Chapter 44

"Duke, the Valley Guard has already explained all your needs to me. We can satisfy the grain you require." After the banquet ended, Count Gelasen left the Duke alone in his reception room.

A large fire burned in the fireplace outside the room, warming the whole room nicely.

"Duke Bei Li Xi is public-spirited and righteous; I am deeply grateful for his assistance. I also thank you, Duke, for your help." the Duke said.

After the maid brought the sour fruit tea, the Count raised his own cup, gesturing to drink together. He lightly sipped a mouthful and smiled: "Duke Bei Li Xi is not that kind of good person. He won't do anything without benefit, so I'm very curious what exactly you, Duke, have promised him to make him pay such a price."

The Duke raised his cup and said nothing.

"Hehe, Xiao Zhi Tou won't do anything without profit; even if he does, it's only to cover up tracks. But rest assured, since he has entrusted the matter, I will naturally assist from the side; after all, we two old-timers have known each other for a long time, perhaps we can even be considered close friends." He took a sip of tea, changed the subject: "The so-called Righteous Alliance will undoubtedly collapse soon. If Xiao Zhi Tou takes action, it's highly likely he will succeed; I have no doubt about that."

"I only have a slight understanding of the Righteous Alliance. Will they collapse?" the Duke didn't care about valley affairs; he only cared about the valley's grain.

"The so-called Righteous Alliance is merely to contend with Xiao Zhi Tou for leadership of the valley; its core is Qingtong Yueen, although other members hold different views."

"Duke, is this matter related to the valley's grain?" the Duke inquired.

"Of course it's related; not only related, to me this matter is merely grain." He stroked his messy hair.

This is pure nonsense.

As a count with deep foundations, the Duke didn't know why he seemed to lack aristocratic bearing.

"Recently, the Righteous Alliance led troops to besiege Eagle's Nest City, causing valley grain prices to rise. Hey, Duke, you should know, I've been running the port for many years; as the Count of Seagull Town, I'm far more sensitive to price fluctuations than those mountain nobles—I need to understand every slightest change! Otherwise I couldn't do this job well. Speaking of which, this is also Xiao Zhi Tou's teaching; I'll tell you more about it later."

"Now, Xiao Zhi Tou and the Righteous Alliance have reached a one-year 'trial agreement,' so the valley's civil war risk has eased; looking at Xiao Zhi Tou's methods, there's even a possibility of completely eliminating the hidden danger—all of this helps suppress grain prices."

"Grain price is Xiao Zhi Tou's knife, hidden in the mist." He chuckled.

"Duke, you can certainly buy grain during this period; the price will only fluctuate slightly. Within the promised purchase quota, any amount above the price Xiao Zhi Tou guarantees will be borne by him. I will communicate with the Church Bank members you've brought here, and directly use notes issued by the Church Bank for transactions."

The Duke shook his cup of sour fruit tea, not understanding what the Count meant by these remarks. The Duke timely threw him a questioning look.

He lightly shook his head and smiled: "Even before the war, Xiao Zhi Tou had already stockpiled large amounts of grain—hehe, the grain has already filled my warehouse; I believe his granaries elsewhere are likewise full. Just think—by now, how much must he have earned?"

"Naturally, not little."

He remained silent, took a slight sip of tea. After asking the attendants on both sides to leave, he then slowly spoke.

"It's not little; he's merely borrowing my warehouse, and at current market prices he's made four or five times over—hehe, although half of this is mine, I believe he's earned even more elsewhere. The grain he's stored away he won't sell." He laughed.

"Hehe, originally he needed to gradually raise grain prices through other methods, letting opponents slowly bleed out, making his own purse fuller." He clapped his hands, looking quite excited.

"This method is easily discovered." the duke said.

"Duke, you're absolutely right!" he burst out laughing.

The duke disliked his manner of speech, but he had to wait for him to delve deeper.

"By coming here to buy grain, you've given him an opportunity," he said, shaking his tea cup, "you can perfectly conceal his intentions in the mist."

The duke felt he could understand.

"You've come, leading an army of nearly ten thousand, proclaiming it externally, needing to purchase enough grain to sustain tens of thousands of troops for years— isn't that a perfect reason to raise prices?"

Nobles will certainly be happy to sell a batch when prices are high, while his opponent, Qingtong Yueen, may or may not sell a batch, but high grain prices will certainly cause many grain-hoarding lords to exchange their storeroom grain for gold dragons.

Moreover, they will have no doubt that once you lead your army away, demand will drop, causing grain prices to fall; thus, while you are here, it is the best time for them to sell.

But after you leave, he only needs to operate covertly to raise the valley's grain prices to an even more terrifying level.

He filled his empty cup with sour fruit tea. "Think about it— what consequences will there be when that time comes?"

This might be a good question. "No matter how high food prices rise, noble lords won't sell their winter stores, since no one knows how long winter will last. So, if the valley remains peaceful, aside from the poor dying more from inability to buy grain, there will be no other consequences."

There is another possibility; the duke felt it wasn't appropriate for him to say it, so he smiled at the count, indicating he had no intention of speaking further.

Hehe. Let me tell you. Starving peasants will accept Xiao Zhi Tou's favors, then be incited, mobilized, organized, and trained by him.

As it turns out, Xiao Zhi Tou has money but lacks a suitable base; now, he not only has money, but by controlling Xiao Luo Bin, he has gained a small foothold in the valley. All he truly lacks is an army of his own.

I've heard he already has a batch of loyal officers. Whether this army can fight is another matter; anyway, I'm doubtful.

"If he wants to recruit peasants, he should return to his own fief. There are plenty of ready-made peasants there; Junlin might have even more. As long as he wants, I think the Iron Throne will toss people to him like throwing away lice."

The duke didn't believe that raising grain prices was merely to create a crisis, causing more valley folk to lose their homes and thus be forced into his army. How loyal could such an army be? All his life, the duke has only summoned his own vassals and subjects within his own territory to serve him; he has never conscripted from outside his lands.

"Hejian? I've taken in quite a few old friends from Hejian here. If what they say is true, Hejian is probably already hell— nothing but bandits and wolf packs. That said, Duke, you've also made considerable contributions to this!" he gave a slight laugh, looking no longer like a farmer but rather a ruffian who mixes in the market streets.

"This is war." the duke replied calmly.

He acted as if he hadn't heard. "As for your mention of Junlin, Duke, the peasants there are worthless— mostly bandits, swindlers, and thugs. Having them join your army is the best way to destroy it."

His next remark, the duke found himself agreeing; suddenly, he felt this 'ruffian' was quite insightful, and couldn't help glancing at the count again.

Under the candlelight, he still looked ordinary— short and stout, with a fat face flushed red from the wine at the banquet, appearing drunk, not like a smart person. Generally, the duke dislikes talking to drinkers, for they are rude and often lack logic, but alcohol clearly had no effect on the count.

Moreover, amazingly, the duke sensed that this conversation would soon turn to greater secrets. He steeled his patience and waited quietly.

"You just mentioned war? Yes, war." he said, "Hejian is a place of constant warfare; even if Xiao Zhi Tou raised an army, he would never choose such a place."

Hehe, looking across the seven kingdoms, what place could be more suited to his type than the valley? Here, temporarily at peace, his clever mind can still be put to use.

Moreover, oh, although many people don't admit it, he is indeed a valley person from the Five-Finger Peninsula, unlike the wholly foreign Varys. Here, more peasants will acknowledge him, many merchants will be willing to support him, and some lesser nobles will even admire him. This mindset, you, a great noble, would not understand.

So, he won't give up this place unless one day his little bird's feathers grow full, enabling him to contend with an azure hawk; only then might he consider truly returning to his own lands.

"Perhaps." the duke didn't understand why the count kept talking about Baelish. He was indeed not simple, but was it worth a hereditary stable Seagull Town count lecturing him at length?

Perhaps noticing the duke's lack of interest, he hurriedly stopped.

"My lord, you just said that in peacetime, rising grain prices create more refugees. Hehe, guess what would happen if war broke out?"

"During war, grain loss is great and consumption speeds up, so, as you said, if the nobles shortsightedly sell grain, their war potential will likely plummet."

"Exactly so." he set down his cup and clasped his hands.

What do you mean? "Count, I don't understand this secret; why are you telling me this?" In this.

"My lord, because you can keep it secret. Two reasons." he gave a mysterious smile.

"In this matter, the ones harmed are your potential enemies. Among the valley nobles, though they never openly say it, the only ones clearly willing to support the Starks are the Roys. I know you and the Roy family also have marital ties, but that was many generations ago; it cannot prevent them from becoming your enemies on the road to crushing the Starks."

The duke could only nod.

The Roy family has, over the past century, had several generations intermarry with the Starks; historically, the number of such marriages is countless. In fact, if all of Eddard's children were to die, the Stark line could entirely find an heir within the Roy family.

Moreover, Eddard himself once lived in the Eyrie as a foster son of Qiongen Arryn, during which he maintained good relations with many valley figures; and as a fellow believer in the same faith as Qingtong Yueen, the relationship could be even better.

Actually, the two families have deep roots that cannot be elaborated. The brother of Bronze Royce, Kell Royce, had once been a foster son of Rickard Stark, and when accompanying Brandon Stark to King's Landing, they were both executed by the Mad King. The two families also shared experiences of hardship, which Bolton could never match.

Thus, the Royce family would be a potential enemy of Bolton, impossible to be friends, let alone allies.

"Second point, naturally, you can only keep the secret. Because once the secret leaks, no one in the Vale will sell grain, you wouldn't want that, would you?" He smiled.

The duke naturally nodded.

"Your reason is good. My lord, what are you after then?"

"Runestone."

His face flushed. Candlelight flickered in his eyes.

