Worthy of the Young Wolf
"Your Grace has completely removed the threat from the Ironborn for us. I think Lord Eddard would be very pleased to know this."
In the vast snowfield, a troop of soldiers clad in white armor were marching towards a black castle not far away.
The leader was a pure white Direwolf.
Ghost, who had returned to the North, seemed to have inexhaustible energy. His white figure was faster and more elusive than the wind, and ordinary people couldn't even catch up with his shadow.
Snowflakes drifted down and landed on its nose, melting rapidly. Ghost licked its nose and sped off towards Winterfell.
Even an occasional howl could be heard echoing from Winterfell in a blood-related response.
Jon, having just annexed the Iron Islands, did not return directly to Casterly Rock. Instead, he decided to bring a contingent of his personal guard to the North to work with Robb to deal with the Free Folk issue.
He was greeted by Rodrik Cassel, commander of the Winterfell.
Rodrik had a short, bristly beard, which he had kept for over a decade. However, on the eve of the War of the Five Kings, he shaved his beard to avoid drawing attention when he accompanied Catelyn into King's Landing.
While praising Jon's military exploits, Rodrik secretly observed the young duke, whose features were exactly like those of a Stark.
Looking at the elite and loyal guards behind him, he already exuded the aura of the "White Wolf Lord," and his every move was filled with the majesty of a regional lord.
"The Iron Islands still exist, but the Ironborn, the Ironborn, and the faith in the Drowned God will never return." Jon looked towards Winterfell in the distance, where towering structures stood like the most loyal guardians in the cold wind, their tops covered in snow like white helmets.
"Cassel Caesar, you've watched me grow up. Just as you call my father Eddard and Robb Robb, you can continue to call me Jon. Tell me about those Free Folk; they must be quite unruly, right?"
Hearing the slightly teasing tone in Jon's voice, Rodrik breathed a sigh of relief, and at the same time, his liking for Jon increased because of the humility Jon displayed.
They were able to end the war with these Free Folk in a short time precisely because they followed Jon's strategy of "primarily recruiting them and secondarily eliminating them."
After all, although the North army was better equipped, they were still human beings. As human beings, they could be defeated, and at the very least, they could find a way to escape.
But the cold winds Beyond the Wall show no mercy, and there are also those terrifying monsters; if they don't flee south, they will only face certain death.
If Robb still chooses to lead his troops to drive them back Beyond the Wall, he will only face fiercer and more relentless resistance, and the Free Folk Beyond the Wall will only become more united in their struggle for survival.
When Robb followed Jon's advice and focused on persuading the Free Folk to surrender, their will to resist immediately plummeted. The Free Folk had long lived beyond the Beyond the Wall, had their need for survival reduced to an appalling degree.
On the battlefield, there were even instances where tribal chiefs were persuaded to surrender with just two pieces of sugar and a jar of honey.
The two sides quickly reached an agreement: Robb would designate a forest area near Wolfswood, allowing them to make a living by logging, mining coal, and burning charcoal.
Sure enough, the war ended quickly, but governing these Free Folk became a major problem.
Free Folk like to call those south of the Wall "the Kneelers," and they consider not having to kneel a source of pride and freedom.
What's even more unsettling is that, over time, these Free Folk from Beyond the Wall developed a sense of power and even Free Folk claiming that they had defeated Robb and that Robb had to cede a piece of land as compensation.
This disgusted the people of the North, after all, they had just swept through the Westerlands a little over a year ago, and now the Westerlands were ruled by a Stark as well.
This Stark also married the renowned Highgarden Rose, bringing the pride of the North to almost its peak.
However, Winterfell tried to collect taxes from them according to the rules, they all pretended to be deaf and dumb, made various excuses, and even resisted with force.
This gave them a real headache.
"Jon, these Beyond the Wall are nothing but Wildlings. They know nothing of duty or responsibility, enjoying the protection of Winterfell yet refusing to submit to Winterfell— "
They also harbor great hostility towards Winterfell.
"The number of Wildlings crossing the Wall is still increasing. There are only sixty or seventy thousand in Wolfswood now, but I estimate that by the end of the year it will exceed one hundred thousand. This is not one hundred thousand people; I think they should be called one hundred thousand wild beasts—"
Throughout the journey, Rodrik, a veteran retainer of House Stark, kept complaining to Jon that, in the eyes of the entire Winterfell and even the people of the North, these tens of thousands of Free Folk were nothing but a burden and trouble.
