Chapter 338 Sweeping the Land Grant
At its peak, the Night's Watch Corps maintained a large establishment of over ten thousand people.
Under such circumstances, expecting the not-so-rich Northern Territory to fully maintain such a standing army would be a huge financial burden for the entire Northern Territory.
Frankly speaking, they simply can't do it.
Therefore, the Night Watch Legion actually has its own source of income.
The Great Wall of Despair, the land twenty-five miles south, is called Brandon's Gift.
Twenty-five miles further south, King Jaehaerys I and his Queen Alysanne jointly supported the new lands of the Night's Watch.
In the past, the maintenance of the Night Watch Legion relied heavily on the meager output of this land.
However, as the Night's Watch continued to weaken, their Great Wall defense line became more and more vulnerable.
As a result, more and more savages began to cross the Great Wall from various places to reach the south.
They won't reason with the Northerners.
Looting and killing are the only things they can do.
The first to bear the brunt are the residents of these two lands.
The Night's Watch was unable to protect them.
It is impossible to survive such a precarious life.
Residents of the land grants and new land grants fled in large numbers further south.
There, there is the lord's army to protect their safety.
For example, the Amber family of the Last Hearth City has always been known for its tyranny of force. It was easy to clean up some savage squads and the cavalry who came and went like the wind.
However, this has become a vicious cycle. The fewer land grantors there are, the weaker the Night Watch Legion is. In turn, objectively, more savages are allowed to come in.
So, now, this land has become barren, full of abandoned plantations and settlements.
Only places like Houguan Town with fortifications are still slightly populated.
However, this pure white and desolate land now welcomed a group of uninvited guests from the south.
Wild Hunt chose to head north.
There are no weirwoods here as nodes, and therefore they are not under Brynden Rivers' watch.
After the fall of the nodes in the Last Hearth City, the fierce wind and snow had obscured the Three-Eyed Crow's perception of those lands.
Therefore, he knew nothing about the Wild Hunt army's next target.
When Clay Manderly arrived at Winterfell, the master of the Wild Hunt army also led his army and rolled over towards the north.
The people in the two previous castles had been kidnapped by them and brought back to their original homes.
Force these people to help them make armor and move supplies.
This is a family war, but the people in Westeros don’t know it at all.
The Amber family's territory itself is connected to the land grant, so the Wild Hunt, based in Last Hearth City, entered the land grant without saying a word.
The heavy snow delayed the entire northern territory's perception of the battlefield.
Winterfell only knew that the Umber family was in a bitter fight in the Last Hearth, but there was no way of knowing what the situation was.
It wasn't until Hother Umber and the defeated troops of the Umber family retreated to Winterfell that the entire North knew that they had lost another castle.
Of course, that was later.
Now, the Wild Hunt's army is marching rapidly on the snowfields of the land grant, and the vanguard is about to approach Houguan Town.
The population of Houguan Town was small and unprepared.
They couldn't stand in front of the Wild Hunt's troops for long.
Any rational general would come to this conclusion.
…
Houguan Town.
There is no military presence here.
At least Benjen Stark, First Ranger of the Night's Watch, is here now.
This man with sharp features and gray-blue eyes, this time, was ordered by Commander-in-Chief Jeor Mormont to go to Winterfell to discuss the issue of joint war between the two sides.
Although Benyan Stark is not sure yet who the enemy he needs to face is.
He had set out from Castle Black the day before.
The reason why he was sent here was actually because of his identity as Stark.
He is the uncle of the current Lord of Winterfell and the younger brother of Eddard Stark, the previous Lord of Winterfell.
Considered a core member of the Stark family.
After all, they are acquaintances, so it's easier to talk to them.
"It seems that we have to rest here for one night before we can continue on the road tomorrow."
Benjen Stark said to the other rangers around him.
It is getting late, and if you are marching in this cold weather, you will lose your life if you are not careful.
"Yes, Lord Bunyang, it's only a matter of one day, sooner or later. There's no need to take this risk."
The ranger next to him replied.
