Mace Was Over the Moon
At this time, the sounds of weapons being forged in the armory of Casterly Rock never ceased.
Fuel consumption doubled and then doubled again. In preparation for a war that was highly likely, or even inevitable, to break out, Jon began to expand his army on a massive scale.
His plan was to expand the Westerlands army to full strength of 20,000 men within half a month, and at the same time train another 20,000 new soldiers.
In addition, the tasks of food allocation, material dispatch, and military training are unimaginably complex.
To deal with this massive undertaking, Jon was incredibly busy, but thanks to his previous training of the maesters, things were generally progressing smoothly.
As for Mace, he was in a state of absolute euphoria.
He was currently in Casterly Rock, with his eldest son, mother, and cousins watching over him in Highgarden.
They were to worry about assembling the army, while the true Lord of Highgarden put everything else aside, spending almost the entire day with his silver-haired grandson, reluctant to leave until sunset.
He even watches his grandson eat while he eats, saying that it tastes better that way. Even Alerie said he had never been this happy when Margaery was born.
"Look, look! I ask you, which child in all Seven Kingdoms possesses such dignity!"
"That hair! Those eyes! What a classic Targaryen!"
"I've seen Rhaegar before, this child is exactly like Rhaegar!"
"My Young Griff, your grandfather will spare no Highgarden to place you on the Iron Throne!"
The thought of becoming the king's grandfather always makes Mace laugh out loud.
The only thing that slightly displeases him is that Jon hasn't become king yet.
When she entered Margaery's delivery room that day and saw her grandson looking like this, and then learned about Jon's background, she was stunned for a long time, and then just kept laughing until her cheeks ached and went numb.
Catelyn cried that night after learning that Eddard had used his honor to fight for his nephew's life, but she quickly rallied.
Although she can easily lose her temper when it comes to children, she is very clear-headed.
Catelyn believes there is a high probability that Jon is Rhaegar's son.
She believed that Jon, with his intelligence, couldn't be unaware that with each day of delay, her power would increase by one point over Stannis.
The main reason is that the child came so unexpectedly.
Among those attending the child's christening were Hand of the King Stannis, his most trusted Davos, and the always mysterious Melisandre.
The secret of the child's parentage simply cannot be hidden.
If the child had looked like a Stark, or even a Tyrell, Jon might not have revealed his hand so quickly.
However, no matter what, Winterfell will stand by Jon's side, a fact she herself assured Jon and Margaery of.
Since Jon's mother is Lyanna, then the Robert's Rebellion Robert, or as it should now be called, War of the Usurper.
In short, the choices made by the House Stark during the previous war can be disregarded.
After expressing her stance, Catelyn wrote a letter to Robb and also sent a messenger to Riverrun.
Of course, among the allies, there are those who are steadfast like the Stark and Tyrell, and naturally there are those who waver.
For example, the House Frey.
In recent days, they have been hinting that the House Frey's daughter has an unusual relationship with Jon. In addition, Stannis needs the Twins to keep the North and the Riverlands in check, so they are enjoying a very pleasant situation.
But now, they have to make a choice.
Because of the strategic importance of the Twins, Jon received Rhaegar Frey as a special guest.
Rhaegar Frey was quite reserved because he had actually used the name of the young duke's father.
Many people feel that he is not worthy of using this name, especially after Jon returned from the Wall and achieved a glorious record. Now even he himself feels unworthy and is thinking about whether he should change his name.
Soon, Rhaegar Frey met Jon, but unexpectedly, Jon did not ask him to make a statement directly. Instead, he led him to a huge map of Westeros.
"Sir House Frey, look," Jon said, pointing to the three red lines on the map connecting the North, the Iron Islands, and the Reach, "Now that the threat from the Iron Islands is resolved, the Triangular Trade I've envisioned can be implemented. Imagine: a ship departs from the bays of the North, laden with charcoal and fuel, bound for the Iron Islands Iron Islands. Upon arrival, it unloads the charcoal and fuel, takes a large quantity of ironware, and heads to the Riverlands and the Reach. When it leaves, it carries a large amount of grain back to the North. This will be a never-ending gold-minting machine, and it will also bring the North, the Westerlands, and the Reach even closer together. In this world, there are no eternal friends, only eternal interests, but these interests can be shared for a thousand years."
"Your Excellency truly possesses grand ambitions," Rhaegar Frey said cautiously, believing that Jon was subtly demonstrating his power.
As long as the iron mines of the Iron Islands remain depleted, the land of the Reach remains fertile, and the trees of the North continue to thrive, these three kingdoms will stand together forever.
