Ice and Fire: Reign of the Dragon.

Chapter 106: Maegor Reborn (13)
"A prime minister who has lost his kingdom. Haha, he has worked so hard." Watching Otto and the governors' representatives of the other two city-states leave, Governor Reese sneered and turned back to look at the mural depicting Reese's fight against the Volantis fleet in the Bloody Age. Two men lifted the tapestry embroidered with Reese's goddess of lust and crawled out of the secret door in the wall.

Lysandra Rogar, who was dressed in gorgeous clothes, also sneered and said, "The Hightower family is doomed to fail. What he should think about now is how to save his family instead of trying to grab the iron chair. Bambaro is a fool. You are more suitable to rule with me."

"Lord Luo Jiaer." The Governor's Representative stood up and loosened his legs that were so painful to cross. "Otto brought several million gold royals to the East Continent and borrowed millions of gold royals from the Iron Bank." He looked into Luo Jiaer's deep blue eyes and said with a smile, "You must have been one of the people who pushed the Iron Bank to complete the loan."

"Isn't it the lifelong pursuit of every banker to damage the Iron Bank?" Lisandra laughed, turned to Commander Sarlak Roha and said with a smile: "How about this job? Take Otto's gold, Commander Roha, you can compete with that sissy Recharino for the title of Pirate King again."

It took Commander Luoha many years to get over the fact that his fleet, which he had worked so hard to build up, was wiped out by the Vareses Silver Fleet. Now, he actually doesn't want to have any bad luck with the Vareses family. "You want me to mess with the Vareses Silver Fleet?" Commander Luoha pointed at himself speechlessly. "It took me nearly seven years to build up seventy ships again. Gentlemen, don't forget who maintains your maritime trade routes. What good will it do you if I'm gone?"

"I didn't say that you have to provide those fifty ships, Commander Rohar." Lysandra Rogar picked up a gold coin from Rohar's chest and let it dance between his fingers. Rohar stared at the gold coin, ready to put it back on his necklace at any time. "There are too many captains in Myr and Tyrosh who are dissatisfied with the Silver Fleet's rampage on the Summer Sea. We just need to mobilize them and tell them that they don't have to fight to the death. We just need to make the Silver Fleet think that the mercenaries brought by Otto will land on the coast of the Sea of ​​Dorne."

"What's the difference between what you're doing and sending them to their deaths?" Commander Luoha snatched back his gold coins and carefully put them back into the necklace. "But three thousand gold dragons for one ship is enough for those idiots to fight to the death."

The three of them laughed for a while before moving on from the topic.

"Have you heard about the situation in King's Landing?" The Governor's Representative sat down again. "I heard that the Dragon Queen is not living as well as she thought in King's Landing."

Commander Luoha looked at the two governors with curiosity. He had no information channels with the governors and did not know this information.

"Haha, where do you think Otto got so much money?" Lisandro Rogar smiled and poured a glass of wine for the Governor's representative and Commander Loha respectively. He took a sip from each glass before pushing them in front of the two men.

"The Dragon Queen is now in a state of panic for money and food. She burned the army in the Stormlands and reportedly killed Lord Baratheon's daughter. The Stag has blocked both the Kingsroad and the road to the Reach, and there is still a war in the Reach. All she has gained is an empty treasury and half a million starving people. What she needs now is money."

Lysandra was well aware of Rhaenyra's current predicament. With the Silver Fleet and Velaryon's Sea Serpent Fleet, she didn't have to worry about problems at sea and food. Both were just a matter of time. But her vault, which was so empty that not even a mouse could find it, was a fatal problem. The Velaryon family was rich but lacked liquidity. The Vareses family had no shortage of gold, but no matter how stupid Rhaenyra was, she would not risk offending Dragonzel and ask for money directly.

Then the only option was to levy taxes, and the Queen's finance minister, Barthimos Celtigar, had no choice but to restore the terrible tax policy formulated by his ancestor Edwyr Celtigar - port taxes were tripled, forty-seven necessities of life were subject to heavy entry and exit taxes, citizens of King's Landing had to pay in-kind taxes when purchasing cloth, salt, white bread, wine, ale, strong beer, honey and fresh meat, and all shops, taverns, inns and builders in King's Landing were subject to nine additional taxes.

Along with these taxes, which had been abolished for more than eighty years, new taxes were introduced by Lord Celtigar. The wine and ale taxes were doubled from those of Edwyr, and the port taxes were tripled. All shops in the city had to pay a considerable opening fee, and every inn and brothel had to pay a tax of one silver deer for each bed. The gate tax, which had been questioned during the reign of King Jaehaerys, was also restored by Lord Celtigar, and this considerable amount of money was also tripled. All citizens of King's Landing, whether they were lords in the Upper City or beggars in Flea Bottom, had to pay an estate tax based on the land and wealth they "possessed". Lord Celtigar even openly declared: "This is the price they pay for cheering for Aegon the Usurper." At the same time, Lord Celtigar also encouraged the citizens of King's Landing to go to the Dragon's Lair to watch the Queen's execution of traitors - each person only needed three copper coins to watch a traitor's head fall.

