The king on the Great Wall

Page 190

Originally, he was supposed to leave in a few days, but now, he might not be able to leave for ten days and half a month.

Iger was annoyed when he thought of this, resisted the urge to frown, was about to answer politely and say goodbye to the little princess, and rushed to a meeting to discuss how to solve the queen's new mission, but the world in his mind was suddenly split by a subconscious Thunder to illuminate most of it.

Wait, this matter seems to be far from that simple!

Iger has never had any wrong thoughts on Last Hearth City before, not because of his integrity and nobleness, but because he has higher goals and grander plans in his mind than the gains and losses of a city and a place, and he has no time to spend here. It takes extra brainpower to make petty gains—only because the strategy offered by Myrcella is really simple and easy to implement, so I decided to follow what she said, making such a move that would not cause any harm.But right now... To be precise, after the queen made an unwise strategic decision at the battle meeting just now, the situation has actually undergone subtle changes that cannot be ignored.

Daenerys' request is that all the princes in the north recognize her legitimacy and send troops to support her conquest in the south.Under this premise, the meaning of using power tricks to obtain the ownership of Last Hearth City is no longer limited to "acquiring an earldom", but adds a very important one: obtaining a northern nobleman... or The "identity" of the great nobility.

Assuming that there are a total of N families of northern nobles except the Stark family, Daenerys requires all of these N families to be loyal to her.Once Myrcella's suggestion is fulfilled, he can instruct the next "Last Lord of the Hearth"—whether it is true or not—to publicly swear allegiance to Daenerys in the name of the Amber family, thereby locking in the queen's request in advance. After completing 1/N, the number of families that I and Petyr will have to deal with becomes N-1, and the pressure is relieved!

The best part is that in this plan, even if he finds a child to pretend to be the heir of the Amber family, he can still tell the Queen the truth: as long as this "Earl Amber" really controls Last Hearth City If the leader is loyal to Daenerys, then for his own camp... he is the real Earl of Amber, the nobleman the Queen hopes to win over.As for whether he is really a descendant of Amber, Daenerys doesn't care, and she won't be charged with bullying the king!

An idle move, just because the timing was just right, was evolved into a peerless move!

Turning his mind, Iger blinked from regret to surprise, opened his eyes wide, and looked at Myrcella again with surprise.

"My lord?" Myrcella didn't participate in the battle meeting just now, so she couldn't understand why Iger's expression suddenly changed while walking. She looked back to meet the man's gaze, hoping that he could give an explanation.

"Thanks for the tip, Miss Maeve. Coincidentally, I just encountered a problem about how long I will stay in Winterfell, and I am still struggling to figure it out. You have a lot of ideas, maybe you can listen to them. See if there is any trick to solve it?"

Iger said with a generous smile, and then told Myrcella exactly what happened to the meeting just now and the final result. Not only that, he even told him what Littlefinger had just told him about Varys and little Aegon. Some speculations about the relationship between the two were also cautiously disclosed.

It stands to reason that this kind of open and secret fighting and clique formation between the Queen's court is a "family scandal", and it should not be casually publicized to "outsiders" like Misera, but the time of acquaintance is neither long nor short. It made Iger have the impression that this little princess has a smart brain and a tight mouth-no matter when and where, reliable people are always entitled to extra trust.

After hearing this, Misera's little face suddenly showed great puzzlement: "Why does the queen insist on making life difficult for the northern border? The most important thing to do now is not to send troops south as soon as possible to clean up the mess in King's Landing that has been spread for half a year. After all, the Iron Throne is her goal, isn't it?"

(I thought so too!)

Iger really wanted to shout out this sentence, you see, even a 13-year-old child can understand the truth, Daenerys just can't figure it out when she has a stubborn temper.

"I completely agree, but the Queen's decision has been made, and no one can persuade you. Do you think there is a way to complete this task?"

When she started to think about the problem, the disappointment on the little princess's face disappeared immediately. She blinked her eyes, flapped her eyelashes twice, and carefully raised her eyes to look at Iger: "Can I... tell the truth."

"of course."

