The Glory of the Seven Gods of Ice and Fire

Chapter 35 Semi-voluntary Seagull Town

"I can see that you know that I still have something to say." The Earl of Seagull Town said, and then a look of hesitation appeared on his face, and then he seemed to have made a decision, and his emotions became a little excited for some reason.

"Lord Hu Ge, let me make it clear. In normal times, we would never let you and your so-called expeditionary force come to Seagull Town, but now we must do this."

This was the first time Hugo had seen Count Gerald express intense emotions, but he felt at ease because those words meant that he was the one who had the initiative, not them.

However, he still had some doubts, "If you really don't want to, you can always find another way. Isn't it easy to find an excuse not to leave the ship?"

"It is indeed simple, but the king and the prime minister are looking at us. We are the losers of the civil war. If we refuse the order, the king and the prime minister will have more reason to deal with us further. I even suspect that the prime minister is deliberately planning to use this matter to mess with us. "

Jero's judgment made Hu Ge slightly nod, because he also saw it this way. After all, the probability of success of the expedition was too low. It was very suitable for nobles who still had strong strength after paying a certain price to target some team mistakes.

"However, although the probability of success of this expedition is very low, it is not completely impossible. And for Seagull Town, this is also an opportunity. If it can open up new markets in the east, the problems caused by the loss of privileges and trade shares will It can be solved, and Seagull Town will further develop. However, if it fails, Seagull Town will inevitably be in a downturn, or even decline. However, the moment we take the wrong team, it will happen sooner or later. It is just the difference between fast and slow."

The Earl of Seagull Town was very irritable when he spoke, and the impatience of young people was now revealed.

"Then why are you telling me all this?" Hu Ge then asked. He had actually relaxed. The initiative was in his hands, but he couldn't show it.

"It just means that we are all grasshoppers on the same rope. Mr. Hu Ge, Seagull Town will support your cause as much as possible. I am willing to make another bet. The business group is even more willing to deeply fund your expedition, but I just bet It’s just a handful. The Seagull Town fleet will ensure that you and your expeditionary force are sent to the east. You can rest assured, so focus on your expedition. But the fleet will return immediately after arriving in the east, and if it hits Burla on the way Foss’s Purple Sail Fleet, I can’t guarantee whether we can cross the Narrow Sea.”

The Earl of Seagull Town did not look at Hugo when he spoke, but looked at the shield with the coat of arms of the Grafson family hanging on the wall. That shield was used by his father, but it failed to save his father's life.

"I understand."

Hu Ge said that he did understand the purpose of the count's conversation. Seagull Town, which was hit hard by the failure to stand in line, also wanted to see the expedition succeed, so they would not do anything and just let themselves concentrate on the expedition.

However, the young earl of Seagull Town was really honest. He confessed directly to reassure him. But if you think about it carefully, it was not an important matter. Even if he didn't tell him, he would know it sooner or later. I think he came here for Reduce some unnecessary communication time.

This made Hugo have a great impression of Count Gerald Grafson. The young man was good and spoke straightforwardly, and he didn't need to spend time guessing the context of the matter.

"It's almost time, Lord Hu Ge. The banquet is about to begin. Let us join."

At this moment, the patriarch of the Jero Grafson family cleared up his expression and returned to the gentle young man he was before.

This face-changing ability impressed Hu Ge. He could control his expression so skillfully and freely. His elders had taught him very well, and it was very good for such people to be allies - even if they were forced to become allies.

After all, it is better than the eldest young master or eldest daughter of some big aristocratic families, but what Hugo doesn’t know is that Jero Grafson became like this because he was forced to shoulder the burden of the family at a young age, otherwise he would be the same A dandy boy.

"Everyone, let us raise a toast to the brave expeditionary force, and wish them success in their journey!" As Count Gerald completed a simple toast, the banquet officially began at this moment.

The dinner that Seagull Town entertained the expeditionary force was extremely luxurious. Cheap staple foods such as large wheels of cheese and bread were not visible at all. All that was served was expensive food. Freshly caught oysters, sea urchins, prawns and crabs were piled on the table. Meat pies were served one after another, smoked pork legs, capons wrapped in fat, seabass with cloves and saffron and other dishes were served one after another, and wine from Qingting Island was placed in front of each distinguished guest.

And all dishes are served continuously, all the time.

At the banquet, Hu Ge had a great time. How could he not be happy after gaining a powerful ally? The Grafson family and the Seagull Town business group are both powerful entities.

Especially the Seagull Town Merchant Group. They are the most powerful and wealthy merchant group in Westeros. They have risen by relying on narrow sea trade. The loss of privileges and shares has also had a greater impact. Therefore, their willingness to take risks overseas is compared to those who live in the land. The Grafson family was much more intense.

Unlike Count Gerald, who was semi-forced to join Hugo's cause, the members of the Seagull Town business group surrounded Hugo in an almost flattering manner, constantly courting him in the hope of obtaining better conditions.

The various factions within the expeditionary force are also initially reflected here. The nobles and commoners are clearly distinguished, and the nobles are gathered according to different regions. Currently, the two factions are mainly the royal domain and the storm land. There are still too few nobles in other regions. But fortunately, the active Jillian acted as a lubricant between various groups and constantly stirred up the atmosphere, so the atmosphere between the seats was not so awkward.

Hu Ge noticed the various groups under his command and found that Lu Chen and Reg were fighting more and more fiercely. They now formed the Junlin faction under Hu Ge. However, this faction was still unable to compare with several major factions in the expeditionary force, so they At the banquet, I have been trying to win over new entrants, but it seems that the effect is not obvious.

