Chapter 239: The Wildlings Cross the Wall
The procedure for the Wildlings to enter the Wall was as follows: The Night's Watch constructed a temporary wooden stockade at the ice-walled entrance of Castle Black and dug a surrounding deep ditch. The main body of the Wildling host remained in a great camp at the edge of the Haunted Forest beyond the isolation zone. When it was time to cross, three giants and one designated tribe would gather within the stockade, surrender all their weapons, and then—carrying all their worldly possessions—squeeze into the narrow, dark tunnel that pierced the Wall.
Waiting for them on the other side was Castle Black, held in a state of maximum alert.
During this month of confrontation with the Wildlings, Queenscrown—supplied with raw materials at full capacity—had produced several more jars of wildfire. Now, these highly destructive liquids had been mixed into large quantities of pitch and oil barrels and stacked atop the Wall. Should the Wildlings show any sign of intent to tear up the agreement, the Night's Watch sentinels above would not hesitate to ignite them and hurl the oil jars into the entrance, using explosions and fire to seal the tunnel. Simultaneously, the thousand-plus Night's Watchmen and Gift militia gathered within Castle Black could easily slaughter the few giants and large number of ordinary Wildlings who had already crossed.
If this first step went smoothly and the batch of Wildlings peaceably passed through the tunnel into Castle Black, they would be greeted by several registration desks placed at the exit. There, literate recorders would conduct a census of the new Gift-dwellers, documenting each person's tribe, name, age, gender, and distinguishing features, before issuing corresponding identification. Subsequently, dozens of Watchmen would weigh the grain brought by the Wildlings and count the livestock they led. After selecting the items listed on a mandatory requisition manifest to be stored in the granaries, they would provide the original owners with cash compensation based on type and quantity—and then escort them out of Castle Black.
Egger's original plan was to acquire all the Wildlings' edible supplies at a low price, but considering that some livestock still required people to tend them, he ultimately only purchased the horses, allowing the Wildlings to carry their remaining property to the settlement sites.
If even this step proceeded smoothly, this batch of Wildlings would truly be considered fully transformed into Gift-dwellers, becoming residents under the command of the Night's Watch. They would be led out of Castle Black to a row of stalls set up outside the newly built and reinforced high walls. Here, the Wildlings emerging from the gates could take the copper and silver coins they had just received and exchange them for various daily necessities—grain, warm clothing, tent cloth, and even simple hunting tools.
While selling necessities to the Wildlings, the stall-holders did not forget to tell the new Gift-dwellers: if they wanted to obtain more copper and silver, there were two paths—pawn any remaining items that were not food or weapons and had not been confiscated... or work for the Night's Watch.
If any observant Wildling paid slight attention, they would discover a hard truth: the price at which they sold their grain was only half the price of buying it back outside the gates. The Night's Watch was forcibly buying the Wildlings' grain at half-price and immediately turning around to sell it back in limited quantities at the normal price. This meant the Wildlings were paying the price of half their food and the acceptance of rule in exchange for the right to pass the Wall!
Egger clearly remembered a scene from his first class meeting in the first grade of primary school: after the homeroom teacher finished explaining school affairs, a middle-aged man walked in carrying a large box. He handed out a pack of crispy noodles and a small box of candy to every child in the classroom and told them: there is a small shop behind the teaching building; if you want snacks, you can go there to buy them.
Part of the inspiration for Egger's plan came from this. If the goal was simply to plunder half the food of the new Gift-dwellers to sustain themselves, the Night's Watch could have used a more direct and simple method. But to help former savages grasp the concept of money and learn how to use it, there was no better way than giving them a sum directly and then teaching them hand-on how to spend it.
These coins, made of copper or silver, could actually buy all sorts of things. Once the new Gift-dwellers discovered this, they would quickly be captivated by the immense charm of money and voluntarily become small components in the miniature realm of the Gift.
Only after the previous batch of Wildlings had completed all steps—census, surrendering grain, and purchasing necessities—and had been thoroughly turned into new Gift-dwellers and led by specialists to selected settlement points, would the next batch, having surrendered their weapons in the stockade outside the Wall, be allowed in upon a signal.
In this way, the Wildlings within Castle Black would always remain at an absolute military disadvantage, allowing the Night's Watch to sleep soundly.
Due to cultural differences and a crisis of trust, these steps did not proceed as smoothly as the description suggests. However, under the watchful eyes and guidance of the dense ranks of black-clad soldiers surrounding them, the first and second waves of Wildlings completed their transformation of identity—reluctantly, but in an orderly fashion.
Residents south of the Wall called these people Wildlings, while they called themselves Free Folk. Yet, as Egger looked down from the King's Tower... they appeared neither savage nor free—there was only fear, numbness, and a blank uncertainty about the future.
Bowen Marsh walked up behind Mormont and Egger, who were watching the Wildlings cross the Wall intently. His tone was heavy: "I never thought this day would come. We once risked our lives to stop the Wildlings from crossing the Wall... how many of these people have fought against our brothers? In the end, we are the ones proactively letting them in."
Othell Yarwyck also looked uneasy: "From this day forward, we will become a laughingstock in the eyes of countless Westerosi. People will mention the Night's Watch and turn away to spit."
"My lords, this is a manifestation of your wavering resolve," Egger labeled his colleagues without looking back. "For the Night's Watch, is it more important to guard the Wall against the Others, or is our image in the eyes of the people of the Seven Kingdoms more important? We are protecting the lives of the people at any cost—and that has nothing to do with how they view us for doing so. Once you understand this, such self-doubt will no longer arise!"
Jon Snow asked in a low, skeptical voice: "Will the Wildlings obediently follow orders and obey our laws?"
"A clever man doesn't waste time guessing if the Wildlings will be obedient; instead, he should think directly about how to ensure they follow our laws and put those thoughts into practice," Egger replied curtly. "Our laws already clearly define how to handle violators. Execute them with iron efficiency, and you will find that after crossing the initial difficult period, we will soon no longer need to worry about this problem."
"Egger, the Wildlings have been let through the Wall as you wished," the silent Mormont suddenly spoke. "But the food crisis has only been briefly alleviated. Your next plan to use them and the mountain clansmen to solve the Ironborn invasion should also be put on the agenda. You proposed the idea, so you lead the implementation; the Watch will cooperate fully. Do not mess this up."
"Leave it to me." Looking at the solemn Mormont, Egger nodded with total confidence, then quickly remembered something previously overlooked: "Lord Commander, there is one matter that seems meaningless but is crucial. I suggest—in the Gift, we prohibit the public use of terms with strong subjective bias like 'Wildlings' or 'Free Folk,' and instead refer to them as 'new Gift-dwellers.' Since we hope these visitors from beyond the Wall will build this land like true residents, obey our laws, and serve the Watch, we must treat them fairly."
Mormont frowned in confusion, not quite understanding the point of this, but after thinking it over and seeing no harm, he nodded: "Very well, add that to the Laws of the Gift... and while we're at it, add another—completely abolish the practice of kneeling before the wall. That way, if our 'new Gift-dwellers' still want to mock us as 'kneelers,' we'll have a solid and powerful weapon to strike back with."
Egger raised an eyebrow: "Excellent idea, my Lord!"
"Political correctness" was a term that usually carried a pejorative connotation, but only those in high positions could understand: sometimes, this thing truly has a reason for existing. Now, the Gift was about to have its own political correctness. It had to be said—though it had only just begun to take shape, it was looking more and more like a complete, miniature nation.
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz
On Patreon, you can explore Extra Chapters in advance!