Chapter 252: Temporary Departure

With no new Lord Commander elected and internal disagreements rife among the senior officers, the Night's Watch was currently like a giant beast without a brain. Its various parts operated under the command of their respective "secondary nerve centers"… As for how much of the body each high-ranking official could control, it came down to their individual abilities.

Not all the news was bad. Aside from a group of unwelcome guests from Shadow Tower and Eastwatch-by-the-Sea, Aegor was surprised to find that he still had a faction of supporters he hadn't previously reached out to. After the Mountain Clans settled along the Wall, Jeor Mormont had reactivated seven abandoned but relatively intact fortresses. Once the Wildlings passed through the Wall, he reactivated another nine that were nearly in ruins. For the first seven strongholds settled by the Mountain Clans, Jeor Mormont stationed five to ten Night's Watch brothers in each, tasked with supervision and leadership. For the latter nine, the original plan had been to assign Black Brothers to manage and oversee them after the New Gift people had been resettled… The candidates had already been chosen, ready to depart, but everything was delayed after Jeor Mormont's untimely accident. Those soldiers and mid-to-low-ranking officers who had already been stationed or were about to be stationed in the newly activated fortresses now became staunch supporters of the Gift resettlement plan.

As for why this group suddenly backed Aegor, it had nothing to do with enlightenment or seeing the bigger picture… The reason was simple: self-interest.

Those Black Brothers who had been or were soon to be posted to other fortresses were, in Castle Black, just common soldiers or minor officers. But once dispatched, they immediately assumed the title of "Fort Commander" and were no longer under the constant scrutiny of the numerous senior officials at Castle Black. Not only did they gain more autonomy in their day-to-day duties, but they also had authority to manage and command hundreds or even thousands of New Gift settlers… With a bit of skill, siphoning off some minor gains to improve their standard of living was hardly a problem.

For these reasons, when this group heard that Aegor wasn't running in the Lord Commander election and that the Gift resettlement plan would be canceled regardless of who won, their disappointment and dissatisfaction were only to be expected.

Fortunately, the commander of Nightfort found Aegor before the election began and asked him why he wasn't participating. After just a few words, Aegor quickly realized he had a group of hidden allies. He calmed their emotions and hinted at his plan, assuring them that as long as they followed his lead, the Gift resettlement plan would never be abandoned.

Aegor swiftly reached out to more than a dozen commanders or election representatives from fortresses not garrisoned by the Night's Watch… While the number of votes these individuals held totaled only a few dozen, considering the entire Night's Watch barely exceeded a thousand members after repeated replenishments, this was still a force to be reckoned with.

---

After Jeor Mormont's ashes were dealt with, the election for his successor was held promptly in the main hall of Castle Black. Aside from the sentries on duty, most of those in the fortress had gathered there… But Aegor didn't attend. Partly to avoid clashing with his political opponents, but more importantly, he was preoccupied with planning the Night's Watch's move southward.

Without authorization and cooperation from the Lord Commander, the Chief Logistics Officer clearly had no authority to command the First Steward. Bowen Marsh sealed off Castle Black's warehouses and refused to sell any provisions to the Wildlings who came to trade… Fortunately, as Castle Black's cellars weren't spacious enough, some of the surrendered supplies brought through the Wall days earlier had been transported to Crown Town for storage. Along with emergency goods Aegor had purchased from the North before the Ironborn's invasion, the current reserves in Crown Town were temporarily sufficient.

He issued a message: any New Gift settlers arriving from Beyond the Wall should go to Crown Town to acquire supplies, while the Mountain Clans already within the Gift should go to Castle Black—at least Bowen Marsh had no excuse to refuse feeding old friends of many years.

The supply stores of Castle Black and Crown Town were roughly equivalent, and Aegor could even slightly increase his allocation… But the former needed only to support a few thousand people, while the latter had to feed tens of thousands. Without a quick solution to this urgent problem, the entire plan of establishing a small Gift society would collapse under the weight of a food crisis.

Hundreds, even thousands of Mountain Clansmen and Wildlings had already gathered outside Crown Town at Aegor's summons. They waited outside the Logistics Department's outpost walls for days, earning wages while simply awaiting orders from the man who had hired them—ready to move anywhere and undertake any task. There was no more time to delay… As long as he could prevent Castle Black from electing a new Commander in the near future, Aegor thought… perhaps it was time for him to leave again for a while.

...

The clamor from the direction of the hall was loud enough to be heard even through the closed door. After enduring the noise all afternoon, Sam finally brought the results in the evening: four hundred and eight votes for Ser Denys Mallister, two hundred and fifty-seven for Cotter Pyke, one hundred and ninety for Othell Yarwyck, eighty-seven for Jarman Buckwell, fifty-one for Jaime Lannister, sixteen for Eddison Tollett, and eight for Three-Finger Hobb.

Aegor had no idea why eight votes were cast for the cook at Castle Black. According to Eddison Tollett, it might have been from brothers who found Hobb's cooking unbearable and simply wanted to get him out of the kitchens… As for the remaining votes cast for Jarman Buckwell, Jaime Lannister, and Eddison Tollett, they were all part of a smokescreen under Aegor's orders. Altogether, these one hundred and sixty-two votes could largely be counted as the faction he truly controlled.

Indeed, if Aegor had prepared properly and run in the election himself, his record as Chief Logistics Officer would've earned him far more than one hundred and sixty-two votes. But so long as the commanders of Eastwatch-by-the-Sea and Shadow Tower held the authority to vote on behalf of the four hundred-plus brothers stationed at their fortresses, he would never succeed in winning the election.

Rather than remain at Castle Black and foolishly waste time battling hardliners in a hopeless election, it was better to leave for now and focus on something more meaningful. His departure would not only lower the vigilance of the conservative faction, greatly improving the odds of stalling the election, but it would also give him a chance to strengthen his position… Then, when the time was right, he could return to the Wall in one swift strike and catch his opponents unprepared.

...

"Everything is going according to plan, excellent. Tomorrow, have Jaime and Eddison Tollett withdraw from the election. They and their men will cast all their votes for Cotter Pyke. Jarman Buckwell will remain in the race. Although I'm not participating for now, we still need someone to stand as a symbol for the supporters of the Gift resettlement plan." Aegor nodded in satisfaction. "As for ensuring that a new Commander isn't elected any time soon, I'll leave that to you. Next, I need to leave Castle Black and attend to some other matters."

"Ah?" Sam looked a bit panicked. "But… Jon isn't here either. If you leave again… won't that mean…"

"Won't that mean there's no one left in charge?" Aegor smiled. "That kind of figure is crucial when needed, but right now, not indispensable… Believe in yourself. With your mind, you'll be able to handle this and hold the line until I return."

(To be continued.)

***

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