Game of Thrones: Kings in the North

Chapter 142 Patrolling the Coast
In the cemetery of Blight Hall under the moonlight, in front of the statue of Roderick Dustin, Helen Pike was excited at the mention of looting.

"Lord Ed, it will be decided in the future. We will develop production in spring, summer and autumn, and accumulate warships, armor and weapons. In winter, we will recruit older northerners to form the Winter Wolf Army and go south to rob Looting, capture the southerners, the men are used as slave labor, and the women are salt concubines, what a perfect plan!"

"Anyway, people in the north always freeze to death in winter. Those old men with white hair will die sooner or later. Why not let the warm south try the power of the Winter Wolf Army in the last winter? If the Stark family comes every winter, If we send the Winter Wolf Army to the south, then I guess the northern border will be able to accumulate a lot of gold, silver and jewels long ago, even if it enters the eternal winter, they will still be able to live through the winter with laughter."

The direwolf Sunshine and Nightwalk stared at the iron bitch, the night wind was blowing, and the surrounding leaves were rustling, Ed felt the eyes of the statues of the Dustin family's successive barren kings and earls, or the legendary ancestor king was also there stare, listen.

Ed shook his head helplessly, "Salt concubine, slave labor, these are all products of the Iron Islands, Helen, I am the Duke of the North, not the king of the Iron Islands. Looting and expansion can bring wealth, but the price is heavy. My strategy is to build high walls, prepare good bows and crossbows, sharp swords and armor, and accumulate food and grass widely, so as to be invincible."

Helen Pike showed an evil smile, "Amass food, weapons and armor, and strengthen the city defense. In the end, it is for war, right? I am Lord Ed's salt concubine, so I have no choice but to obey."

Helen Pike has always regarded herself as Ed's salt concubine, and is a close friend with Ed's child. Today's pirate queen can be regarded as a dead set for Ed.

Ed patted Helen on the shoulder, "In the next few days, we will go to Xianmin River, inspect the estuary of Huangzuo River, and visit the shipyard of Panshi River. Helen, you have always dreamed of conquering the ocean. keep their own oceans.”

Helen Pike and Ed left the cemetery and returned to the Lord of the Barren Tomb Hall. On the way, Ed met Earl Wyman Manderly.

Earl Wyman Manderly is like a giant whale, with a fat body. After drinking and eating, he is a little drunk and needs someone to help him when he walks. Most people can't support Earl Wyman at all. Two sons, Willis and Wendell are beside him, supporting Mr. Eel from left to right.

Willis and Wendell are also big fat guys, but compared to Earl Wyman, they are still a size smaller.

"Lord Ed, this vodka is really delicious!" Earl Wyman smacked his mouth, "And Blue Noble, I didn't expect that Winterfell could make such a good wine. Compared with Dorne red wine, Arbor Island Golden wines are no less."

"Lord Wyman, I was looking for you." Ed held Earl Wyman's hand, "After you return to White Harbor, buy as much food as you can, from the Vale of Arryn, the Riverlands, King's Landing, Pentos, Braavos, buy as much as Tyrosh can buy, whether it's barley, wheat, pumpkin, corn, fish, as much as I can."

Earl Wyman was shocked, "Buying so much food? Sir Ed, could it be that the white crows from the Academy City are here? Autumn is here?"

Under normal circumstances, only when winter is approaching, the northern border will pass through White Harbor and buy food frantically. It is still summer, and Ed suddenly proposed to buy food, which caught Earl Wyman a little off guard.

Ed smiled and shook his head, "It's still summer, and the seasons haven't changed. Take advantage of the summer, when food is cheap, stock up and be prepared. As you said just now, the vodka brewed in Winterfell is delicious. We also need to brew ale and beer, and brewing cannot do without food."

Earl Wyman was relieved now, and he squeezed Ed's hand tightly with fingers as thick as sausages.

"Master Ed, leave the purchase of food to me."

Ed said: "When the food arrives at White Harbor, it will be transported directly to Winterfell through the White Knife River, and the financial advisor Kral will settle the payment for you."

The more food stored, the more confidence Ed has.Once the cold winter comes, the northern border will be the most difficult area in the Seven Kingdoms. With food and grass, the northern border will be able to survive the winter smoothly.

In addition to seasonal changes, the situation in the Seven Kingdoms is also a thorny problem that Ed needs to face.Under the rule of King Robert and Prime Minister Jon Arryn, the Seven Kingdoms are peaceful on the surface, but this peace is very fragile.

Now Robert's children Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen are all illegitimate children of Cersei and James, and Ed has no doubt that King's Landing's conspirator Littlefinger, "Octospider" Varys Knowing all this well, no one knows when these conspirators choose to pierce the window paper.

