Ice and Fire: Conquering the World Starting from the Wall

Lynn ultimately did not make it to Caster's Fortress.

The next morning, Lynn found her before Hammam's party set off and lent her the "Longclaw" that had been confiscated. He told her that if she encountered White Walkers, she should run away first, and if she couldn't escape, she should use the sword to fight them.

Hamma was a stout woman who loathed dogs. Every few days she would kill one and stick its head on a wooden spear as a flag, thus earning her the nickname "Hamma the Dog-Headed".

She strapped the long claws to the saddle, thanked Lynn stiffly, and then said to the newly joined Colin:

"If your Raven Brothers are too numerous, or if they would rather die than surrender, I will have no choice but to kill them."

As for Castor, I'll bring him back with his dog's head stuck in my new spear.

Without waiting for Colin's response, she spurred her horse and rode away, followed closely by a hundred riders who surged toward the edge of the forest.

Freemen admire the strong, so even though Colin had killed countless raiders, they did not contemptuously call him "the Raven," and were willing to respectfully call the fierce and powerful "Old Bear" Mormont "the old man."

As he watched the cavalry charge disappear into the distance, Colin's throat moved, but he ultimately said nothing.

A distraught Jon Snow stood beside him, his shackles still on, but his white wolf had been allowed to approach the group.

After a long night of talking with Colin, he no longer shouted about loyalty and oaths, but instead, like a defeated rooster, shrank back and awaited his fate.

Squads of raiders walked past them.

Some of them spat at Jon, while others looked at him with cold eyes, seemingly eager to stab him in the back.

But all of these actions combined did not cause as much damage to Jon as Ygritte's disregard.

The largest force consists of a squad of 200 Thane and Jarl raiders, who are the main force to scale the Wall and attack Castle Black. They will climb and set up rope ladders between the Longcastle and the Ice Crystal Gate.

The other teams carried out the mission of feinting attacks to lure the enemy: the Cryers went to the Queen's Gate, the Bone King went to Long Night Fortress, and "Shieldbreaker" Solon rushed to Stone Gate Fortress.

"Wanderer" Howd will patrol the outer edge of the Great Wall, intercepting patrolling rangers, "Warrior Witch" Morona will harass the Shadow Tower, and Tormund will gather his forces at Eastwatch.

After losing three hundred elite rangers, the Night's Watch's remaining five or six hundred men are scattered across the three castles, where they will be constantly on the run from raiders.

Black Castle is located in the center of the Great Wall, and has the largest garrison. It will inevitably send out the largest number of troops. Colin estimates that no more than a hundred people will remain in the end, and they will all be old, weak, sick and disabled.

"If that's the case, then even if we give them several times the number of Night's Watch, we still won't be able to hold them off."

Mans said this to Lynn, and Colin did not refute it.

"The Black Castle is a castle without walls; it cannot be defended."

Seeing Lynn's confusion, Mans explained:

"The Night's Watch swore an oath of impartiality and non-interference in any conflict within its borders. Yet, over the centuries, some commanders-in-chief, whose pride outweighed their wisdom, broke their oath, their ambition nearly destroying this ancient legion."

"Commander-in-Chief Rensey Hightoar attempted to pass the position to his bastard son 'Roderick,' Flint wanted to become the King Beyond the Wall, Tristan Mulder, 'Madman' Marco Lenkenfield, Robin Hisham..."

"Did you know that six hundred years ago, the commanders of the Snowstorm Gate and the Long Night Fortress declared war on each other? When the Commander-in-Chief tried to stop them, they instead joined forces to murder him?"

The Stark family of Winterfell had to intervene and behead them. The operation was easy to succeed because the fortresses facing south were completely undefended.

Lynn was listening intently from his horse when suddenly several giants started fighting each other.

The king of the frontier couldn't help but groan, "Damn it, what exactly are they trying to do?!"

He then rode over and roared in the giant's unique ancient language, trying to stop the fight.

Seeing that Mance wouldn't be finished anytime soon, Lynn turned to Colin, who then continued Mance's words:

"Before Jeor Mormont, the Night's Watch had had nine hundred and ninety-six commanders-in-chief, most of whom were brave and upright... but there were also a few cowards and fools, tyrannical dictators, and even madmen."

We are able to survive because the lords and kings of the Seven Kingdoms understand that no matter who leads the Night's Watch, we pose no threat to them.

Our only enemy is in the north, and when we face north, we have the Great Wall.

That's it.

He adjusted his posture slightly to maintain his balance on the unsaddled dwarf donkey, and then continued:

"As long as the leader doesn't do anything stupid, two hundred Thern men can take the Black Castle's staircase platform and gate passage in one charge. That guy named Kasa seems pretty smart."

Lynn chuckled:

"I have strictly ordered them not to harass any villages along the way, and they must completely conceal their movements, giving Black Castle no warning time. But you, once you take Black Castle, can you really persuade Shadow Tower to surrender?"

"Commander Ser Dennis Mellist would likely condemn my shamelessness and betrayal."

Colin said calmly:

"But most people will be afraid, hesitate, and then lay down their weapons."

"The Shadow Tower originally only had 200 people, of whom 100 elites perished here with Elder Xiong. I don't think the remaining people would value honor more than life."

Behind them, the Former People's Fist Peak slowly receded into the distance.

The snow had stopped, and the army of clan soldiers, Thane men, and giant mammoths struggled to move forward.

The raiders took away all the animals that could be ridden and pulled sleds, which made relying on human labor to pull the sleds the only option, thus slowing down the caravan considerably.

According to Colin's estimate, at their current pace, it will take them at least ten more days to reach the Great Wall.

Lynn made a rough comparison and calculated that 100 leagues is equivalent to about 500 kilometers. In this kind of snowy weather, marching 40 or 50 kilometers a day is already a very fast speed.

On the evening of the fourth day, Hammam's cavalry arrived and joined the main force.

Her lance was empty, indicating that she had not brought back Castor's head. There were a few more people in the procession, including three Night's Watchmen dressed in black who were tied with ropes and dragged behind the horses.

Mans frowned, muttering to himself as he counted the number of cavalrymen emerging from the Ghost Forest. Only when he counted to ninety, and riders continued to pop up from the woods, did his brow relax a little.

Hamma rode up to Lynn and Mance, and Colin and Jon also came closer.

"Cast's fortress was destroyed by fire. I only found one of his daughters, or rather, his wife."

Hamma, panting heavily, said:

"No battle took place. The crows we encountered on the road surrendered. Look! These are all here."

Let that girl tell you!

After she finished speaking, she returned the unused "Long Claws" to Lynn, and then led the weary cavalry to set up camp, feed the horses, and prepare for rest.