iron throne of ice and fire

Chapter 415 Green's List 3
"Prepare----"

The soldiers leaned back slightly, their bowstrings were fully drawn, and the entire venue suddenly fell into silence, as if time had stopped.

The breeze blew gently, ruffling the corners of the soldiers' blue clothes and the white feathers on their pointed helmets.

"Fire arrows!"

In an instant, three thousand bowstrings were released at the same time, making a thrilling "bang" sound, like a black storm cloud sweeping out in an instant.

The sharp arrows pierced the air, making a sharp whistling sound, as if countless dragons were roaring in unison.

The sky was covered by dense arrows and the sunlight became dim in an instant. The spectators were stunned by this sudden shocking scene and forgot to close their open mouths.

Then the arrows fell like meteors, rushing towards the distant target. Rows of huge scarecrow targets were instantly pierced by countless arrows, and broken straw flew in the air.

Before the audience could fully recover from their shock, a roar rang out from the audience: "Release!"

Following a hair-raising "bang" sound, a black cloud appeared in the sky again.

Whoosh whoosh————

After seven rounds of volleys, the demonstration of the three thousand Kleber longbow archers ended, and what was left on the field was a dense forest of arrows, witnessing this shocking volley of arrows.

A deafening cheer rang out a beat later, filling the entire venue.

Green had a friendly smile on his face as he talked to the smiling crowd. He nodded with slight satisfaction. He saw from the smiles of these people that their support for the Marigold flag had become even stronger.

Dick Crabb followed Green with his chest puffed out and his hands behind his back, looking proud, and he wanted to play the role of the Crabb family's sword.

Because he was deliberately keeping a straight face, Dick's habitual eye rolling also decreased a lot. Although it was not obvious on his face, he was very satisfied with the nobles of Salt Works Town who did not dare to look him in the eye.

After chatting with a now impoverished small lord in the eastern part of the Riverlands, Green glanced at Dick, whose face could not be seen but only his pointed chin. A smile flashed across his lips, and he turned to chat with the next landless lord of the Riverlands who took the initiative to meet him.

While maintaining his proud demeanor, Dick also pricked up his ears to listen to the conversation between his lord and these people.

The main subject of discussion with the local nobles in Saltpan Town was maritime trade, and with the pitiful nobles and knights in the riverlands, it was land and castle issues, and... occasionally a few words about the brutality of the war sixteen years ago.

An old knight had a terrible scar on his face from his right ear to his upper lip. The scar was like a deep ravine, recording his past bravery and suffering. It was noticeable that he had taken good care of himself before, but the worn-out plate armor could not hide his desolation.

Green held the old knight's bark hand with one finger missing with his left hand, patted the back of his hand with his right hand, and said, "Honor never dies, good knight."

Thus ended Green’s walk on the highest observation deck.

Then came the ladies on the viewing platform on the right. Green's footsteps suddenly paused, and the eyes of the two half-savage noble descendants met at the same time. It would be most considerate for the female companion to go over at this time, but they all ignored this point.

It wasn't a big problem. Green casually pointed to a noble with the most sincere smile and asked him to invite a few noble ladies with the highest status to come and meet him, which was considered as fulfilling the etiquette.

Then, several elderly ladies with gray hair appeared in front of Green, all of them with their daughters or granddaughters dressed up in fancy clothes.

Facing the sweet girls who were like the summer sunshine, Green's greetings were filled with many words of praise, and the proud Dick Craber grinned.

"Yes, there is nothing more wonderful than a couple in love being blessed by everyone under the witness of the gods."

"Yes, your granddaughter will be very popular at the banquet in King's Landing, and some knight may challenge his rivals to a duel for her love."

"Oh? Your son serves in the gold cloaks? ...I remember him. He is very brave. He is one of the few outstanding young men in King's Landing. I think he will definitely bring remarkable honor to you and your family."

Finally waking up from being surrounded by beauties of all ages and listening to the sweet words of the feudal lord, clever Dick suddenly realized Green's intention. The ruined Riverlands could not withstand greater war, otherwise... what Crabb would receive was a ruined land and hateful Riverlands people.

