Pact of Ice and Fire
Storm's End was blessed with a rare sunny day; golden sunlight pierced through the clouds, the sky was cloudless, and the wind was calm.
Some astute Stormlands lords advised Jon that Storm's End had become docile because it had returned to the Dragon King's rule.
Offering auspicious omens and trying to stand out—that's understandable.
Even Robb thought so. They had captured Storm's End without bloodshed, the Dornishmen were now neutral, and their fleets had set sail. The only ones left to rebel were the Vale.
Moreover, the Golden Company only have about 10,000 members, so they don't seem like something to be afraid of.
Robb even privately discussed marriage arrangements for their future children with Jon.
For example, marrying his daughter Lyanna to Jon's son Aegon was not only his opinion, but also a marriage that was almost universally desired.
"The Targaryen Pact of Ice and Fire to the North back then," Robb said in a half-joking tone. "I never thought it would come true for you. But I think you married a Targaryen princess to the North back then. You still owe me a daughter-in-law, don't you?"
The two walked and talked on the city wall, their black and gray flags fluttering in the wind.
The so-called "Pact of Ice and Fire" refers to the promise made by Rhaenyra Targaryen's side during the Dance of the Dragons to win over North North, promising a future marriage North by sending a Targaryen princess to the North.
In essence, the relationship between the Targaryen and the House Velaryon set an example for the nobles of the Seven Kingdoms: as long as they continued to form marriage alliances with the Targaryen, they too could control dragons and become dragon kings.
The Pact of Ice and Fire was, in effect, a ticket for the Stark to enter the House Targaryen.
"Haha, we're not even twenty yet, are we? And you're already thinking about daughters-in-law?"
Seeing that Jon did not agree, Robb quickly changed the subject, afraid of upsetting him.
Jon knew that the feelings between the two were no longer pure, but there was nothing that could be done about it. Both of them had to consider their own families and interests. They were not only the supreme rulers of their kingdoms, but also the embodiment of the will of the land beneath their feet, and they would be affected to some extent.
Jon does not intend to continue following the Targaryen tradition of endogamy. In fact, such endogamy was not common in Valyria, but the Targaryen were outsiders, and dragons were a necessary means for them to maintain their dominance. Endogammy was sometimes a choice made out of necessity.
Even considering the Targaryen' three-hundred-year reign, the spread of dragon blood is inevitable, and in the future, there will certainly be quasi- House Targaryen like the House Velaryon. What Jon needs to do is to keep all of this within a range that is favorable to the Targaryen.
Robb.
"Hmm?" Robb was somewhat surprised when Robb called Jon by his name so solemnly, having just shifted the topic to politics.
"It wouldn't be excessive for the Targaryen and Stark to form as many marriage alliances as they want in the future."
Seeing Jon's serious expression, Robb's surprise turned to delight; this was a rare promise.
One or two marriages may not be enough to make the Stark the House Targaryen, but as long as they plan step by step, over thirty, fifty, or a hundred years, sooner or later the Stark will be able to control dragons.
Now that Stark and Jon have this relationship, they should naturally make good use of it.
After receiving the promise, the conversation between the two became even more enthusiastic.
They began to openly discuss future marriage plans, such as his eldest daughter Lyanna marrying Aegon, and Jon Snow marrying his eldest son Eddard if he and Margaery had a daughter in the future.
The fact that there are two in-laws shows that it is not something that is not valued.
"Do you have any names planned for your daughter? Will it also be Lyanna?"
"That's too inconvenient. We'll talk about it later. Lord Eddard gave me this name. Don't you think there are far too many people named Jon?"
Jon Umber, Jon, Arryn, Jon Connington —there are just too many people in the Seven Kingdoms named Jon.
The two were chatting happily when suddenly a man claiming to be an envoy of the Iron Bank came to request an audience.
"What do the Iron Bank people want from us?" Robb asked.
"They're probably here to collect a debt, these vampires," Jon said coldly.
His finances were in excellent health, the Casterly Rock Bank was gradually taking shape, the Golden Tooth treasury and the Castamere red gold mine had long since resumed production.
Not to mention the near-total looting they carried out in the Iron Islands.
Given the Iron Bank's business acumen, it's clear that Jon Snow doesn't need a loan at all. Since he's not here to give money, he's here to ask for it.
Soon, the purple-clad messenger who had confirmed Baratheon's ability to repay the debt with Davos met Jon.
Although the other party was polite and impeccable in manners, the request they made was disgusting.
Although it was uncertain whether the other party knew about Young Griff, it was clear to everyone that the Baratheon court was doomed, so the debt of 1.5 to 1.6 million Gold Dragon was lost.
This was something the Iron Bank could never accept.
"So the Iron Bank means I have to pay off my enemy's debts—that hedonistic, extravagant Usurper, that traitor who killed my father? Is that what you mean?"
Jon said coldly, but his voice carried obvious anger.
