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

Chapter 136 The Seven Sons' Judgment Will Be Made by Me Alone!

Red Fort, Prime Minister's Tower.

Jon and Arryn looked at the two letters with contrasting contents, one from the River House of Harrenhal and the other from the Bren House of Crabclaw Peninsula.

The letters from the Bren family also listed the names of a large group of feudal lords from the Crab Claw Peninsula.

Earl Clayber, Sir Boggs, Sir Hardy...

The semi-wild people of Crab Claw Peninsula appealed for their special location, the semi-autonomous tradition of the Crab Claw people, and refused to be ordered around by outsiders.

Even under the king's command, they demanded that the seven sons make a judgment.

Arthur Hoan's letters also consistently embody the principle of reason, a position of protection bestowed upon him by King Robert.

As the guardian of Crab Bay, it was only natural for him to command these semi-wild men, and he didn't mind fighting with them.

"Young people are indeed full of vigor." A strange curve appeared at the corner of Jon Arryn's mouth; it was a smile.

Fortunately, the Seven Sons' Judgment was too far away this time, otherwise Robert would definitely have gone to see it too.

Moreover, the Crab Claw Peninsula is barren and impoverished, far less important to the king than his pleasures in King's Landing.

Robert entrusted everything to his foster father.

Old Falcon actually liked Arthur very much, and the half-savages on the River Ang and Crab Claw Peninsula started fighting.

A dangerous dark knight, a group of unruly half-savages.

Jon Arryn disliked both of these groups.

Let them fight each other, as long as it doesn't affect the overall peace under the Iron Throne.

Jon rubbed his temples. He was a nobleman who valued honor and justice; otherwise, Eddard wouldn't have been led astray by him.

However, royal power is by no means equivalent to absolute justice; it also includes a certain degree of compromise and strategy.

This is also why Jon and Arryn allowed Robert to marry Cersei, and why they continued to make the Kingslayer the White Knight.

Lord Jon Snow also possessed a certain degree of cunning and resourcefulness, but unfortunately, he was too old.

His energy was slowly waning, and he could no longer keep up with those energetic young people.

"The Iron Throne will respect both sides. The Crab Claws have a special location, and the honor of guarding Crab Bay is also crucial." Jon's idea was put into practice.

The so-called respect for the rights of both parties means that you can just watch the outcome of the duel; the Iron Throne won't get too involved.

Just in case, Jon Arryn added a few patches to the duel between the two.

The four men—Count Mouton of Maidenspring, Count Lake of Duskvale, Count Setiga of Crab Island, and Count Clayber of Crab Peninsula—serve as observers recognized by the Iron Throne to maintain order in the tournament's adjudication.

After Jon Arryn completed his scheme, Duke Jon finally received the man who had come to see him, Littlefinger.

"Your Grace, you wanted to see me?" Littlefinger asked.

"Yes. Nothing else. Is there any financial strain lately?" Duke Jon added.

Petyr bowed his head obsequiously. "The finances are still the same. It's just that since returning from the Iron Islands, the King has probably been spending money even more lavishly."

"Robert, him... never mind..." Jon waved his hand helplessly.

Robert spends money like water, and Jon Snow can't stop him.

"Besides that, there's another thing: the Riveran family's financial income is rising rapidly. If you also consider their tax-free wine business, the Riveran family will soon be even richer than before, just like the Earls of Harrenhal in the past, just like Batwe in Whitewall," Littlefinger reminded him.

"I know about House River Ann's golden bulls, tolls, fertile fields, milk and dairy products, and a wine," Duke Jon thought for a moment.

Let's leave it at that. Taxing in peacetime is a form of tyranny, and besides, the He'an family has already paid all the fines.

Petyr nodded.

“But what you’ve told me is still very important. You’re young, and you can see things more clearly than I can,” said Lord Jon. “This little bat, he’s strong. But bats are creatures that thrive in the long night, which always makes me a little uneasy.”

"I will observe these things carefully. It is an honor to serve you, sir. Moreover, I will never forget that you gave me my guidance," Petyr said.

"Alright, alright," Duke Jon waved his hand. "Does the Queen have any further plans?"

"No," Petyr shook his head. "It's just that Queen Cersei thinks the Batman got the better deal, that the championship should have gone to Ser Jaime, since the Hound and the Mountain didn't go. It's just that there are more redcoats in the court now."

"That's fine then." Old Jon's eyes flashed with a cold light.

He was carefully maintaining the balance of power in the court. Those red robes were fine, but if Cersei brought in more troops, he would have to think twice.

"Sometimes I really want to go back to the Eyrie, call Harold and the other kids over, and raise them properly again, instead of getting bogged down in these trivial matters like I am now." The Prime Minister sighed as he sat in his seat.

