Chapter 288 The Last Hearth City
At his first sight of the Night's Watch messenger arriving from the Wall, Morse Umber concluded that he was a hateful deserter who deserved to be pecked to death by crows.
The black woolen sweater was in tatters, and the pitiful armor rings were still full of traces of swords. The black and thick woven wool cloak looked like it had been coupled with ghosts from the ghost forest, or maybe it was a lynx, who knows Well, the teeth are in good shape anyway.
"Traitor," Morse Umber looked at the Night Watchman coldly. The man from the Great Wall had faded hair on his temples and almost no hair on his forehead. The growth rings of time had carved traces on his face. "Tell me, you If you have any last words, I will cut off your head with my own hands in the castle square, and let everyone in the Last Hearth witness the price of betrayal! Tell me, why did the savage king Mance Rayder scare you to death!"
The night watchman raised his head timidly. The adult speaking in front of him was two heads taller than himself. A white, thick cloak hung behind him, a snow bear skin! He couldn't help but swallow his throat. This kind of beast was a terrifying existence even north of the Great Wall of Despair.
But a dirty white leather blindfold immediately calmed the night watchman's heart.
One eye, snow bear cloak, Amber's family crest.
Morse "Crowfood" Umber, the Night's Watch thought, was an Umber warrior equally famous north and south of the Wall.
"Lord Morse," the Night Watchman lowered his head and gave an awkward salute. He came from the south and knew some common language, but he knew nothing about the daily habits of the people in the North. He could only learn from the behavior of his brothers in the Night Watch. I could barely understand the accent of the northerners now, but the Amber family obviously had a different accent in the north, which seemed more primitive. "I'm here to ask for help. Castle Black is in danger." .”
"Castle Black's cry for help?"
"A request for help from, ahem, Lord Jon Snow, the acting Lord of Castle Black."
Morse Amber was silent for a long time, staring into the Night Watchman's eyes.
It wasn't until the Night's Watchman felt as if his whole body was being caressed, wrapped, or even strangled by countless small hands of White Walkers that Morse Umber spoke out to save him.
"Snow, Duke Eddard's illegitimate son," Morse hesitated for so long because he was remembering, "I remember he was not very old."
"Lord Snow is not that big. Lord Donal Noy pledged his life to him and handed over the defense of Castle Black to him."
Morse frowned, "Donal Noy? Is he dead? The one-armed warrior?"
The night watchman nodded, his fear of being recognized as a deserter and beheaded dissipated. "Mance Rayder and his wildling army attacked Castle Black, and Lord Donal Noy died in the tunnels of Castle Black."
"Great warrior, the old gods bless him." Morse knelt down and helped the night watchman up.
"There is a place for you by my fireplace, Brother Blackshirt," Morse met the grateful gaze of the night watchman. "Tell me what your Lord Snow wants from me. Go and tell me in the castle."
When they arrived at the Last Hearth City from the northern mountains near the newly granted land, the team was already exhausted, but the night watchman noticed that "Crow Food", who had been walking at the forefront of the team, still looked energetic.
Many civilians pushed carts and blocked the wooden fence in Last Hearth City. The number of guards in the Amber family was visibly reduced by more than half than before, and they were trying hard to maintain order.
"This year's harvest is too small!" These words kept popping up in the ranks of the peasants.
There is also something about the savages, "I will no longer go to Changhu to harvest wheat. More and more savages are crossing the Great Wall. I really don’t know what the brothers in black shirts are doing."
Hearing this, the Night Watchman shrank his neck, but Morse Umber seemed to turn a blind eye.
When the savages invaded the south, he still remembered that all Crow Food's sons were sacrificed, but the Night Watchmen were too slack at that time. They waited until they realized that the savages had crossed the Great Wall before organizing troops to support them. The battle was already over.
During the Battle of Long Lake, he remembered that the Amber family was the vanguard under Duke Stark at that time, and suffered the most heavy casualties.
By the time the night watchman enjoyed the meal, twilight had already set. Finally, a few candles were lit in the main hall of Hearth City. The candlelight flickered. Morse chewed a mouthful of fish head brought from Seal Bay and said "Qing" in his mouth. Crisp.
"Tell me your name, kid."
"Danna, just call me Danner, I am a steward of Castle Black."
"Lord Snow's plan." Morse Umber has always been straightforward.
