Chapter 237: The Grand Strategy and King's Blood
In the presence of Mance Rayder, an outsider, no one publicly questioned the Lord Commander's decision. Once the soldiers had escorted the King-Beyond-the-Wall out of the meeting room to the top of the Wall to be lowered back down by winch... Bowen Marsh immediately voiced his opposition. "Is it decided just like that? I don't know what Egger whispered in your ear, but giving an answer so hastily seems reckless! These are thirty thousand Wildlings. Even disarmed, they are a massive threat with just clubs and stones—not to mention there are giants among them!"
"Don't be anxious, Lord Bowen," Egger soothed with a smile. "You surely remember that what Mance and I agreed upon was for him to accept 'two conditions.'"
"Handing over weapons and obeying our laws—don't you think that's too simple, too casual?"
"Yes, two conditions seem like a small number... but the first is actually a feint; the second point is the key. Think about it—why did I emphasize that the Wildlings must obey 'the Laws of the Gift formulated by the Night's Watch,' rather than the existing laws of the Seven Kingdoms from Winterfell or King's Landing?"
Bowen froze. The hint was too obvious. He pondered for a moment and quickly caught the meaning. "Uh... you mean, these laws are about to be formulated by us?"
"Exactly. 'Obeying our laws' looks like one condition, but in reality, it is countless conditions—because we hold the power to formulate and interpret the Laws of the Gift! If necessary, I could even skip the 'hand over weapons' clause and only require Mance to agree to obey our laws, then write the surrender of weapons into those laws. The effect is exactly the same!"
"I see. If you didn't mention two conditions and only asked Mance to follow our laws, he might have become suspicious instead." Othell Yarwyck nodded. "A clever method. We can cram all other conditions into the Laws of the Gift and demand they follow them. But what use is the power to make laws alone? You can write a million laws, but how do you guarantee thirty thousand Wildlings will obey? We only have about three thousand men capable of taking up arms, yet we want ten times that number to behave!"
"My plan is simple yet extremely complex. In summary, it follows two tracks: teaching the Wildlings to use currency so they develop the concept of private property, and establishing an order based on the Laws of the Gift so they cultivate the habit of following rules." Egger spoke with total confidence. "Wildlings will be the most difficult and untamable residents in the world. They are a band of rogues... and to deal with rogues, you need something even more powerful to subdue them: money and violence."
"Full bellies, warm clothes, and a sense of security can eliminate their aggression. Using money can create a wealth gap among them; people without small, unified groups are easier for us to manage. And appropriate violence can make the Wildlings accustomed to order and keep them in awe of us... once this legal system is established, the group known as 'Wildlings' will disappear from the world, and in its place, a new population of Gift-dwellers will be born."
For two months, Egger's labor-for-pay and supply-trading system had been running well along the Gift and the Wall. The successful experiment with thousands of mountain clansmen had already proven the immense power of money. No one present doubted that, but they had questions about the enforcement. "Appropriate violence? How do we maintain a deterrent over tens of thousands of Wildlings with just a few thousand men?"
"Control. Confiscating weapons is only one part. After the Wildlings pass the Wall, I will also take all their grain, horses, livestock, and other vital resources through 'low-price acquisition.' At the same time, I'll give them money according to the value and teach them to 'buy what they need with copper and silver' instead of just taking whatever they see. Furthermore, we will settle them separately in the dilapidated forts along the Wall that weren't activated due to poor conditions, and in the many abandoned settlements in the Gift. By keeping the tribes divided and strictly limiting their movement, we ensure they cannot collude or plot against us." Egger continued, "Thirty thousand Wildlings are indeed hard to deal with, but once divided into individual tribes, we hold an absolute military advantage over any single one. Here, the walls we built recently will once again be of great use—the Night's Watch, the original Gift-dwellers, and the mountain clansmen are our reliable people, living within the fortifications and controlling the resources of the entire Gift. The Wildlings, now new residents, will be disarmed, stripped of survival resources... and settled separately. Facing the high walls of the forts and the food we guard, they will have no choice but to obey or run away hungry."
As the weather turned colder, Maester Aemon's health was failing more than before. He hadn't said a word during the earlier negotiations between the King-Beyond-the-Wall and the officers, but now he finally spoke tremulously. "You mentioned two choices. What if the Wildlings refuse our management and choose to flee south after we let them past the Wall? We of the Night's Watch bear the responsibility of guarding the Wall, yet we would be letting Wildlings through to threaten the North... that could put us in a very difficult position."
"The North is currently suffering from Ironborn harassment and is already highly alert. Even if the Wildlings go south, they won't be able to get supplies or cause too much damage. Conversely, we'll know exactly which tribe is where in our settlements. If anyone runs, we simply send rangers to hunt them down." Egger replied, "Of course, to prevent this, we can demand that the chief and important members of each tribe hand over their children as hostages... what do you all think?"