After the banquet, Hugo returned to the camp outside the city wall a little drunk. He was very happy today, so he couldn't help but drink too much. After all, Earl Jero's guarantee didn't mean that he didn't have to worry too much in Seagull Town. Other shit. The passage of time has proved the truth of what Count Gerald said. There are not so many troubles, and no one gave him eye drops. Seagull Town has taken care of most of the affairs. He only needs to slowly adjust the various problems of the expeditionary force. .

Moreover, a steady stream of people from the valley came to join the expedition. The reputation of the most religious region in the Seven Kingdoms was not to be boasted. Many knights in the valley swore to join the expedition, and even some monasteries in the mountains of the valley came out to join the expedition.

Under such circumstances, the expeditionary force quickly exceeded the 30,000-person mark and continued to grow.

Hu Ge was not idle either. He used the valley knights and monks who joined to further improve his control over the expeditionary force and strengthen the organization of the expeditionary force.

At the same time, Hugo is also collecting information on the other side of the Narrow Sea, especially on the main enemies faced by the expedition here, Braavos and Pentos.

Pantos mainly occupies the former Kingdom of Andal and is the first target of the expedition, but it is now under the protection of Braavos, so if you want to defeat Pantos, you have to face Braavos Sri Lanka.

For these two free trade city-states, Hu Ge thinks that as long as they land, everything will not be a problem, but the problem now is how to land.

Regarding the landing, Hugo had a preliminary idea, which was to use the time difference, that is, to suddenly cross the sea at a time that the Braavos people did not expect, creating a time difference - after all, as long as the fleet reaches the coast of Essos, it is equivalent to success.

Although this method is risky, it is indeed feasible. After Hu Ge chatted with the captains responsible for crossing the sea, they all said they thought so. But the problem is that if all of this is to succeed, it ultimately depends on luck, or rather Do the Seven Gods bless you?

Whenever this topic comes up, Hugo always looks at the seven-pointed star on his palm, and then feels more confident. Ever since the pain in King's Landing, he has had a feeling that the Seven Gods will definitely bless him. , but because he has always been wary of gods, he is always confused.

When he was in Seagull Town, Hugo naturally did not forget to seek support from the valley nobles. Due to his father's reputation and connections, the valley nobles received them warmly and politely, but unlike most of the great princes in Westeros, Likewise, none of these valley nobles were willing to place a bet - the Grafson family had to board the ship due to special circumstances.

However, it was also because of his father's connections that the valley nobles still provided a lot of manpower and resources. All these things were added up, and a lot of things were made up. This was considered a success - it just made him look like beggar.

Hu Ge's cause was more successful in mobilizing civilians than nobles. Many civilians spontaneously gathered in Seagull Town. He, Old Sparrow and Bishop Lu Chen all left the Seagull Town camp many times to preach and call for expeditions in various parts of the valley. The results achieved are very good.

At the same time, there has never been a shortage of devout people from other parts of the Seven Kingdoms. Even people from Dorne in the south traveled thousands of miles north to join the expeditionary force.

As the noise caused by Hugo's expedition became louder and louder, finally, the two families in Westeros who did not believe in the Seven Gods also took action.

First of all, there were the ironmen of the Iron Islands. Many ironmen announced that they would join the expeditionary force and then set off for Essos "first". Hugo had no hope for these people in the Iron Islands. He knew the urine of the ironborn very well. He just wanted to take advantage of the tide of the Eastern Expedition to rob, and Hu Ge didn't expect to encounter them in the future.

But the next one is the heavyweight. It is the northern territory that believes in the old gods, and the one who responded to the call for expedition is the Mandalay family of White Harbor.

Hu Ge was not surprised that the Mandalay family joined the family. Their family was the only prince in the north who believed in the Seven Gods. The White Harbor area was also the only area in the north that believed in the seven gods. The heads of the Mandalay family in the past generations would call themselves the "Shield of the Church." ", indicating his identity as a striker.

Although White Harbor believes in the Seven Gods, they are in the north after all. In order to find a way out for the people of White Harbor and to reduce pressure, it is normal for Mandalay to join the expedition. Even Hugo tacitly agrees that they will join. It is only a matter of time.

However, what Hu Ge did not expect was that the Mandalay family would bring so many northerners...

"Ten thousand people? So outrageous? How could there be so many?"

When Hu Ge heard this number, he suspected that there was something wrong with his ears. Tens of thousands of people from the north were too many.

"Duke Eddard Stark issued an order to the entire Northern Territory. Anyone who intends to conquer the eastern land can join the Mandalay family's army. Therefore, many Northerners became active. The more Northerners in the north, , the more people join the expeditionary force.”

The old sparrow said that like Hu Ge, he was also quite shocked by the news. He did not expect that so many people from the north would go south.

Hu Ge reviewed his thoughts about the Northern Territory and found that he had overlooked one point. Previously, he had only thought about the attributes of the Seven Gods believers of the Mandalay family, but had ignored the tradition of expeditions to the Northern Territory. A seemingly desperate expedition, In fact, it is not that desperate. Compared with dying at home or in the wilderness next winter, embarking on an expedition is also a good way.

"They set off from White Harbor and head south, and will arrive at Seagull Town soon...Okay, old sparrow, let's prepare to welcome these guests from the north. I just want to take a good look at what the northerners are like. .”

(End of this chapter)