Jon's Triangle Trade

On the calm and vast sea, the deep blue water meets the azure sky, and the sun shines brightly—it's a rare and beautiful day.

Redwyne's dozens of warships were now the absolute rulers of the Sunset Sea. They formed a single entity, sailing south, cutting through the white waves.

The flagship in the fleet has blue sails with a bunch of purple grapes painted on them, which doesn't look like a family flag but more like a trademark.

This was Paxter's most beloved ship, with five large sails and three hundred oarsmen. It not only carried the most cargo but was also quite fast.

The bow also features a massive steel ram, a first-rate weapon whether used for cargo transport or boarding action.

Even the deck was made of fire-resistant teak.

However, when Jon used the boat to "stop the rain" that day, he didn't light Wildfire on this boat. Teak can only keep out ordinary fires, and it can't keep out Wildfire.

Jon was standing on the deck at that moment, not in a very good mood.

In order to take control of Casterly Rock, he did not leave immediately after conquering it, but instead arranged for reliable men to guard it.

Jon arranged for Adam and Brynden to temporarily guard Casterly Rock for him, while only allowing Martin to take about a hundred men from the Heavy Armor Battalion to accompany him south.

As he was arranging the many affairs of Casterly Rock, devastating news arrived from Blackhaven — Beric Dondarrion had died in his sleep.

When Beric Dondarrion heard that Tywin had been beheaded and Jon had captured Casterly Rock, he drank several extra cups of wine that night. When his servants found him the next day, his body was already cold.

This puzzled Jon greatly. Logically speaking, Beric Dondarrion was in his prime and there was no reason for him to die suddenly. However, Melisandre personally explained it to him before leaving Casterly Rock: Beric Dondarrion had no more obsessions.

This made Jon realize that receiving the so-called resurrection spell did not mean that a person could live forever.

Furthermore, using obsessions like immortality to exploit bugs is probably not going to work.

Jon looked at the sea not far away, where fish were occasionally leaping out of the water, when he suddenly sensed someone approaching from behind.

Turning around, I saw it was Paxter and his son Hobber.

"Paxter."

"Your Grace." Paxter's face was beaming with a smile, and his usually messy reddish-brown hair was unusually neatly combed.

Now, Jon is practically a benefactor in Paxter's eyes.

They not only consumed almost all of Arbor's wine cellars, but also bought up all future production.

Furthermore, Jon specified that he would not want wine from now on, only raisins. His reason was that "Winter Is Coming," and it would be unwise to use precious grain to brew wine. He also suggested that Arbor stockpile more grain.

However, they didn't seem to care much about what Jon said.

Because Arbor is located at the southernmost tip of Westeros and has an ice-free port, it won't get too cold even when it gets really cold.

Moreover, these are families that have survived countless winters, and they have their own food storage strategies. Having said all that, Jon wouldn't concern himself with anything more.

After exchanging pleasantries, Paxter steered the conversation to the Iron Islands.

Looking across the entire Seven Kingdoms, only Stannis and King Balon Tyrell still wear crowns. Stannis is currently powerless to conquer the Iron Islands, but he inevitably has to order Jon and Highgarden to do so.

If the goal is to Iron Islands, then the Redwyne Fleet is the only force in the Sunset Sea capable of rivaling the Iron Islands.

The fleet is the backbone of the House Redwyne's livelihood, so naturally they don't want to use their fleet to enhance the reputation of others. Paxter wanted to get some information from Jon.

"His Majesty Stannis is still negotiating with the Iron Islands, after all, the country has just gone through a terrible war," Jon said.

"So, you mean there won't be a war for now?" Paxter's son, Hobber, interjected, but Paxter glared at him, shutting him up. "That's right, His Majesty indeed won't be attacking for now, but I can't let these pirates run rampant in the Sunset Sea," Jon said, looking into Paxter's eyes. His rooster-comb-like red hair swayed in the sea breeze, making him look somewhat comical. "I hope Paxter can help me when the time comes."

Indeed, there is no such thing as a free lunch in this world.

When Paxter thought about the treasures Jon had given him, he knew they couldn't possibly be just a token of gratitude.

However, Paxter was a veteran nobleman, and his calculations regarding interests were quite shrewd. He promptly drew a line for Jon: "No problem, Your Grace, the Redwyne Fleet can take on the defense of the Westerlands ports."

Jon glanced at Paxter's mohawk, then smiled and looked away. "It's not just about defense, my lord. Offense is the best defense. The Iron Islands have plundered a large number of people in the Westerlands. Now that I am the Warden of the West, it is my duty to rescue them. Not only to rescue civilians, but I also intend to completely annex the Iron Islands and make them part of the Westerlands."

Paxter looked at Jon in astonishment, unable to understand why this young man would have such a terrible appetite.

"Sir, do you mean to launch a preemptive attack?"

"Yes, I've read those historical records. The Lannister have used every trick in the book against the Iron Islands —marriage alliances, war—but none of them have been able to solve this problem once and for all. My descendants will be thriving in Casterly Rock for a thousand years to come, and for the sake of my and Margaery's children, I want to eliminate this threat as soon as possible."

Jon couldn't possibly tell them how terrible Euron was right now, after all, compared to Balon, who was now king, Euron was just an unknown nobody.

Many people can't even remember this person right away. They can only use this reason to show their determination.

Furthermore, Jon disliked internal strife; he was also facing the "train dilemma" at the time. If the Iron Islands pirates didn't attack the Westerlands, they would attack the North.

Instead of blaming yourself for leading the pirates to the Westerlands, you should find a way to dismantle this train!

Redwyne temporarily agreed with Jon's reasoning, but also pointed out the difficulties the plan would face.

"My lord," Paxter said politely, "Regardless of how you would govern the Iron Islands after conquering Iron Islands, King Robert had to assemble the Royal Fleet and the Redwyne Fleet, three times the strength of the Iron Islands Fleet, to defeat them. On the vast ocean, it's difficult to find another fleet, let alone annihilate it completely. Moreover, the longships favored by the Iron Islands are extremely fast. After King Balon's defeat, he was merely pardoned after relinquishing his title. Even the Iron Throne Paxter n't be effectively governed." This was partly due to Jon's status, and partly to dissuade Jon from this idea.

After all, attacking the Iron Islands was far too risky. The main force of the Iron Islands Fleet consisted of longships, whose ramming ability, height, and size were inferior to warships, but whose advantage lay in their large numbers and extremely high speed.

If a real fight breaks out, they usually won't gain any advantage. Stannis was able to defeat the Iron Islands Fleet by luring them into a trap.

Presumably, after the battle more than a decade ago, the Iron Islands people have learned their lesson and will be more cautious.

Moreover, directly attacking the Iron Islands is not a good idea. The waters surrounding the Iron Islands are full of reefs, and longships have a shallower draft, so sometimes merchant ships and warships may not be able to pass through places that Iron Islands ships can pass through.

In short, if Jon insists on Iron Islands, then the House Redwyne will have to lend a hand, since they are obligated to help.

"My lord, I believe the Westerlands has just been pacified, and if I may be so bold, recovery is what you should be doing now. However, if you decide to attack the Iron Islands, the Redwyne Fleet will naturally be at your disposal," Paxter said respectfully.

"Then Redwyne Earl," Jon said approvingly. "If we succeed in taking the Iron Islands, I will grant you a ten-year mining license for the Silverhall's silver mines."

The silver mine in Silverhall was taken by Jon from the House Shaluete in the Westerlands; he was simply being generous with someone else's money. Moreover, mining output would inevitably drop significantly in winter, so Jon believed he wouldn't lose out.

Jon has always suspected that Davos was able to send food supplies into Storm's End with Davos's tacit approval when Paxter besieged it.

Rhaegar died at the Trident River, but Tyrell and the Reach lords needed a dignified exit and did not want to offend the new king, so they reached this deal.

Sure enough, as soon as Parker heard that Jon was going to hand over the Silverhall's silver mine to the House Redwyne for mining, Paxter thoughts of shirking his duties immediately vanished.

"Actually, I've thought about all of what you mentioned before, but I'm still so young. I want to give it a try. If it succeeds, then the trade of the entire Sunset Sea will be more prosperous, which will benefit all of us. As for the governance issue, I plan to kill all those so-called Ironborn who believe in the Drowned God and send Seven cultivators up there. That should solve the problem."

"Huh? They're all dead?!" Paxter instinctively clenched his fists and took a half-step back.

He hadn't expected this young man to be so ruthless.

"Of course, I won't kill them all unconditionally. I'll recruit some, crack down on others, and kill some. I'll only kill the die-hards. Furthermore, I plan to relocate all the old Ironborn families to the Westerlands for easier management. We can't let these guys continue to be isolated overseas."

In Jon's plan, the Iron Islands should become a large arsenal in the future, or more precisely, an arsenal for the entire Westerlands.

At that time, the gold and smelting technology of the Westerlands will serve as the support for the production of iron ore directly in the Iron Islands.

In this way, the fleets brought timber and coal from the North to the Iron Islands, and then carried ironware from the Iron Islands to the Reach, forming a Westeros Sunset Sea version of the Triangular Trade.

As for the Westerlands, it can also serve as a bank.

Once this economic cycle is established, the Sunset Sea will automatically become a unified whole. Jon will no longer need to consider anyone's opinion; he will be the true King of the Sunset Sea.

It possesses the ability to challenge the Iron Throne.

Through this large cycle, he can quickly accumulate resources to prepare for the Long Night and the White Walkers in the future.

Therefore, the Iron Islands must be kept under our control no matter what.