Chapter 169: The Winter Wolves, Wolf Castle, and the Wolf's Command

In the Great Hall of Winterfell, several tables were pushed together to form a temporary conference table.

Eddard sat upright on the ancient stone Direwolf Throne, with Northern lords, mountain clan leaders, forest clan leaders, Rockborn counts, and wildling chieftains seated around the table. Robb sat at Eddard's right hand.

Even the Crannogmen had come.

Two days ago, Howland Reed, Lord of Greywater Watch, had sent his son Jojen Reed and daughter Meera Reed to Winterfell to swear fealty and celebrate the grand feat of Duke Eddard's annexation of the lands Beyond the Wall and the expansion of the realm by ten thousand li.

Meera Reed, the same age as Jon Snow and Robb, was short and slender with emerald-green eyes and brown hair; she wore green hunting leathers covered by bronze armor and black wool breeches, held a frog spear and fishing net in her hands, had a bow and bronze dagger hanging at her waist, and wore a sunny smile on her face.

Jojen Reed was a thin, short youth with moss-colored eyes, dressed in a green wool coat and green wool trousers, appearing solemn and reserved.

Crannogmen rarely came to Winterfell for feasts because they preferred quiet, low-profile lives and were reluctant to interact with outsiders. Whenever Winterfell marched to war, it rarely conscripted Crannogmen, as they lived south of Moat Cailin—the throat of the North—and had to guard against threats from the south at all times.

Eddard was very happy to see Howland Reed's children, for Howland Reed was a friend with whom he had shared life and death; back at the Tower of Joy in Dorne, thirteen companions had followed Eddard south to save his sister Lyanna, and facing the three legendary Kingsguard—the "Sword of the Morning" Arthur Dayne, Oswell Whent, and the "White Bull" Gerold Hightower—all of Eddard's companions had died in battle, with only he and Howland Reed returning alive.

It was Howland Reed who had saved Eddard from the hands of the "Sword of the Morning" Arthur Dayne back then. In this world, only Howland Reed and Eddard knew the secret of Jon Snow's parentage.

Jon Snow was the son of Prince Rhaegar and Lyanna; in the eyes of King Robert in King's Landing, he belonged to the remnants of the Dragonlord, and once this secret leaked, it would be exploited by the enemies of the North, likely causing the North to suffer an attack of sword and fire.

For over a decade, Howland Reed had kept this secret tightly guarded, protecting the Neck for House Stark; he had always been a friend and loyal subject to Eddard.

Upon seeing Eddard, Jojen and Meera immediately knelt on the ground and swore fealty to Eddard on the Direwolf Throne.

"Wolf King, we swear to you in the name of the mountains and the earth, bronze and steel, ice and fire, that the Crannogmen shall forever be loyal to House Stark and Winterfell, and the Crannogmen shall follow the footsteps of the Wolf King until the end of time and the universe."

Eddard helped the two children up, "May your winter be short, and your summer long."

Howland Reed hoped his children could become wards of Winterfell, and Eddard, being so fond of Meera and Jojen, immediately announced that he would take them as his wards.

The Crannogmen living in the Neck were short in stature, making their living by fishing and catching frogs and loaches; life in the swamps was extremely arduous, and the Crannogmen were very poor, living in huts made of thatch and reeds on floating islands that could move within the swamp, which meant the Crannogmen's houses and castles could also move.

Many believed that the Crannogmen's eerie moving castles and houses were the work of magic.

The Neck was indeed a magical place, teeming with venomous snakes, lizards, and lizard-lions; the Crannogmen could breathe beneath the silt like earthworms or loaches. Since ancient times, invaders from the south who wanted to attack the North and Moat Cailin had to cross the Neck, where the Crannogmen would attack the enemy with poisoned arrows, making the invaders pay a heavy price for every step they took.

Countless invaders had died in the silt of the Neck and under the poisoned arrows of the Crannogmen, and for this reason, the nobles and commoners of the South usually contemptuously called the Crannogmen "mud-men," "frog-eaters," or "swamp devils."

According to ancient legends, the Andals arrived by sea from Essos carrying the faith of the Seven, and in the following centuries, they wiped out hundreds of First Men kingdoms, large and small, in the Vale, the Riverlands, the Reach, and the Stormlands; weirwoods were heavily felled, and only the First Men of the North remained a gathering place for followers of the Old Gods.

At that time, the Neck was a land of mountains and plains, with no swamps at all. To stop the Andals from expanding northward, the Green Seers gathered together and used magic to summon the sea; the mountains and rivers shattered, tens of thousands of Andal warriors were swallowed by the sea, and corpses sank into the silt everywhere, forming the Neck.

Long ago, the Crannogmen once had their own kings—the Swamp Kings. According to ancient books, the Swamp Kings were merely among the common people; they were simply blessed by the Old Gods, possessing the Green Sight to foresee the future, or even special abilities such as communicating with animals; they were also skinchangers who could control the lizard-lions and lizards in the swamps, and it was rumored that some powerful Swamp Kings had magical abilities like the Children of the Forest.

During the years of conquest by the King of Winter, House Stark, the last Swamp King was killed by "Laughing Wolf" Rickard Stark. Rickard took the daughter of the last Swamp King as his wife, and through marriage, incorporated the Neck into the territory of the North; the Crannogmen had since submitted to House Stark and remained steadfast allies of the Starks for the thousands of years that followed.

The Neck, together with Moat Cailin, formed the barrier of the North. The North's ability to form a vast territory and become the largest of the Seven Kingdoms could not be separated from the contributions of the Crannogmen.

At the Wolf family feast, the Northern lords sat opposite the chieftains from Beyond the Wall, clearly divided; now, at the lord's meeting convened by Eddard, the lords from all regions no longer distinguished between Beyond the Wall and south of the Wall, and everyone sat interspersed together.

Roose Bolton sat next to Daveth the Seal-skinner, the King-Beyond-the-Wall sat next to Weiman Mandele Bojue, Greatjon Umber sat next to Morna White Mask, Tormund Giantsbane sat next to Lady Barbrey of Barrowton, and the Rockborn Lord Billy Stane sat next to Sir Herman Tallhart and Harma the Dogshead.

Meera and Jojen were not lords, only the children of a lord; by rights, they were not qualified to attend the lord's meeting, but Eddard felt that Meera and Jojen were representatives of the Crannogmen, so he allowed them to attend, and they sat next to the Giant King Mag.

The short Crannogmen sitting with the giants was a scene that only existed in fairy tales.

This was Eddard's new North: Crannogmen, Rockborn, giants, wildlings, mountain clans—all sorts of ethnic groups united around the Wolf King and Winterfell.

Eddard cleared his throat, "The first order I announce is the establishment of the Winter Wolves."

"The Winter Wolves?" The nobles began to stir; Lord Haris Hornwood and Lord Galbart Glover exchanged suspicious glances, Roose Bolton and Greatjon Umber whispered to each other, Lord Weiman chuckled foolishly, Lord Rickard Karstark was extremely excited, and Tormund grinned.

Eddard continued: "The Winter Wolves will become the standing army of the North; in times of peace, they will farm on military colony manors, and in times of war, they will march."

Roose Bolton was somewhat uneasy, "Lord Eddard, do you mean to conscript the able-bodied from all regions to join the Winter Wolves? It is still summer, and the lords of all regions are still counting on harvesting more grain!"

Eddard smiled, "Rest assured, the Winter Wolves will not be recruited from the various lords' lands. The Winter Wolves include the garrisons of the Starks at Crown Town, the Dawn Watch at the mouth of the Barrowlands, Warhorse City at the mouth of the Rills, Stony City at the mouth of the Stony Shore, the Blacksmith City at Sea Dragon Point, the garrisons at Green Guard, Nightfort, and Westbridge on the Wall, as well as the troops of Winterfell and Winter Town."

