They were terrified the weapons would suddenly explode and burn them all to death.
Seeing their fear, Jason had to reassure them loudly. "Soldiers, don't be afraid! These bombs are safe. They're under my control. They won't explode unless I want them to.
You can bury them safely. When the ghouls come, we'll use these bombs to burn every last one of them to ash!"
"Lord Jason's right! A weapon this terrible will definitely burn the ghouls!"
"Yeah, with these exploding fire bombs, the ghouls are finished. We'll win this war!"
"It's just too powerful. Who can stop flames like that?"
"Not even those monsters!"
Hearing Jason's words, the soldiers immediately grew excited. Jason gestured to Jon, Marbu, Kent, and Rubin, motioning for them to continue burying the bombs with their men.
Although Jon and the other officers were still shaken by the bomb's power, Jason's assurance gave them the courage to get the soldiers back to work.
The nobles from the North and the Riverlands, who had been terrified moments before, now gathered around Jason, eager to flatter him.
Most men who become lords aren't stupid. They understood immediately: with bombs this powerful, the ghouls were no longer a problem.
They were already imagining what came after. Once Jason killed the ghouls, he could lead his army and sweep across all of Westeros.
With these bombs, no one could stop him. Not in Westeros, and probably not even on the continent of Essos across the Narrow Sea.
In their minds, there was no doubt: Lord Jason was going to be the King of Westeros.
A fortnight later, all one million incendiary bombs shipped from the modern world were buried, set in the massive trap.
The next step was to build a decoy: a new city with high walls, north of the Wall. It had to look like a fortress prepared for a final, desperate battle. The goal was to attract the entire army of the dead to attack it, luring them into the trap.
Jason proposed this idea at the war council. The Northern lords, who had been arguing loudly just moments before, fell utterly silent, as if someone had grabbed them by the throat. Their faces turned pale.
"Maybe... maybe we don't need to go out to attract them," someone whispered. "It's safer to just hide behind the Wall. The monsters will have to come to us eventually..."
Other nobles heard this, and their eyes lit up. That sounded like a much better plan to them.
Jason's plan to lure the enemy seemed far too dangerous. These pampered lords valued their own lives above all else and wanted no part of such a risky venture. Even after seeing the power of the incendiary bombs, they refused to take any risk beyond the safety of the Wall.
Jason looked at these cowards with a speechless expression. He hadn't even explained the specific arrangements, and they were already backing out.
Just as Jason's disappointment set in, Mance Rayder, the former King-Beyond-the-Wall, spoke up from his seat at the back of the conference table.
"Lord Jason," Mance said, his voice cutting through the silence. "I am willing to lead the Free Folk fighters beyond the Wall. We will build your city and draw the army of the dead into your trap."
The room filled with buzzing whispers. The nobles were stunned that the first to volunteer was Mance Rayder, the "savage" leader. They were furious, feeling that the courage of this "lowly" wildling put them all to shame.
Lord Jason had already made them uncomfortable by accepting the Free Folk's surrender, sparing Mance from execution, and even allowing him to attend this war council. Now, this "savage king" was bravely supporting a plan they all feared. It felt like a slap in the face.
For a moment, the lords glared at Mance Rayder with open hostility. But despite their anger or shame, one thing was certain: they still had absolutely no intention of leading their own soldiers on such a dangerous mission.
Mance Rayder ignored their angry stares. He had seen the true nature of these "noble" lords more than twenty years ago—hypocritical, cowardly, and cruel. It was why he left the Night's Watch to join the Free Folk. He held no hope for these men.
Compared to these disgusting Westerosi nobles, Lord Jason, a man from a foreign land, seemed like the only truly noble person in the room.
Since Mance led the Free Folk in surrender, Lord Jason had cared for them. His warriors, the old, the women, and the children—all of them were safe. They had enough food, even meat, and received treatment from doctors when they were sick.
Those magic medicines from Jason's world—"penicillin," "amoxicillin"—were truly effective, curing hundreds of Free Folk who would have otherwise died.
His people were deeply grateful. They had willingly followed this kind and powerful lord, becoming proud citizens of Starfire City.
Thinking of this, Mance looked at Jason, who sat at the head of the long table. His eyes were firm with reverence. He bowed his head slightly.
"Lord Jason, if you'll allow it, please give this task to me and the Free Folk. In the name of the gods, old and new, I promise you: my warriors will not fail."
Jason was very satisfied with Mance Rayder's response. He nodded with a slight smile. "I agree. But you and the Free Folk fighters won't be enough. I need to create the image of a decisive battle. A small force won't be enough to attract all the ghouls."
Jason raised a clenched fist. "The Night King isn't like those brainless ghouls. He's just as smart as any of us. We have to make this look real. We have to pull out all our forces to deceive him. We need to make him confident enough to send his entire army into the death trap we've set."
His eyes swept across the silent lords. Jason was in no mood to coddle them. He gave a direct order.
"I will gather all the soldiers from Castle Black. I'm taking them all north of the Wall, to the city we are building. As for you, my lords..."
Hearing Jason's words and feeling his gaze, the nobles quickly straightened up, puffing out their chests to look as obedient and loyal as possible.
"If you're all afraid," Jason said, his voice cold, "you can just stay here in Castle Black, behind the Wall."
------------------------
Christmas & New Year Special 🎄
To celebrate the holidays, I've added a limited-time discount on all membership tiers.
Join now to unlock advance chapters and support faster, regular updates.
Thank you for reading and supporting the story.
For Advance chapters visit : patreon.com/Mythic_Muse