Ice and Fire: Conquering the World Starting from the Wall

When Lynn arrived on his mammoth, the once bustling army camp was in complete disarray, with burning tents and supplies that could not be carried away everywhere.

The most striking thing was the armor that was scattered all over the place.

They come in a wide variety of types, including full plate armor, three-quarter armor, half-body armor, breastplates, chainmail, and so on, as well as piles of tanned leather horse armor inlaid with iron and shields painted with various family crests.

The situation was clear: aside from weapons, Stannis decisively ordered all loads to be discarded, and then the two of them rode together on a horse, fleeing down the Greystone River toward Stod's Head.

Lynn stood there stunned for a long time before snapping out of his daze amidst the commotion of the free people scrambling for supplies.

He spurred the mammoth into the camp, sternly stopping the fighting, and then sent "Hunter" Harley to call back those who were still blindly chasing downstream.

It must be said that Stannis is a very decisive commander.

Upon realizing that the army was in trouble and that the remaining fleet was likely in danger, he immediately chose to cut his losses and save the day.

Stannis did not abandon the infantry and archers who slowed down the march, but instead chose to discard the expensive but cumbersome armor, which was undoubtedly a difficult decision.

It's important to know that the value of a full set of knight's armor is comparable to the annual output of several wealthy villages. He lost hundreds of sets, not including half-body armor, breastplates, horse armor, and so on. The loss was enormous.

"He's ruthless, and he's also smart."

Lynn commented in his mind.

Although the chances were slim, Lynn still ordered the wildlings to set up several lines of defense to prevent Stannis from using the equipment as bait to turn around and launch a surprise attack.

Throughout the ancient history of warfare on Earth, both in the East and the West, such examples are commonplace, and Lynn had to be on guard.

He wasn't convinced that the other party had really escaped until the sun was halfway up the sky.

There was no way to catch up now, and Lynn could only hope that the enemy's remaining fleet was small, so that Tormund could strike successfully.

This equipment must also be transported back; it is crucial for future wars and can greatly enhance the combat effectiveness of the savage soldiers.

The armor was essentially Stannis's way of paying for his life, because no one could refuse such a huge fortune that was handed to them.

In addition, cavalry without armor would pose a much smaller threat to the barbarians.

Lynn didn't believe that Stannis could carry spare armor on a long-distance raid by ship, considering that they couldn't even manage the most basic cavalry maneuver of two horses per person.

This indicates that the other party either lacks sufficient financial resources or has limited ship capacity, and cannot carry too many horses.

This is also why Lynn was able to keep up with them. If the cavalry had been equipped with two or even three horses as usual, Stannis's army would have been long gone.

Since things have come to this, let's retreat.

Lynn led his men out in pursuit for three days, but returned to the Wall in just over a day, even with a large amount of armor and supplies to carry.

In this battle, the Free People lost nearly 5,000 people, of whom only 20% were directly killed or wounded, while the rest were trampled by each other.

Hundreds of people died at the tunnel entrance alone, and thousands more were recovered from inside the tunnel, all of whom died from crushing and suffocation.

The flames burning the corpses did not go out until Lynn returned with his army.

This painful lesson finally taught the savages some rules. The leaders of each clan began to strictly discipline their people, making them pass through the tunnels in an orderly and rapid manner according to the order drawn by lot, which increased efficiency several times over.

It's true that you can't teach someone by just one person, but you can teach someone by just one experience.

Lynn returned the mammoth to the giant.

He had previously planned to use the shapeshifter's abilities to control mammoths to charge the heavy cavalry, or to raid their camp at midnight to create chaos.

This could easily lead to the death of a mammoth, and Mans finally managed to persuade Mag to give him one.

For giants, the mammoth's position was similar to that of a partner, close to that of a family member, making this decision extremely difficult.

Seeing his companion, whom he had personally sent away, return safely, the giant leader Mag let out a sound of joy like a broken bellows.

"Star--"

He yelled at Lynn in broken Common.

Lynn guessed that he was trying to be friendly to her, so she responded with a smile.

In fact, giants were not vicious; in fact, most of them were vegetarians.

However, due to cultural and customary reasons, even many "wild men" misunderstand them, let alone the southerners who grew up listening to their stories as horror tales.

At that moment, Marg suddenly made a strange movement.

He stood with his legs together, arms outstretched and palms facing up, then awkwardly turned sideways and bowed to Lynn.

Mans, who was standing nearby, quickly said:

"Quickly, do as he does."

So Lynn did as instructed.

As Margot led the mammoth away contentedly, Mans explained:

"This is the highest form of etiquette among giants, usually done by ordinary members to their leader."

If you stand still, it means you consider yourself the leader; responding with the same action signifies the highest form of friendship.

"When I first dealt with the giants, I didn't know this, so I stood still and almost got punched to death by Mag."

Mans recalled his experience with a pained expression, then continued:

"Of course, Mag is probably really surrendering to you because you saved everyone's lives."

But I think friendship is better. Time was short and I didn't have time to explain, so I took the liberty of making the decision for you.

Lynn said with a smile, "I think this is great. You know, sincerity is always the ultimate weapon."

It took Mans more than ten heartbeats to understand the meaning behind those words.

He hesitated for a moment, then, as if having made up his mind, carefully said:

"Sir Denis Mellist's proposal to recognize you as king is indeed the best option at present."

And I believe that, apart from the giants, the other free people would also be willing to let you be their king, as per our previous agreement..."

"The king is not in his title, but in the hearts of his people."

Lynn interrupted Mans.

"It is good that the free people are willing to acknowledge me as their king, but on the condition that they obey my laws."

"If they still yearn for a life of doing whatever they want, or rather, a life of lawlessness, then there will be no place for them in my future kingdom."

Mans's expression was rather unpleasant, and Lynn quickly tried to comfort him:

"I didn't say I'd abandon you. Give me some time to think it over."

"Besides, the idea of ​​a king or a kingdom is still just a pipe dream."

"Where is Sir Dennis? Has he run back to Shadow Tower to defect to Stannis after our defeat?"

Seeing that Lynn had changed the subject, Mans's expression finally softened.

"He's still at Black Castle, probably waiting to see the outcome of the battle, deciding who to side with whoever wins."

Lynn laughed heartily, pointing to the royal armor bearing the crested stag emblem on the dog sled behind him, and said:

"Then let our Sir Dennis see for himself how the King of the South is utterly defeated and flees without a fight."