Game of Thrones: I became a crown prince for a day.

Chapter 662: Old Town Bankruptcy
Luanhe City, Bridge.

"His Majesty."

Lord Forester Frey of Luanhe City took the initiative to greet them, excitement showing on his handsome middle-aged face.

A noblewoman with prominent cheekbones and a mean face followed beside him, bowing slightly.

"Lord Forester, I need you to take extra care of the tens of thousands of troops behind me."

Rhaegar walked across the fast-flowing bridge and gladly accepted Lord Frey's hospitality.

The Frey family was of relatively young age, and gradually became wealthy after they controlled the traffic along the Green Fork River.

Although the members of this family have some character flaws, their behavior is not very good.

But since the time of the Elder King, they have been loyal subjects obeying the orders of the Targaryen family.

"Don't worry, I have already told the servants to kill the pigs and sheep."

Forester was quite generous and promised: "In response to your call, I will personally lead 600 cavalry and 800 archers to follow you north."

Being able to mobilize so many troops is already the limit to ensure the safety of the Frey family.

Rhaegar smiled lightly and did not agree immediately: "Don't worry, many people haven't arrived yet."

Forrester looked puzzled and glanced at the lord behind the king, Lord Millett of Riverrun.

There are also soldiers from Crow's Rest, Rosby and other families in the royal territory.

After looking back and forth, he saw a giant topaz-colored dragon slowly landing on the bridge.

"Your Majesty!"

Forester's eyes lit up and he greeted loudly from a distance.

Rainier was wearing a black dragon riding suit, her silver hair tied behind her head, and she stepped onto the bridge with a nimble figure.

Forrest seemed to have turned into a lapdog, ordering his men to bring wine jugs and fruit plates, and to show his courtesy to the still young and beautiful queen.

"Thank you for your thoughtfulness, Lord Forester."

Rainier couldn't refuse the kindness, so she picked up a plump red grape and put it in her mouth.

After thinking for a while, he picked up another one and fed it to Rhaegar.

Rhaegar smiled without saying anything, carefully savoring the sweetness of the fruit pulp.

"Your Majesty, please move to the castle and rest."

Forester's smile was genuine and he walked lightly.

"Don't be ungracious, Forrester."

The noble lady standing by couldn't bear to watch and glared at her husband viciously.

Forester immediately behaved himself, his face flushed red.

The noble lady snorted coldly, turned around and smiled to entertain the king and queen, and said in a pinched voice: "Please move, the Frey family has set up the best banquet."

"Thank you, Mrs. Sabither."

Rhaegar couldn't suppress the upturned corners of his mouth, and took Rhaenyra's hand and walked to the other end of the bridge.

Rhaenyra nodded slightly and stole a glance at the people around her.

Rhaegar turned his head and their eyes met.

The next second, the brother and sister raised the corners of their mouths at the same time and smiled in tacit understanding.

As we all know, Lord Forrester of House Frey was once one of Rhaenyra's ardent suitors.

When Rhaenyra was a teenager, Syrax, known as the Light of the Kingdom and the goddess of fertility, was the most dazzling presence in the Seven Kingdoms.

Jason and Tyrann, brothers from the Lannister family, almost came to blows over courtship.

Forrest Frey is even more fanatical than the Lannister brothers, and is always determined to risk his life.

It is said that on the night of Rhaenyra's wedding, Forrester failed to arrive at Dragonstone as promised to attend the wedding.

Because of this incident, this guy hid in Luanhe City and cried for a whole night, and then regretted it for half a year.

The wife he married later, Lady Shabitha, was not beautiful but also very cunning and greedy.

It seems that she doesn't like men.

"It's a bit miserable."

Rhaegar leaned close to Rhaenyra's ear and felt pity for the infatuated man.

"Then you go and comfort her."

Her breath hit her earlobe, her cheeks slightly red, and she rolled her eyes in annoyance.