His feudal lord could not appease others with a smile while heads were rolling. He really needed a sharp blade to solve his dilemma.

But... where will he vent his hatred? Dick, who was clever, could not help but touch his neck. His back was immediately covered in cold sweat, and fear surged into his heart like a cold tide.

Dick's gaze shifted involuntarily to Green. Looking at that gentle face, he seemed to hear a stranger's call in his ears... He quickly shook his head to dispel the fear that was surging at the moment. Green was an extremely fair feudal lord.

But... even with Green's protection, could he and his family withstand so much hatred? Thinking of his wife and the child in her belly, Dick's thoughts kept flying, and soon... he really thought of a good idea.

The meeting with the noble women ended in a pleasant atmosphere, and then Green took Dick and others to the left viewing platform where the merchants were.

Here Green just chatted casually for a few words and then left. Roselle, the manager of Kleber Trading Company, stayed to discuss with them the asylum issues that these merchants were concerned about, including...whether the Duke would send troops to wipe out the bandit groups that were doing evil in the riverlands. This was what they were most concerned about.

In the afternoon, Green rode on horseback to inspect a piece of abandoned farmland west of Saltpan Town. This place had been "visited" by the Lannister army and the Northern cavalry successively, and had become a real no-man's land.

Today, there are hundreds of riverlanders busy here. They are refugees gathered by Green along the way. Their figures seem very small in this desolate land.

Whenever they saw the flag of the swamp marigold, people who were busy planting wheat and potatoes would stop and kneel on the ground to give thanks devoutly until the flag disappeared.

After a rough inspection, Green, under the witness of the gods in heaven, conferred this unowned land to the Sir of Crab Claw Peninsula, who had accumulated military merits to the point of being a wealthy knight.

[Property knights refer to sworn knights who were granted land by the lord. They govern farmers, blacksmiths, soldiers, etc., but they have no right to administer justice on their own land. If there are any illegal things, they must report them to the lord they are loyal to for a decision.]

At night, after the combat meeting in the Riverlands ended, Green discovered Dick, who did not leave with everyone else, and his face was full of nervousness.

Green raised his eyebrows slightly, pointed to the chair closest to him at the long table, and said, "Please sit down."

Dick came over tremblingly and sat down, while Green leaned back in his chair, his eyebrows softly raised, his eyelids drooping, and said, "Is there anything wrong, my people?"

Brienne brought two glasses of wine. Dick took a sip of the wine, then looked around cautiously, and then spoke carefully: "Lord Green, I have an idea about the rebels in the riverlands." Rebels? Green's mouth curled slightly: "I will listen, you speak."

After taking another sip of wine, Dick leaned forward slightly, holding the wine glass tightly in his hand, and lowered his voice and said, "I'm wondering... given the current situation in the Riverlands, if you pardon those traitors, in the future... will they become the most staunch supporters of the Kleber family?"

Green still had his eyes closed, and his lips, neither thick nor thin, slightly opened: "What's the reason?"

Dick looked around again and lowered his voice: "Because your future wife is a Targaryen, and they followed Baratheon in the rebellion, their... um... um... fear will turn into loyalty to you, because only in this way can they continue to be protected by you...?"

After a pause, Green's voice rang out: "Dick, if I protected your kinslayer enemies and let those people live as comfortably as before, what would you think of me, a feudal lord who protected your kinslayer enemies?"

He opened his eyes, and his brown eyes reflected Dick's nervous face. "If it were Dany, how do you think she would handle this situation? Maybe she would choose to support it, but... have you ever thought about the future? It's like a thorn. The longer it stays, the deeper it gets. Will it be used by someone with ulterior motives one day in the future?"

"I'm sorry... I... I... I didn't think so much..."

Green raised his hand to suppress Dick who was about to get up and sat him down on the chair. He said, "Compared to those people you mentioned, the real supporters of Kleber are the beneficiaries of the new cake, because their castles and titles are legally conferred by Kleber, which is the most reliable."

"I will remember this." Dick swallowed his saliva and said, "Will this make... the Red Castle wary of you?"

"The Baratheon Red Keep doesn't have the energy to pay attention to the chaos in the Riverlands, nor does it have the strength to do so."

