Chapter 139: Negotiation and Contest

At the meeting of the Lord of the North in the Great Hall of Barrow Hall, as soon as Lord Roderick Ryswell of the Rills heard that the fortress at the mouth of the First Men River would not require the Rills to spend money, and that the costs of the fortress would be borne by Winterfell, he immediately smiled at Eddard.

"Lord Eddard, thank you to Winterfell for being considerate of the Rills; let Winterfell foot the bill and build the fortress at the mouth of the First Men River!"

Roderick Ryswell had actually realized that if Winterfell built the fortress at the river mouth, the Rills would lose the territory near the river mouth; however, because Ironborn Pirates were rampant near the First Men River and the fishing village population and tax revenue were minimal, the Rills would rather give up this piece of territory than spend money to build a fortress.

Eddard valued the economic and strategic value of the river mouth more; once Winterfell built fortresses and developed ports at the mouths of the First Men River, the Stony River, and the Barrow River, the defensive capabilities of the North's West Coast would be greatly enhanced, and the defense of the Salt Spear would become impregnable.

Enemies at sea could fully utilize the Salt Spear in the North's inland sea to head east, and use the Heatwave River to travel upstream in the Neck, threatening Moat Cailin, the vital throat of the North. Once Winterfell controlled the multiple river mouths of the Salt Spear, enemies at sea would be unable to attack Moat Cailin from the rear.

Eddard easily persuaded Lord Roderick Ryswell to give up the territory at the mouth of the First Men River, but he hit a snag with Lady Barbrey.

"Lord Eddard, I do not wish to give up the river mouth of the Salt Spear. The land east of the First Men River is the territory of the Dustin House, and as for the Barrow River region, it lies entirely within the domain of the Dustin House."

West of the First Men River is the Rills, the territory of the Ryswell House, while the east belongs to the territory of the Dustin House of Barrowton; the Barrow River originates in Barrowton and is the largest river in the Barrowlands that flows into the Salt Spear.

Eddard raised one eyebrow, "The Dustin House is unwilling to give up the territory at the river mouth; could it be that the Dustin House is willing to pay to build a fortress at the river mouth?"

Steve, Jason, Delong, and Paul of the Dustin House sat at a table to the side, either frowning in thought or whispering softly, waiting for the decision of the head of the Dustin House, the widow of Barrowton.

Lady Barbrey sighed, "Building a fortress at the river mouth would cost the Dustin House a lot of money, and I am unwilling to spend this wasted money. I welcome Winterfell building a fortress at the river mouth, but the land belongs to the Dustin House, and the future tax revenue from the river mouth must be handed over to Barrowton, not Winterfell."

This was truly a difficult widow; even though Lady Barbrey was to marry the Winterfell retainer Fellan tomorrow, she could still argue strongly for the interests of the Dustin House against Eddard and Winterfell.

Lady Barbrey was clearly much smarter than her father, Lord Roderick Ryswell; she saw the value of the river mouth and was therefore unwilling to give it up easily.

Eddard feigned ease and said, "Lady Barbrey, how much tax revenue can the mouths of the First Men River and the Barrow River have? You and I both know very well that due to the Ironborn Pirates, the West Coast of the North has no decent ports, and no merchant ships from the south will come to trade at the Salt Spear. This river mouth does not have much tax revenue, everyone knows this!"

Lady Barbrey revealed a wolf-like smile, "Since there is not much tax revenue, wouldn't it be better to hand it over to Barrowton? Lord Eddard, you are a smart man, why must everyone pretend to be foolish? Once the longship fleet of the North's West Coast takes shape and the fortress at the river mouth is built, it is very likely that merchant ships from the south will be active on the North's West Coast in the future. When that time comes, who can say for sure how much this tax revenue will be?"

Roose Bolton looked at Lady Barbrey with an appreciative gaze, Lord Wyman looked suspicious, and the clansmen of the Dustin House looked at Lady Barbrey with more admiration. This was why the people of the Dustin House loved Barbrey; she could always seek the greatest benefits for Barrowton and the Dustin House.

Lady Barbrey pointed her finger at Lord Wyman, "Lord Eddard, when the Manderly family first came to the North, House Stark enfeoffed the Manderly family at the Wolf's Den. At that time, the mouth of the White Knife was rampant with Sistermen pirates, and House Arryn, the Kings of the Vale, often raided the fishing villages near the White Knife. At that time, no Northern family was willing to take over the defense of the White Knife river mouth and exchange territories with the Manderly family."

"Hundreds of years later today, the Manderly family used the wealth brought from the Reach to develop the Wolf's Den into the only city in the North, White Harbor. How wealthy White Harbor is, one only needs to look at the plump physique of our Lord Eel to know. Lord Eddard, you are engaged in major construction in Winterfell; Winterfell's perfume, wood carving, dragonglass, maple syrup, and cinnabar stone are all hot commodities. It is entirely possible for these items to be traded through the ports of the West Coast in the future!"

Lord Wyman patted his large belly and laughed, "Lady Barbrey, the success of White Harbor is because it guards the mouth of the White Knife. The White Knife is the largest river in the North, and its upper reaches are Winterfell. The shipping value of the White Knife is the best in the North. What do your First Men River and Barrow River have to compare with the White Knife?"

"The port development of the Salt Spear in the North has been going on for hundreds of years, and at most, it is just a small port, similar to Eastwatch or Sisterton; do not dream of comparing it to White Harbor."

Lady Barbrey rolled her eyes at Lord Wyman in disgust, "Lord Eel, I was just using White Harbor as an example. When did I say that the mouths of the First Men River and the Barrow River would give birth to a city like White Harbor?"

Eddard said, "The mouth of the Salt Spear has value, but since neither the Rills nor Barrowton are willing to spend money to build a fortress to enhance defense, how could the fishing villages at the river mouth possibly develop into ports? The Ironborn will still raid."

Lady Barbrey thought for a moment, "In any case, I will not give up the river mouth for nothing. Lord Eddard, if you insist that Barrowton spend money to build a fortress at the river mouth, I am willing to sell my own jewelry, and I am even willing to borrow money from Winterfell."

Eddard said awkwardly, "Winterfell is heavily in debt; Lord Wyman and the Braavos Iron Bank are Winterfell's creditors. This is something everyone in the North knows. Lady Barbrey, I have no money to lend you."

Lady Barbrey narrowed her eyes, "Winterfell has no money to lend me, yet has money to build a fortress at the river mouth; is there money or is there not? I understand now; only in the event that Barrowton is willing to cede the territory of the river mouth does Winterfell have money."

Lord Roderick Ryswell of the Rills, seeing his daughter Barbrey arguing strongly, immediately changed his tune, "Lord Eddard, I have thought about it carefully; my territory at the river mouth in the Rills cannot be given to Winterfell for nothing! Let us discuss the matter of the fortress at the mouth of the First Men River at length."

Thanks to "Great Pirate lg" for the monthly ticket, thank you for the support!

(End of this chapter)