Game of Thrones: I am Dothraki, not a barbarian

Chapter 84: Winning over the Slave Owners

Originally founded as a trading outpost by the Valyrians, Pentos gradually expanded from the sea to the Velvet Hills, encompassing almost the entire kingdom of the Old Andals.

The steeds of the Dothraki Sea, the handicrafts and raw materials of Qohor and Norvos, all converge here along the Valyrian Way and are then shipped by sea to ports in Westeros and the Free States.

At the same time, Pentos also imported grain, metal products and wine from Westeros, and luxury goods such as silk, spices, gems, etc. from other free states to meet the needs of the city.

Pentos maintains close commercial ties with neighboring free cities such as Braavos, Myr, and Tyrosh, and the prosperity of this region is even greater than that of Westeros.

Because of the disastrous defeat in the war with Braavos, they were forced to abolish slavery, but the merchants and nobles who controlled the Governor's Council were always above the law.

There were still tens of thousands of slaves in the city who were being driven by them, but they were all called "free slaves", which was no different from slaves except that they were not called slaves.

Laharo found it incredible that such a wealthy city had almost no armed forces, not even a navy.

People in Westeros would fight tooth and nail for a piece of land, but there are large tracts of wasteland in Essos that no one cultivates.

Those who were killed by drought died of drought, and those who were killed by floods died of floods. It can be said to be a miracle that Pentos has survived to this day without any armed forces.

Of course, the Dothraki believe that farming is a blasphemy to Mother Earth. If they see someone using a hoe to dig up the ground, they want to kill that person. This is also the reason why so much land is abandoned.

However, now that Rahalo controls the area, this will not happen.

Fellow villagers, come and farm.

Given the Dothraki's bad reputation, saying this would give people the feeling of a weasel paying a New Year's visit to a chicken.

If you can’t farm, you have to trade.

Trade requires ships, so the shipbuilding industry in Pentos is very developed. The ships it manufactures are not only used for its own trade, but also exported in large quantities to other regions.

Governor Illyrio Mopatis left behind a caravan and several trade routes, which could bring Rahalo a profit of 30,000 to 40,000 gold dragons each year, but Rahalo knew nothing about trade and had no interest in it.

He would rather convert merchant ships into warships.

Governor Simon Russ monopolized the shipbuilding industry in Pentos, and other shipyards were either squeezed out or acquired at low prices.

He had more than 500 experienced shipbuilders and more than 2,000 laborers under his command, and more than 20 large and small slipways, which could build almost any type of ship.

More importantly, he not only controlled the shipyards but also monopolized the import of timber from Qohor.

For a qualified ship, every keel and every plank needs to be dried for a long time, which can be as short as three months or as long as two years, before they can meet the shipbuilding standards.

If undried wood is used, the hull will deform and crack after being launched, or even disintegrate directly at sea.

This is like an invisible barrier to entry, forcing everyone in Pantos who wants to enter this industry to bow to him.

Therefore, whether it is renovation or new construction, Laharo has to deal with him.

If we can cooperate with Lahalo and start the construction at full speed, we can build at least ten large ships with 400 oars every year, which is enough to form the navy that Lahalo wants.

In order to maintain stability, Laharo is not prepared to take things by force. He wants to create a persona of a power game player and must be amiable.

Otherwise, if Simon gets angry and sends these shipbuilders to other areas, Lahalo will have an empty shipyard and won't be able to build anything.

Moreover, the frequent use of violence would damage Rahalo's reputation and push those governors who wanted to make friends with him into opposition.

He tried to exchange his business assets for Simon's shipyard in fair exchange, but no matter how high Laharo's offer was, Simon refused to give in.

Simon was confident that he had a huge fleet and absolute dominance in the shipbuilding industry, and that he could use this to control the economy and people's livelihood of Pentos.

These tangible and intangible assets are the source of his power as governor, and also the basis for him to lead the aristocracy to confront Laharo.

Rahalo's kindness was met with contempt, but he wasn't about to give up. He wanted to secure a majority vote from the Governor's Council and become the Commander-in-Chief of Pentos's Guard, giving him more leverage to deal with Simon Russ.

Laharo and Leon Plestan left Simon Rus's palace and headed straight for the estate of slave owner Illian Zeros.

After getting off the car on the lawn in front of the manor, a slave with a copper collar around his neck led the two into the reception room.

When the two entered, Ilian Zeros was reclining on the gilded bed. He was fat and wore a dark purple robe with gold edges. Several thumb-thick gold chains hung on his chest.

His family not only owns mines, but also land, and the ownership is permanent.

A beautiful slave with skin as white as snow knelt beside him, took a grape from the silver plate on the low table, peeled it, and put the flesh into Ilian's mouth.

There were two female slaves serving behind him, one of them fanning him with a fan, and the other holding a wine jug ready to add wine to his cup at any time.

They wore nearly transparent gauze, revealing their fair skin and emitting a faint floral scent.

"Khal Rahalo, welcome!"

Ilian didn't get up. He raised his hand to signal the two to lie down on the bed. After listening to their purpose, he said lazily: "You want me to support you?

You killed Illyrio a few days ago and took everything from him, yet I have a lot of business dealings with him."

The people of Pentos always like to talk while lying down.

Rahalo was not used to this and sat upright, "Murdering a guest at a banquet is a heinous crime.

Illyrio is an enemy of the Khalasar, and it is right that I put him to death and seize his property. But I have no grudges against the others, and we can live in peace with them."

He paused, then changed the subject: "Pentos needs stability, and I have the ability to provide it."

"Lord Kao, I believe in you. Stability is more beneficial than chaos. After all, you can also profit from it."

Ilian wiped the grape juice that overflowed from the corner of his mouth, and the slave girl beside him immediately wiped his hands with a towel.

"But the Governor's Council is not what you think. They don't trust you and are even afraid of you!"

"Trust takes time to build, but benefits can greatly shorten this time."

Leon laughed and interrupted at the right moment, “Lord Illian, you are the most influential slave owner in Pentos and hold four votes in the parliament.

If you support Khal Rhahalo as the Lord Commander of the Guard, then, in return, the Lord Khal will give you a portion of Illyrio's estate to manage."

"Oh?"

Ilian's eyes lit up, he stood up slightly, and pushed away the grapes that were brought to his mouth. "What benefit can you give me?"

Rhahalo nodded to Lionel, who smiled and explained, "Illyrio has two slave markets in Pentos, which bring him at least 30,000 gold dragons a year.

These properties now belong to the Kaa, and he is willing to give you the management of the largest of them."

"The one by the harbor in the south of the city?"

"Yes."

When Illian learned that Lahalo was not going to abolish slavery, he felt relieved and a little greedy.

He took a sip of red wine and said, “I am not as foolish as Eccles and Simon to become an enemy of Lord Kaa.

However, supporting Lord Kaa means taking new risks, understand?"

(End of this chapter)