iron throne of ice and fire

Chapter 267 Players at the Card Table

Lord Greene was very busy and sent away the worried-looking Bachelor Kemen. He immediately summoned more than a dozen dilapidated knight families from the valley.

They were the same as other families who came to seek refuge. It seemed that... as long as they had unmarried daughters with outstanding looks... they all brought them here.

Lord Green's visual inspection showed that the youngest among them looked to be only eleven or twelve years old.

The lord of the valley is infatuated with the daughter of a certain valley noble regardless of other things? What if... maybe... he has a special, unknown hobby?

Lord Green, who was sitting on the high seat, stopped thinking. His voice echoed in the hall: "Get up and welcome you."

Green had a slight smile on his face. As a ruler, he needed more patience. After all, he and them... were not familiar with each other yet. At this stage... Lord Green was willing to give them more opportunities.

Then came: the oath, the reward, the banquet... It was like a repeat of yesterday's scene, except that the participants had changed, and more and more valley nobles joined the banquet.

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Early the next morning, the messenger crow carrying King Joffrey's letter arrived at the crow's nest in the Eyrie.

In the study, Green took the letter from Maester Erling and began to read it. The content was still King Joffrey urging his prisoners of war to be sent to King's Landing as soon as possible.

Rumor has it that on the day Lord Tywin entered King's Landing as a savior, he rode directly to the throne room, and his horse pooped a pile of excrement under the Iron Throne in full view of everyone.

It is said that an moved King Joffrey had to bypass the pile of excrement in order to embrace his grandfather, calling Lord Tywin the savior of King's Landing.

Then, King Joffrey sincerely requested his grandfather, Tywin Lannister, to take charge of the entire Seven Kingdoms on his behalf... When Duke Tywin accepted the king's request, Joffrey Baratheon personally died for him. Wearing the Prime Minister's necklace.

Green guessed that King Joffrey was afraid of Lord Tywin's majesty and did not dare to have an attack at the time, but later he must have become more and more angry, feeling that the king's majesty was being "trampled" in front of everyone.

At this moment, he needs to use the prisoners in the valley to show the majesty of the king in front of everyone, including Tywin Lannister, who does not regard himself as a king.

Green moved his fingers. There were two letters in total. When he saw the handwriting on the second one, he raised his eyebrows slightly. This was a letter written by Grand Maester Pycelle.

He wrote in the letter: The Tyrell family claimed in the throne room... Although Margaery held a wedding ceremony with Renly Baratheon, Renly went to war on the wedding night and was unable to have sex. She was still a virgin. Body... Coupled with the merits of the Tyrell family, King Joffrey has announced Margaery Tyrell as his fiancée, the future queen of the Seven Kings, in front of all the nobles.

Maester Pycelle's letter hints that Queen Cersei is dissatisfied with Margaery Tyrell becoming her son's betrothed.

Then, he wrote in the letter...According to the merits of the Battle of King's Landing, on the day Duke Tywin entered the throne room, more than 600 people were named knights. He specifically pointed out that Lancel Lannister, who was seriously injured, was made Lord of Darry City.

[Darry City is the residence of the Darry family in the Riverlands and is currently occupied by the Lannister army. It is located at the intersection of the King's Road and the Trident River in the small town of Earl of Harroway. Although the castle is ancient, it is small in scale. 】

Then...Tyrion Lannister was sent to Riverrun as Lord Treasurer and envoy of the Red Keep. The task given to him by Lord Tywin was to pay Jaime Lannister a reasonable "ransom". Bring him back to King's Landing safely.

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After reading the letter, Green tapped his fingers on the armrest of the chair. After a while, he threw Pycelle's letter into the brazier not far away.

Then, he pulled out a blank piece of parchment, picked up a quill, dipped it in ink, and said: "Maester Erling, please tell Maester Kemen for me that he has two more months to treat Duke Arryn. .”

Waving the quill, he wrote: "Tell him that this is a gift just sent by His Majesty the King, and let him cherish it."

"Yes, my lord." Maester Erlin left the study.

Rustle, rustle... Green is writing the troop movement order for the Crab Claw Peninsula. Although the northern region of the valley has not yet been included in his rule, the conquest of Maidenpool in the Riverlands needs to be arranged as soon as possible. This is another step in the power game.