"Gentlemen, Egger is explaining a contingency plan for letting the Wildlings past the Wall. We don't need to deliberate on every specific detail today. There is plenty of time to draft the Laws of the Gift and include every point of concern anyone can think of." Mormont tapped the table. "But in truth, I haven't officially decided to let them through yet."
"What?" This time it was Jaremy Rykker's turn to be shocked. "But you already agreed..."
"I agreed. Going back on one's word is contemptible, but in the face of survival and duty, there must be a hierarchy of priorities." Mormont shook his head. "I've told Mance to bring his people to Castle Black. Once his people are concentrated outside the gate, I will send men out to inspect. If there is even a hint of falsehood in what Mance said—if their numbers exceed thirty thousand or if their reserves aren't enough to sustain us through these months—then we switch to the other plan: muster a powerful mobile force, strike out from the Wall, slaughter the Wildlings, and seize their food."
"That..." Even Bowen, the most opposed to accepting them, opened his mouth. "That would be no different from murdering tens of thousands of Wildlings beyond the Wall!"
"Our duty is to guard the Wall. I've said it before—there must be priorities." Mormont's hand on the table clenched into a fist, then relaxed. "So be it. Egger will lead the drafting of the future Laws of the Gift. Everyone here has the right to make suggestions, and the final draft will be submitted to me for review. Once passed, we show it to the Wildlings. If they haven't played any tricks and agree to obey, let them in."
After the meeting adjourned, Egger left the room in high spirits. If Mance truly reduced the Wildling numbers to thirty thousand, and with the Braavosi relief grain arriving steadily, the Night's Watch could survive!
The difference between the indoor and outdoor temperatures was like heaven and earth. The cold was sharp enough to seep into one's bones. In the courtyard, Egger saw the King's representative—Melisandre—engaged in cordial conversation with two Night's Watchmen.
It was somewhat amusing; this woman possessed extraordinary powers, but only Egger on the entire Wall was aware of it. In the eyes of the other Watchmen, she was merely a priestess of a strange religion sent by the King, a favorite of Stannis. Everyone treated her with politeness but stood firm in preventing her from entering critical areas or interfering in Watch affairs.
For a witch with supernatural abilities, that must feel quite stifling.
"Lady Melisandre, are you not cold?" Egger greeted her, his eyes inadvertently lingering on the mysterious contours of her chest for a moment. There were almost no women on the Wall; after the massacre at Mole's Town, even the prostitutes were gone... Egger had previously used busyness to forget his physical needs, but in this state, witnessing a beautiful woman like the Red Priestess easily shattered that resolve. "If you have need, I can fetch a coat or cloak from the warehouse for you... though we have none in red."
"Faith is enough to keep me warm." The Red Woman walked to his side, and a wave of heat, like that of a furnace, immediately hit him. She reached out to brush aside Egger's cloak, took his arm, and led him to the side. "I saw in the sacred fires that the Night's Watch would let the Wildlings past the Wall. Well? Have you finished your deliberations?"
If it were any other ordinary young man, they might have been flustered by Melisandre's overly intimate gesture, but Egger felt his hair stand on end.
Seen in the sacred fires? More likely she saw Mance Rayder earlier, asked a few Watchmen about his identity, and deduced it. Egger chuckled inwardly. "There is a preliminary intention, but the specifics are still under discussion."
"Very well. There is something I want to mention to you in advance."
"Please speak. If it is something I can help with, I will not refuse."
"Mance Rayder is a deserter of the Night's Watch. How do you plan to handle him?" The Red Woman walked with him, her arm in his, to a place where no one could overhear. "If he is to be executed, could it be done... by fire?"
"Why?" This was the strangest request Egger had heard. Had the plot changed so much that Melisandre's hobby of burning people remained the same?
"The sacred fires tell me that King's blood will wake the stone dragon. Mance Rayder is the King-Beyond-the-Wall; his blood might be of use."
The sight of Melisandre taking Egger's arm and whispering to him drew many curious glances. It seemed Castle Black would have new gossip... but with his current status, he wasn't afraid of groundless rumors. Regardless, the rumor of him having an affair with Melisandre was better than the rumor of him liking little boys.
"I have heard that prophecy as well, but do you not know it has already been fulfilled?"
"Already fulfilled?"
"Lady Melisandre, let me ask you: if I were to rebel right now, have my men control the Gift, occupy the forts along the Wall, rule over the mountain clans and Wildlings, and then crown myself King of the Gift—would my blood wake the stone dragon? If so, from which stone would a dragon jump out?"
"No. You would not be a recognized King, merely a foolish traitor of the Night's Watch."
