The king on the Great Wall

Page 169

That's right, the person in front of her is exactly the hateful guy in her impression, but it is precisely because of this carelessness and unwillingness to bear and endure unnecessary risks and losses that this agreement seems to be very sincere... Similarly, isn't it true? This kind of unscrupulous and everything can be counted to death, so that I can intuitively affirm: Will he be the final winner?

However, from getting along and chatting with Arya, Asha actually got to know the other side of Aiger that is unknown to everyone.

When making a deal with him, it's best not to try to take advantage of insidious tricks—but as long as you perform the contract honestly, treat him with sincerity, and have no second thoughts, he will never let his friends suffer.The most important thing is: Only by standing on the side of the winner can you have the opportunity to calculate the gains and losses!

Taking a deep breath, Asha gritted her teeth and spit out a word from her mouth: "Deal!"

-

Chapter 472 The Calm Before The Storm

The rest of the catastrophe.

Along with the vigorous post-war reconstruction, intense and orderly preparations for war are also going on simultaneously.

Due to the newborn, the land grant has no culture of its own, and there is no commendable story except the history of the night watchman and the thrilling war that just ended-the lack of foundation usually leads to the lack of centripetal cohesion of a collective, fortunately , land grants have other advantages to make up for their shortcomings.

There are no intertwined and complicated interest groups here, and the frictions and contradictions between a few tribes disappear in the face of the big stick of law and the common threat... In the face of the natural enemy of all mankind, everyone is invincible. They are each other's brothers and comrades-in-arms.With a clear goal and direction, everyone's efforts will be directed in one direction, and the resistance is so small that it is not worth mentioning at all.And at this moment, all the power of this land is working hard in the same direction under the command of the commander-in-chief of the Night Watch Corps.

After a "long and meticulous search and investigation", the official spokesperson of the Legion finally announced "reluctantly": According to the analysis of clues collected and found by the Rangers, the remaining White Walkers who slipped through the net in the Battle of Long Lake have passed through the path and crossed the mountains. , From the hole in the Grand Canyon defense line that was torn apart during the attack, they fled back to the outside of the Great Wall.

In order to avenge the comrades who died in battle, to restore the vast and fertile land in Saibei to a livable area, and to ensure the survival and safety of future generations of all mankind, the High Command of the Night Watch issued an official document to transfer the original Rumors in the market have turned into a battle plan with a fixed schedule: the legion will organize elites next month, enter the northern part of the Great Wall to pursue the last remaining enemies until they are completely wiped out, and this magnificent war will be completely brought to an end!

The black-clothed soldiers who took the oath, the Red God believers who fought for the gods they believed in, the massive aborigines who wanted to return to the Great Wall to restore their "freedom", and the desire to make contributions but failed to cut down the land gifted by the ghosts Warriors... Thousands of hearts beat for this exciting epic expedition, their simple minds don't realize it: just put down the dragonglass weapon and pick up the ordinary sword, and replace the obsidian fragments in the bomb with iron Nails, all the preparations made by the land-grant residents for the extermination of the White Walkers, they can turn to the South Expedition with a single order; there is a roar in the direction of the test site, which is said to be the new weapon of the White Walkers, smashing the flesh and blood. The efficiency and speed of destroying masonry fortresses with a body is much higher than that of eliminating ghosts and dead people!

In an exciting and fiery atmosphere, the undercurrent has begun to surge quietly.

***

A few years ago, Iger dropped a few notes in King's Landing, and relied on the power of rumors to lure out the Valley Rebellion and force Littlefinger away... Not only did he overachieve his goal in an unexpected way, but the more amazing thing is that there is no first person in the world. Two people involved in this matter, there is almost no possibility of leaking the wind.

And now, he wants to start an unreasonable war. "Repaying the Queen for helping her" gives the Night Watchmen an excuse to give up their neutrality... But it is not enough to let the land-grant residents have no reason to object. While making preparations, Iger also needs something else so that the people under his rule can fully support the next southern expedition psychologically.

Dozens of small "Light Envoys" are already on their way to various parts of the Seven Kingdoms to serve as image ambassadors, but in addition to their positive publicity, Iger needs the sharp sword of rumors to cheer again.

No one can single-handedly spread the word forever, steer the wind and hope that no one will notice.Iger is in a high position now, and there are countless pairs of eyes on everything he does, and it is even more impossible to still do this kind of dirty work in person.So... He has long invested resources and energy in cultivating his own media communication and public opinion control department.The news of the "Expedition Beyond the Great Wall" was released before the official announcement of the Night Watch Command, which was the handiwork of the "Night Watch Propaganda Department" that did not exist in the official establishment.

In addition to testing public attitudes and building momentum to strategically fool the outside world, this move is also one of the many trial operations and actual combat exercises of the "Propaganda Department" that has been secretly established for a long time.

The exercise was as successful as ever, which once again proved the organizational perfection and work execution ability of the Propaganda Department itself.So, Iger began to boldly draw out this invisible new weapon, brandishing the invisible edge to stab the enemy.

Quietly, another new rumor, just like the news of the "expedition outside the Great Wall" spread like wildfire, spread among the residents of the land-grant who were preparing for the complete elimination of human natural enemies: The king sitting on the Iron Throne in the south, and a lot of nobles under him who have never even been to the north of the Neck, while enjoying the protection of land-grant soldiers and civilians, have yet to accept the behavior of the people outside the Great Wall to the Night Watchman. Approved.They are even secretly planning to order the mountain clans to move back to the mountains when the upcoming expedition to the outside of the wall is over, and at the same time force the Night Watchman Legion to drive all the wildlings they accepted back to the outside of the wall.

……

Stannis has always been a master who does not beep when he can do it. He will not and will not take the risk of offending the North to veto a matter that has been tacitly approved by Robb Stark, let alone he is currently strangled. Trying to figure out how to deal with the threat of the "Two Targaryens" to keep King's Landing and the throne, where would you have the time, thought and courage to manage the gifted land thousands of miles away?

There is no reliable source for this statement, and it is not logical in itself. Anyone with a little common sense and brains can see it as a rumor at a glance.But people's level of rationality is always inversely proportional to their anger value - when the land-grant residents who survived the war heard the news, the frying pan was already very valuable, how many people can calmly analyze it?

The land granters did not expect a group of nobles whom they had never met to appreciate or reward them at all, but they could not swallow the pain of being crossed over the river and demolished the bridge; Want to go back beyond the Great Wall—but it is one thing to choose to return home, but it is another thing to be driven back like a bereaved dog!

Soon, the anger centered on Houguan Town and swept in all directions like a tsunami.

The rumors have been spread, and what Iger will do next is to wait for its natural fermentation, and when it slowly expands to the point where it is about to lose control, stand up and poke it, and harvest all its destructive power into For my own use, it became reasonable, even natural, for the "expedition outside the Great Wall" to suddenly become "the seven countries in the south".

***

Macro momentum is essential, and fine micromanagement cannot be thrown away.

Asha Greyjoy was not the only person who came to the office to make deals with Iger. In the following days, Iger continued to actively or passively meet with the leaders of the land-grant forces.

Of course, the content of the conversation was not to tell them directly, "The expedition beyond the Great Wall is just a hoax. I am actually planning to go south. I hope that you will lead troops to follow up." Those who have the ability to influence or control the situation, in the coming storm... Even if they are not used by themselves, they will not become their enemies.

As Ser Denys Mallister, slain at the Shadow Tower, said, anything in the world can be traded - given the right time and the right price.

From this point of view, in fact, doing politics is often like doing business. The only difference is that merchants can only trade commodities and currencies, while politicians can use everything they can think of to reach cooperation or form alliances.

