Ice and Fire: Conquering the World Starting from the Wall

Star Watch

"The dead do not worry about getting lost, for they are born in darkness and know neither toil nor hunger."

"What if there's more than one passage or cave through the Great Wall, and the ghouls have found it?"

Lynn's words made sense, and everyone's expressions became even more serious.

Seeing that no one objected, Lynn then ordered: "Mobilize the free men who have nothing to do for the time being to search for those caves in the mountains south of the Wall. Do not overlook any suspicious locations."

Mans nodded in agreement.

After Lynn's analysis, he also believed that such a possibility did exist.

They then discussed some details related to city construction, each one more troublesome than the last.

At the end of the meeting, when everyone was present, Lynn officially announced his family name and crest.

The matter of the family name and coat of arms was something Lynn spent quite some time deciding on after being reminded by Maester Eamon.

That day, Lynn took Maester Aemon to the temporary dragon's lair outside Castle Black, allowing him to get up close to the Bloodshed.

After touching the dragon, Maester Aemon's joy was palpable; he seemed more than willing to die at that moment.

On the way back, Aemon suddenly reminded Lynn that in Westeros, sigils and family names were very important to the rulers.

They are not only a concise summary of family values, but also a core symbol of maintaining family ties.

Some tribal languages ​​can even become declarations and slogans on the battlefield, serving to boost morale and intimidate the enemy.

House Baratheon's "Wildfire" and House Lannister's "Hear Me Roar" are typical battlefield declarations of their clan names.

"Lynn, the Watcher of the Stars, solemnly announced to those present: "It will be the motto of the Morning Star family from now on, representing that the Morning Star family is the eternal watcher of the known world, silently watching over everything in the world."

Before anyone could react, Lynn took out a flag from the shelf behind him and unfurled it to show them.

The banner was made of a piece of pure black cloth, likely from the wool felt the Night's Watch used to sew cloaks.

Embroidered in the center is a slender, red dragon with outstretched wings and head held high. The dragon occupies about one-fifth of the flag's area, and around it are scattered, shimmering stars.

The flag's craftsmanship is somewhat rough, and the embroidery is only passable, but this does not detract from the artistry and beauty of the design itself.

Lynn's declared clan name and coat of arms are undoubtedly very much in line with his surname and his identity as the "Child of the Stars".

Unfortunately, half of the people present were of savage origin, and they only felt that the slogan was very profound, like words that wizards would usually chant.

The designs on the flags are truly beautiful and would be perfect for painting on armor and shields.

Only those who grew up on or south of the Wall vaguely realized that, given time, this banner was destined to stir up a storm over Westeros.

And this tribal phrase will eventually resonate in the ears of everyone in the Seven Kingdoms.

The day after the meeting ended, a force of more than 5,000 Free People began to assemble in the abandoned Mole Village.

With time running out and the task heavy, all the free people who learned that a city was to be built in the canyon became nervous, with the army bearing the brunt.

They consisted of a 1,000-man Royal Guard, a 2,000-man Oath of God, a 300-man Cavalry (one hundred of the surrendered soldiers were taken by Jon Snow), and more than 2,000 auxiliary troops.

The auxiliary troops included Titans, Nightwalkers, and Hard-footed scouts.

A ghoul was locked in a box made of steel bars and hardwood planks, carried by Mag's mammoth.

At first, the giants were very reluctant, and the mammoths also cried out in refusal, until Lynn promised to make them steel suits as soon as possible, which finally put an end to the matter.

Lynn specifically consulted Donald Noy about equipping the giants with armor.

The Night's Watch craftsmen believed that dismantling existing armor for them as temporary clothing was neither cost-effective nor ergonomic.

After witnessing the ghouls firsthand, Donner was very interested in forging plate armor for the giants, but there was clearly not enough time to remelt the steel.

Therefore, Lynn planned to spend time tailoring armor for the giants after obtaining new iron and more skilled craftsmen. For the time being, they would use hard but relatively lightweight wooden armor and huge wooden shields as protection.

In fact, the ergonomic design of plate armor far exceeds many people's imagination. It is not a bulky "iron can", but an engineering masterpiece that pursues the balance between ultimate protection and flexibility.

In short, the core of plate armor's ergonomics lies in distributing weight evenly throughout the body and ensuring flexibility through clever joint design, allowing the wearer to maintain high combat endurance while obtaining top-level protection.

This is completely different from chainmail or lamellar armor, which place most of the weight on the shoulders.

If we disregard weight and simply focus on increasing thickness, even giants would not be able to fight for long while wearing heavy iron plates.

After Lynn resolved the issue of transporting the ghouls, the expeditionary force, led by the "Red Dragon Banner of Stars," began its grand march along King's Road toward Last Hearth.

The last time a large-scale army of wildlings set foot on the lands of the North was eighty or ninety years ago, during the time of Redbeard Raymond.

Raymond's fate was undoubtedly a crushing defeat, as was the fate of the King Beyond the Great Wall, who came before him.

So although Lynn and the other leaders appeared confident on the surface, they were still somewhat wary in their hearts. This mentality was reflected in reality, which made their marching very conservative.

Lynn arranged for the Royal Guard to lead the way, the Oath of God to be in the middle, and auxiliary soldiers to protect the baggage train and herds of cattle, sheep, reindeer, and other livestock, with the entire procession stretching for miles along the King's Road.

The three hundred cavalrymen were divided in two: half went forward to clear the way, while the rest stayed at the rear of the column to provide support.

The local scouts, working in two shifts, scattered to scout in all directions, some running dozens of miles away, never daring to relax their vigilance. (1 league = 3 miles ≈ 4.83 kilometers)

This caution is justified.

Even knowing that the northern border forces were insufficient at the moment, it was still an away game.

In addition, the numerous failed attempts to invade the south throughout history have undoubtedly created a psychological inertia among the wild people.

Another point is that Stannis, who escaped some time ago, has remained missing.

He did not, as Davos had predicted, crash into the Great Wall for the sake of so-called honor and responsibility.

Lynn didn't think Davos was lying to him, because those words only served to make Lynn more wary.

This leaves only one possibility: Stannis is secretly plotting something, so much so that he feels he still has a chance to turn the tables.

Lynn suspected that this plot was likely related to the dangerous Scarlet Witch.

So, with all the commanders proceeding cautiously, they set off from Mole Village in the morning and barely made it to Crown Town by nightfall.

At this pace, the team is estimated to need another ten days to reach the final city of Hearth.

(I've finished publishing all my drafts and will soon be going into a state of "no drafts" (meaning I'm not posting anything). Please forgive me if I miss a day.)

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