Green shook his head slightly. “If it wasn’t for the need to pacify the Riverlands as quickly as possible, I wouldn’t have asked you to clear only half of the list I gave you.”

He sighed and said, "Good opportunities don't always come. For the sake of the people of the Riverlands, I have to compromise."

After a pause, he sighed again: "My original plan was to divide the land of the Riverlands into three parts, and award them to the Knights of the Crab Claw Peninsula, the Knights of the Valley, and the former loyal knights of the Dragon Family."

As Dick's eyes kept turning, Green stood up and came to his side. He stretched out his hand to grab his shoulder and said, "Dick, my people, don't be afraid. I will always protect you. Kleber is never afraid."

Dick's thin chest rose and fell slowly. He gritted his teeth and raised his voice unconsciously: "Lord Green, I will definitely complete your task. We are united as one!"

Green smiled, patted Dick on the shoulder and said, "With unity, we can achieve success. I believe in you and I will look forward to it."

Before leaving, Dick repeated his determination to Green and strode away.

Clap, clap—Brienne of Tarth saw that Green's glass was empty, so she took the flagon to pour the wine.

"You have something."

Green looked up from the map at Brienne. "Ser, I thought I had enough patience, but I didn't expect you to have better patience."

Brienne looked at Green with her clear blue eyes, blinked, then shyly looked away and said, "I... nothing important. You are very busy every day."

"I saw you staring at letters several times when I was in King's Landing."

Green stretched out his right hand: "Let me guess... the writer of the letter is your father, Earl Selwyn Tarth? And the recipient is me?"

Brienne stepped back, her eyes fixed on her feet. "I wrote back. I told him... to write directly to you instead of asking me to pass it on to you."

Green glared at her, then his outstretched hand moved.

After hesitating for a long time, Brienne took out her father's letter and handed it to Green.

Green took it with a smile, opened the letter and said, "'Evening Star' is a wise lord. He made such arrangements probably to be more considerate, or maybe..."

He read the letter with his eyes and added, "He knows your character and has long been prepared to be rejected by you."

Lord Selwyn's handwriting was beautiful, and the words in the letter were as beautiful as a ballad. Without the common greetings between nobles, the content was not long, and Green finished reading it quickly.

Green put down the letter. Seeing Brienne staring at him, he tapped his fingers on the table for a while and said, "It seems that your father got the news that Lord Mace was going to attack Storm's End a long time ago. He wanted to find out the Red Keep's attitude towards the Stormland nobles. He represents the few peace-loving Stormland nobles who did not follow Renly or Stannis in the uprising."

After thinking for a while, Green reached out and pulled out a blank piece of parchment, picked up the quill pen, and dipped it in ink.

…………

After Dick Crabbe and Sir Mason Baker (Crabbe's retainer knight and commander of the garrison) led a division of Crabbe's soldiers to the west, starting from the second day, more and more nobles from the eastern part of the riverlands who were displaced by the looting of the northern cavalry gathered in Saltpan Town.

In the name of the Duke of Eagle's Nest and the ruler of Crab Claw Peninsula, as well as the self-proclaimed Peace Messenger of the Riverlands, Green, under the witness of the gods in heaven and the lords, combined many unowned lands and expanded their territory on the map.

They swore an oath of fealty as vassals, and Grimm promised to share a hearth. No one present mentioned King Baratheon of the Red Keep and... the Lord of Riverrun, who had brought disaster to the Riverlands.

Green promised military protection and directly sent troops to wipe out the bandit group, with Sir Per Pili (Knight of Kleber's Retainer and Head of the Survey Corps) in charge.

The main task of these river lords was to gather refugees, repair farmhouses, plant wheat and potatoes, etc. with the support of Kleber, so as to restore normal production of farmland as soon as possible.

…………

The lord's study in Saltpan Town.

The bachelor hurriedly took away the letter that Green wrote to Little Rose.

There was a knock on the door, and Brienne pushed it open and said, "Lord Green, the messenger reported that the grain merchants from Pentos will arrive at Saltpans before sunset."

(End of this chapter)