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

Chapter 133 The Wrath of the Crab Claw People

A prosperous nation and a strong military are like two wheels that need to be turned on together.

Without wealth, it's impossible to support so many soldiers.

But without soldiers, one cannot protect one's wealth.

Arthur and He An looked at the map of the known world: Crab Bay, Stone Steps Islands, Bright Moon Mountains, the Great Wall, and the disputed lands—these were all major powder kegs.

There aren't many options along the Great Wall, but there are other places where you could potentially get involved.

Arthur thought for a moment and decided to arrange the Crab Bay matter first, and then, if feasible, to scavenge the Steps Islands with Earl Redwin.

Arthur turned to the map of Crab Bay and began to calculate the strength of his forces.

With the family's all-out military buildup, the He'an Fleet now has 400 captains, 1000 cavalry, and 2800 infantry.

This is already a large, directly controlled armed force, thanks to the River An family's gradual return to its position as the wealthiest lord in the Riverlands, the dual-drive operation of Harrenhal and Whitewall, and Arthur's reputation as a knight.

In the original story, the Frey family quietly amassed wealth for over a decade, and their final main force numbered only about 4,500 men.

Now that the Frey family has lost its unique siphoning ability, its military strength cannot exceed four thousand.

For example, the increase in the number of cavalry was due to the victory of the Greyjoy Rebellion and Arthur's fame, and many cavalrymen were willing to join the House of Rivers.

If the He'an family gains more wealth and honor, then raising more troops wouldn't be a problem.

In addition to his own troops, there are also allies of the He'an family. Arthur's charm and appeal can attract another wave of free riders, hired knights, and mercenaries.

However, due to the collective weakening of the vassal states of Donghejian, Arthur estimated that this group only numbered around 3000.

Even so, being able to squeeze out seven or eight thousand soldiers is already considered the strength of the peak "Red Lion" Reyes family.

The Reyes family possessed abundant gold and silver mines and a coastal location, which was an advantage for them.

The He'an family, on the other hand, relies on agriculture, commerce, and other industries.

Apart from the Hightoar family, this is about all the potential of the second-highest lords.

The Hean and Reyes families are certainly not comparable to the Hightar family. The population and wealth controlled by the Hightar family can support them in building up a force of ten to twenty thousand soldiers.

Although the Hightoar family doesn't have many soldiers, relying mostly on recruiting citizens and mercenaries, their combat strength is hard to say.

If Arthur wants to squeeze out more manpower, he should focus on the savages of the Bright Moon Mountains and the semi-savages of the Crab Claw Peninsula.

The ruling families on Crabclaw Peninsula include: House Boggs, House Bren of Browncave, House Bren of Dreadcave, House Keffer, House Clayber, House Hardy, and House Pain.

Although these families do not have many soldiers, their elite troops are all brave and fierce, and they can even have both men and women as soldiers.

Even if each family has 800 or 1,000 soldiers, that's still 5,000 to 6,000 people. If you add the women who go to war and the savage tribes that are willing to cooperate, the total strength will be even greater.

However, Crab Claw Peninsula is, after all, a poor place.

The army of these crab-claw people is mainly composed of infantry, with fewer cavalry; spearmen and longbowmen make up the majority.

When war breaks out, the Crab Claw People scatter everywhere, in the Black Pine Forest, swamps, and caves.

The land of the Crab Claw Peninsula is also rugged, and even the conquering Andals were left with many bumps and bruises.

Arthur will have to put in a lot of effort to win over this objective armed force.

The two sides actually had a relationship where they were both loyal warriors of the Dragon King's family. They suffered a defeat together at the Trident River and many people died for Rhaegar.

Arthur Hoan's letter reached the Crab Claw Peninsula, naturally causing a great uproar.

Crab Claw Peninsula has shallow ponds and lots of turtles; the big brothers are everywhere.

Apart from Queen Visonia, the dragon knight who subdued them, the Crab Claw people were not convinced by anyone, and they considered themselves the model subjects of the true dragon family.

Dreadhole Castle, the residence of the Brun family.

The Brune family's castle sits atop a towering cliff overlooking the sea, with three crooked towers.

In the Brun family hall, Baron Eustace Brun sat in his seat, holding a letter that had arrived from Harrenhal.

The castle here embodies one word: shabby.

Baron Brun's chair was somewhat shabby, and even the lights in his hall were dim, not entirely bright.

Crab Claw Peninsula was a barren place to begin with, and after the war, everyone paid a hefty fine for the Iron Throne, causing significant losses to family savings.

Thus, the most prominent lords on the Crab Claw Peninsula were Clayberne and Brune.