"The number of soldiers stationed in Winterfell and the various Stark castles across the North adds up to over ten thousand; ten thousand standing troops will be my Winter Wolves, enough to protect our new North, but this is still far from enough, and I will recruit the Winter Wolves from among the wildlings."

Tormund said in a rough voice: "The Wolf King brought us wildlings to the promised land of legends, letting the wildlings escape the pursuit of the Others and wights; we wildlings regard Lord Eddard as a god, Lord Eddard is the Father of Life, the King of the Wildlings and the King-Beyond-the-Wall, and all the wildlings are looking forward to joining the Winter Wolves!"

Fear appeared in the eyes of the Northern lords, and even the usually calm Roose Bolton, the cold and hard Lady Barbrey, and the clique-forming Lord Roderick Ryswell were no exception.

Every lord knew what ten thousand standing troops meant; furthermore, with the Winter Wolves stationed throughout the North, from now on, when the lords of the various regions faced orders from the Starks, they would only have submission; prevarication and double-dealing would only invite the wrath of the Winter Wolves.

Lord Galbart Glover of Deepwood Motte smiled nervously, "Lord Eddard, ten thousand standing troops—this will cost a vast amount of money!"

Eddard said: "The perfume, scented candles, dyed wool clothing, wooden toys, wood carvings, glass panes, vodka, and blueberry wine produced in the workshops of Winterfell are bestsellers in King's Landing, Gulltown, Pentos, and Braavos; what Winterfell spends are silver stags, and what it earns are gold dragons."

Lady Maege Mormont of Bear Island said: "I hear Lord Eddard owes the Iron Bank a lot of money."

Eddard smiled, "That bit of debt is nothing; a small amount of debt can stimulate the desire to earn money."

In fact, of the five hundred thousand gold dragons Eddard borrowed from the Iron Bank, more than half remained untouched; Eddard used this money to stockpile grain, forge armor and weapons, build the East Coast Fleet and the West Coast Fleet, build Wolf Castles in various places, build glass farms, expand manors, and expand the workshops of Winterfell.

Eddard's fleet was growing, the best-selling goods of Winterfell were increasing, and paying off the debt was only a matter of time.

Lord Galbart of Deepwood Motte said: "Lord Eddard, you have built castles at Salt Spear and the Stony Shore; why not build a Wolf Castle at Sea Dragon Point? Sea Dragon Point has nests of Ironborn pirates, and Robett and I often lead troops to clear them out, but these bastards are just like the poachers in the Wolfswood—they can never be caught; when you go to catch them, they hoist their sails and flee."

Lady Maege Mormont of Bear Island echoed: "Some of the pirates in the Bay of Ice also set out from the pirate nests at Sea Dragon Point; I request Lord Eddard to build a castle at Sea Dragon Point!"

Sea Dragon Point had historically been the territory of the Wolf-spirit King; the King of Winter, House Stark, defeated the Wolf-spirit King during the process of expansion and incorporated Sea Dragon Point into the territory of the North. The Sea Dragon Point peninsula was long and narrow, thrusting into the Sunset Sea; ships coming from the south had to bypass Sea Dragon Point if they wanted to go to Deepwood Motte and Bear Island.

Sea Dragon Point was surrounded by the sea on three sides and had many hills, caves, and swamps; such a geographical environment was destined to make this place a favorite for Ironborn pirates.

Ironborn pirates ravaged Bear Island and the Northern Mountains, and many southerners mistakenly thought these Ironborn pirates set out from the Iron Islands, but in fact, most of the Ironborn pirates were hiding at Sea Dragon Point.

Historically, House Stark had enfeoffed some nobles at Sea Dragon Point to defend against the Ironborn and protect the coast, but strangely, for thousands of years, the nobles enfeoffed there seemed to have suffered the curse of the Wolf-spirit King, either being killed by the Ironborn or dying out for various reasons.

In the last few hundred years, Sea Dragon Point had become a land without a master, and Winterfell had handed Sea Dragon Point to the Glover family of Deepwood Motte to manage on their behalf, but the Glover family appeared powerless in the face of the Ironborn pirates and found it difficult to exercise effective control over Sea Dragon Point.

If Eddard built a castle at Sea Dragon Point, it would well protect the territory of Deepwood Motte and Bear Island, and even the mountain clans along the coast; therefore, nobles like Deepwood Motte, Bear Island, and Uff of the mountain clans all looked at Eddard with expectant eyes.

Eddard said: "Winterfell will build a castle at Sea Dragon Point; the name of the castle will be Sea Dragon City. Bear Island, Deepwood Motte, and the mountain clans shall send craftsmen to Sea Dragon Point to assist in building the castle. After the castle is completed, I will dispatch five thousand Winter Wolves to garrison the castle."

The Glover brothers of Deepwood Motte, the mountain clan leaders, and Lady Maege of Bear Island all revealed smiles.

Robett Glover looked at the King-Beyond-the-Wall, Tormund, Harma the Dogshead, and others nearby, and suddenly felt something was wrong; he said: "Lord Eddard, will the garrison of the Sea Dragon Point castle be our own soldiers from Winterfell, or troops recruited in Winter Town?"

Eddard thought for a moment, "It will be a mixed army, with people from all over; there will be soldiers from all parts of the Winterfell territory, and there will also be people from the Frozen Shore, Rivermen, Hardfoot, and even Thenns."

Galbart Glover said in horror: "Lord Eddard, what if the wildlings run around everywhere? If they hide in the Wolfswood, they will become bandits wandering in the Wolfswood."

As soon as these words were spoken, many wildling chieftains were very dissatisfied; the King-Beyond-the-Wall cursed, Harma the Dogshead muttered, Daveth the Seal-skinner glared, and Tormund spat.

"The wildlings relied on the Wolf King and House Stark to reach the south; since they have joined the Winter Wolves, who would run away?"

Lady Barbrey said: "Lord Eddard, I mean no offense, but the Rills have Warhorse City, and the Barrowlands have the Dawn Watch—both are Wolf Castles; if there are wildling deserters in the future Winter Wolves who flee to Barrowton and the Rills, suppressing them would be a waste of people and money."

Eddard said coldly: "It is not just Wildlings who might become deserters; anyone can become a deserter. Therefore, the screening for the Winter Wolves is very strict. They must have family, and their family must live in Winter Town. If anyone becomes a deserter, it will implicate their family, who will be reduced to forced laborers."

Lady Barbrey, Galbart Glover, Lord Wyman, Roose Bolton, and others were immediately relieved. The nobles were merely worried that once the Wildlings arrived in the North and joined the Winter Wolves, their loyalty would be a problem. Eddard keeping the Wildlings' families in Winter Town was equivalent to holding hostages; the Wildlings' loyalty would undoubtedly be greatly enhanced.

In fact, every Wildling, when following Eddard across the Wall, had faced a Heart Tree and sworn loyalty to the Wolf King and House Stark. The Wildlings took oaths before the Heart Tree very seriously, but Eddard would not pin all his hopes on oaths.

Absorbing the Wildling elite into the Winter Wolves to become a standing army loyal to Eddard and Winterfell, and stationing them in Wolf Castles scattered across various regions, not only dispersed the Wildlings gathered in Winter Town but could also protect the frontier and intimidate the lords of various regions.

Eddard traced his finger across the map, passing White Harbor, and stopped at a place north of White Harbor, at the confluence of a tributary of the White Knife and the main river.

"I will invest in building a new castle here, named Spring City. Once Spring City is built, Stark will station troops here and settle tens of thousands of residents, including Wildlings and our local people of the North. After Spring City is completed, there will be barracks, stables, a forge, and a shipyard. Once White Harbor is attacked in the future, Spring City can immediately come to its aid. To build this castle, I need the assistance of White Harbor."

Lord Wyman smiled, "Lord Eddard, you truly have a unique vision. Spring City can protect the White Knife, protect the rear of White Harbor, and serve as a base to reinforce White Harbor. This castle will make White Harbor's trade more prosperous; I will certainly support it with all my strength."

