Rushmarsh's lord meeting room is narrow and quiet.
The voice of Olivier, Chief of the Governor's Cabinet, was like a dry rag wiping across the dusty table. "Sir, based on reports compiled from various places."
His tone did not rise and fall, as if he was reciting an insignificant list.
"A large number of small and medium-sized businessmen have lost their funds and begun to go bankrupt."
"Monopoly Guild is acquiring their property at a very low price and the progress is going smoothly."
Olivier paused for a moment and turned the parchment in his hand, making a soft rustling sound.
"However, there have been some... accidents."
"To date, forty-seven businessmen have committed suicide."
In the room, there was no other sound except the crackling of the burning candle.
"Just yesterday, Lord Harroway's Town, a dye workshop owner who has been passed down for three generations."
"He lent most of his funds to nearby farmers and knights, and as the trend spread, all merchants began to collect debts."
"His creditors started coming to collect money, and he couldn't get any money back."
"His workshop, worth one hundred Gold Dragon, was purchased by the guild for twenty Gold Dragon."
"That night, he handed twenty Gold Dragon to his family members and asked them to go King's Landing to join their relatives."
"I jumped into Trident."
Olivier's voice is still smooth, but with a little trembling added.
After the report, he sat down quietly without expressing his position.
He didn't know how to express his position.
Lord Suleiman lent House Lychester another 20,000 Gold Dragon when Monopoly Guild owed them 10,000 Gold Dragon.
This amount is almost half of House Lychester's property.
The guilds will use this money to take advantage of the situation and acquire properties at the lowest price.
It may not be easy to say what exactly happened when the salt merchant and his family died.
Forty-seven merchant families, including the family members who were taken to death by the merchants, a total of more than seventy people, were clearly forced to death by the Monopoly Guild due to the policies of the Governor's Mansion.
From the perspective of House Lychester's interests, what the guild did cannot be criticized, and it can even be said that it was done very well.
It was even done so well that it undoubtedly saved House Lychester a huge amount of money.
Monopoly Guild President Bo Ke. Hewen's face was filled with uncontrollable joy.
He is an illegitimate son who started from scratch in the mud and in vain. He knows very well what it is like to be a businessman without power.
Now, relying on the power of the governor, he bites his once-high-ranking colleagues like a giant beast.
He was so excited that his body was trembling slightly. This feeling made him intoxicated. "Sir Suleiman, you lent us 20,000 Gold Dragon for annexation. We have only used 5,000 Gold Dragon so far."
"I believe it won't be long before we can return the thirty thousand Gold Dragon owed to House Lychester with interest, and start paying taxes to House Lychester."
"Enough!"
An angry shout interrupted Pork. Hewen's excitement.
Rooney Bachelor stood up abruptly, his chair rubbed against the ground, making an ear-piercing scream.
His face flushed red, his fingers trembled with anger, and he pointed directly at Pork. Hewen: "Every word you say is stained with blood!"
"Over seventy lives!"
"In your eyes, is it just a good deal?"
The young bachelor's chest heaved violently, and he turned to Suleiman, who was in charge, with a hint of pleading in his eyes.
"Master Suleiman, we can't go on like this anymore!"
Financial Controller Hubbard let out a deep laugh, and his fat body trembled.
His narrow eyes flashed with sarcasm. "Young man, your kindness is not worth a penny."
"Do you think these businessmen have no blood debt?"
"Do you think the fate of those farmers who were forced into debt by them will be any better than what they are doing now?"
"I was a businessman too."
"There is a farmer who owes me five Silver Stag. I can't pay him back."
"I just sent his wife and adult daughter to a brothel."
"In less than half a year, they paid off all his debts with interest."
He grinned, showing his yellow teeth.
"If you're not a butcher, you're a lamb."
Rooney Bachelor's face instantly turned pale, his lips trembled, and he could not utter a single word.
Hubbard's laughter became even louder.
"We have already lost count of how many people we have forced to death."
"Since we have chosen this path, we should expect to end up with the same fate one day."
As he spoke, the smile on his face slowly solidified.
Hubbard suddenly fell silent, glanced at Suleiman, lowered his head, and said no more.
The conference room fell into dead silence again.
Everyone's eyes were focused on the end of the long table.
The young man who never said a word from beginning to end.
Suleiman's eyes slowly swept over everyone.
He first looked at the angry Rooney, then at the silent Hubbard.
Finally, his eyes fell on Pork. Hewen.
He stood up and spoke in a calm voice, "You did a good job."
The final word.
Pork. Hewen's face instantly burst into a bright smile, and his somewhat uneasy mood was instantly relieved0
He stood up and bowed deeply. "It is my honor to serve House Lychester."
The illegitimate child was trembling even when he spoke.
"Suleiman-sama!"
"At your service! At your service House Lychester."
Rooney Bachelor's body shook, and the last trace of blood on his face faded.
He looked at Suleiman, his eyes full of pain and anger, but in the end he said nothing. He silently stretched out his hand and took off the coat of arms of the Leicester family that represented service to the Governor on the chest of his academic robe.
