Chapter 17: Salt Farming Harvest

The pig pen in Winter Town was finished, ten times larger than the one at Winterfell, and Givon, the Pig Pen Overseer, was squatting on the ground delivering a sow's litter.

Catelyn held Rickon, looking toward the pig pen.

"A pig pen this big is simply a waste! The wild boars in the Wolfswood are endless, yet you build a pen to raise pigs? Eddard, I don't know what you are thinking."

Eddard smiled, "My lady, there are so many people in Winter Town who need to eat. Would you have me open the Wolfswood and let everyone go hunting? That would be fine, but the wild boars in the Wolfswood would soon be wiped out. The pig pen can provide food for the people."

Of course, Eddard had other uses for raising pigs, but he did not want to share his plan with Catelyn just yet.

Givon had been recommended to serve at Winterfell by Greatjon. He was over fifty, bald with a short beard, possessed a round beer belly, and had a kind face. He was not only skilled at treating pigs but could also cure diseases in small animals like rabbits, chickens, ducks, and geese.

The sow squealed as she brought the piglets into the world. When Givon carried the piglets over, Bran and Arya both widened their eyes. Bran reached out to stroke a piglet, "How long until the little pig grows up?"

Givon placed the piglet on the ground, and it stumbled away.

"Ten months, I suppose!"

Bran said in surprise: "So fast? Piglets grow up really quickly!"

Givon shrugged, "After ten months, they head to people's dinner tables, finishing their lives."

Arya said gloomily: "Must we kill them? Such cute little pigs."

Givon said: "Some piglets can be kept as breeding stock after they grow up to produce new piglets, but such pigs are few."

In the distance, people from the Rills transported three carts of salt. Eddard's Salt Farming Plan had already yielded a harvest; salt from the coastal salt farms was arriving one after another, and much of it had already been stored in the Winterfell granaries.

Initially, the Vassals agreed to invest in Eddard's Salt Farming Plan—spending money to build Arrow Towers on the coast and stationing troops to mine sea salt—because Eddard promised the Vassals that Winterfell would buy back the salt produced by the salt farms at market price.

Vayon Poole, the steward of Winterfell, counted the salt bags and began taking out Silver Stags to pay the carters. The carters thanked him repeatedly and ran over to thank Eddard and Catelyn.

"Lord Eddard, my two sons are soldiers at the Rills salt farm. They have wages every day, and the income from the salt farm has made our lives better, and we can even defend against the Ironborn. This is Winterfell's grace."

Catelyn smiled as she watched the carters leave, then her smile vanished.

"These bags of salt are about to fill the granaries. Do you intend to eat nothing but salt this winter? Or do you want to starve us to death and then pickle us to eat?"

Eddard said: "I remember last winter, you were complaining that the price of salt was too high."

"Yes, at that time the price of salt was too high, and there were chests of Gold Dragons and Silver Stags in Winterfell. Now you are using real gold and silver to buy so much salt. Utterly foolish!"

Rickon began to cry, and Catelyn hurriedly coaxed the child.

"You and that Braavosi, Klar, will bankrupt us. Winter is Coming, but I fear we will starve to death before winter even arrives."

Eddard said calmly: "You need not worry. We won't lose money even if we haul this salt to White Harbor to sell; everyone needs to eat salt."

Givon leaned in, "My lady, Lord Eddard is right. Actually, it is not just people who need salt; animals need it too. Without salt, the pigs in the pen will get sick, and the warhorses will get sick. Animal husbandry cannot do without salt."

Catelyn said gloomily: "If that is truly the case, sell it quickly! I feel sick just looking at this salt." Catelyn left holding Rickon, and Bran and Arya followed.

Eddard turned to Givon, "Besides raising pigs, what other animals with short cycles can be raised?"

Givon thought for a moment, "The shortest would be chickens, and rabbits are not bad either; a rabbit can produce many kits in one litter. However, rabbits dig holes. If Lord Eddard wants to raise them, the ground must be hardened, otherwise they will dig holes and escape."

"No matter what we raise, I suggest Lord Eddard prepare a reserve of green fodder. Otherwise, when winter comes and the earth is frozen, we won't be able to find leaves or grass to feed the livestock and poultry, and we can only watch them starve to death. When I raised pigs for House Umber in the past, my pigs mostly starved to death in winter. Although starved pigs still have meat, it is a waste!"

Eddard suddenly realized that now that there were green leaves and grass everywhere, it was the perfect time to store fodder.

After returning to Winterfell, Eddard called Klar to his study.

"Klar, I plan to build pig pens and cow sheds in Winter Town, and most importantly, stables. None of these can do without green fodder. I want you to arrange funds and send men to purchase leaves and grass. After the harvest is complete, cut them into small pieces and store them in the granaries."

