Treating Each Other with Sincerity

Chapter 95 Treating Each Other with Sincerity

"His Majesty."

"You're not dead."

"You're still alive?"

Joffrey slowly turned his head.

His gaze was sharp as he scrutinized a middle-aged man being held captive below.

This man was sturdy and robust, with a straight nose and long lips, but unfortunately his chin protruded and there were many bumps on his nostrils.

"How can you be so rude to our guest? Let him go right now!" Joffrey pretended to scold the guard beside him.

He then ordered someone to bring a chair and personally helped the man sit down.

"Count Matus," Joffrey said gently.

"Why aren't you properly protecting Golden Tree City? What are you doing all this way to Bitter Bridge?"

Matus looked around, blinked in alarm, and his eyes darted around inside.

He snapped out of his reverie, looked at Joffrey for a moment, and then pondered wisely for a while.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty."

"Spare me! I surrender!"

Then, Joffrey heard a heart-wrenching story from him.

"By law, I should be loyal to the Iron Throne, but I am a vassal of the Reach, and when the situation is unclear, I can only follow the orders of my lord."

"Lord Renly is spreading rumors everywhere that Your Majesty was murdered, and that the one on the Iron Throne now is your brother Tommen, a mere puppet."

"The real power in the court rests with Queen Cersei and Hand of the King, Eddard."

"That's why I'm acting against you on Duke Mace's orders!"

Matus recounted the story with deep regret.

The Duke of Shymeth was incompetent and foolish, and Lord Renly was all show and no substance. He was caught in the middle and had no choice but to submit to their tyranny.

Now, we joyfully welcome the royal army; King Joffrey's divine troops have descended from the heavens.

He was willing to lead the way, and his son voluntarily offered up Jinshu City, thus contributing to the suppression of the rebellion.

Joffrey chuckled coldly to himself.

Why didn't you do this sooner?

Go ahead and make this up!

He sent so many crows to the Reach with Paisell, but not a single one replied.

Moreover, according to information left behind by a certain eunuch who has already turned to dust.

Count Matus Rowan was widely loved but also rigid and inflexible. He was extremely cautious in his actions and was highly regarded by the Duke of Metz. He was the one who led the feint attack on Deep Cave City.

How could someone like that behave so badly?

It's definitely a feigned surrender!

"That's wonderful!" Joffrey's face lit up with a smile.

He stepped forward and grabbed Matus's sleeve: "The Reach has always had its loyalists."

"Back in the day, my father achieved three victories in a single day at the Summer Hall, capturing Count Grandson and Count Cavolun alive."

"On the battlefield, each serves their own master and is an enemy; off the battlefield, however, they are friends."

"My father sat with them under the banners, drinking and feasting all night, and the next day he took them hunting."

Joffrey paused for a moment, then said meaningfully, "But my second uncle says they should be locked in the dungeon."

.

"Of course I wouldn't do that!" he said, changing the subject.

"My father has always been my role model. Whether friend or foe, every nobleman is treated with dignity in my presence."

"Someone come here." Joffrey patted the dust off Matus's soft armor. "Get the master some clean clothes."

"Assign four more servants to attend to your daily needs at all times."

He turned to the messenger: "Lord Matus's soldiers are all friendly forces. Stop locking them up and release them immediately."

"They must be tired from their journey, so let the girls at the bathhouse give them a good scrub and wash their clothes too."

"Then arrange a place for them to stay in the camp."

1

Matus was moved to tears.

"Your Majesty is benevolent! Your Majesty is benevolent!"

"I will write a letter now and ask my son to give up the Golden Tree City."

"I am willing to lead my men as the vanguard, clearing the way for Your Majesty!"

Hmph, they even dared to try and coordinate an attack from within.

"My lord, you've traveled a long and dusty journey. Why are you in such a hurry?" Joffrey's smile became even more gentle.

That night, the central command tent was brightly lit.

