Chapter 158: Eddard's Countermeasure

On a cold dusk, Sir Jeremy Lake, covered in filth, led over four hundred cavalrymen—comprising Rangers and Winterfell scouts—back to the Fist of the First Men, only to run headlong into the Old Bear and Benjen.

"Lord Mormont, a brutal battle occurred in the upper reaches of the Milkwater. Mance Rayder sent out beasts from his skinchangers, along with Harma Dogshead and the King-Beyond-the-Wall. Fortunately, I commanded with composure, withstood the pressure, and led the Rangers and Winterfell scouts in a breakout."

Eddard walked over. Kane, a man-at-arms from Winterfell, had already told Eddard the details of the battle, so Eddard knew Sir Jeremy was lying: "Fellan has been captured."

Sir Jeremy spread his hands: "I am very sorry about Lord Fellan. As soon as he heard Mance had found the Horn of Winter, he went mad, babbling about how he had to seize the horn and become a hero of the North. Young people never listen to advice; Lord Fellan was greedy for glory and paid the price for it."

"I fear Fellan is already dead at the hands of the enemy by now. Falling into the hands of Rattleshirt and Harma Dogshead means exactly that. May the gods be merciful and let his soul find rest."

Kane looked at him with disdain: "Sir Jeremy, what about your soul? You lying fraud, it was clearly you who incited Fellan to seize the Horn of Winter. After he was captured, you abandoned those captured Ranger brothers and Winterfell cavalrymen, caring only for your own escape!"

Sir Jeremy's face turned as red as a carrot. He said indignantly: "Lord Eddard, what is the matter with this little soldier Kane? How can he bear false witness? I am a knight anointed with holy oil. Back then, at the Baelor's Sept in King's Landing, the High Septon personally anointed me, and I was bathed in seven-colored light. Furthermore, I am a brother of the Night's Watch, a Black Brother on the Wall; how can you allow this little soldier to slander me?"

Eddard sneered: "Sir Jeremy, rest assured, we will not wrong you. Among the scouts are Rangers of the Night's Watch and Winterfell cavalrymen; I will investigate this thoroughly."

The Old Bear spoke up: "Lord Eddard, setbacks on the battlefield are common. With a great enemy before us, and Mance having gathered so many skinchangers, so many beasts, and even giants, we should be united. As for the matter of Fellan being captured, as the commander, Fellan undoubtedly bears great responsibility; it is not appropriate to pursue this too harshly."

Benjen echoed: "Jeremy may have provided Fellan with poor advice, but it was Fellan himself who adopted it. If we punish Sir Jeremy for giving advice, what will the other Ranger guides of the Night's Watch think? I fear no Ranger brother would dare offer advice to a Northern commander again."

Jeremy deserved to die, and Fellan even more so. Eddard stared at Jeremy: "You had better pray for Fellan's safe return. Otherwise, even if I let you go, Lady Barbrey of Barrowton will not. Believe me, if Fellan is dead, even if Barbrey has to exhaust her family fortune to hire Faceless Men, she will kill you to avenge Fellan."

Barbrey was the Lady of Barrowton, and her maiden family was the Ryswell House of the Rills. She was a prominent noble in the North. It was clearly a common occurrence for Northern nobles to dispose of a member of the Night's Watch. Sir Jeremy clearly did not want to offend Barbrey, and he began to feel afraid.

"Fellan might not necessarily be dead. If we send troops to attack Mance's camp immediately, we might be able to rescue Fellan."

Some cavalrymen were injured; Robb and Jon immediately called for nurses to help the wounded dress their wounds.

Eddard tallied the list of the fallen. Baolaisen Stane, the heir to Driftwood Hall, brought back the head of Joseph Crowl. Baolaisen and Joseph were both Eddard's Rock-born foster sons, and the two were close.

Baolaisen said sadly: "Lord Eddard, a terrorbird knocked Joseph off his horse, and then Harma Dogshead cut off his head and stuck it on a spear. I snatched the head back, but I could not bring back the body."

Joseph was the eldest son of Donald Crowl, the Lord of Abyss Keep appointed by Eddard, and was also the heir to Abyss Keep. Eddard had always believed Joseph would become an excellent lord in the future. Because Abyss Keep had previously been attacked by the Rock King, Joseph's parents and siblings had all been killed by the Rock King; Joseph was, in effect, already the Lord of Abyss Keep.

