"As for Lord Mace's personal ransom, plus the compensation for Highgarden's launching of this war, I think----"
Titus looked around and spit out a scary number. "----One million gold dragons would be a more appropriate price."
"One million?!"
"Raise it so high all of a sudden?"
"What! How is that possible?"
At this moment, it was impossible not to make an uproar in the big tent. Not to mention the Reach people, the generals of the Southern Expedition Army were also dumbfounded.
Brightwater Keep Earl, who also had no shortage of gold coins at home, couldn't help but marvel at it, and the hand holding the wine glass was trembling slightly.
This is not the first time after the meeting, the Reach princes only need to share the huge sum of five hundred thousand gold dragons equally, and Tyrell will be responsible for the big share.
Listening to what Black Earl means, it seems that he wants Highgarden's family to come up with this million gold dragon?!
House Tyrell This time, not only would a layer of skin be peeled off, but several large pieces of meat would definitely be bitten off and swallowed into Nan Zhengjun's mouth with blood and bones.
Titus looked at the shocked expressions of Allister and others, with the corners of his mouth raised slightly.
Tyrell still has some wealth, but when they take out this money, they will definitely lose their vitality and lose their face and dignity.
He didn't just want this huge sum of money for himself.
As the righteous support behind him and the victims of the early war, Iron Throne and Storm's End received a score of over 300,000.
Keep thirty to four hundred thousand for yourself, and the rest should be given to the leaders of the Southern Expedition, including the soldiers under his command, the four Storm Dornish Marches families, the Vale Canyon Knights, the Winterfell, the North people, and the Stormlands nobles who joined later.
After all, this amount of money may be much greater than the ransom of the noble captives.
How do you say that?
Well, there is something for everyone to eat.
Inside the camp where high-ranking prisoners are located.
The living conditions here are pretty good.
But compared with Lord Mace's luxurious living in the past, there is of course a world of difference.
Outside the tent, the footsteps of Starpike patrolling soldiers kept coming and going, coupled with the sound of metal scraping during their movements, it was the last thing anyone in the tent wanted to hear.
Every moment, this seemed to remind them of their status as captives.
Mace suddenly opened his eyes and returned to the human world from his dream.
This morning, the humiliating scene of kneeling before the battle still flooded into my mind like a surging tide.
He was born Lord of Highgarden, the Lord of the Southern Realm. He has never been so humble or embarrassed since he was a child.
What did you get?
There is only ridicule and ridicule.
Mace sat up suddenly, his chest heaved, his face was as pale as paper, and he had lost at least three kilograms.
"My lord Duke, are you awake?"
Cider Hall's Raymond Earl hurriedly stepped forward and handed over a skin bag filled with water. His tone was a bit cautious and comforting. "The Southern Expeditionary Army really went too far. You have been unconscious for most of the day, but you scared us."
In the tent, there are three other the Reach nobles:
New Bucket City Knight Jon·Fossoway rubbed his hands, his face full of anxiety;
Oakheart Earl of the Ancient Oak Hall is very old, leaning on the pillars of the tent, with a solemn expression and silence;
Mei Dou Earl from Green Valley City clasped his hands in front of his chest and looked nervously at the tent entrance from time to time, his whole person showing an unconcealable panic.
They are all the unlucky ones who were captured in the battle last night, and are now being imprisoned here together with Mace.
No, where is Baelor·Hightower?
Recalling his response to the "audience" before he fainted, Mace suddenly became furious. "Stop talking!"
He waved away the water bag Cider Hall Earl handed him and let it fall to the ground, soaking the ground with water.
"I have lost face Highgarden Tyrell!"
Mace held his head in his hands, his voice was hoarse, annoyed and ashamed.
"I knelt down to a young boy, and he - he was still my vassal! I was humiliated by him in public - how could I face others?"
The knight of New Barrel City came over and sighed, "Your Majesty, the matter is over, don't think about it anymore. The most important thing right now is to find a way to escape. Preserving yourself is the fundamental thing."
"Escape?"
Mace raised his head, his eyes full of despair.
"I knelt on the ground and surrendered to him, what else do you want me to do?!"
"Simple, just one million gold dragons."
The curtain of the tent was suddenly opened, the wind blew in first, and then people walked in.
The visitors were none other than Master Ti and his old friend Allister.
Black Earl, wearing a black cloak, was accompanied by Allister Florent and walked to the center of the tent. The noble prisoners were all moving back, as if some ferocious predator had entered.
