The reason Arya was able to stay in Crown Town as she wished for quite a while, besides her own playful reluctance to go home, was another important factor: her temporary guardian, Ser Rodrik Cassel, was enjoying VIP treatment in the Gift, with good food and drink, and occasionally offering guidance on the training of new recruits in Crown Town. Life was easy and fulfilling, just like any employee who did not travel with their lord. Naturally, he was in no hurry to go home.
But no matter how comfortable he was, when his lady wife urged him to return, he dared not delay. While Aegor pulled Nina into a room to "discuss private matters," a group of Winterfell guards were desperately chasing their young lady within the castle of Crown Town. After causing a commotion in the inner city, they finally cornered Arya at the closed North Gate with the assistance of the local guards. Despite her crying, tantrums, and pitiful pleading, after resting for one night, they unequivocally took her South to return.
The departure of the little troublemaker brought relief to many. From then on, Aegor could finally concentrate all his energy on the construction of the Gift and the development of his own power.
...
Only through comparison can one see the difference. This time, Nina stayed in Crown Town for over a week. It is said that absence makes the heart grow fonder, and after reuniting with her, Aegor deeply understood a truth: not all physical relationships between men and women can be called love. Embracing, kissing, sweet talk, whispering, mingling, and exchanging bodily fluids with someone you know inside and out, who is intimately close to you, without any reservations or barriers, leaving marks on each other's bodies... When both body and mind achieve a high degree of resonance and harmony, the taste is far beyond ordinary sex.
Nina was a smart and clever girl. She understood how to give her man a sufficient sense of "control," how to truly relax his body and mind, and how to make him happy.
Of course, no matter how harmonious and compatible their married life was, business still needed to be done. Sending someone else to the Westerlands to borrow money and return to King's Landing to redeploy and carry out the next steps for the South was something Aegor did not feel comfortable entrusting to anyone else. After spending several days meticulously explaining everything, he reluctantly sent off his capable wife and returned to the track of prioritizing work.
---
It had not been long since being elected Commander, and at this stage, besides planning and construction, ensuring stability within the Night's Watch was also very important.
Aegor's trusted subordinates stationed throughout the Wall continuously reported the latest situation: Castle Black being managed by Jon Snow was naturally not a concern. Ser Denys Mallister at the Shadow Tower was diligently commanding the defense, focusing all his energy on establishing patrols South of the Great Gorge. The most worrying ones, Cotter Pyke and Yohn Royce, also showed no unusual movements at Eastwatch-by-the-Sea. The former silently carried out all the new Commander's orders, while the latter went out with the fleet on time every day to check the freezing situation of the Wall's section entering the sea. Although their work enthusiasm was not high, they did not slack off or disobey orders.
As for the remaining dozen or so new strongholds along the Wall that had just been upgraded, they were naturally in full swing, undergoing mutual adjustment and construction under the leadership of the new Commanders and their respective three, no, four, Chiefs. There was no need to mention them further.
After being busy for a while, news came of the North's loss in the West Coast defense battle.
...
Since the King's Road between Castle Black and Winterfell had been repaired, transportation was smooth, and with countless residents added to the Gift, where there are people, there are business opportunities. Commercial exchanges between the North and the capital of the Gift were already quite frequent. From the Northern merchants who came to Crown Town with goods to sell, Aegor quickly learned more details about this battle from all angles.
Robb, while leading his trusted elite troops to protect the villagers being relocated, was ambushed by Euron and suffered the first defeat of his life. Not only did he sustain several injuries himself, but most of the sons sent by various families to serve as his attendants to show loyalty died, and even his direwolf Grey Wind was lost in this battle. He only managed to escape the battlefield by relying on his subordinates' desperate efforts. Fortunately, the Ironborn were not prepared with cavalry, so they were not completely wiped out.
Among the various chaotic pieces of news, rumors such as "Hellhorn can startle warhorses, destroy soldiers' courage, and even cause them to die from ruptured livers and gallbladders," and "Crow's Eye is possessed by a demon, is invulnerable to swords and spears, possesses immense strength, and single-handedly killed over a hundred Northern soldiers," were obviously exaggerated. Aegor heard them but did not take them too seriously. However, one piece of news among the many caught his attention:
The Northern lords, after several discussions, had initially decided to rebuild naval power on the West Coast and retaliate against the enemy tit for tat.
This news also came through unofficial channels, but the moment Aegor heard it, he felt it was reliable. The reason was simple: it was logical and reasonable.
The North reportedly lost five or six hundred veterans who had returned from the Westerlands battlefield in this battle. This loss, while not crippling to the sparsely populated North, was by no means insignificant. On the other hand, it was not just anyone who could serve as an attendant beside Robb Stark. The younger generation sent by various families to serve their liege lord were generally the sons of chieftains, or at least clever individuals from the core line of the family. Their lives were clearly cared about by countless people. Furthermore, as a transmigrator, Aegor knew that Robb and his direwolf had an exceptionally deep bond, like brothers.
Although this defeat did not damage the fundamental vitality of the North, it caused considerable pain to everyone from the liege lord down to the lords. If Robb did not do something to retaliate, his yet-to-be-deeply-rooted prestige would be greatly damaged. Against this backdrop, the news that the North intended to form a navy to counterattack was very likely true.
This seemed unrelated to him, but Aegor keenly realized: this was an opportunity for the Gift.
Rebuilding the West Coast navy was a major project. Military ports and shipyards were essential, and the former required protection from sailors and ground forces, while the latter needed a large number of workers and a safe environment for production and assembly. Aegor was worrying about where to put the large number of laborers in the Gift. If he could persuade the Northern lords to cheaply hire his people, it would not only solve a major immediate problem but also perhaps provide an opportunity for his people to secretly learn the manufacturing process of warships. Although a naval battle with the White Walkers was unlikely, it was always good to have more skills. The innate preference of Chinese people for a complete industrial system seemed ingrained in their bones, unable to be shed even in another world.
After opening up discussions and talking about this idea with his two important confidantes in Crown Town, and after a brief discussion, Aegor found that if this plan succeeded, the benefits would be far more than the two points he had hastily thought of.
---
"Rebuilding the West Coast navy?" Humfrey Hissan, whom Aegor had met in the King's Landing prison and who had now taken over his position as the new Chief Logistics of the Night's Watch after Aegor was elected Commander, was somewhat surprised. "Is there any news about where Lord Stark plans to start work? The West Coast is completely under Ironborn control, and Bear Island is likely under close surveillance. White Harbor? That's on the East Coast. The location itself is a big problem."
"Oh, Lord," Yam, the Town Chief of Crown Town, suddenly remembered another completely unrelated matter. "Didn't Ser Mallister write you a letter the day before yesterday, hoping to build a new outpost South of the Great Gorge for the patrolmen to rest? Do you remember?"
Of course, he remembered.
The Wall extended East all the way into the sea, but North only to the Great Gorge. The reason the original builders left this gap was simple: the towering mountains and deep river valleys at the Great Gorge had a vertical drop no less than the Wall itself, and the main branch of the Milkwater River at the bottom of the valley flowed rapidly into the sea, making it impossible for large armies to cross.
But even the best natural defenses were only meaningful when combined with defenders. Therefore, while ordering Eastwatch-by-the-Sea to monitor the sea ice situation, Aegor also ordered the Shadow Tower garrison to patrol the South side of the Great Gorge just as they did on top of the Wall.
But all taken-for-granted orders quickly faced practical problems: the Shadow Tower was several dozen miles away from the Great Gorge or the mouth of the Milkwater River, and the terrain was rugged with no roads. A patrol team leaving in the morning, after a difficult trek to the coast and turning back, could not possibly return to the stronghold to rest on the same day and could only rough it outdoors.
Difficult conditions were secondary, but the difference between needing and not needing to spend the night in the wilderness might seem small, yet the preparation required and the level of threat faced by those carrying out the mission were completely different. If every patrol had to be like a Ranger expedition, taking a full set of gear and making all preparations, it would cause a great deal of unnecessary waste of energy and resources, as well as the risk of non-combat casualties, and greatly affect patrol efficiency and quality.
Aegor himself had been beyond the Wall more than a dozen times and understood the complexities involved.
Therefore, Ser Mallister had formally submitted an application to him, the new Commander, to build another outpost near the sea on the South side of the Great Gorge as a defensive supplement. Every day, patrol teams would be dispatched simultaneously from this new outpost and the Shadow Tower, heading towards each other, and finally arriving at each other's starting points to rest. This would not only increase patrol density but also solve a host of problems at once, making it perfect.
The Gift was not short on manpower now, so this proposal was not difficult. But what did this have to do with the North wanting to establish a West Coast navy?
Aegor was slightly confused but quickly understood why Yam brought this up.
"Lord can suggest to Lord Stark to provide a place on the coast at the westernmost end of the Great Gorge for the North to establish a shipyard and military port," Yam quickly confirmed Aegor's guess with an explanation. "This naval base is not only sufficient for the North, it can definitely avoid detection by the Iron Fleet, and it can also serve as a defensive supplement for the Shadow Tower's defense of the Western Great Gorge. We can station more garrison troops in this stronghold, allowing this army to simultaneously undertake the three major responsibilities of defending the Great Gorge, protecting the North's West Coast fleet port and shipyard. This way, the matter of defending against the White Walkers is not delayed, and it can also make the Northern lords feel that you are loyal and taking their matters to heart as if they were your own, and even allow them to logically pay to support everyone in this outpost, killing multiple birds with one stone."
"That's a good idea," Humfrey praised, and added, "I also have some thoughts. Lord isn't planning to go South to borrow money from the Northern lords soon? The North has just suffered a defeat, and several families have lost young descendants. It's likely not a good time to ask. Lord, you might as well be straightforward and first go to Lord Robb and offer the land, then be generous and say that we will provide the labor needed for shipbuilding and the garrison for the seaport for free. This way, with a common enemy, it will be easier to talk about borrowing money. The North has already finished its autumn harvest and is not short on labor, the New Gift people are not very competitive, and employment costs cannot be raised. Since we can't make money anyway, we might as well bear the cost ourselves, considering it interest on the loan."
Pooling ideas was indeed the right approach. The suggestions of his two capable subordinates immediately broadened Aegor's horizons. He was already quick-witted, and building on these good suggestions, he was able to extrapolate. Inspiration flowed like a spring.
"Very well, without further ado, arrange it for me. I will depart South tomorrow. No matter how much I borrow, I will return as soon as possible, but in the meantime, I will trouble both of you to look after matters in Crown Town and even the Night's Watch."
(To be continued.)
***
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