Klar smiled, "A good plan. The farmers should be happy; after all, the first step when they clear wasteland is to pull up the grass. But the problem is, the granaries in Winterfell are becoming increasingly tight; many are filled with salt."

Eddard said: "Take this salt to White Harbor to sell first; salt will continue to be sent along the Kingsroad anyway. By the way, tell Maester Luwin to send word to the lords of the east coast. Their salt should be taken directly to White Harbor to be settled by Lord Wyman, and recorded on Winterfell's account, to be offset against White Harbor's taxes next month."

Now the sea salt from the West Coast was enough for Eddard to implement his plan. If the salt from White Harbor, Oldtown, Widow's Watch, and the Dreadfort were also sent to Winterfell only to be shipped to White Harbor for sale, it would only waste money on transportation costs.

Klar said: "Lord Eddard, your Salt Farming Plan is certainly good, but there is a loophole. Suppose a Vassal colludes with a merchant to buy salt from the common folk at a low price and mixes it into the salt from the salt farm to earn the price difference; the Salt Farming Plan will become a bottomless pit."

Eddard thought for a moment, "The salt farms are for defending against the Ironborn. I believe my Vassals will not maliciously mix in salt from the common folk."

Klar smirked, "Lord Eddard, the salt farms lack supervision. Who knows what the actual salt production of each farm is? If it were me, I would use this loophole for a bad idea. Why not make money when you can? Your Vassals will sooner or later skim off the top of the salt farms."

Eddard was distracted, "I will be careful."

Klar said: "Even if the salt is hauled away, if we store green fodder on a large scale, the current granaries will not be enough."

Eddard said: "You need not worry, the craftsmen have already begun construction."

The stonemasons from the Vale of Arryn sent by the Hand of the King, Jon Arryn, had arrived in Winter Town. They had already joined the North's construction army, while the smiths and craftsmen from King's Landing were still on the road. In addition, Jon Arryn had generously sent three ships of high-quality stone, which were transported from the Three Sisters to White Harbor and were on their way to Winter Town.

What delighted Eddard was that Balon Greyjoy of the Iron Islands had finally replied to Theon after a long silence and had sent ten blacksmith apprentices.

"Blacksmith apprentices are useless," Mikken complained at the time.

Eddard comforted him: "We should be content that Balon didn't send old men on the verge of the grave! Apprentices at least have hope of becoming blacksmiths; old men only have the grave." Thus, Mikken angrily ordered these apprentices to forge horseshoes and sickles.

A few days later, the architect Donnel recommended by Jon Arryn arrived with the craftsmen from King's Landing.

Donnel was handsome, twenty-eight years old, with black hair and eyes like deep blue lakes. He wore a brownish-yellow linen tunic, a sky-blue cloak draped over his shoulders embroidered with stars, and the crescent falcon emblem of House Arryn on his chest.

"Lord Eddard, it is an honor to serve you. I am Donnel Arryn. I served as an architect across the Narrow Sea for many years and had the honor of serving nobles in Valyria, Tyrosh, and Lys, building many luxurious courtyards. The most famous brothel in Lys was designed by me."

Eddard looked Donnel over, "You are of House Arryn? What is your relation to Jon Arryn?"

Jon Arryn had not mentioned a word in his letter that Donnel was of House Arryn. Could it be that Jon Arryn had recommended one of his own people to Eddard? However, Jon mentioned in the letter that Donnel often proposed impractical plans to Robert at court, such as widening the Kingsroad, rebuilding Summerhall, and building a new city in King's Landing. Jon worried that Robert would be led into wasting manpower and money by this architect, which was why he sent Donnel to the North.

If Eddard had known Donnel was a relative of Jon Arryn, he would have written to stop him from coming long ago.

Donnel paused, "The Hand and I both share the surname Arryn, that is the extent of the relationship. Lord Eddard, I do not hail from the Arryn family of the Eyrie, but the Arryn family of Gulltown. I would be happy to claim kinship with the Hand, but in reality, we are very distant relatives."

Eddard was relieved. The Arryns of Gulltown were distant relatives of the Arryns of the Eyrie. When Eddard served as Jon Arryn's ward in the Vale, he often heard Jon Arryn mention that a branch of their family had settled in Gulltown. The Arryns of Gulltown had made a fortune by marrying into wealthy merchant families, but were looked down upon by other branches of the Arryn family in the Vale, who believed that for a falcon to marry for money with commoners was to lower their status.

Donnel rubbed his hands, "Lord Arryn, I see that Winter Town is bustling with activity, with houses being built everywhere. Is there any magnificent project you can entrust to me?"

Klar leaned in, eyeing Donnel, and Donnel pulled a blueprint from his sleeve.

"Lord Eddard, I had a preliminary idea on the road. To expand the town, we must build more castles. We can rely on Winterfell and build a few more."

(End of chapter)