Ice and Fire: Conquering the World Starting from the Wall

"If I had given birth to such a poor child, I would have given her a merciful release long ago."

Ygritte, who was in charge of leading the Spearwomen to guard Seal Tower, said confidently when she met Lynn:

"The maesters only believe what they want to see; only the forest witch knows the truth."

"The gray death may seem to be curable, but it is actually just lying dormant and will surely relapse one day."

She's already dead, but none of you have noticed!

Lynn did not comment on this.

The next day, Lynn reorganized his troops and set off back to Castle Black.

In addition to the original group that came with them, this time Tormund and 500 skilled warriors he selected from the Redhall clan were added. These soldiers would be used to bolster the Oath of Gods and lay the foundation for Tormund's leadership.

In addition, there were more than 300 surrendered soldiers who were incorporated into the Hamma cavalry, and about 100 spearwomen led by Ygritte.

These spearwomen were mainly used to guard Stannis's wife and daughters, as well as several other noblewomen and about a dozen maids they brought with them.

Lynn entrusted Eastwatch to the joint administration of "The Great Walrus" and Tormund's eldest son, Doreg. (The Great Walrus was the leader of the Frozen Coast people, who was paralyzed from the waist down, and had appeared at the previous conference.)

There are approximately 8000 people stationed here, consisting of the Redhall Clan and the Frozen Coast People. Their main duty is to fish and hunt seals to supplement the Free People's food supply.

In addition, they were responsible for expanding the docks and training sailors, as well as guarding against the "rock species" on Skaggs Island across Seal Bay.

These Skagos Islanders are said to be true cannibals, actively hunting and killing living people, completely different from the cannibalistic behavior of the Glacier Clan, who were forced to do so due to extreme food shortages.

The most detailed study of the Skaggs is found in "The Edge of the World," written by Badr, a scholar from the East Sea.

One famous story tells of the ancient Skaggs sailing to the nearby island of Skaney.

They seized women, slaughtered men, and then feasted on their hearts and livers on a pebble beach for half a month, a feast known as the "Scane's Feast."

From then on, Skaney Island was uninhabited.

This legend forced the free people stationed in East Sea Watch to be on high alert.

The Skaggs Islanders used to cross Seal Bay to trade with the mainland or to raid, but King Brandon IX of the North thwarted them.

The Starks burned their ships and forbade them from going to sea again, and since then the Rock Seeds have rarely left their islands.

In theory, the people of Skaggs Island accept the rule of House Stark and are part of the North. However, historically, their loyalty to the Starks has been very limited, and they have rebelled several times.

The most recent instance was during the reign of Darren II, a hundred years ago.

The rebellion on Skaggs Island against Winterfell was quelled many years later, and the war claimed the lives of Basilon Stark, Duke of Winterfell, and hundreds of his warriors.

Other inhabitants of the North also looked down on the Skaggs, considering them no different from wild men, who were huge, hairy, and smelled terrible.

Some scholars believed they were descended from the Ibans, while others thought they were distant relatives of the giants.

For these reasons, Lynn had no intention of conquering the island.

He already had enough unruly savages under his command and didn't want to add another potentially terrifying cannibalistic tribe.

Secondly, the waters near Skaggs Island are dangerous and unpredictable, full of reefs, and the shipping lanes are extremely treacherous. Furthermore, his ships lack skilled sailors and are far from adequate for an amphibious landing operation.

We should be grateful if the other party doesn't provoke us.

Because the team had more infantry, the return journey took three times as long as the way there.

As they approached the vicinity of the Blacksable Hall, they began to see the figures of some migrating free people.

Upon arriving at Oak Shield, Lynn discovered that it had been completely occupied by some members of the Glacier Clan.

They used the collapsed bricks and foundations to rebuild houses that they could live in, and some tried to find land in the snow that had been cleared by their predecessors for future planting.

A piece of land that has been cultivated but abandoned for many years may look a lot like wasteland, overgrown with weeds.

However, its soil has been cultivated for a long time, making it more porous and free of debris such as stones and tree roots that would hinder cultivation. The difficulty of reclaiming it is far lower than that of a true wasteland, and it can usually be reused with just simple tilling and weeding.

Mans once said that savages would never learn to wield a hoe, but Lynn had long anticipated that the pressure of survival would force them to learn.

Moreover, it's not that the wild people are completely incapable of farming; it's just that the harsh climate of the border region means that the amount of food obtained from farming is very limited, which leads to the misconception that the wild people are completely ignorant of farming.

(Varamir once controlled many settlements, ordering them to offer bread and fruits as tribute, and Caster often served bread to the rangers.)

Of course, all of this is contingent on surviving the long winter that is about to begin.

When Lynn returned to his own King's Tower, Black Castle had changed once again.

Its outer walls were built higher and thicker, and many collapsed buildings were rebuilt thanks to the hard work of the free people.

Although it may not look very aesthetically pleasing, it is very practical.

The Thane clan rightfully occupied Black Castle and the surrounding lands, while other clans, under Mans's planning, cautiously and slowly migrated to the abandoned fortresses and abandoned villages on the surrounding lands.

The Hardfoot scouts scouted south along the King's Road, sometimes going as far as beyond the boundaries of the New Grant, reaching a forest of tall pines and ancient oaks.

Further ahead lay the territory of the last city of Hearth, and they dared not venture any deeper, so they turned back to Black Castle.

According to their report, all the villages along the way were abandoned, and all the stored grain, livestock, and belongings that could be carried away by cart disappeared along with the villagers.

Some villagers even burned down their houses and filled in their wells before leaving, seemingly with no intention of ever returning.

This situation was exactly what Lynn had anticipated.

Northern nobles may not be afraid of wildlings due to past history, but that doesn't mean the peasants are as brave as they are.

After all, farmers don't have tall, sturdy stone walls; they only have simple fences that can't even keep out wild animals.

On the fifth day after returning to Castle Black, Lynn summoned all the leaders to the second floor of the King's Tower for a meeting.

Besides the King, the following were also present at the meeting:

Freeman Governor Mans Reid

Jon Stark, Lord of Winterfell

Magna of Theon and Captain Kassa of the Royal Guard

Tormund, leader of the Redhall clan and head of the Oath of Gods,

Hama, who was promoted to commander of the cavalry regiment due to manpower expansion,

Val, who was temporarily in charge of military merit statistics and logistics, and the raider Jar, who assisted her in her work,

"The Severed Limb" Colin (who has been removed from the Night's Watch) returned from Eastwatch.