When she was the heir to the Iron Throne, she was loved the most by the nobles of the riverlands, besides the crown lords.

Both the Blackwood family and the destroyed Bracken family had hosted her and Sylax.

Even after getting married, Hejian is still the first choice for visiting guests.

The only thing he really didn't want to set foot in was Luanhe City, the capital of the Frey family.

Not only was Forrester overly enthusiastic, his wife, Mrs. Sabither, was also lusting after her body.

If a couple shares a hobby, they become a family.

……

into the night.

Ten thousand soldiers made a fire to cook, and the bonfire lit up half of the night sky.

Inside the castle, hall.

The not-so-spacious hall was filled with tables, chairs and benches, and the best dishes were served to entertain the guests.

Rhaegar sat on the second floor, clutching a messenger raven.

"Quack~~"

I took the letter box off the raven's leg and it flew away in panic.

As Rega read the contents of the letter, his friendly expression gradually turned cold.

"Your Majesty, what happened?"

Forester was gnawing on a river crab and hurried over to ask when he saw what was happening.

"It's the guys who haven't come yet."

Rhaegar handed over the letter and said in a bad tone: "The Reach is not far from the Westerlands, but they are reluctant to send troops."

"What? How dare they treat you lightly?"

Forester was filled with indignation and stared at the letter with wide eyes.

It said that Lord Jason of Casterly Rock was in poor health ever since his return from Slaver's Bay.

The vassal states in the west were leaderless, and the dispatch of troops had been delayed.

The situation in the River Reach was relatively better, with Highgarden sending out 1,000 cavalry and 2,000 infantry, and House Rowan sending out 800 cavalry and 1,200 archers.

The two families had a total of 5,000 troops, marching northward through Kuqiao.

The other families did not send many troops, but they were not stingy either.

On the contrary, the Oldtown family and the Tully family refused to send troops and got into trouble.

The letter was passed to Rhaenyra, who was surprised and asked, "Did the merchants from Quarles enter Oldtown and bankrupt the Oldtown Bank with loans?"

As early as the beginning of the year, Count Leonor Hightower the Younger married the three-year-old daughter of the Tully family with the support of his uncle Otto and his cousin Queen Mother Alisson.

A shrewd woman named Samantha Tully. Samantha is an ambitious woman. After entering Oldtown, she advocates the establishment of an Oldtown bank to increase the income of the Hightower family.

She was successful, and many nobles and merchants from the River Bay were willing to deposit money at high interest rates.

I didn't expect it to go bankrupt so quickly.

"The merchants in Quarles raised their interest rates, forcing the Old Town Bank out of business."

Rhaenyra looked serious and said unhappily, "Those damn vampires, they want to drain all the blood from the entire River Reach."

Banking is the most shameless profession.

When the nobles of the River Reach deposit their money in the Bank of Quelce, it means that the entire River Reach becomes dependent on it.

As time goes by, it is still unclear whether it will be good or bad.

"The Oldtown Bank is bankrupt, and the Hightowers are already driving out the Qualeth merchants."

Rhaegar was relatively silent, and whispered, "The people of Quarth are unwilling to leave. Lady Samantha asked her brother, Lord Alan Tarly, to send troops and called on the nobles of Oldtown to be ready for battle."

The power of Oldtown should not be underestimated, and many wealthy noble families are vassals of Hightower.

For example, the Bisbury family of Beehive City, where Finance Minister Lin Man is from, is as powerful as the average noble family.

"But the merchant from Quills refused to leave and took out ..."

Rhaenyra was halfway through her speech when she asked in surprise, "And your handwritten agreement, allowing the Quales merchants to land in any port?"

Rhaegar choked and was unable to answer for a moment.

Of course he signed the agreement.

I expected Quills to cause trouble, but I didn't expect him to be so ruthless.

The Old Town Bank was bankrupt in one fell swoop, forcing Mrs. Samantha to flip the table.

"What should we do this time?"

