Finally, No More Patchwork Army

Half a month later, the prisoners of war in the Dragonpit's Lair POW camp finally had their first full meal, which included not only rice but also alcohol.

Jon sat among them, telling stories and experiences related to the Wall.

"My lord, are there really White Walkers on the Wall?"

"Sir, what do Wildlings look like?"

"Sir, will peeing on the Wall really freeze instantly and knock someone over?"

The soldiers' questions were varied and numerous, but Sandor knew that these men had begun to accept Jon as their new commander.

He didn't eat anything; he just cautiously observed his surroundings in case anything unexpected happened.

Jon chatted with the soldiers for a while, and when he felt it was about time, he began the final step in winning them over—making empty promises.

"I know that many of you are the second son or the youngest in your families, and you have no land, so you can only become warriors, craftsmen or free riders. But I assure you that if you follow me, as long as you serve for three years, I will give you fifty acres of good land. If you serve for five years, I will also provide you with farm tools, seeds, and a wife!"

"Of course, if you achieve merit in battle, I will reward you with two things: land or gold. You are free to choose whether to accept the reward as gold or land." Jon stood up and waved his hand.

"Land! My lord, is it really true that we can get land after only three years of service?"

A soldier who looked to be over thirty years old asked excitedly.

Even Sandor, standing to the side, glanced at him sideways.

Jon will reward the land!

What does this mean?!

Having your own land, wouldn't that make you a lord?

Jon smiled slightly and said, "What? Do I need to sign a contract? By the way, can you even read?"

Seeing Jon teasing him, the soldier scratched his head sheepishly, but amidst the soldiers' laughter, he said he was very good at tilling the land.

"Great! You can exchange your good farmland for wasteland. One acre of good land can be exchanged for five acres of wasteland! If you're willing to farm, then farm as much as you want!" Jon's generosity once again stirred the interest of the Westerlands soldiers.

Jon knew that according to the original timeline, winter was still two years away.

Jon must stockpile as much food as possible. Westeros has enjoyed over a decade of summers, and the coming winter, even if it doesn't last another decade, will still be terrifying if it's halved.

If no crops grow in the entire country for five, six, or even seven or eight years, then it will be a blessing from the gods if one out of ten people in the Seven Kingdoms survives.

Therefore, Jon planned to stockpile as much food as possible to prepare for the impending food crisis.

Finally, and most importantly, the soldiers surrounding Jon had formed an almost impenetrable wall. To ensure everyone could hear him, he shouted, "I, Jon Stark, assure you that during your service, I will allocate land to you. Those with families can leave their land to their families to cultivate; those without families can hire others to cultivate it!"

Jon's words reached everyone's ears, and the sound of swallowing filled the air.

This isn't just empty promises; Jon is practically stuffing them with his own money.

What Westerlands? What Tywin? What Lannister? Sorry, we're not familiar with them! In our hearts, there's only Jon, the sun!

After breakfast, Jon left the Dragonpit, and had tents delivered to improve the living conditions of the soldiers who were still temporarily prisoners.

Jon doesn't want lords; he wants farmers. People with stable property have stable livelihoods. These soldiers will be the backbone of Jon's campaign in the Westerlands and will stay with him. They won't go home after the battle is over.

In short, with them, Jon no longer needed to the Patchwork Army.

In addition, most of the lords of the Westerlands perished in the previous battles, and the quality of the Westerlands nobles will suffer a precipitous decline.

The remaining collateral branches, second sons, youngest sons, and illegitimate children were unable to protect the land left by the family, and in addition, a portion of their land would be confiscated.

If Jon can capture Casterly Rock, he will have control of more than two-thirds, if not more, of the Westerlands. With land comes people to serve, and everything else will fall into place.

Soon, Jon and Sandor were on their way back to the manor when they were stopped by Penny.

Penny dismounted and respectfully addressed Jon, "Your Grace, His Majesty summons you to Small Council."

It seems that the commotion Jon caused in the Dragonpit startled Stannis.

He turned to Sandor and Robert Frey and said, "Let's go."

"Yes, sir."

When Jon arrived at the Tower of the Hand, Varys happened to see Jon from his room.

He was writing a letter that was about to be sent to Pentos, across the Narrow Sea.

My friend Illyrio, perhaps it is a joke of the gods, but the House Stark of Westeros has produced a remarkable figure. He defeated his enemies with floods on the the Green Fork, ambushed Gregor Clegane's army at Darry Castle, and, as if by divine intervention, conquered King's Landing before the Lion-and-Flower Coalition even arrived.

To let his allies in the Free Cities know just how formidable a young general Jon was, and how much investment potential and value he possessed, Varys filled his letter with effusive praise.

