Ice and Fire: Conquering the World Starting from the Wall

"I remember when Raymond did this, the commander-in-chief of the Night's Watch was Jack Musgood, known as 'Happy Jack'."

Mans thought for a moment and said:

"After he allowed Redbeard to advance deep into the North, people began to call him 'Sleepy Jack'—a nickname that has stuck to this day."

"Raymond's forces were ultimately wiped out in a bloody battle on the shores of the Long Lake, when they were caught in a pincer attack by William the Conqueror of Winterfell and Hammed Umber the Drunken Giant. Redbeard was killed by William's brother, 'Athos the Restless.' The Night's Watch arrived too late; the battle was already over. Enraged, Athos Stark, holding his brother's headless corpse, ordered them to clean up the battlefield."

After recounting this brutal battle, Mance asked quietly:

"Lynn, the 'Star Child,' do you have any further questions?"

Lynn said carefully, "The part about attacking the Wall is missing. You were once a member of the Night's Watch, while I've never even seen the Wall, so naturally we'll go with your version."

"But I'd like to know, what are your plans after you conquer the Great Wall?"

Mans grinned, a rare occurrence for him.

"I can see your concerns, 'Star Child' Lynn. You are more benevolent than I imagined, more civilized than those self-proclaimed civilized Southerners."

"I can tell from your eyes that you are even more arrogant than the most noble king."

But it is also weaker.

Mans added in his mind:

Perhaps he really did come from another world.

"You're worried that too many people are dying because of you, including those on the other side of the Wall... Do you think they're more innocent than the free people?"

Lynn wasn't surprised that Mans had sensed his thoughts. After all, Mans was a shrewd and calculating person, while he himself had just been a spoiled, complacent young man from civilized society two weeks ago.

However, this standard trolley problem is too challenging for human nature, and if it were his turn to make a choice, he would have to be extremely careful.

There are only so many resources for survival south of the Great Wall. As things stand, once the savages cross the border, unless there is another horn that can blow down the stone walls, someone will starve to death.

During wartime, the people in the castle only focus on collecting taxes and hoarding food, and they don't care about the lives of the farmers.

Seeing that Lynn remained silent, Mans slowly said:

"In the Age of Heroes, the First Men and the Children of the Forest joined forces to defeat the White Walkers in the War of Dawn, and Brandon the Builder used the magic of the Children of the Forest to build the Wall. But some of the First Men were blocked outside the Wall, and that's how the Free Men of the Wall came to be."

"We were just forced to stay outside the Great Wall. The people on both sides of the Great Wall have the blood of our ancestors flowing in their veins. No one is more noble than anyone else."

Lynn remained expressionless.

I completely agree with that.

"But I still want to hear what you're planning to do."

Mans said helplessly:

"My original plan was to cross the Great Wall and then use the Thames as the main force to fight the noble army in the wild, defeat them, and even capture one or two castles. This way, those lords would know that hiding is useless and they must obediently provide food to feed the starving free people."

"There are too many Freemen; the North cannot feed them all."

Lynn pointed out that he was actually very curious about how many cannibals there were in total.

"Let's live as long as we can!"

Mans said with a hint of helplessness.

But Nemo was very dissatisfied, and he said:

"I knew you weren't trustworthy. You make us, the Thane, do all the dangerous work while you expect to sit back and reap the benefits! We can do all that ourselves."

"But you don't know where to get over the Wall, you don't know the Night's Watch patrol routes, and you don't know how to deal with cavalrymen in steel armor riding armored warhorses in the open."

Mans patiently comforted him. He should have been very familiar with this task, but for some reason, he was unusually tired today.

"But if you are with the Free People, you can choose the spoils first, and other clans will assist you in battle, while also saving precious rations for your people."

Even among the Thane, not everyone is a warrior, is he?

Seeing that Nemo remained silent, Mance continued:

"After crossing the Great Wall, the most terrifying thing is still the army of the nobles."

"Redbeard Raymond, Bard Bell, Jandel and Gorn, King Longhorn, and Joman, they all failed. It has been proven that undisciplined freemen cannot defeat a lord's army equipped with iron armor and steel swords."

"I've already told you the story of King Raymond the Redbeard. He was the King Beyond the Wall during your great-great-grandfather's time and commanded the largest army of Free Men in history. The Stark and Umber armies alone defeated him. There were several other lords like him in the North, and countless smaller ones."

Nemo was clearly persuaded, but Lynn pointed out the flaw in his words:

"But you have claimed to the free people that the armies of the North have all gone south with the Starks."

"Yes, but no."

Mans shrewdly remarked:

"If Stark hadn't led his army to fight for the throne, the free men would have had no choice but to kneel to survive. Fortunately, he took most of them with him, which gave us a chance. But the noble lords will always leave men behind to protect their castles and property, and that's what we have to deal with."

Dana poured more wine, this time also giving Nemo a small glass while he was standing, which he drank down.

"In any case, many people will die."

Lynn commented.

"It's better than them all dying!"

Mans added:

"During the time of 'Redbeard' Raymond, the North was well-equipped and the Night's Watch was also well-managed, but now both are depleted of manpower."

"Also, don't forget, we now have the 'Star Children' and dragons. If you don't want to fly the Targaryen banner, then draw one yourself and tell them that the new conquerors have arrived."

"As soon as one of those noble families is willing to kneel, the others will rush to follow like dogs fighting for food, afraid of falling behind. I've heard countless stories like this."

Mans' assessment was quite sharp, and Lynn thought about it and realized it was indeed true.

Nobles, after all, always shout the slogan of family supremacy while committing all sorts of unjust acts, or using it as an excuse to seize personal interests.

"How many free people are there? With so many people gathered in the canyon, what do they eat?"

Lynn finally asked the question she had wanted to ask for a long time.

"If you're asking about the total, then I can only tell you: only the gods know the exact number."

Mans thought for a moment, then said:

"However, based on my travels over the years and the tribes, villages and clans I have come into contact with, I estimate that the number of people willing to come is around 100,000, and the total number is estimated to be over 120,000, but no more than 150,000."

"Currently, there are about 50,000 people gathered in the valley, and most of the able-bodied men from various tribes have arrived."

Many others were on their way, mostly elderly people with slow legs; the White Walkers didn't know if they would even make it this far alive.