King Robert's roar was so loud that even the servants passing by in the corridor outside looked slightly sideways, but everyone at the scene was silent. The only one who objected, the Prime Minister, became speechless.
The Duke of Erin Vale is speaking from a national level. If this war really breaks out, it will impose a huge burden on the entire country.
It is even very likely that it will fall into the quagmire of war and bring down the entire seven kingdoms. The nobles will become disloyal and the people will rebel.
At that time, it won't even take the son of the Mad King to bring the dragon to fight, and the power of the Iron Throne will fall apart on its own.
Of course, it is not impossible to raise troops through war, but the premise of doing so is that it is profitable. But now, what is the profit to be gained from going on an expedition across a sea to attack a not-so-rich city-state on another continent?
This is almost as ridiculous as trying to rob the Dothraki.
The previous War of the Nine Copper Kings was roughly similar to the current situation. During the period of Jaehaerys II, Duke Mond Baratheon, then Prime Minister, personally led an expedition to the Stepstone Islands.
However, after the Nine-man Regiment was finally wiped out, the Iron Throne Army withdrew from the Stepstone Islands, not daring to touch this land. Otherwise, it was likely to be boycotted by the nine major trading city-states, and the people who stayed on the island in the end were
One cannot come back alone.
Because the power of the Iron Throne is too strong, it is so powerful that the Free Trade Cities cannot accept the Iron Throne leaving any enclave on the continent of Essos, even the inaccessible Borderlands.
If the Seven Kingdoms left an enclave on the continent of Essos, it would only take a few years to cultivate it, and a steady stream of supplies would be transported from Westeros to stockpile it.
Next, if the Iron Throne intends to invade the Free Trade City, countless armies and knights will board warships and cross the sea to the continent of Essos in an instant.
Because the most difficult supply problem for them has been solved.
at the moment.
The problem has come full circle and returned to its original point.
It would be better if the remnants of the Targaryens only had dragons and no armies, because as Jon Arryn said, if there were only dragons, nothing could be done.
There were dragons when Aegon conquered Westeros, but he still suffered a bloody blow in Dorne, and even lost a dragon and a sister.
Therefore, the army is the most sensitive point for the Iron Throne. Targaryen has won consecutive battles on the continent of Essos, pushing out large tracts of land along the way.
One of Jon Arryn's think tanks had previously predicted that the Free Trade City would not allow Targaryen's crazy expansion and would be strangled by the Alliance. However, he did not expect to be slapped in the face in an instant. Now Andalus is no longer a free family.
Trading city-states can be easily destroyed.
"Okay, Your Majesty, if we really want to attack Andalos across the sea, we still have many problems that need to be solved urgently."
Since this battle was destined to be fought, Jon Arryn did not want to waste any more words. He felt that if he continued to speak, Robert would suspect him of being a collaborator.
In fact, not only Robert saw the threat, Jon Arryn also felt in his heart that he could no longer allow the Targaryen to continue to expand, otherwise it would very likely lead to bitter consequences.
It's just that as the Prime Minister, one person is inferior to ten thousand people, but the king above him is a guy who does nothing.
There are some things that the king can't see, but it doesn't mean that they don't exist. It's just that this good foster father is still running around and wiping his butt for him even when he is old.
Then the gray-haired old Duke began to count on his fingers one by one the problems that were urgently needed to be solved.
"The first is the issue of material supply."
"Your Majesty, if we want to go to war with Targaryen, we must have enough golden dragons."
"The Iron Throne is now burdened with debts of over four million gold dragons."
At this point, Jon Arryn glanced at the Chancellor of the Exchequer, but he was obviously distracted and was not in the right state. He was even slightly stunned and did not react.
Then he was lightly poked by Varys who was sitting next to him, and reminded in a low voice.
"grown ups?"
He tapped his finger on the Chancellor's chest.
"Oh, oh..."
The Minister of Finance immediately understood and quickly took out the backup treasury account book from his pocket, and then respectfully handed it to the Prime Minister.
The old man looked helpless when he saw these pig teammates. The Chancellor of the Exchequer was as stupid as a pig. His only ability was to open his mouth and ask people to borrow money. He dared to sign any treaty as long as he could give money. For this reason, Jon Arryn was very anxious.
fire.
However, the Chancellor of the Exchequer has been unable to borrow money recently. Robert is already quite dissatisfied with the Chancellor of the Exchequer. In his opinion, the Chancellor of the Exchequer's first priority is to borrow money. Maybe it won't be long before this Chancellor of the Exchequer will be able to borrow money.
will be replaced.
Thinking of this, a young man suddenly appeared in Jon Arryn's mind. He was smart, capable, and had a good relationship with his wife.
perhaps...
The gray-haired old Duke's heart moved slightly. If the opportunity was right, he would not mind selecting talents and letting them help him share some of the pressure.
But for the time being, he still had to report to His Majesty the King. Then Jon Arryn corrected himself and opened the treasury ledger.
On the other hand, because he had just been reminded by the intelligence chief, Wallis, he did not make a big embarrassment with the king and the prime minister. The finance minister returned to his seat and showed a grateful smile to Wallis.
The other party crossed his hands in his sleeves and nodded slightly when he saw the expression of the finance minister, showing a kind smile.
The workplace is not easy, so we should help each other.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer has become more and more aware of King Robert's dissatisfaction recently, and now is the time to walk on thin ice with trepidation.
"Huh?"
But at this moment, the Finance Minister suddenly froze for a moment, and it was only then that he realized a question.
How did Varys know that his treasury ledger was on his chest?
…
On the other side, the Prime Minister, who was sitting in the first seat on the left hand side of the King, had already taken the account book and began to report to His Majesty the King the current financial situation of the country, as well as the remaining golden dragon in the national treasury.
The Iron Throne now owes more than four million gold dragons in debt. The main reason is not the ability of the finance minister, but the need for money in all aspects when the country has just calmed down the war, coupled with Robert's extravagance.
At the same time, because it still needed to borrow money, the Iron Throne recognized the debt owed to the Iron Bank during the Targaryen period, which was also a large amount of money.
These zeros are always a debt of four million gold dragons.
Half of the debt comes from the Lannister family, and the remaining loans come from the Tyrell family, the Iron Bank of Braavos, several merchants' guilds in Tyrosh, and even the church.
Then Jon Arryn closed the treasury's ledger, his wrinkled face full of seriousness.
"His Majesty."
"Although there are some connections between Braavos and the Targaryen remnants that are not fully confirmed."
"But the real purpose of Braavos in doing this is just to prevent the Seven Kingdoms from being truly unified and to disturb this water."
The Duke of Arryn Vale's eyes were sharp and sharp.
"If we want to finish this battle, we must find a loan from the Iron Bank. No matter how harsh the conditions and interest rates are, we can temporarily agree to it."
"As for the future, we will discuss it at that time."
In order to win this battle, Jon Arryn risked his life.
The Iron Bank focuses on the interest, while the Iron Throne focuses on his principal.
If you win, you don’t have to pay it back, and if you lose, you don’t have to pay it back.