2021-01-06

Chapter 188 Battle and Marketing
Riverlands, the fertile land between Trident and its many tributaries, It is considered a rich place by the Seven Kingdoms...but its fate is quite ill-fated compared to Reach, which is close to itself and of similar abundance.

Located in the middle of the Westeros continent, the fertile soil of the Three Rivers, the standard four-war zone, has never been peaceful for long in history. This land of right and wrong with frequent wars has not been unified by such powerful local families as "Greenhand" like Reach in the thousand years after House Mudd was wiped out by the invasion of Andals, so it is completely impossible to cultivate a special affiliation like Reach nobles. and mutual recognition. After finally ending the split, it was actually in the form of "conquering by outsiders"... Oppressed and exploited by Storm King for hundreds of years, finally driven away, out of the wolf's den and into the tiger's mouth, and let the King of the Iron Islands - Harren the Black's family ruled for a hundred years...

It wasn't until Aegon brought dragons to conquer the Seven Kingdoms that the Riverlands relied on switching sides decisively enough to finally have a local ruling family, the Tully.

This piece of land that has been traumatized by war and outsider enslavement can be evaluated in modern terms—it has been abused to the point of being unable to stand upright, and is used to kneeling and can’t stand up. Even after three hundred years of stability under the rule of House Targaryen, it has not been able to recuperate and have a sense of territory and presence that rivals other Seven Kingdoms. There are neither sturdy people nor heroes, and even the ruling family is used to relying on marriage. The thighs of others... from the commoners to the princes, they are all bloodless and accustomed to pin their hopes on the protection of allies obtained through marriage.

Edmure Tully led the army under his command to chase and block the team that Tywin sent to burn, kill and loot, but in the end, it was not until the arrival of the allied army that the trifling thousands of Lannister troops were driven out of the oneself territory, and the entire army was called. Westeros all saw the joke.

Jokes aside, the arrival of a large number of on-call bannermen and Allied troops did turn things around quickly. With the arrival of the Riverlands eastern army and Vale cavalry headed by the Frey family, the outnumbered Lion Family cooking team soon ran out of room to play and was forced to withdraw from the War Zone.

After resting for a while in the half-devastated western Riverlands, after staying for a few days to wait for the vanguard of the North and arranging the transfer of food, the coalition began to march westward along the River Road singing the war song, and within a few days Arrived at Golden Tooth Fortress, an important barrier to the east of the Westerlands, rested on the spot and prepared to attack.

At the same time, the Crownlands army also approached Deep Den along the Goldroad; the Shield Islands and Arbor fleets of the Reach set sail north to block Lanisport, and the vanguard of the land army also went north along the Ocean Road and crossed the border into the battlefield. Quickly arriving at Crakehall, Lanisport's vital line of defense against the South...

The big battle is on the horizon, and the three-way enemy House Lannister is facing its greatest military test ever, but the enemy is much more than that - and the Vale Lords Declarant is widely sympathized by the princes. On the contrary, Tywin's strength and iron fist over the years have offended many people. The Stormlands army has already marched on Goldroad to reinforce the Crownlands army. Even Dorne, who has always had little interest in external disputes, has gathered tens of thousands of troops this time, and has gone north through the Reach Land in a murderous-looking way, and is about to slaughter the Lion Family. , which means to avenge Princess Elia's revenge.

As the armies of the Six Nations advanced aggressively, the villages and small families outside House Lannister Fiefdom all fell into the wind, the Westerlands was known for its gold production rather than its vast territory, and there was not much strategic depth...

As a result, the actual control range of House Lannister has shrunk by half in just a few days, leaving only the square inch between Golden Tooth, Crag and Crakehall, surrounded by mountains and close to Sunset Sea, where tens of thousands of Lannister troops shrink. The continuation of the family's existence is in jeopardy in the blink of an eye, in a tiny piece of land that is at worst than the Night's Watch land grant.

Instantly an overwhelming advantage was established on the frontal battlefield, but the Eastern Sea shores of Westeros began to encounter numerous and frequent raids by pirates of dubious origin. It's also really annoying... In response to this harassment, the Royal Family, Dragonstone and Stormlands three fleets did not bypass Dorne to participate in the siege of the Westerlands, but left the port and began to cruise along the important Sea Territory coasts, from time to time rumors Back to the news of the encounter with the pirate ship and even the fight.

