Chapter 293: The Contingency
"Yohn, do not be reckless!" The Chief Builder had always been a man of cautious words and prudent actions, but at this moment, he roared his first words of the day.
"You should figure out exactly who is being reckless!" Yohn Royce roared back, his voice booming. "The Kingslayer acted without authorization, defying the orders of his superiors. I am upholding the discipline of the Night's Watch! By indulging his insolence, you are pushing the entire Watch into the abyss of chaos!"
Not everyone shared the former Lord of Runestone's personal vendetta against Egger.
Most Conservatives withheld their support for other reasons: some opposed the risky idea of accepting wildlings, some disliked his style of operation, and some felt he had been in the Watch for too short a time—that he was too young and lacked the seniority to command respect. Many others simply supported different candidates due to various ties and found it difficult to switch allegiances now.
However, as the election progressed, the former wildlings had proven they could be law-abiding and orderly, and Egger's actions had gradually begun to win over many who previously neither understood nor supported him. More and more people were starting to believe the words he had spoken publicly upon his return from the south: in these extraordinary times, electing a Lord Commander who doesn't play by the rules but gets things done might just be a wise choice.
Stubborn opponents remained, but when faced with a choice between letting Jaime have his way once and igniting a bloody internal conflict within the Watch, any sane person concerned with the bigger picture would choose the former.
Now, Yohn Royce was seizing the moral high ground to escalate the conflict—forcing the officers of Castle Black into a position where they could no longer prioritize stability.
Jaime's Westermen group numbered over forty, and the Eastwatch faction had nearly as many. If these two groups fought without outside intervention, it would inevitably lead to double-digit casualties. As the largest third party, the Castle Black garrison would be forced to intervene on one side to minimize the damage caused by the chaos.
If a fight was unavoidable, which side would the Castle Black brothers take?
The answer was obvious: there was no evidence that anyone intended to harm the King-Beyond-the-Wall's family. In today's confrontation, Jaime's side—having acted without authorization—was technically in the wrong. Being forced to compromise and let them leave was one thing, but helping them attack the men blocking their path was something they could never justify to their brothers.
Bowen Marsh, his close ally Othell Yarwyck, and the perennially neutral Chief Ranger exchanged glances and gritted their teeth. It seemed they were about to be forced into a difficult decision.
The Westermen surrounding Jaime also sensed the shift in the atmosphere. They drew closer together, alertly standing shoulder-to-shoulder and back-to-back, facing the drawn swords of the Eastwatch men and the dozens of soldiers surrounding the Big Three of Castle Black.
The three senior officers whispered among themselves, deciding to make one last attempt to persuade Jaime to stand down. If that failed, they would use force to detain him. The string of this conflict, pulled tight by those with hidden agendas, had finally reached its breaking point.
But just as the terms were being finalized and the ultimatum was about to be delivered—when even the onlookers began to sense the impending disaster—a loud announcement from the gate guards unexpectedly interrupted the deterioration of the situation.
"Another shipment from the south! Pork and mutton! Anyone idle, come help unload!"
For ten months now, Queenscrown had served as the transit hub for supplies from the Seven Kingdoms to the Wall. Traffic between it and Castle Black was no longer news; the men of the Watch were used to it, and few took much notice of the shout. Attention remained fixed on the center of the courtyard—but soon, sharp-eyed observers noticed something. This time, the escort accompanying the wagons far exceeded the usual number for a standard delivery.
Nearly a hundred men guarded three wagons as they slowly passed through the gates of Castle Black. Aside from fewer than ten who looked like teamsters, the remaining seventy or eighty were all armed. The small squad at the core of the group was even encased in the gleaming, polished plate armor provided by Tywin Lannister, equipped with shields, steel swords, and daggers—armed to the teeth.
Yohn Royce's heart skipped a beat.
(What is this? Could it be... that fellow actually arranged for reinforcements as well?)
A sense of foreboding spread through him. As he stood in suspicion, the leader of the escort—a man in black, the Logistics Officer stationed at Queenscrown, Humphry Hill—stepped forward and addressed the crowd.
"By order of the Chief Logistics Officer, the processing of livestock across the Gift has been completed before the onset of winter. A portion of the meat is being distributed to the strongholds along the Wall. Lord Marsh, please sign for the delivery. Additionally, on my return journey, I am to take Mance Rayder and his family with me to relocate them to the safety of the walls of Queenscrown. It is a complicated matter with much to do; I ask that Castle Black cooperates actively!"
The so-called 'livestock processing before winter' was a northern custom in the world of Ice and Fire. Since no one knew how long winter would last, no one could guarantee that stored hay and grain could keep the animals alive until spring. Therefore, except for a tiny number kept for breeding, the rest were slaughtered shortly after the formal arrival of winter to be made into preserved meat. The reason fit the season perfectly and was quite persuasive. However, looking at this formidable force of nearly a hundred men—composed of the Night's Watch Industry Guard and mountain clan warriors—Bowen Marsh let out a long sigh.
After Commander Mormont's death, as the Lord Steward in charge of the granaries, he had planned to bankrupt the settlement plan by cutting off supplies to the wildlings. However, Egger had stored vast amounts of grain and supplies in Queenscrown, choosing to counter him by independently supporting the New Gift dwellers. The two major supply hubs of the Watch had been at odds, operating independently for three or four months without any exchange of goods. Since the number of settlers far exceeded the mountain clans, Queenscrown was at a total disadvantage in this war of attrition, and it was only through Egger's constant traveling and maneuvering that the food supply hadn't collapsed.
