Ice and Fire: Reign of the Dragon

"A prime minister without a kingdom, haha, it's really hard for him." Watching Otto and the governor representatives of the other two city-states leave, Governor Lys sneered and looked back at the drawing of Lys fighting against the Volantis fleet in the Bloody Era. In the mural, two men opened the tapestry embroidered with the goddess of lust in Lys and got out of the secret door in the wall.

Lissandra Rogar, who was dressed in gorgeous clothes, also sneered: "The Hightower family has been defeated. What he should think about now is how to save his family, rather than grabbing the iron chair. Bambaro is a fool. , or are you more suitable to rule together with me?"

"Lord Luo Jiaer." The governor's representative stood up and relaxed his painfully crossed legs. "Otto brought millions of gold dragons to the Eastern Continent, and also borrowed millions of gold dragons from the Iron Bank." He looked into Luo Jiaer's blue eyes and said with a smile: "The person who pushed the Iron Bank to complete the loan There must be your handiwork in it.”

"Isn't it the lifelong pursuit of every banker to damage the Iron Bank?" Lissandra laughed, turned to Commander Sarlacc Loha and said with a smile: "How about you, do you want to take this job? Take Otto's Gold, Commander Roja, you can compete with that sissy Rachalino for the title of Pirate King again."

It took Commander Loha many years to get over the shadow of the Varese Silver Fleet that wiped out the fleet he had worked so hard to save for many years. Now he actually doesn’t want to touch the Varese family at all. of mold. "You want me to touch the Varese family's silver fleet?" Commander Loha pointed to himself speechlessly. "It took me nearly seven years to build up seventy ships. You two, don't forget who maintains your maritime trade routes. What good will it do you if I am gone?"

"I didn't say you were asked to send out the fifty ships, Commander Lohar." Lissandra Rojaer picked up a gold coin from Lohar's chest and let the gold coin dance between his fingers. Luoha stared at the gold coin, ready to put it back on his necklace at any time. "There are too many captains in Myr and Tyrosh who are dissatisfied with the Silver Fleet's rampage on the Summer Sea. We only need to mobilize them and tell them that they don't have to fight hard. We only need to make the Silver Fleet think that the mercenaries brought by Otto will come from Just land on the coast of Dorne Sea."

"What's the difference between you and letting them die?" Commander Luoha snatched back his gold coins and carefully stuffed them back into his necklace: "Three thousand gold dragons per ship are enough for those idiots to rob and bleed. "

The three of them laughed for a while before dropping the topic.

"Have you heard about the situation in King's Landing?" The governor's representative sat down again. "I heard that the Dragon Queen's life in King's Landing was not as good as she imagined."

Commander Loha looked at the two governors curiously. He did not have the information channels of the governors and did not know this information.

"Haha, otherwise you think Otto got so much money." Lissandra Rogar smiled and poured a glass of wine for each of the Governor's representative and Commander Roja. He took a sip from each glass before pushing it to the other side. In front of the two people.

"The Dragon Queen is now desperate for money and food. She burned the Stormlands army and is said to have killed Lord Baratheon's daughter. The stag blocked both the King's Road and the road to the Reach. The war is still going on in the Gulf, and what she has gained is an empty coffers and half a million hungry people. What she needs now is money.”

Lissandra was well aware of Rhaenyra's current predicament. With the Silver Fleet and Velaryon's Sea Serpent Fleet, she didn't have to worry about the sea and food problems. Both were just a matter of time, but she was so empty that she didn't even have a mouse. The treasury is the fatal problem. The Velaryon family is rich but lacks liquidity. The Vareses family is not short of gold, but no matter how stupid Rhaenyra is, she will not directly ask for money at the risk of offending Longzel.

Then there is only taxation. The Queen's Finance Minister Bartimus Sediga reluctantly resumed the horrific tax policy formulated by his ancestor Edwell Sediga - the port tax was tripled, with forty-seven types of taxes. A heavy import and export tax was levied on daily necessities. Citizens of King's Landing were required to pay a tax in kind on purchases of cloth, salt, white bread, wine, ale, ale, honey, and fresh meat. All shops, taverns, inns, and builders in King's Landing were taxed. Nine additional taxes were imposed.

Along with these taxes, which had been abolished for more than eighty years, were enacted new taxes by the Earl of Cetiga. The wine tax and ale tax were doubled based on Edwell's. The port tax was also introduced. After tripling the price, it was tripled again. All shops in the city had to pay a large opening fee, and every hotel and brothel had to pay a tax of one silver deer for each of their beds. The city gate tax that had been questioned during the reign of King Jaehaerys was also restored by Earl Celtigar, and the considerable amount of money was also tripled. All citizens of King's Landing, whether they are gentlemen in Uptown or beggars in Flea Bottom, must pay an estate tax based on the land and wealth they "occupy". Earl Celtigar even openly declared: "This is the price they pay for cheering Aegon the Usurper." At the same time, Earl Celtigar also encouraged the citizens of King's Landing to go to the Dragon's Lair to watch the queen execute the traitor - each person only needs three For a copper cent, you can watch a traitor's head fall to the ground.

Relying on this land-grabbing tax collection, Queen Rhaenyra finally filled her treasury slightly. But the price was dissatisfaction throughout King's Landing.

Snap.

In the Vareses camp in the River Bend, Jakaris smashed the letter to the ground angrily: "How could Earl Bartimus do this? Isn't there anyone in King's Landing who can advise my mother?" Valarr picked up the letter and took a look at it. , his scalp was instantly numbed by the dense tax collection on the letter, and he decisively handed it to Count Thaddeus Rowan who was standing aside. This great nobleman of Golden Tree City led an army to join Valar's army three days ago. Fifteen thousand people were brought, including 3,000 fully armed plate armor knights - the wealth of the Reach made the mercenary knights and proletarian knights here also have money to buy simple plate armor.

The nobles of the entire North Reach and East Reach are basically united around Valar. After all, no one thinks that the Green Party can continue to thrive after losing two dragons.

They include the Fossoway family of Cider Hall. The Marives family of Longtable Castle, the Caswell family of Bitterbridge, the Ashford family of Ashford, the Oakheart family of Ancient Oak City, etc.

"Does Count Bartimus want to lose the Queen's heart?" Count Thaddeus immediately saw the sinister nature of this move. Of course, it is not aimed at Count Bartimus, because there is really no other way. "Your Highness, we should divide our forces to open the King's Road so that the food from the Reach can be transported to King's Landing as soon as possible."

"My lord, there is no shortage of food in King's Landing." Although Valar didn't like to use his brain, he could see things like this without using his brain at a glance. "King's Landing is short of gold. Unless you can turn the food into gold and send it to King's Landing, otherwise... hum." Valarr looked at the silent Prince Jakaris with some worry.

, that letter came from Tigaro Dagarion, the intelligence chief of the Vareses family, or as it is known within the Vareses family, the "Finger of Shadows", the blood-sworn brothers of Longzell who make up his The advisory group, which he calls my five fingers, is Aslan Rondel, the blood finger in charge of the Silver Blood Army, Sebastian Jieyan, the gold finger in charge of finance, and Hoffa, the steel finger in charge of law. ·The Law Bearer, a young man with golden eyes and black hair, is also in charge of Longzell’s guards and the security of Dragon Nest City, Tigaro Dagarion, the Finger of Shadows, who is in charge of intelligence, and Silver, who is in charge of territorial government affairs. He pointed out that this position will be temporarily taken over by Rey. As for Tigarro, this melancholy and gloomy young man never liked to modify his words, so the prince saw the comments made by the people of King's Landing about Rhaenyra.

Maegor is reincarnated.

No wonder Prince Jakaris is so angry. "Lord Valar, I'm afraid we need to speed up our march." But under Longzell's careful teachings for so many years, Jakaris is not a person whose mind is easily swayed by anger. "You are right. The key to the problem is that the Green Party has transferred all the gold, so we must get the gold back as soon as possible."

The prince said firmly. "If you guessed it correctly, one of the destinations where the Hightower family transfers their gold is Old Town."

"Ha, you are indeed a good attendant of my elder brother." Valarr stood up excitedly. He was almost numb waiting for Thaddeus' army to come and join him. How could you not be excited now that you can finally ride a dragon to fight?

"Lord Thaddeus, we need to march at full speed. Defeat Mondstadt's main force and capture Old Town. All problems will be solved."

"Aren't you waiting for Prince Longzel?" Count Thaddeus still felt that it would be better to wait until Vormisor eliminated Vhagar and then go south, and then his three-headed dragons would crush him together.

"It is indeed better for the eldest brother to come here, but the Green Party has at most one dragon in the south now." Valar said: "Yinyi and I are enough to deal with Dream Fire, and with Xiaojie and Womax here, we don't have to be afraid of the Green Party's army at all. ”

Thaddeus thought the same thing. Waiting for Wormisor to go south was just a way to ensure victory. In fact, their current strength and number of dragons were enough to crush the Green Party.

When the Black Party army in the Reach slowly set off.

Stormlands, Storm's End.

Duke Boros sat on his throne, looking coldly at the man in black who quietly entered the castle from the waterway of Storm's End. The man in black took off his hood, revealing the unshaven face of Otto Hightower. He secretly hid in a Pentos merchant ship and returned to Westeros. Now he comes to his destination

"Lord Otto, don't tell me that you are here to mourn for my daughter." Bolos said expressionlessly.

"Your foolishness cost me a daughter, the reputation of the Baratheon family, and my money. I have already said that until you decide the winner, the Baratheon family will only live for itself. ”

"Lord Bolos, I have only one request." Prime Minister Otto calmly handed over the note. When the bachelor leaned into Otto's ear and finished speaking the contents of the branch, Bolos's expression changed.

"Do you want the Baratheons killed? Hightower scum."

"No, Duke." Otto said confidently: "This is a great opportunity for you to get revenge, and it is also an opportunity for the Baratheon family to gain maximum benefits. The orthodox king will not treat every hero badly, my lord."