The night before I wrote this letter, he almost single-handedly subdued nearly five thousand surrendered soldiers from the Westerlands. The new King Stannis will send him, in the name of Lord of Casterly Rock, to contend with the Lannister for control of the Westerlands. I believe this is a good opportunity for us.

Please raise at least 300,000 to 500,000 Gold Dragon. We need to help this young man. Whether he succeeds or not, we will greatly weaken Westeros.

Varys speaks entirely in Valyrian more prevalent than the Common Tongue Valyrian the Free Cities.

He placed the letter in a small lens box, then put it into a secret passage in the wall, and Varys left his room and headed towards the Tower of the Hand.

Inside the Tower of the Hand, Stannis sat in the king's seat, with the banner of the Fiery Heart hanging behind him, and to his left was Alester Florent, who was still acting Hand of the King.

To his right was Melisandre, followed by Davos, Adrian, Alexander, Axell, Pycelle, and a host of other nobles and courtiers.

The position of Chancellor of the Royal Treasury was temporarily filled by Ardrian Celtigar. Petyr Baelish, was back to square one, having resigned from his position Hand of the King and returned to running his brothel.

Just as the sommelier began serving tea to the courtiers, Jon arrived.

"Your Majesty, esteemed lords, I am truly sorry, I have just returned from the Dragonpit." Jon bowed slightly, expressing his apology to the crowd.

Although, aside from Stannis and Melisandre, he was practically the third most important person here.

But since he's the youngest, it's best for him to be humble.

"Lord Stark, I heard you won over thousands of surrendered soldiers from the Westerlands overnight. That's truly remarkable," Alester rarely praised Jon.

Stannis wanted him to prepare at least three thousand men for Jon to fill in the future army attacking the Westerlands. Since Jon himself recruited so many Westerlands soldiers, wasn't he indirectly fulfilling his mission?

"Your Lord Hand, you flatter me. These soldiers of the Westerlands are human too. They've been out here for so long, killing and being killed all the time. They're tired of it. I promised to bring them home in the future, and they'll be willing to follow me." Jon smiled and took his seat at Stannis's gesture.

"Jon, what you're doing is too dangerous. What if some of those soldiers have ill intentions?" Davos said worriedly. "And you're sleeping with them without any guards."

"Davos, thank you for your concern, but I believe it is more important to secure peace in Westeros as soon as possible," he said, turning to Stannis. "Your Majesty, I wish to depart immediately to persuade Robb, and then launch an immediate campaign in the Westerlands. Every extra day we give Tywin time to prepare, peace recedes from our reach!"

Stannis's deep blue eyes showed a hint of interest. He couldn't help but think that if his men had half of Jon's abilities, he wouldn't have lost the fleet he relied on!

Now he has little say in Tyrell's affairs, and even when it comes to arranging a marriage, the other party haggles with him.

"Jon, I understand how you feel, but since you're going to fight in the Westerlands, you need to be fully prepared."

"Lord Alester," Stannis began, but did not turn around, "How are the preparations for the army I asked you to prepare for Jon coming along?"

Alester's heart skipped a beat. He thought to himself, "Jon has already pulled out four or five thousand men himself. Why do I still need to pull more?"

But this was Stannis's decision, and he was a convicted criminal, so he dared not disobey and quickly said, "Your Majesty, preparations are still underway and will certainly be completed before Your Majesty's coronation ceremony."

"Hmm," Stannis responded calmly. "Jon, wait until after my coronation ceremony before you set off. And before you leave, I have a task for you."

"Your Majesty, rest assured, I will complete whatever task it may be."

As soon as Jon finished speaking, he noticed that some people were snickering: Adrian, Davos, and even Pycelle.

What are you all laughing about? And Varys hasn't sent me any messages either.

Jon looked at Stannis, only to see that he had no intention of answering either, and was actually keeping him in suspense.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Pycelle began, "Your Majesty, gentlemen, our main topic of discussion today is the details of His Majesty Stannis ' coronation ceremony. We've set the time for a month from now, to be precise, twenty-six days from now. According to the custom of the Targaryen and Robert Kings, His Majesty should be crowned in the Great Sept of Baelor." Pycelle glanced at Melisandre beside him, "However, before the coronation, Lady Melisandre —uh, the Bishop—has requested that we burn the statues of the Seven— "

Although as Pycelle grew younger and his studies deepened, he became less and less concerned about the so-called gods, the older he got, the more psychologically dependent he became on the statues in the Great Sept.

Melisandre and burn the statues of the Seven.

"Absolutely not, Your Majesty!" Sure enough, Davos stood up to object halfway through Pycelle, and the King's faction members, including Adrian, were even more terrified.