Chapter 351 Node repair, Stannis enters the game

Outside Castle Black, a group of people were rushing towards the castle.

They are Bran Stark and his party who returned from the Weirwood Node.

What's interesting is that the leader, Bran Stark, was wrapped in a relatively warm fur, sitting upright on his horse, with a calm look on his face.

And the soldiers following him were all snot-nosed.

Anyone who has been freezing in the wilderness for such a long time will behave like this.

Ever since Brynden Rivers came back to life in the body of Bran Stark.

The power belonging to the agent of the old gods is also subtly changing the condition of the body.

By now, He has moved infinitely closer to Melisandre and can no longer feel the coldness of the outside world.

The original node has been completely dissipated due to the destruction of the Wild Hunt.

For this trip, he chose a weirwood tree that was closer to Castle Black.

It is conducive to defense. If there is an attack again, the defenders of Castle Black do not need to run out of energy before they can rush to the battlefield.

The sergeants traveling with Brynden Rivers had received warnings from Clay in advance.

Don't wear your eyes when you go out, just wear your ears and listen.

After all, Clay didn't know how much noise the recovery node would make. If he blinded these people, it was still necessary to say hello in advance.

However, now it seems that it is purely a battle of wits and courage with the air.

Brynden Rivers relights the node.

In fact, I just chose a weirwood that looked good in terms of location and growth condition.

In its body, the magic power of the old gods is injected, and the magic circle required by the node is outlined.

There are no overly conspicuous special effects.

Therefore, from the perspective of these soldiers, nothing happened.

Clay felt this change immediately at Castle Black.

Counting the time, it was time for them to return to Castle Black.

During this time, Clay asked Jeor Mormont to organize a group of rangers and leave the wall from the entrance of Eastwatch.

It always feels a little strange that the White Walkers haven't shown their heads for so long.

The resurgence of the Cold God is an irreversible event, and the White Walkers cannot give up the opportunity to go south no matter what.

Never let the dragon cross the Great Wall, which will ruin the opportunity to send the dragon off in anger.

But Clay believed that even without the dragon, these guys would still find a way to cross the Great Wall.

The silence outside the Great Wall was excessive, which made Clay feel unsure.

Therefore, it is very necessary to send a force from the East China Sea to the outside of the Great Wall to check the situation.

But it takes time.

…

Brynden Rivers returns to Castle Black.

There is a clear sense of subordinate consciousness.

He came to Clay immediately and talked to him about this incident.

"I've done what I have to do."

he said to Clay.

"Well, I feel it. It looks like it's pretty easy for you."

Brynden Rivers did not answer this sentence. Instead, he asked Clay:

"What are you going to do next? These guys are definitely not the same thing as the White Walkers, but they are definitely inseparable from the Cold God."

Touching his chin, Clay said:

"I know, but the problem is that Castle Black and the entire land grant cannot maintain an army of eight thousand troops stationed for a long time. The logistics will drag us down."

This is not a river bend with very good light and heat conditions. It has already entered winter, and not a single grain of food can be grown in the northern land.

They can only survive by storing food and receiving support from the riverlands.

At this time, the army was dragging hundreds of miles of logistics lines to set up defenses in Castle Black. There were still 8,000 people. This put too much pressure on Winterfell's logistics.

If it could easily maintain a few thousand people, the Night's Watch wouldn't be what it is now.

Therefore, after this firefighting, it is imperative to withdraw the troops.

There is no way, the northern border only has this economic foundation.

There is no possibility for people to use large corps to fight.

"Withdraw troops, what if those guys come back? Do you expect the Night Watch to continue to fight against them?"

Brynden Rivers frowned.

He didn't think that the Night's Watch, which had already suffered heavy losses in the face of the Wild Hunt, could do this well.

Does Clay really intend to destroy all these black warriors?

I'm afraid Lord Commander Jeor Mormont would disagree.

Clay spread his hands:

"Then you can conjure enough food for me, and I'll leave an army here to make you feel at ease."

Brynden Rivers was speechless.

Creation is not included in His authority.

