Chapter 142: Inspecting the Coast

In the cemetery of Barrow Hall under the moonlight, before the statue of Roderick Dustin, Helen Pyke became excited at the mere mention of raiding.

"Lord Eddard, let's settle it this way: in spring, summer, and autumn, we develop production and stockpile longships, armor, and weapons. When winter comes, we recruit older Northmen to form the Winter Wolves and head south to raid. The Southerners we capture—men will serve as bondmen, and women will become salt wives. What a perfect plan!"

"In any case, people always freeze to death in the North during winter. Those white-haired elders will die sooner or later, so why not let the warm South experience the might of the Winter Wolves in their final winter? If House Stark were to send the Winter Wolves south every winter, I reckon the North could have stockpiled vast amounts of gold and jewels long ago. Even if we entered an eternal winter, we could still laugh through it."

The direwolves Summer and Shaggydog stared at the Iron Bitch. A night breeze blew, and the surrounding leaves rustled. Eddard felt the gaze of the statues of the past Barrow Kings and counts of Dustin House, or perhaps the legendary First King was also watching and listening.

Eddard shook his head helplessly. "Salt wives, bondmen—these are products of the Iron Islands. Helen, I am the Lord of Winterfell, not the King of the Iron Islands. Raiding and expansion can bring wealth, but the cost is heavy. My strategy is to build high walls, prepare fine bows and crossbows, sharp swords and armor, and store up grain and grass; only then can one remain in an invincible position."

Helen Pyke revealed an evil smile. "Stockpiling grain, weapons, and armor, and consolidating city defenses—it all comes down to fighting in the end, doesn't it? I am Lord Eddard's salt wife, so I have no choice but to obey."

Helen Pyke had always considered herself Eddard's salt wife and was a close friend to Eddard's children. Now, the Pirate Queen was truly devoted to Eddard.

Eddard patted Helen on the shoulder. "In the next few days, we will go to the mouth of the First Men River and Barrow River to inspect, and we will also go to the shipyard on the Stony River. Helen, you have always dreamed of conquering the ocean; first, help the North defend its own ocean."

Helen Pyke and Eddard left the cemetery and returned to the main keep of Barrow Hall. On the way, Eddard encountered Wyman Manderly.

Wyman Manderly was like a giant whale, possessing a corpulent figure. After eating and drinking his fill, he was somewhat tipsy and needed support to walk. An ordinary person could not support Lord Wyman at all, but fortunately, Lord Wyman's two sons, Wylis and Wendel, were by his side, supporting the Lord of White Harbor on the left and right.

Wylis and Wendel were also quite fat, but compared to Lord Wyman, they were still a size smaller.

"Lord Eddard, this vodka is truly delicious!" Lord Wyman smacked his lips. "And the Blue Noble—I didn't expect Winterfell to be able to brew such good wine. Compared to Dornish Red or the Golden Wine of the Arbor, it is not inferior at all."

"Lord Wyman, I was just looking for you." Eddard grasped Lord Wyman's hand. "After you return to White Harbor, buy as much grain as possible. From the Vale of Arryn, the Riverlands, King's Landing, Pentos, Braavos, Tyrosh—buy as much as you can. I don't care if it's barley, wheat, pumpkins, or corn, fish—buy as much as possible."

Lord Wyman gave a start. "Buying so much grain? Lord Eddard, could it be that the white raven from the Citadel has arrived? Has autumn come?"

Under normal circumstances, the North would only frantically purchase grain through White Harbor when winter was approaching. It was still summer, and Eddard's sudden proposal to buy grain caught Lord Wyman off guard.

Eddard smiled and shook his head. "It is still summer; the seasons have not changed. Take advantage of the summer while grain is cheap to stockpile more; it is better to be prepared. As you just said, the vodka and Blue Noble brewed in Winterfell are delicious; Winterfell also needs to brew ale and beer, and brewing cannot be done without grain."

Lord Wyman was finally relieved. He gripped Eddard's hand with fingers as thick as sausages.

"Lord Eddard, leave the matter of purchasing grain to me."

Eddard said: "Once the grain reaches White Harbor, transport it directly to Winterfell via the White Knife. The financial advisor Klar will settle the accounts with you."

The more grain stored, the more confident Eddard would be. Once the long winter descended, the North would be the hardest region to endure in the Seven Kingdoms. With grain and grass, the North could pass through the winter steadily.

Besides the change of seasons, the situation in the Seven Kingdoms was also a thorny problem Eddard had to face. Under the rule of King Robert Baratheon and Hand of the King Jon Arryn, the Seven Kingdoms appeared peaceful on the surface, but this peace was very fragile.

Robert's children, Joffrey Baratheon, Myrcella Baratheon, and Tommen Baratheon, were all bastards born of the illicit affair between Cersei and Jaime. Eddard did not doubt that the schemers in King's Landing, Littlefinger and the "Spider" Varys, knew all about this. No one knew when these schemers would choose to pierce the window paper.

