At All Costs

Chapter 105 At All Costs

Joffrey always firmly believed in a famous saying.

Once the operation is done well, the rest can be easily handled.

When it comes to war, it all comes down to economics.

Which side has stronger armor and soldiers, and which side replenishes its troops faster; everything else is a crooked approach.

Unfortunately, all he can do now are resort to crooked and unethical methods.

"The first batch of armor has arrived, but why isn't anyone buying it?"

Joffrey flipped through the ledgers, his brow furrowing deeper and deeper.

James peeked out from behind, glanced at the numbers on the screen, and a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"Little Qiao, do you know how much a decent set of armor costs?" His tone was clearly sarcastic. "How could they possibly afford it?"

In Duncan's time, a set of chainmail with a throat guard, neck guard, and full-coverage helmet cost eight hundred silver stags, or four gold dragons.

But this Royal Guard was blessed by the Seven Gods, and his well-trained body was far superior to the plate armor made of fine steel.

He went to the duel wearing chainmail, and was hit and stabbed more than a dozen times, but he was unharmed.

Someone else would be in no condition to take that hit.

Therefore, having a good set of equipment can provide great psychological comfort.

However, several decades have passed, and King Robert and Littlefinger have caused another mess. Although the craftsmanship hasn't changed much, prices have risen considerably.

In Westeros, where productivity is low, money is really just a number.

Four golden dragons make one set of chainmail, four hundred golden dragons make one hundred sets of chainmail.

But even with 400,000 or 400,000 gold dragons, you can only buy one hundred sets of chainmail.

There are not enough resources, not enough manpower, and even if you have money, you can't build it.

What's more, Joffrey didn't have any money.

Supplying these five thousand regular troops has pushed King's Landing's logistical capacity to its limit; even emptying the armory completely couldn't fully arm everyone.

To ensure his soldiers were combat-ready, Joffrey paid them more than mercenaries and provided them with standard weapons and uniforms.

Their equipment was much better than that of conscripts, but it couldn't compare to that of a regular standing army.

If you want to upgrade, you'll have to pay for it yourself.

Joffrey reached an agreement with the merchants accompanying the army, using his status as king of the Iron Throne to endorse them.

Tyrion places orders with blacksmiths in King's Landing, merchants are responsible for transporting the goods and selling them within the army, and soldiers purchase them with their wages.

Jinlong transferred items from one hand to the other, ultimately only consuming some of the items that should have been distributed, and the armor rate increased.

A perfect cycle.

"Are you the reincarnation of the ruthless Herren?" James exclaimed, his mouth agape.

Joffrey disagreed, as he had drawn on advanced experiences from later generations.

Moreover, they were willing to take risks and provide credit services to the soldiers, allowing them to advance their monthly wages to arm themselves.

Moreover, Joffrey didn't even have anything valuable made.

Plate armor had to be hammered by craftsmen, one hammer blow at a time, while chainmail was too time-consuming to make.

Then they riveted iron plates and rings onto the fabric to make simple plate armor and ring armor.

Because high-quality iron ore was scarce and time was limited, the armor plates were not large, and their shape was actually closer to cloth armor.

He had already driven the price down to the lowest possible level, and with the spoils of war captured along the way, the soldiers could definitely afford it.

"But you didn't consider human nature," James patted him on the shoulder.

"War is a life-or-death matter; if they had any money, they would have spent it elsewhere."

"Give them extra food, give them a bath, and find them one or two girls. I guarantee that no matter how much money you give them, they'll have spent every last penny by the end of the month."

"You only make them fold their blankets, but haven't you realized that many of them don't even need blankets?"

This sentence enlightened Joffrey.

He's been blinded by his own limited perspective.

Because soldiers also have to pay for their own living expenses, such as changes of clothes, bedding, and blankets.

When it comes to conscripts who don't receive a salary, they are truly paying out of their own pockets to fight for the men.

So most people don't even have blankets.

After all, the weather here is quite hot, so a slight temperature difference at night is tolerable.

Most people simply lie down on a straw mat when they sleep.

When it gets cold, people huddle together, or several people share a tattered blanket, or they wrap themselves in some random burlap to get through the night.

Joffrey remained silent for a moment, silently making a mental note of it.

"Besides mindset, changing this complacent mentality should also be put on the agenda as soon as possible."

He stepped out of the tent and gazed at the pavilion on the opposite bank of the river.

And that white castle still stands quietly.

In terms of height, it cannot compare to the absurd wonders of Winterfell and Storm's End, but the three layers of walls make it quite troublesome to deal with.

Siege equipment simply cannot be transported in.

In addition, this is just a castle for the Tyrell family to live in, so there aren't as many places to defend as in King's Landing.

According to Great Jon Snow's report, there was a person standing every step on the city wall, and it was unclear whether they were soldiers or residents of the town outside the city.

The town outside the city was swarming with Reach troops, and Great Jon dared not approach rashly.

The Duke of Mace has probably filled Highgarden's granaries to the brim, and there are several catapults and fire-breathing crossbows on the walls. In a firefight, Joffrey's side won't have the upper hand.

Although I don't want to drag things out for too long, a quick victory is clearly not advisable, as the price to pay would be too high.

Forget it.

Lannesport won't miss this opportunity; let's just forget about it.

Two miles outside the city.

Golden battle flags fluttered in the wind, and the gleaming hammers, spears, swords, and halberds shone brightly.

Amidst the low, muffled bugle calls, the soldiers pushed hastily assembled siege engines, resolutely advancing towards Lannesport.

Renly rode on his horse, his deep green armor absorbing the most dazzling sunlight, golden light leaping from the buttons and ornaments.

A heavy cloak woven with gold thread covered the hind legs of the warhorse, and on it was a stag with a crown inlaid with black jade.

This set of gold dragons cost over a hundred dollars; I can't remember the exact amount.

He gripped the warhammer in his hand tightly.

As is widely known, Warhammer is not a hammer.

This thing is two arms long, with a serrated hammerhead at one end and a crane beak at the other for breaking armor, with a long spike protruding from the top.

-

My brother loves this kind of thing, but Lanli doesn't understand how to use it.

But Margaret said that such weapons would remind the soldiers of King Robert, thus boosting their morale.

Margaret means the same as Lady Olenna, the Queen of Thorns.

It must be said that the Tyrell family has achieved quite a lot through marriage alliances alone.

The Duke of Mace's mother was from the Redwyn family, his wife was from the Hightower family, and his daughter married him.

In just three generations, they formed an alliance with the two most powerful lords and a duke under their command.

The bugle sounded suddenly, and the soldiers began their charge.

Renly recalled the Earl of Rendall's almost cold words.

"We must win quickly, take Lannisport before Ed arrives to help, and loot as much property as possible."

"Then use that money to bribe Baron Greyjoy and send him to raid the Riverlands and disrupt Eddard's rear."

"The Iron Islands people haven't gained anything from the North, so they won't refuse this kind of thing."

"My lord, it's just a title. What's wrong with calling him King Baron? We can deal with him after we take the Iron Throne."

"Our only goal is victory, and we are willing to pay any price."