Chương 625: Chapter 625: The North
The days in King's Landing passed swiftly, filled with matters of state and trivial affairs in between.
The Night's Watch, now formally integrated into the kingdom's army structure as the Fifth Legion, had finally reached the banks of the Neck after a long and arduous journey past the Twins, the domain of House Frey.
Currently, the kingdom's military focus was on key cities and strongholds, while ordinary castles and villages relied on the local nobles' private armies and villagers to protect their homes.
For instance, Oberyn's Second Legion was stationed near King's Landing, guarding the capital.
The Golden Company, now the Third Legion, had moved and established their strongholds and semi-permanent camps on the banks of the Neck post-war.
This was part of the future strategic direction of the realm. The White Walkers would return eventually, and when they did, the Night's Watch would be the first line of defense, followed by the Golden Company at the southern end of the Neck, and then King's Landing. If the capital fell, escape to the continent of Essos would be the next step.
Cities like Oldtown, Lannisport, and Gulltown, where the population was dense in Westeros, now relied on city garrisons for defense. They had become royal domains, much like Highgarden.
King Viserys planned to appoint governors in these important cities in the future. Competent individuals would rise, incompetent ones would fall, making these cities directly governed by the king, thus becoming engines of the national economy, unlike the missed development opportunities of the past.
Of course, King Viserys' plan was not merely about opening ports and prioritizing commerce. In the current scenario where internal productivity lagged and outside traders were affluent, opening ports could lead to a plundering of wealth. Steps needed to be taken cautiously, one at a time.
After crossing the Neck, the Night's Watch began establishing their foothold steadily. Meanwhile, another faction of the kingdom's navy, led by Count Jeffrey Bracken, landed in White Harbor, clearing the remaining wights.
White Harbor had once been ravaged by the Dothraki, and now, the kingdom's navy had little trouble stabilizing the region after their successful landing, clearing away the lingering wights with relative ease. However, the cold winds north of the Neck remained a significant hindrance.
The cold did not retreat with the vanquishing of the army of the dead. As human armies crossed the Neck, the icy and desolate landscape continued to prevail.
"I see no way humans can survive in such conditions," remarked a knight clad in a black cloak from the Night's Watch, anxiously observing the snowflakes falling from the sky, before turning to Eddard Stark beside him.
Although members of the Night's Watch were supposed to abandon their family crests, being far from home required some form of psychological solace. This knight from the South had never witnessed such an icy spectacle, and to him, the white snowflakes appeared as white devils.
"In reality, it's always like this north of the Wall, even colder than here," Eddard Stark, cloaked in black with the crest of the direwolf on his chest, his face weathered, responded.
"If the wildlings can survive, so can we."
He looked up at the gradually darkening sky, then around at the smooth land, finding it a suitable place to camp.
Eddard knew their journey for the day was coming to an end. He dismounted, stepping onto the snow-covered ground, and exhaled a long breath of white mist.
As the nightfall gradually enveloped the area, the march of the Night's Watch came to a halt.
"Halt!"
"Halt!"
"Set up camp!"
A mounted messenger rode through the army ranks, loudly proclaiming Commander Mormont's orders.
Creaking sounds resonated as the army gradually halted, with supply carriages moving forward, bringing fur tents for warmth, fire oil for lighting, and food for the evening.
But fire oil alone was insufficient to combat the cold; they needed combustible material. Although the cold climate had eradicated a large number of naturally occurring species, there were still some cold-resistant plants and animals. Upon receiving the orders to set up camp, the soldiers began gathering firewood from around to burn for warmth.
"Let's go, Sir Clifton," Eddard Stark, now just a common soldier with no official position, unlike his brother Benjen, who held a higher rank, said. Naturally, he had to personally gather firewood.
Although that was the case, nobody dared to humiliate him. After all, there were only over a thousand true Night's Watch soldiers, with tens of thousands of northern soldiers only nominally part of the Night's Watch. They could return home once their service was done.
The Stark family was still the Stark family, the direwolf's dominion over the North was deeply rooted. His son, although no longer the Warden of the North but a governor in-waiting, was merely a hostage temporarily residing in King's Landing.
Now, the sword Eddard Stark bore was no longer the ancestral greatsword 'Ice'.
The Valyrian steel greatsword Ice was confiscated after the Battle of Riverrun and had since been collecting dust in the royal treasury, not returned to the Stark family, perhaps as punishment for the war.
Alongside it in the treasury was 'Heartsbane' of House Tarly. Randyll Tarly had disappeared during the Battle of Riverrun, with neither his body found nor any trace of him, only his sword 'Heartsbane' was recovered and placed in the treasury alongside Ice.
People preferred to believe that Westeros' finest general, the stern Lord of Horn Hill, was melted on the battlefield by dragon fire, rather than the possibility of him hiding in some corner of the world, plotting his return.
Crack—
Eddard Stark cleaved the last piece of firewood with his sword, exhaled a misty breath, bent down to gather them all, and threw them into the fire.
At that moment, Commander Jeor Mormont, the newly arrived Maester Pylos, shivering in the cold, and 'Handless' Colin approached.
"Lord Eddard Stark."
Hearing the voice, Eddard looked up to see the men coming towards him, then stood upright, bowing his head slightly to Jeor Mormont in respect.
"Commander."
"There's something we'd like to discuss with you, Lord Stark," Commander Mormont said, his serious demeanor making Eddard slightly tense.
"What is it?"
"Come, you'll see."
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