"If what the queen said about 'all' among the nobles in the north is serious, then she won't even think about going back to the south this year." Myrcella's small face became serious, "Even if my father...King Robert During the anti-rebellion war at the bottom of the valley, when the power and prestige reached its peak, he summoned the nobles of the seven countries to gather to suppress the Alliance of the Righteous, and only nine out of ten responded. The nobles who did not arrive with troops on time, could it be that they all Do you sympathize with the rebellious party and have the heart of disobedience? Of course it is impossible. Some of them are too remote to respond to news, some of them have lost their fortunes and the men would rather pay the fine, and some are even on the way to the battlefield Lost and unable to arrive in time... Among them, there are very few who refuse to summon with evil intentions—at least not on the surface.”

After taking a breath, she continued: "A king recognized by the Seven Kingdoms is still like this. The Dragon Queen has not yet sat on the Iron Throne. Why is she still in the northern region where she is not very popular... Wanting to enjoy higher treatment? Just me It is predicted that half of the northern families are willing to symbolically raise troops to fight for her. The princes who originally agreed to support her may lose their minds."

It is almost completely consistent with my own and Petyr's judgment. Speaking of it, this little girl's thinking mode is quite clear and organized, quite in the style of her "uncle and uncle" Tyrion. Under the influence of the little devil after getting along for a long time?

"That's right, so my plan is to try to win more than half of the northern nobles first, and then convince the queen on this basis to let her understand that this is the best result." Iger nodded approvingly, and continued to ask, without asking I can get a solution, I just wonder if this little girl can provide a valuable idea: "If it is the condition of reducing the difficulty, is there any good way to complete it?"

"Hmm..." Myrcella groaned, rubbing her little hands awkwardly, and finally spoke after half a minute of hesitation: "It's not impossible, but choosing this method requires great courage, trust, and the psychology of bad results. Ready, do you want to listen?"

-

Chapter 535 Little Daughter Zhuge

Iger doesn't like other people's secrets, but of course his tolerance for different objects will fluctuate.The girl in front of him is not his subordinate, and he likes him a lot... So, after slightly nodding his head, he showed an unhurried demeanor: "But it doesn't matter, whether to accept it or not, and the risks and consequences are all my business. "

"My idea is actually quite simple: the queen and your lord are... uh... not very popular in the northern border, so it is impossible to solve this difficult problem through you, the queen or any of her subordinates. The strategic goal is in the south Therefore, it is inappropriate to use force in the north to waste time, so the only way out is: let the Stark family come forward to help." Even though she was allowed to speak, Myrcella still seemed anxious, but fortunately she did not hesitate when she spoke. "Although your idea of ​​ordering the North through the Stark family is good, it will not work to lock people in the castle and rely on flying crows and messengers to send orders, because the people in the North will think that the Stark family is in prison. and the state of coercion, is being forced to act according to orders with a sword. In this case, no matter whose handwriting is on the letter, what seal is stamped, what kind of content is written... No nobleman will respond or obey But if Robb goes out in person...that's another matter: only when he maintains a 'free state' can he be the Guardian of the North and the Duke of Stark. Only by affirming our position and issuing orders can we persuade the northern nobles to pledge their allegiance to the queen and fight for her."

Iger frowned: "What do you mean—let me let Robb go, and let him help complete the queen's task of 'summoning the northern army'?"

"Well, not only that, but he has to bring the subordinates and soldiers of the Stark family who are used to. If you send your lord to accompany them, not only the lives of those people will not be guaranteed, but the nobles of the northern border will also be accompanied by them. Judging that Robb was forced by you to persuade him to surrender, the weight of his words will be greatly reduced."

It turned out to be like this, no wonder Myrcella hesitated before, and said that this "requires great courage, trust, and psychological preparation for bad results"... There is a word in the ancient Chinese saying that perfectly describes this plan: let the tiger go back to the mountain!

As a young, healthy male and patriarch with proven fertility, it is no exaggeration to say that Robb is not only the head of Winterfell, but also the number one seed of the Stark family. , Only one person can rebuild the entire family—and it is the kind whose blood and legal principles will not be questioned in any way.I took down Winterfell in this surprise attack. The biggest result was not to capture the castle, but to take advantage of the opportunity when everyone huddled at home to keep warm in the cold winter, and wiped out half of the entire Stark family. They have no bargaining chips at the negotiating table, they can only get whatever they want and let others slaughter them.

Letting Robb leave freely... To put it lightly, it is throwing away the biggest bargaining chip. Once he leaves Winterfell and returns to the Northern Frontier Army, he can bargain with the Queen again to make his face shameless; to put it more seriously, He can turn his guns around and command the assembled northern army to fight against the land-grant army.At that time, what should I do with the members of the Stark family in my hands?

Qiu did nothing wrong, and felt that Daenerys, who had been betrayed, could not agree; if she killed the killer, even if she could pass the test psychologically, she would immediately be labeled a "traitor" and "the running dog of the mad king's daughter". A villain who is hated by Public Enemy of the North and even the Seven Kingdoms.In addition to grief, Robb considered family inheritance, and in a blink of an eye, he would marry another woman from the North, re-sow the seed and leave behind an heir, rebuild the "Stark House in exile" outside Winterfell, and never die with him ever since.At that time, not to mention ten days and a half months, I am afraid that the northern border will become Dorne 300 years ago, and it will be against the new conqueror, and it will be difficult to enter the territory in three to five years.

That's right, Lord Young Wolf is a trustworthy and upright person. He loves his family. Between "justice and honor" and his family, he will probably choose the latter just like his father made the decision in the original timeline.But don't forget: In this primitive feudal era, the relationship between the lord and the vassals is not as orderly and hierarchical as that between the emperor and officials in the imperial era.Fengjun is strong, vassals are obedient, Fengjun suffered a defeat, lost the castle, and surrendered to the rebels and former enemies... The powerful vassals might forcefully detain Luo under the banner of "for the northern border". Bo, not only did he not be loyal to the queen, but he also coerced and forced him to continue fighting with him!

……

"My lord, I understand what you are worried about." Myrcella said again, "But being together under the same roof day and night, I am confident that I know enough about the Stark family, so I dare to assure you: with Robb's character, he will never I will renege on the vows I made before, and abandon my wife and daughter to fight against you. As long as you calmly explain your interests and discuss countermeasures with him, you don’t have to worry about him becoming an enemy again... Then take out the armor and sword in your arsenal to re-arm Winterfell Guard, let him bring two or three hundred soldiers who really belong to the Stark family, so that the other northern princes will not dare to take control and threaten him. Solve these two biggest problems, and the rest of the details will not be enough. Got it."

Heh, good guy, this little girl of feelings has even prepared a follow-up plan for what she worries about?Not only did he have to let the tiger... let the wolves go back to the mountains, but he also had to return the wolves to him?The audacity of this plan is such that even he, who thinks he is a well-informed traveler, is a little scared.

If it wasn't for the girl in front of him who set fire to the stables in Winterfell a few days ago, Iger would have suspected that she was a lobbyist entrusted by Robb to fool him in Cao Ying.

"Well... I'm afraid I have to think about this."

It’s not an excuse, Iger really intends to think about it—the idea sounds good, but there are so many things that sound like that in this world, and things develop according to objective laws rather than people’s subjective imagination of.He has made many mistakes of taking it for granted, and he will always learn a lesson... What's more: when the Queen is in Winterfell, even if he decides to follow Myrcella's suggestion, "Release Robb Stark "It's not a big thing that one person can be in charge of.

Just as he was thinking about it, Iger realized that it was not a good time for "further thinking": the two came from the direction of the hall and walked and chatted, and they were already approaching the guest room where they lived temporarily——if the discussion continued, Iger would not be able to Myrcella was not invited into the house for dinner and talked by candlelight.After all, the little princess is now a member of the Stark family, and it is inappropriate to come to talk to him when the castle is occupied by her. If she is seen sharing a room with her after dark again, what surprises will happen? Strange rumors came that made it impossible for her to live here.

Coughing, he smiled and said, intending to end the topic: "Anyway, I'd like to thank Miss Maeve for using her brains. It's getting dark and there are many people in the castle. You'd better go early..."

"Wait, actually there are more." Probably understand why Iger wanted to drive her away, Myrcella said nervously and sped up her speech: "My lord has been the commander-in-chief of the Night Watch for so long. Don't you know? The north of the Neck is so big, and the temperament and behavior of the nobles are absolutely impossible to be the same... I roughly divide them into three categories: one is flexible and flexible, and your lord They are already familiar with each other and have a good relationship, and they can be drawn to serve the queen without the help of others; the second category is stubborn, rigid, smelly and hard, and no one can make them understand the single tendon of the situation; the third category It is between the first two, it is not easy to win, but it is not impossible to win."