Rhaenyra asked cautiously, and said softly, "Should we notify Oldtown to stop fighting and abide by the terms of the agreement?"

"No, that would be squeezing Oldtown."

Rhaegar shook his head, not wanting to let his vassal down.

"What should I do?"

Rhaenyra was at a loss, her purple eyes flickering slightly.

In fact, not complying with the terms of the agreement is also a solution.

"Whoever makes trouble will be burned to death."

Aemond, who had been watching the situation quietly, suddenly spoke up and said coldly: "The Quel's are just a bunch of money-grubbing bastards. I can get rid of them by riding a sheep thief for half a month."

"The royal family cannot take the lead in breaking their promises."

Rhaegar still had some dignity.

"This won't work, and that won't work either."

Aemond's face darkened and he said unhappily, "Are we going to let those bastards from Quarles do whatever they want?"

“That’s an idea.”

Rhaegar twitched his chin and had an idea in mind.

We can't break our promise, nor can we force the old town.

Then let them continue to cause chaos and just hold back Quills.

Wait until the northern border is resolved, then start dealing with the trouble.

"Quilles isn't very strong, brother."

Aemond's one-eyed face was grim. He took out his one-eyed dagger and played with it.

He still prefers to solve problems quickly and efficiently.

The formation of Quayles cannot be traced, but its history is very long.

As descendants of old Valyria, they look down upon all other races and cultures.

Especially a trading city-state like Quarles, which is located in a remote area and has a combination of multiple cultures and ethnic groups.

If you dare to make trouble in Targaryen territory, you deserve to be burned to death.

"Wait a little longer, and send a consolation letter to Oldtown later."

Rhaegar glanced at him, already thinking about the contents of the letter.

Just say that the royal family is in a dilemma, and hint that Old Town can act on its own.

Don't blame Quarles for being unkind and unjust.

"I heard that Lord Alan Tarly is a capable general and participated in the garrison at Prince's Pass at a young age?"

Rhaegar made up his mind and changed the subject.

"Alan holds the clan sword Broken Heart and is very skilled in martial arts."

Rhaenyra took over the conversation and discussed quietly: "Lord Linman's grandson is also named Alan. He will probably join forces in Oldtown."

Rhaegar smiled and burned the letter on the candle.

It’s a pity for the power of the Old Town.

Otherwise, the River Bend could have several thousand more troops.

"How to deal with the Western Territory?"

Aemond had a strong desire to fight and targeted the Lannister family who kept shirking their responsibility.

"Duke Jason is ill."

Forester interrupted and asked suspiciously, "That guy has always been greedy and stingy. Could it be that he is unwilling to send troops?"

Lannister is a cunning surname, and his ancestors obtained Casterly Rock by deception.

It's not strange not to release the eagle before seeing the rabbit.

What’s more, the other side that is providing support is from the North.

"Send a message to Tailan, asking him to urge Duke Jason."

Rega analyzed rationally and made a decision.

The Western Territory is very important, but it is a relatively independent territory among the seven countries.

The continent of Westeros is divided into eight parts. The North, the Westerly, and Dorne are all relatively independent territories, and even the king's orders are difficult to enforce.

Since the time of the Conquerors, in order to stabilize the kingdom, the hidden danger of rebellion in the three lands must be resolved.

He then formed an alliance with the Valley and the Stormlands, and won over the Riverlands and the Reach, in order to balance the other three realms.

Now that Dorne is weak and the North is coming to its aid, the prosperous and powerful Westerly is becoming a cause for concern.

"Why don't I go to Casterly Rock and give Jason a good checkup!"

A smile appeared on Aemond's lips, and the one-eyed dagger was stuck on the table with a clang.

In his one eye, the Lannisters were no different from the merchants of Quarth.

Anyone who disobeys the king's order shall be killed!

"Let Tailan come forward and give Jason a month."

Rhaegar knew what was going on and thought, "If he's still ill after a month, let Daemon treat him personally."

(End of this chapter)