"Lord Matus, your courage and loyalty will last forever. I toast you."

"Come on, let's do it," Joffrey said.

-

Matus, his face flushed, picked up the silver cup with both hands and downed the entire glass of Dorne strong wine in one gulp.

Earl Riverey, Earl Bookwell, and other royal lords and dukes offered toasts in turn.

Even the Hound received Joffrey's secret orders and began reciting his lines in a dry, monotonous manner.

I'd like to propose a toast to you.

"If you drink one cup, I'll drink three."

Matus was already quite drunk, but because of the hound's infamous reputation, he still downed a drink.

"Good, good ambition!" Sir Baron exclaimed.

Amidst the clinking of glasses and the exchange of toasts, Matus began to speak freely.

Before the party even ended, Joffrey had already thoroughly investigated the situation inside his castle.

The next morning, Matus came to pay his respects with two parchments.

"Your Majesty, as you instructed, I wrote two copies." He was not yet fully recovered from his hangover.

Joffrey examined it carefully.

The letter was almost a plea, but it clearly stated the advantages and disadvantages and carried the master's command.

It was indeed a letter urging surrender.

If there were any hidden messages, Joffrey wouldn't be able to decipher them.

"Send one letter to Golden Tree City by raven, and give the other to Lord Ed," he instructed his servant.

"Your Majesty, shall we depart now?" Matus asked anxiously. "I fear that if we are too late, the Prime Minister will have already begun the siege."

Joffrey hesitated for a moment, then took his hand: "I understand your anxiety, sir."

"But since we were passing through a battlefield, there were bound to be some dangers along the way."

"How about this, I'll send Sir Baron with a squad of knights to escort you. He's a cautious man and can adapt to any situation."

"As for your former subordinates, they have been traveling for days and many of them are injured, so they will stay here to rest for the time being."

"The army will soon march south to join Lord Ed. I have ordered them to accompany us back to Golden Tree City."

Matus, with tears in his eyes, said, "Your Majesty's considerations are thorough. The Luo Wan family will always be loyal to you!"

Joffrey patted him on the shoulder and turned to Baron beside him.

"Sir, take good care of Lord Matus along the way. If anything goes wrong, you will be held responsible."

Baron understood immediately: "Yes, sir."

Once Matus and his group disappeared on the horizon, Joffrey's expression immediately changed.

"Pass down the order."

"Mathus's former troops were placed under strict guard and all were sent to the rear, temporarily reorganized into the Heavy Corps, and their weapons and armor were confiscated."

"Immediately build siege weapons, advance eastward, and besiege Kuqiao."

Ed stood on the riverbank, gazing at the endless enemy campfires on the opposite bank, his brow furrowed.

Renly's army had reached the west bank of the river, and the bonfires lit by tens of thousands of people turned the night sky a dark red.

Small-scale probing happens all the time.

Both sides are rushing to repair temporary docks and sending people to destroy the pontoon bridge on the opposite bank.

Eddard is racing against Renly for time.

He must first breach Golden Tree City and drive a nail into the river bend before the fall of the Waterhen Hall.

But Jinshucheng wasn't so easy to deal with.

It was built on high ground by the river, with one side facing the water and its base directly rooted in the rock. The thick city walls were more than ten meters high.

Several towers stand within the castle, and the garrison inside can use giant crossbows to block the path leading up the mountain.

Ed weighed the costs of a full-scale attack in his mind.

"Report—!"

"Your Excellency, His Majesty has sent a confidential letter."

He unfolded the letter, his eyes widening in disbelief.

Inside was a detailed map of Jinshu City's defenses, clearly showing the locations of the towers, the distribution of the garrison, and the granaries.

A line of small print was appended at the end of the letter.

"Jinshu City may fall without a fight, but we must be wary of the Luo Wan family turning against us."

Two days later.

Lanli was horrified.

"What?!"

"Golden Tree City is lost!"

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