Chapter 510 Hope in Despair

The snow is falling heavier and heavier, like a huge white curtain, completely covering the moon.

 As far as the eye can see, the world is white.

After the Great Wall collapsed, the wind and snow from the land of eternal winter no longer had any protection, and swept southward, covering all the woods, fields, and villages.

 But compared to the wind and snow, the White Walkers and their legions of dead servants are more terrifying things.

“Go!” Mance Rayder shouted to wake up his men who were still in a state of confusion. “Go to the south! Take all the tribesmen and go to the south of the Neck!”

"But Caesar will only allow us to stay in the Wolf Wood unless we kneel to him..."

"The Great Wall has fallen, and Caesar can't care about you. Run, the White Walkers are coming, and we will all die!"

Hearing this, the savage leaders did not dare to delay any longer and quickly dispersed to contact the tribesmen heading south.

They have all seen the methods of the White Walkers, so they all know that without the protection of the Great Wall, humans are no match for those monsters.

 Escape is the wisest choice.

 But at the same time, they couldn’t help but feel a little confused in their hearts——

Where can humans escape to?

 The White Walkers will move south along with the wind and snow, bringing extreme cold and death.

If no one stops them, the south of the Neck will also be shrouded in white terror.

But at this moment, everyone was still immersed in the fear of the Great Wall collapsing. When Mance Rayder yelled, their hearts were filled with thoughts of escaping.

Mance dismissed everyone and was about to go find his wife Danna, when he saw Eddard Stark, the commander-in-chief of the Night's Watch, running over menacingly.

 Before Mance could speak, Ed grabbed his collar and asked angrily:

“Mance! Was that the horn you blew just now? That’s the real Horn of Winter, isn’t it?”

“My trumpet has been burned by Caesar long ago, and so many people have witnessed it.”

 “But that one is fake! You lied to everyone!”

"Okay, I admit, I actually don't know whether that horn is real or fake." At this point, Mance had no choice but to confess, "We searched through the Frostfangs and only found a giant's tomb. Arrived a huge horn.

As for whether it is the real Horn of Winter, perhaps only the gods know.

 But I have no choice. In order for you night watchmen to open the city gate and let us go south, I can only claim that the horn is the real Horn of Winter.

Of course, you know what happened next. Caesar burned the trumpet. "

 “What about the real Horn of Winter?”

"How do I know?" Mance pulled the other party's hand away, "It's definitely not here with us savages."

“He’s lying!” Ser Alliser Thorne snapped. “All these humanoid beasts should be killed! They will never be our allies!”

"Ed Stark, think about it for yourself." Mance stared into the Commander-in-Chief's eyes. "We have already entered the Great Wall, so why should we destroy it? Once it falls, we will also suffer. "

Ser Alliser said bitterly:

“Perhaps some people are dissatisfied with the current treatment and want to let the White Walkers in and destroy everything so that they can take advantage of the troubled waters.”

Mance sneered: "Don't think that we are as despicable as you southerners."

 “Who are you calling mean?” Alliser suddenly drew his sword.

The dozen or so night watchmen accompanying him also drew their swords, and the savages on the opposite side also took out their weapons. In an instant, the atmosphere became extremely tense.

 But at this moment, a shrill cry suddenly sounded:

 “The White Walkers are coming! The White Walkers are coming!”

During the confrontation, both sides looked back to the north at the same time. Through the white smoke left after the collapse of the Great Wall, they saw a thin black line on the distant horizon.

　That is the zombie army composed of countless twisted figures, which is spreading overwhelmingly at an extremely fast speed, accompanied by the howling north wind.

Mance pointed to the north and said loudly:

“See clearly, that is the enemy! The enemy of all mankind! Don’t swing your sword in the wrong direction!”

Ser Alliser wanted to speak again, but Eddard stopped him.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Night Watch said in a deep voice:

"The enemies of the Night's Watch always come from the north. Sound the bugle now and prepare for battle!"

 But someone was clearly frightened and said, "Sir Ed, without the barrier of the Great Wall, we might not be able to stop the army of zombies!"

 “This is our duty!” Ed replied stiffly.

Mance also kindly reminded:

"The Great Wall of Despair stretches for thousands of miles. How can we alone hold such a line of defense? Lord Ed, I admire your courage, but now, the wisest choice is to retreat temporarily. Join the southern army, Only by choosing a more suitable location and re-establishing a defense line can we stop the White Walkers."

Ed pondered for a moment and realized that this was the best choice.

 “Someone must stay behind to cover the retreat of the army.” He said, and then ignored Mance and others, turned and walked towards Castle Black.

It is strange to say that a huge wall like the Great Wall collapsed, but it did not affect the nearby castle. It was as if the ice wall spanning the sky and the earth turned into smoke in an instant and disappeared without a trace.

But without the cover of the Great Wall, Castle Black is like a girl who has stripped naked, exposed to the White Walkers without any defense.

At this time, the army of corpses attacked from the north, and the night watchmen in Castle Black panicked. Some even packed up their things and wanted to take advantage of the chaos to escape south.

Ed stood in the square south of Castle Black and said to the herald:

 “Blow the trumpet! All the troops must assemble!”

 “Yes, my lord.”

 He looked at the bachelor again and said:

“Send out all the ravens immediately and send them to King’s Landing, to all the cities in the south, to tell the people that the Wall has fallen and the White Walkers are coming!”

"yes!"

Eddard searched the crowd, but did not find his eldest son Robb. Instead, he saw Jon Snow running over in a panic.

 “Jon, where is Robb?”

"Robb..." Jon didn't know how to answer this question for a moment, but the army of zombies was about to kill him, so he had to calm down, pull his father aside, and whisper about the previous encounter.

 Such a bizarre and sad story even made Eddard Stark, who had experienced countless storms, lose his composure.

“You say...Robb...blows the Horn of Winter?”

"Yes, father," Jon said hard, "but I suspect that's not the real him. I don't know, but the real Robb wouldn't do that. There's no way he would know that I came from the Fist of the First Men. The weird horn that was found... is even less likely to be broken into pieces of ice..."

Ed’s mouth moved and he was speechless for a moment.

 But soon, he regained his composure, even coolness.

 The Lord Commander of the Night's Watch once again ordered:

"Jon Snow, you immediately organize the evacuation of the Night's Watch logistics personnel."

 “Father, what about you?”

 “Of course I have to stay and fight, it’s the duty of the Night’s Watch.”

“But you guys alone cannot hold the Great Wall... Without the Great Wall, this line of defense is complete.”

“The North is behind us, and the Seven Kingdoms are also behind us.” Ed said lightly, “Even if we are destined to be unable to hold it, I will buy them some time.”

Jon wanted to persuade him again, but Eddard gave a firm order:

"Jon Snow, this is an order for you, not a consultation with you."

 “Yes...my lord.” Jon could only accept it.

 Ed reached out and patted the other party's shoulder, and said in a slower tone:

“What you have to do is not only to retreat, but also to prevent the northerners from moving south. This is an extremely difficult task, do you understand?”

 Jon nodded heavily.

Eddard immediately left him and came to the hastily assembled Night's Watch.

 In the panic and haste, the team was in great confusion, and the number of people was much smaller than it should be.

Ed didn't care about the deserters at this time. He raised his eyes and looked north, but only saw a dark cloud covering the snow and spreading at an extremely fast speed.

There are too many enemies.

 And it’s too powerful.

 Not only did they not have enough troops, they also lacked weapons to fight the White Walkers.

The Great Wall fell so suddenly that the southern army had no time to move north, and the dragon crystal weapons were not fully prepared.

Even a determined man like Ed Stark felt hopeless at this moment.

 But now that it was over, he had no choice.

 This is his duty and honor as Commander-in-Chief of the Night's Watch.

 It is also his responsibility and honor as a Stark.

And having just heard the news of his eldest son’s death, Ed didn’t even have time to grieve.

If it was really Robb who sounded the Horn of Winter, then whether it was his true intention or not, this responsibility must be borne by the Stark family.

 No matter what the reason is, Ed cannot retreat.

The attendants brought the war horses, and the standard bearer came behind the Commander-in-Chief holding the direwolf banner of House Stark and the pure black banner of the Night's Watch.

Mance Rayder came to see him with a group of wildling warriors.

"Eddard Stark, some of us free people are not afraid of death. We will fight alongside you today and will be under your command."

 “Okay.” Ed nodded towards him.

 Then he looked at the army and said loudly:

 “I know you are afraid.

me too.

To tell you the truth, my heart is beating frighteningly fast now, and my intestines are twisted into a ball in my stomach, like a cold poisonous snake.

 But we can’t back down!

 Because behind us are the Seven Kingdoms, countless villagers, lords, mothers, children...so we cannot retreat!

 Fear is nothing to be ashamed of, unless you let it control you.

 This is an upcoming war, the war between humans and the White Walkers.

There is nothing in the world more terrible than war, nothing uglier than war, but nothing more glorious than war.

 Some people will die in war, but more people will survive.

 A few years later, when the war is over, you will become heroes and be sung by bards!

Now, please say your final prayer. "

Ed also bowed his head and prayed.

 Pray to the ancient gods, asking them to look after their people, asking them to grant him strength and wisdom, and of course the most important thing—

 Victory.

 The howling cold wind brought the smell of corpses, the smell of death, and the smell of fear.

 The army of corpses is getting closer and closer.

 Without the impediment of the Great Wall of Despair, they moved forward indomitably.

Eddard Stark led the cavalry of the Night's Watch to the front of the group.

"When you hear the charge horn later, you will follow my banner. If I unfortunately fall, Lord Denys Mallister will be in command. If Denis also falls, Mance Rayder will be in command. If... "

"If we all fall," Mance continued, "the battle is lost."

Ed did not refute.

 He knows the truth what the other party is saying, and in such a chaotic situation, it really doesn’t make much difference whether there is a command or not.

  Even this battle is destined to end in failure.

 Everyone knows this, but no one says it directly.

 Don’t give up before a battle.

Ed remembered his father teaching him this, because maybe the gods were listening.

 Hope they are really listening.

 Suddenly, someone recited the oath of the night watchman:

"The long night is coming, and I will keep watch from now on until I die. I will not marry, fiefdom, or have children. I will not wear a crown or compete for honor. I will fulfill my duty, live and die. I am darkness The sword in my heart, the guard on the wall, the fire that wards off the cold, the light at dawn, the horn that awakens the sleeping, the shield that protects the kingdom. I dedicate my life and honor to the Night's Watch, tonight and every night. "

 It started with a few people, but soon more people joined.

 More and more people joined in, and eventually even the savages joined in the chanting.

Eddard Stark was chanting, of course.

After reciting the last sentence, "I dedicate my life and glory to the Night Watch, tonight and every night," he suddenly pulled out his sword, raised it high, and looked at the army of corpses getting closer and closer in front of him. Take a deep breath and give the call to charge.

 But at this moment, Mance Rayder suddenly pointed at the sky and shouted:

 “Look, what is that?”

Ed was stunned for a moment, then looked up.

Everyone looked up.

 I saw a white shadow swooping down rapidly in the boundless wind and snow.

 A ball of flame suddenly appeared as it appeared, and the orange light penetrated the huge curtain of wind and snow and swept down.

For half a heartbeat, Eddard Stark worried that it had been blown out by the wind.

 But the flame did not go out.

It becomes brighter and brighter, more and more intense.

Like a huge spear of flame that pierced the sky and penetrated into the center of the zombie army.

　　Boom!

The flames exploded into a gorgeous firework in the ice and snow, dazzling and dazzling.

Hundreds of exclamations rang out, and hundreds of people were watching, gesticulating, shouting wildly, and reaching out to touch their swords and axes.

 “Caesar! Your Majesty Caesar is here!”

 “Caesar is here!”

Countless voices burst out from hundreds of lips and teeth, converging into one voice.

 In an instant, it resounded through the sky and shattered the ice and snow.

The haze in Ed's heart was swept away. He pulled down the visor of his helmet, raised his shield, and put his arms through his belt.

The air feels cold and biting to breathe, but it has a sweet smell, the taste of fire, the taste of victory.

 “May the gods take care of us,” he shouted loudly, following the white dragon flying past in the sky, and ordered,

 “Everyone, charge!”

 (End of this chapter)