Eddard said: "I will send six thousand Wildlings and two hundred giants to build Spring City. The materials for building the castle will be transported by ship from the upper reaches of the White Knife; White Harbor just needs to send craftsmen."

Lord Wyman said with envy, "It is good to have many people. Lord Eddard easily conscripted thousands of Wildlings and even giants. This is the kind of treatment only Brandon the Builder had. Even Harren the Black, when building Harrenhal at the Gods Eye, did not have giants under his command."

Eddard said gloomily: "Harren the Black was vain and ambitious. He built Harrenhal to satisfy his own selfish desires, draining the manpower of the Riverlands. Countless laborers died on the construction site, so when Aegon and his dragons arrived in the Riverlands, the lords of the Three Rivers defected one after another. Without the support of the people, even the most magnificent castle is useless."

"My Spring City is different. This castle is to settle the people of the North, defend against foreign enemies, strengthen the connections between various parts of the North, and make the North wealthy and strong."

Lord Wyman sighed in admiration, "Lord Eddard, every one of your policies considers the common people. This is why both the Wildlings and the people of the North love Stark!"

Greatjon Umber said with a flattering smile: "House Umber, House Karstark, and House Bolton all have a lot of timber. Selling it to the local people of the North is worth nothing at all. Lord Eddard, you have fleets in White Harbor and Eastwatch; could you send ships to help us sell the wood? I hear that in Braavos, wood is especially valuable."

Lord Rickard Karstark rubbed his hands, "The Last River is the second largest river in the North. Lord Eddard could have the fleet dock at the mouth of the Last River, and we will send people to transport the timber to the seaside."

Roose Bolton said softly: "Lord Eddard, if you help us sell the timber, House Umber, House Karstark, and House Bolton are all willing to share the profits with you."

At the mouth of the Last River, Eddard immediately smelled a business opportunity. He feigned a look of great difficulty.

"Timber can indeed be sold for a good price in Braavos, but the cost of shipbuilding and the cost of sailors are very high. The Narrow Sea is stormy, and there are pirates from time to time near the mouth of the Last River. Many captains do not want to go to the Last River."

"How about this: House Umber, Dreadfort, and Karhold pool money to build ships and first maintain order at the mouth of the Last River, and then I will send a fleet to help you sell the timber."

Greatjon Umber said excitedly: "Lord Eddard, if we have the money to build ships, we don't need your help to sell the timber. Lord Eddard, you have built castles at the mouth of the Salt Spear, the middle reaches of the White Knife, Sea Dragon Point, and Sea Monster Point; why can't you build a castle at the mouth of the Last River?"

Eddard immediately said: "I will agree to your request and build a castle at the mouth of the Last River, named Red Wolf City. House Umber, House Bolton, and House Karstark must all send craftsmen to build the castle. In the future, the Winter Wolves will be stationed here."

Greatjon was overjoyed, and he said proudly: "Thank you, Lord Eddard!"

Roose Bolton looked at Greatjon with gloomy eyes, and Lord Rickard Karstark was stunned.

Greatjon was very generous in requesting Eddard to build a castle at the mouth of the Last River because the Umber lands were located in the upper reaches of the Last River, and they had no territory at the river mouth at all.

At the mouth of the Last River, the south bank was the territory of House Bolton, and the north bank was the territory of House Karstark. Once Stark built a castle here, the lands of Bolton and Karstark at the river mouth would automatically belong to Winterfell.

What pained Roose Bolton even more was that the mouth of the Last River was only a two-day ride from Dreadfort. Eddard building Red Wolf City here was equivalent to driving a nail into the heartland of House Bolton; every move of House Bolton would be exposed to the gaze of the Winter Wolves.

If Ramsay Snow and his Reek continued to play their game of hunting beauties in the Bolton territory, they might just invite the wrath of the Wolf King of Winterfell.

Roose Bolton wanted to protest, but facing the rising power of Eddard Stark, his words were stuck in his throat.