As the four guards entered one after another with their hands on the hilts of their swords, and then closed the curtains of the tent again, the temperature inside the tent seemed to drop to freezing point in the blink of an eye.
Taking a look at the overturned skin bag on the ground, the clear water flowing from tears, and the damp water stains, Titus himself did not show any courtesy towards noble captives.
He didn't even look at the other nobles, he walked straight to Mace who was leaning against the tent, looked at him condescendingly, and said sarcastically, "Mace, just wake up. I'm really afraid that you'll fall asleep and never get up again."
Brightwater Keep Earl stepped forward at the right time. He seemed to be playing the role of the Fox standing next to a tiger. He glanced at several former colleagues in the tent with his own light, with a hint of easily detectable warning in his old eyes.
Black Earl raised his chin slightly and raised his hand backwards. Captain White Eagle on the other side immediately took out a piece of parchment and threw it on the ground in front of Mace.
The ink on the paper has not yet completely dried, and it is filled with dense words.
"This is your ransom and compensation list."
Yes, Titus asked the versatile, shrewd and capable Ms. Wenda to list out a document with complete items, and all the money required was justified.
His voice sounded like the impact of ice to Mace's ears as he picked up the parchment.
"One million gold dragons, including your personal ransom and House Tyrell war compensation, can be collected and sent to me within Highgarden within one month.
This list is just waiting for you to sign and use the ring."
"One, one hundred, ten thousand?"
Mace's pupils shrank suddenly, and he didn't dare to look at the list anymore. He looked at the black-clothed Earl in front of him with a blank expression.
The humiliation he suffered before combined with the shock at this moment, making him almost collapse again.
"Titus·Peake, are you kidding me! The previous five hundred thousand golden dragons is already the limit, one million is simply impossible!"
He struggled to get up and bargained regardless of his image.
"The output of Highgarden's plantation will inevitably decrease this year due to the war. Bitterbridge has half of it destroyed and has not yet been repaired. The trade routes have also been blocked. We simply cannot afford that much money!"
"Are you kidding?"
Titus sneered and took a step forward.
Earl and the knight from the Red and Green Apples moved as if they wanted to come over to help their Duke. As soon as they took half a step, they were stared at by the one-eyed blonde female guard.
Both of them felt a chill in their throats, and had the illusion that they were being held up by a sharp weapon.
The owner of the Florent family on the other side also smiled sinisterly and blocked the direction of Old Oak and Earl of Green Valley City.
"Have you forgotten? I just explained it to you. It's actually very simple to tell whether a Dornish Marches person is joking--"
Old the Fox knows when to strike up a conversation, and Allister, who has also experienced that scene, responded, "----That Dornish Marches person would directly say: "This is just a joke.""
Grabbing the collar of the inflatable fish, Titus pressed him against the edge of the tent with one hand. His eyes were extremely calm, but Mace, who was so close, felt strangely cold.
"Mace ah Mace, I have to emphasize to you again: No, I am not joking. The conditions I told you are what I want. If you don't give it, I will get it myself!
You've already suffered a loss once, why haven't you learned your lesson yet? My lord, sir!"
Speaking of the latter part, every time Hei Earl uttered a word, he lightly slapped Lord Mace on the side of his face.
The force used is not very strong, but the insult is extremely strong.
Mace I didn't have time to "inflate" today, and I almost cried because he "beat" me----
Young Starpike Earl was almost pointing at his lord's nose and scolding him. "You are an indecisive, short-sighted fool. If you hadn't been stubborn, how could the Southern Border Army have fallen into this situation?"
A problem that can be solved with 500,000 gold dragons, but you have to bet on the outcome with the lives of soldiers from both armies!
Now that you have lost the bet, you still expect me to only charge you 500,000 yuan? Then my fight was not in vain. You don't understand such a simple truth? How could you be so stupid? Lord of Highgarden!
Oh----it's all thanks to your mother. It was she and Rose Tyrell who gave birth to you, and it was she who took care of Highgarden for you so well----Now, where is your mother? Can she still help you?"
Seeing that the flat fish was too cowardly to fight back, Titus took back his palm in a funny way.
"Tell yourself, how should I punish you? Do you choose to pay the money and let the trouble go, or do I give the order and lead the current fifty thousand people to crush Highgarden, uproot House Tyrell, and let the Golden Rose wither and wither?"
As soon as these words came out, Allister was overjoyed, and the expressions of the other prisoners suddenly changed.