For those mountain clans who have been helping from the beginning, Iger chose to appease and reiterate that the original contract is still valid, and the land gift will always have their place; To protect and live outside the Great Wall, Iger promises to always recognize their status as land-grant residents and never deport them; for those who still want to be "free" and refuse to kneel down, Iger will be with them It was agreed to get together and leave: when it is confirmed that the north of the Great Wall is safe and sound in the future, they will be allowed to return beyond the Great Wall, and even a necessary "separation fee" will be attached to prevent them from starting all over again-if there is no righteousness in business, even if they cannot be regarded as a family , at least make sure they don't become enemies or be used by them.

Inside the Night Watch: For those conservatives and opponents who expressed concerns about the future, Iger vowed that even if he fought for the Queen, he would still put the duties of the Night Watch and the defense of the Great Wall first, and never disband the Blackshirts; for those who did not oppose Iger Iger promises that he will not force them to participate in the war, but they will not be forced to participate in the war. They only need to stay behind the land grant and the Great Wall; only those who have the will and ideas to get rid of their existing destiny There are also values ​​and abilities that can be used by oneself, so Iger will carefully get to the bottom of it, promise the rewards they want, and at the same time prepare them-both physically and psychologically.

Iger made arrangements to kick a lot of nobles off the Game of Thrones poker table in the plan to send the queen to the throne. In addition to satisfying Daenerys' noble desire to "break the wheel", there is another important reason: These nobles who are about to be unlucky, their wealth, real estate, and titles have been written by Iger into "cheques" that are either real or empty, together with everything in the land grant.And what the latter is doing is to spread out this pile of checks seemingly aimlessly, but in fact they are precise and clear, buying support followers, allies and strength for themselves... and the promise that the neutrals will not make trouble at critical moments.

……

Another day with a full schedule is over, and Iger is sitting behind his desk, drinking delicious hot soup while listening to his subordinates' reports.

"The rumor has been discussed everywhere in Houguan Town, and people even started to gather outside the gate of the inner castle to ask you to express your opinion on it. The guards persuaded them to disperse... But so far, the influence is still limited to the periphery of the town. I estimate that it will take another one to two weeks for it to spread throughout the land grant. The Propaganda Department can take action to speed up the process, but this will lead to exposure, and once it falls into the eyes of those who want to..."

"No, don't take any action and let it spread naturally." The so-called rumors open their mouths and refute the rumors. To some extent, rumors are similar to conspiracy and are not afraid of external forces.Iger is not afraid of some bullshit and caring people, but according to his original plan, two weeks is just right, "make a semi-official statement in your own name, lower the fire and control the intensity of this rumor, and ensure that Don't burn ourselves until the time is right."

"Understood." Without further explanation, Humphrey immediately caught up with the train of thought, "Also, Miss Asha has already drawn up a list, and she needs you to provide her with these materials and equipment, as well as a small amount of useful manpower."

Iger took the list and glanced at it. They were all common things. The land gift was not inexhaustible, but it was definitely not lacking.On the list, there were some Ironborn crew members who followed her and were captured together in the battle on the coast—obviously, these were Asha's confidantes, people she trusted completely.

"Give it to her. All the supplies are worth one thousand gold dragons. You can mark them with a unit price later." In fact, even taking into account the soaring prices due to the war, these things can be bought with one hundred gold dragons in larger cities. Qi, but Iger is not doing charity. "As for the manpower, one hundred gold dragons, as for those who 'escaped' or were 'released' by us, you should discuss with her and make a decision."

"Yeah. In addition, she also asked me: Is there any poison in Houguan Town, or someone who can use poison or prepare poison?"

"Using poison?" Iger raised the corner of her mouth—it seems that this woman is planning to assassinate and poison her uncle. "I don't know, have you asked the doctor?"

"I roughly asked around, and they all shook their heads. Only Bachelor Coburn said that he 'has a little understanding of medicine and stone medicine'. But he is busy with the project of gunpowder granulation, do you see?"

Humphrey didn't mention Iger, and almost forgot that although Cobain was named and brought land as a gift because of his ability in making nitrate, he was an all-round mad scientist in his bones.

"Let him provide advice and help to Miss Greyjoy as much as possible without delaying his business. Well, his advisors and staff officers are also discounted by a thousand gold dragons. If he finds out the poison in the end, it will be a gift."

