With all the king's men, queen's men and wildlings, the night's watch are going to run out of food. Maybe they can get help from the Vale of Arryn, which should have lots more food. Knowing this, I would not be surprised if the vale ends up being of more strategic importance when the winter comes and food starts to run out everywhere.
Melisandre gives Jon the bone-shirted wildling and claims she can keep him loyal with a magic gem. Stannis means to attack the Dreadfort but Jon thinks this is a bad idea. He says Stannis should leave the wildlings with Jon to help defend the wall (presumably against monsters, not other wildlings) and go and find 3000 men from clans who live in the north-west. Jon thinks he should take these men and attack Deepwood Motte and defeat the Ironmen who hold it. (Or have they in fact abandoned it by now to have their Kingsmoot? Hmmm.) That suits Jon because he does not like Ironmen. But he is not taking sides in politics, oh no. He's a completely neutral defender of the realm.
How is Jon so good at strategy? He left Winterfell a boy and he's been in a handful of battles. I guess he learned a lot from Ned, including how to cut people's heads off and that "The Map is not the Land", which is pretty important advice.