Little the Twins, sandwiched in the middle, looked rather pitiful.
"Your Grace, rest assured, the Twins will always be a friend of Casterly Rock, but—" Rhaegar Frey was interrupted by Jon before he could finish, "But there's a problem with this Triangular Trade, and that's the North."
He continued speaking to himself, "Although winter has not yet invaded the entire Seven Kingdoms, the North has already felt its power. And the North has almost no ice-free ports. Once winter comes, the efficiency of my trade triangle will be greatly reduced, and the Twins!" As he spoke, Jon pointed heavily to the location of the Twins.
"The Twins is located south of the the Neck, and the Trident River rarely freezes, even in winter. This means that in winter, the Twins will become a new trade triangle. Timber and coal from the North will pass through the Twins, while grain from the Reach and Iron Islands will pass through the the Twins. House Frey will only be richer than they have been in the past six hundred years!"
"He's doing this—" House Frey looked at Jon's young face and realized the other's intention.
This was actually a meeting that combined both pressure and persuasion.
If you listen to him, then firmly join his alliance; the alliance will give him a share of the spoils.
But if they refuse, they will be the first target.
Rhaegar Frey shuddered at the thought of Jon's terrifying military talent.
He had just tried to decline, as many members of his family were still serving in King's Landing's Landing.
If Jon Jon's alliance now, the Freys in King's Landing's House Frey will immediately be imprisoned.
However, it now seems that in the future Jon has drawn up, the sacrifice of a few members of his clan is nothing at all.
They must stand firmly on Jon's side.
Rhaegar Frey was also a smart man. If we follow Jon's line of thinking and analytical methods, Stannis, who was born in the Stormlands and now occupies King's Landing, has his core in the Narrow Sea.
If trade with the Narrow Sea were to take place, the importance of the Twins would be greatly reduced.
Suddenly, Rhaegar Frey saw a clear thread hidden beneath the Game of Thrones.
The Westerlands, the southern border, and the western part of the Riverlands belongs to the Sunset Sea.
The Vale, Crownlands, and Stormlands belong to the Narrow Sea.
Why was the Hightower involved in several Blackfyre Rebellion? Because they belonged to the lords of the Sunset Sea?
Isn't this the reason why Westeros was almost split in two during the Dance of the Dragons?
Why did the various kingdoms continue to pursue the Iron Throne even after the dragons were extinct? Wasn't it simply to give their own families a more advantageous position?
As expected, Jon looked at Rhaegar Frey and said, "I am unwilling to fight Stannis now, but once we do, Casterly Rock King's Landing merely a secondary capital."
Jon's decision is easy to understand; even if Rhaegar Frey hadn't witnessed the two-century-long struggle between the Lords of the Sunset Sea and the Narrow Sea, he would have agreed with Jon's decision.
If the Targaryen had been in Casterly Rock, in the Westerlands, then even at the very last moment, Aerys could have simply announced that she was relinquishing her crown, and the besieging rebels would have had to retreat, utterly helpless against Casterly Rock.
"Yes, Lord Jon, no, Your Majesty, I will tell my father everything we had discussed, and he will surely make the right choice that will satisfy you."
"Very good. By the way, please give my regards to Roslin and tell her I miss her."
"Yes, Your Majesty, ouch!"
To show his respect, Rhaegar Frey wanted to bow even lower.
However, they forgot the fact that they were nearing the end of their lives and were no longer young.
He leaned forward and nearly fell on top of Jon.
However, Jon reacted quickly and helped him up.
"House Frey, you use my father's name, and your son is my squire; perhaps this is fate. You are not young anymore; if there is anything I can help you with regarding the succession in the future, please don't hesitate to ask."
Hearing Jon's words, Rhaegar Frey was invigorated!
Why was Old Walder able to have absolute authority in the Twins?
It was because he had many sons, all of whom were legitimate sons, that their inheritance rights were almost equal.
Under such circumstances, he could fully enjoy the flattery of his children and grandchildren, and his life would be greatly extended as a result.
But some of his sons are already half-buried in the ground, and their ninety-year-old father recently gave them a baby girl. Anyone would be worried in that situation.
Jon's proposal and hints were incredibly tempting! Rhaegar Frey was immediately smitten.
"I, I, swear to serve Your Majesty to the death!"
"Okay, take care on your journey."
Jon knew Rhaegar Frey knew he was using him, but he couldn't resist the temptation!
Watching him leave, Jon, without turning back, said, "Come out, Margaery Targaryen."
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