Chapter 177: The Impoverished King

After listening to the explanations from Margaery and the surrounding crowd, Arthur said in a clear voice: "Building city walls is to protect the commoners, not to make you more exhausted. Lady Tyrell did the right thing; today's work ends here... and not just today, there is no need for such large-scale wall construction in the future, until we have made it through this long winter."

When the King was at Harrenhal, ravens had relayed the situation on the south bank of the Blackwater River to him one by one.

Since the death of Stannis, the great lords of the Stormlands had once again changed their object of allegiance.

Several great lords, including Count Arys Oakheart of Harvest Hall, Count Hugh Grandison of Grandview, Count Bastian Errol of Haystack Hall, and Count Ralph Buckler of Bronzegate, led their troops back to their own territories, and then sent letters to the Reach Army led by Balon Swann and to the people sent by King's Landing, respectively, to express their families' loyalty to the Iron Throne.

The Stormlands nobles who were already prepared to defect to Arthur I mostly had their territories north of Storm's End, while the three or four earldoms occupied by the Golden Company were all in the Feng Nu Jiao area south of Storm's End.

That is to say, the peninsula region north of the Dorne Sea and south of Shipbreaker Bay.

Coupled with the fact that Dragonstone and the Gullet were controlled by the Redwyne Fleet, Blackwater Bay was temporarily safe, and the only restless Westerlands were far enough away from King's Landing, which made the situation in the capital no longer so dangerous.

In other words, before any major changes occurred in the continental situation, the people of King's Landing did not need such high walls for the time being.

The King's words immediately made this group of toiling people cheer; they had long since stopped wanting to do this unpaid, exhausting work.

Taking advantage of his high popularity, Arthur also began to interact with the commoners, imitating Margaery just now.

Possessing traits like being approachable and kind, having a noble status, and being handsome, it was easy to be loved by the people of King's Landing; Rhaegar Targaryen and Renly Baratheon were both like this, and Arthur I was naturally no exception.

Added to that was the presence of the well-liked Queen Margaery, and the King received a massive amount of blessings in a very short time.

"By the Seven, the King is truly the best king in decades!"

"Look, Queen Margaery and Arthur I are such a perfect match!"

"The new king will surely be like the wise and martial Aerys II, allowing the kingdom to enjoy long-term stability and the people to live and work in peace."

When Count Tarly arrived with his men, this was the scene he saw: Arthur I, dressed in Iron Armor, was in close contact with his subjects, listening to the petitions and blessings of the people.

The surrounding Tarly soldiers, seeing their own lord arrive, told Randyll everything that had happened.

Count Tarly nodded, not wanting to ruin the scene, and waited quietly for the King's act of mingling with the people to end.

Among the commoners, Arthur, who was being touched and blessed by many hands, discovered a blue light screen that had suddenly flashed.

【Task: Establish free food supply points for the starving people of King's Landing】

【Task: Dispatch Maesters and other medical personnel to treat sick commoners】

【Task: Improve the sewage and drainage system of King's Landing to reduce the stench of the capital】

【Task: Build a water purification plant】

【Task: Host certain entertainment activities, such as a Tourney or inviting a circus for a touring performance】

A total of five tasks appeared on the System Panel; the three tasks that appeared last time at Harrenhal had already been completed, earning Arthur three thousand experience points.

Added to the combat experience gained since the last level-up, he only needed four thousand more points to level up.

In other words, the King would soon reach level ten, and his Riding could also be brought up to nine points.

It was only one level away from the ten points required to ride a dragon.

In the coming period, besides the experience that could be gained from the great war between the Westerlands and the Stormlands, the royal standing army about to be formed could also provide Arthur with a considerable amount of experience points.

I will be able to be a Dragon Rider soon!

Although Alduin, covered in spikes, did not look easy to ride, what kind of man was he?

A man who had already ridden Sansa and Arianne, was about to ride Margaery, and would ride Daenerys Targaryen in the future.