Mace had just been scolded so badly that his cheeks were flushed red, and he was thinking of words to retort. When he heard this, for the first time, a strong panic appeared on his face.
He had been annoyed, hated, ashamed, and ashamed before, all kinds of complex emotions mixed together, but at this moment, only deep confusion and fear were left.
He felt the pressure from the black Earl, which was a kind of unbridled behavior that was different from the Westeros aristocratic code.
It seems that as long as the other party is willing, he has the absolute authority to "crush" him at any time.
Mace is scared.
The other nobles in the tent were too frightened to speak out.
When Raymond Earl and Sir Jon saw Mace suffering, they felt the same in their hearts.
Fossoway's Cider Hall and New Barrel City are right next to Highgarden. Once something unspeakable happens, they won't be able to escape.
Earl, the oldest of the ancient oak halls, still remained silent, but his brows were furrowed tighter. His eyes glanced back and forth between Starpike Earl and Lord of Highgarden, not knowing what he was reciting silently.
There are ghosts in his heart, and he has always been afraid of the black Earl. When he found out that he had said bad things about him, Earl of Green Valley City was so frightened that he shook into a sieve, and his face turned even whiter than Mace·Tyrell.
This Mei Dou Earl has never seen anyone dare to treat a duke like this----
No, it's not "treat", it's "force"!
Black Earl's huge sense of oppression completely shattered his last chance.
He subconsciously took a step back, his eyes filled with fear.
Upon seeing this, Allister immediately stepped forward, patted Green Valley City Earl on the shoulder, and motioned for the shaken opponent to follow him out.
"Mei Dou Earl."
He lowered his voice and spoke with inducement.
"The Commander-in-Chief is very angry. Let's go out and have a chat first."
Mei Dou Earl seemed to be grasping at straws. Seeing that Hei Earl did not express any objection, he nodded quickly and followed Brightwater Keep Earl out of the tent.
When the strong and abusive voices in the tent and Mace's weak excuses were isolated behind him, he looked back and secretly rejoiced: Fortunately, he was not Mace, and there was still a chance to save everything.
"I understand, I understand! But Highgarden really may not be able to come up with the money. Titus--Sir, is there any room for redress?"
Mace's voice became weaker and weaker, and finally all that was left was a suppressed swallow.
Cider Hall Earl and the New Barrel City Knight lowered their heads, not daring to look at the black Earl for fear of getting burned.
Seeing Mace's appearance, Titus almost made him laugh.
Just hearing what he said, Titus couldn't confirm for a while whether it was Highgarden who really couldn't afford the money, or whether Queen of Thorns was hiding his own strength from his son.
"What do you think?"
Titus straightened Mace's collar that was messed up by him, and the other party couldn't help but shake like Earl did just now.
"How about----700,000 gold dragons?" Mace asked cautiously.
"It's not that simple." Titus really laughed, this guy really bargained.
"Then eight hundred thousand!" Mace is such a person who can't tell clearly. This may be related to the environment in which he grew up.
At this moment, we are still making meaningless "efforts".
This time, Titus felt confident again.
"Mace What are you [Dornish Marches expletive] thinking about? Haven't I given you enough face today? In the past two days, just for your trivial matter, I have fought a battle, stayed up all night, and even my beloved horse almost broke his leg----
I didn't even sleep. I was so angry that I drank more than a dozen drinks. Who am I [Dornish Marches expletive] doing for?"
He pointed at Mace who was dripping with cold sweat, and said repeatedly, "If it weren't for me today, do you think you can still be here alive and kicking? You might be taken away by strangers - I deliberately saved your life. Otherwise, those the North people, Vale people, who cares who you Mace are?"
I said you are--are you [Dornish Marches expletive]'s candle?! Was your head injured on the battlefield, or was your head moved to your butt?
If I save your life, is one million too much? From beginning to end, do I want one more golden dragon from you?
Don't draft your speech."
"---Everything is my fault, one million gold dragons, I know, we Tyrell will pay for it----"
Titus let go of his hand, Mace collapsed on the ground, like a deflated ball, his eyes looking at the list were empty, and he completely lost the spirit of resistance.
"I want to see one million gold dragons in one month, so don't use gold coins to top up."
Titus's tone returned to calmness.
After saying that, he stopped looking at Mace, turned around and walked out of the tent.
Wenda saw before leaving -
Mace sat on the ground, his shoulders shaking slightly.
Lord of Highgarden, I really cried----
Cider Hall of Fossoway: