Chapter 81: Recruitment Order

Margaery was very cooperative with her cousins' bragging, occasionally letting out expressions of surprise and admiration.

Even though she knew little about knights or military affairs, she still possessed basic common sense.

Judging by the combat prowess of killing over a hundred enemies in a single battle, this handsome Bracken might be the most powerful warrior in the history of Westeros.

When she heard that Arthur had gone to war with Raventree Hall just for three brutally murdered villagers, one of whom was a pregnant woman, her impression of Arthur improved even further.

"Wicked Raventree Hall and Brynden!" the Little Rose exclaimed.

Arthur felt that the way she looked at him had changed.

"So, to guard against retaliation from Blackwood House, I am doing everything possible to expand my army. Besides purchasing weapons and Plate Armor, I also hope to hire a group of Brave warriors from the Reach during this trip to The Reach."

"It's just that my uncle isn't very supportive of Mr. Arthur," Hobber said.

Duke Mace was his own uncle.

Horas added, "I think it might be Randyll Tarly playing tricks; he has always been on good terms with our second cousin."

"Why?" Margaery asked curiously.

She could not understand how Arthur, who had only been at Highgarden for half a day, could have offended the Lord of Horn Hill in the south.

"It should be because I brought a dozen Dornishmen here, and Randyll Tarly, who was visiting, found out, so he blocked it under the pretext that the Brave Companions were hired by me," Arthur explained.

Hobber chimed in to help: "No matter how bad the reputation of the Brave Companions is, or how much people dislike Dornishmen, they are going to defend Mr. Arthur's lands. The Lord of Horn Hill is really being a bit of a bully."

He shifted all the responsibility onto Randyll Tarly, without mentioning at all that it was his cousin Garlan Tyrell who had spoken up to stop it.

Favoring kin over reason.

"My father sometimes cannot distinguish right from wrong." Although Margaery felt deep down that her father had acted excessively, she maintained her elegance in her speech.

After all, with an outsider like Arthur present, she could not freely express her disdain for her father.

"After you return home this afternoon, Mr. Arthur, you can come with me to see my father; I will persuade him."

"That would be perfect." Arthur had not expected that there could still be a turning point in this matter.

To be honest, for a liege lord family of the Reach with over ten thousand professional, full-time soldiers under their command, three hundred sets of weapons and Plate Armor were simply nothing.

But for Arthur, this equipment was quite substantial.

The fragrant food was brought up by the tavern boy, and the group quickly solved the problem of their hunger.

Then the Little Rose went off to continue teaching children to read at the school she had founded, while Arthur and the twins went to the town center to recruit warriors.

"The price for mercenaries of the Brave Companions is twenty Gold Dragons per person. The warriors of the Reach are stronger and better fighters; I suggest Mr. Arthur set the price at thirty Gold Dragons."

Hobber suggested.

"It should depend on the person; those who bring their own weapons and Plate Armor can be paid more, and those without equipment can be paid less," his brother Horas gave his own opinion.

The group was standing in the town center, and the town mayor, having heard the news, was responsible for maintaining order at the scene.

As one of the three top noble families of the Reach, the twins of Redwyne House were quite influential. Attracted by their family's blue-grape sigil, twenty or thirty mercenaries had already arrived.

Among them, stragglers were in the majority, and those who had banded together formed at most two groups.

To be honest, Arthur had a psychological aversion to stragglers.

Because it was difficult to pay these people, and difficult to command them.

One of the most important reasons mercenaries formed companies was the fear of being cheated by their employers—losing their lives without ever receiving their pay.

But there were still a considerable number of people who chose to work alone, such as the luckiest mercenary in the Game of Thrones world, Bronn.

He followed them to the Eyrie only for the bounty on Lady Stark. After the bounties from the Stark and Arryn families failed to satisfy him, he immediately jumped to Tyrion Lannister's side.

Arthur felt he should avoid such a situation.

"We can talk about the price later; what I need now is loyalty and obedience."

Vargo, the commander of the Brave Companions, followed by Arthur's side, helping to screen and filter them.

Sporting a goatee, he wore black Plate Armor different from that of the warriors of Westeros, which made him look very grim.

As a commander of a hundred-man mercenary company, knowing how to pick those who were brave, fierce, and fearless of death from among ordinary mercenaries was precisely his strength.

Less than half of the twenty or thirty people in front of them passed; only eleven were chosen by Arthur.

Anyone with a bit of discernment could see Arthur's dissatisfaction.

The number was simply too small.

"I think you, you could issue a recruitment, order... that way those not in this place, could..." Vargo, who had a slight stutter, suggested.

But his stumbling words sounded very uncomfortable.

One of his assistants stepped forward and explained quickly:

"Mercenaries often have their own circles, and news travels very quickly. You can issue a recruitment order; those who come for an interview can get a few Silver Stags. This will quickly attract powerful warriors from several hundred leagues away."

"Yes, in just a day or two, the number of mercenaries arriving will double; it won't take up much of your time, my lord," the mayor said with a fawning smile.

That was indeed a method.

Arthur agreed.

In any case, he currently had over fifty thousand Gold Dragons on hand, and one Gold Dragon could be exchanged for two hundred and ten Silver Stags.

Spending a few Gold Dragons to get a large group of mercenaries to come for interviews was quite cost-effective.

Arthur ordered: "Then every mercenary who comes for an interview will receive two Silver Stags; they must be carrying standard weapons to qualify, and it is valid for two days. Please help spread this news, Mayor."

Then he tossed a Gold Dragon to the mayor as a reward.

"No problem, I will go do it right away. The speed of a Raven is very fast; by tomorrow morning, a large number of armored warriors will come to find you."

The mayor was about to turn to attend to the matter when he was stopped by Arthur again.

"Help me find a caravan as well, a large one capable of transporting hundreds of sets of armor, to be shipped to the north bank of the Red Fork in the Riverlands. The price is negotiable."

For the sake of the one Gold Dragon reward, the mayor readily agreed: "No problem at all. Tomorrow, when you come to interview the mercenaries, you will be able to see such a caravan."

Arthur nodded and waved for him to leave.

It looks like I will have to stay here for one more day.

Every ordinary soldier in the Second Sons, a well-known mercenary company on the continent of Essos in the east, can earn one hundred Gold Dragons for a single Task, while the average price for mercenaries in the Reach is only about twenty Gold Dragons.

Although this is related to the fact that the peace in Westeros over the past decade has left mercenaries with no work, it is indeed cheap, and being able to hire more people is always good.

Next, Arthur and the twins went to Margaery's schoolhouse to wait, and in the afternoon, they would head to Highgarden together.

Arthur needed to settle the payment for the weapons and armor with Count Paxter, while Margaery promised to help handle her father, Duke Mace Tyrell.

PS: Seeking recommendation votes and monthly tickets.

(End of this chapter)