After writing the troop movement order, he took out a new piece of blank parchment... Lord Green wrote several letters throughout the morning.

There is a letter, and its recipient is: Lord Tywin Lannister, ever the King's Hand. Greene's letter only briefly congratulated Duke Tywin on his appointment at the beginning, and then...extended to praise King Joffrey's great achievements, as well as King Joffrey's outstanding wisdom, courage and chivalry.

What great achievements did King Joffrey have? First of all, despite being surrounded by powerful enemies, they decisively and forcefully sent troops to conquer the valleys that were dissatisfied with the rule of Joffrey's Iron Throne. Then came the Battle of King's Landing... In his letter, Green attributed the outcome of this battle to... the victory brought about by King Joffrey's wisdom and courage.

Green "transferred" the credit for Tyrion's preparations for the war in King's Landing when Lord Tywin was fighting in the Riverlands to King Joffrey.

Since Tyrion, the great hero, has been "expelled" by Lord Tywin, this makes sense.

This letter needs to be escorted by special soldiers, because in addition to the letter, there is also an "appetizer" that shows King Joffrey's military exploits - Petyr's head.

As for the "open letter" written to Lord Tywin, it will be delivered to King Joffrey first due to negligence together with the "appetizer", which is from the young steward of Leiden (he is now in King's Landing, Chapter 246) Task.

Well, let's have fun picking peaches for each other.

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Another letter, addressed to the war artist, Lord Mace Tyrell. In the letter, Green briefly talked about his views on the future war situation. He hoped that if there was a suitable opportunity... he would be willing to raise 30000 troops to assist the Duke of Metz in conquering Riverrun and contribute to the kingdom's end to the war. Then, he briefly mentioned his views on the political situation in the Riverlands. He felt that there was a high probability that peace talks would be impossible. Then... he also expressed some concerns about the superior combat effectiveness of the soldiers in the north.

Green then once again congratulated Margaery Tyrell on her "final decision" to become Queen of the Seven Kings.

Finally, he told the Duke of Metz that a nobleman from the valley presented him with a precious black walnut wood that looked like a palm, with the palm of the hand like the chair surface and the fingers like the back of the chair... very suitable for carving into a chair. Green said that he had arranged for the best carpenters in the valley to do the work. After the completion, he sent it to the Duke of Metz as a congratulatory gift for the golden rose to "bloom" in King's Landing.

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The next letter... its destination is Maga Tower in the Red Keep, and it's addressed to Queen Cersei Lannister. In addition to the normal greetings, the main content of the letter is the results of the Battle of the Vale, as well as the usual... concerns about the safety of Queen Cersei, and the final conclusion is: The Crab Claw Peninsula and the Vale in his hands are always at the disposal of Cersei Lan Sent by Nestor, his greatest honor would be to serve her.

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Green stood on the balcony of the Eagle's Nest City. In the distance was the valley surrounded by mountains and undulating peaks, which was extremely spectacular.

Bachelor Erlin's old voice sounded behind him: "Lord Green, the Messenger Crow has made arrangements."

"Thank you, Maester Erlin." After a pause, Green turned and walked towards the room. He would soon meet with the mercenary leaders in the valley. They would be the main siege force in the conquest of the cities in the northern part of the valley.

Lord Green plans to use the golden dragon to consume another military organization in the valley - the mercenary groups in the valley.

This requires the "micro-management" of King Green, but it must be carried out, because the valley only needs one military force, and that is the Kleb Army.

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Amidst the low roar of the sea breeze, the waves rolled among the rocks under Dragonstone Castle, hitting huge white foam.

Leading to the central tower and stone drum tower of Dragonstone Castle is an elevated stone arch bridge.

The sea breeze kept passing through the arches supporting the top of the bridge. Davos Seaworth walking on the bridge could smell the smell of sea water, which was the "smell" that gave him strength.

As soon as Earl Davos arrived at the gate of Stone Drum Tower, Sir Axel's figure suddenly appeared and blocked his way.

Ser Axel Florent is a member of House Florent. He is the younger brother of Lord Alister Florent of Brightwater, the wife of Stannis, and the uncle of Selyse. His position is Dragonstone. The acting city lord of the island.

Lord Davos paused and looked at the person opposite him. Ser Axel, like the queen, had the Florentine family's frill ears, with thick hair growing out of his ears and nostrils, and tufts of hair sprouting from the bottom of his double chin. Mao Lai.

