The sound of the city gate being smashed open was particularly jarring in the silent night. The Gulltown guards rushed to the scene, but the enemy they faced—soldiers in Blue Cloaks —was exceptionally fierce, and they all fell in pools of blood.
Under the soft moonlight, patches of blue shadows spread into the city.
The shouts of soldiers, the clanging of swords and shields, and the whistling of arrows mingled together, blood splattered, and lives were lost in an instant!
"Sword wielder, kill!"
"Sword wielder, kill!"
"Sword wielder, kill!"
The unified battle cry of the Crabb Soldiers further demoralized the Gulltown soldiers, who were already on the verge of collapse.
Thud! Thud! One by one, his comrades, with whom he had spent every day, fell to the ground. A soldier from Gulltown trembled uncontrollably as the spear in his hand crashed to the ground.
Similar scenes played out repeatedly throughout the city.
But... the flames of revenge of the Crackclaw Point soldiers have been ignited, and only a small number of the Gulltown soldiers who threw down their weapons and gave up resistance survived.
The hatred that had been building up for over a decade was being unleashed; it was more like a kind of savagery, as Westeros revered blood for blood.
Gryn Crabb wields the Whip of Vengeance, and all the Crackclaw Point men await their lord to lead them in revenge.
Kill only those who wield the sword—this was the battle cry set by Lord Gryn before the battle, and it was the greatest mercy Lord Gryn could bestow.
Corpses and broken weapons gradually piled up in the alleys of Gulltown, and a strong stench of blood filled the air.
The soldiers of Crackclaw Point raised high the Swamp Marigold Banner representing Crabb. Years of training had accustomed them to top-down orders, which to some extent restrained their desire for revenge.
At least, the Crackclaw Point soldiers didn't have enough time to break into a house, hehehe.
What... you're fast? According to the territorial laws set by Gryn, anyone who leaves the group without permission during combat will be killed without mercy.
Similarly, those who uphold the laws of their territory can also earn military merits during battle.
The higher the military merit, the richer the lord's reward.
Crabb's Territorial Law were as cold as winter and as warm as summer.
Bang! Amidst gasps from both men and women, the doors of the Lord's Hall in Gulltown were flung open, and Crabb's retainer, the knight Pell Pili, led his Blue Cloaks into the hall.
Lord Grafton sat high on his lord's chair, surrounded by his terrified clansmen.
Although Lord Grafton tried to remain calm, he could not control the trembling of his body.
His voice trembled. "You are committing a crime!"
The Gulltown Maester stood up straight and shouted, "You are robbers! I will report your crimes to King Joffrey and Duke Robert!"
The crowd seemed to regain their courage and joined in the shouting.
Ser Pell, gripping his blood-red longsword, strode over. A flash of cold light, and the maester's head rolled limply to one side, his headless neck gaping open horribly, blood gushing out instantly.
Buzz!
The bloody scene was horrifying; the people of Grafton stared in disbelief at what they saw, and the air in the hall seemed to freeze.
How dare he?!
Their eyes were filled with helplessness, unsure how to face this cruel scene; they dared not utter a sound, fearing that their voices would break the deathly silence and bring misfortune upon themselves.
Lord Grafton stammered, "I can pay the ransom!"
His response was a suffocating silence.
Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap—In the eerie silence, the sound of footsteps on the stone slabs was unusually loud.
Good night, Lord Grafton?
As he spoke, Gryn, clad in silver armor, slowly approached, and the Blue Cloaks made way for their lord.
Lord Grafton then noticed the Marsh Marigold emblem, and he seemed slightly relieved.
But as Gryn drew closer, Lord Grafton shifted uncomfortably in his chair, sensing an even greater danger emanating from the man before him.
Lord Grafton's Adam's apple bobbed a few times as he said, "Earl... Lord Crabb, this is the House Arryn's Vale! This is an invasion!"
He paused, then added, "I want you to leave immediately! Otherwise... otherwise..."
Step by step, Gryn ascended the stairs and stood before Lord Grafton.
Gryn glanced at the crowd gathered around the lord's chair and casually asked, "Otherwise what?"
Lord Grafton: "..."