Schemers always act for their own interests; they might delay the exposure of this secret for the sake of profit.

Robert's second brother, Stannis, was currently serving as Master of Ships on the Small Council in King's Landing. He was an upright man who did not know how to compromise. Once Stannis learned that Robert's children were bastards, almost nothing could stop him from exposing such a scandal.

Then there was the flamboyant and smiling Renly Baratheon, the youngest of the Baratheons, who served as Master of Laws in King's Landing. He was a master of court social life; there was no guarantee that Renly would not suddenly notice that Robert's children lacked Baratheon blood. When that time came, no one would know what choice Renly would make.

The parentage of Joffrey Baratheon, Tommen Baratheon, and Myrcella Baratheon was a ticking time bomb that would be exposed sooner or later. When that happened, whether Robert executed Cersei and the children, or Cersei struck first to get rid of Robert, the Seven Kingdoms would inevitably fall apart.

The Westerlands would fight for Cersei, the daughter of Casterly Rock; the Stormlands, The Reach, the Riverlands, and the Vale of Arryn would be unable to stay out of it. The Seven Kingdoms would be plunged into a feast of death and bloodshed because of the Iron Throne, and the North would be forced into the flames of war.

Once the war started, grain and grass would become the key to victory or defeat. Since the war could break out at any time, Eddard had to stockpile more grain.

Although Winterfell was currently heavily in debt, owing the Braavos Iron Bank 400,000 gold dragons and the Manderly family of White Harbor 100,000 gold dragons, Eddard had opened up multiple sources of revenue for Winterfell—cinnabar ink, medicine, maple syrup, breweries, perfume, incense candles, dyes, soap, farms, forges, and more. Winterfell's ability to make money had doubled, and Eddard could spare the effort to stockpile grain.

The day after the wedding of Barbrey and Fellan ended, the nobles from all over the North left one after another to return to their own fiefs.

Eddard took his attendants from Winterfell and headed to the mouth of the Barrow River. Barbrey and Fellan saw them off outside the bronze gates of Barrow Hall.

"Barbrey, Fellan, you two should enjoy your newlywed life!"

Lady Barbrey was radiant, as if she had become ten years younger. "Fellan and I will work hard to have children! Lord Eddard, are you heading straight back to Winterfell?"

"No, I plan to take Catelyn and the children to see the coast of Salt Spear."

After leaving Barrowton, Eddard, Catelyn, and the children, along with Helen Pyke, Jon, Theon, and the guards Dawson and Syrio Forel, rode south along the Barrow River.

The Barrow River was the most important river in the Barrowlands. There were many manors and fishing villages along the way, and the residents entertained Lord Eddard's party with game and river fish.

Arya and Sansa were both very happy, picking wildflowers and wild fruits along the way. Arya liked to stick with Jon, while Sansa preferred to be with Domeric.

A few days later, Eddard arrived at the mouth of the Barrow River and saw the salt pans that Winterfell had built on both banks of the river.

The salt pans here were built relying on the ruins of the ancient First Men Ring Fort by the sea, and the soldiers had built arrow towers and beacon towers.

Robb looked at the ruins of the First Men Ring Fort and said in shock, "To resist the Ironborn, the First Men actually built such a huge ring fort."

Eddard looked at the azure Salt Spear. "The First Men were not seafaring, but look at these ring forts; they not only defend against enemies but can also provide ports and bases for the First Men to go to sea. The First Men also had ambitions for the ocean. Don't forget, House Stark also had Brandon the Shipwright."

Theon said with a faint smile, "Lord Eddard is currently building a fleet; will the name left in the books of historians in the future also be 'Eddard the Shipwright'?"

The salt pan soldiers were very excited to see the Lord of Winterfell. The salt pan soldiers usually had to refine salt and dry salt by the sea, and they also had to undergo military training. When Ironborn Pirates attacked, the salt pan soldiers had to pick up weapons and fight for the North and Winterfell.

After Eddard implemented the Salt Ban in the North, House Stark controlled the production and sales rights of salt, and Winterfell mastered the processing technology for fine salt. Wealthy merchants and nobles were willing to spend money to buy fine salt, and the profit from fine salt was several times that of coarse salt. The salt pans had become a highly profitable business.

Serving as a soldier in the salt pans was considered an honor, though drying salt itself was also very hard work. Eddard continuously increased the benefits for the salt pan soldiers. The monthly salary for ordinary military colony soldiers was 40 copper coins, and the monthly salary for Winterfell's personal guards was 50 copper coins. The salt pan soldiers received the same salary as the Winterfell personal guards, and the pension for those killed or injured in battle was even higher.

The Barrow River flowed into the Salt Spear. Eddard had already purchased the mouths of the Barrow River and the First Men River from House Dustin and House Ryswell. In the future, Eddard would build fortresses and ports here. In this way, maritime defense could be strengthened.

The Ironborn shipwright Raphael was leading shipbuilders to build longships at the shipyard on the upper reaches of the Stony River. Once Eddard had a fleet to escort him on the side of the Sunset Sea, merchant ships from the South and the North could trade via the Sunset Sea, and these ports would come in very handy.

Because Ironborn Pirates had cut off the western shipping route, merchant ships from all over the world would at most go to Seagard or King's Port before turning south and returning. Very few merchant ships came to trade on the West Coast of the North, not only because of the pirate problem but also because there were no decent ports on the West Coast of the North.

If grain ships from The Reach wanted to reach the North, they needed to bypass the rugged and desolate coast of Dorne, enter the Narrow Sea, pass through the pirate-infested Stepstones, cross the storm-ravaged Shipbreaker Bay, pass the Gullet, go through the coastline of the Vale of Arryn, and enter the Bite before finally reaching White Harbor.

Once the North had ports in the west, Eddard believed he could attract merchant ships to bring pumpkins, grapes, and corn from The Reach, and fish and wheat from the Riverlands to the North. This would save transportation costs, and the price of grain would also be cheaper.

In the future, the North's vodka, whiskey, cinnabar ink, perfume, medicine, maple syrup, timber, furs, and wool textiles could also be sold directly to the Westerlands, the Riverlands, and The Reach through the ports of Salt Spear and the Stony Shore.

Eddard looked at the banks of the Barrow River and said excitedly, "In the future, this will be an important port. I will have the architect Downs build a fortress, a dock, and a wharf. I have already chosen the name: Dawn Watch."

Catelyn frowned and said, "There aren't even a few fishing villages nearby; who would come here to trade? Eddard, you should save some money!"

Eddard said helplessly, "Catelyn, you have to look at problems with a developmental perspective. Don't worry, the shipping value of the Salt Spear, the First Men River, the Barrow River, and the Stony River will be fully developed by me. These ports will not be inferior to Seagard."

Over the next few days, Eddard took his family and attendants to the First Men River. This was the boundary between the Rills and the Barrowlands. West of the First Men River was the Rills, and there were lush pastures on both banks of the First Men River, where many herdsmen grazed horses, cattle, and sheep in the wilderness.

Subsequently, they arrived at the Stony River; this belonged to the Stony Shore. The Stony River flowed into Blazewater Bay. The only ones greeting Eddard here were several hundred soldiers from the salt pans. Since House Fisher had died out, the Stony Shore had become a direct territory of Winterfell. Due to the lack of a lord to govern it, pirates had run rampant here for a long time, and the population was sparse. After the Salt Ban, many residents migrated to the Winter Town, and some went to the territories of House Tallhart and House Ryswell.

In Eddard's plan, the salt pans at the mouths of the First Men River and the Stony River would also develop into ports.

Catelyn looked around but did not see a shipyard.

"Didn't you say there was a shipyard on the Stony River? Where is it?"

Helen Pyke replied, "Lady Catelyn, the shipyard is on the upper reaches of the Stony River. The mouth of the Stony River is not very safe. If the Ironborn Pirates knew there was a shipyard nearby, they would risk an attack for the sake of the longships."

Catelyn had never liked Helen Pyke, and she said irritably, "Isn't your shipwright also an Ironborn? I thought the Ironborn Pirates would show mercy because of your Ironborn status! So, even you, the Pirate Queen, are afraid of being raided by pirates."

Helen Pyke squeezed out a smile, "Pirates raiding each other is nothing new, Catelyn Stark. You don't know the courage and madness of the Ironborn Pirates' raids. We placed the shipyard on the upper reaches of the Stony River; only then is it foolproof."

Amidst the cheers of the soldiers at Saltpans, the group from Winterfell left the mouth of the Stony River and headed north along the Stony River. Eddard noticed wood shavings drifting down from upstream; these shavings could only come from a shipyard.

When they arrived at the shipyard, it was the afternoon, and the shipwright Raphael was working in full swing with the shipbuilders.

Raphael had a head of messy black hair and a short, stocky build. He was a young shipwright, only in his thirties, but he had been designing and building ships for ten years.

Seeing Helen, Raphael hugged her excitedly. Raphael was Helen's Ironborn shipwright; he served Winterfell because of Helen.

Helen pinched Raphael's face, "Raphael, you've gotten fat again. Mogul is building ships on the upper reaches of the White Knife, and you are here, responsible for the construction of longships for the West Coast of the North. Don't you dare embarrass me!"

Thanks to book friend "Mad God of the Three Realms" for the monthly ticket, thank you for your support!

(End of this chapter)