Everyone agrees:
Master Ti has a clever plan and works step by step. He must have already made a plan on how to deal with the Reach people.
But in fact, it was only after Titus saw the hesitant Allister Florent today that he decided to verify a certain expected layout.
If you are lucky, you can defeat the Southern Border Army in one go.
I just want the plan to go smoothly, and I need the full help of Captain Wenda----
The luxurious tent of the Southern Border Army.
Carpets of various colors cover the floor, and they are all handmade and imported goods produced by Myr; the beeswax lit by the gilt candlesticks exudes a rich aroma, and they are also high-end goods produced by Vale Wickenden.
Here, it is many times more luxurious than the black Earl military tent.
The arrival of dozens of the Reach lords could not completely fill the spacious tent. They were dressed in luxurious clothes woven with gold and embroidered silver, and they were arguing around the long table.
Some people had gorgeous swords inlaid with precious stones hanging from their waists, and some people wore heavy precious metal rings on the fingers of both hands. They looked like they were attending a banquet in the rear, rather than on the front line of a confrontation between two armies, holding a solemn meeting.
Only a few people choose to wear iron armor, which can be regarded as a leader.
In the beginning, they were not so casual.
But one year is really a long time, enough for people to develop many bad habits----
"Half a million gold dragon! Black Earl" is really dark. Are you trying to shave off all of us?"
A knight from Risley Glades slapped the table and shouted loudly.
He was one of the few attendees who did not wear silk but wore a shiny silver armor.
"But, I think it's better to just drop it! We've almost stayed here for a whole year. If we continue to waste it, we will collapse before the black Earl can take action!"
"Surrender? That's easy to say!"
Another knight from the Evergreen Hall immediately retorted. His cloak was embroidered with the "the Black Wall Ivy" of the Cadwe family, and he was also a knight from a the Reach wealthy territory.
"We have 40,000 people. Are we still afraid of his 30,000 miscellaneous troops? If we talk to him about the conditions, 300,000 golden dragons are enough to hold up the sky, but 500,000 will definitely not work! We have spent a year here, and we don't care if we wait a few more days, maybe the other party won't be able to hold on."
It's very interesting to say that the one in armor wanted to withdraw, but the one in silk and satin was unconvinced.
"I see Xuan."
Mei Dou Earl, whose territory is located in Green Valley City in the easternmost part of the Reach, muttered.
"Several adults have said that today Titus·Peake won't even give Lord Mace face. Their attitude is very tough and they may not be willing to bargain with us. In my opinion, it would be better to lower the price as soon as possible."
When the siege of Storm's End first began, this man was one of the few nobles in the army who expressed dissatisfaction with Starpike Earl, because when the other party passed Bitterbridge, an "unexpected" incident caused his father-in-law, old Caswell, and his family to be buried in a fire.
Now that the person involved was on the other side, he didn't dare to fart. He just wanted to go home peacefully and let his wife take over House Caswell's territory as soon as possible.
"No!"
A knight from the Fossoway family angrily said, "If we are just being slaughtered like this, where can we put the face of our the Reach nobles? And there is still a compensation of five hundred thousand——"
On this person's left chest, there is a silver medal mark of a red apple.
Whether it is the "red apple" of the Cider Hall or the "green apple" of New Barrel City, the descendants of "Archer" and Foss have always been the "loyal ministers" of Highgarden.
This is determined by geographical location.
House Fossoway's territory is very close to Highgarden, and for generations it has guarded the Mander River east of Highgarden, including the fork of the Zhouyi River.
In fact, when it comes to 500,000 gold dragons, it is not much if it is divided among the heads of each family. The wealthy Highgarden will pay the big share, and the others will just have to chip in.
The proportion of responsibility is the focus of the tug of war.
No matter how rich they are, no one or family is willing to pay more than others.
There were a lot of people talking in the big tent, and it seemed like there was a lot of quarrel.
After everyone was informed of the two conditions for today's negotiation, almost everyone tacitly avoided the topic of "Lord of Highgarden kneel down to Starpike Earl to surrender".
That is obviously a more unacceptable humiliation than "five hundred thousand golden dragons".
And from a nominal point of view, doing so would also disgrace the face of many the Reach nobles.
But no one dared to mention this, for fear of offending Lord Mace who was in charge.
The core of the current debate is nothing more than "whether to surrender", "whether to delay and continue to surrender", "if surrender is confirmed, how much money will be raised", etc. They all have their own ideas, everyone wants to save their own blood, but they are vague, and they are unwilling to bear the reputation of "surrender".
What if you are unlucky and are called upon to accompany Lord Mace to complete the "surrender ceremony"?
It's not just the inflatable fish that's like this, they're also embarrassing----
On the main seat, Mace·Tyrell's face was ashen, and he grabbed the edge of the table with both hands. It took him a long time to resist the urge to overturn the table.
Hearing them go around and around, still talking about the "five hundred thousand gold dragons", he got angry again and slammed the table so angrily that the gilt wine glass shook slightly, and the noise of the argument suddenly became quieter.
"Have you argued enough? Is half a million gold dragons the point?"
