Game of Thrones: Kings in the North

Chapter 20 Caitlin's Warning
Ed was wearing a black fur coat with the Stark family's direwolf crest on his chest. He and Caitlin were standing on the sidelines of the school field.

Braavosian Syrio Forel is teaching Jon and Robb, and Arya is training Bran with a wooden sword.

Recently, Arya officially entered the school field training. In the past, Robb and Jon would teach Arya some simple sword moves, and Arya would practice secretly, but Ser Roderick Cassel, the coach of Winterfell, did not Arya-to-be has been on the school grounds for too long.

Recently, the old coach went to the winter town to train the winter town guard, and the training of the children of Winterfell was handed over to the water dancer Syrio Forel from Braavos.Arya seemed to have a good temper with Syrio, and the Braavosi didn't mind training girls, so Arya just sneaked into the school grounds.

Caitlin frowned and said, "How many times have I said that Arya should follow Sister Mordane and Sansa and learn more about women and etiquette. She hangs out with boys all day, how decent is she?"

Ed smiled, "Etiquette class every day, female celebrity class, Arya is not absent, let her play if she wants to play!"

Caitlin said: "Arya is too wild, she often doesn't listen to what I say, you father, don't bother with her. Yesterday, I told Syrio to stop training Arya, and he actually said What Arya has the potential to be a water dancer and an assassin. He wants to train my daughter to be an assassin!"

"Syrio is just talking casually."

Ed watched Arya knock the wooden sword in Bran's hand away, and Arya laughed.

Caitlin looked at Arya who was laughing, "This child is becoming less and less ladylike. Let the Braavos teach her, and Arya will become more and more mischievous. By the way, Braavos in our castle Are there too many people? Ed, I have never understood why you gave the children to the Braavosi for training? You also found that Klar to manage the money. He is a foreigner. What if we stole our money and ran away?"

Ed said: "Don't be suspicious. Klar is my financial advisor, and it's his job to manage the books and money."

Caitlin persisted, "I heard from Vayon Poole that this Krall took a lot of money from the vault of Winterfell, and we only have a box of golden dragons left. Are you really going to starve us to death?"

Ed jokingly said, "The canteens, taverns and butcher shops we invested in Winterfell have opened in the town of Winterfell. How could we starve to death?"

Caitlin said angrily: "I looked at the books of the wolf's canteen, butcher shop and tavern. The business is good, but the money is not enough to build a house. When I stay in Winterfell, I can hear the craftsmen beating stones." The sound, the sound is driving me crazy. Those stables, barracks, and forges you built in Winterfell are simply crazy. I think Wintershine will be the same as most of the forts under the Great Wall in the future. Same, go to waste."

"Ma'am, you are too pessimistic." Ed was full of confidence. "Many fortresses in the Great Wall of Despair are abandoned because the night watchmen do not marry wives and have no children. The people in the winter town will continue to reproduce and live endlessly."

Caitlin patiently said, "The higher your project is built, the poorer we will be. So many peasants have to eat, the wages of artisans, the wages of guards, the transportation and mining costs of stone and timber. What if we run out of money? "

"Then the only option is to borrow." In fact, from the first day when Ed started to expand the winter town, he knew that Winterfell would go into debt sooner or later. The difference was in how much he borrowed.

"Earl Wyman Manderly is happy to lend money to Winterfell, but Kral suggested that it would be better to borrow money from the Iron Bank."

Earl Wyman of White Harbor is the richest vassal in the North. Ships from the North and from all over the Seven Kingdoms and across the narrow sea gather in White Harbor and bring a large amount of tax revenue to White Harbor every day. White Harbor Not only is it a high-quality ice-free port, but Earl Wyman's jurisdiction itself is also a war horse and fish production area, which is very rich.

Since the Mandalay family is an exiled nobleman in the Reach, they are the only nobles in the north who believe in the seven gods. The number of knights under the White Harbor tent is the largest in the north. There are more than 100 property knights who swear allegiance to the Mandalay family alone. bit.

When Earl Wyman learned that the expansion of Winterfell town made Winterfell's funds tight, he offered to borrow money from Winterfell, even without interest. Ed weighed it and refused.

It is not new for the lords of the Seven Kingdoms to borrow money from their vassals. King Robert owed millions of golden dragons to Casterly Rock, but Eddard didn't want to owe money to his vassals.

With short manpower, once White Harbor becomes the creditor of Winterfell, other vassals will say that Winterfell is biased towards White Harbor and cannot be dealt with fairly when dealing with lord disputes. Disputes, quarrels almost all year round, if they can't be resolved, they will go to Winterfell to ask Ed for a ruling.

It is said that Roose Bolton of Dreadfort and Rickard Karstark of Cahoe City have always complained about the salt village on the east coast being transported to White Harbor for settlement with Wyman Mandalay. If they know Winterfell's collection of money from White Harbor will only deepen the dissatisfaction of these vassals.

When Ed said that he wanted to borrow money from the Iron Bank, Caitlin became a little anxious.

"Are you crazy? Even when winter was raging, we didn't borrow money from the Iron Bank. You forgot that winter is coming, and the winter in the north? It's summer and we borrowed money from the Iron Bank. If the seasons change and there is a winter that lasts for several years, the interest will snowball until the next spring, and we will be debt slaves to the Braavosi."

At this time, Syrio Forel, who was on the school ground in the distance, pointed Bran and Arya in Common Tongue with a strong Braavos accent, and Catelyn looked at him with disgust.

"Ed, listen to me, the people of Braavos can't be trusted, let Klar go! Better take this Syrio Forel too. They earn our Winterfell wages, but they try to make We borrowed money from the Iron Bank, this is the inner ghost!"

The butler, Vayon Poole, came over.

"My lord, Marin, the shipbuilder of Braavos, has arrived and is waiting for my lord's reception in the hall."

Caitlin asked depressedly: "Has our Winterfell become the back garden of the Sea King? Why is another Braavosi here?"

Ed smiled and said: "Marin is the shipbuilder recommended by Earl Wyman of White Harbor. He has served in the arsenal of Braavos for many years and has rich experience."

Caitlin said: "Master Eel recommended these Braavosi people, how much benefit did he receive? Ed, I really doubt whether Lord Eel betrayed us to the Sea King of Braavos. No wonder Master Eel and Iron Bank are fighting to be our creditor."

Ed sits on the direwolf throne and receives the shipbuilder Marin.Marin is in his 40s, with brown hair and a brown beard that hangs down to his chest. He is thin and wears a blue and black robe.

"Marin, I heard from Earl Wyman that you have served in the Braavos Arsenal for many years, and the Braavos Arsenal can build a ship in a day. You must be looking for a Braavosi for shipbuilding."

Marin said: "Duke Ed, I am from Pentos. Although I have been fortunate to have worked for the Braavos Arsenal for many years and settled in Braavos for many years, I was born in Pentos, but my family went bankrupt when I was young. In bondage, I had to flee to Braavos, where I grew up, married and had children."

A Pentothen who grew up and settled in Braavos, Catelyn would love that.

"Marin, Earl Wyman said that the shipyard in White Harbor has already started to use?"

Marin nodded, "Yes, according to Earl Wyman's order, we have built some fishing boats, walkers, and small merchant ships, but at present, we are mainly repairing some merchant ships of the Mandalay family in White Harbor. Duke Ed, to be honest, I am here After White Harbor, I was a little disappointed, and Earl Wyman told me in his letter that he invited me to White Harbor to build warships and build the Northern Fleet."

Duke Ed said: "We intend to build a battleship, but it's a pity that Winterfell doesn't have enough financial resources. I believe that before you arrive at Winterfell, you must have passed by Wintershelter Town. My people are building a large building there, and all the money is spent. In terms of town expansion, I am now poor and have no money to build ships."

"But I won't be poor forever. When I have money and my winter town expansion project is almost in progress, I will build ships. Of course, it will take a long time. I will definitely build ships in the future, you You can prepare first."

Marin said: "Actually, there is nothing to prepare. There is no shortage of wood in the northern border. The materials for shipbuilding can be found in White Harbor. If you don't have any, you can directly send a ship to Braavos to buy them. I want to ask Duke Ed, what do you want?" The purple galleys of Braavos? The big ships of the Royal Fleet? The handy longships of the ironmen? Galleons?"

Ed took out a drawing and handed it to Marin, "I want this."

Marin looked at the drawing and his eyes widened.

"This kind of warship? Lord Ed, the cost of this kind of ship is not low."

(End of this chapter)