"I agree. Then Mance Rayder's title of 'King-Beyond-the-Wall' is also self-proclaimed; he has not been recognized by any lord of the Seven Kingdoms. Why would his blood be useful? Is that logical?" Egger countered. "Also, before Aegon's Conquest, there were seven kings in Westeros, all recognizing each other's status. Does that mean the blood of all seven was King's blood? If so, didn't the unified Westeros suddenly lose six people with power in their blood? That would be... truly a shame."
Melisandre stared at Egger for a while with her deep, red eyes, then gave a light chuckle. "You are very silver-tongued, Lord Logistics Officer. To be honest, I am also merely speculating and exploring what the 'King's blood' in the prophecy truly is. There is no shame in admitting that... however, you haven't answered me—what did you mean when you said the prophecy had already been fulfilled?"
"Daenerys and her dragons," Egger replied. "Does 'stone dragon' not refer to petrified dragon eggs? Do you truly believe 'waking the stone dragon' means you burn some random person with the title of 'King' and then, from a stone somewhere, a dragon suddenly pops out for you to command? Do you have dragon eggs?"
"No. But the prophecy indeed says King's blood wakes the dragon. Daenerys indeed has dragons... but what of the King's blood?"
"The day she woke the dragons, she not only smothered her husband and lost the child in her womb, but she bled herself. Among those three, one must have fulfilled the prophecy of King's blood!"
"Is that so?" Melisandre naturally didn't know the specifics of how Daenerys hatched the three dragons. She raised an eyebrow. "How do you know so much about her affairs?"
Egger cursed internally. He had enjoyed showing off too much and forgotten: as a brother of the Night's Watch in Westeros, he shouldn't and wouldn't have so much knowledge about the Dragon Queen ten thousand miles away.
"I am not just a Night's Watchman, but also a merchant. I have my own intelligence network. Is it not normal to know things that cannot be seen in the sacred fires?"
Melisandre accepted this explanation, frowning as she carefully considered Egger's analysis. Egger watched her silently. In truth, there were things he hadn't said: as to which of the three—Daenerys's child, husband, or herself—fulfilled the King's blood, he had a conclusion, but the evidence relied on information impossible to obtain through normal means, so he couldn't speak it.
Those with actual power in their bloodlines included: Daenerys herself, her Khal husband, her child, Stannis, and King Robert's bastards. What linked these five? Only someone with a "God's-eye view" would know—after removing the Dothraki Khal, the remaining four all had Targaryen blood!
Daenerys is a Targaryen, obviously. So was her child. As for Stannis and Robert... they are Baratheons, true, but their common grandmother was named Rhaelle Targaryen!
Based on these factors, Egger made a bold judgment: in the world of Ice and Fire, those with power in their blood—the so-called "King's blood"—does not refer to the blood of anyone titled "King," but specifically to the blood of members of the Targaryen family! What woke Daenerys's three eggs was her own blood or the blood of the child in her womb! And between the two, the latter was more likely!
...
"You speak with some logic. However, I have prayed to the sacred fires to show me the face of the Promised Prince, yet I have never seen the face of Daenerys. Why is that?"
"You'll have to ask your R'hllor. How should I know?"
Egger's joke about the Red God drew another reproachful look from Melisandre. She glared at him before asking, "Aren't you curious as to whom I did see?"
"Could it be me?" Egger laughed.
Melisandre froze for a moment, her red lips curving into a faint smile. "Correct. Congratulations."
...
Egger and the Red Woman stared at each other. The man didn't know if the woman was joking, and the woman didn't know if the man knew she wasn't joking. The scene was momentarily awkward.
Egger coughed. He obviously wasn't the Prince That Was Promised, but she might have actually seen him in the fires—if she wasn't joking, she had surely seen Jon Snow and happened to see Egger in the background. Given that both Jon and himself were at Castle Black and were close, this was highly likely.
"Where were you born?"
"in a massive city you've never heard of." Egger shrugged, playing along with the joke. "Does that fulfill the part of the prophecy where Azor Ahai is reborn amidst 'smoke and salt'? If I truly am the Promised Prince, can I demand that you, as my assistant, warm my bed? You are so warm; the effect would surely be excellent."
"R'hllor has not told me if I have that obligation." Melisandre licked her lips, striking a seductive pose. "However, if you demand it, just say the word, and perhaps there will be a surprise tonight."
"Hahaha, never mind. Just a joke." Egger chuckled it off. "It's lunchtime. Shall we head to the dining hall together and see what's on the menu today?"
"I have other matters to attend to. The Lord Logistics Officer may go as he pleases." Melisandre narrowed her eyes noncommittally. "You have successfully convinced me not to target Mance. However... once the Wildlings come in, you will cooperate when I spread the faith of the True God among them, won't you?"
"Within the limits permitted by Night's Watch discipline, I would be happy to oblige."
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