Chapter 299: Good News, Bad News (Part 2)
Egger had no personal experience traveling by ship between Westeros and Essos, but he had long heard of the treacherous weather and sea conditions of the Narrow Sea. Furthermore, from Braavos to the Gift, the fleet had to endure more than just a short hop across the Narrow Sea: even if they successfully traversed the storm-wracked northern Narrow Sea, the ships still had to navigate thousands of miles along the eastern coast of the North in the vast Shivering Sea before finally reaching the easternmost end of the Wall.
In this era, a voyage of dozens of days would exhaust the energy and patience of any captain or sailor. No ship would be willing to travel thousands of miles only to linger at sea upon arrival because the recipient could not control the port—especially since they had already collected their freight fees from the Iron Bank.
The Braavosi grain ships would surely arrive at Eastwatch-by-the-Sea in the coming days. Egger had to exert every effort not only to ensure the loan grain was successfully unloaded but also to ensure it wasn't seized by the Conservatives, but instead transported to Queenscrown to restock the granaries of the Settlement Plan. Perhaps not every Free Folk loved the King-Beyond-the-Wall, but everyone absolutely needed to eat. If the food supply failed, the trouble would be far greater than the assassination of Mance Rayder.
The fatal problem was that until he was officially elected Lord Commander, he was not the superior of the Commander of Eastwatch. For now, he could only request cooperation as the Chief Logistics Officer—an equal rank. This meant that if Cotter Pyke wanted to cause trouble, he could oppose Egger openly without even needing to invent an excuse!
Two paths lay before Egger: negotiate with his rival and pay a price to ensure he stayed out of the way... or find a way to neutralize him so he couldn't become a problem.
Reason told Egger he should at least try the first option, but intuition made him recall another, not-so-related incident.
Back in King's Landing, when he had similarly offended people out of necessity and found himself vulnerable—when the Night's Watch Industry clashed with the Commander of the City Watch—Tyrion Lannister had employed his aristocratic or political strategy. It was a textbook political struggle: steady, calculated, using the momentum of the situation to corner Janos Slynt inch by inch.
But what was the result?
Just as total victory seemed within reach, the opponent's desperate counterattack nearly succeeded in flipping the board. Egger had almost lost his life and only escaped the danger thanks to the help of masters and friends.
Worldly affairs are unpredictable. A conservative, safe, and rational approach is not necessarily the best choice at a critical moment where no errors are permitted.
If he chose to negotiate, half the outcome depended on the opponent's thoughts; but neutralizing the opponent meant his own will controlled the entire situation. Which was better or worse was hard to judge without context, but this time, a voice deep within helped Egger make the choice in an instant.
He chose to seize the initiative.
"Joey, go pour a drink for our brother from Queenscrown." Egger lowered the hands that had been propping up his head and leaned back into his chair, gesturing for the messenger not to be anxious. "Let me think for a moment before I give you an answer."
As an employee of the Night's Watch Industry, the messenger didn't dare rush his boss. The squire poured hot drinks for both of them. The messenger held the cup, sipping slowly and waiting in silence.
To strike first, the key lay in the word first. Having chosen this path, he had to be fast... Egger cleared his mind of irrelevant information and began to devote all his mental power to weaving a plan.
Minutes passed. In reality, about half an hour went by, but to the one waiting, it felt like a century. Egger finally broke his statue-like state and looked up to ask: "What exactly did the Iron Bank envoy say? Does Castle Black know that the grain ships are about to arrive?"
"The ones who came this time are the 'observers' mentioned in the contract you signed with the Iron Bank. Their task is to supervise the operations of the Night's Watch to ensure the loan is used to defend the Wall and protect the Seven Kingdoms, rather than being embezzled by the Watch leadership. There are eight envoys in total—groups of two will be stationed in the three major fortresses and Queenscrown. As for the grain transport... the Iron Bank outsourced that to a Braavosi fleet; they are not affiliated with the Iron Bank."
The answer didn't directly address the question, but Egger quickly extracted what he needed: "I see—may I understand it this way: the news about the grain ships was just a friendly tip from one of the two 'observers' sent to Queenscrown, not an official notification from the Iron Bank to the Night's Watch?"
"Exactly. The envoy also said the ship carrying them had little connection to the grain fleet. They didn't depart on the same day, nor from the same port... it was just a personal reminder for you to prepare in advance."
Excellent. If that was the case, Egger could optimistically assume that Cotter Pyke, currently at Castle Black, had not received the news before him. Given that Pyke had been dueling Jaime beneath Hardin's Tower this morning, packing and preparing would take half a day. With the current harsh weather along the Wall, it was unlikely he would choose to ride back to his base through the wind and snow at night.
Furthermore, any news sent via raven must pass through the Maester's eyes, and using his home-field advantage to move against Egger was, after all, a dishonorable thing. Even if Cotter learned of the grain ships' arrival and decided to cause trouble, he would likely choose to return and handle it personally rather than using Castle Black's ravens to notify his subordinates at Eastwatch to prepare.
He still had a chance to seize the initiative!
Thinking of this, Egger suddenly felt something was odd: why did it feel as if... the people from the Iron Bank were always helping him by some twist of fate? Was it because Jaqen H'ghar, having changed his identity, knew him and was acting out of loyalty, or was there some other reason?
"How much grain is in this shipment?"
"I'm not sure, but the Iron Bank envoy said it's worth about 10,000 gold dragons... With careful planning, it's enough to feed the entire Gift for two or three months."
The Iron Bank certainly did things on a grand scale, sending so much in the first shipment... The Gift itself had reserves of meat and vegetables; with hunting, foraging, and buying as much as possible from the North and the Riverlands, this first batch of loan grain could sustain the entire Gift for half a year!
With such a massive quantity, there could be no room for error. He would hesitate no longer.
Egger looked up at the Night's Watch Industry employee before him—someone he had personally brought from King's Landing, whose face was familiar but whose name he couldn't recall—and realized he was being slightly rude. "Very well, lad. What is your name?"
"Kent, my lord."
"Kent, ravens do not fly at night," Egger said with a grave expression. "The fact that Yam sent you here on a fast horse today shows he considers you a reliable man. Now, I am entrusting you with a daunting task, an opportunity to prove your capability. It requires you to ride through the entire night without rest. Are you ready?"
Speaking face-to-face with the big boss for the first time and being entrusted with a heavy responsibility, the young man's blood boiled instantly. He clenched his fists and stood up abruptly. "Ready to serve, my lord!"
"Sit down. I am going to issue several transfer orders and certifications. You must return to Queenscrown tonight at maximum speed, deliver them to Yam and Humphrey, and inform them of the specifics of my plan." Egger took out paper, pen, and his seal and ink. As he spoke, he began to write, finishing the first one with a flourish: "This one: tell Yam to mobilize every soldier currently available in Queenscrown, veterans and recruits alike—the more, the better. Depart under cover of night, head north along the Kingsroad, and arrive to surround Castle Black before dawn. Block the gates, watch the entire perimeter wall. Until I return from accompanying the Northern lords on their inspection, not a single mouse is allowed out of Castle Black!"
"Ah?" Kent jumped in fright. He had thought the daunting task was just delivering another urgent message. Who would have thought this was the setup for a mutiny? In his nervousness, he began to stutter: "But... my... my lord, what is this for? Are we going to war with the Night's Watch stationed there? Castle Black only has five hundred men, but they are all veterans. Queenscrown might not be a match for them."
"They don't need to be a match. This is not a combat mission; it's a blockade! The core objective is to ensure Cotter Pyke cannot return to Eastwatch!" No matter how formidable the soldiers, without a leader, they are a scattered mess—and besides, how could the soldiers at Eastwatch be called dragons? Egger shook his head. "There must be a reason for this. We shall claim it is the order of the Warden of the North, Robb Stark. Until Lord Stark returns to Castle Black to handle today's internal strife, no one is permitted to leave!"
"Did Duke Stark truly give this order?"
What a stupid question. Egger rolled his eyes but realized it wouldn't be wise to call him a fool at this juncture. "No, but I can say I believed he hinted at it. I 'misinterpreted' his thoughts, understood? It is critical that you do not actually start a fight. Without casualties, I can cover this up! Tell Yam that the Kingslayer can participate to provide muscle, but the command must be given to someone steady and cautious. No mistakes!"
Kent nodded tremblingly. "Understood. But what about the top of the Wall? If we blockade Castle Black, Lord Cotter could still return to Eastwatch via the ice path on top of the Wall."
True. It seemed the lad wasn't as slow as Egger had just thought.
"That won't be a problem. So, the second task is: send word to the two mountain clans stationed at Queensgate and Sable Hall. They are to similarly blockade the east-west passage on top of the Wall at Castle Black." Egger nodded in affirmation of the reminder and finished writing the second document. "Not only must we prevent Cotter Pyke from leaving Castle Black to return to Eastwatch, I want to ensure those inside Castle Black cannot send word out about what is happening."
"Understood." The panic gradually faded as Egger's decisive expression rubbed off on Kent. A sense of fervor filled his body again, and he nodded heavily. "But Castle Black has many ravens. If people can't get out, what if they send messages by wing?"
"Of the nineteen fortresses along the Wall, sixteen have their raven cages under my control. The only concern is Ser Mallister's Shadow Tower... but that old fox sees the situation more clearly than anyone else in the Watch." Egger narrowed his eyes. "I hope he proves to be a man who knows when to yield to the circumstances. But even if he doesn't, I'll have a story ready for Robb Stark. You needn't worry about that."
Egger decided that during the Flint clan's welcoming feast later, he would give Robb a "vaccination"—reveal a bit of news about the impending arrival of the Iron Bank grain ships while subtly expressing concern that "that small group of hot-headed individuals" might sabotage the supplies. He would tell Robb he intended to take preventive measures. This way, if the news leaked and Robb found out early, Egger would have an excuse prepared.
But that was a concern for later. For now, his hand didn't stop as he quickly signed the third transfer order.
"This is the plan for Eastwatch. After you return to Queenscrown, have Yam gather the warriors blockading Castle Black. Then have Humphrey arrange a transport team overnight. Organize another shipment of meat to depart for Eastwatch immediately under the guise of rewarding the garrison. When passing by Sable Hall and Woodswatch, gather as many clan warriors as possible from those forts. Eastwatch has two hundred men; we need a similar number of hands to ensure we control the port." Egger said: "If so many people go directly, it might trigger an alarm. Consider letting the transport team enter Eastwatch first, and then coordinate from the inside out to open the gates... regardless of the method, our people must get inside the walls of Eastwatch and control the port to ensure we hold the situation when the grain ships arrive."
The fact that every fortress along the Wall had walls meant Egger only needed to block the gates of Castle Black to easily prevent Cotter Pyke from leaving, but he faced the same predicament regarding entering Eastwatch... Now, he could only hope that the advantage of seizing the initiative was great enough.
"Alright, repeat what I need you to do."
"One: return to Queenscrown tonight, notifying the two clan-held forts adjacent to Castle Black to cut off the passage on top of the Wall. Two: upon arrival, notify Lord Yam to mobilize forces overnight to blockade Castle Black, ensuring Lord Cotter Pyke cannot return to Eastwatch. Three: have Lord Humphrey organize a transport team to Eastwatch, trick the fortress gates open, and control the port to ensure the grain is unloaded smoothly upon arrival."
"Complete. Remember, the mobilization of troops is a means of deterrence. I do not want any direct conflict or casualties. If it is truly unavoidable, the impact must be kept to an absolute minimum... To that end, tell Yam and Humphrey: in this operation, try not to use new Gift residents. Gather the participants from the Logistics Department, Night's Watch Industry employees, and the mountain clans."
"But... to ensure sufficient deterrence, we need to mobilize at least a thousand warriors. The mountain clans between Queenscrown and Castle Black can't provide that many, can they?"
"Then find clever and reliable new Gift residents and have them appropriately pose as mountain clansmen. They look similar enough anyway... but publicly, we must still announce everyone as mountain clan warriors to prevent anyone from saying... that I not only let wildlings in but helped them move against our own brothers!"
"Understood." Kent nodded with a grave face, but he still seemed a bit hesitant. "But my lord... it's just a batch of grain. Is it necessary to take such a big risk? You've already taken the lead in the election and are about to win. If you do this now, won't many of the Watch think you are acting recklessly... and thus cost you a large number of votes?"
Kent's concern was quite reasonable... but Egger knew that a commander cannot show hesitation in front of his subordinates.
"If I were feeding four hundred people, the Night's Watch Industry could occasionally ship some bulk grain from King's Landing. If I were feeding four thousand, as long as we maintained good relations with the North and the Riverlands, they could sustain such consumption. But I am now feeding forty thousand—do you understand what that means? The North and the Riverlands must keep grain for the winter, and the Reach, which has a surplus, won't help. If anything happens to the loan grain, no matter how great my skill, I cannot conjure food out of thin air. I would only be able to watch as this hard-won Wall-Gift society collapses into chaos and turns into a living hell! Yes, this is quite risky and detrimental to my election, but compared to the risk of tens of thousands of people starving and rebelling, killing each other, and the Gift being devastated, I am willing to bear the consequences. Now, carry out your orders. Do you understand?"
Though doubts remained, the instinct to obey orders—honed during his training in King's Landing and over a year of work—took over. Kent stood up, chest out. "Yes, sir! I am leaving immediately!"
"Don't rush. Even though time is short, we aren't pressed by a few minutes. Since you've decided to stay up all night, you shouldn't travel on an empty stomach." Egger also stood up. "I'll take you to see Chief Flint now and have him arrange a team of guards for you to prevent any accidents from ruining the plan... Then, have Joey take you to the kitchen. Eat whatever you want, fill your stomach, and then depart. As long as you're still breathing, deliver those orders!"
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