At worst, he would play the role of Arthur Morgan for once.

After finishing his contact with the commoners, the King remembered the origin of the matter Margaery had told him about.

"As for that Tarly officer, since you love using a whip to lash people so much, then I shall reward you with a lashing."

Arthur turned to his personal guard, Podrick Payne, and ordered: "Give him five lashes, use his own whip, and put some strength into it."

Before long, under the gaze of tens of thousands of people, the Tarly officer received the King's whipping punishment.

"Ah~"

Podrick's strength was indeed quite great!

As for the youth named Will, after the King asked him if he wanted to join the Royal Guard, Will agreed quite readily.

Arthur did this to prevent the youth from suffering subsequent retaliation from the Tarly officer—after all, there were too many things for the King to do, and he could not keep an eye on a commoner from Flea Bottom, so the best solution was to take him by his side.

As for whether Will's own combat power was capable of the guard position, that was a minor issue; there was basically no one who could defeat the King by force.

The thing Arthur I's guards did the most was actually carrying the giant hammer.

There was no help for it; the King could not carry the giant hammer around at all times—that was unsightly—so servants like Meidan, Podrick, and others had to be responsible for transporting the giant hammer to various battlefields.

After Arthur's power gradually grew, Meidan, Podrick, and the others did not do this personally anymore, but there were always unlucky fellows to carry the giant hammer.

After letting the commoners near the city wall return to their homes, the King and Margaery met Randyll Tarly, who had come upon hearing the news.

"Your Grace, I think stopping the construction of the city wall is a very unwise choice. Not to mention what other nobles will think when they see the dilapidated state of the capital's walls, it is just..."

Although Arthur I had already issued a royal decree, Count Tarly still voiced his thoughts.

In the eyes of this stubborn old lord, showing compassion to the commoners was a meaningless act.

Therefore, he strongly urged the King to continue building high walls of twenty or thirty feet.

"It is just a city wall, what can it do to my reputation? Lord Randyll, as rulers, we must understand the principle of using the people at the right time. After King's Landing has experienced several major wars in succession, and with the commoners having been starving for a long time, if we still mobilize the people to engage in massive construction, I fear my title will have 'Black-Heart' added to it. If that happens, in the records of the historians, I will be the Black-Heart King Arthur."

The King still insisted on his own point of view.

Using the people at the right time was a very metaphysical issue; with the insight of Arthur's two lifetimes, he naturally knew that quite a few rulers had failed on this point.

For example, in his previous life in Daxia, Emperor Yang of Sui, Yang Guang, one of the ten philosophers of the Net Temple.

Undoubtedly, this man was a total tyrant, but looking at what he did, such as digging the Grand Canal, developing the Western Regions, rebuilding the Great Wall, initiating the imperial examination system, and the three expeditions to Goguryeo, accomplishing any one of these would have been enough to leave a name in history.

But Brother Guang, who was strong-willed his whole life, was not convinced, and insisted on finishing so many things in his short life, naturally squandering the astonishing legacy his father had left behind.

Back to the point.

Given the situation in the Crownlands and the Riverlands, what needed to be done now, besides providing relief to the refugees, was to slowly restore production in towns, workshops, and the like.

Major repairs to city walls and large-scale construction were not feasible in the short term.

Arthur I and Count Tarly discussed back and forth for a long time, and he had a new idea.

"The project involving tens of thousands of commoners working simultaneously must stop, but it is still acceptable for a few hundred stonemasons and apprentices to slowly make repairs on the city walls. This time, it will not be done in the form of compulsory labor; give copper coins and food to those who work, and let those who are willing to work come."

King's Landing and a large piece of territory nearby are the private property of the royal family; before today, the city wall repair projects were all conducted in the form of compulsory labor.

Which is to say, no money was paid, and the commoners were forced to work.

This is also considered a way for a lord to collect taxes, though it is not very common.

If the royal family pays commoners to work, the public's resistance to this project will be much smaller, and quite a few young people who cannot find work to earn money will even be happy to join, praising the King for providing them with a good job.