The metal emblem was gently placed on the table by him, making a crisp collision sound.
His voice was hoarse but extremely clear. "I will apply to Citadel for a new bachelor to serve House Lychester."
After saying that, Bachelor Rooney turned around and strode out of the conference room without looking back.
Suleiman seems not to have seen all this.
His fingers began tapping on the table again, unhurriedly.
"Not enough."
His voice was colder than before.
"Hate is not enough."
He looked at Olivier, Hubbard and Pork. Hewen.
"Tell me another story."
"Let's just say that in Riverlands, I don't know which town it is, in the backyard of a businessman, the bones of many young girls were dug up."
"Let people guess who these girls are."
"Is she the daughter of a farmer who can't pay off her debt? Or a traveler who was kidnapped by him?"
"The details are not important. The civilians will spread out on their own. What is important is that every Riverlands civilian will have a higher level of fear and hatred towards the merchant group."
He gave the final order.
"Faster."
Saltpans The air carries a salty and humid sea breeze.
On the small pier, the trumpets of workers mixed with the calls of seagulls, creating a noisy picture.
In the mansion of Martin. Lannister, it was as quiet as death.
He was playing with a Gold Dragon, his knuckles turning white from the exertion.
"Bandit!"
Gold Dragon was hit hard on the ground, made a crisp bouncing sound, and rolled into the shadow of the corner of the table.
Martin. Lannister's chest heaved violently, and even the gorgeous silk coat could not hide his anger.
Opposite him, sitting Lannister family member of his more remote branch Lannisport, Rod Laney.
Rod Laney looks much more downtrodden. They are too far away from Casterly Rock's bloodline to Lannister. Although the clothes on his body are clean, they have faded from washing.
Martin. Lannister's voice was hoarse with anger. "The debt has become waste paper."
"Those bastards now dare to stand in front of our debt collectors! Tear up the contract! Provoke us!"
"They say the Governor protects them!"
"If it's the Westerlands! I'll hang them! Sell their wives and daughters into Lannisport's brothel!"
Rod Lanny also wanted to curse. Not every Lannister lives a life of superiority. These remote branches can only make a hard life. The business focus of the Lanni family is on Riverlands.
"Brother! Is this the end of it?"
"Those are all Gold Dragon! They are Gold Dragon from our Lannister family!"
He leaned forward, with a hint of pleading in his voice.
"If we go to those Riverlands people now and tell them that there will be no interest and no liquidated damages."
"As long as they repay the principal, can they get some back?"
Martin. Lannister didn't speak, just sneered.
Rod Laney understood the meaning of that smile.
Those despicable and greedy civilians will not even pay back a copper coin.
They will just laugh at you, then close the door and praise their new governor.
Rod Laney smiled mockingly to himself, unless Lannister family takes action to attack Lychester and teach the new governor's family a lesson.
Otherwise, the prestige of the Lannister family will no longer work in this land.
But obviously this is impossible.
Rod Lanny's hands were trembling a little. "I've heard about it, brother."
"The businessmen of the Reach have begun to clear out all their properties in Riverlands."
"They are negotiating with the newly established Monopoly Guild to sell their workshops, river boats, shops, and warehouses at a fairly reasonable price."
"There is also our the Westerlands's House Farman, and their fleet on Trident has also put up a sign for sale."
"They would rather lose money than leave here."
Rod Laney's face became even more ugly.
"How could we leave like this?"
"Give everything we have worked so hard to do to those bastards?"
"Go and negotiate with that illegitimate son who relies on House Lychester to become arrogant?"
"This is an insult! It is an insult to the surname Lannister!"
He was almost roaring.
"Shameless! I have never seen such shameless means!"
Martin. Lannister had a strange smile on his face, "Insult?"
"Dear clan brother, why don't we rely on the name Lannister to do business?"
"We lend money to those small lords. What they fear is not us, but Casterly Rock's Lannister."
"The Governor of House Lychester doesn't seem to want to offend Tyrell of the Reach, nor does he want to offend Lannister of our the Westerlands."
"If it weren't for our last names, they wouldn't even give us a chance to negotiate."
"Now they're giving us a chance to negotiate so we can leave with at least some of the money."
"This is their last act of goodwill."
"Perhaps we should seize this opportunity."
Rod Laney seemed to have had all his strength taken away from him, and slumped down on the chair.
Yeah, they relied on the surname Lannister.
Those Monopoly Guild businessmen rely on the power of Lychester.
Essentially, there is no difference.
But now, this land has changed its owner.
There was a long silence in the room.
Outside the window, the Trident river is rushing into the sea, carrying sediment.
Under the midday sun, the river surface was shining with dazzling light and the waves were turbulent.
Martin Lannister and Rod Laney stopped talking and just looked at the river that raised Riverlands.
They suddenly felt that the river had become unfamiliar.
In the past, the river was docile and a channel for wealth. Every wave might splash up a Gold Dragon.