After a moment of silence, he displayed the pride of a ruler of Gulltown: " Lord Crabb, don't you understand the crime you have committed? Not only Red Keep and the Eyrie, but the entire Seven Kingdoms will not tolerate your evil deeds."
He paused, then softened his tone, saying, "If you are willing to leave now, I guarantee I will not pursue your crimes of tonight, and Gulltown will still open its doors to the Whispers."
He forced a smile, "The friendship between the House Grafton and House Crabb begins tonight!"
Gryn raised an eyebrow and said, "The noble House Grafton is willing to establish a friendship with a Half-Wildling family?"
He chuckled softly and said, "Do you really enjoy using your own blood to buy so-called friendship?"
Grafton's heart skipped a beat. He said, "I swear, I swear to the Gods, Lord Crabb!"
Gryn raised his eyes to the Burning Tower Banner hanging behind the lord's chair and said slowly, " Lord Grafton, I did not come here for hatred..."
"Lord Gryn!" came the urgent voice of Leyton 'Little Steward.
Gryn's eyes flickered slightly, and he made a gesture. Crabb's Little Steward hurried up the steps and came straight to his side.
With suppressed excitement on his face, Leyton whispered in Gryn's ear, and Lord Gryn's ears twitched.
The House Grafton is the ruling family of Gulltown, therefore the Gulltown's treasury is essentially the House Grafton's treasury.
Littlefinger Petyr Baelish, having served as the tax collector of Gulltown, possesses an exceptional knowledge of the location of the Gulltown.
On the night Gryn "saw" Petyr off from King's King's Landing, upon hearing Gryn's curiosity, he simply smiled meaningfully and truthfully told him the information about the Gulltown vault.
Tonight's " Blue-Clad Sea Crossing " Little Steward: Leyton's task is to guard the Gulltown vault.
Why was Leyton so eager to see his lord?
After reviewing the blood-stained ledgers, Leyton was both excited and terrified.
Millions of Gold Dragon?! Gryn's brown eyes trembled slightly.
Gryn had to admit that his status as a poor lord limited his imagination... When he received supplies worth 500,000 Gold Dragon from Highgarden, Lord Gryn's pursuit of Gold Dragon was no longer so urgent, because he had already exceeded the goal he had set for himself.
Just now, Gryn's Little Steward told him in a trembling voice that there were millions of gold Gold Dragon in several vaults in Gulltown...
Wow, so much... how am I going to spend it all?!
Gulltown truly deserves its reputation as one of the five great cities of Westeros!
Gryn raised an eyebrow and looked at Leyton: "How many millions exactly?"
Leyton wasn't sure; he blinked: Four or five million?
Gryn looked at Lord Grafton was feigning composure... The original plan was to escort Grafton and his men to the Red Keep under the guise of being Lady Lysa's accomplices, in order to demonstrate King Joffrey's military achievements.
But... there are too many Gold Dragon in Gulltown! Although millions of Gold Dragon are now in his pocket, theoretically they belong to the House Grafton, and these Gold Dragon are engraved with the invisible Burning Tower Sigil.
Therefore, both the journey to escort Grafton and his group to the Red Keep Red Keep and the events after their arrival were fraught with uncertainty.
Gryn looked at the retainers and knights standing below and said, " Pell, take them away."
Amidst various voices, Grafton and his group were roughly led away from the hall by the Blue Cloaks soldiers.
Ser Pell removed his helmet, crossed his arms, and asked Gryn, "My lord, what should we do with those men?"
"In the name of the King..."
As he spoke, Gryn held up one hand and made a beheading gesture.
The Gold Dragon, now without its master, will soon be etched with the invisible Marsh Marigold.
Gryn sat down in the lord's chair in Gulltown and tapped his fingers on the Seagull-shaped Armrest.
He only owed a few million over a decade... Suddenly, the wealthy Gryn felt that Robert I hadn't been too extravagant.
Gryn's eyes trembled slightly... Could he buy as many supplies as he had Gold Dragon? That was impossible, because Westeros's limited productivity resulted in a limited quantity of supplies.
Scarcity drives up value; if Gryn buys a large quantity of a certain item, its price will increase over time.
Therefore... it all comes down to this: how should we spend so many Gold Dragon?!
The following morning, Crabb Banner was raised in Gulltown, one of the five great cities of Westeros.
Some daring men and women began to venture out of their houses, cautiously scouting the outside world.
They found that apart from a few more patrolling Blue Cloaks, everything seemed the same as usual.
But the stench of blood in the air and the dry bloodstains on the ground told them that a fierce battle had indeed taken place in this city.
As dawn broke, more and more people moved about the streets, and the city seemed to be just beginning to awaken.
"I heard we're now under the rule of barbarians, may the Gods protect us!"
"Barbarian?!"
"Shh, don't be so loud! I heard they eat people when they're hungry!"
"Yes, yes, I've heard that too. They especially love to eat children!"
"Oh, the Gods bless my child, waaaah!"
"Shh, try not to go out lately. Duke Arryn will definitely send troops to drive out the barbarians, and then everything will be fine..."
"Hey, stop talking and let's get over there!"
"What's wrong? What happened?"
"The entire House Grafton is dead! Their heads are hanging on the city gates!"
"Oh, isn't that our governor? The Gods..."
"Hurry, or you might miss it!"
"Yes, yes, let's go! We need to get there quickly!"
When news of the House Grafton's deaths spread, nobles, merchants, and mercenary representatives from Gulltown gathered at the entrance of the Lord's Hall to loudly protest Crabb's atrocities.
At noon, Lord Gryn personally received the indignant representatives of Gulltown and patiently explained the crimes of the House Grafton.
What were Grafton's charges?
Gryn's explanation was that Grafton was not only an accomplice of Lady Lysa, but they also openly opposed King Joffrey's Iron Throne.
Moreover, Grafton not only refused to see the Red Keep envoys who came with good intentions, but also went so far as to use force to expel them.
Therefore, Gryn arrested them in the name of the king, but was met with armed resistance from Grafton and was forced to execute them.
Gryn thought he had put it well, but the dozens of representatives from Gulltown unanimously said... We don't believe it.
Lord Gryn maintained a gentle expression and tone throughout, patiently listening to the representatives' questions and explaining the legality of the execution time and time again.
The delegates spent the entire afternoon resolutely rejecting Gryn's invitation to the banquet, and they left still filled with righteous indignation.
The same thing happened the next day.
The same thing happened on the third day.
On the morning of the fourth day, 2,000 Blue Cloaks entered Gulltown on Gryn's orders, and the city was plunged into a brutal and bloody massacre.
When the total number of Gold Dragon in the vault reached 6 million for the first time, Gryn withdrew his soldiers.
Gryn met with a slightly smaller number of Gulltown representatives, but he read hatred in their eyes.
The second time, when the number of Gold Dragon in the vault reached 8 million, Gryn met again with the Gulltown representatives, whose numbers had dwindled to nearly half. Gryn sensed their restraint.
The third time, when the treasury reached 9 million, the representatives of Gulltown took the initiative to meet Lord Gryn, and he felt a certain affection from them.
Gryn maintained his gentle demeanor and tone, personally escorting the Gulltown representatives, who were nearly two-thirds fewer than when they first met, to the door.
As their figures gradually disappeared, Gryn looked at the retainer knight beside him and said, " Pell, you can stop now."
Pell, whose face was usually stern, gave an unnatural smile, placed his hand on his chest, and bowed, saying, "My lord, I am at your service at any time."
Gryn seemed to be hallucinating— Pell Pili's loyalty increased by one.
Gryn reached out and patted Pell's arm, saying, "Go on, the curfew must continue. Our war has only just begun."
After his retainers and knights left, Lord Gryn paced back and forth, rubbing his jet-black hair. The simple-minded soldiers of the Crackclaw Point loved killing... especially in a war of revenge.
Gryn's mind raced; he had to find a balance here, because his goal was to rule the entire Vale.
After a while, Little Steward Leyton came to report, "My master, they have all arrived and are awaiting your summons."
Because of Crabb's reforms, Gulltown lost many big merchants, and he planned to "promote" some small businesses to fill the market gap.
As a first act, the generous Lord Gryn provided 1 million Gold Dragon to provide interest-free loans to reputable but weaker merchants in order to restore Gulltown to its former glory as soon as possible.
The bleeding has stopped, and it's time to start cutting the cake.
Newcomers filled the old ones' positions, and the Lord's Hall in Gulltown was filled with laughter and joy.