Game of Thrones: King of Harrenhal, starting with a blue hand stat panel

Chapter 128 Stannis's Plot

Conquest lasted 290 years.

King's Landing, the official residence of the Minister of the Navy.

Stannis's residence was as simple and unassuming as he was.

The guards were quite shocked when they saw Arthur and Hean swaggering into the mansion with a greatsword on their backs and their attendants.

After all, they had only ever seen Eddard Stark and Randyll Tarly flaunt their ancestral Valyrian steel greatswords before.

And now, the greatsword Arthur has suddenly appeared.

The guards very considerately escorted Arthur into Stannis Baratheon's study.

After all, he was the youngest knight in the Seven Kingdoms and the champion of the Lannisport Tournament.

"Good day, Sir Arthur!" Stannis gestured for Arthur to sit down.

Beneath his thick eyebrows, his eyes resembled two wounds, a deep blue like a vast, dark ocean.

Simplicity and strength—that's the impression Duke Stannis gives.

Stannis was dressed in a sailor's vest and brown wool trousers, looking more like a casual sailor than the Secretary of the Sea.

At first glance, Stannis is far less luxurious and extravagant than Big Deer and Sanlu.

Stannis and Barristan both seemed out of place in King's Landing's court.

It can truly be said that the dragon has nine sons, each different from the other.

Stannis had a cheap map table in his King's Landing residence, even smaller than the one on Dragonstone.

But it also depicts every blade of grass and every object in the seven countries, as well as their long coastlines.

"Good day, Duke Stannis." Arthur sat down quietly as well.

"Good day, Sir Arthur!"

"Is this greatsword a combination of the two longswords? That's quite strange," Duke Stannis asked.

Anyone who sees a genius young knight wielding a Valyrian greatsword would consider him a favorite of fate.

"Yes, Duke Stannis," Arthur replied unhurriedly.

"Alright, let's talk about your duties as the guardian of Crab Bay. Besides preventing savages and semi-savages, it's about managing the coastline within Crab Bay. How are your preparations going?" Stannis steered the conversation back to the main topic: the defense of the coastline.

The duties of the Minister of the Navy originally included arranging the construction and maintenance of warships, recruiting seamen, and commanding naval operations.

Protecting the coastline and combating smuggling and piracy were also secondary responsibilities of Stannis, but this required the cooperation of the Master of the Sea and other lords.

After all, the royal fleet was stationed at Dragonstone and King's Landing, and the fleet was positioned to protect Blackwater Bay and King's Landing from two sides, so its operational range was generally not large.

Within the kingdom, there are also fleets of varying sizes, such as the Iron Islands Fleet, Redwyn Fleet, Oldtown Fleet, Gulltown Fleet, Lannisport Fleet, Tass Fleet, and Bear Island Mini Fleet, responsible for protecting the local coastline.

Crab Bay's coastline is quite different from Blackwater Bay's.

Crab Bay is deep and strangely shaped like a bull's horn, with a winding coastline, and its trade between the two sides is not as prosperous as that of Blackwater Bay.

The royal fleet's warships could not maneuver well in this area, making it easier for longships to operate.

Moreover, the crab-claw people were not very cooperative with the royal fleet's operations.

"Hrenburg has no ocean-going warships; my fleet is a longship fleet. I've also acquired some longships in the Iron Islands, but they still need training," Arthur said.

In a way, Stannis could be considered a sort of boss.

The matter of squeezing iron ore was not a secret; everyone knew about it, and iron ore companies also sent a large number of gifts.

"Very good, Crab Bay's coastline is too long." Stannis looked at the location of Crab Bay. "Although it starts from Harrenhal..."

Initially, the forces in Farmers' Fortress in the Riverlands, Earl Harlowe's town, Saltworks, Maidenspring, Candle Cavern in the Valley, and Terror Cavern in the Royal Territory are nominally under your command during wartime. However, there is no outstanding fleet in this area, so you will need to build it yourself.

"Right now, we are indeed building a fleet from scratch, and we still need the cooperation of various lords," Arthur said.

"It's all about dedicating your loyalty to the Iron Throne, so feel free to do it. If you need help coordinating with Duke Arryn or the royal fleet, you can contact me," Stannis said slowly, tapping his fingers on the table.

"Thank you for your support, Lord Stannis," Arthur said.