"Heh, if Maester Qyburn knows that his labor is so valuable, he will be very happy." Humphrey made a harmless little joke, and then changed the subject, "One more thing, there is a small caravan at noon today Coming from the south, one of them went to the guards outside the inner castle at dark and asked to see you, claiming that he had an important message from Winterfell and had to tell you privately. I think he was sneaky and sneaky, and he didn't look like a good man. So let’s put it in custody first, you see... will you see it or drive it away?"

-

Chapter 473 The Whistleblower

Iger is completely unaware of the identity and purpose of the visitor, and he has neither the intention nor the interest to guess—but as a leader of a faction who is preparing to fight the country, whether it is by routine, following intuition, or purely out of caution, he cannot let go. With this kind of mysterious visitor who came from afar and was instructed by no one, he disappeared.

After several rounds of searches that turned people inside out, visitors who had been cleared of weapons were allowed into the Commander-in-Chief's office.The visitor was a tall and thin young man, about 20 years old by visual estimation. It is not known whether it was because of physical illness, cold weather, or being detained by Houguan Town guards for several hours, and his face looked a little pale.

The visitor was led by the soldiers to the commander-in-chief's office. When entering the room, he turned his head and thanked the guide. After the door was closed, he turned around and looked into the depths of the room. They heard each other's words clearly but were not too close to cause discomfort and vigilance. They stopped, folded their hands in front of them, bowed deeply, and spoke respectfully.

"Your Excellency the Commander-in-Chief, I greet you, Keli Snow. Thank you for saving us from the threats of the White Walkers and the dead. Your great contribution to the North and the Seven Kingdoms will be remembered in our hearts forever. memorable."

Although he is an illegitimate child based on his surname, his fluent speech, calm demeanor, and orderly behavior all show that he has received a good education.In such a world where a little bit of publicity can be taken by dignitaries and dignitaries as attendants and servants, it is impossible for such a person to come to visit on purpose just to express personal gratitude.

With an open heart, Iger nodded slightly: "Hello, Keli Snow, it is the duty of the Night Watchman Legion to defend against human natural enemies, so you don't need to be polite. But the war is not over yet, we still have a lot of unfinished business to be busy Your Excellency, please—speak directly.”

Glancing at him, he found that Humphrey was standing aside and had no intention of leaving. He understood that this person was probably the commander-in-chief's confidant. Ke Li wisely did not ask for a private conversation, but raised his head and bowed his head, revealing another layer of identity. : "Roose Bolton, Lord of the Dreadfort, sends his greetings to Your Excellency. He ordered me to send an important message. Regarding the issue of the northern land granting allegiance to the queen, the nobles have agreed on the position and position after discussion. countermeasures."

"Lord Bolton? May he live a long and healthy life." Iger smiled, not surprised at all, "What news, tell me."

In the next few minutes, the visiting young man succinctly recreated for the Lord Commander of the Night Watch the meeting of Lords of the North held not long ago.

In the ancient city of Winterfell, the northern nobles with a longer history gathered together under the order of the Stark family.They expressed uneasiness for the return of the mad king's daughter, expressed contempt and disdain for Iger's kneeling to Daenerys, and showed unanimous indignation and hostility because the night watchman occupied the Last Hearth City... After some discussion , the northerners finally decided on a general strategy: pretending to be peaceful, not openly fighting; contacting the opposition within the land-grant, and taking advantage of the window when Iger led troops north to the Great Wall to chase down the ghosts, to launch a rebellion, so that he could not return alive. Come to the Great Wall; at the same time, ask Stannis in the south for technical assistance, secretly produce and assemble the dragon hunting crossbow, and vow to seize the opportunity of the queen's three dragons being killed and two wounded, and wipe them out with their masters in the recovery area of ​​Drogon and Rhaego, forever. No future troubles!