After thinking for a while, this young ranger from Liangshui City asked excitedly:
"Lord Benjen, tell me, Lord Commander, did you ask us to go south to Winterfell this time just for the sake of the things we saw in Eastwatch?"
This guy followed Benjen Stark. They went to Eastwatch together, met the dead Carter Pike, and participated in his cremation ceremony.
Then, they brought back the strange ice crystal prepared for them by the new commander of Eastwatch.
Of course, there is also news that most of the main force of the Eastwatch fleet has been destroyed, and the mysterious force may have moved south along Seal Bay.
The former is fact, while the latter is speculation.
At Castle Black, the night watchmen took a good look at the strange ice crystal that exuded cold air and could not be melted.
Some guys with strong beliefs are still full of fear of that thing.
They thought it was a warning from the gods that a great disaster would come to the world.
To a certain extent, they are actually right.
Indeed, disaster is just around the corner.
After hearing the questions from the sworn brothers beside him, Benjen Stark shook his head:
"Maybe, I'm not sure."
"Have you ever heard of the legend beyond the wall?"
Brightwater City is located in the Reach and belongs to the Florentine family. It has now been swallowed up by the Tyrell family because of following Stannis' rebellion and was rewarded to the second son of Lord Mace Tyrell, Garlan Tilly. Sir.
For them, the northern border and beyond the Great Wall may not be mentioned a few times a year before they come here.
"Is Lord Benjen referring to the rumors of the White Walkers? The dead walking in the haunted forest?"
the Ranger warrior asked rhetorically.
In fact, the Night's Watch Legion has long faced encounters with the White Walkers and their wights.
However, it was only a short time, so I can't be too sure.
For such a long time, there was nothing in the ghost forest.
Everyone in the Night Watch Army gradually rejected this statement.
"Yes, it seems that someone in Castle Black has talked to you about this."
Benjen Stark confirmed what the young man from Brightwater said.
"The cold wind has begun to blow, and those of us walking in the wind and snow must be more careful."
After saying this, he pinched the horse's belly and urged the dismounted black horse to walk towards the bright Houguan Town.
Behind him, the ten rangers who came with Benjen Stark looked at each other and followed him towards Houguan Town.
They had to rush into an abandoned house to spend the night.
Bring dry food with you and boil a pot of hot water to deal with it.
However, the Rangers have long been accustomed to these. After all, when there were savages outside the Great Wall, they made do with this every time they went out to clean up outside the Great Wall.
After all, the bitter cold in the north is completely incomparable with the warm south.
However, before they had gone far, they saw Benjen Stark pull the reins of his horse and suddenly stop.
The most outstanding ranger in the Night Watch Legion stepped on the stirrups, stood upright, raised his gaze as high as possible, and seemed to be trying his best to observe something.
The Night's Watch Rangers behind them didn't know what was going on.
They didn't understand what their boss had discovered.
These people had long noticed that the sky in the southeast was indeed darker than in other places.
But this seems to be very normal in a weather that is already snowing.
No one thought this was strange.
Then, they heard Benjen Stark’s voice:
"Everyone, draw your swords!"
This sentence made everyone stunned.
Draw your sword?
it's here?
For whom do you draw your sword?
But the night watchmen were very particular about military discipline. Even though they didn't understand it, everyone still let out a "clang" sound.
He pulled out the steel sword from his waist.
The rangers from Brightwater City rode to Benjen Stark's side.
He asked anxiously:
"Lord Bunyang, did you discover something?"
However, he got no answer.
All he saw was Benjen Stark's livid face.
Compared to these low-level soldiers, Benjen Stark knew more.
At least, he had read the letters from Winterfell.
He clearly remembered that there was a letter written by Bran.
It was mentioned clearly above.
If you encounter an unusual snowstorm that comes suddenly, and you observe that the snowflakes are excessively white.
Then, immediately escape back to the nearest castle.
He remembered that Bran specifically emphasized this sentence.
But now, as a Stark, he clearly felt that there was a blizzard coming ahead, which made him very uncomfortable.