"You see, what hinders Littlefinger is Jon Royce, my lord, your potential enemy is also Jon Royce, and my target remains Royce." He suddenly laughed. "We ought to have cooperated."

The duke believed his claim to Runestone.

The Greyjoy family and the Royce family are crowded on the narrow Fingers peninsula, having been hostile for thousands of years; their relation is quite similar to that of the Brackens and the Blackwoods in the Riverlands.

When Robert rose in rebellion, the Greyjoy family erred by siding with the Mad King, causing them to lose all lands except the harbor, and much of the harbor revenue was also taken away.

Most of that land was awarded as a reward to Royce, thus forming the pattern where Runestone occupies most of the Fingers peninsula. This left the Greyjoy family with no room to develop, except relying on harbor trade, they had no other option.

Their harbor income is considerable, but their strength and status have always been low. When the ruling families of the Vale are strong, both sides can keep to themselves; but once the Eyrie declines and no one mediates the conflict, the Greyjoys would be in danger, at least they would think so.

Now is such a dangerous time; if Runestone successfully dominates the Vale, its family's fate would likely be grim. Therefore, the Greyjoys are least likely to join the Allies of Justice; instead, they must cooperate with Littlefinger, whose actual status is far inferior to theirs, and hope he can gain a foothold in the Vale.

Of course, the duke cannot rule out that Littlefinger, while working in Gulltown, indeed once built friendship and trust with this earl.

"Runestone is not in my hands, and I will not attack Runestone." The duke also laughed. "As for Bolton, Runestone is at most a potential enemy; as for aiding the Starks, I have not seen it, and as long as they swear fealty to the Iron Throne, they can do nothing; moreover, the North and his lands are far apart, we will have no conflict. I believe that in the coming centuries Bolton can intermarry with them continually, right?"

"Of course," the earl laughed, "we don't need you to attack Runestone; your troops are better used against the Starks. I, however, hope you will do two small favors."

"Please speak plainly."

"When you leave the Vale, you must tell the market merchants that you still intend to purchase large amounts of grain, and fully entrust either Lord Baelish or myself to handle it."

"That way, my lord, you can fan the flames and drive grain prices to astronomical heights?"

"That way, the Earl of Runestone will not suspect that we are the ones consuming the grain."

"If he were foolish enough to sell grain to you…"

"Even if that happened, what then—do you dare attack Runestone?"

"My lord, what is there not to dare?" the earl burst out laughing.

The duke shrugged.

"I admit that Tywin Lannister is a powerful chief minister; we need to be wary."

"So?" the duke asked.

"So, the time to attack Royce is ripe; we will launch the attack."

"This is rebellion."

"No, the Iron Throne will consider Royce the rebel."

"I don't understand."

"Because the Lord of Bolton in the North considers Royce the rebel," he gave a mysterious smile, "this is the second 'small favor'."

The duke stared into his eyes; the earl's blue eyes likewise shimmered with amusement.

"You need to send a message to the Iron Throne as the Lord of the North," he said after finishing his sour fruit tea, the alcohol gone from his face, "saying that you have discovered signs of illicit communication between the Royce family and the Starks, and you suspect the Royces may be planning rebellion."

"Then, before launching the attack, you will tell the Iron Throne that Royce has already risen in rebellion?"

"How do you find that?" he answered after a brief consideration.

"It cannot deceive Tywin."

"But it is enough to fool others. Moreover, with your endorsement as an important figure wholly unconnected to the Vale, he can only believe; besides, if he disbelieves, what can he do, since it is common knowledge and indisputable that the Royces lean toward the Starks. If we take down Royce, Tywin's Iron Throne can only accept it, and may even reward us."

"So then you would obtain Runestone. I wonder, what does Littlefinger gain?"

"Littlefinger gains authority. Ha, authority is most easily taken from the heads of the dead, and even more from fallen great houses; Tywin the duke understands that. As for what he uses that authority to buy, it's none of my concern; if he wishes to take the Vale, I could not oppose it, seeing what price he sets when the time comes."

"Since Tywin the duke's disbelief is irrelevant to you, why do you still have me deliver the letter?"

He tilted his head and smiled: "There is a difference; I guess Tywin will probably believe it. Of course, I think the first 'small favor' is indeed small; I cannot have the Lord of the North do such a trifling thing."

The duke curled his mouth; this was a token of allegiance.

Royce may be a potential enemy of Bolton, but since they have never actually clashed, the other side does not truly trust him; thus we need this little 'informant letter,' which both binds the three parties' relations and ensures Bolton will not reveal his earlier secret.

This is a piece of false information that must be sent to the Iron Throne.

"Very well. What grain do you need?"

"Littlefinger promised you too little grain. I am willing to act as your grain procurement agent, raising the price by fifty percent on today's basis to meet all your grain needs, and assist you in transporting it to?"

"To Bolton Harbor."

"Good. Bolton Harbor it is."