Grivan Hessey couldn't help but wipe the sweat from his forehead and said respectfully, "The Hessey family will always remember your gift. «-(¯`v´¯)-« 6➈.ςⓄⓜ »-(¯`v´¯)-»"
The House Hersy of Griven was the first Vale noble to actively ally with Crabb, and the second was the House Egen, who supported him from the Eyrie.
Subsequently, when the contents of the rewards bestowed by the House Hersy and House Egen became known, the Vale nobles, including the Clayin, Luthermont, House Dutton, and House Tollett, all chose to submit to the new lords.
Later, the families were implicitly led by Baron Griven, who held the highest position (Treasurer of the Eyrie ), which fueled his even greater greed for power. Perhaps he could become the " Hand of the King " of the Vale, and then... perhaps... He didn't dare to think any further for the time being.
His advice to Gryn, ostensibly concerned about whether government orders would be undermined, was actually driven by his own selfish motives.
He originally intended to take advantage of the new lord's efforts to win over the Vale nobles and cultivate the power of the House Hersy.
But... the Tournament and the apprentice knights made him feel "dangerous." If the new lordship plan were to proceed as scheduled... he knew too well the greed of those lowly people, and he was sure that new knights from the Vale would soon be loyal to Crabb.
As time goes by, those lowly people will become the new nobles of the Vale. How will the honors of the old nobles be passed on then?!
As Baron Griven thought of this, Gryn's voice rang out. " The House Royce, the House Waynwood, the House Hunter, the House Redfort, the House Belmore, the House Templeton."
He looked at Griven: "If it weren't for the House Crabb, they and the House Arryn would be the masters of the Vale. Baron, am I right?"
Gryn's words struck Baron Griven like a hammer blow to the head. He opened his mouth, seemingly forgetting that before siding with Crabb, the House Hersy was nothing more than a minor noble family, wielding quills to record the House Arryn's finances on blank sheets of paper. He wasn't even qualified to attend any high-profile banquets... Well, he had once offered a large sum of money to marry a granddaughter of Lady Anya's House Waynwood... He had even specifically chosen an unfavored and unattractive granddaughter... only to be met with a very direct rejection.
When did he start considering himself a member of a noble family from the Vale?!
When did he begin daring to "wield his sword" in front of the lord known as the Bloody Earl?!
As he pondered this... Baron Griven suddenly burst into tears; he wept.
Gryn gestured for the waiter to leave the room, leaving the old baron to weep, while he looked at the flames in the fireplace and took a sip of Summer Wine.
Lord Gryn was always very patient with his subordinates, especially with a "model" vassal like the House Hersy from the Vale.
Once Baron Griven had calmed down, Gryn spoke up, "Don't trust your ears too much. Baron Griven Hershey, you should trust my promises more. This is what makes a good vassal of the Crabb family."
"My lord... I..." Baron Griven sniffed.
He added, "I will divide the pre- Tournament assessments into several regions and assign them to my new vassals."
Gryn gestured for Baron Griven to drink, then said, "Keep a close eye on them for me. You're still the person I trust most, Griven."
"Lord Gryn, I will always be your eyes, I swear to the Seven!"
The nobles of the northern Vale received a distress call from the Eyrie. Erlin's letter was earnest: he told them that the gates of the Eyrie, Gates of the Moon, had been occupied by over 200 Crabb Soldiers due to a traitor; in the name of Duke Robert Arryn, he made different promises to each noble family, such as... marriage, titles, land, and wealth (Chapter 254); their task was simple: to bring their troops to intimidate and force the Crabb Soldiers in Gates of the Moon to retreat.
Erlin, who had served the Vale for nearly forty years, understood the true needs of these families, and the Duke of the Eyrie's sincere promise... coupled with his quill pen, successfully awakened their dormant sense of honor.
Then, Gryn received a series of battle reports from the Crabb Legion, which was lying in ambush in a treacherous place. Carrier ravens flew back and forth, bringing new "harvests" almost every day.
53 cavalrymen... 67 cavalrymen... 125 cavalrymen... 78 cavalrymen... 212 cavalrymen... The last elite of the Vale Knights are being devoured by Crabb, bite by bite.
In the study of the Eyrie, Lord Gryn, who had been busy all afternoon, finally put down his quill.
The list of prisoners presented to King Joffrey, compiled by Baron Griven and others, consisted of nearly 2,000 people, most of whom were servants who had served the nobility.
Lord Gryn only selected a little over 100 people to be sent, while the rest would be stripped of their surnames and escorted to Crackclaw Point Crackclaw Point, where they would eventually be dispersed into several hundred Crabb semi-military farms (Chapter 18).
Although each farm in Crabb requires a large hunting ground, for the sparsely populated Crackclaw Point, even a rough estimate suggests that it can accommodate at least 3,000 New Farmstead.
However... Crackclaw Point only has a population of a few hundred thousand, so the pace doesn't need to be too fast. The priority is to meet current needs, and most of the people will be settled in New Farmstead to live, with soldiers trained in their spare time.
Then, when the New Farmstead under the management of the "retired veterans" receives the troop mobilization order from Lord Gryn, it only needs to send the military-trained reserve soldiers on time.
The matter involved farms... Lord Gryn thought of the main problem in the Crackclaw Point men: more women than men.
His fingers tapped lightly on the table... the man.
A knock sounded at the door, and Brienne's voice came from outside. "Lord Gryn, Maester Colemon requests an audience."
Having received a response, Scholar Maester Colemon, looking tense, entered the study.
"Good day, Lord Crabb..."
"Please have a seat, Bachelor Maester Colemon."
After Scholar Maester Colemon was seated, Gryn asked, "How is Duke Arryn's health?"
Scholar Maester Colemon glanced at Gryn and replied, " Lord Crabb, His Majesty the Duke has been in much better condition lately because he can eat his favorite food."
He bowed slightly. "On behalf of His Majesty the Duke, I thank you for your kindness."
Gryn leaned back in his chair and said, "Scholar Maester Colemon, King Joffrey wishes to see Duke Arryn at the Red Keep as soon as possible."
Maester Colemon's Adam's apple bobbed a few times as he said, "Merciful Lord Crabb, in fact, His Majesty the Duke's health might allow him to remain in King's Landing until King's Landing; he now desperately needs a long period of recuperation."
Maester Colemon's eyes darted away. Gryn sighed, " King Joffrey's patience lasts at most a month. Scholar Maester Colemon, I will allow you to accompany Duke Arryn on this journey."
Ugh, I'm so busy! I have to drink with someone tonight that I can't refuse. Being a working person isn't easy TT
That's all for today.