Conspirators always act in their own interests, and they may delay the exposure of this secret for their own interests.

Robert's second brother, Stannis, is now serving as the Sea Lord at the Royal Council in King's Landing. He is an upright man who doesn't know how to compromise.Once Stannis learned that Robert's child was a bastard, there was little that could stop Stannis from exposing such a scandal.

There is also the flamboyant and laughable Renly, the youngest Baratheon, who serves as the Minister of Justice in King's Landing. He is a master of court communication. If not, Renly will suddenly notice that Robert's children do not have Baratheon. grace lineage.At that time, no one knows what choice Renly will make.

The past of Joffrey, Tommen and Myrcella is a ticking time bomb that will come to light sooner or later.At that time, whether Robert executes Cersei and several children, or Cersei kills Robert first, the Seven Kingdoms will surely fall apart.

The West will fight for Cersei, daughter of Casterly Rock, and the Stormlands, the Reach, the Riverlands, and the Vale of Arryn will all be left alone, the Seven Kingdoms will fall into a feast of death and blood for the Iron Throne, and the North will have to be involved war.

Once the war starts, food and grass will become the key winner. Since war may break out at any time, Ed must hoard more food and grass.

Although Winterfell is heavily in debt today, owing 40 gold dragons to the Braavos Iron Bank and [-] gold dragons to the Manderly family in White Harbor, but because Ed has opened up multiple sources of income for Winterfell, cinnabar ink, medicine , maple syrup, brewery, perfume, scented candles, dyes, soap, farms, forges, etc., doubled the ability of Winterfell to make money, and Ed was free to hoard food and grass.

The day after Barbaret and Ferran's wedding ended, nobles from all over the northern border left one after another and returned to their respective fiefs.

Ed took the entourage of Winterfell to the mouth of the Barren Tomb River, and Barbaret and Ferran sent them outside the bronze gate of the Barren Tomb Hall.

"Balballet, Ferran, enjoy your newlywed life!"

Mrs. Ballet's face was full of joy, as if she was ten years younger. "Ferran and I are going to work hard to have a baby! Lord Ed, are you going back to Winterfell directly?"

"No, I plan to take Caitlin and the children to the seaside of Saltspear Beach."

After leaving Barrowton, Ed Caitlin took the children, Helen Pike, Jon, Theon, guard Dawson and Syrio Forel, and rode down the Barrow River.

The Barren Mound River is the most important river in the Barren Mound Land. There are many manors and fishing villages along the way. The residents used game and river fish to receive Duke Ed and his party.

Arya and Sansa are very happy, collecting wild flowers and fruits along the way, Arya likes to stick with Jon, and Sansa prefers to be with Domeric.

A few days later, Ed arrived at the mouth of the Barren Mound River and saw the Yantun of Winterfell on both sides of the river.

The Yantun here was built on the basis of the ruins of the ancient ring fort of the ancestors by the sea, and the soldiers built arrow towers and beacon towers.

Looking at the ruins of the ring castle of the ancestors, Robb said in shock: "In order to resist the iron people, the ancestors actually built such a huge ring castle."

Ed looked at the blue saltspear beach, "The ancestors didn't do sailing, but look at these ring forts, they can not only defend against the enemy, but also provide ports and bases for the ancestors to go to sea. The ancestors also had ambitions for the sea, don't forget Yes, House Stark produced Brandon the Shipbuilder."

Theon smiled lightly, "Lord Ed is building a fleet now, so will the title left in the historian's books be 'Shipbuilder' Ed?"

The Yantun soldiers were very excited to see the Duke of Winterfell.Soldiers in Yantun usually have to refine salt by the sea, dry salt, and receive military training. When the Ironborn pirates attack, the soldiers in Yantun have to take up arms and fight for the northern border and Winterfell.

After Ed implemented the ban on salt in the northern border, the Stark family controlled the production and sales rights of salt, and Winterfell even mastered the processing technology of fine salt. In order to satisfy the taste buds, rich merchants and nobles are willing to spend money to buy fine salt , the profit of fine salt is several times that of coarse salt.Yantun has become a lucrative business.

Serving as a soldier in Yantun is regarded as an honor, and drying the salt itself is also very hard work.Ed keeps improving the welfare of Yantun soldiers. The monthly salary of ordinary soldiers is 40 copper coins, and the monthly salary of Winterfell soldiers is 50 copper coins. The salaries of Yantun soldiers and Winterfell soldiers are the same. Pensions are higher.