The examples of Lord Ryswell of the Rills and Lady Barbrey of Barrowton were right before their eyes. These two allies of Bolton had once been self-righteous, haggling with Eddard over the issue of the mouth of the Salt Spear. They had earned some Gold Dragons at the time, but after Eddard returned in triumph, fearing Eddard's reckoning, Lord Ryswell and Lady Barbrey could only tremble as they returned the gold coins, and the Rills compensated with hundreds of warhorses.

At the meeting of the Lords of the North, offending the Father of Life, the Slayer of the Beyond, and the Wolf King Eddard was not a good idea. Roose Bolton was a person very good at hiding his emotions; although he was extremely unwilling in his heart, he could only accept the fact that there would be a Wolf Castle near the mouth of the Last River.

At this time, Greatjon Umber wore a silly smile, "I believe the future Red Wolf City will surely be a great castle. Selling timber in the Last River basin will be worry-free."

Roose Bolton cursed Greatjon Umber in his heart. This brute looked simple-minded, but in reality, he was very cunning. He used the river-mouth lands of Bolton and Karstark to invite Eddard to build a castle, selling out all his neighbors without a sound.

Eddard announced the Winter Wolves and castle plans and immediately announced the next item.

"To build a powerful North, we must insist on the rule of law. From now on, anyone in the North who breaks the law will be reduced to a forced laborer, performing labor to atone for their crimes. My lords, after you return to your castles, empty your dungeons and send the prisoners to Winterfell in a unified manner; Winterfell will reform them."

In this way, Winterfell firmly grasped the judicial power of the North. Every prisoner had the opportunity to appeal before Eddard. At the same time, Winterfell would obtain a large number of forced laborers, which was the cheapest labor force.

Lord Wyman patted his big belly and smiled: "Lord Eddard, speaking of the rule of law, I hear that among the Wildlings, many practice polygamy. Isn't that uncivilized? In our Seven Kingdoms, we are all monogamous."

Eddard said: "Polygamy is a custom of the Wildlings; I cannot break them up. From now on, polygamy is allowed in the North, but a husband must not beat his wife. A husband who beats his wife will be reduced to a forced laborer."

Eddard looked at Barbrey and Maege with some anticipation; they seemed to have something to say.

In fact, many customs in the North were also barbaric, such as the mountain clans, and House Umber still retained the custom of the first night, where nobles had the right to take a bride's first time on her wedding night.

Roose Bolton's bastard, Ramsay Snow, was also a product of the first night. Years ago, Roose Bolton was hunting foxes and came to a mill in his territory. The miller had just married a beautiful wife but did not notify Roose to enjoy the bride's first night. Roose was very angry, so he hanged the miller and enjoyed the miller's wife under the miller's dangling legs, and later gave birth to Ramsay Snow.

House Manderly of White Harbor believed in the Seven and was relatively repulsed by polygamy, but most of the nobles and commoners in the North were believers in the Old Gods and were not as repulsed by polygamy or polyandry as the nobles and commoners of the South.

Lord Medger Cerwyn was a bit worried, "Lord Eddard, the Wildlings have a custom of snatching women. Many of the polygamous Wildlings snatched their wives. When these Wildlings hear that polygamy is allowed, won't they go around snatching women?"

Cerwyn was less than a day's ride from Winterfell. There was a joke that the stench of the Wildlings in Winter Town could be smelled in Cerwyn, so it was no wonder Lord Cerwyn was worried about the Wildlings snatching women.

Harma the Dogshead said angrily: "What women would Wildlings snatch? Wildlings are a part of the North; if we snatch, we will only go to the South to snatch."

Eddard said: "Whether it is Wildlings, slave traders, or human traffickers, I strictly forbid human trafficking and snatching women. If you snatch women or traffic humans, just wait to be a forced laborer for a lifetime! From now on, Wildlings are members of the North. I encourage intermarriage between the natives of the North and the Wildlings."

"Abandoning infants and children is also a crime and will be severely punished. My lords, after you return to your respective territories, tell my people that if they cannot afford to raise their children, they can send them to Winterfell. Winterfell will establish an orphanage to raise every child."

The lords of the North praised this as a benevolent act.