"Okay, I'm just telling you, if there is no accident, I will leave you at most 500 infantry, 100 cavalry, and 200 horses. You know very well how much wealth there is in Winterfell."

"After I leave here, it's up to you to guard the node."

"You Stark, don't stay in Winterfell. Stay here and ensure the safety along the Great Wall."

Clay looked at Brynden Rivers, who looked a little unhappy, sneered, and continued:

"Don't look at me like that. You know very well that there is still a big trouble waiting for us in the north. If the Great Wall is lost and the White Walkers come in again to join in the fun, I will be ready to defend the Neck as soon as possible."

Every time Clay said this, Brynden Rivers felt particularly helpless.

This was because he was sure that he would not be able to go to the south, and this was used to force him to make constant concessions.

"Okay, I understand, but you must leave some soldiers in Winterfell, and then choose someone who can be used to guard the north."

Brynden Rivers countered.

Clay waved his hand:

"Don't be so anxious. I'll get back both the Last Hearth City and Kaho City before I leave."

"Otherwise, I, the king who came from the north, would not look good in front of everyone."

Hearing this, Brynden Rivers breathed a sigh of relief.

Once these two pieces of land are recovered, these guys will no longer have a foothold in the northern border.

He never doubted that Clay couldn't do it.

In fact, since the guy in front of him led the army, he has never been hindered in a real sense.

"So much the better."

Brynden Rivers let out a breath.

The tone also became more relaxed.

But Clay instantly made him continue to be frightened.

"But, if this happens, our enemies will be furious."

"In order to completely deal with them and prevent them from holding us back, you, the last Green Seer, must dedicate yourself."

Brynden Rivers instinctively felt something was wrong, and he asked hesitantly:

"What do you mean?"

A smile appeared at the corner of Clay's mouth:

"Don't worry, it's not a difficult task. All you need to do is do what you did on the Weirwood again in Last Hearth City or Kaho City. I will take care of the rest."

In an instant, Brynden Rivers figured out the joints, and he stood up suddenly:

"Are you going to use me as bait?!"

Clay looked at him innocently and smiled:

"What if? Apart from using you to build this nest, how else would they enter my encirclement?"

"..."

After a long silence, Brynden Rivers still shook his head and said:

"No, I don't agree."

"No, you must agree that no one can accomplish this except you."

"If you don't want to be worried all the time in the days to come, then get ready and get this thing done."

Clay left him no room for rebuttal.

He knew very well that the Three-Eyed Crow would definitely wonder if he was doing this to take the opportunity to kill Him.

Clay doesn't need to explain. Give him some time and he will figure it out.

If Clay wanted to kill him, he didn't need the help of the Wild Hunt.

This can be done at any time.

…

There was a lively fight between the north and the south.

The West is also actively planning to rejoin this game.

But in the east, the king's territory, the line of Dragonstone.

There seems to be an eerie and bloody tranquility now.

It is generally independent from the continent of Westeros, which has become a pot of porridge.

Stannis Baratheon.

This is also the king who declares himself the king of the seven kingdoms.

After retreating to Dragonstone Island, he kept licking his wounds.

And King's Landing, which he had harmed, immediately fell into complete chaos after he left.

A fire without warning burned away the evil in the entire city.

Countless golden dragons piled up the classified buildings, and the unprepared old, weak, women and children all died in the grand catharsis after the departure of order.

King's Landing is doomed.

According to the later memories of a Junlin blacksmith who had experienced this incident and survived.

The fire was not completely extinguished for two months.

The capital of the Seven Kingdoms was like a never-ending volcano.

It was always shrouded in thick smoke.

One fire ended and another was started.

Later, when Clay's army entered King's Landing.

According to statistics, the population of King's Landing has been reduced to ten.

But right now, all the powerful figures in the Seven Kingdoms have chosen to ignore this fact that they may or may not know.

Because there are more important things to them.

Dragonstone

Map Hall

With eyes as cold as the weather through the pale railings, Stannis looked out at the waves that continued to hit the cliff, and he fell into deep thought.

On his desk lay a letter.

A letter from Storm's End with a Crowned Stag wax seal.