……

"In order to paralyze your vigilance, Lord Commander, Robb Stark also deliberately let his illegitimate brother, the night watchman Jon Snow, also participate in the half-time meeting, and instructed the princes to perform a play in front of him, performing There was a strong internal disagreement and the majority tended not to be against you... and after the meeting, he lied to him, saying that the North had decided to remain neutral." The young man who recounted the general content of the entire meeting did not mean to stop, He continued with a serious face and a sense of justice: "The Commander-in-Chief and Queen Daenerys have made great sacrifices to protect the human kingdom. Lord Bolton does not want to see the hero being avenged by kindness and revenge and ends in misery, so he specially sent his subordinates to secretly Come to the north of the Northern Territory to warn you and the queen, and remind the two to prepare early so as not to fall into the trap of the Stark family."

Iger looked solemnly at Humphrey, who was listening, and turned his eyes back to the visitor. A trace of anger "caused by betrayal, deliberately suppressed but unable to hide" flashed vividly across his face, and he took a deep breath to pretend Suppressing the throbbing in my heart, I slowly opened my mouth: "Thank you for coming to tell the truth about this meeting, but please forgive me for being cautious... Do you have any tokens or evidence that can prove that you were sent by Lord Bolton? of?"

"Token?" After all, not everyone's name is Iger. Ke Li, who unilaterally performed the whole game perfectly, was a little timid as soon as he entered the interaction-he was briefly but obviously stunned, but fortunately he reacted quickly , "No, Mr. Bolton can't prove my identity to you with any tokens, but he specifically emphasized that I should bring this sentence to you. He said: 'I am looking forward to meeting with you, Lord Commander, in Westeros. Let's make something famous together'."

Humphrey on the side cast a slightly puzzled questioning look, no wonder he didn't understand: this is when Iger and Old Skinner gathered at Deepwood Motte to discuss strategies to deal with the Ironborn when most of the northern nobles gathered at night. The last words Bolton said to him in a seemingly ordinary conversation on the top of the outer wall.

Unless Roose Bolton was caught and tortured and confessed this conversation without any substantive content, otherwise, this sentence is indeed enough to prove the identity of the person who came.

Seeing Iger pondering for a few seconds and not answering, the young man quickly added a little anxiously: "Master Bolton also said that if you have any strategies and plans to deal with it, you just need to say it, and he will be happy to provide cooperation and internal support." , to ensure that the Night’s Watch Legion gets its due status and honor, and to make up for the rewards and rewards that land-grant soldiers and civilians should have received but will never be offered.”

Iger concealed the rapid calculations in his mind, looked at Keli Snow with calm eyes for a few seconds, and nodded with a friendly expression: "Understood, please go back and tell your master, I have received his reminder and warning, I will Immediately begin to deal with the Stark plot... but not yet on the surface. The Land Grant needs to continue to balance with the North, and use this short respite to prepare in the name of the Expedition Beyond the Wall. The war against the enemy within mankind. It is not suitable to start showing hostility in a big way, and there is no clear plan or plan... But I promise that if there is any need for cooperation or response, I will immediately send someone to contact Lord Bolton , and discuss with him a plan of joint action."

Send someone?The ready-made liaison is here, just let me bring the news back to the Dreadfort, who else do I need to send?

Curly Snow murmured in his heart, but he also knew that he was not qualified to ask the Lord Commander of the Night Watch and the Lord of the Land Grant to give a clear answer immediately, so he could only nod obediently in agreement, and added a sentence: "The 'business where I work The team' brought a few cages of ravens to the Dreadfort, and I will temporarily stay at the merchant station guest house in the outer city. If the commander-in-chief needs anything, just send someone to summon you."

After finishing speaking, seeing Iger looking at him but not expressing anything else, knowing that this meeting has come to an end, if he stays any longer, he will only be disgusted, so he took the initiative to leave: "Then, let's not disturb your work for now. Now, I will go back to the outer city first, and wait for your lord's orders."

***

Colin Snow waited for a long time, but the meeting lasted less than half an hour.When the visitor took his leave and left the room as politely as when entering the door, Humphrey looked at the closed door and sighed: "Sure enough, it is meaningless to have illusions. We still adopted the worst and most difficult plan that adults expected. Fortunately, there will be divisions among them, which is great news for us, how do you plan to use it?"