Under such circumstances, why today—of all days—would Queenscrown return good for evil and proactively share valuable, highly sought-after resources like meat?
Not to mention, it wasn't even noon yet, but this party from Queenscrown had already arrived. Even taking into account that the Kingsroad in the Gift is no longer what it used to be after renovations, they would have had to set out before dawn to arrive just now.
With so many factors converging, who would believe this was a mere coincidence?
Egger West had calculated everything. If he succeeded in being elected Lord Commander this time, it truly wouldn't be due to luck at all.
Realizing he wasn't the only one outmaneuvered, Yohn Royce's face turned pale in an instant. The next moment, he exploded in rage, venting his fury on the gate guards: "How do you watch the gates? People come to the door claiming to deliver goods, and you just let them in without suspicion?!"
"Lord Royce must be joking. Since you spend so much time at Eastwatch, you might not recognize me. I am Humphry Hill. I joined the Night's Watch six months ago and currently serve as the Logistics Officer at Queenscrown—a true sworn brother." The officer leading the escort introduced himself. "Furthermore, the Logistics Department has been delivering meat to Castle Black regularly for over a year. The brothers at the gate are well-acquainted with our employees. I am a legitimate man of the Watch, bringing a group of familiar faces to reward the brothers guarding the Wall. Why would they waste time interrogating us to verify our identities?"
He smiled at Yohn Royce, his gaze lingering briefly on the steel sword in the lord's hand. "Oh? Is Castle Black hosting a tourney? I've come at an awkward time then. Please, carry on. I know where the storehouses are. Once we've unloaded the goods and taken the people we're meant to take, we'll leave. No need to trouble yourselves."
His words were polite, but the escort maintained their formation as they closed in on the two confronting sides, faintly working with Jaime to sandwich the Eastwatch faction. Looking at this display from Queenscrown—evidently having emptied their coffers and sent every elite to provide support—who could fail to see they meant business?
Clearly, the head of the Logistics Department and the frontrunner for Lord Commander, Egger West, was getting impatient. He had decided to lay his cards on the table and settle everything in one stroke.
In Castle Black, after some men were diverted to Eastwatch, the remaining personnel consisted of: nearly a hundred rangers (forty of whom were Jaime's men), over two hundred stewards, and roughly the same number of builders... totaling about five hundred.
While the "old, weak, and sick" made up a large portion, they were still trained soldiers of the Watch. Such a group, if united, might handle over a hundred well-trained elites. But who were they facing now?
Westermen rangers who wore the black and had sworn the same vows; mountain clansmen who had come to save the Wall in its darkest hour; and the Night's Watch Industry Guard who had diligently provided logistics for over a year. If ordered to attack such a combination, how many would actually be willing to pick up a weapon and fight to the death?
Egger had won again, completely and utterly, leaving no chance for a reversal.
The Big Three of Castle Black needed only a silent exchange of glances to know what to do.
Bullying the weak while fearing the strong is often criticized, but its internal logic is simple: it is only condemned in highly civilized societies. In reality, bullying the strong while fearing the weak is like kicking a steel plate every day—it is a constant flirtation with death. If you win by luck, you're a hero; if you fail... Today, Egger had revealed his dagger, openly using every resource and trump card at his disposal to exert pressure. He dared to do this because he was certain that as long as he played the strong side, the officers of Castle Black wouldn't do anything rash. If it were just Jaime's forty men, they might have taken them down at a cost. But now, with nearly a hundred reinforcements, if an internal conflict broke out today, the resulting chaos would spiral out of control and utterly destroy the already weakened, gasping Night's Watch.
An enraged Lord Stark would not have the patience to understand the ins and outs or who was right and wrong. For the safety of the North, he would simply punish everyone equally and use drastic measures to completely take over the defense of the Wall, turning the honorable and ancient order of the Night's Watch into a footnote of history!
And when that happened, Egger—who was closest to the Starks, controlled the Watch's industries, and possessed his own power base in the Gift—might suffer the initial baptism of the Warden of the North's fury, but he would undoubtedly be the one who laughed last.
Furthermore, there was one lethal point: Egger was currently accompanying Robb Stark on his inspection of the Wall. If something happened, he would be the first one able to twist the truth before the Lord of the North and influence his judgment!
When Bowen Marsh first heard that Egger planned to temporarily leave the election to depart Castle Black, he thought it would be a good opportunity to strike back. Thinking about it now, that fellow had likely included today's events in his calculations long ago!
His mind raced. Despite his intense reluctance, Marsh had to admit deep down: with such foresight, calculation, and judgment, if Egger were willing to put his mind to the right path, he truly might be a more powerful Lord Commander than anyone else.
It seemed that today, no matter what, they had to let Jaime and Mance Rayder's family leave. Now, what the Watchmen lacked was simply a graceful way to back down. If they couldn't find one, using force to make the Eastwatch men move would look far too ugly.
But Jaime had clearly acted without authorization under Egger's instructions. How were they to find that graceful way out?
As the Big Three of Castle Black were nervously whispering their deliberations, the last person of weight and influence in the Night's Watch—one who had remained strictly neutral—finally made his late appearance at the scene of the conflict.
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