The army led by Mufasa totaled 70,000, including 7,000 cavalry, 60,000 infantry, and the rest were transport and miscellaneous troops.
Mufasa was currently figuring out how many men to leave at each castle and how to quickly repair The Wall's castles.
Although he had enough gold, it would take some time to convert that gold into manpower and resources.
"General Mufasa, have you made your selections?"
At Castle Black, in the Lord Commander's quarters, Mufasa and Lord Commander Mormont were studying the Nights Watch map, searching for suitable castles.
Since there were many Nights Watch castles, they didn't have to repair all seven consecutively.
Coupled with Mufasa having all the damage reports for the castles, he finally made his decision.
Mufasa called Ser Kevan and instructed him to begin allocating personnel to repair the castles on The Wall.
After he finished speaking with him, Ser Kevan did not leave; he looked at Mufasa with a somewhat flustered expression.
"Mufasa, something big has happened!"
"What is it, Ser Kevan?" Mufasa asked.
"There's a major problem with our food supply. Mace Tyrell sent word that a locust plague has appeared in The Reach. More than half of all the grain in The Reach has been eaten, and they are rushing to harvest the last of it."
Mufasa's expression hardened.
"Locust plague!" This disaster could be said to be even more severe than floods or snowstorms. Where locusts pass, not a blade of grass remains.
"However, The Reach still has more than ten years' worth of reserves. I think we will get through this crisis," Ser Kevan said.
"Do you know where the locusts came from?" Mufasa asked.
"South of The Reach!"
"South, Dorne then!" Mufasa said.
He guessed that the insect eggs in the desert might have sensed something, causing them to hatch on a large scale and seek food, with The Reach being their best choice.
"How much food do we have now, and how long will it last?" Mufasa asked.
"We only have less than a month's worth of food, and it's so cold here that everyone might be eating more than we think," Kevan said.
"Combine the Nights Watch's reserves with ours as our food supply, and we'll distribute it together then," Mufasa said.
He knew that the Nights Watch always stored a large amount of food.
"Will they disagree?" Ser Kevan asked worriedly.
"I am the frontline commander now; what I say goes," Mufasa said.
"I'll go see Lord Mormont."
Mufasa discussed with Lord Commander Jeor Mormont for a long time before finally going to see Maester Marwyn Polssey, the Nights Watch's steward, and had him open the Nights Watch's cellar.
Mufasa walked in and saw the abundant stored cured meat, pork legs, and beef legs, primarily meat-based food.
As for vegetables, there was no need to think about it; if frozen for too long, they would definitely rot.
"You Nights Watch have so few people, what do you do if you can't finish all this food?" Mufasa asked.
"If we can't finish it, we can only throw it away. Are we going to eat spoiled and moldy things?" Maester Marwyn Polssey said.
Although the Nights Watch could sometimes be wasteful, they were, after all, a special unit, and their circumstances were unique.
At night, Mufasa and Lord Commander Mormont sat together eating.
A man in black robes, visibly drunk, approached Mufasa's table.
"Mufasa, I heard you took all of our Nights Watch's food. Do you intend to monopolize our grain?"
"You're drunk, Ser Alliser," Mufasa said, glancing at him.
"You came here and immediately brought our Nights Watch under your command, and now all our food has been taken to your army camp. Tell me, what exactly are you here for?" Alliser asked, exhaling a breath of wine.
"To kill Others, to kill wights, and to protect The Wall from collapsing," Mufasa said.
"Even without you, we Nights Watch wouldn't let The Wall collapse. At worst, we'll completely seal all the tunnels, making The Wall impassable. Never mind Others, wights, or wildlings, none will get through."
Instructor Alliser said.
He waved his hand and looked at the other Nights Watchmen.
"Brothers, tell me if I'm right."
"Right!"
"Right!"
A few people echoed.
Mufasa understood that Alliser was here to pick a fight. He might be afraid that Mufasa would seize the Nights Watch's power, demoting him from an officer to a soldier, or perhaps he feared Mufasa would send him Beyond the Wall to fight Others directly.
"Ser Alliser, don't be afraid. If it really comes to war, you can stay behind and be responsible for defending the home front. I'll send Benjen Stark and them to fight the Others," Mufasa said.
Alliser's face flushed; he felt Mufasa was looking down on him.
"Come out and spar with me. Let's see if my sword is sharp enough to kill Others," Alliser said, his neck red.
"You're drunk, Alliser. Two men, take him back to rest," Lord Commander Mormont said.
Several strong Nights Watchmen picked Alliser up and carried him out.
"Mufasa, don't mind him. He's definitely jealous of you. I know this, Alliser isn't a broad-minded person, but he's not a bad person either," Lord Commander Jeor Mormont said.
"I understand!" Mufasa nodded.
Given his age, his current status indeed made many people envious and resentful.
"Lord Mormont, do you still remember your son?" Mufasa suddenly asked.
He had just received a letter from Jon Snow not long ago, stating that Daenerys Targaryen had finally hatched three young dragons.
She was now safe, under the protection of Jorah Mormont, Jon Snow, and other Horse-people warriors, heading towards the Valyrian ruins.
They planned to try their luck there, to see if they could find anything good.
After all, Mufasa served as a precedent. Although Ser Barristan might not pledge allegiance to Daenerys Targaryen this time, Jon Snow had taken his place.
"Why do you mention him? He's an unfilial son! He brought shame to the Mormont Family," the Old Bear said.
"Do you know who he is serving?" Mufasa asked again.
"I only know he went to the Free Cities. I don't know where he is now," the Old Bear said.
"If I told you he was serving the descendant of the Targaryen Family, would you believe it? The last true dragon, Daenerys Targaryen, she has hatched three young dragons. Your son is protecting her," Mufasa said.
"What!" The Old Bear's eyes widened.
"He, he really did something big! How does the monarch he serves compare to Robert?" the Old Bear asked.
"Well, for now, she might be too young and inexperienced," Mufasa said.
×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×
Read Extra Chapter Visit My Patreon
I have only 1 tier
19$ Tier – Access to 40 advance chapters
patreon.com/Lempil
patreon.com/Lempil