"Give him a decree, and he really thinks he's a minister," one of the baron's sons said angrily. "The usurper only gave him a temporary guardianship position, and he thinks he's the king of Crab Bay?"

"Even if it's the king, we're not afraid. We've killed King Darklin's soldiers, King Muton's soldiers, and even the tax collectors of the Setiga family. And now, it's just one more earl's soldier," the baron's other son sneered. "Let us fight smugglers for him? Don't even think about it."

Crab Claw Villagers are also a group of lawless thugs, and they often have a good relationship with those outside smugglers.

After all, without these tax-reduced smuggled goods, the lives of the crab-claw people would be even worse.

Smugglers brought wine, cloth, and weapons to the Crab Claw People, while the Crab Claw People gave the smugglers timber, grain, and so on.

Crab Claw People will kill uncooperative smugglers, but spare their friends, and some smugglers will even pay taxes to the Crab Claw People.

In short, if robbery is the lifeline of the wild people of Mingyue Mountain, then underground smuggling is the lifeline of the Crab Claw people.

They would never easily abandon their industrial chain just because Arthur and He'an have the king's decree.

"Enough!" Baron Eustace Brun waved his hand. "Are you saying our family isn't poor enough? House Riveran has money and men. Perhaps Jon Arryn's only wish is for us to fight each other."

Like the Crab Claw People, the He'an family were comrades-in-arms who fought on the Trident River.

Unexpectedly, the two sides are now worlds apart.

After all, the territorial difference between Shenyan Lake and Crab Claw Peninsula is too great, and this former comrade-in-arms, Si Ping, is also being used as a tool by Old Erin.

"The Hean family are traitors," said a member of Baron Brun's family.

"Forget it, let's not talk about this anymore. We all need to eat," Baron Brun sighed.

Even as devout supporters of the royalist party, the crab-claw people no longer have the spirit or courage to go all in, given the current state of the Dragon family's collapse.

They buried their loyalty deep inside, but consistently acted uncooperatively.

The crab-claw people have no value in winning people over, and their temperament is as conservative and closed-minded as the valley people, so they live a particularly miserable life.

The Crab Claws of the Royal Territory, the Darryl family of the Riverlands, the Loommoth family of the Stormlands, the Clinton family, and the families of the Long Table Hall in the Reach—these are all families that are now being exploited to the point of misery.

Ser Darryl sheltered the Dragonborn, while the Griffin killed Arryn's heir and nearly killed Duke Horst and Robert.

The He'an family and the Muton family are somewhat better off than them, since they haven't attracted as much hatred or stood out as much as the aforementioned families.

In comparison, the Harrenhals, with their large and powerful family, and the presence of a ruthless individual like Arthur Hoan, recovered relatively quickly.

Baron Brun rubbed his brow. "War won't start easily! Arthur Hoan isn't crazy; he knows that going to war with us will only lead to a quagmire."

“That’s right,” said the baron’s sons. “The swamp and the Black Forest are our best weapons.”

"But it won't be so easy for him to obey us," Baron Brun scoffed. "I'll be waiting for this new Guardian at Terror Cavern."

“But if it’s just our family challenging the Dark Knight, the odds of winning are too low,” Baron Brun’s son said, taking a deep breath. “The Dark Knight, Arthur Hoan, became a knight at the age of fourteen and killed the sea monster’s son, the sea monster’s cousin, Horace. At the tournament in Lannisport, even Sir Barristan was defeated by him.”

Reputation is earned through battle, and Arthur the Dark Knight's reputation is still quite terrifying.

Even though these semi-savages of the Crab Claw Peninsula pride themselves on their military might, they are not fools at this moment.

"Of course we can't. But Crab Claw Peninsula isn't just about one family or one castle," Baron Brun said slyly. "If the River An family uses the Brun family as a base, then the entire Crab Claw Peninsula will be in trouble. In that case, I don't believe those lords and savage tribes wouldn't worry. They should all send their most elite knights, even their fiercest spearwomen, to support us. Write to New Whisper Castle, write to the other families."

The people of Crab Claw Peninsula are just that stubborn; when there are no external enemies, they would rather live and die without any contact with each other.

However, if an external enemy arrives, they will join hands to fight it.

These people also seemed to be some of the Dornish lords asking questions.

"Let's do it this way." Baron Brun's sons nodded in agreement.

The ravens set out from the Bren family's territory and flew to various parts of the Crab Claw Peninsula.

The Bren family recruits other lords and knights from the Crab Claw Peninsula, preparing to clash with this evil black bat of Harrenhal.

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