Ice and Fire: Conquering the World Starting from the Wall

Chapter 67 Salado Sun

These soldiers had clearly lost faith in Stannis, and Lynn thought recruiting them might be a good option.

He currently has only a few thousand free civilian troops under his command, which is far from enough to conquer the South.

As for Jon Stark, a commander without an army, it remains a big question mark how many Northern families he can rally to his side.

After all, Robb Stark had declared himself King in the North, while Jon Snow was merely a Duke of the North appointed by the Wildling King, making him seem somewhat inferior in comparison.

Therefore, Lynn would certainly not let go of any opportunity to recruit professional soldiers.

He spurred his horse forward a few steps and shouted:

"I am Lynn I, King of the Morningstar, Protector of all living beings in Westeros, the Son of the Stars, the Lightbearer who resisted the Long Night, the sole ruler of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men."

"Swear allegiance to me and fight for me, and I will forgive your sins."

After speaking, Lynn thought for a moment and added, "Only the ringleaders will be punished; the followers will be spared."

As expected, Lynn saw puzzled looks on the faces of the surrendered soldiers after he finished speaking.

The king's title they had often heard before was "King of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men, Ruler of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Whole Land," and this new title left them somewhat uncertain.

But the rumbling cavalry of giant beasts passing by them, and the dragon that always accompanied the king, helped them make the choice.

"This is exactly what we want, Your Majesty."

The veteran, on behalf of everyone, expressed his submission.

"Do you mean the person who gave the order when you say 'chief culprit'?"

If so, then they've already sailed away on the Night's Watch's ships, seemingly heading to the North to gather troops.

Lynn nodded.

"They will be punished; ordering the massacre of women and children is an unacceptable crime."

"Now, I need you to take a few men and gather all those who are willing to pledge their allegiance to me along the coast, and bring them to Eastwatch-by-the-Sea."

"Tell them that the new king will conquer all of Westeros from north to south, and then gather all the strength of the people to fight against the White Walkers and the army of the dead."

The surrendered soldiers had all experienced the terrifying siege of the ghouls. They exchanged glances and then nodded in agreement.

The veteran's name was Drake, and he was originally a servant knight of the Florent family, which was the maternal family of Queen Seres of Stannis.

He had served alongside Stannis in the Battle of Blackwater and witnessed firsthand the countless soldiers abandoned on the shore, while the Reiss ships were able to pick up those bearing the flower and fox emblem (the Florentine coat of arms is a dazzling red and gold fox surrounded by a circle of lapis lazuli flowers).

Now he is abandoned in the icy wilderness north of the Great Wall.

Although there were reasons for his failures, the series of defeats had completely eroded his confidence in Baratheon and Florence.

Lynn gave them some dry rations, and then had Drake take his men, equipped with energetic horses, to persuade Stannis's defeated troops to surrender.

The rest of the group continued on their way and managed to reach Donghaiwang before nightfall.

Donghaiwang is the easternmost castle on the Great Wall, located on the windswept strait near Seal Bay.

Strictly speaking, Donghaiwang is not a fortress; it is more like a medium-sized dock with ancillary buildings such as a hall and towers.

The Great Wall of Despair reaches its eastern end here, with V-shaped beaches on either side of the magnificent ice wall.

Standing on the northern beach, Lynn could clearly see that the East Coast Wharf was full of ships, and many more ships were anchored in the shallow waters further out because there were not enough berths.

It was getting late, but that didn't matter; they could use the rising tide to transport the mammoths.

Marg blew that huge, unsettling horn, and soon several large, flat-bottomed boats that had been waiting in the air sailed across the river.

The advantage of these flat-bottomed boats is that they have a shallow draft, allowing them to enter inland rivers, shoals, and waterways with a lot of silt. They can also run aground and moor at low tide.

Their wide hulls prevented them from capsizing on the water, and their flat bottoms allowed for a large cargo capacity, making them ideal for carrying supplies or transporting horses and livestock.

Of course, the relative disadvantages are high sailing resistance and slower speed.

Because they lack a keel, their ability to withstand wind and waves is inferior to that of pointed-bottom boats, making them unsuitable for the deep ocean environment and limiting them to relatively calm coastal waters.

Stannis's army relied heavily on horses for transportation, making them perfect for transporting mammoths.

The flat-bottomed boat stopped a few dozen yards from the shore, and the huge wooden cargo door slammed into the sea, splashing water all the way to Lynn's feet.

Several small boats were pushed down, and Lynn noticed that, in addition to Tormund, there was also an extremely richly dressed old man leading the boats.

The old man had typical Valyrian features—fair skin and fine, curly hair that had turned white with age.

He was rather thin, wearing a bright coat woven with silver thread, the sleeves of which were long enough to drag on the ground, the buttons of which were carved from jade monkeys, and a beautiful hat decorated with peacock feathers.

As the small boat approached the beach, the old man nimbly jumped off the boat first, walked to Lynn, and knelt down to pay his respects.

"Your Majesty, your captive, the poor captain Salado Sann from Rhys, sends you his sincerest greetings. May your kingdom enjoy longevity and everlasting prosperity."

Before Lynn could speak, Tormund's loud voice had already started shouting.

"Don't believe this old bastard's nonsense, 'Son of the Star,' he initially called himself the 'Prince of Narrow Sea' and the 'Governor of Blackwater Bay'!"

Tormund waded through the seawater, grumbling and cursing, seemingly unconcerned that the icy water had soaked his boots.

"Ha! Mans wrote to say you've become king, and he instructed me to obey your orders."

He shook the water off his fur boots and asked earnestly:

"So you really rode a fire-breathing dragon and burned hundreds of the king's men to death? Those knights in iron armor, all gleaming and shiny?"

Lynn said with a smile:

"You could say that, but not that many people were burned to death."

Tormund complained:

"So, do I have to kneel down whenever I see you? Did Mans kneel down to you?"

No, not at all.

Lynn joked:

"If you're willing to kneel, I might grant you an earldom, with land, a castle, and servants."

Tormund seemed somewhat tempted, but he quickly said:

"That won't do. I'm the giant slayer and the mead king of the Red Hall. Kneeling before people would be a laughingstock."

"Since you're unwilling to kneel, then please step aside. I need to have a proper talk with someone who is willing to kneel."

Lynn then shoved the ever-talkative Tormund aside so that he could have a face-to-face conversation with the pirate captain named Salado Sunn.

"Rise, Captain Thorn. I've heard you've been serving Stannis?"

"Lin Enchai spoke to the elderly man in fine clothes who had been kneeling all along."