Genuine Goods

Chapter 97 Genuine Product (I've been testing this recently, updating only for a few days, and will continue updating later)

King Joffrey arrived at the Bridge of Bitterness, a place of loyalty.

Wherever the allied forces went, the people became like phantoms, carrying stones to protect the borders and joyfully welcoming the king's army.

The kind-hearted Lord Laurent Carsway played a little game with the soldiers.

The rules are simple.

The attackers unleashed a barrage of fireballs that struck the city walls several times, setting a tower ablaze, and pushed the battering ram a short distance toward the city gate.

The garrison soldiers peered out and saw a dense crowd of people outside, more numerous than the fish in the Mandeb River.

So the yellow centaur banner obediently fell, and Baron Laurent changed into a clean robe and stood at the city gate to welcome his new master.

"Your Majesty, the Casway family is loyal to you." He bowed, large beads of sweat hitting the ground.

Joffrey sized up the frail-looking young man and chuckled.

"Now you believe I'm the real Joffrey?"

He simply bent his waist even lower.

In the castle hall, long tables were arranged to form several long lines.

The grain from the warehouse was transformed into steaming dishes in the kitchen, the aroma of ale mixed with the smoky fragrance of roasted meat, making people feel intoxicated.

"Your Excellencies fought bravely, and the soldiers attacked with all their might. You truly are loyal subjects of the Iron Throne," Joffrey said, raising his glass in a toast.

Lord Gails immediately chimed in, forgetting his cough: "His Majesty's command was superb, like Aegon reborn!"

The other familiar faces were not to be outdone, and their echoes rose and fell like a flock of crows fighting over corn, wishing they could haile him as the first wise ruler to open up the world among the seven kingdoms.

Joffrey readily agreed with a smile.

Excessive humility can make people think you are weak.

Unfortunately, the battle was rather lackluster, and the garrison consisted of only three or four hundred old and weak soldiers.

Most of them were villagers brought in from nearby villages; some had gray hair, while others had very little hair on their heads.

The capable fighters were all transferred away by Lan Li long ago.

This Baron Laurent has no sense of propriety at all. With a large army pressing in, he still insists that Joffrey is a distant relative of the Lannisters in disguise and refuses to surrender no matter what.

This is not surprising; rumors are flying all over the seven kingdoms, with all sorts of claims circulating.

At the same time, Joffrey did not achieve his goal.

Since leaving King's Landing, the soldiers have either been fighting or rushing on their way.

While we can't yet ensure absolute obedience, at least we won't get separated or fall behind.

Their morale was quite high, and they didn't collapse when they saw the enemy.

So Joffrey originally planned to guard the Bridge of Bitterness with the King's Landing commandos and royal soldiers to prevent the Stormlands army from crossing the river and cutting off his supply lines.

Take this opportunity to practice your skills.

Ed attacked too quickly.

Too fast is bad; it's disrupted Joffrey's plans.

He glanced at the nobles and knights in the hall, whose noses were practically pointing to the sky.

The soldiers outside were the same.

After all, they had won all the way. Under the leadership of the peerless Emperor Joffrey, the enemies were nothing but chickens and dogs, which could be wiped out in the blink of an eye.

But this is all thanks to the contrast with its peers.

The only tough battle was against Stannis, but at that time we had the advantage of the city walls and also turned two enemy forces against us, which exhausted the enemy's strength.

However, everyone felt that they were just too strong.

This made Joffrey hesitant to leave.

He feared that the Bitter Bridge would not be able to be defended, since there was no one there who could do anything.

But let's not leave, scouts report.

The enemy forces west of Goldentree have all withdrawn, and Renly appears to have abandoned the defense of the West Riverfront and led his troops back to reinforce Highgarden.

But a small contingent remained at the Yanji Hall to besiege it.

Ed requests reinforcements.

Joffrey pinched his brow and thought for a long time.

"Lord Edmure will take over command from me."

"You must obey his orders, be on high alert against any enemy troops that may come from the other side of the river, and hold the Bitter Bridge to the death."

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Everyone's eyes screamed, "Your Majesty, you can't leave!"

Joffrey was also helpless; he truly had no one else available.

Give Edmure a clear and unambiguous order: do not take any initiative to attack.

That way, there won't be any more trouble, right?

Meanwhile, Jaime sent a contingent of his cavalry to reinforce Casterly Rock.

The rest of the forces joined Ed and surrounded Highhold without attacking.

Then they forcibly crossed the river, seized Xihewan, and lifted the siege of Yangji Hall.

Connect the north with the already occupied territories to form a line and completely crush Renly.

The plan is in place.

The banquet continued.

The castle's owner sat in the corner, looking completely uninterested, his plate untouched.

But whose fault is it that the Casway family's ancestors weren't as shrewd as the Frey family's?

The stone arch bridge spanning the Mandeb River is also in a crucial position, but the castle is not built at the bridgehead and does not collect much toll.

The nobles of the royal domain had long been pondering the ownership of the castle.

For example, how to get one's son or a relative to marry Baron Laurent's daughter and thus gain inheritance rights.

But Joffrey wasn't going to just casually seal off his territory.

The victor can, of course, confiscate the traitors' estate and deprive them of their property.

But a king cannot hold onto the land forever; he must have legal backing.

to be honest.

If you exceed the limit for titles, those below you will become jealous.

Moreover, once the land is distributed, it's like spilled water; it takes a lot of effort to get it back.

Joffrey kept his little finger for so long because he wanted to use his relationship with Lysa to see if he could get a share of the pie from the Vale.

He did regain military control, but he had absolutely no say in the Eagle's Nest.

Furthermore, the environment of Westeros simply did not provide fertile ground for the development of centralized power.

The only cultured people were nobles and scholars, and to govern the conquered territories, they had to be granted fiefdoms.

If you don't reward those who have risked their lives, no one will believe the empty promises they make.

Moreover, these people don't just want gold and silver; they want land, an inheritance that can be passed down to their children and grandchildren.

So Joffrey planned to establish a pilot project in the North River Bay, moving towards the very end of everything.

Administrative system.

Of course, he only intends to take what is beneficial to him.

In other words, under the pretext of suppressing the rebellion, a piece of land was carved out of the river bend and assigned to the royal domain.

Then he broke the land into smaller pieces and distributed it among nobles loyal to him, mainly his second sons who had no right of inheritance.

They enjoy lifelong access to the rents and taxes of their territory, can control the farmers on their territory, maintain order, and pay taxes according to a fixed share.

However, there is no hereditary right.

Of course, these are all just ideas.

For thousands of years, Westeros has been ruled by primogeniture and land has been hereditary; how easy is it to change that?

But Joffrey has to give it a try.

He became king right from the start, saving himself more than a decade of hard work. It would be a disservice to his status if he didn't do something.

Besides, failure would only mean reverting to the old ways. The Iron Throne is already feudal and divisive enough; how much worse could it get?

Moreover, Joffrey also understands the importance of taking things one step at a time.

With its officials such as magistrates, sheriffs, and acting lords, Westeros already possessed the rudiments of feudal officials.

They were responsible for collecting taxes for the lord, enforcing the law, and defending the castle.

Serving the lords is the same as serving the king.

Let's use the special circumstances of wartime to deceive people for a while first.

As for what to do next?

Then let's trust the wisdom of future generations.