"Fire arrows to drive away these unidentified guys!"
As soon as Alliser Thorne's order came down, several feather arrows whizzed down from the city wall and were nailed in front of Jaime's horse's hooves.
One of the arrows almost missed Jaime's mount. The horse was frightened and its front hooves moved uneasily twice.
James tightened the reins sharply with his left hand to stabilize the horse, took a few steps back, and shouted at the city wall, "You idiots!"
"I am Jaime Lannister, and these people around me are Lord Roose Bolton's men!"
"Do you think we will be the accomplices of the savages?"
"Even if you don't know me, can't you still recognize the flag behind me?"
As he spoke, he stepped aside, revealing the Flayed Man flag behind him that was flapping in the cold wind.
As soon as these words came out, there was silence on the city wall for a moment.
Night's Watch The archers looked at each other. After all, in the North, even Night's Watch, which is "indifferent to the world", has several families that must be recognized.
Stark won't talk about it, the North has been the leader for thousands of years.
And in these thousands of years, only the House Bolton clan can compete with Stark, and they are also famous for their cruelty in treating their enemies, and their skinning skills are unparalleled.
The silence did not last long, and a surprised voice sounded from behind the battlements.
"James Ser!"
Everyone looked around and saw the stocky figure pushing past the archers around him and squeezing to the front, his face full of ecstasy.
"I heard that you came to Castle Black before, but I never had the chance to visit you!"
"Quick! Quick! You idiots, let James Ser enter the city quickly!"
As he spoke, the man waved his arms and shouted orders.
"You're fucking crazy, Slynt!"
The face of Alliser Thorne next to her turned red, and she grabbed the man's shoulders. "These guys were called by Jon Snow, and their identities are not trustworthy at all!"
"Maybe it's a trap set by savages...
","Call your mother!"
Janos Slynt slammed away Thorne's hand. It was once well-maintained in King's Landing, but now it was so rough that the two of them were filled with anger.
"I have been in King's Landing for more than twenty years, and the golden robe Commander has been here for more than ten years!"
"Is this James Ser really real? Can I still recognize him?"
"How long the hell have you been away from King's Landing, Thorne? Over twenty years! Do you dare to say that you know Jaime Ser better than I do?"
Hearing this, Allisa Thorne was immediately speechless. After all, what the other party said was the truth.
"Open the city gate." He finally gritted his teeth and issued the order.
The wooden door opened quickly.
In fact, only the side of Castle Black that faces the Wall is the real city wall. The other three sides are composed of stone towers and wooden fortresses.
This is why the savages were able to invade through night raids with only a small force.
However, they have strengthened their fortifications these days. If they decide not to open the door to James, they have no good solution.
But fortunately, the surname Lannister works well no matter where you go.
James was driving his horse forward when Captain Hake beside him suddenly leaned over and grabbed the reins of his mount to stop him.
"What?"
"Ser..." Hake lowered his voice and said, "Those guys said they wouldn't open the door before, but now they changed their minds so quickly. Could they be planning to trick us into killing us?"
"How did you become the captain if you are so timid?" James interrupted impatiently and took the reins from Hake.
As he spoke, he raised his head and pointed to the battlements with his chin. "Don't worry, I know that guy."
Hake followed his gaze towards the city wall, and saw Janos Slynt lying on the battlements, with a flattering smile on his fat face, like an old dog wagging its tail begging for mercy.
"Don't forget, my father is Tywin Lannister."
With Hake's confused expression, James patted him on the shoulder, his nostrils turned upward, and seemed to have returned to the dandy boy he once was.
He gently pinched the horse's belly and walked towards the city gate first.
As soon as the horse's hooves stepped into the castle, a smell of mold, firewood smoke and some unexplainable animal stench hit the nostrils.
James frowned.
Sure enough, it's still cold and smelly, as if these Night's Watch haven't taken a shower in their entire lives.
But it's not surprising.
Not to mention that fresh water is very precious, but the year-round severe cold has stopped people from taking regular baths.
Behind him, Hake filed in with the cavalry, but he still maintained considerable vigilance and even ordered everyone not to take their hands off their weapons.
James couldn't help but sigh, if the guy named "Steelshanks" had been as cautious as him, he probably wouldn't have taken action without permission and was beheaded by Corleone.
Arriving all the way to the courtyard of Castle Black, he looked around and found that although Night's Watch was much better than when he left, it seemed even more dilapidated.
There were traces of smoke and fire everywhere in the square used for cremation. It was obvious that they were not having an easy time.
"James Ser! Holy Seven Gods, it's really you!"
Before James could finish his emotion, Slynt rushed down the stairs and almost fell to the ground.
He ran to James' horse and raised his head, his eyes full of flattery. "Why are you here at the Wall?"
"To be honest, I thought I would never see my old acquaintances from King's Landing again in this life. You don't know, this ghost place is really not for humans!"
"Could you please write a kind letter to Lord Tywin and ask him to forgive me and let me return to King's Landing?"
"I remember that your crime was decided by Tyrion, Janos Commander." James did not answer, but threw the reins to a dazed Night's Watch beside him, looking left and right.
"They say you took six thousand Gold Dragon bribes from Petyr Baelish and betrayed Eddard Stark."
"This... isn't this all for the Iron Throne...
"So during your reign, you embezzled tens of thousands of Gold Dragon from the national treasury, sold your official positions, and even deducted the salary of the golden robe, all for the sake of the Iron Throne?"
"When you were arrested, the golden robes were beating gongs and drums to celebrate."
As soon as these words came out, Genos just laughed awkwardly.
But fortunately he is thick-skinned enough.
"This is all in the past, James Ser, why are you bringing it up."
"For the sake of living in this bitter cold land, please help me write a letter to Lord Tywin. The Prime Minister has the right to pardon crimes."
"I, Janos Slynt, swear to the Seven Gods that as long as you help me get out of this hellish place, I will always be loyal to the Lannister family and become a sharp blade in your hands!"
His chest was beating loudly, and Allisa Thorne, who followed him down, shook his head when he saw this licking.
Really... a guy with no sense of honor.
If it weren't for his noble birth, he would be ashamed to be in the company of someone like Genos.
Not only did he think this way, but Hake on the side felt a little sick and wanted to vomit.
After all, this guy is so good at licking!
These the North reckless people simply cannot imagine that there can be such shameless people in the world!
Hake The corner of his mouth twitched, and he looked at James, only to see that the other person actually raised his eyebrows at him.
As if to say, "I told you so, my father Tywin."
"Ahem..." However, he did not despise Genos, but instead cleared his throat.
"I'll consider it."
"Really! Thank you so much, James Ser!"
"I have always believed that your honor is the highest among all the Seven Kingdoms, and my admiration for you is like the endless flow of the black water.
Hearing this, Slynt suddenly felt grateful, and his words of praise made everyone present get goosebumps.
But it's not his fault. Just imagine, if you were Commander in the Capital Military District, and suddenly the incident came to light and you were exiled thousands of miles away, you could only stay with a bunch of rapists and illegitimate children for the rest of your life.
Everyone will seize every opportunity to try to get back into their comfort zone.
The more Slynt spoke, the more outrageous he became. He kept saying things like "comparable to Warrior descending to earth" and "Mother is no more compassionate than James Ser".
In the end, he even knelt down and kissed James' boots, even though they were covered with horse manure...
Fortunately, James also felt that he had gone too far, and quickly stopped him. "Where is Jon Snow?"
Hearing this, the smile on Slynt's face suddenly froze.
"This...
He lowered his eyes and stammered, "Jon... he's out of the city.
1
"Out of town?" James frowned.
"Yes..
Slynt swallowed hard and looked away: "That guy killed Broken Hand"Colin to save his life. This was an act of defection."
"So, we decided to send him to the wildling camp to negotiate peace with Mance Rayder, and then take the opportunity to assassinate him to prove his loyalty to Night's Watch...
Genos's voice became quieter and quieter, until finally it was almost inaudible.
"You are sending him to die!" James shouted, and Genos immediately shrank his neck and did not dare to speak.
However, Allisa on the side looked arrogant and said, "Illegitimate children are not worthy of trust."
"Jon Snow killed "Broken Hand" Colin, one of the best Warrior among Night's Watch."
"He killed Colin, then wrote the words "I am a traitor" on his forehead, and then came back in a big way?" James asked sharply.
Thorne sneered, "Who knows if this is another strategy?"
"Maybe he was a spy of the savages from the beginning. Maybe he killed Colin just to gain our trust, and then cooperated inside and outside to open the city gate."
"Idiot!"
James blurted out. "Two idiots who could be buried in the dragon's lair!"
Thorne's face turned red instantly. "You...
James didn't give him a chance to speak at all, and said angrily, "If it weren't for Jon Snow, this city would have been captured by the wildlings long ago!"
"He would be a traitor, bah!"
But despite the scolding, James took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
Now is not the time for accountability.
"Let's go!"
He turned around and strode towards the wooden stairs leading to the Wall: "Go up to the city wall and have a look!"
"I'll show you the way, James Ser!" Slynt trotted to catch up.
"No need." James said without looking back, "I know the way."
He had stayed at Castle Black for several months and had sex with the Wall countless times. He was even more familiar with Night's Watch than Genos.
Behind, Allisa Thorne gritted his teeth, and finally reluctantly stepped forward to follow.
In any case, he is the current acting commander of Castle Black, and he cannot allow an outsider to patrol his territory alone.
After a while, several people came to the top.
The top of the Wall is very open, and the widest part is enough for ten cavalry to ride side by side.
The wind howled past here without any protection, blowing on my face like a knife.
James narrowed his eyes, walked quickly to the battlement, looked down, and suddenly took a breath of cold air.
Everywhere you look, there is a dense army of savages!
They are like a gray-brown tide, spreading on the frozen soil north of the Wall, extending from the foot of the city wall to the end of sight.
The tents were densely packed, and the campfires were dotted like stars, shining with countless light spots under the gray sky.
"These guys are so close to the city wall, why don't they fight?"
James withdrew his gaze and turned to Allisa Thorne, who was standing not far behind him.
"We don't have many stones, bows, arrows, and boiling oil left, so we can't waste it." Although he didn't want to answer, Allisa said coldly.
"Then you fucking asked someone to shoot me just now?" James said sarcastically.
The corners of Allisa's mouth twitched, but she knew she was in the wrong and didn't say anything in the end. She just rolled her eyes and turned her face to the other side, no longer looking at James.
But James didn't hold on to it.
He turned his attention to the city again, looked at the vast sea of savages, and murmured, "There are so many people... It seems that these guys will launch a general attack soon."
The savages have been hoarding food for so long, and it is impossible for them to sustain food indefinitely. Mance Rayder is not a fool. He knows that the longer time passes, the more likely it is that Night's Watch will be waiting for reinforcements.
Therefore, the general attack will come soon.
"Don't worry, James Ser!"
At this moment, Slynt knew that his opportunity to perform had come, and he quickly patted his chest and promised, "The commander of Eastwatch sent a letter, saying that they have joined Stannis Baratheon's large army and followed the secret passage out of the city to ambush!"
"As long as those guys dare to give it a try, we will cooperate inside and outside, attack from both sides, and destroy them!
Hearing this, James glanced at him.
This guy Xindao is not a fool, at least he has a clear and thorough understanding of tactics.
But...
"Stannis?"
When he finally heard the name, James' eyes lit up. "You mean, he is outside the Wall right now?"
"If I hadn't been delayed on the way... I should have arrived by now.
Slynt was stunned for a moment, as if he didn't expect James' focus to be here, but he still answered honestly.
As soon as he said this, James turned his attention to the city again, observing the layout of the wildling camp, the terrain undulations, and possible attack routes.
In his mind, tactical pictures flashed quickly.
He is a very good knight and an experienced commander.
Except for losing to Robb Stark in the Battle of Whispering Wood, Jaime has almost never lost on the battlefield.
It's hard to imagine that that little wolf cub was only seventeen years old at the time. I can only say that his talent for fighting was simply too much.
"Wait until after dark,"
After thinking for a long time, James suddenly said, "Send someone to take us out through the secret passage."
"What?" Slynt almost thought he heard it wrong.
"I said."
James turned around, looked directly at Slynt's blank face with his green eyes, and repeated, "Take us out through the secret passage after dark."
"But... but..." Slynt stammered, feeling extremely unwilling.
After all, he knows Jaime Lannister too well.
The former Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, the eldest son of the Duke of Casterly Rock, was a man who would always be at the forefront in every battle.
If he leads his troops out of the city, if something happens...
By then, forget about returning to King's Landing, Tywin Lannister will probably send someone to skin him and hang it on the wall of Casterly Rock!
However, seeing his hesitation, James walked up to Slynt, patted his shoulder hard with his left hand, and his eyes shone with an irresistible light.
"Since we are going to ambush the savages, the reinforcements I brought will naturally have to help."
"As long as you promise to send someone to take me out, how about I write a letter to my father right now?"
"Genos Commander?"