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#357 - Chapter 91: Trivia about the Great Wall

Just as he was about to sidestep Melisandre, she grabbed his hand and thrust it into her chest.

Jon felt a burning heat on his fingertips, and a strange sensation surged through him, involuntarily stirring his heart. However, this feeling lasted only a moment before he recoiled as if burned, forcefully pulling away.

Melisandre chuckled softly, "Heh, you may not know what you missed, but I believe you will come looking for me again." With that, she turned and left, leaving Jon standing there, troubled and confused.

He didn't know how long it was before Jon regained his senses. He took a deep breath, trying to calm the turmoil within. Then, he slowly walked towards the cell where Mance Rayder was being held.

Mance Rayder looked at Jon through the iron bars, a flicker of surprise in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure. He seemed to see through Jon's thoughts, sneering, "The Southern King sent you, didn't he? Go back, young crow. You should know that the Free Folk will never submit."

Jon slowly shook his head, a hint of helplessness and regret in his eyes. He looked at Mance Rayder, his voice low and firm, "Stannis has lost his patience. If you don't choose to surrender, then death is the only thing that awaits you. You must understand that you have no chance of breaking through this impregnable Wall. The lives of tens of thousands of people depend on your decision at this moment."

Mance Rayder straightened up, his gaze unwavering as he replied, "You don't understand. The Free Folk might choose to surrender, but the King-Beyond-the-Wall will never yield." His voice carried a tone of determination and pride, as if declaring his stance to the world.

Jon silently turned and left the cell, his heart filled with conflict and contradiction. He knew that Mance Rayder's fate was sealed, and he was powerless to change it. At this crucial moment, he didn't want to see humans continue to kill each other and engage in internal strife.

Just as Jon was lost in thought, a black raven flew overhead like a ghost, bringing news from south of the Wall. Jon's little squire, Olly, came running up, panting as he reached Jon. He respectfully handed him a piece of paper, "Lord Commander, news brought by raven. Maester Aemon asked me to give it to you."

Jon quickly took the paper, unfolded it, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. He stared at the words on the paper, as if he could see more meaning in them. The letter was from Hornwood, whose family's lands were vast and rich, including a vast forest and three strong fortresses besides Hornwood itself. Their sphere of influence extended west to the White Knife, bordering the lands of House Manderly and House Bolton, forming a natural defense line.

However, since House Frey migrated and built their fortress at the mouth of the Weeping Water, the conflict between them and House Hornwood had become increasingly acute. The territorial disputes between the two sides continued to escalate, especially after Robb ordered a blockade of Bolton lands, and conflicts often broke out.

This time, Robb was determined to completely eliminate the Bolton family, a thorn in his side. The Northern vassals gathered again, piecing together a powerful army of as many as fifteen thousand men. These soldiers were battle-hardened professional warriors, tempered by countless battles, possessing tenacious fighting spirit and superb combat skills. Compared to those temporarily conscripted peasant soldiers, they were undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with.

This army would become the sharpest sword in Robb's hand, thrust straight into the heart of House Bolton! At this moment, the Northern army's front line had successfully advanced to the walls of the Dreadfort. Facing the menacing Northern army, Roose Bolton actually chose to abandon the castle controlled by House Frey and withdrew all his forces, attempting to defend himself by holding the Dreadfort.

At the same time, Skagos also sent out its own army. Robb had long ago enfeoffed Skagos to Liu Yuan, and in legal terms, Liu Yuan naturally needed to respond to Robb's conscription order. Thus, Griggs, as the commander of this army, led more than fifteen hundred soldiers to participate in this battle. It is worth mentioning that these soldiers also included many professional siege units, who were very good at manufacturing and manipulating various siege weapons. Subsequently, they sailed up the Weeping Water in longboats and successfully joined the siege of the Dreadfort.

Jon silently put away the letter. The content of the letter was not much, but it concisely introduced the current battle situation. Since becoming Lord Commander, Jon had gradually grown up, and he was beginning to see some deeper meanings behind these simple pieces of information. Things were definitely not as simple as they seemed on the surface...

Stannis had actually abandoned Dragonstone, an important strategic location, and led his entire army out, suddenly appearing in the North. Although Stannis claimed that the purpose of doing so was to resist the wildlings and the terrifying Others.

But for Robb, the Prince of the North, they were definitely a huge threat. Therefore, Robb also needed to gather all his troops as soon as possible and make corresponding countermeasures, and the Bolton family was the only extremely unstable factor in the current situation, and it must be completely eliminated.

"Alas~ When will mankind truly achieve unity?" Jon couldn't help but let out a long sigh. He stood by the window, witnessing Stannis and his group slowly walking out of the Great Hall. Judging from the expressions on their faces, they seemed to have reached some kind of mutually satisfactory result.

After careful consideration, Jon finally decided to go to Samwell and hear his views and suggestions on the matter.

At this moment, Sam happened to be with Maester Aemon. Originally, Maester Aemon had planned to train Sam to become the new generation of Maester, but since Sam had now transformed himself into the chief administrative officer of the Night's Watch, responsible for managing the daily logistics of thousands of people on the Wall. Therefore, Maester Aemon applied to the Citadel, hoping that the Conclave could send a new Maester to support the Wall.

Jon pushed open the door, gently walked to the bedside, and carefully tucked the quilt for the person on the bed. Maester Aemon seemed to notice his arrival and asked softly, "Lord Commander Jon, is there anything important you want to ask me?"

Gilly was very clever. She quickly brought three cups of steaming water and silently left the room, leaving Jon, Maester Aemon, and Sam alone.