The forest farms and mines used to house them were like a giant cesspool; if they blew up this cesspool, then filth would be everywhere.
"I understand. I've come to take these people away and send them all to the Iron Islands to mine." Jon turned slightly to Rodrik and stated his purpose.
"Send them to the Iron Islands? Jon, they wouldn't pay you taxes properly even Iron Islands."
Rodrik said with a worried expression, glancing around to make sure no one was nearby, and then whispered, "Jon, you've already done enough for the North and for Winterfell. If you were to absorb all these Free Folk, the amount of food you'd need would be astronomical. Robb has already decided that if they still don't obey, he'll cut off their food supply!"
"Cut off their food supply, wouldn't that force them to rebel?" Jon rejected their suggestion.
He already had a plan in mind for how to deal with these Free Folk.
He was confident that these Free Folk would not only not cause him trouble, but would also vie to kneel and pledge allegiance to him.
The two soon arrived at Winterfell, accompanied by Jeyne's father and brother Raynard Gavin.
Using this "business trip" as an excuse to let them see their relatives is also a benefit bestowed upon them by the lord himself.
The father and son were naturally very happy with Jon's decision and kept thanking Jon.
The group soon arrived at Winterfell, where Robb and his wife, along with Catelyn, came out to greet them early in the morning.
Jon and Robb gave each other a big hug as soon as they met, and even their Direwolf wriggled together enthusiastically.
Seeing this, Catelyn and Jeyne exchanged a smile; nothing was more important than the bond between the two brothers.
As long as Jon and Robb remain as close as brothers, Winterfell and Casterly Rock will stand guard over each other, and there will be no worthy adversary in the Seven Kingdoms.
"Jeyne is pregnant again," Robb said to Jon, raising an eyebrow with obvious smugness.
"As expected of the Young Wolf."
In this era, noblewomen would hire wet nurses to breastfeed their children, mainly to help them recover quickly and give birth to their next child as soon as possible.
Generally speaking, if you want to have a lot of children, then having a second child about six months later is considered perfectly appropriate.
The two exchanged a joke, and Jon then kissed Catelyn and Jeyne's hands in turn before the group entered the castle.
On the way, Jon even took the initiative to ask him about the Free Folk.
"These Free Folk have caused you a lot of trouble, haven't they?"
"Not bad, the forests and mines in Wolfswood can absorb quite a few people," Robb said with a smile, though he looked somewhat tired.
His decision to renounce his title of king and his appeasement policy towards the Free Folk dealt a significant blow to his prestige.
Although Jon's strategy was relatively wise, the North, who had become somewhat overconfident in the past two years, could only accept one outcome: sending all these Free Folk back to the Beyond the Wall.
"This is the land of the northerners, and their forest farms and mines should also serve the northerners first."
Seeing that Jon had personally stated this truth, Robb felt much relieved.
Because Eddard's revenge was taken by his bastard brother Jon, who had also saved Winterfell, Robb wouldn't complain no matter how much pressure he was under, as long as Jon didn't speak up.
"I have already absorbed the Iron Islands Fleet, and I don't lack ships at the moment. I plan to send these Free Folk to the Iron Islands, where there are iron mines and plantations, which can also absorb a lot of people."
Upon hearing Jon's words, Robb was momentarily stunned.
Jon first replaced the Lannister in the Westerlands, and now he has completely annexed the Iron Islands.
It is said that now all the male members of the House Greyjoy have died out.
These are all families with histories spanning over a thousand years.
"Are you taking them all with you? These Free Folk won't pledge allegiance to you like the other civilians of the Seven Kingdoms, once conquered. These Free Folk— "
When Jon proposed to rule over these Free Folk, Robb no longer hid anything and told him directly just how difficult these Free Folk were to manage.
"The women among the Free Folk are just like the men; they take up arms and fight like men. There's even a caveman among them! These people even eat people! Recently, more and more Free Folk are heading south, and some even want to go to the coast to continue fishing."
Listening to Robb's endless chatter, Jon suggested that he meet their leader, and all the problems would be resolved.
Seeing Jon's confidence, Robb said nothing more, but secretly vowed that if Jon or Casterly Rock ever encountered any problems in the future, he would be the first to answer his call.