It was just that he had not yet returned from the battlefield; until his death, he thought his family was living safely in Abyss Keep. Eddard did not know if this was a mercy or a cruelty.

Eddard placed a hand on Baolaisen's shoulder: "You did well. I will take Joseph's head back to Abyss Keep for burial."

Abyss Keep was the most magnificent castle on Skagos. The castle was built relying on the obsidian mines excavated by the Crowl clan over thousands of years. It was located on the southwest side of Skagos, guarding the mouth of the Abyss River, and was equivalent to a smaller version of Casterly Rock.

After the Rock King killed Donald's family, he had briefly occupied Abyss Keep. However, because the Northern Army had emptied the treasury and granaries of Abyss Keep when they returned in triumph last year, the castle was severely short of food. Therefore, when the coalition of Rock-born from the Ice Dragon Clan, Maple Leaf Clan, and Frost Clan, who were loyal to Winterfell, surrounded the castle, the Rock King had no choice but to abandon it and flee back into the deep mountains.

Today, Abyss Keep is temporarily controlled by the coalition of the various Rock-born tribes.

Joseph's death meant that the Crowl clan of Donald's line had no heirs. The only Crowls alive now were the Rock King and his sons. The Rock King thought he could lay his hands on Abyss Keep this way, but he was dreaming.

This time, Eddard decided to send his own Winterfell men-at-arms directly to take over Abyss Keep. House Stark would have one more magnificent castle.

Once House Stark took over Abyss Keep, Eddard would dispatch ravens and a Maester to the keep. In this way, the entire island of Skagos could communicate with Winterfell through Abyss Keep.

In the future, Eddard could enfeoff either Bran or Rickon as the Lord of Abyss Keep. The various Rock-born tribes would pay taxes directly to House Stark at Abyss Keep, and House Stark would be able to strengthen its rule over Skagos.

Skagos guards Seal Bay; it is the largest island in the North, with an area about five times that of Bear Island, and its eastern subsidiary islands are also twice the size of Bear Island. Skagos is strategically located; to the north, it can attack Beyond the Wall, and to the south, it can intimidate the Bolton House in the Weeping Water basin, strengthening House Stark's control over the North's east coast.

Because Eddard's children were still young, Abyss Keep could only temporarily appoint one of the Winterfell men-at-arms to serve as Acting Castellan. Eddard began to consider candidates for the Acting Castellan of Abyss Keep, and he thought of Kane.

Eddard patted Kane on the shoulder: "Kane, Abyss Keep currently has no Acting Castellan and has become a land without a master. You can read and write, and when Fellan was greedy for glory, you also gave the correct advice. You have proven your courage and wit. I have decided to appoint you as the Acting Castellan of Abyss Keep."

Kane was startled: "Lord Eddard, the Rock King just captured the castle. If I go to Abyss Keep to be the Acting Castellan, I fear I will not be up to the task. Who knows, the Rock-born might eat me!"

Eddard had thought Kane would be happy to receive this appointment. He encouraged him: "The Rock King is already a dog with a broken spine; he and his men are just a group of roving bandits. On Skagos, the vast majority of Rock-born tribes are loyal to Winterfell. Abyss Keep is easy to defend and hard to attack. I will assign you three hundred soldiers, and later I will supplement you with five hundred more from Queenscrown. I will also order the leaders of the Rock-born tribes to draft men for you."

"Your manpower will be very sufficient. Abyss Keep is easy to defend and hard to attack; you do not need to go into the mountains to suppress the Rock King, just hold the castle."

Kane accepted Eddard's mission. He selected three hundred Winterfell men-at-arms and left the Fist of the First Men overnight, heading toward Eastwatch, where they would take a ship to Skagos.

That night, Eddard and the Old Bear held a war council.

In the ring-fort command room, the candlelight flickered. At the table, Eddard sat with Greatjon Umber and Lord Rickard Karstark, with Robb sitting at Eddard's right hand. The Old Bear, Benjen, Jeremy Lake, and the Night's Watch officials in charge of logistics, such as Sir Mallador Locke, sat opposite the Northern nobles.

The Old Bear looked at the map with a grave expression.

"The Eastern Army was defeated by Daveth the Seal-skinner, Morona White Mask, and the wild boars of the skinchanger Borroq; Jory Cassel was captured. The Western Army was blocked by giants and cave dwellers at the Giant's Stair and could not move; Joss was captured. The central scout force commanded by Fellan was greedy for glory and fell into the hands of the King-Beyond-the-Wall and Harma Dogshead; it is estimated that they are in dire straits."

Sir Ottyn Wythers, timid and cautious, thin as a grey squirrel, spoke up: "Lord Eddard, if I may be so bold, our army has suffered setbacks on all fronts. Retreating to the Wall is the only reasonable choice."

Ottyn Wythers had always been the Old Bear's second-in-command; his opinions were usually seen as the Old Bear's opinions. Could it be that the Old Bear also wanted to retreat?

Eddard said calmly: "We have encountered some setbacks, but please note that when Mance sent a large number of skinchangers to launch a sneak attack, the Wildlings also suffered heavy casualties. Whether at the Giant's Stair on the western front, the Milkwater in the center, or the Haunted Forest in the eastern front, the Wildlings' casualties exceeded those of our army."

"We all know that the Wildlings have poor equipment and poor discipline. Now that Mance Rayder has played his trump cards—giants and skinchangers—it has caught our army off guard. However, I believe these minor setbacks cannot change the general trend of our army's victory."

Sir Ottyn Wythers widened his eyes: "Lord Eddard, you actually still crave victory? May I ask, how will our army deal with giants? With what will we deal with the Wildlings' snow bears, eagles, saber-toothed tigers, and terrorbirds? The advantage of the Northern Army and the Rangers is their cavalry, but the mounts are afraid of the beasts, which makes the cavalry unable to defeat the skinchangers. Continuing the march will only cause more brothers of the Night's Watch and Northern warriors to die in vain."

"I suggest retreating, retreating to the Wall. Relying on the seven-hundred-foot-tall Wall, we can march Beyond the Wall at any time."

The Old Bear cast a probing look at Eddard: "Lord Eddard, I feel that Sir Ottyn Wythers' suggestion is not without reason. Previously, we did not expect the Wildlings to have skinchangers and giants assisting them; we underestimated the Wildlings' strength. Retreating to the Wall may not be a worse choice."

"This time, the Night's Watch legion sent out quite a few Rangers. Heaven knows how many Rangers will be buried in the ice and snow Beyond the Wall. The Night's Watch legion is as ancient as the Wall, yet it is decaying day by day; we cannot afford too many casualties."

Eddard quickly understood the plight of the Night's Watch. The Night's Watch had fewer than a thousand men. After Eddard stationed troops at the Wall, many Northern nobles began exiling prisoners directly to Winterfell's fortresses on the Wall, rather than sending them to the Night's Watch as before.

Having lost such a large source of manpower in the North, it was even more difficult for the Night's Watch to replenish its ranks.

The North losing three hundred men was not the same concept as the Night's Watch losing three hundred men; three hundred men was nearly one-third of the Night's Watch's strength.

After a round of fighting, the Wildlings were clearly more difficult to deal with than expected. Skinchangers, giants, and ancient spirits appeared in clusters. The Night's Watch could suffer even more grievous losses. The Old Bear and Sir Ottyn Wythers foresaw the danger, which was why they strongly advocated for a retreat to the Wall.

Eddard could not help but miss Thoren Smallwood; this Ranger had been sent out on patrol. Thoren despised the Wildlings to the extreme. Eddard did not like him, but Thoren was a hawk within the Night's Watch; he had always advocated for taking the initiative to attack the Wildlings and opposed all conservative tactics.

Thoren Smallwood was the type of person who would rather fight to the last man than retreat. If Thoren had attended the meeting, he would likely have supported the army continuing to attack the Wildlings rather than retreating.

Eddard raised his voice: "Lord Mormont, Sir Ottyn, I fully understand your concerns. What I want to tell you is that if our army retreats, Mance Rayder will inevitably lead his army south to attack the Wall. Mance may have obtained the Horn of Winter. This god-forsaken horn can blow down the Wall."

Ottyn Wythers shuddered: "The matter of the Horn of Winter may not be true. The Wall has stood there for eight thousand years; can a single horn blow it down? It is likely Mance Rayder's conspiracy, intentionally letting out word to lure us into marching."

Sir Jeremy Lake nodded like a goose: "Yes, this horn really does look like bait released by Mance."

Greatjon Umber glared at Jeremy with disdain: "You and Fellan were likely the first to take the bait, weren't you?"

Ottyn Wythers said helplessly: "Marching will result in heavy casualties."