"Among them, as long as the first type communicates well, it can be settled anyway; the second type can give up communication and find another way; only the third type has the largest number, and is most needed and worthy of adults' brains to win over—— Coincidentally, most of these people are leading troops to confront you in Seven City, not far away. You only need to cast Robb as the bait... If things go well, you can easily catch them all Catch it all up."

The "rule of thirds" of this simplified problem model is quite an interesting way of thinking. At least at first glance, it can be called "reasonable and clear thinking." Iger's eyes lit up slightly, and he stopped at the door of his room, standing in place , began to frown deeply and think.

He instinctively hated the plan, not because it had any pitfalls or loopholes, but because it put the decision-making power of the situation in the hands of someone else--Rob Stark, which happened to him for a long time. There is a conflict between my creed and the foundation of my life "not to give the initiative to anyone other than myself".But in the bottom of his heart, he also has to admit that it is impossible for anyone to control everything in his hands from the beginning to the end without relying on anyone at all...

This may indeed be a clever way to find a way out of a difficult situation, the only problem is, as the girl said - "requires a lot of courage, trust and psychological preparation for bad results".

Iger was surprised to find that he was really moved by a trick offered by a 13-year-old girl.

"I'm young, so there must be some things I didn't think carefully about. I racked my brains just to think about it. I just hope to provide adults with some reference directions and new ideas outside the routine." Myrcella also accompanied him in the room. Standing at the door for a few seconds, in the howling cold wind, he quickly realized that he should not stay any longer, blushed slightly, and said goodbye: "Sir, you must have a lot of things to think about these days, so I won't bother you for now. Rest early at night... No matter how important military affairs are, you have to be in good health to handle them."

Iger kept standing still, nodded instead of being polite, and watched Myrcella leave while turning his eyes to think seriously, just like this, under the inexplicable gaze of a group of guards and followers, he was separated from the room by a wall. He stayed outside the door for another half a minute, and finally unexpectedly did not push the door to enter the house...but turned around.

"Go to your lords Petyr Baelish and Robb Stark, and invite them to supper with me, and say I have something to see them about."

-

Chapter 536

Out of prudence and respect for his allies, Iger met with Littlefinger before entering the main castle to meet Robb. Under the guise of his own ideas, he briefly explained to him Myrcella's just-released wolf proposal. The bold idea of ​​returning to the mountain naturally startled the Queen's Hand, but the idea of ​​"three divisions of northern princes" was approved by Petyr.But while praising this mind-set that simplifies matters, he also offers his own.

"In the stomach, we can classify the northern nobles into three categories: easy, difficult, and unattractive, but in actual operation, you can't just give up just because you judge that some of them cannot be attracted - otherwise you will be counted in the future. They can then claim that we did not communicate enough with them, thus refusing to accept the blame and bear the consequences." Petyr said seriously, "Speaking of which, the Commander-in-Chief should have an overview of the northern princes, right? Having stayed overseas for many years, this must be inferior to you who are in the land-grant."

"Of course. The most famous nobles in the north are probably these families: the Karstarks of Cahoe City, the Manderlys of White Harbor, the Gloveres of Deepwood Motte, and the Mormonts of Bear Island , the Rythwells of the Brooklands, the Dustins of Barrowton, the Reeds of Greywater Lookout, the Taalhars of Torrhen Square, the Horwoods of Hornwood, the Lockes of Old Town...and the widow The two Flint families of Wangwang and Flint's Finger." I have taken the time to sort out my thoughts just now, and Iger's mouth is a bit familiar at the moment: "Although the queen's request is 'the allegiance of all the nobles in the north', but I think: Only those upper-class nobles who are directly loyal to the Stark family are necessary to count. The position and loyalty of those subordinate nobles should be 'represented' by their lords. If not, we are carrying out a A mission that will never be completed."

"Indeed, on this point, even if Varys or Bolton has objections, we should be able to easily persuade the queen to understand and agree." Seeing that he has so many new allies, Littlefinger felt a little relieved, and even his tone relaxed : "Is this all the vassals directly under the Stark family in the North? Why do I feel that something is missing?"