His intuition told him that this might be the real danger sign that Bran reminded him.
"Now, everyone, spread out in battle formation, we may be in trouble."
He did not choose to enter Houguan Town.
Because the only fortification in Houguan Town is the five-story tower.
Once inside, it means that they gave up their war horses.
If they were surrounded by unknown opponents, then the eleven of them would have no choice but to wait for death.
Therefore, Benjen Stark planned to find out the enemy's situation first.
If they were invincible, then they would choose to flee directly towards Winterfell.
Let the night be dark, it is better than losing your life.
A blizzard soon caught up with them.
Then, they saw the enemies.
And their blades.
…
Benjen Stark is on the run.
Following behind him were only six sworn brothers of the Night Watch.
A blizzard blocked their view.
Although they were extremely vigilant, they were still unable to prevent the hounds from attacking from the snow.
Three people were thrown off their horses on the spot.
The other two war horses were directly separated by the sharp claws of the hounds, their soft bellies separated.
The warm internal organs were exposed to the cold air.
The death sentence was pronounced on the war horses, and at the same time, it was also their owner's.
The night watchman cannot move at high speed because he lost his war horse.
Soon it became the target of more and more hunting dogs.
Benjen Stark's excellent swordsmanship saved his life.
He beheaded a hound that had jumped on his horse's rump to bite him.
And, he quickly tied it with the rope on the saddle and dragged it behind the horse.
As for what it would be like to be taken to Winterfell, he couldn't close it now.
Because the wild hunting cavalry is chasing them.
Under the dim sky, a dozen war horses galloped on the snowy field.
Seven people are running away, and the nine behind them are chasing them.
"Well... damn."
Benjen Stark cursed.
Although he escaped the blizzard alive, the problem was that he himself was also involved in the sudden close combat that had just occurred.
The warriors wearing ferocious armor used long knives to make an incision on the leg.
Now, the blood has stopped flowing, because it has long been frozen into solid ice.
But his increasingly cold body made Benjen Stark realize that his physical condition was actually declining rapidly.
This can't happen anymore. We must get rid of these guys quickly.
Driving the war horse to speed up, Benjen Stark led the rangers and plunged into the snow-covered woods.
This is their only chance.
The North is their home ground.
As a night watchman who has lived in the north since childhood, familiarity with the terrain is their advantage.
Only in this way can they get rid of these guys.
"Lord Benyang...I, I don't feel very good."
The current situation of the young man from Liangshui City is not worthy of praise.
He was stabbed in the back.
The thick Night Watch armor did not block the attack.
Although it didn't kill him all at once, it still cost him a lot of blood.
Benjen Stark, who was on the run, took a moment to look at him.
This young night watchman, who was not too old, now looked as pale as snow.
"Hold on kid, as long as we rush out of this forest, those guys can't catch up with us."
His eyes tried to look encouraging.
"Hold on for one night, and we will arrive at Winterfell tomorrow. Maester Luwin will heal you there."
There was nothing he could do but say this.
Because once they stop, none of them can escape.
…
These eleven night watchmen did not concern Eredin, the King of the Wild Hunt.
Whether they died or not, to be honest, he didn't care at all.
Right now, he is leading his army to plunder everything available in Houguan Town.
He now knows that this is a barren land.
After all, they are intelligent creatures too.
Although they look down on humans, there is still necessary communication for the sake of conquest and the survival of the race.
So, they knew the power in this land.
Westeros, the North, Winterfell and more.
They have a basic understanding of the world.
Now, the land they want to conquer is called land grant by the natives.
The black cavalry turned into a torrent and was sweeping through this desolate place.
And further north, the wall that hinders their "allies".
There is also a more powerful force guarding it.
Defeat them and destroy the node there.
Then, his "allies" will have a way to let those cold corpses cross the city wall.
They reached an agreement with the being who huddled in the land of eternal winter.
An agreement to carve up the continent.
After all, they need different things.
They know that they still have many enemies.
So, these are necessary.