He is his brother and his enemy.

Written by Renly Baratheon.

To be honest, this was completely beyond Stannis' expectations.

Renly actually asked him for help?

You know, the two brothers had caused a lot of blood to each other for the crown.

The soldiers and generals below didn't have a penny to show favor to each other.

It seems that Renly is really in a crisis situation now.

Only then will he think of his good brother and let himself give him a hand.

Anyway, both of them have the last name Baratheon.

At least, there is still some possibility of cooperation.

During this time, Stannis also tried to make some changes in order to stabilize his situation.

For example, he married the daughter of a nobleman under his command.

This is a way to express to his subordinates that he is still working hard to have children and that everyone has hope for the future.

It can be said that the camp that vaguely wanted to break up was finally stabilized.

But what they face is still the same old problem.

The human pool is too shallow.

Supplies are also insufficient.

Apart from holding a powerful fleet, they have no advantage.

After escaping from King's Landing for so long, Stannis has worked hard repeatedly, and the power he can mobilize has returned to five figures.

But it's still not enough.

To the north, none of his nobles were willing to challenge the valley controlled by Clay Manderly.

Going south, they also believed that their 10,000 men would lose more than they gained if they went to fight a landing battle that was bound to suffer heavy losses.

So, noisy, Stannis's troops were almost invisible throughout the war.

No one knows what they are doing.

But now, with enemies from east of the Narrow Sea, a surprise attack is launched on the Stormlands.

Stannis realizes that he will not join this game again.

There may never be a chance to get on the table again.

Looking away from the table, Stannis returned to the stone table that was carved with the entire topography of Westeros.

He didn't sit down, but pressed the back of the chair and looked at the other people in the room.

This time, he summoned all the nobles staying on Dragonstone Island.

Lord Montford Velaryon of the Tideshead Isles.

As a loyal follower of Stannis, he has been active on Dragonstone Island.

This time, among all the participants, apart from the "Onion Knight", he was the noble who gained Stannis's trust the most.

"Tell me, Renly's invitation, should we attend?"

Stannis opened his mouth and asked his subordinates.

The nobles sitting down below looked at me and I looked at you, but none of them spoke.

Not that there are many stereotypes in it.

Almost no one who can sit at this table will decide the direction of the entire family based on their own personal likes and dislikes.

Profit comes first.

However, Renly's invitation this time was too risky.

The master of Storm's End asked them to take the entire royal fleet and the main force under his command to the sea near the Stormlands and steal the retreat of Aegon Targaryen's army.

But how can things be so easy?

Stannis knew that he would definitely not be able to coexist with this Targaryen who appeared out of nowhere.

Although the two sides have not met now, it is inevitable that the swords will face each other later.

It is better to fight earlier than later.

But the question is, how strong is Aegon Targaryen?

How many troops are under your command? Ratio of infantry to cavalry?

The armor rate of the army? Number of fleets? Who supports them?

Stannis and his subordinates did not know any of this very important information.

Therefore, when this battle is going to be fought, everyone is unsure.

"Don't be mute and speak to me!"

Stannis was a little dissatisfied.

Montford Velaryon sighed.

He understands Stannis's nature, and being able to say this means that the island owner and king has made up his mind to join the war.

It's just that now everyone is asked to express their stance.

"I think we can take the fleet there first. After clearing the threats at sea, we can discuss whether to support Renly or not."

There is a problem here.

That is, the price Renly gave was not enough.

If a common defense is good for you and me, it will obviously fool the people who are not present.

If Renly wants to resist Aegon Targaryen's landing, he will have to pay something.

For example, the crown on his head...

Of course, these will need to be negotiated later.

Moreover, taking this opportunity, Stannis's fleet can also legitimately blockade the coast of Stormland, and have the opportunity to come into contact with the nobles under Renly's command.

Maybe we can get more support.

This is what Stannis needs most right now.

"I agree with Lord Montford."

Other nobles with eyes immediately began to follow suit.

To a roar of approval, Stannis finally announced his decision.

"Order our fleet to leave the port and go south!"