"What I'm missing is what I'm going to add—in addition to the families mentioned above, there are also the Bolton family of the Dreadfort, the Severn family of Seven City, and several 'Earl Chieftains' in the mountains...Skagos Isle The Kaggs, and the Amber family in the Last Hearth City." Iger nodded, "Among them, the Bolton family has already pledged their allegiance to the queen, so they can be skipped; Clay Seven was killed when he attacked Winterfell at night I am a prisoner, let Madam Stark go to the cell to persuade, most of them can be persuaded; some chiefs of the mountain clan are nominally loyal to Stark, but in fact they have already been subdued by me, from the lifeline of the food economy to the army. It is only a matter of saying that they recognize the queen; Skaggs Island, a group of barbarians who drink blood, I even doubt whether the queen has heard of or needs their loyalty; as for the Umber family, it seems that they have been destroyed by the white ghosts hand, but I just happen to have a plan here to bring it back to life...and serve the queen."

So, Iger briefly introduced the information provided by the little princess and the idea that if the real person can't be found, the civet cat can be replaced by the prince—in short, the idea of ​​reviving the Amber family and using it for himself... Of course, there was no mention of Myrcella.

"A coup, Lord Commander!" Petyr's eyes lit up after hearing this, and he sincerely admired, and then stretched out his hand: "So...Karstark, Manderly, Glover..."

Seeing a character like Petyr Baelish standing there like a child muttering and counting on his fingers is really a strange experience, but the fact is that with the complexity and difficulty of many families in the North, it doesn't matter If the auxiliary means are directly counted silently in the heart, it will be really unclear for a while.

After a few seconds, Littlefinger put down his hand: "Actually, we only need to settle [-] more families before we can approximate that we have conquered the northern border, and we can tell the queen without hesitation—"Everyone north of the Neck The nobles have already pledged their allegiance to her'!?"

"Yes."

"Well……"

Putting away his excited expression, Petyr frowned: The number may not seem large, but each of these families occupies a large area of ​​land and rules tens of thousands of subjects, and each surname has a long history and ancient pride... In Westeros before the war started, picking out any one of them would be enough for him to design a set of wooing strategies and implement them himself like a boss, but now, a total of twelve are Appearing in front of them all of a sudden, they need to be dealt with immediately!

Neither of them has avatar skills, not to mention the current situation, no matter for the safety of themselves or the queen, it is not appropriate to leave Winterfell and leave Varys alone with Daenerys?Under such circumstances, how to deal with these "mere twelve" families requires them to use their brains.

"The Stark family has publicly announced their support for His Majesty. Right now, at least on the surface, the North is on the Queen's side. Political correctness is our greatest advantage right now... As long as we make good use of this, those who are willing to negotiate will be willing to negotiate." The price is paid, and those who refuse to be loyal will label him as a rebel and violator of the lord, and it is definitely not as difficult as imagined to make the princes change their positions." After thinking for a while, Little Finger spoke again, not sure if he was talking to himself or giving it to him. Iger gasped, "I... the Baelish family's fief is close to Bite Bay. The land is barren and cannot grow food. I have been using the foreign trade subsidy of White Harbor for a long time. I managed it before I went to Seagull Town to work as a tax officer. After a while of this kind of business, I have dealt with the Mandalay family and the Locke family, and I am half a friend... I will write letters to these two families and send reliable people to contact them, but the principals of the next ten families, If it’s really walking in front of me, I may not even recognize it, how to deal with it, I’m afraid I have to rely on the Commander-in-Chief, or make another plan.”

"I sent troops to Deepwood Castle to expel the Ironmen two years ago, and I saved Robert Glover's wife and children. I am grateful to him. I am sure I can win this family." Iger also began to rank himself. How many companies can be settled: "On Bear Island, the former commander-in-chief of the Night's Watch came from the Mormont family. Later, the Northern Territory and the Land Grant joined forces to form the West Coast Fleet, and there was a long-term cooperation in Icestrait Harbour. It is still a bit of friendship... I can send the man who returned Jeor Mormont's ashes to visit again, because of the acquaintance, even if we can't win, at least we won't lose our lives."

"There are also the two Flint families of Widow Wang and Flint's Finger. They originally came from the mountains and were granted fiefdoms due to meritorious service. However, they are of the same lineage as the original clan and have blood ties. I will let them The chief of Flint in the mountains sent his heirs to lobby, and he is very confident that he can be subdued." I don't know, but after calculation... it seems that there are quite a few families in the north that he can handle, "If you can get a little relationship If the statistics are included, there is actually the Reed family of Greywater Watch. Miss Meera Reed and her younger brother Jojen escorted Bran Stark out of the fortress to accept the inheritance of the Green Prophet. She has lived in the fortress for a while, received my hospitality and protection, and is barely familiar with her, but I don’t know how much influence she has on her father.”