Lord Rickard pounded the table with his fist: "Of course people will die in war. The Night's Watch should make it clear: the Wildlings are attacking the Wall. Will the Southern nobles give a damn about the Night's Watch? We in the North can wait until the Wall falls before coming to help. Lord Eddard has brought his army Beyond the Wall to help the Night's Watch deal with the Wildlings, and you are clamoring to retreat? At the very least, we should destroy that damn Horn of Winter."

Sir Ottyn Wythers stroked the grey squirrel emblem on his chest: "If we retreat to the Wall, we still have a chance to destroy the Horn of Winter. We can send ravens to inform the lords across the Seven Kingdoms of the threat of the Horn of Winter, and the lords everywhere will surely join the war enthusiastically. I have a nephew who serves as the personal Captain of the Guard for Lady Margaery Tyrell in Highgarden; through him, we can contact the Lord of Highgarden."

Ottyn Wythers boasted to everyone he met that his nephew served as Lady Margaery's Captain of the Guard in Highgarden; the Northern nobles and the brothers of the Night's Watch were all used to it.

Greatjon said dismissively: "By the time the raven flies to Highgarden and flies back, the Horn of Winter will have long since blown down the Wall. Do you think Mance is a fool?"

Sir Mallador stroked his beard, "The Horn of Winter is a fake."

Eddard said sternly, "When we set out, the people of the Seven Kingdoms, including the Night's Watch guarding The Wall, all believed giants were extinct and skinchangers could not be real. And yet? The Night's Watch and the Northern Army suffered heavy losses at the hands of skinchangers and giants."

"The Horn of Winter could certainly be a fake, but if Mance Rayder possesses the true Horn of Winter, can you afford that price? History books record that the ancient King-Beyond-the-Wall, Joramun, blew the Horn of Winter and awakened the sleeping giants. Now that Mance Rayder claims to have found the Horn of Winter, and giants who haven't appeared for years have emerged, could all of this be a coincidence?"

The Old Bear, Othell Yarwyck, and Sir Mallador Locke exchanged looks of doubt and shock; almost every veteran of the Night's Watch had heard the story of Joramun blowing the Horn of Winter to awaken the sleeping giants.

Eddard stood up, his shadow looming over The Wall on the map.

"If you allow Mance Rayder to blow the horn, The Wall may collapse, and nineteen ancient, proud fortresses, along with the Night's Watch, will be wiped out. You would be the last of the Night's Watch, nailed to the pillar of shame in history."

"My lords, open your eyes! The Night's Watch is the sword in the darkness, the watchers on The Wall. The Wall is about to collapse, what are you still hesitating for?"

The Old Bear looked at Eddard with admiration, "Lord Eddard, you are right. With Maester Aemon not by my side, my old head failed to foresee the risk of the Horn of Winter, and I nearly made a grave mistake. Isn't the existence of the Night's Watch meant to guard The Wall and protect the realm?"

"I agree to continue the campaign against the Wildling army; first, we must seize the Horn of Winter. Lord Eddard, when shall we march toward the upper reaches of the Milkwater?"

Finally having persuaded the Old Bear, "We shall hold the Fist of the First Men."

The Old Bear, Benjen, Sir Othell Yarwyck, and Sir Mallador Locke exchanged looks of doubt. The Old Bear said, "Shouldn't we go to seize the Horn of Winter?"

Eddard explained, "If we go to the upper reaches of the Milkwater, the Wildlings might cut off our retreat. Heaven knows how many more giants, skinchangers, and perhaps even Others are in the North. If we hold the Fist of the First Men, Mance Rayder will have no choice but to head south and fight us if he wants to reach The Wall."

Benjen frowned, "But what if Mance Rayder stays in the upper reaches of the Milkwater?"

Eddard revealed a wolf-like smile, "I will turn every Wildling village within hundreds of leagues of the Fist of the First Men into scorched earth and capture every Wildling. Many of the Wildlings Mance Rayder has gathered live on this land. When the time comes, the Wildlings will complain that Mance Rayder brought war upon them but could not protect their homes and kin. Mance Rayder will have no choice but to head south with the Wildling army."

Moreover, Eddard believed that the Others would march south from the Land of Always Winter and attack the rear of the Wildling army. Even to escape the Others, the Wildling army would have to head south sooner or later.

The combined forces of the North and the Night's Watch were equipped with Obsidian weapons, while the Wildlings clearly lacked the weapons and knowledge to deal with the Others; they would be even more passive when facing the Others.

(End of chapter)