Having an army of 100,000 under his command, and still having to put up with this kind of humiliation, he might as well just jump into Shipbreaker Bay and drown himself.
Sensing the anger in Jon's tone, the messenger immediately felt a chill run down his spine, and his inner thighs involuntarily twitched.
It can only be said that the commanding presence of a commander who has fought his way through the battlefield is truly formidable.
Even Robb, standing to the side, couldn't help but feel nervous, subconsciously slowing his breathing.
Standing before him was not just an ordinary ruler, but an invincible young commander, and a ruthless and cruel king.
The Wildfire of King's Landing and the Bay of Severed Heads in the North both testify to his horrific methods.
It is precisely because of his ruthless methods that Jon has the opportunity to show his "gentle" side on many occasions, such as having his allies address him as Jon instead of His Majesty during the previous Harrenhal Conference.
Only those who have no troops or power would bark and howl like that.
Returning to the Iron Bank, no matter how much they publicly claim they cannot tolerate delays in payments, given the distance, they can't help but weigh the relative strengths of both sides.
If you always act arrogant and conceited wherever you go, you'll get beaten to death by a mob sooner or later.
Lending is essentially doing business.
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger. The Iron Bank would never do such a thing. However, regardless of the circumstances, a portion of this money was ultimately used in Westeros, and the Iron Bank's wealth also flowed into the Seven Kingdoms you are about to rule. I think you won't deny that. The Iron Bank's suggestion is that you only need to bear a portion, and we will forgive a portion of the loan on top of the original amount."
The envoy adopted a very humble posture, bowing as if he were a fawning jester, and his ingratiating smile never stopped.
How much will be exempted?
"The Iron Throne currently owes the Iron Bank approximately two million, and you only need to repay one million."
"Two million? Where's the money?" Through Varys, Jon had a clear understanding of the Iron Throne's financial situation.
After Stannis took over, he stopped receiving guests from the Iron Bank, and the loan amount remained around 1.5 million.
This guy probably said that because of the previous chaos in King's Landing, and there's no way to verify it now.
"Guards! Throw him out of here!"
Upon hearing Jon's order, Sandor immediately rushed in with several tall, burly knights, while the so-called messenger still stubbornly insisted, "Your Majesty, do you intend to make an enemy of the Iron Bank?"
"No, I'm punishing the greedy!"
He didn't know how he had been exposed, and immediately begged for mercy.
But a beating is definitely in order.
After twenty lashes, the man finally behaved and said that the debt was only 1.55 million, Jon only needed to pay half. He felt somewhat annoyed, still not understanding how Jon knew the exact amount the Iron Bank owed.
Looking at the so-called messenger, whose face was pale with pain, Jon couldn't help but sigh that it was truly a case of the bold getting rich while the timid starve; how dare they reach for such a large sum of money.
"Generally, it's still too much. Westeros has just experienced a great war, and the people need to recover. Moreover, winter is approaching, and I need every grain of rice and every Copper Star. I'll send someone with you to Braavos to see if we can negotiate a more favorable repayment amount and terms. We'll also need your advice on relocation then," Jon said, looking at the messenger. He then gave him a thousand Gold Dragon as a token of his appreciation.
After sending the messenger away, Robb asked, "Jon, are you really going to pay this money back?"
"Give it back? Give it back my ass!"
Jon had no intention of repaying a single penny; sending men to Braavos was merely a pretext to ascertain the true situation Braavos.
After all, Braavos is known as the most powerful of the Free Cities, and is said to be able to launch a warship every day.
Although he didn't want to pay back the money, Jon also didn't want to create a powerful enemy for himself.
It's just a delaying tactic.
"If I immediately and firmly state that I won't pay back a single penny, it would essentially push Braavos to Young Griff's side, giving them some hope and buying us some time," Jon explained.
Jon beat up the messenger for lying and gave him a thousand Gold Dragon, all to send a clear signal to Braavos that he was reasonable, open to communication and negotiation, and would not refuse to engage in dialogue and negotiation.
The rule in Braavos is that if a ruler in a certain area owes money and fails to pay it, then they will support the opposition. When the opposition comes to power, they must repay the previous ruler's debts as well as the aid they received.
The Iron Bank are trying to control the world with gold coins, and with the Faceless Men also involved, they're quite troublesome. Jon won't engage them in direct combat unless absolutely necessary.
Although Jon had always considered the power of the Free Cities to be of great importance, he did not expect that the enemy would arrive sooner than he had anticipated.
Since Braavos could potentially intervene in the situation in Westeros, Pentos certainly could as well. Pentos is the Free Cities closest to King's Landing, and Illyrio also wields considerable influence Pentos.
Pentos could influence the situation in Westeros, so the Three Daughters Kingdoms has no reason not to get involved, after all, they've done it before.
In short, only by completing the integration of Westeros as soon as possible can Jon free up his resources to deal with the Free Cities and the threats from beyond the Beyond the Wall.