Lu Xuan noticed that the Night's Watch at Castle Black numbered only about three hundred, while the Wildling army opposite them was said to number one hundred thousand. Regardless of the accuracy of that number, the visual contrast alone was enough to instill despair. If it weren't for the absolute defensive advantage of the Wall, such a numerical disparity would have been enough to cause the Night's Watch to collapse at a glance.
"Teacher, do you think they can hold out?"
"It's hard to say. I don't know much about the Wall and what kind of defenses it has. The savages have a large number of people, but they don't seem to have many siege weapons. Even if they did, they wouldn't be of much use to the Wall. The balance of power between the two sides is not very clear, so I can't make a judgment."
"But if I were in command, I would only need to arrange tens of thousands of savages into a line stretching three to five miles, and simultaneously launch a siege. After a few rounds, half of those few hundred Night's Watchmen would be exhausted from running away."
Sir Barristan, who was standing nearby, could no longer stand it.
“Your Majesty, we should help them. These Night Watchmen are protecting Your Majesty’s future land.”
But Daenerys's response gave Barristan a jolt.
"Is that so? My future homeland? But I have a feeling that these savages might also become my future subjects. What do you say, Sir Barristan?"
"..." Barristan instinctively wanted to retort, but Lu Xuan stopped him with a look. This startled Barristan. He realized he had overlooked something. What Daenerys had seen and heard along the way had already instilled in her a deep aversion to the Seven Kingdoms. Moreover, the Night's Watch was now nothing more than a group of bandits, rapists, thieves, and murderers. It was almost impossible for Daenerys to identify with these people.
"Our purpose in coming here is to confirm the existence of the White Walkers and the Undead. Who wins or loses this war is none of our business. What can stop the White Walkers is the Wall, not these few hundred Night's Watchmen."
As soon as Lu Xuan finished speaking, commotion broke out in the savage camp opposite. Countless savages suddenly scattered and rushed towards the Great Wall of Despair under the cover of night.
The Great Wall at the Desperate Situation is different from other sections of the Great Wall; you can't climb it using ladders or other engineering equipment because it's simply too high. Therefore, these "wild men" typically chose to take advantage of the cover of night, spreading out and forcibly climbing from various corners.
The dim light reduced their chances of being hit by arrows, or even made them invisible to the Night's Watch.
With the sound of the Night's Watch horns, the battle broke out.
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Chapter 286 Spectating the Battle
The three rode dragons, floating in mid-air, silently watching the battle below.
Night had fallen, and countless torches were lit. But these sparks were far too faint compared to the entire Great Wall.
Large numbers of Night's Watchmen ran along the city walls, carrying barrels of oil onto the projectile machines.
On the city wall, Jon Snow, leading a squad of Night's Watch, had secured the last of the oil. He then reported to his instructor, Allison Thorne.
"This is our last bit of kerosene, sir."
Thorne did not respond to Jon's words, but instead looked at the wildlings below and said somewhat desolately.
'Jon, do you really think there are 100,000 of them?'
"Perhaps."
“Say it, Jon, say those words: You should have listened to me and sealed off all the passages.”
“I don’t want to say that, sir. Whatever decision you make, no one can blame you.”
"Heh. Jon, do you understand what leadership is? It means that when you have leadership, no matter who offers you advice, you must consider it objectively and then make a decision. Unfortunately, Jon, I wasn't objective in my approach to your advice. Sometimes I think, how much better it would have been if you hadn't come back alive."
The conversation between the two didn't last long, as the savages' attack was drawing ever closer.
Countless savages, accompanied by several giants and mammoths, roared as they charged toward the Wall of Despair. However, apart from a few people beginning to climb in some distant corners, most of the savages simply stood within an arrow's reach, howling in groups to attract the attention of those on the wall.
Meanwhile, on the other side, an elite savage legion was attacking the south gate of Castle Black.
The South Gate is the main entrance and exit point of the Great Wall, containing the largest tunnel and equipment such as winches and hoists. Because the tunnel was not completely sealed in time, the Night Watchmen are now forced to divide their forces to defend the South Gate.
From afar, Lu Xuan noticed that the Night's Watch commander, Elisha Thorne, had descended the Wall and personally gone to defend the south gate of Castle Black.
For thousands of years, the Night's Watch has actually been steadily declining. From its original strength of tens of thousands of elite soldiers, it has dwindled to a few thousand, and now to just a few hundred. Even more absurdly, the vast majority of these few hundred are criminals! Only a dozen or so have actually received knightly training.
A group of young night watchmen stood trembling in the courtyard of the south gate, longswords in hand. They had just tried to stand on the city gate to hold off the enemy, but after several of them were felled in succession by the savage archers, they completely lost their courage. If they hadn't had nowhere else to retreat, Lu Xuan had no doubt that they would have turned and run.
At this moment, Instructor Thorne arrived at the scene. Lu Xuan remembered this man. In the original books, he was utterly despised. In the TV series, he wasn't exactly a good guy either, being one of the murderers of Jon Snow. However, this guy was truly exceptional in his treatment of the Night's Watch, Castle Black, and even the Wall. He wasn't a good instructor, but he was a true member of the Night's Watch.
"Cheer up, you bunch of useless trash. Do you know who's outside? They're the Thern. If you know that name, you should know the Thern's customs. They eat their enemies. So, are you going to stand here and get eaten, or take your swords and kill these beasts?"
Thorne's words made the young Night's Watch even more nervous. But at the same time, their grip on their swords tightened. Death was terrible, but being eaten... damn it...
“Look around you. Where is this place? This is Black Castle. Hundreds of generations have guarded it. But it has never fallen. It never has, and it never will. I stand here now, and I will be at the forefront of the battle.”
Tonight, we will fight to the death. When the sun rises again tomorrow, I assure you all, Castle Black will still stand. The Night's Watch will still stand. Now, kill them!!!
Ser Thorne led over thirty Night's Watchmen in a frontal charge against the Thane who were scaling the wall.
"Although leading from the front is not a good habit for a general, in this situation, this guy has done a good job leading a group of criminals."
"Some of the Night's Watch's spirit has been passed down. Although there aren't many left, at least now, I'm starting to have faith in them."
Lu Xuan and Daenerys watched the battle unfold with an air of detached indifference, seemingly oblivious to everyone else. Ser Barristan, standing nearby, was frantically scratching his head, but dared not utter a word. Lu Xuan couldn't help but chuckle at the sight.
"Alright, Sir Barristan, say what you have to say. His Majesty will not blame you."
Barristan took a deep breath. Then he spoke.
“Your Majesty, I know you have no affection for this country whatsoever. No one can find fault with you in this regard. Even I have lost faith in this nation. The Seven Kingdoms are not worthy of Your Majesty. But look at these Night's Watchmen below; they are still upholding their ancient glory. The Seven Kingdoms are not worthy of Your Majesty, but I implore Your Majesty to lend a helping hand to these men who are fighting.”
.............
"They've started climbing the walls!" a Night's Watchman shouted. Slytherin, the wise man on the walls, immediately ordered all his soldiers to defend against the climbers.
Jon Snow was extremely anxious.