Chapter 251: Leaving to Gather Strength
In the absence of a new Lord Commander and with the high leadership unable to reach a consensus, the Night's Watch was currently like a brainless giant beast. Each part operated under the command of its respective "secondary nerve center"... as for how large a portion of the body each senior officer could actually control, it was a matter of every man for himself, using whatever tricks they had up their sleeves.
It wasn't all bad news, however. Amidst a crowd of ill-intentioned visitors from the Shadow Tower and Eastwatch, Egger surprisingly discovered a group of supporters he hadn't previously contacted. After the mountain clans moved into the Gift, Mormont had reactivated seven abandoned but relatively intact forts. Following the Wildlings' passage through the Wall, he had reactivated another nine that were nearly in ruins. For the first seven forts occupied by the clansmen, Mormont had stationed five to ten Night's Watchmen in each to supervise and lead. For the latter nine, the plan had been to send black-clad brothers to oversee them once the new Gift-dwellers were settled. The candidates had already been chosen and were ready to depart, but everything had stalled because of Mormont's accident. These soldiers and mid-to-low-level officers, already stationed or about to be stationed in the newly opened forts, now became the firmest supporters of the Gift resettlement plan.
As for why this group suddenly backed Egger, it wasn't due to some high-minded enlightenment or grand vision... the reason was simple: self-interest.
The black brothers stationed or soon-to-be stationed at other forts were merely common soldiers or squad leaders at Castle Black. However, once dispatched to other forts, not only did their titles officially rise to "Fort Commander," but they were also freed from the constant surveillance of the many high-ranking leaders at Castle Black. Not only were their daily activities freer and more relaxed, but they could also manage and command hundreds or thousands of new Gift-dwellers... with even a little bit of cunning, skimming a bit of profit to improve their lives was no problem at all.
For these reasons, one could imagine how disappointed and dissatisfied they were when they heard that Egger was not participating in the election, and that regardless of who the next Lord Commander was, the Gift resettlement plan would be terminated.
Fortunately, the commander of the Nightfort sought Egger out before the election began, questioning why he wasn't running. After a brief conversation, Egger quickly realized he had a group of hidden allies. He rapidly stabilized their emotions and subtly revealed a portion of his plan, telling them that as long as they followed his arrangements, the resettlement plan would never stop.
Egger quickly contacted and won over the commanders or voting representatives of more than ten forts not garrisoned by the main Watch. Although these people only held a few dozen votes, in a situation where the total number of the Watch barely exceeded a thousand after repeated reinforcements, it was a force that could not be overlooked.
After gathering Commander Mormont's ashes, the election for his successor was quickly held in the common hall of Castle Black. Aside from the sentries on duty, most of the men in the fortress gathered there... but Egger did not attend. While avoiding his rivals was one factor, the primary reason was that he was busy planning the southward expansion of the Night's Watch's influence.
Without orders and cooperation from a Lord Commander, the Lord Logistics Officer clearly had no authority to command the Lord Steward. Bowen Marsh had already sealed the granaries of Castle Black, refusing to sell any supplies to the Wildlings who came to purchase them. Fortunately, because the cellars of Castle Black were not large enough, a portion of the supplies surrendered by the Wildlings when they passed the Wall had been transported to Queenscrown for storage. Combined with the supplies Egger had urgently purchased from the North before the Ironborn invasion, Queenscrown's stock was temporarily sufficient.
He sent out word: the new Gift-dwellers from beyond the Wall were to go to Queenscrown for supplies, while the original mountain clansmen were to go to Castle Black—at least Bowen Marsh had no excuse to let friends of many years go hungry.
The volume of supplies at Castle Black and Queenscrown was roughly equal, and Egger could move slightly more... but the former only had to supply a few thousand men, while the latter had to feed tens of thousands. If he didn't find a way to solve the urgent hunger, his plan to build a miniature society in the Gift would soon collapse under the pressure of food shortages.
Hundreds and thousands of clansmen and Wildlings had already gathered outside Queenscrown at Egger's summons. They had been staying outside the walls of the Logistics Department base for several days, drawing wages for nothing, simply waiting for their employer's command to depart for any location and perform any task. Things could not be delayed indefinitely. As long as he ensured that a new Lord Commander could not be elected at Castle Black in the short term, Egger thought... perhaps it was time for him to leave for another while.
The clamor from the direction of the hall could be heard even through closed doors. After enduring the afternoon, Sam brought the results of the day's election at dusk: four hundred and eight votes for Ser Denys Mallister, two hundred and fifty-seven for Cotter Pyke, one hundred and ninety for Othell Yarwyck, eighty-seven for Warner Buckwell, fifty-one for Jaime Lannister, sixteen for Dolorous Edd, and eight for Three-Toed Hobb.
Egger wasn't sure what the eight votes for the Castle Black cook were about; according to Sam, it might have been brothers who found Hobb's cooking so terrible they wanted to elect him out of the kitchen. The remaining votes for Warner Buckwell, Jaime Lannister, and Edd were all "smokescreens" cast intentionally at his behest. These one hundred and sixty-two votes could essentially be seen as the number he actually controlled.
True, if Egger had prepared properly and participated in the election personally, the number of votes he could have received—given his actions as Lord Logistics Officer—would have far exceeded those one hundred and sixty-two. However, as long as the commanders of Eastwatch and the Shadow Tower held the power to vote on behalf of the four hundred-plus brothers at those two forts, he could never successfully be elected Lord Commander.
Rather than staying at Castle Black and foolishly wasting time with a bunch of die-hards in a long and hopeless election, it was better to leave temporarily and do something meaningful. His departure would lower the guard of the conservative camp and greatly increase the success rate of the delay plan, while he could seize the opportunity to build up his strength. When he was certain of victory, he would return to the Wall in one fell swoop and catch his opponents off guard.
"Everything is going according to plan; excellent. Tomorrow, have Jaime and Edd withdraw from the election. He and his men should all cast their votes for Cotter Pyke. Warner Buckwell will continue to run; although I'm not participating for now, I must leave a banner for the supporters of the resettlement plan." Egger nodded, breathing a sigh of relief. "I'll leave it to you to ensure that a new Lord Commander cannot be born in the short term. As for me, I must leave Castle Black to handle other matters."
"Ah?" Sam looked panicked. "But... Jon isn't here either, and if you leave too... won't our side be..."
"Won't we be without someone to lead the charge? Right?" Egger smiled. "That kind of presence is indispensable when needed, but at this moment, it isn't strictly necessary... Trust yourself. With your mind, you will certainly be able to complete this task and hold the line until I return."
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