Chapter 126

During the European Middle Ages, the Knights Templar became wealthy beyond imagination by engaging in banking and commerce, rivaling the treasuries of kings and dukes. They were the largest creditors to countless rulers and nobles but ultimately met their downfall at the hands of their biggest client—King Philip IV of France. The king issued a nationwide arrest warrant that obliterated the Templars, and their attempt to seek refuge through the Church failed. They became casualties of the power struggle between religion and monarchy. Once mighty and untouchable, they vanished from history after a single Black Friday. Why?

Aegor had summed it up in three reasons:

1. They lacked a stronghold of their own.
After the fall of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the Templars became like homeless dogs. Despite being rootless, they still controlled immense wealth, committing the fatal error of "treasuring a jade ring in a crime-filled land." Worse, they forgot their primary purpose: "ensuring the safety of pilgrimage routes," instead prioritizing financial ventures over their original mission.

Without a territory to retreat to, their enormous wealth made them easy targets. When their benefactors turned on them, they had no strategic depth to counterattack.

2. They loaned money to those far more powerful than themselves.
This hardly needs elaboration. Lending to entities stronger than oneself is inherently risky. The Templars compounded this by loaning—at high interest—to the very rulers sheltering them. As European nations waged war on each other, the Templars profited as middlemen. Naturally, this stirred resentment and envy.

When their patrons couldn’t repay their debts and began coveting the Templars’ riches, the end was inevitable.

3. They lacked an independent, powerful military force.
The Templars were initially a military order, but after retreating to Europe from Jerusalem, they relied on their financial networks and the Church’s protection. They grew complacent, letting go of their military roots.

Ultimately, the truth became clear: no matter how many allies you have or how strong your umbrella of protection, nothing replaces the strength of your own arms.

...

Learning from history, Aegor resolved to follow the Templars’ path of financial growth while avoiding their downfall. To do so, he planned to make several key adjustments.

Stronghold: The Wall and the Gift were natural and legally recognized territories of the Night’s Watch. As long as Aegor acted cautiously and avoided provoking "mad dogs" like Cersei, the worst-case scenario would be retreating to Castle Black—an outcome that, while inconvenient, wouldn’t threaten his life.

However, the Night’s Watch’s lands weren’t the same as the Night’s Watch Industries’ lands. The two entities shared a prefix and appeared intertwined but operated independently. Other than the industries providing supplies and manpower to the Watch, they were practically separate. Aegor hoped this separation could remain permanent.

Avoid reckless lending: Aegor had already laid out plans to avoid this pitfall. Using the Night’s Watch’s oath of neutrality as a pretext, he would categorically refuse to lend to the Seven Kingdoms’ nobles or the Iron Throne. By establishing this rule from the outset, he could avoid offending anyone.

Military force: This was the only aspect Aegor could directly control in the present. The so-called "Night’s Watch Logistics and Security Department" was his private army in disguise.

...

Flanked by his subordinates, Aegor was led to the security department, located in the industrial park’s northwest corner near the palisade.

In an open space in front of several buildings, distinct from the workers' dormitories, dozens of young men in black vests practiced sparring in pairs with training swords. Three Stark guards stood nearby, correcting stances and halting dangerous movements. They were far more diligent than Ser Alliser Thorne back at Castle Black.

Of course, they had to be. Unlike Ser Alliser, who faced no rewards for good training or punishments for bad, these guards likely had incentives tied to their efforts. But why were there three Stark guards?

Aegor squinted and recognized them immediately.

"Hayward, Oden, Davys!" he called out loudly. "Just saying hello, keep up the good work!"

Aside from Hayward, the other two were the same men Eddard Stark had lent Aegor when he first arrived in King’s Landing. Aegor had sent them to escort the first batch of supplies to Eastwatch-by-the-Sea, and they hadn’t returned during the chaos of the Vale rebellion. He hadn’t expected their paths to cross again here.

Tyrion chuckled. “After delivering the supplies to Eastwatch, their ship’s captain refused to return empty-handed. They ended up taking some cargo orders bound for King’s Landing. When they arrived at the office, looking for you and asking for further instructions, I put them to work here. Of course, they’re being paid a ‘stipend.’”

“I see.” Aegor nodded in understanding. Since Eddard Stark hadn’t specified a time limit for their assistance, these men could remain under Aegor’s command as long as he needed. Even if Eddard knew about their current assignment training "Night’s Watch recruits," he likely wouldn’t object.

Still, Aegor couldn’t help but find it curious. Why had Tyrion recruited only Stark guards for instructors? The Lannisters had ten times as many soldiers in King’s Landing. Why not use them? Aegor suspected the answer might lie in Tyrion’s precarious position within his family.

Despite the Lannisters' wealth and power, Tyrion had never commanded the loyalty of their household guards. Many likely took their orders directly from Cersei or Jaime, dismissing Tyrion as a "useless dwarf." If Tyrion couldn’t trust his family’s forces, relying on outsiders made sense.

Whether true or not, Aegor chose not to dwell on it. Probing further might only wound Tyrion’s pride.

...

Turning to Nina, Aegor asked, "There don’t seem to be many men here. Didn’t you say we had nearly a hundred?"

The head of security, a burly man named Geros, stepped forward. “Half are on patrol or guarding the factories, while the rest are training, Lord Aegor. They rotate in shifts.”

“Hmm, I see.” Aegor nodded, then addressed the logistics manager. “Are the security team’s accommodations and meals better than the regular workers’?”

“As per Miss Nina’s orders, their dormitories have beds with proper bedding, and they’re guaranteed at least one meat meal a day,” Geros replied.

“Good.”

To build a proper, disciplined military force, good treatment was essential. In this world, where commoners lacked the ideological zeal to endure hardship for a cause, ensuring soldiers were well-fed and well-equipped was the minimum requirement. Without such benefits, where would their motivation and loyalty come from?

...

“What else do they train in? Is it only swordsmanship?”

“For now… yes,” Geros admitted. “We were waiting for you to decide, Lord Aegor.”

“Excellent. Then I’ll decide. Take notes!”

...