Mace's voice was very angry. He kept trying to emphasize Peake's arrogance and disrespect for himself.
"Titus·Peake is too domineering and doesn't take us seriously at all! In front of me today, he didn't behave like a vassal, and he even lectured me and told me what to do?!
He relied on Iron Throne's support to make such excessive demands——I can't swallow this tone, can you bear it?"
Of course I can bear it!
The respect for "Lord Puff Fish" is limited, and most people in the big tent do not have the so-called consciousness of "mainly worrying about the minister's labor, and mainly humiliating the minister's death".
Many people are curious, how did the legendary black Earl "point out" and "teach him a lesson" to make the inflatable fish look like this?
The nickname "inflatable fish" originally refers to the self-proclaimed Westeros generals Mace·Tyrell who liked to brag and pretend to be powerful and calculating during the "Expedition" - and were secretly teased by many people.
Now it is indeed a bit deserved. Since coming back, Mr. Mace's cheeks have been bulging and he has not been out.
Lord of Highgarden is obviously angry with the black Earl in the north. Otherwise, Mace, who is usually very elegant, would not be so out of control.
Mace became more and more excited as he spoke, and his golden embroidered cloak trembled slightly with him. "Don't ask me for another 500,000 gold dragons, that's just a trivial matter! What's important is that I won't bear the humiliation brought by Titus·Peake, and Highgarden can't bear it! The southern border shouldn't bear it either!
Does he dare to really fight? If a matter that can be resolved peacefully really starts a war involving 70,000 or 80,000 people, he will bear this responsibility alone!?
"Your Majesty, please calm down."
Baelor of Oldtown could no longer "laugh" at this time. As one of the parties involved in today's negotiation, he understood the other party's strong attitude better than the others who had only heard about it.
The Duke, who could only persuade him from another angle, was also trying to comfort himself, "Where there will be a real war, Titus Earl will just say some threatening words.
We have 40,000 troops stationed here. If he really dares to take action, he will suffer heavy losses and everyone will suffer. He just wants us to be obedient and surrender with sincerity.
No one wants to lose everything and lose both sides----"
"Both sides suffer? Baelor You are too naive!"
Goldengrove's Matus Earl asked in return, speaking aloud with a hint of anxiety on his face.
"There must be some well-informed people among you. From the information I know, this Starpike Earl is an extremely hardcore person.
He chopped off Randyll·Tarly's head at the Cider Hall, chopped off Jon·Clinton's left hand at Stoney Sept, and led his troops to capture Maidenpool at Battle of the Trident. Prince Lewyn of Earl and Dorne.
Not long ago, Red Keep in King's Landing, he also killed the Mountain in front of the dog owner "Gregor·Clegane----"
To be honest, Matus Rowan never wants to encounter such a ruthless enemy on the battlefield who is willing to kill at every turn.
"----Among these people, except for Westerlands and the Mountain", which one has a lower status than you and me? Would such a person be a bluffing person who speaks intimidating words?
Titus is afraid that both parties will suffer losses?
Since he dares to put forward such harsh conditions, he must be confident.
In my opinion, we should be cautious, make a decision as soon as possible, and give the other party a reply. Otherwise, accept the conditions and surrender quickly. Otherwise, prepare for war with all our strength, use war to promote peace, and stop having other illusions——"
There was another uproar.
Seeing that a new wave of disputes is about to arise, the big tent will fall into chaos again - after all, no one here can "have the final say" and no one can come up with a plan that everyone agrees with.
The lords only talk to each other. Some want to go home as soon as possible, some want to save face, and some want to share less gold coins. They have different thoughts and cannot form a joint force at all.
Finally, an old but powerful shout sounded, "Then fight! Let's prepare for the war with all our strength!"
Brightwater Keep's Alister·Florent Earl slowly stood up, his old eyes swept over the crowd, and the big tent slowly became quiet.
Look at this scene. This old man, whose prestige in the southwest is very high - maybe only lower than Hightower, seems to be more effective than Warden of the South.
"Matus Earl is right. The opponent's strength and attitude are very tough. We really don't have time to argue."
Old Earl said in a deep voice, "Whether we surrender or not, we must be prepared to fight, or at least put on a fighting posture. Otherwise, if we just sit back and wait for death, our situation will only become more passive.
Since we can't reach a consensus for the time being, let's go through the motions of strengthening the camps and preparing the army first, and ignore Storm's End for now. We must let the black Earl on the opposite side know that we are not soft persimmons that can be manipulated by him!"
Allister Florent paused, frowned, and continued, "In this way, firstly, we can stabilize the morale of the army and let the army in the north know that we still have the strength to fight; secondly, we can also put some pressure on Titus·Peake, so that the so-called Southern Expeditionary Army" can also weigh the consequences and costs of a war between the two sides.
His current posture is so high, but that doesn't mean he will take action easily. The largest number of people in the opponent's army should be the Yankees who are unfamiliar with the environment in the southern part of the continent.
Titus----You may not be able to cover the sky with one hand!"
The Reach southwest, Honeywine watershed outside the Mander River: