Chapter 282: Pressing the Advantage
"A silver tongue, Lord Chief Logistics Officer. Truly, you have made me re-examine myself today." Even when insulted to his face, Ser Denys Mallister did not lose his composure. His face did not flush, and his voice remained steady. "You believe that an unprecedented crisis demands reform, yet I feel that it is precisely because we face such a perilous situation that we must be even more cautious!"
He paused before continuing. "The 'mediocre' have not been better than others who sat in this seat before them, but they have not committed more mistakes, either. While we have not brought drastic change to the Wall, we have not failed in our duties. You, on the other hand, while contributing much to the Night's Watch, have also caused the death of a venerable Lord Commander. You have left our nineteen strongholds in a state where they are filled with former enemies and potentially facing attacks from the south for the first time. You are a radical; we are conservatives. To compare the strengths of radicalism with the weaknesses of conservatism is quite biased. Bluster and bravado might fool the ordinary brothers who hold no rank, but it will not frighten men of sense who have their own judgment."
The old man hadn't been dazed by the verbal assault; in fact, he showed a remarkable ability to weather the storm. This caused the effect of Egger's performance to diminish slightly.
Egger had gained the upper hand in momentum after his outburst for one simple reason: he had played his best card right at the start.
At the first drum, spirits rise; at the second, they flag; at the third, they are exhausted. Striking first to gain a massive advantage was brilliant, but the drawback was a lack of follow-through—he had no better cards left in his hand. To preserve his gains, the best move was to let the dialogue end abruptly after the big play. Every additional word of debate risked shrinking the fruits of his victory.
Egger searched for a way to exit the conversation while maintaining an air of dignity. "I do not deny it. Further words are useless. Let us respect the choice of the brothers; let the votes and actions speak for themselves."
"Useless indeed," Denys nodded. "But you seem to have forgotten that Lord Cotter Pyke and I hold over one-third of the entire Watch's votes. You have the right to run, and we—we have the right not to vote for you."
...
Of course Egger knew that. The move by the opposition today to consolidate their votes behind Yohn Royce had nearly resulted in a bitter rival becoming his direct superior. This turn of events—which could have turned most of his hard work since crossing into this world into ash—was the greatest shock he had encountered, second only to threats against his life. He had been extremely lucky to devise a counter-strategy thanks to the warnings from Jon and Grenn, and to arrive just in time thanks to Sam's stalling tactics and the newly renovated, wide-open Kingsroad.
He was already thanking the gods for stopping Royce from becoming commander today; he hadn't yet had time to worry about the rest.
Ginger is indeed spicier when aged. This eagle, with talons nearly worn smooth, could still remain rational and find a way to counter-attack under such criticism. Egger's hand was played out. If they spoke further, the onlookers would soon realize that the two commanders weren't as useless as he claimed. He had to stop now!
Just as Egger's mind raced to find an opportunity to end his speech and leave, a clear, sharp voice rang out unexpectedly: "How shameless! Just because my Master spoke a few words of truth, you refuse to vote for him!"
...
Hundreds of men in black turned their eyes in unison toward the source of the voice, wondering who dared be so arrogant. But the moment the voice sounded, Egger recognized the speaker and felt a surge of joy. This girl—I haven't spoiled her for nothing! She actually showed up at this critical moment to bail me out!
When he met Grenn on the Kingsroad, the northern patrol was less than three hours from Castle Black. Although he had left the main group with his bodyguards to arrive early, the main force wouldn't be far behind. Arya's appearance wasn't a total surprise, though he didn't know how long she had been standing in the crowd or how much she had heard.
More importantly, if she was here, where was Robb Stark?
"And who is this lady?" Having been at Castle Black for two months, Denys Mallister naturally knew everyone here. Looking at the girl's appearance and dress, she was clearly not a hostage sent by the surrendered wildlings. He frowned, suddenly sensing something was amiss.
Before anyone could answer, heavy footsteps echoed from the stairs again. Jon was the first to descend. "Arya, I told you not to run so fast! If you fall and scar your face, see if you can ever find a husband!"
Robb Stark followed closely behind with a dozen guards from Winterfell, filing into the hall.
It seemed nearly the entire Night's Watch was present, but the atmosphere was stiff—even volatile. It didn't look like they were here to welcome him. The young Warden of the North scanned the room and turned a puzzled gaze toward Egger. "What is going on here?"
"Robb!" Arya ran back to her brother's side and spoke first. "That old man... just because my Master called him mediocre, he threatened never to vote for him!"
"Enough. When the lords are talking, don't interrupt." No one knew his sister better than Robb; Arya's emotional outbursts were to be heard, never taken literally. He smiled and patted the girl's head, then looked at the high-ranking members of the Watch. "It seems an election for Lord Commander is underway. Might I have the honor of knowing the result?"
"Lord Stark," Maester Aemon nodded toward the sound of the voice. "I am happy to serve you, but as of now, there are still over two hundred votes uncast. Any votes not cast by dinner will be automatically considered abstentions. Only then will the election have a result."
Robb hadn't been present for Egger's denunciation. Though he felt the tension in the room, he didn't know exactly what had transpired. He nodded. "I see. Friends of the Watch, I speak now in my personal capacity—humanity faces an unprecedented threat. I hope you brothers in black can set aside your prejudices, reach a consensus, and elect a Lord Commander as soon as possible to coordinate the big picture and better fulfill your role in protecting the realm!"
...
As the Lord of the North, it was perfectly reasonable and normal for Robb to visit Castle Black and make a statement. But after hearing this, an idea flashed in Egger's mind. No, it's not over yet. I can take this opportunity to push through to the end and press the conservatives one step further!
"Lord Stark!" he called out loudly, staring directly at Ser Denys Mallister. "I also hope the Watch can elect a Lord Commander soon. Unfortunately, we have encountered some difficulties in reaching a consensus. I fear a Lord Commander will not be chosen for some time."
Robb had been speaking procedurally, not expecting a response. He asked instinctively, "Why is that?"
"It starts with the rules of the election," Egger replied. "According to the rules, brothers at strongholds other than Castle Black delegate their votes to their commander or a representative. This person votes for everyone who remained behind and cannot be present. A candidate must receive two-thirds of the total votes to win. There is nothing wrong with the rule itself, but the awkward situation we face is this—after years of decline and several abandonments, only three forts remain garrisoned purely by the Night's Watch. Among them, the number of brothers at the Shadow Tower and Eastwatch accounts for more than one-third of the total strength of the Order. The power of those four hundred-odd votes now rests in the hands of Ser Denys Mallister and Cotter Pyke. If these two commanders, for reasons of personal feeling, cannot manage their emotions and remain rational—insisting on refusing a consensus with other candidates—then, theoretically, they alone can prevent the Night's Watch from ever electing a Lord Commander! I hereby demand a revision of this system!"
"Oh?" Robb had never known these details and nodded with interest. "How do you think it should be changed?"
"By having you, my lord, send observers to ensure fairness while holding elections at all three major strongholds, allowing every brother of the Night's Watch to cast his own vote!"
Egger had barely visited the Shadow Tower or Eastwatch, let alone established any connections or influence there. In reality, he was the one preventing the Watch from electing a commander—but the purpose of this reversal and suggestion was simply to disrupt Ser Denys Mallister's rhythm of counter-attack and throw him into disarray.
Since he had already completely offended the two commanders, if he couldn't get the votes in their hands, he might as well flip the table. One man, one vote; no matter how it played out, it could only benefit him.
...
(He can play it like that?)
Egger's refusal to follow the standard playbook opened everyone's eyes once again. This time, even Ser Denys Mallister could no longer keep his cool. He stood up in a mix of shock and anger, ignoring his caution toward Robb Stark's unknown temperament, and retorted sharply: "Lord Stark, I mean no offense, but you have no right to make any changes to the rules of the Night's Watch! That is a power belonging solely to the Lord Commander!"
"Changing rules is the power of the Lord Commander, yet you cannot elect one. What is the meaning of this?" Robb's expression turned to one of displeasure. "I have no intention of changing the traditions of the Night's Watch, but the situation is special. Northern security is facing an unprecedented threat. As the Warden of the North, I must put my people first. I am sorry, but I truly cannot give a guarantee to 'prioritize respecting the rules of the Wall.' If necessary, I will intervene." He thought seriously about Egger's proposal. It felt slightly improper, yet he could find no flaw in the logic. Finally, he decided to reconsider. "Of course, I have only just arrived. It would be poor form to act as the master of the house immediately upon arrival and order the Watch to change its rules. I will wait and observe for a few days. I hope you lords can hurry and resolve your internal conflicts quickly, so that I may be spared the infamy of—interfering in the internal affairs of the Night's Watch."
Is it reasonable for a commander to represent the votes of all the soldiers in his fort?
From a modern perspective, clearly not. But in reality, things weren't that simple. Even if every brother voted individually to select a popular Lord Commander, when it came to the daily defense and operation of the Wall, the Lord Commander would still have to deal with the commanders of each fort. After all, most brothers still followed the orders of their local commander rather than receiving direct orders from the Lord Commander.
Information transmission simply hadn't reached that level of efficiency yet.
The Lord Commander's command over the Night's Watch was realized through the fort commanders. Control over the defense of the Wall was determined by "how many commanders were willing to sincerely obey orders." This meant that a Lord Commander supported by more individual brothers might not necessarily perform better than one who had the political skill to handle and win over the fort commanders.
Even today, with only three forts fully garrisoned by the Watch, the proxy voting system still held value. The core idea was simple—if a candidate couldn't even manage the commanders of the other two forts, how could he move the entire Watch as one if he became Lord Commander? How could he fulfill his duties?
If Eddard Stark or any older decision-maker were here, they would have rejected Egger's proposal without hesitation. But Robb was still green, unable to easily grasp the deep reasoning behind it. Not to mention... compared to the other men of the Watch who had spent two months failing to elect a leader, the young Lord of Winterfell, who was barely twenty and still a boy at heart, clearly felt more affinity for Egger—whom he knew well and who had spent those two months laboring for the North.
Robb's words brought Egger back to his senses. He realized he might have been too hasty; this proposal might have been more likely to gain support if raised privately. Raising it so publicly smacked of exploitation and risked pressuring Robb to take a side immediately. Fortunately, his relationship with the Starks had reached a point where the other would not view such a move as an offense.
"Lord Stark speaks truly. I suggest that for now, we let the brothers vote freely. Once the results are clear, we can make the next decision."
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