......

The battle of lion annihilation is in full swing, and the difference in strength between the two sides is so great that no one doubts the final outcome. The wealthy name of the Westerlands is not in vain, the villages and towns and castles that have already surrendered, they still brought considerable spoils to the coalition forwards even after being looted by Tywin. How many golden-brights will there be after breaking Lanisport and Casterly Rock? And dazzling's trophies are waiting for everyone, and I can't wait to think about it... In this situation, the prospects are bright and there is no risk of falling into the quagmire of a long war. The impact of the war on the Night's Watch industry is much smaller than originally expected, except for armament materials. In addition to the second price increase according to the old rules, everyone's life is almost completely the same... Even Igor can't help but wonder if oneself's order to cancel the third paper factory is correct.

Fortunately, the egg-basket plan went very smoothly, and the improved lipstick and soap received a good response as soon as they were launched. Make old and new industries jealous. It is good news that the third papermaking workshop, which was used for other purposes, has not lost any money. As for how to deal with the lack of reduction in book orders... at worst, build an additional workshop.

***

In the square in the middle of King's Landing, there is a vast crowd. A big play featuring Night's Watch... or rather a ghoul as the protagonist is being staged, and today has come to the last one. This is a large-scale marketing that will determine the profitability of the Night's Watch industry for a period of time in the future. Even with his busy schedule, Igor still took time out and brought Nina to the scene in person.

......

As early as the day the ghoul entered King's Landing, he had already begun to plan to use it back for commercial purposes. Taking the initiative to order the ghouls to be returned by mistake... This kind of God-given opportunity, if you don't make good use of it, isn't it reckless waste of natural resources?
But when I see the caged ghoul again, Igor immediately realizes that it will be judged as unclean and pulled out of the Red Keep, not by luck, but by necessity.

In the past few days oneself was imprisoned in the cell of the Red Keep, it had begun to rot.

Accurately, the ghoul's arms are beginning to rot.

On the day of the chaos at King's Landing, Eddard Stark cut off one arm of the ghoul with a sword in his own hand, and after that, whether to show it to an important figure or just for safety, its other arm was also He was chopped down by someone unknown, and his two arms were dangling from the corners of the cage with iron hooks. One of them was already covered with maggots and smelled badly. Although the other was still able to move, the situation was not optimistic.

Igor had previously guessed that Ice Magic would die if the ghouls were exhausted, and now these two rotten arms are the strong support for his theory.

The ghoul that has lost both arms is still alive and kicking in the cage. It has suffered numerous "examination swords", and its chest is full of holes, and its heart may have become shredded meat... There is no doubt about it. , so that it "lives" it has a greater effect on Night's Watch, but in the case that Ice Magic is constantly escaping in its body, and I don't know when it will fall apart and rot, Igor decisively decided: use a more exciting way to make it Use the residual heat - show it in public and eventually kill it with obsidian.

The King's Landing garrison is now half of the allies of the Night's Watch industry, and the other half has the intention of seeking cover from Igor. In this case, how convenient it is to do things, seriously use the sentence " "Flying-like enjoyment" can't be described as an exaggeration - just mentioning this matter a little, Yalar Dim ran around, negotiated and communicated with several other sub-Captains in King's Landing, and quickly provided Igor Done this.

The garrison vacated the square in front of the Alchemist guild hall in the very center of King's Landing - driving out stalls and hawkers, demolishing illegal buildings, and clearing the ground garbage for the Night's Watch to temporarily display ghouls. Every morning, a team of security guards from the Night's Watch Logistics Department will drag the ghouls to this place and show them to evacuate in the afternoon. Seeing is believing, so that people who still insist on not believing in evil can see with their own eyes the crisis the Wall defenders are facing. .

The drama is not static. As the obsidian product release date is approaching, it has finally changed from simple display to hands-on.

The ghoul was hung in the cage with a chain through the body, one leg was chopped off, and the still-moving stump was displayed around the field, and then the obsidian dagger was used in public to stab it in, completely killing it. It survived and was finally set on fire.

Second day, cut off the other leg, also ruined. This horrible to see performance has caused uproar and numerous controversies. Ordinary people are shocked by this limb that can still move away from the body, and Mother is angry because of this bloody and cruel scene... These are irrelevant, the most realistic and crucial convenience is: success Hundreds of thousands of King's Landing residents saw and even touched part of the ghoul up close, and the rumors about the Hell on earth beyond the wall were once again fired to a new high!
On the third day, which is today, the last day of this horrific show, when the six-nation army on the front line officially launched its offensive against the Westerlands, and the day when Igor's obsidian merchandise was officially released, the Night's Watch industry will perform in public: how to use it Obsidian, the nemesis of the ghoul, kill it completely.

 …

The crowd was already rubbing shoulders and crowded. All directions are full of people, they are talking to each other excitedly, pushing and shoving hoping to get closer to the front desk. Hundreds of golden robes tried their best to maintain order. Most of the onlookers don't know what obsidian is. Learned: Today, will be their last chance to see the ghoul.

Surrounded and guarded by the soldiers of the "Guard Class", Igor was still swayed from side to side, hesitating for a while, he patted Nina and motioned his surrounding men to protect oneself and leave. As the Big Boss of the Night's Watch industry, he already has a name and prestige far beyond his abilities, and it's time to keep a proper low profile and mysterious in order to maintain his deterrent power.

He shouldn't and won't go into battle himself in this kind of play, and it's not very rare for him to even kill Others for the result.

Exiting the crowd, they stood far away on the steps of the Alchemist Guild Hall, looking out at the wooden platform in the center of the square.

The ghoul, which had been cut into a stick, was hung from the top of the cage by an iron chain, but still twisted and roared, swaying in the cage like a swing, and a black clothed soldier with a lance appeared. The crowd of onlookers became more excited, and the person on stage raised his hand to signal silence, and then began to speak loudly. I couldn't hear what he was saying from a distance of hundreds of meters, but Igor and Nina didn't care-every word of every line that the people on stage were saying now, the next second, and even when they finished their business, It was determined after Nina and the management of the relevant departments, and passed to Igor for review. They are here today, not so much to watch a play, but to come out together to breathe and relax their nerves from intense work. .

"My lord, I suddenly thought that after the ghoul-killing scene is over, we can still hold an auction." Nina continued to wear makeup as usual at Igor's request, although it was only shallow On the first floor, it made her look radiant in the sun: "Just sell this lance that kills ghouls, with the tip and handle, and it will definitely sell for a good price!"

Igor raised his eyebrows , a little surprised: "Well... good idea, send someone to inform and let them announce the news after the end." The exhibitor raised the weapon with the tip of the obsidian spear in his hand and aimed it at the ghoul in the cage. The noise intensified, but the ghoul would neither beg for mercy nor dodge. person took a step forward and stabbed the obsidian spear point fiercely into the ghoul's chest.

The air was quiet for a moment, as if everyone in the field took a breath at the same time, and after a second, the noise came back again. Under the gazes of countless eyes, the ghoul in the cage... The humanoid living creature that was still writhing and roaring despite countless swords in front of everyone, finally calmed down.

The ghost-killing warrior took out his lance, wiped the corpse oil from the tip of his spear, and spoke again loudly. Igor knows that this is the beginning of introducing obsidian, and taking advantage of this moment of focal point of ten thousands, to inform those who have not yet heard the news: this black glass has all Snarks and Grumkins such as killing ghouls Others, as well as warding off evil spirits and expelling Chill's effects, and information on where to buy them.

"You reminded me that obsidian is only sold as a ward off evil. The channel seems to be too single. We have to find a way to open up more profitable ways." Igor looked at the high platform and worked hard. The employee who was selling the product had an idea: "Go back and arrange the production of some obsidian daggers, spear tips and arrows, and spread the news through the tavern brothels we control, telling everyone that the civilian goods sold by the Night's Watch industry for public sale in the store are all It is a low-grade leftover material. The obsidian weapons used by Night's Watch Legion in frontline combat are of better quality, more pure in internal energy, and better in warding off evil spirits and killing ghosts, but they are strictly controlled and can only be purchased through special channels.”

"Then we can find employees, pretend to be the spy that stole the military obsidian weapon, and sell it!" Nina's eyes shined: "The price can also be raised!"

— —

(end of this chapter)

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