"I've heard about Holland Reed, probably because he lives in a swamp rather than on frozen ground. His character is not as tough as ordinary people from the northern border, but closer to that of people from the river. This kind of cunning and cunning, as long as the price is negotiated, it should not be difficult to deal with... I am only worried that your people will not be able to find Huishuiwang, which is rumored to move in the swamp."

"It's not the castle that moves, but the landforms of the swamp around the castle." Iger spread his hands, "If someone wants to find it again based on the memory of a certain forest, which quagmire or river, they will naturally come up with 'grey water look The one-sided conclusion of moving'. The good news is that Winter has frozen the Neck tightly, and the 'position' of Graywater Watch has definitely not been moved for at least ten months, and during this period, someone under my command visited over there."

"I hope everything goes well." Petyr sighed, "Be optimistic. Assuming that the companies you mentioned are successfully handled, then there are Karstark, Rathwell, Dustin, Tallhar and Huo What about the five families of Wood, are we helpless?"

"I don't really have any friendship." Iger shrugged helplessly-not only did he have no friendship, but two of them felt uncomfortable with him, and Karstark even opposed supporting him as commander-in-chief from the beginning. "But coincidentally, according to the available information, at least four of these five families have already stationed troops or are leading troops to Seven City. When they are gathered together, they will send envoys to negotiate in the usual way. It’s going to be hard to work.”

What Littlefinger said earlier was correct: Even if the judge can't win over, you have to send someone to talk, what if it works?However, there are not many educated and capable people in the land-grant army, and even fewer people who can talk and fool people. I don't want to list a separate category of "unable to win" and give up communication. They are really usable people. Limited, we can only refer to the logic of Tian Ji's horse racing, first use the capable generals on the families that are expected to achieve results, and focus on the overall situation.

Petyr folded his hands on his chest in the cold wind, and propped his chin on his right hand, thinking deeply.

Having been with Daenerys for several years, he already knew Daenerys well enough. The queen was only stimulated by Varys' old stories in the afternoon and wanted to "rule the North first". The fact that not everyone in the North loves her" lowers the demand.However, even for the eight families that the two have judged that they can win over and assign them clearly, it is unlikely that they will win all of them without missing a beat. Willing to bend the knee to surrender" situation.

There are less than [-] big families in the northern border. No matter how you count, there must be at least a dozen or four families responding to be called the "majority", right?If more than five big families, including Karstark and Ryswell, blatantly refuse to change their flag...then this ratio, no matter how Daenerys regains her senses and lowers her demands, it will be hard to justify up.

Iger and himself must not take the risk of going out in person, and the number of subordinates under the two who can be used as negotiators is quite limited, then...

After thinking about it, Petyr found helplessly: the crazy idea that Iger proposed just now, which he directly vetoed in his heart, was the only trick he could think of for the time being that could break the predicament.

"So, the key point right now is the ones gathered in Seven City?"

"Yes."

"Damn it!" Littlefinger clapped his fists, expressing his annoyance and reluctance.

"Damn it, what do you think the Prime Minister wants?" Iger asked with a wry smile. He also hoped that Littlefinger could come up with a better solution, but the tone was obvious: Petyr had nothing to do.So he was both apprehensive and moved by the adventurous strategy of letting the wolf go back to the mountain.

"Since you have already made an appointment, don't let people wait too long. Let's go to the main castle and talk to that boy Robb. Anyway, even if we finally decide to let him go, it is impossible to set off tonight. Let's first It is well said, if anyone can come up with a better idea before he leaves, then the trip will be cancelled, if not, we can only take the unavoidable risk of this trip." Littlefinger stretched his brows, showing the queen The courage and responsibility that the hand should have: "If it can be successful, you and I will share the credit, and if the judgment is wrong, the responsibility and consequences will also be shared by us... This is called advancing together and retreating together. What do you think, Commander-in-Chief?"

What a bright and aboveboard political strongman, I don't know whether Little Finger's personality has changed with his rich experience and rising status, or has his acting skills been honed to perfection?

No matter what it is, Iger has to admire it.

"That's great, then Mr. Prime Minister...please."

-

Chapter 537 The Mysterious Visitor

I used to love your mother.

On weekdays, this level of "entanglement" is obviously not a good relationship that can bring each other closer, but today, with this horribly troubled world as the background, and Iger as a "traitor" as a backdrop, even The past relationship between Petyr and Caitlin also seemed precious.After a few days of recovery, Robb, who has recovered from his injury, met the Queen's two important ministers in the conference hall of the main castle, and after Little Finger persuaded him with a few words, he accepted that he hoped that he could go to Seven City to persuade him. The request of the northern princes.

The consent of the parties is just the beginning. It is a gamble to release the northern ruler who has surrendered by force and whose loyalty has not been tested. Naturally, the main risk bearer-the Queen's approval.Petyr formally proposed this strategy to Daenerys at breakfast the next day. This time, with preparations in advance, Iger and Petyr finally managed to win a small game, except for the two-to-one In addition to overwhelming the opposition of Varys, there is another important advantage: Winterfell was originally taken by Iger - the person who captured Robb decided to let him go, and the others who did nothing ... Even Daenerys, who is the object of Iger's allegiance, has no position to firmly oppose it without conclusive evidence to prove that she will rebel.

The plan finally went smoothly, but Iger was not happy for too long, because he was quickly overwhelmed by the huge workload that followed: it was easy to rearm the guards of Winterfell City, but it was not a challenge to send envoys to win over the princes of the Northland. A good candidate means everything will be fine. Before sending Robb and some of his subordinates out, he and Littlefinger have to carefully weigh and discuss with his staff——Adhering to the principle of "a gentleman deceives him, and a villain lures him for profit" , clearly determine the tone of the negotiation and the bottom price for each family, and inform the messengers to ensure that the price is kept within an appropriate range while maximizing the number of conquered families, so as to avoid insufficiency when the conquest is completed and the fruits of victory are divided. Disputes arise due to division or unfairness.

The endless discussion and planning went on from noon to late at night, and until the eastern sky was about to light up, Iger reluctantly handed over a set of negotiation plans that he recognized as qualified.

Spending more time on deliberation will definitely make it more perfect, but politics is not about writing poetry, you just need to achieve your goals and not pursue perfection-it is definitely the best choice to make yourself into a dozen people and visit your door without landing, but it can only be Utopia, since it can't be realized, then we can only do our best to obey the destiny, try our best to do the preparation work that can be done, and then leave the hope to the personal development of the subordinates.

On the morning of the third day after Myrcella sent her bold ideas, more than a dozen messenger groups, including Robb Stark, scattered and thousands of people flocked from Winterfell holding the banner symbolizing peace and negotiation. And they flocked to all parts of the northern border.The fishing net has been cast out, but it is still unknown how many fish can be caught. What's more interesting is that the expected reply hasn't arrived yet, but two groups of uninvited guests arrived one step ahead from the east and west directions, and began to seek a relationship with the queen or her important ministers. our meeting.

Iger received and accepted the visit request from one group of people. When the tall and thin seeker sat down across the table with a smile, he unexpectedly discovered that the feeling of deja vu just now was not an illusion: it came from is an acquaintance.

"Lord Taichu!" The night watchman raised his eyebrows high, his face was exhausted and he couldn't suppress his surprise: "What wind brought you here from across the narrow sea?"

"It's the news that you defeated the White Walkers successfully. To be honest, my lord's speed is really frightening. When I set off, I heard that you were preparing in Houguan Town, but after you landed, you got Winterfell to find you. Please bear with me. Let me express my purely personal admiration." Taichu Nestors held his head high as always, smiling, free and easy but not arrogant, "Congratulations from Braavos, the new Aquaman is very pleased Humanity can survive such an unprecedented crisis, and the Iron Bank is also very happy to know that a large loan will not become a bad debt from now on... Haha, just kidding, anyway, please accept the high respect from the Free Trade City, Commander-in-Chief."

"You are too polite." What Iger lacks now is not admiration and respect, but he still nodded with a smile-although he was too busy to talk nonsense with others, he still endured and did not show any impatience: the value of iron treasury The food loan of 18 Golden Dragons helped the defenders of the Great Wall to survive the most difficult time, so that he did not have to worry about feeding the tens of thousands of mouths in the process of realizing his vision.This kind of real help alone is enough for him to be polite and respectful to the other party's messenger at all times, "But as far as I know, there are still [-] years before the deadline for the Night Watchman to repay the loan... ... I wonder if there is anything I can do for you?"