The Harold that Jon mentioned is the current heir to House Arryn, and he's still a young boy.

Lord Jon is Harold, the brother of Hatton's maternal grandmother.

Before and after the War of the Usurper, Jon Snow lost three heirs, and now the heir is a child.

The Eastern Guardian's family life was also a mess; his third wife kept having miscarriages and failed to produce an ideal heir for the Duke.

As for Harold, although Jon wanted to promote him, his wife Lysa strongly opposed it, so Jon was unable to take care of the child.

So the child could only be raised by the Countess of Weywood as an adopted son of Iron Oak.

"The court and the king can't do without you, sir," Littlefinger quickly advised.

"Never mind, I was just joking. With the court like this, with Robert like this, how could I possibly leave?" Jon said helplessly.

Little Finger, meanwhile, was standing to the side, his eyes catching sight of the bat-patterned envelope on the table.

Littlefinger would never let Jon leave King's Landing; he wanted to draw sustenance from under this great tree and become the poison ivy that squeezes it dry.

Littlefinger appears to be Old Falcon's loyal servant, but he is actually very meticulous. He remembers the details of the Arryn family's succession issues and internal conflicts.

There's nothing we can do about it; the Prime Minister's wife is Littlefinger's inside man.

The land route from the coast was the closest to Dreadfort. To avoid getting stuck in the swamp, Arthur and his companions chose to travel together with Harrenhal's longship fleet, along with merchant ships from Salt Fields and Maidenspring.

Crab Claw Peninsula is considered a special place within the royal territory.

The other vassal states of the royal domain were wealthy but weak, while the Crab Claw people were poor and ruthless.

The longship fleet's sails were decorated with bat banners and trout from Nüquan Town.

Following the currents of Crab Bay, Arthur saw turquoise forests covering the entire Crab Claw Peninsula.

The soldiers' pines and sentinel trees resembled blue and green spears stretching across the sky and earth, with a layer of fallen pine needles covering the forest floor.

In such an endless pine forest, it is extremely easy to get lost; swamps and vast forests are the best weapons for the crab claw people.

The weather on the Crab Claw Peninsula is even worse, making it unsuitable for human habitation.

The Crab Claw Peninsula is cold and damp, somewhat similar to Braavos. It rains on some days, and the temperature is lower than in other places.

“My ancestors fought here,” said William, Earl of Mouton.

Earl Mouton was made of soft, flabby flesh; he was not cut out for war.

In the past, Mugu City, Nuquan City, and even the Setiga family all wanted to expand into Crab Claw Peninsula, but they were all badly beaten here.

The tax collectors of the Setiga family no longer dared to collect taxes on Crab Peninsula, because the savages would really drown them in the swamp.

Crab Claw Peninsula is indeed a desolate place. The further in you go, the fewer and fewer towns and villages there are along the coast.

The Cavern Castle is a steep and cramped castle perched on a cliff, overlooking the ocean waves.

The fortress looks like ruins, but it really is a fortress.

This fortress was difficult to conquer; the uphill path was a steep, rocky trail.

Although there are more carved-out steps, it is also very dangerous.

Arthur's ships entered the harbor of the Bren family and docked, and then the knights began to land on Crab Claw Peninsula.

House Bren and the lords, knights, and savages of the Crab Claw Peninsula who support them have appeared in the relatively open wilderness of the coast.

The Crab Claw Peninsula has no shortage of forests. The Crab Claw people have already set up a temporary arena, as well as seats for the Crab Claw Peninsula knights and the Iron Throne observer lords.

The Crab Claw People had fewer horses, so they chose a more practical sword and shield attack rather than a long spear and horse tactic.

"Good day, Sir Arthur, we have been waiting for you for a long time," said Baron Eustace Brun.

"Good day, Baron, I am ready." Arthur smiled slightly.

The sunlight shone on Arthur's black armor and golden robes, and on the Dark Messenger slung across his shoulder, making him appear even more powerful.

The golden-robed members of the River family surrounded Arthur; they were all dressed in black or silver armor and draped in golden robes, solemn and sharp.

"Sir Arthur, our men have arrived." Baron Eustace Brun raised his hand, without further ado.

The seven samurai of Crab Claw Peninsula have all arrived.

The Bren family, the Clayber family, the Boggs family, the Keffer family, the Hardy family, and the Paine family each sent a valiant general, and then found a strong mercenary knight from the mountain hollow of Crab Claw Peninsula.

"My men have arrived too!" Arthur said.

"Are they all the same few?" Baron Brun asked curiously.

"I'm enough on my own," Arthur said, pointing to himself.

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