Iger relieved his feigned anger, and his expression relaxed: "Great news? Hehe, remember—the difference between 'someone told us something happened' and 'this thing actually happened' is subtle but profound. You must not ignore it preconceivedly. Otherwise, it will become a tool and weapon in the hands of others and be played by the nose."

Humphrey is just an illegitimate son born and raised in the world of ice and fire. After being caught by Robert and sent to the Great Wall, he served Iger wholeheartedly. He has never experienced intrigues in political struggles or the baptism of rumors in the Internet age, so He will still instinctively choose to believe after hearing what others say—but this does not affect his immediate reaction after being reminded by Iger: "Your Excellency is saying... the situation that person reported just now may not be true?! "

"Even if it's true, it's definitely a lot of exaggeration." Iger said with a sneer, but quickly put away his expression and shook his head, "But, the truth is not the key, the key is: even if it is true, you believe that Lu Si Bo Did Dun send someone to inform us out of a sense of justice?"

"Of course I don't believe it." Humphrey blurted out, "He sent the message to your lord in order to make you owe him favors. Once we get the help of the Bolton family to defeat the Stark family's plot, he will naturally be eligible Ask him to replace him and become the new Lord of the Northern Territory." After hesitating for a while, he finally decided to speak his mind: "But it's not too much...he took a huge risk to oppose his lord and the entire Northern Territory , if you can’t get the same or greater benefits in return, what are you trying to do?”

"It's not too much." Iger nodded in agreement, "But have you noticed that the young man just now performed very well at the beginning and the first half of the conversation with me, but there was some rhythm in the second half? Confusion and don't know what to say, even the key line that can prove his identity, I had to ask before I remembered to say it..."

Humphrey shrugged disapprovingly: "He's just a child. It's normal to be nervous when he sees a big man like you, Commander-in-Chief."

"For such an important matter, Bolton will send a child to deliver the letter?" Iger smiled and shook his head, "No, if the young man is only nervous or stuttering, it's normal, the key is-he's not panicked, just simply prepared Insufficient. You see, he simply told me the matter, and then he had nothing to say, seeing that we didn't have any ideas and ideas immediately, and he didn't stand stupidly in a daze, so he just said goodbye and left."

"What does this mean?"

"This shows that he is not ready to meet me. This meeting may be just a backup plan. It is a last resort. You can't understand this because you have never used the identity of a small person to fool a big person and induce They do what you think' experience, and I happen to have a lot of experience in this area. An emissary and lobbyist, came to see me, the land granter, trying to form a political alliance between Queenstown and the Dreadfort, How could it be possible that I didn’t think about the words and pain points in advance to make me make up my mind, and come up with an effective plan for my reference? How could I just say a few words and have nothing to say, and I had to resign decisively to cover up the embarrassment?”

A cold look flashed in Iger's eyes again: "I boldly speculate that Roose Bolton's original plan was to send him to Last Hearth City to tell the queen the news, so that the furious Daenerys could put pressure on me or simply ride The dragon went to burn Winterfell. It was only because I gave the death order to Buckwell that 'no outsider should touch the Queen' was blocked, so I took the alternative plan-continue to go north to Houcrown Town to meet me. But he His master did not tell him how to talk to me, and I would never agree to the proposal or the conditions I originally planned to offer to the queen... I didn't have clear instructions and I didn't dare to make my own decisions. Completely secret but can't come up with the ending of the next plan."

-

Chapter 474 The Whistleblower

"It's really insidious!" Humphrey suddenly realized, "The queen will definitely be furious when she gets the news. Even if the black dragon is injured and unable to ride to burn Winterfell, she will definitely order you to take immediate measures. At that time, we will not only have to disrupt the original plan , and will be thrust in by the Dreadfort, taking away a lot of credit!"

Although filled with righteous indignation, Humphrey has one advantage. He never loses his sobriety because of emotions. It’s all about fighting for greater interests for yourself, even if it’s hateful, you can’t judge that the news is fake, right?”

