.

As for how many dead souls will be left under the long sword of his cavalry, that is not a question that Clay considers. If one general is successful, not only ten thousand bones will be withered?

Besides, he is not a general either. An invisible crown has been firmly placed on his head.

In this world, there is never a throne that does not have numerous bones accumulated under it.