"You're young, but the task is daunting. The half-savages of Crab Claw Peninsula aren't easy to talk to; they're notorious. But they might be a bit better than the Three Sisters, both being smugglers' paradises anyway. I once hanged a few people in the Three Sisters, and they've quieted down considerably since. If you want your Crab Bay Guardianship to be truly deserving, you might need to hang a few half-savages too." Stannis's voice grew somber.

Both the Crab Claw Peninsula and the Three Sisters Islands are areas subject to discrimination.

Because the people there acted as they pleased; one was an unruly semi-savage, and the other was a paradise for pirates and smugglers.

Throughout history, the inhabitants of the Three Sisters Islands have relied on trade, smuggling, or piracy to make a living.

They sold seafood like fish or crabs, as well as goat cheese, to the north in exchange for timber, animal hides, and wool.

For centuries, the Three Sisters Islands have been a haven for smugglers and a den of pirates.

Unlike the pirates of the Ironborn and Three Sisters Islands who openly robbed ships, the "Sister Men" of the Three Sisters Islands cunningly "salvaged" shipwrecks.

The male sisters built beacon towers along the Three Sisters Islands to warn of the location of reefs, shoals and rocks, but on foggy nights or stormy nights, they would secretly light false signals to lure careless captains into their trap.

"I've heard of their reputation too. I'll negotiate with those half-savages first, and then use sword and fire to seek the Iron Throne's help," Arthur said, outlining his plan.

"Okay." Stannis nodded.

Stannis may dislike the reputation of the Harrenhals and House of Hearn, but he dislikes even more the savages, smugglers, and pirates of Crab Claw Peninsula.

The two communicated directly and pleasantly. Although Stannis did not intend to invite them to dinner, he promised to provide some assistance.

"Then I shall take my leave, Duke Stannis!" Arthur left Stannis's residence, and the matter in King's Landing came to a temporary end.

Arthur's protection of Crab Bay appears to be a system of overlapping governance, and coordinating these efforts would require the cooperation of the various local lords.

There was also the cooperation of the King, the Duke of Eyrie, the Duke of Riverrun, and the Lord Commander of the Sea.

King Robert has now given his approval, but Arthur hadn't expected that Duke Stannis would be the first to agree.

This king's brother wasn't entirely ice-cold either; it's just that Stannis lacked charm and was too stubborn, so few people liked him.

But when it comes to work, Stannis is completely trustworthy.

"This is King's Landing now. It's not a monolithic entity, but rather a place rife with conflicting forces and deceitful maneuvering," Arthur thought to himself.

Duke Stannis may appear strong and fearless, but he also harbors a great deal of anger and gloom within.

Just as he resented Robert for disregarding his rights, Robert also humiliated his marriage on their wedding bed.

After Arthur Hoan left, Stannis looked at the mountains and rivers on the map by himself.

"A cunning young man, equally gifted," Stannis thought to himself.

Harrenburg's location is extremely important.

The Dark Knight's power has greatly shaken Riverrun's influence, and many allies and Free Knights are probably more willing to fight for the River City.

Stannis was willing to help Arthur partly out of his duty as Lord Commander of the Sea, and partly to win over the knights.

Duke Stannis was steadfast and loyal, but that doesn't mean he didn't have his own agenda.

There was only one royal fleet, and since Stannis built it from scratch, most of the captains were loyal to Stannis.

Stannismore is lacking warhorses, knights, and infantry, especially skilled knights.

The knights of Stormlands were once renowned throughout the Seven Kingdoms, but they all pledged allegiance to Renly.

"Stormlands, Stormlands was originally mine," Stannis thought bitterly.

Dragonstone is a barren wasteland, and Crab Island, loyal to Stannis, has few warriors either, or it is Sharphead and Tidehead.

In terms of financial resources and the number of knights, this greatly limited Stannis's influence.

The taxes and influence of Stormlands are far greater than those of Dragonstone.

Stannis is not plotting a rebellion; on the contrary, he is now fully supporting Robert's cause.

The kingdom appears quite peaceful, free from the shadow of war; only a madman would oppose the king's rule.

Stannis was unhappy with Cersei and the Lannisters.

Judging from the situation, Cersei makes no attempt to hide her malice towards Robert's brothers, and Stannis isn't really stupid.

This position of Uncle Wang is not a good one; conflicts between nephews and uncles are quite common.

The Baratheon family has a history of internal strife, while the Targaryen family has even more.

Logically and emotionally, Stannis, besides his position as Minister of the Navy, was also pondering his own way out of the predicament.

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