With this kind of land-scraping taxation, Queen Rhaenyra finally filled her treasury a little, but the price was the resentment of the whole King's Landing.

Snapped.

In the Vareses camp in the Reach, Jacaerys angrily threw the letter to the ground: "How could Earl Bartimos do this? Is there no one in King's Landing to persuade my mother?" Valar picked up the letter and took a look. He was instantly frightened by the dense taxes on the letter. He decisively handed it to Earl Thaddeus Rowan beside him. This great nobleman of Golden Tree City led his army to meet up with Valar's army three days ago. He brought 15,000 people, including 3,000 fully armed plate knights - the wealth of the Reach allowed the mercenary knights and proletarian knights here to have money to buy simple plate armor.

The nobles of the entire North River Bay and East River Bay basically united around Valar. After all, no one would think that the Green Party, which had lost two dragons, could continue to jump around.

They include the Fossoways of Cider Hall, the Merryweathers of Longtable, the Caswells of Bitterbridge, the Cenfolds of Ashford, the Oakhearts of Ancient Oak, and many more.

"Does Earl Bartimos want to make the Queen lose all her support?" Earl Thaddeus immediately saw the danger of this move. Of course, it was not directed at Earl Bartimos, because this was indeed the only solution. "Your Highness, we should divide our forces to open up the King's Road and transport the grain from the Reach to King's Landing as soon as possible." "My lord, King's Landing is not short of grain." Although Valar didn't like to use his brain, he could see this kind of thing at a glance. "What King's Landing lacks is gold. Unless you can turn the grain into gold and send it to King's Landing, otherwise... hehe." Valar looked at the silent Prince Jacaerys with some worry.

, the letter came from Tigaro Dagareon, the intelligence chief of the Vareses family, or "Finger of Shadow" as the Vareses family called it. Longzier's blood-sworn brothers formed his advisory group, which he called my five fingers. Blood Finger Aslan Longdel, who was in charge of the Silver Blood Army, Gold Finger Sebastian Jieyan, who was in charge of finance, Steel Finger Hoffa Law-Keeper, who was in charge of law, and the young man with golden eyes and black hair was also in charge of Longzier's guards and the security of Dragon Nest City, Shadow Finger Tigaro Dagareon, who was in charge of intelligence, and Silver Finger, who was in charge of territory affairs. This position was temporarily held by Rey. As for Tigaro, this melancholy and gloomy young man never liked to embellish his words, so the prince saw the people of King's Landing's evaluation of Rhaenyra.

Maegor reincarnated.

No wonder Prince Jacaerys was so angry. "Lord Valar, I'm afraid we need to speed up our march." But after so many years of careful teaching by Longzel, Jacaerys was not someone who would be easily swayed by anger. "You are right, the key to the problem is that the Green Party has transferred all the gold, so we must get the gold back as soon as possible."

The prince said decisively, "If I'm not mistaken, one of the destinations where the Hightower family transferred the gold was Oldtown."

"Ha, you are worthy of being my elder brother's good servant." Valar stood up excitedly. He was almost numb waiting for Thaddeus' army to join him. Now that he can finally ride a dragon to fight, how can he not be excited?

"Lord Thaddeus, we need to march at full speed. Defeat Mond's main force and capture Old Town, and all our problems will be solved."

"Aren't we going to wait for Prince Longzel?" Count Thaddeus still felt that it would be better to wait for Wormisol to deal with Vhagar and then head south, and then crush him with his three dragons together.

"It would be better if Big Brother came, but the Greens only have one dragon in the south right now." Valar said, "Silver Wing and I are enough to deal with Dreamfire, and with Xiaojie and Wormax here, we don't have to be afraid of the Greens' army at all."

Thaddeus thought so too. Waiting for Wormisol to go south was just a way to ensure victory. In fact, their current military strength and number of dragons were enough to crush the Green Party.

As the black gang army from the River Bend slowly set out.

Stormlands, Storm's End.

Lord Borros sat on his throne, looking coldly at the man in black who quietly entered the castle from the waterway of Storm's End. The man in black took off his hood, revealing the unshaven face of Otto Hightower. He secretly hid in a Pentos merchant ship and returned to Westeros. Now he came to his destination
"Lord Otto, don't tell me you are here to mourn for my daughter." Boros said expressionlessly.

"Your folly has cost me a daughter, the name of House Baratheon, and my money. I have already said that until you can decide the winner, House Baratheon will only live for itself."

"Lord Borros, I have only one request." Prime Minister Otto handed over the note calmly. When the bachelor leaned over to Otto's ear and whispered the contents of the branch, Borros' face changed.

"You want to kill the Baratheons? Hightower scum."

"No, Duke." Otto said confidently: "This is a great opportunity for you to take revenge. It is also an opportunity for the Baratheon family to gain the greatest benefits. The legitimate king will not treat any meritorious official unfairly, sir."

(End of this chapter)