Now, the river has become violent and full of destructive power, trying to wash away all the outsiders like them.
This time, it's really different.
Unlike House Tully who is living a simple life and pursuing a stable life, House Lychester seems to be very interested and determined to rectify Riverlands.
The first sword has been cut down, and we will never stop until we achieve our goal.
The rush of Trident outside the window seems to be getting more and more intense.
The candle burned quietly in Suleiman's room, reflecting the huge Westeros map on the wall.
Suleiman's fingers traced the outline of Riverlands, and finally stopped at Oldtown in the south.
He whispered two words: "Citadel."
Olivier stood on his right, with a serious look on his face. "Yes, Master Suleiman, what you just thought is undoubtedly offensive to Citadel."
"Citadel is deeply rooted in Westeros and no one can shake it."
"Any castle or any prestigious family cannot do without a bachelor."
"They are doctors, consultants, teachers, managers of information, recorders of history, and controllers of knowledge."
"It would be unwise to antagonize them."
His voice was kept low, as if he was afraid of being eavesdropped by the wall.
"They won't allow you to educate yourself otherwise."
"We must not build our own schools."
The room fell into silence.
Suleiman looked at the map and remained silent.
He needs a large number of administrative bureaucrats who are literate, good at arithmetic, and have a professional background.
Very lacking, very lacking.
Three hundred freedom knights were canonized at one time because they had simple administrative abilities, but these people could only be used for temporary needs.
To deal with increasingly complex government affairs, bureaucrats are ultimately needed.
Without bureaucracy, as the population increases and the control area expands, the governor's orders cannot be accurately conveyed to every piece of land.
"But we can train soldiers."
Olivier suddenly spoke, breaking the silence.
Suleiman's eyes sharpened instantly, and he looked at himself, the cabinet manager. "What should I say?"
Olivier spoke slowly, but every word was clear and powerful. "We don't run schools and we don't popularize education, sir."
"We only train servants for the Governor, a group of professional servants who provide military advice to the Governor."
He paused for a moment, observing Suleiman's reaction.
"These attendants need military training."
"Military terrain, let them understand the map."
"Military logistics, let them calculate the food, grass, troops and horses."
"Military strategy, battlefield strategy...
"These can avoid any offense to Citadel."
Suleiman said nothing and motioned for him to continue.
"We select the best among the Junkers and civilian Warrior orphans."
"Gather them together and conduct military education."
"After completing military education, they will become the governor's attendants.
"Their duty is to assist the governor in handling military affairs and provide professional military advice to the governor." Then... we can use them to serve as the governor's administrative bureaucrats at the same time."
Olivier's plan is like a precise drawing, slowly unfolding in front of Suleiman.
It perfectly bypasses the restricted area of Citadel.
The military is the natural power of the nobility, and it is an area that Citadel cannot and has no intention of intervening in.
Using military education in the name of cultivating bureaucrats is undoubtedly a dangerous path.
But Suleiman didn't answer. His deep gaze fell on the map and he fell into a long silence.
A familiar yet unfamiliar word Prussian General Staff came to his mind.
What Olivier proposes is far scarier and more risky than Prussian General Staff.
Prussian General Staff is the brain of the war machine, it does not directly hold administrative power.
These "governor's attendants" who provide military advice to the governor have both military and administrative attributes.
They serve as both military staff and administrative bureaucrats.
This is never a good thing.
This was a crossroads that determined the nature of the governor's power.
Businessmen are like vines, attached to the tree of power. They appear to be luxuriant but have no roots.
Their wealth comes from the governor's charter, and their status comes from the governor's favor.
When needed, they are money bags; when not needed, they confiscate homes and exterminate families. Cutting them off is like trimming nails.
But these military bureaucrats who have been instilled with military thinking and organizational discipline will be completely different.
Once the administrative bureaucracy is completely composed of this group of "servants" who have received military training and have a high degree of unified thinking.
Like tree roots, they will penetrate deeply into the flesh and blood of Riverlands and merge into the body.
At that point, they are no longer simple tools, but the regime itself.
Suleiman seems to be able to see the future.
Groups of "Governor's Attendants" wearing uniforms and with serious expressions were sent to every corner of Riverlands, executing the Governor's orders like precise gears.
Once this warship is completely built according to military logic and sails into the deep sea, it will never be able to turn back into a light sampan.
Once this system is put into operation, Riverlands's mobilization efficiency and dominance will reach an unprecedented height.
The entire Riverlands will become a large military camp, with efficiency first and orders prioritized, which can bring unparalleled mobilization and combat effectiveness.
But then, the entire Riverlands will be tied to a chariot that cannot stop.
War, still war.
Everything will serve the military, everything will make way for efficiency.
If he, or the future House Lychester leader, wants to make any reforms and corrections to this system, and wants to weaken the power of this military bureaucracy.
Then it is no longer about trimming the nails, but cutting off the hands and feet.
The ship turned around due to disaster.
Suleiman opened his eyes, and his eyes fell on the territory of Westeros again.