Danner put down the dry bacon and wiped his mouth, "Lord Carter Pike of Eastwatch, prepare to lead a team to support Castle Black and attack from the side, but the exposure may be very large."
"Without organized support, the exposure is obvious." Danner did not shut up, but continued: "Lord Snow guessed the result, and Carter Pike was willing to cooperate as a feint attack team."
"How could an ironborn give up a warm castle?" Morse Amber mocked, showing his yellow teeth.
These words made Danner nervous, and he pursed his lips, feeling a little at a loss.
Morse Amber's eyes flashed with appreciation, "Feinting, it seems that Lord Snow is not like other bastards, at least he is not a self-destructive waste."
"He's not!" Dana suddenly shouted.
Mors narrowed his eyes and looked at him, "So, Lord Snow plans to use the Night's Watch brothers in Eastwatch to attract the attention of Mance Rayder, the traitor, and then invites me to be the main force to remove the head from Mance Rayder's neck." ?”
"No, you may have misunderstood." Officer Dana obviously felt that this was a death mission and quickly waved his hand to deny it.
"I can't accept the honor given by the old gods. I can only take Mance Rayder's head!"
Under Danner's surprised gaze, Morse said seriously.
"Brother." An inappropriate voice came from the side door of the main hall.
Danner couldn't help but turn his head and look over. Since he called "Crow Food" his brother, what about the man in front of him
"Hother," said Mors Umber, "I will lead my troops out of the city and go to the Wall to chop off Mance Rayder's head."
Hother shook his head, "There is a letter from Roose Bolton, asking us to go to the Dreadfort and swear allegiance to him."
Morse smiled disdainfully, "The Young Wolf Lord and the Great Jon are still in the south. Bolton wants me to kneel down, which is absolutely impossible."
Danner kept his mouth shut, knowing that these contents were not something that he, the Night Watch Officer, should be involved in.
"Let's see. It seems that the northern border has been basically stabilized. If you want to fight the savages, go and fight them. Leave me a hundred spearmen. If he wants to kneel, I will kneel to show him." Hose said.
Danner wanted to tell them that the savages were not harassing them in small groups at this time, but there were a hundred thousand people!
"I will take all the riders and archers away, and then I can become the regicide of the North and chop off the head of the King Beyond the Wall! In a more honorable way!"
"Sir," Danner still chose to remind aloud, "I'm afraid there are many savages"
"The Great Wall is so long, no matter how many people he has, they can't gather in one place. Besides, as long as Mance Rayder is killed, no matter how many savages there are, they will just have fish heads that snap in their mouths!" Morse suddenly shouted loudly. As he laughed, the snow bear cloak behind him trembled. It seemed that even if the beast died and met the gods, it would still be very afraid of the owner it was wearing.
"Maybe a hundred thousand"
"One hundred thousand? Two hundred thousand? Five hundred thousand? Only the White Walkers know how many uncivilized savages there are in the Haunted Forest!" Morse Amber was not afraid. He held the sword tightly, "Hother! I just I need you to gather 500 people for me! Regardless of whether you are young or old, there is not a single coward in the Northern Territory raised by Sue!”
Hose rolled his eyes and touched the chain full of wooden ornaments around his neck, just like a bachelor's chain. "I'm afraid they will all be old people. Children and women must be left behind to harvest, otherwise they will have to go to the next day." Winter City needs food.”
"Let that damn old Skinner give it! The Terror Castle doesn't have much damage, let them get out!" Morse couldn't sit still at all, got up and left the main hall.
Danner stood up carefully, bowed to Hose Amber, and left behind Morse Amber.
"Then I have to go there myself." Hose murmured to himself.
Morse "Crowfood" Umber's unresolved hatred of the wild people beyond the Wall since the Battle of Long Lake drove him to do this, and he led nearly five hundred veterans out of the Last Hearth Hall (this is also regarded as A wise choice to preserve the strength of the Umber family), but Hother Umber, who was sent to the Dreadfort to kneel down and serve Roose Bolton, did not have such luck. The Dreadfort intercepted all ravens heading to the Last Hearth. , so that the Amber family has no idea about the situation south of the Dreadfort.
At this time, the situation in the kingdom south of the Neck is gradually returning to stability based on the three alliances of the Eagle, Flower and Lion families (most academic circles believed this before the importance of the Ironborn was not mentioned by many people), but the huge northern border is plunged into a war. In a huge crisis.
——"The Millennium Grudge between the Direwolf and the Skinned Man"
(End of chapter)