"Tyrion," the Commander nodded at the Dwarf from behind the table. As the former Lord of Bear Island, a Lord from the North, his seniority and status were certainly sufficient to address the other man by name. "Are you finding your stay at The Wall pleasant?"
"Thank you for your concern, Commander. Everything is fine, except my backside is a bit numb and I shiver with cold at night." Tyrion sat down opposite the table with a smile. "But I must admit, being robbed by a group of Wildlings on the road from the Wolfswood to the New Gift was truly an unprecedented new experience. Quite thrilling."
"Failing to keep the Wildlings outside the walls is the Night's Watch's responsibility. Please accept our apologies."
"Alright, I forgive you." Tyrion shrugged indifferently, adjusting his posture to make his backside more comfortable. "After being here for a few days, I've gained some understanding of the Night's Watch's current situation, and I really can't bring myself to blame you... But honestly, no matter how short-handed you are, stopping the Wildlings is still your responsibility. This time, I was attacked, but Benjen and his men protected me. However, what if one day the Wildlings roam into the heart of the North and attack the subjects or even members of the Umber, Karstark, or even Stark families? That would be a huge problem... Wouldn't you agree?"
"Yes, the Wildlings climb over The Wall through gaps between the three castles, row across our two-boat defense line from Seal Bay, and sneak through the Great Gorge in groups from the Shadow Tower. The Night's Watch tries to stop them all, but we are truly willing yet powerless." Mormont's brows furrowed into a knot. "I have already had Maester Aemon send warnings to the Lords of the North, and Lord Stark seems to have promised to assemble a force for me to use temporarily. It's just a pity I don't know when it will be fully assembled and delivered to me."
"Lord Stark is a good Lord... It's just a pity that even gods can't stop the decline of the Night's Watch. Seeing the legendary shield that guards the human Kingdom fall to such a state, my heart aches deeply." Tyrion put on an expression of regret. "Therefore, I have decided to provide some funding to the Night's Watch."
"Huh?"
...
Even someone as seasoned and steady as Mormont couldn't help but be stunned for a moment—the population within The Gift and the New Gift, governed by the Night's Watch, was less than ten thousand, making it completely impossible to support the Night's Watch, which numbered nearly a thousand men. Therefore, whether acknowledged or not, "funding" had gradually become the main source of provisions and supplies for the Black Cloaks.
He, as the Night's Watch Commander, was already very skilled at asking others for support—in fact, he had been thinking of finding an opportunity to plead poverty and portray their hardship to the Queen's brother. Unexpectedly, before he even opened his mouth, the other party took the initiative to offer. In a moment of excitement, his address immediately changed: "That... that's truly wonderful, Lord. The Night's Watch will be grateful for your generosity and foresight!"
"Mm, don't be hasty. There's an additional condition—I want to designate someone to go with me to King's Landing to receive my 'funding'."
"Who?"
"Aegon, the Ranger from beyond the Sunset Sea whom you recently sent to Winterfell."
"A very reasonable request," Mormont calmed down instantly, stared at Tyrion for a moment, and said tentatively, "But the Rangers are currently short-handed. He really needs to return quickly."
"I haven't finished yet." He saw through my true intentions in an instant; truly worthy of being the long-time head of Bear Island, Tyrion thought to himself, and quickly added, "He is not only to receive my funding but also to stay in King's Landing and continue to raise subsequent provisions and supplies for the Night's Watch."
...
Mormont was silent for a moment before speaking slowly, "Tyrion, the identity of a Night's Watchman is for life. No one can join and then leave."
"I understand and respect this tradition, or rather, rule." Tyrion took the floor. "He will be permanently stationed in King's Landing as the Night's Watch Quartermaster and provide continuous support for The Wall. As Westeros's largest city and capital, King's Landing is home to countless nobles and dignitaries; securing some funding is a very simple matter."
Mormont shook his head. "Tyrion, I don't understand why you want to help him so much, but please allow me to speak plainly: the Night's Watch is short of everything, but what we lack most is men. While logistical supplies are certainly strained, if we only guard The Wall without venturing beyond, we can scrape by for a few more months by piecing things together and tightening our belts. No matter what, the Northern Lords would never watch the Night's Watch starve to death.
"But manpower... that is truly in a state of severe shortage." The Night's Watch Commander poured out his grievances to the Queen's brother. "We have less than a thousand men left. Six hundred are stationed here, two hundred at the Shadow Tower, and even fewer at Eastwatch-by-the-Sea. Less than a third of these men are truly capable of fighting. The Wall is a full three hundred leagues long. Please consider, if enemies attack, I can only assign three men to guard each league."
"Three and a third," Tyrion yawned. "Even less than that. Surely you won't miss this one, will you? Besides, King's Landing has half a million people. You could easily round up a few from the slums inside and outside the city and fill the remaining intact towers of the Castle Black. What's more, Yoren and those Night's Watch 'Crows' aren't at The Wall year-round, are they? Why can't Aegon?"
"That's different. The Crows are veterans who have been in the Night's Watch for a long time. They no longer have the courage of their youth and can only contribute in this way... They are rooted here and have nowhere else to go. Not to mention, we also made calculations when providing food, lodging, and travel expenses to ensure they couldn't wander around outside for too long after completing their tasks."
Commander Mormont changed the subject. "But Aegon is different. A young, strong, and quick-witted lad like him can do well anywhere you throw him. Once he's gone, I doubt we could catch him even if we sent men after him." He grumbled, "What's more, the Night's Watch is not short of lads from the slums right now. The kind of people sent here these days... they're either stable boys, thieves, or rapists. While such fellows can fill the numbers when we're short-handed, the problem is that this kind makes up too large a proportion, and we don't have enough core strength to train, manage, and suppress them. The Night's Watch currently has only about thirty men who can read and write, and even fewer who can think, plan, or lead. Lord Tyrion, I even wanted to ask you to stay at the Castle Black to help, and yet you're asking us for a man."
"You think too highly of me. If you don't mind, I'd be happy to round up all the Dwarves in Westeros for you."
The old man truly didn't want to, nor was he in the mood to exchange witty remarks and jest with the other party. He shook his head. "Please forgive me, but I cannot accept your condition. I won't insist on the funding, and please don't mention taking a man away again."
***
Damn it, old men should be a bit muddled and slow; how is this person in front of me like a spirit? Tyrion grumbled inwardly. He never broke his word in his life and hated the feeling of disappointing friends the most. After thinking for a while, he could only pull out his trump card: "Commander, how about this: I guarantee on the honor of the Lannister name that Aegon will never run away. If I cause you to lose a capable soldier... I guarantee I will compensate you with more than a dozen... definitely not thieves or rapists, and they can even train, manage, and suppress those scumbags under your command. What do you think?"
Mormont sighed helplessly. He had already refused quite explicitly, but the other party not only refused to give up but also brought up the honor of his family... It seemed like a polite and honorable way of speaking, but as someone born into a noble house, Mormont naturally understood the subtext: I must take this man away, please give me face—this was almost... no, this was coercion.
The implication was simple: if he didn't agree, he would offend the other party.
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