"The Commander-in-Chief has misunderstood, the next time I came here is not to press the debt." Tai Chu laughed and continued, "It's just that the big shots above are a little uneasy after hearing that you have pledged your allegiance to Daenerys Targaryen. So I hope to confirm with the Commander-in-Chief: Is our previous loan contract still valid?"

Ok?

What the hell?

Iger is a bit puzzled: It’s true that he doesn’t use tricks when he does things, but he really didn’t even think about the tasteless choice of “being an old man”—if the rebellion fails and his life is in danger, he doesn’t need it at all. Worried about the loan of the Great Wall defenders who will have to repay it after 18 years, and if they successfully conquer the Seven Kingdoms and occupy the top of the hero list, the Night Watchman Legion will be short of [-] golden dragons?joke!

What he was doing was seeking the country. If Iron Bank sent people to harass him for such a crappy matter, then he would be really upset.

The smile on his face faded, and displeasure surfaced: "Of course it works, not to mention my name was signed on the agreement, even if it wasn't, as Jeor Mormont's successor, I can't deny that the Great Wall is indeed The loan received. The Night Watchman Legion was not disbanded because of my allegiance to the Queen, and the Night Watchman property that was used as collateral has not closed down and disappeared. Since all conditions have not changed, why worry about the contract being invalidated?"

"Haha, that's natural." The tall and thin staff saw Iger's dissatisfaction, and immediately said something to ease the embarrassment, "Just go through a procedure to confirm that's all, the Iron Bank has no intention of questioning the Night Watch Corps and your lord's credit. Forgive me for the offense. I'm actually here on two other missions, one of which is: We heard in Braavos that the Wall defenders had invested in a war against the White Walkers in a previous war against the White Walkers. Sea King is very interested in the new weapon "Bomb", and I hope that the Commander-in-Chief can provide the method of manufacturing or deploying this weapon, of course - it is transfer and sale, please make a price."

The Braavosi actually want to buy explosive bomb technology, hey... artillery is the real killer, okay?But after thinking about it, from the perspective of time, most of the people on the other side of the narrow sea really don't know the existence and power of the latter.

"I have to disappoint you, Lord Taichu, but the bomb is also of great significance to the Queen's war to reunify the Seven Kingdoms. In order to prevent your Majesty's enemies from learning about this weapon in advance through external channels... before she regains the Iron Throne King Landing Whis Before Tello, all the information on this weapon will be kept in complete secrecy. I am afraid I have to regret to inform you that there is no room for negotiation on this point, please understand.”

"It's really regrettable, but the commander-in-chief is also thinking about his own monarch. It's understandable... Then let's let this matter go. I also work on a salary, so I shouldn't be that annoying bastard." Tai Chu didn't look like that at all. Not depressed, but still with a smile on his face: "But the next thing is really related to the interests of your monarch. The Iron Throne has successively loaned more than 200 million gold dragons to the Iron Treasury in the past ten years. The reason has been defaulting for several consecutive periods...Compared with King Stannis, we are now more optimistic about Daenerys Targaryen who has the support of your Lord Commander. If she can declare her approval of this debt in writing, we will Mobilize resources to support this Queen's war against the Reaver's Dynasty—”

"Wait." Iger interrupted Tai Chu, and was amused: "So your second task is to persuade the queen to inherit the debt left by the snatcher? Do you think this is possible... Wait, What does this have to do with me? You should ask His Majesty directly to see if she agrees, I am not the Queen's Chancellor of the Exchequer, and I have no say in this matter."

-

Chapter 538 The Mysterious Visitor

"It stands to reason that it is true, but this world...doesn't operate according to 'reasons'." With a mysterious smile, the ambassador continued with a seemingly profound philosophical statement: "The risk control department of the Iron Bank After personality analysis, it is judged that the queen will refuse this request, but at the same time, she also found that: she does not have a full-time finance minister yet, but she is a king who can accept advice with humility and attaches great importance to the opinions and opinions of people around her—if we If we can communicate and even reach an agreement with His Excellency the Commander-in-Chief, Prime Minister Petyr, and Chief Varys, there will be room for maneuver in this matter."

At least this risk control department didn't get paid for nothing, and both of their judgments were correct: asking Daenerys Targaryen to pay back the money her enemy borrowed and squandered was nothing short of whimsical, but if the three The most important members of the imperial court agreed that the debt should be inherited, so she would probably do so indignantly but suppressed annoyance.