In this day and age, being able to fill one's stomach is the greatest wish of a commoner.

The problem of the city walls was thus resolved; on the way back to the Red Keep after entering the city, Arthur, riding his horse, discussed the situation in the Stormlands in detail with Duke Randyll.

As for Margaery, after performing the cheek-kissing ceremony with her fiancé, she ducked into a carriage—as a decent noblewoman, riding a horse is very unseemly, so young ladies and ladies of the South prefer to sit in carriages.

Northerners are not so particular; even Sansa, who is determined to be a lady, can ride a horse, and her Riding is quite good.

"Although most of the nobles in the northern part of the Stormlands have sent Ravens, claiming to be consistent loyalists to House Targaryen, I believe the loyalty of these families is worrying."

Lord Randyll spoke while controlling his mount, causing it to fall two or three steps behind the red giant horse of Arthur I.

Except for guards, subjects cannot walk in front of the King.

"Why do you think so?" Arthur turned his head and asked curiously.

The main branch of House Baratheon no longer has any adult males, and Robert's Bastard has not been legitimized; with no object of allegiance, the Stormlands nobles naturally have no choice but to turn to Arthur, who currently has the strongest strength.

"I will give an example: the Grandison family of Grandview. Their Jiaodu, Ser Hugh, has already sent a letter, but another important member of the family, Ser Norbert Grandison, is still at Storm's End serving Selyse Florent. Many Stormlands families are hedging their bets on both sides like this," Duke Tarly explained.

Arthur thought for a moment and waved his hand lightly, "This is a small problem. Didn't Storm's End send a Raven saying that Melisandre has already set off and is about to come to express the loyalty of House Baratheon, House Florent, the original vassals of Dragonstone, and other forces? Once Storm's End also surrenders, the Stormlands nobles will no longer be a problem."

He was mainly worried about the Golden Company and forces like Aegon VI.

This group of people is very likely to ally with Volantis and other places, and then launch a round of attacks on the Western Continent through the Stepstones.

As for the Stormlands families, they have no support from Essos forces and cannot stir up any trouble.

Because he had to keep turning his head to talk to Randyll, Arthur, whose neck was uncomfortable, ordered him to spur his horse forward two steps and ride side-by-side with him.

The pedantic Randyll appeared a bit flattered; after feigning a refusal twice, he lightly squeezed his horse's belly and hurried forward two steps, making the King's neck no longer so uncomfortable.

After the two were closer, the topics they discussed became bolder.

"... As for the succession problem of Storm's End, I suggest you can have your second or third son marry Shireen Baratheon, and then let the Prince inherit the castle and the position of Lord Paramount of the Stormlands."

Duke Tarly suggested boldly.

Anyway, the King has plenty of wives; the Tully bloodline inherited by Queen Sansa and the Tyrell bloodline, whose family motto is "Growing Strong," are both famous throughout the Seven Kingdoms for their ability to bear children.

In the foreseeable future, His Majesty Arthur I will have quite a lot of children.

Although the Stag family was the main force in the Usurper's War, the newly appointed Lord Paramount of the Stormlands by the royal family must marry Shireen to sit firmly in the territory, just like during the Conquest, when Aegon I's Bastard brother Orys defeated the Storm King, obtained the territory and the castle, but still married the Storm King's only daughter and inherited the woman's banner, sigil, and motto.

"I remember Shireen suffered from Stone Scale Disease; I wonder if she has the ability to reproduce?" Arthur asked curiously.

This method is considered a backup plan; his first child doesn't even have a Shadow yet, so there is no need to think so far ahead for the time being.

As for the current Storm's End, the foolish Selyse still has the support of two or three thousand soldiers, mainly consisting of Florents, the main Baratheon family, and Dragonstone soldiers.

Arthur also does not want to be idle and go struggle against a sturdy castle that sixty thousand troops could not take down.

"I am not sure either." Lord Randyll shook his head.