Ser Axel had a broad nose and sharp brows, and his close eyes were full of hostility.

Prime Minister Davos tapped his chin and said, "Sir Axel."

Sir Axel was also sizing up Davos. When he saw the person opposite him taking the initiative to call him, he snorted coldly and said: "Davos, it was you, an unqualified prime minister, who brought misfortune to His Majesty the King. It was you... …You are not a believer in the King of Light, you brought him defeat!”

Earl Davos frowned slightly and said, "Sir Axell, King Stannis wants to summon me."

Earl Davos wanted to go around, but Sir Axel blocked the way again.

"R'hllor gave me the ability like Lady Melisandre. I can see the future in the holy fire. I once saw Stannis Baratheon sitting on the Iron Throne in the holy fire, but because you took it away You are a sinner and a smuggler who ruined my position as Prime Minister."

Earl Davos didn't want to pay attention to the madman in front of him: "King Stannis doesn't like to wait for others."

Sir Axel did not back down: "I have foreseen the path to take in the future in the holy fire. To do this, His Majesty the King must let me be his Prime Minister. And you, when you meet His Majesty the King, will advise him like this, And voluntarily withdraw from the position of prime minister."

Lord Davos frowned and said, "I only obey King Stannis's orders, Ser Florent."

"Queen Celis urges His Majesty the King to appoint me as Prime Minister..."

Sir Axell stared at Davos and continued: "Even your old friend, the pirate Thorn, said so. I made a plan with him... His Majesty the King refused to act. Failure is like the blackness in the soul. Worms are gnawing at his heart. Loyal people should act together. If you are as loyal as you claim to be, then tell His Majesty the King that I am the only suitable Prime Minister for him. If you are so Do, when we 'set sail' I promise you a new ship."

"New ship? You mean..."

Davos raised an eyebrow and said, "Those ships abandoned in Mermaid Harbor?"

Sir Axel first warned: "Tell you, I don't want... His Majesty the King to hear this from your mouth."

Then, he threatened: "Smuggler, I have been the acting city lord of Dragonstone for a long time. Please remember... the guards here are all my people. I may not be able to burn you to death without His Majesty the King's permission, but who can say Won't you unfortunately fall down, tonight or tomorrow?"

Davos shrugged and said, "I admit, I don't want to fall from here."

Sir Axel stepped aside and said with a sinister smile: "Your Majesty is waiting for us. Don't keep him waiting. You also know that he doesn't like to wait for others."

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In the Picture Table Hall at the top of the Stone Drum Tower, you can see the starry sky at night, and you can hear the sound of wind and the faint sound of waves.

Stannis Baratheon was standing behind a huge map table. An iron brazier stood beside him, and the coals in it glowed orange-red.

Stannis wore a gray woolen coat, a dark red cloak, an ordinary black belt around his waist, with a long sword and dagger hanging on it, and a flame-shaped red gold crown on his head.

The short shaved beard on his face is covered with gray hair, and his figure... Every movement can clearly see the bones moving under the skin, as if a spear will poke out... Even the crown on the top of his head is... Seems too big.

His eyes seemed to be deep-set blue caves, and the shape of his head could be seen underneath his face.

"Your Majesty." Lord Davos and Ser Axel saluted King Stannis.

King Stannis looked at Lord Davos, a smile passed across his lips, and said: "My Hand, you always tell the truth. I need to hear your advice."

He clasped his hands behind his back and said, "Tell me honestly, what is the punishment for betrayal, my Prime Minister?"

Punishment for betrayal? The words hung in the air, and Davos thought... King Stannis had asked him the same question.

Lord Davos replied respectfully: "Death is the punishment, King Stannis."

King Stannis's voice was filled with anger: "There is someone from the Florent family... who suggested recognizing the bastard's Iron Throne. He wanted to sell my rights for his own power, and even wanted to marry off my only child. To that bastard!"

Earl Davos was silent for a while. He glanced at the silent Sir Axell and respectfully advised: "King Stannis, Earl Florent is not your traitor. Maybe... you can treat him as... Advice you don’t like.”

Sir Axel's voice sounded: "Your Majesty the King, I beg you, give me a chance to prove that not all Florentines are so weak!"

(End of this chapter)