The Barren River flows into the Saltspear Flats. Ed has purchased the Barren River from the Dustin family and the Laswell family, the mouth of the First Men River. In the future, Ed will build forts and ports here. .In this way, the defense at sea can be enhanced.

Raphael, the ironborn shipbuilder, is leading shipbuilders to build longships at the shipyard on the upper Rock River.Once Aide has a fleet escort on the side of the Sunset Sea, merchant ships from the south and north can trade in the Sea of ​​the Sunset. At that time, these ports will come in handy.

Because the ironborn pirates cut off the western route, merchant ships from all over the world, at most, went to Sea Front City or King's Harbor, and then turned around and returned south. Few merchant ships traded on the west coast of the northern border, not only because of the pirate problem, but also because There are no decent ports on the west coast of the North.

To reach the north, grain ships from the Reach need to go around the rugged and barren coast of Dorne, enter the Narrow Sea, cross the pirate-infested Stepstones, cross the storm-ravaged Shipbreaker Bay, pass the Howler, and pass the coastline of the Vale of Arryn. , into Bite Bay, before finally reaching White Harbor.

Once there is a port in the west of the northern border, Ed believes that merchant ships can be attracted to bring pumpkins, grapes, corn, fish and wheat from the riverlands to the northern border, which can save transportation costs and increase the price of food. will be cheaper.

In the future, vodka, whiskey, cinnabar ink, perfume, medicine, maple syrup, wood, fur, and woolen fabrics in the northern region can also be sold directly to the western region, the riverlands and the bay through the ports on the Saltspear Flat and the Rock Coast.

Ed looked at the banks of the Huangzuo River and said excitedly: "In the future, this place will be an important port. I will let the architect Downs build a fortress, a dock, and a dock. I have already named it, and it will be called Shuguangwang. "

Caitlin frowned and said, "There aren't even many fishing villages around here. Who would come here to trade? Ed, you should save some money!"

Ed said helplessly: "Kaitlin, you have to look at things from the perspective of development. Don't worry, I will fully develop the shipping value of Saltspear Beach, Xianmin River, Barren River, and Panshi River. These ports will not Worse than Haijiang City."

In the next few days, Ed took his family and entourage to the Xianmin River, which is the dividing line between the stream land and the barren mound land. To the west of the Xianmin River is the stream land, and there are lush pastures on both sides of the Xianmin River. Many shepherds graze horses, cattle and sheep in the wilderness.

Then they arrived at the Panshi River, which belongs to the Panshi Coast, and the Panshi River flows into Mingyan Bay.Only hundreds of soldiers from Yantun greeted Ed here.Since the Fisher family became extinct, the Stony Coast has become a direct jurisdiction of Winterfell.Due to the lack of lord's jurisdiction, pirates have been raging here for a long time, and the population is sparsely populated. After the salt ban, many residents migrated to the winter resort town, and some went to the territories of the Tauha family and the Laswell family.

In Ed's plan, Yantun at the mouth of the Xianmin River and the Panshi River will also be developed into a port.

Caitlin looked around, but didn't see the shipyard.

"Didn't it say that there is a shipyard on the Panshi River? Where is it?"

Helen Pike replied: "Ms. Caitlin, the shipyard is upstream of the Rock River. The mouth of the Rock River is not safe. If the ironborn pirates know that there is a shipyard nearby, they will take the risk to attack for the longship."

Caitlin never liked Helen Pike, she said angrily: "Isn't your shipbuilder also an ironborn? I thought the ironborn pirates would be lenient because of your status as the ironborn! So, you pirate queen , I’m also afraid of being robbed by pirates.”

Helen Pike squeezed out a smile, "It's nothing new for pirates to rob each other, Madam Caitlin, you don't know the courage and madness of the Ironborn pirates' plundering, we put the shipyard on the upper reaches of the Rock River, so it's safe. "

Amidst the cheers of Yantun soldiers, everyone in Winterfell left the estuary of the Panshi River and went north along the Panshi River. Ed noticed the sawdust floating down the river, which could only have come from the shipyard.

When we arrived at the shipyard, it was afternoon, and the shipbuilder Rafael was leading the shipbuilders, working in full swing.

Raphael has messy black hair and is short and stocky. He is a young shipbuilder in his 30s, but he has been designing and building ships for ten years.

Seeing Helen, Raphael hugged her excitedly.Raphael is Helen's ironman shipbuilder, and he works for Winterfell because of Helen.

Helen squeezed Raphael's face, "Raphael, you're getting fat again. Mogul builds ships on the upper reaches of the White Knife River, and here you are in charge of building longships on the west coast of the northern border. Don't embarrass me!"

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(End of this chapter)