His concern for soldiers far exceeds his interest in gossip about noblewomen.

Arthur suddenly remembered one thing, "By the way, have the natives of the Crab's Claw Peninsula arrived? That group of First Men wearing somewhat ragged clothes."

After he gave the order, this group of people traveled south from Maidenpool along the Rosby Road; counting the days, they should have arrived long ago.

"They arrived in King's Landing a week ago. Their equipment is really a bit backward, and they don't do things very properly. I felt it was a bit of a loss of face for the royal family, so I let them camp in the military camp north of the Lion Gate and did not let them enter the city," Duke Tarly replied.

That group of First Men left a very poor impression on him, looking even more shabby than the Ironborn of the Iron Islands, so Lord Randyll refused to let them enter the city.

"This is the main force for forming the King's Landing City Watch in the future; how can they be left outside the city?" Arthur I blamed, "As for equipment and such, just strip some off the piles of dead bodies; at most, remove the family crests, sigils, and so on. It's not like it can't be used."

Robert spent all the wealth accumulated by House Targaryen over three hundred years and also owed a mountain of debt, which left the Red Keep penniless.

Plus, Arthur himself did not have much money, and the only large sum was still with the Tyrells, but Duke Mace said there was a problem with this money; the Gold Dragon coins Loras received in King's Landing only had thirty percent gold content.

The Knight of Flowers, who only had fencing in his brain, did not know the difference between the new and old Gold Dragon coins, so he did not note it in the letter.

Previously, Arthur did not understand the difference between the new and old Gold Dragon coins either, so he used them in confusion. His previous Trade with the Rose family was all calculated based on the value of the old coins, and Duke Mace, who insisted on clear accounts between father-in-law and son-in-law, was preparing to pick a time to settle this muddled account with the King.

This made the already not-so-wealthy King even worse off.

Although the gold mines near Golden Tooth can extract Jiu Jiu Jiu Jiu Jinzi, after buying food for the farmers in the entire South Riverlands, there is not much left.

And what's worse, a lot of the new Gold Dragon coins have flowed into the Western Continent for circulation, making the already chaotic monetary system even more disordered.

Thinking of this, Arthur's hatred for Littlefinger increased by a few points.

You say you have already run to The Vale, yet you still dig such a big hole for me.

As for the debts owed by Robert, Arthur is prepared to refuse to acknowledge them all—the bad things done by the usurper, what does it have to do with me, Arthur Targaryen I?

Among the six million Gold Dragon coins in debt, the easiest to renege on are the three million to House Lannister and the nine hundred and thirty thousand to the Church.

The heir to the former is Tyrion; after the King pacifies the Westerlands, the benefiting Tyrion Lannister cannot possibly chase after the penniless Arthur for money, right?

The Church's money is even easier to handle; the new High Septon doesn't even know where he ran off to, and the group of people under the High Sparrow currently using the Great Sept of Baelor don't even have a Most Devout, so they have no power to collect debts.

The rotation method for the High Septon is also a life-and-death struggle, so before the current Septon Lucan dies, the High Sparrow is truly not legitimate.

Thinking of this, Arthur prepared to pick a time to drive away that group of Sparrow Septons.

As for the debt to the Iron Bank of Braavos, Arthur I not only did not think about paying it back, he even wanted to borrow another sum to form a royal standing Battalion.

When you owe fifty thousand, you are a grandson; when you owe fifty million, the bank is my grandson.

For the upcoming coronation ceremony and the expenses of the wedding with Margaery, let House Tyrell pay the vast majority, and the King will pay a symbolic amount.

Arthur even prepared to earn some precious gifts from the wedding and then see if he could fill the empty royal assets.

Sigh! It would be great if I could make a fortune at some point.

What the King does not know is that in the next two or three months, not only will he not be able to make a fortune, he will have to continue to lose money.

Another wedding is waiting for him, and the marriage partner does not have much money in Westeros either.

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(End of chapter)