Game of Thrones: The Bronze and Fire Lord.

Chapter 355 Mysterious Scroll (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

“Hiss—”

Vormisor spewed out dragon flames, and the three giant bells inside the bell tower twisted and deformed under the high temperature, quickly melting into drops of molten metal.

Before the same burned temple, representatives of the nobles and commoners of Norfolk knelt in a row.

Their eyes held a mixture of despair, relief, and numbness, creating an extremely complex emotion.

When it comes to devotion to their faith, no one is more genuine than they are.

Most people don't even know the name or appearance of the god they worship, yet they still dedicate themselves to the cause and pray day and night.

But the temple and the bearded monks' harsh policies were suffocating them.

The fact that the three giant bells and the temple are now completely burned down has an ironic sense of relief.

Imon stood before the crowd, observing the changing expressions of hundreds of people, giving them time to process what was happening.

He still has some minor matters to attend to.

He summoned Bartoto and signaled him to untie the bound Norfos blacksmith and collect the remains of the three giant bells that had melted down.

The three giant bells of Norfolk have different chimes, and they are also different in size and appearance.

But they can all be called "giant bells".

Even the smallest of the creatures, with a clear, cheerful sound like laughter, "Nida" is still a massive creature, measuring five meters long and three and a half meters wide.

Not to mention the other two giant bells, the "Num," whose sound is so loud it can shake one's bones, is a colossal creature measuring ten meters long and six and a half meters wide.

Norfolk is rich in minerals such as copper, iron, and amber, and has no shortage of metallic materials.

Therefore, all three giant bells were cast in bronze.

Collect the molten copper ingots; enough to mix with iron ingots at the King's Landing blacksmith to forge three hundred sets of full-body plate armor.

That's considered making a small profit.

Soon, the Dothraki cavalry captured Governor Norfoss, who was tied to a horse's tail.

Of the ten governors, two had died early, and two more died in the chaos of battle, leaving only six men, women, and children.

"Please let us go, we can pay to redeem ourselves."

A short governor was crying with snot and tears streaming down his face; he seemed genuinely afraid of death.

Imon remained expressionless, barely suppressing the urge to retort.

Confused!

I'll kill you all, and the money will be mine.

After asking Bartoto if there were any good people or bourgeois individuals among the Norfolk nobles present who were willing to do good deeds, he then killed all those who were not chosen.

"what!!"

Upon seeing this, a tall, thin, red-haired governor immediately let out a woman's scream, which startled him so much that he trembled violently.

"Ok?"

Imon was greatly puzzled and stared at the man, looking him over.

He looks like a real man, with a handsome, rebellious face and several tattoos, yet he acts like a woman.

"Your Highness, Governor Lalaba has a wide range of tastes."

Bartoto stood on tiptoe and reported in a low voice.

Aemon turned to look at him and was given a knowing, teasing look.

Damn it, it's that damned Nan Tong again.

"Gentlemen, the fact that you are still alive proves that you have not made any serious mistakes, and it is also due to the request of Bartotoshe."

With a cold expression, Imon gave a stern warning to the short governor, the red-haired governor, and a dozen or so nobles who had been untied.

He's not "cruel Meg," who kills everyone in his life.

If everyone is killed, who will govern Norfolk?

You can't expect a group of commoners who spend their days holed up in the lower town, doing manual labor their whole lives, and can't even do basic accounting.

"Please rest assured, you have forgiven us, and we will be your most loyal servants."

The short governor was in tears, truly embodying the saying "a wise man submits to circumstances."

The red-haired governor and a dozen or so nobles were quite sensible and expressed their willingness to submit and pledge allegiance.

"very good."

Imon nodded in satisfaction.

People who are stubborn and argumentative wouldn't have survived this long.

He then brought Bartoto before the crowd of capitulationists and petty bourgeois, and announced Bartoto's appointment as governor-general of Norfolk for life, to preside over the Supreme Council.

The short governor and the red-haired governor were merged into the council to serve as ministers.

If there aren't enough members at the meeting, we'll pick a few more from among the dozen or so nobles, both high and low.

In short, first, elevate Bartoto to the position of Imon's agent in Norfolk and establish a sound political structure to facilitate the subsequent stabilization of the city.

And Norfoss's positioning...

“Your Highness, Norfos is your territory, how can I be the governor?”

Bartoto was arrogant on the battlefield, but his rough exterior concealed a shrewd mind, and he refused with great fear.

Aemon waved his hand and said calmly, "I won't stay here forever, and Norfos won't be controlled by a foreigner. You are the most suitable."

He paused, then added, "Oh, and don't forget to pay tribute to the Iron Throne every year."

Yes, he wanted Norfolk to become a vassal state of the Iron Throne.

To reiterate, both Corhol and Norfolk are too far from the continent of Westeros.

The Iron Throne cannot appoint its own rulers; it can only select local officials to govern.

As for sending a nobleman from one of the seven kingdoms or a minister of the Royal Council to manage Norfos...
In the later conquest of Dorne, a certain "Young Dragon King" who wished to remain anonymous had already set an example.

He sent his trusted ministers to guard Yangji City, but the city was left completely exposed, like a sieve.

A trusted minister was bound in his sleep and pushed off a tower by an old woman, where he fell to his death.

Even the "Young Dragon King" himself was exhausted from quelling the rebellion and was eventually lured into the city, where he was assassinated.

It's wrong for outsiders to manage locals.

Some political ideas from the previous life, such as specially planned autonomous regions, and the use of minority groups to govern minority groups, are successful and vivid examples.

Locals feel safer and are the first to turn their anger toward those in power when they are wronged.

Instead of tripping and falling outside, they would curse "Evil Targaryen by nature."

Pfft!
Bartoto knelt heavily on one knee, deeply moved, and said in a muffled voice, "Your Highness, I will always remember your kindness."

He meant it sincerely. "Get up."

Imon chuckled softly and reached out to pull him up.

Such a harmonious scene between the emperor and his ministers reassured many local nobles, who secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Having an "acquaintance" take over Norfoss makes things easier for them.

Imon had anticipated this.

No matter how you look at it, he had no irreconcilable grudges with the local nobles.

Those who had grudges against them were all killed.

If there were any hidden conflicts, they were nothing more than the burning of the three giant bells and the temple, and the massacre of the bearded monks and the sacred guard.

It shattered the faith that Norfolk had upheld for thousands of years.

But is this really a bad thing?

not necessarily.

At least Bartoto himself, along with the two former governors who willingly submitted, were not interested in the bearded monk's faith.

If we're talking about the people Aemon truly offended, it would be the commoners of the lower city.

Ordinary people have always been ignorant and stubborn.

Even though they don't know who their god is, they still treat their faith like food.

They viewed Imon's actions as those of an enemy.

But he doesn't care.

The masters of Norfolk were not commoners from the lower town, but nobles from the upper town.

Keep your opinions to yourself!

If you don't want to live a good life, then continue to cower in the muddy ground of the lower city and eat manure.

……

three days later.

Imon left Norfolk, taking with him most of Norfolk's food supplies.

Of course, there weren't many.

Norfoss was estimated to be the second largest of the nine free trade city-states after Loras, with a population of only a few hundred thousand.

In addition, the mountains are high and the winds are cold, so grain yields are not high.

This time, more than half of the grain was moved, approximately 1.2 million jin (600,000 kg).

The main ingredients are barley and rye, mixed with easily stored foods such as corn, sweet potatoes, potatoes, and soybeans.

Imon estimated that this amount of grain was equivalent to about 100,000 shi (1 shi = 120 jin) of grain in China, enough for 10,000 people to eat freely for half a year.

This shows that Norfolk is heavily reliant on foreign trade for food.

The army marched through the Norfolk Hills.

Imon did not follow the main army, but instead rode Vomisor and stood on an inconspicuous hill.

We must not let our guard down until the army leaves the territory of Norfos.

However, it's not that dangerous.

Bartoto remained in Norfolk, abolished a series of outdated and restrictive rules, reduced trade taxes, and won the support of nobles and merchants.

In addition to his own 1,700 spearmen, he also left behind more than 3,000 Slark cavalry and assigned 5,000 slave soldiers who had families in Norfos.

With a force of nearly ten thousand men, he was enough to intimidate the region.

While Aemon had dispatched nearly 10,000 men, the army still consisted of 2,500 second sons, 4,000 valley knights, over 7,000 Slark cavalry under Harlow and Dandok, 20,000 Loyna volunteers, and 20,000 slave soldiers.

A total of 54,000 people.

"There are too many. We'll have to reduce the military when we get back to Nasa Star."

Imon muttered under his breath, "We really can't afford to support these people."

In his estimation, apart from the Second Sons and the Valley Knights, only Harlow and Dandoke's forces were available, and they could be relocated to Mil Territory after the war.

The land there is vast, and there are still large tracts of disputed territory waiting to be conquered.

Loyna people and slave soldiers can be added to Nasa Star to increase its population.

Just as Imon was taking out a scroll of parchment, which Bartoto had found in the temple, he heard shouts coming from afar.

"Your Highness! Your Highness!"

A valley scout rode up on horseback, holding two letters aloft in his hand.

"Vomisol, land."

Imon's gaze sharpened, realizing something was amiss.

He wasn't in a hurry to study the parchment; he had already looked at it several times in the past three days.

On the yellowed parchment scroll, there are drawings of hills, giants, war, hunger, and a group of blue-eyed monsters holding spears.

The final image of the faded paint is a small figure holding a burning longsword, standing on the giant's corpse, driving away the blue-eyed monster.

Aemon guessed that it was a record of the Lightbringer Azor Ahai defeating the White Walkers.

Behind this hastily drawn, ancient painting lies an incomplete road map.

I consulted Bartoto, who said it was a vast network of caves several hundred miles northwest of Norfolk.

"Long-legged" Malos named this cave network one of the Seven Wonders of Nature.

It is said that the skeletons of ancient giants and murals left by the ancestors of mankind have been unearthed inside.

Imon plans to go and take a look when he has time.

"Your Highness, news of Na Saxing and Lord Sea Serpent."

A scout delivered a letter.

"Thanks for your hard work."

Aemon took the letter, opened it, and frowned slightly.

The first letter came from Torero, reporting news from Damon's side.

Kohol and Valantis have amassed a large force and gathered at Dagger Lake on the Golden Plains, preparing for a decisive battle with Damon.

"I have to go."

Aemon checked the second letter and was surprised to find it concerned the Sea Serpents, which involved Dagger Lake.

(End of this chapter)