"That's right, Houguan Town's intelligence system has not yet extended beyond the land grant. The information I have now is not enough to judge whether this matter is true or false. Therefore, we might as well consider this matter in two situations." Ai Gemi He squinted his eyes, "In the first case, the news is basically true. Well, then I really can't accuse Bolton of leaking the news to me for ulterior motives, after all, who of you lives without any motives? But don't forget, All the secret preparations that Houguan Town made after the Battle of Long Lake were considered from the very beginning according to the worst situation! And our plan did not consider any unexpected support, and the final result of the deduction is still : As the only professional army in the world equipped with gunpowder weapons and supported by dragons, as long as we remain cautious, we can easily crush all resistance attempts in the northern border and open up the road to the south."

"Now there is Roose Bolton who is willing to be my ally. It seems to be a surprise that can be used, and it will indeed make it easier for us to subdue the northern border. But after that, he asked for something in return. The Tucker family became the new Lord of the North instead, and asked us to help him, how much resources and energy would it take to donate the land?" Iger said indifferently, "The Stark family is in the North and the Great Wall, no matter nobles or commoners. Central capital is very popular, while the Bolton family is just the opposite. If the latter wants to be in power, it is impossible not to eliminate the former, and even if it is eliminated, under the hostility of the entire northern border, the rule is still on thin ice, and the time of the royal government is needed Support and help."

"Doesn't this just allow the royal government to strengthen its control over the northern border?"

"Listen to me." Iger knocked on the table, "As long as the news is true, we should consider whether to cooperate with the Bolton family, nothing more than 'the help we can get from him' and 'making the North border easy. The importance of what the Lord needs to pay'. And if the news is not true, the nature of the matter will be extremely bad!"

"What is our purpose? To create a smooth north-south passage, so that the weapons and ammunition of the Houguan Town Base can be transported to the southern front line through a safe and stable land route. In case of temporary setbacks, there is also a way to retreat. The northern border and the seven The rest of the country is separated by the natural danger of the neck, no matter who it is, it will be self-reliant after a long time-so, in my blueprint for the queen, the north has been the same as the west, Dorne and the valley from the beginning. One of the Dominions: Rather than go to war and replace a new ruler with an unknown role, it is better to stay in the hands of the old and easy-to-control Stark family. As long as Robb bows his head and agrees to my conditions, such a large area is sparsely populated If you get the land, you will fall into a protracted law and order war...Give it to me, and I don’t even bother to take it.”

"And if Roose Bolton, through conspiracy and fabricating false news, angered the queen who had just lost a dragon, and provoked the two parties who were supposed to live in peace, I would have just used a small plan to force the Starks to bow their heads through deterrence. What was done turned into a full-scale war, and then the elite troops and two dragons that were supposed to quickly pass through the northern border to the south to conquer the Seven Kingdoms were dragged in the northern border and could not be freed... What do you think of a whole group of people who are forced to stay here only to serve his family's self-interest?"

Humphrey opened his mouth: "This——if this is the case, it is indeed extremely bad, and it is not an exaggeration to hang ten times!"

"That's right, if you simplify the model of the matter and make a judgment, everything will become very simple: if what the informer said is true, it is already within our expectations and precautions, and we don't need the help of the Bolton family , It can also easily settle the Stark family's self-conceived scheme, and continue to advance our original strategic plan. And if the matter is false... it seems that there are traitors in the North, and we seem to be able to use it to save some effort. But in fact—while you are trying to save a little effort, people are staring at your entire force, thinking about how to let us work for him for free and bleed!"

Humphrey's eyes straightened, and he swallowed: "My lord is still considerate. If I were to lead the party, I'm afraid I'd be sold out and still count the money."

"Don't underestimate yourself. Everyone has their own position and task. If you can do your job well, it is the greatest value and contribution. As for where to go and how to go, that is the business of me, the leader."

Iger casually comforted him, saying that he was ashamed to say that he didn't want to discuss the general situation and overall strategy of the land grant with him by keeping Humphrey in this room. He just needed someone who was strict and trustworthy to accompany him to provide a sense of security. .

It would be too cowardly for the guards to stand by, and to receive a strange visitor alone... What if the person who came was a capable stranger like the Faceless Man, who could threaten him without a weapon?After all, this is a magical world, isn't it!

Standing on a high place where the wind is howling, he can finally experience the kind of suspicion and caution that Cao Cao once had in the Romance - almost neurotic.

Although he was convinced, Humphrey soon had a new question: "But, if your lord has already known it, he will not cooperate with the Bolton family regardless of whether the news is true or not, so why did you reveal our truth to that person just now?" Plan, tell him that the so-called 'expedition beyond the Great Wall' is actually fake?"

This is indeed a good question, Iger nodded: "Let me ask you, if you are Bolton, if you send someone to inform the Queen, it will not work, and you will not get a response when you come to see me... you will give up obediently and give up the conspiracy, Mr. Honestly, continue to be a loyal servant of the Stark family?"

"Of course not. I will jump up and down and try my best to find other ways. A Targaryen, who has a feud with the Stark family and killed his father, rode a dragon to the north. This chance of jumping back, But it’s a once-in-a-lifetime event!”

"I think so too, so what would you do if you were Bolton?"

"Me?" Humphrey is deeply trusted by Iger, especially the mayor of Houguan Town, Yam, but he is only excellent in understanding and execution. As for the ability to create, imagine, or speak out ideas, That's pretty average.Normally, he would honestly answer that he didn't know after thinking for a while, but this time, he guessed the answer right away.Because——Iger just demonstrated the correct approach not long ago: "Spread the news of this northern lord meeting, let it spread throughout the northern border and the land grant. Your lord can order Sir Bookwell to prevent outsiders from visiting the queen, but It is impossible to isolate His Majesty from the entire outside world, once everyone, including the land-grant soldiers and civilians, knows the news, then the war between the Night Watchman and the Northern Territory will really be inevitable!"

"That's right, Bolton wouldn't have done this in the first place, because it would expose 'there are traitors within the Northern Lords', and the risk would be too great. But if we don't give him any hope and reaction, then he will definitely Take the risk and spread the news. Words are like the wind, but a strong wind can overturn ships and trees. It is easy to use public opinion to arouse hatred and fighting spirit, but even if we use this double-edged sword ourselves Be careful. If an outsider suddenly steps in and throws in a bucket of wildfire while we are carefully controlling the fire of public opinion for fear that it will get out of control, it will be out of control." Iger witnessed the few pieces of paper he threw This article evolved into a war, and then the same trick was immediately learned by others to make the situation even more chaotic. The understanding of this is extremely profound: "Once the fire is out of control, it will be burned first by us standing next to it." Its man!"

Having said that, Iger also suddenly realized that if he only released a little real plan, he might not be able to stabilize Bolton's emissary for a few days.

"You go and arrange it, call an industry teaching team... first go to the commercial station outside the city to meet with this Keli Snow, find out how many people are in his team, where is the crow cage... and then Tell him that I have a general plan, but I need to wait for the news of the Dreadfort to wait for the news. After he sends out the news, I will invite him under the pretext that I have something important to discuss with him. Go back to the inner castle, and then put him and all his entourage under house arrest, don't give them any chance to do bad things!"

"Ah?" Humphrey was taken aback, "This...they came here to inform and negotiate an alliance after all, isn't that inappropriate."

"There is nothing wrong with it." Iger raised his volume, and his voice became serious, "What we are going to do is to seek the country. If success is a prince, defeat is a bandit. No matter how cautious or even shameless But the bad things are often the small details that you think are insignificant, remember!"

"Understood, I'll arrange it now."

……

The town of Houguan is busy, and an operation against the informer has quietly begun to take shape, and in Donghaiwatch, the easternmost end of the Great Wall, a few dozen miles away, a secret envoy who also came from the northern border has just ended Meeting with the commander here.

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