Eddard said: "Children are hope. I plan to build a Wolf Academy in Winter Town, modeled after the Citadel, but we are more practical than the Citadel. We will offer courses in Magic, medicine, agriculture, craftsmanship, and more. The academy welcomes the children of nobles, Wildlings, and commoners to enroll. We will teach them reading, writing, and knowledge to become the pillars of the North. Both boys and girls are accepted!"

Tormund, the King-Beyond-the-Wall, Harma the Dogshead, and others were very excited. Tormund said: "Wildlings have no writing; the only ones among the Wildlings who can read are people like Mance. My children can also learn to read? Ha! This is truly a gift from the Father of Life to us!"

Harma the Dogshead said: "My daughter is very smart; I can send her to study."

Greatjon frowned and said: "Women are only responsible for bleeding on the birthing bed and pleasing men on the bed. Letting them read and write? I'm afraid this is a waste. Even the Citadel does not accept female students."

Lady Maege, Lady Barbrey, and Harma the Dogshead glared at Greatjon.

Lady Barbrey sneered: "Greatjon, although I don't like Maesters—Maesters are all grey rats—reading and writing is a good thing after all. Women can learn to read and write just like men. Lord Eddard's Wolf Academy accepting female students is a benevolent act. A brute like you naturally wouldn't understand."

Lady Maege mocked: "Greatjon, your uncle 'Whore-bane' went to the Oldtown Citadel to study. Besides sleeping with men, what else did he learn? Women can become learned scholars just as women can go to the battlefield to kill enemies just like men."

Under the siege of a group of women, Greatjon had to apologize and beg for mercy.

After the meeting, the lords left one after another. Eddard called back Galbart Glover and Lady Maege Mormont.

"I want to build shipyards at Bear Island and Deepwood Motte. You must provide the site and timber. Shipbuilders and shipwrights will be dispatched by Winterfell. We want to build more longships to fish in the Bay of Ice and the Sunset Sea, and also to defend against maritime threats."

Galbart and Maege were both very happy with Eddard's plan and promised to cooperate fully. The two left the hall together.

Robb watched the whole meeting. Eddard wanted to train him as a successor, so he brought him to every meeting to listen, observe, and learn.

Robb said: "Father, if you want to build ships, you can directly order Deepwood Motte and Bear Island to build them. Why must Stark invest money?"

Eddard smiled, "Robb, the ships built by vassals belong to the vassals, but Stark's ships belong to Stark. If these vassals rely on Stark, they will be more loyal to Stark. House Stark must be far stronger than its vassals. Strengthening the trunk and weakening the branches is the best way."

"If one is like your grandfather Hoster Tully, holding Riverrun but lacking the strength to crush his vassals, he is the Warden of the Trident in name, but in reality, he finds it very difficult to keep the situation under control."

Robb suddenly understood.

Eddard and Robb walked out of the hall, and the Winterfell Captain of the Guard Jory Cassel walked in.

"Lord Eddard, we caught a poacher in the Wolfswood."

Eddard frowned, "A poacher? Isn't that a common occurrence? Just lock him in the dungeon."

Jory Cassel said: "If it were an ordinary petty thief, I wouldn't dare disturb Lord Eddard. It's just that this lad is a fat man, and he claims to be from Tarly House of the Reach, with the Tarly House huntsman emblem on his chest. Considering that Tarly House is a great house of the Reach, I brought the fat man here."

Robb was curious, "Why would a noble from the Reach come to the Wolfswood to poach?"

Jory Cassel said: "I questioned the fat man, and the fat man said his name is Samwell Tarly. His father, Randyll Tarly, originally sent him to the Wall to join the Night's Watch. Lord Randyll sent his own Knight and Hired Knight to escort him, but unexpectedly, when they reached the wilderness north of Barrowton, the Hired Knight suddenly attacked the Sworn Knight of Tarly House and stole their belongings. Sam was so scared that he rode his horse and fled into the Wolfswood."

Eddard said: "Take me to see Sam."

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(End of this chapter)