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#391 - Chapter 125: Shocking Changes in the Frontier (V)

Faced with such a complex situation, Tormund had to come up with a solution. He planned to send envoys to negotiate with Stannis, seeking a possible reconciliation. In fact, some of the chieftains were already considering surrendering. Unlike Mance Rayder, they weren't stuck in a position where they couldn't step down from being the King-Beyond-the-Wall. After all, when faced with survival, freedom and dignity could be temporarily set aside.

At the same time, Stannis was also contemplating his next move. He realized that the wildlings' resistance was still strong, and this battle would probably not end easily. However, he had enough patience to wait for Robb and Jon's encircling forces to attack the wildling rear camps. This would create chaos on the opposite side, and then he would be able to dictate whether to recruit or attack.

"They're probably worried about the women and children in the rear. Their fighting will is average and won't last long," Davos said from the side.

"If those women and children surrender first, these wildling men won't hold out either," another knight suggested.

Stannis nodded: "Then keep a close eye on these people. As soon as they dare to retreat, launch an attack. Jon and Robb won't let me down."

Just as they were discussing, a soldier ran over to report that several wildling leaders had been spotted approaching.

"Let them come over," Stannis ordered.

Soon, the wildling leader came before them. He was tall and burly, wearing animal skins and holding a battle axe in his hand, his face full of ferocity.

He asked fiercely: "What do you Southerners want?"

Stannis said calmly, "I am here to save you. You will only have a way out if you lay down your weapons and surrender."

"Surrender? Haha, how is that possible! We Free Folk will never submit to anyone!" the leader laughed.

Another leader said: "That's right, don't think we're afraid of you! We just don't want our families to be hurt!"

"Then why did you attack the Wall? You were the ones who started the invasion," Stannis retorted.

"Humph, that's because you Southerners have always treated us as enemies. White Walkers and shadow demons hunt us, and you, as fellow human beings, don't give us a way out!" the leader roared angrily.

"If you are willing to submit to me, I guarantee you will obtain the warm lands of the South, and there will be no more hunger and winter..." Stannis promised the wildling leader.

Melisandre, who had been standing by the fire, suddenly trembled all over, her face full of horror! She shouted loudly: "Your Majesty! Something bad is happening!"

............................

A huge owl flapped its wings and flew over the steep cliffs. Its sharp eyes scanned the plain below, where a dense array of tents spread out like a spider web. These tents were closely arranged together, forming circular camps.

And living in these tents were all the wildling women and children, as well as some young and strong men. At this moment, Hardhome was in chaos, with many tents being set on fire. From a high altitude, a large number of troops could be seen surrounding the place.

Faced with the sudden attack, the wildlings were caught off guard. They had not expected the enemy to come so quickly, and with so many people. The strong men and women were now making large rafts on the beach, with almost no decent weapons around them. They were unable to resist the well-equipped and armed soldiers.

Since the ruins of Hardhome had walls, large numbers of wildlings began to gather towards the central ruins. However, even this could not accommodate everyone, resulting in about half of the people being blocked outside the thick wooden walls. They pounded on the walls and wooden doors, many holding children and begging to be let in.

Those wildlings who successfully entered the ruins huddled together, looking at the outside world in horror. They knew they were trapped, and the only exit was behind that closed door.

At this time, some soldiers in the army held bows and arrows, preparing to shoot at the wildlings who were trying to escape. However, the officers stopped them in time and told them that the purpose of this operation was not to kill, but to capture as many prisoners as possible. The soldiers put down their bows and arrows and instead used shields and spears to move forward.

As the soldiers continued to approach, they found that the wildlings had no weapons to threaten them. Instead, these wildlings could only attack them with stones and wooden sticks. However, this attack was useless against the heavily armored soldiers.

Outside the walls, there were cries and wails everywhere. But in fact, not many people actually died. Because most of the wildlings were women and children, both the Northern army and the Night's Watch tried to avoid harming them. Only a few men who tried to resist were killed, and the rest of the wildlings were driven together.

Most of the wildlings were easily captured, and the strong soldiers quickly picked up the ropes nearby that were used to make rafts and tied these wildlings tightly.

However, these rough men inevitably made some small movements when tying them up, which was only human nature. However, although the discipline of the Northern army was relatively poor, they would not openly do anything excessive. Fortunately, under the strict restraint of Robb and Jon, the scene was effectively controlled, and everything seemed orderly.

They methodically dispatched soldiers, some responsible for besieging the Hardhome stronghold, and others focused on capturing prisoners. This arrangement not only ensured the efficiency of the work, but even had the spare capacity to transport the captured prisoners to the ships. There were about 70,000 wildlings here, and even capturing tens of thousands of pigs would not be an easy task.

Robb came to the shore, kicked the wooden raft at his feet, and looked around. He said: "This is the wildlings' backup plan. They have prepared so many rafts, it is obvious that they have been planning for a long time."

Jon nodded: "Yes! In order to cover up their true intentions, Mance Rayder led those old, weak, sick, and disabled to attack the Wall, using lives to attract our attention. So many rafts can transport about 50,000 people at a time. If it were women and children, the load would be even greater. If we hadn't reacted in time, it would have been a big trouble if these people suddenly poured into the North."

"No~ now our trouble is big!" Rickon supported Bran and hurried over, their expressions very panicked.

Before they could get close, Bran said: "Robb, Jon, something bad is going to happen, we are going to have big trouble! I saw..."

Melisandre trotted all the way, her face full of solemnity. She came to Stannis panting, and said: "Your Majesty, evil forces are eroding this land. I saw the revelation given by the Lord of Light from the flames. They are very close, you must make a decision."