Chapter 192: Surviving in Troubled Times
The sales of obsidian goods are unbelievably hot, even in the modern society where there is no magic and pays attention to science before the crossing, the selling point of "warding off evil spirits" has been recognized and bought by countless people, not to mention this world of ignorance and real magic?
After the sales department's market research as accurately as possible, the price of "Longjing products" was finally determined.
Ordinary obsidian pieces, grinding off the edges and edges and corners that are easy to scratch people, making a grain smaller than grapes, the shape is not very regular obsidian beads, the top of the "dragon crystal particles" of the name, sell ten copper points, the main selling point is that "the poor are also afraid of ghosts, no money is also qualified to ward off evil spirits"; and after carving, polishing, polishing and making various shapes of fancy, and even punching holes can be threaded and hung in the neck, it is "dragon crystal jewelry" , the price is between five silver deer and ten silver deer, even if there is no such thing as warding off evil spirits, the polished and shiny obsidian itself is not bad pendant, and it has quickly become one of the most popular jewelry for the middle and upper classes.
The above pricing is aimed at the common people and the well-off. After making people fear the presence of ghouls, they were stuck at a price point that they "felt was expensive but affordable" to ensure that obsidian sales and individual profits were around the most delicate and perfect balance point, and that the benefits of the night watch industry were maximized.
As for the most mysterious ...... It is said that the price of "military obsidian", such as dragon crystal arrows, daggers, and spear tips, can only be obtained through "special channels" such as the internal staff of the Night's Watch Office, garrison officers, and a very small number of underworld people. From forty or fifty to hundreds of silver deer, it all depends on the eloquence of the salesman and the buyer's degree of "stupid and moneyy" - you know, the spear used to stab the ghoul to death that day fetched a high price of nearly twenty golden dragons.
The uncountable reserves of natural glass on Dragonstone Island are dug up and transported to the industrial park, and the workers will buy it for the citizens of King's Landing after a little processing...... It's a real book of profits. Obsidian, as a "useless resource" that never attracts attention, is temporarily produced in large quantities in only one place in Westeros, which makes Iger not even a competitor, and the degree of profiteering is better than that of paper printing.
Coming out to mix always has to be repaid, Slint has a fortune of tens of thousands of gold dragons and was knocked down by the Night's Watch industry and beheaded The lesson is close at hand, while Iger makes a lot of money and pays dividends to shareholders and investors, he also does not forget to let the guards and hooligans who take the initiative to come to the door to ask for covers, and are actually useful to themselves, also drink some soup - as a big man in the eyes of ordinary people, it is not enough to have a deterrent effect, only the existence that can make people afraid and make his subordinates eat and drink spicy food can establish long-term power, ancient and modern, Chinese and foreign, it is better.
***
Because of the money he made too much, Egger even began to feel a little weak - Stannis Baratheon allowed him to mine obsidian on Dragonstone at will, in response to Eddard Stark's request to provide weapons for the Great Wall, but now he is making money like crazy with obsidian, in case this Duke of Dragonstone, who has no money, no power, and is not treated by the nobles of the Seven Kingdoms, and has no "filial piety" of his own, is so bitter that he can't even eat a bite of meat...... Whatever kind of blockade control is there, and it's over.
This is likely to be a gentleman's belly with the heart of a villain, but doing business is a peace of mind, and Iger begins to try to visit Stannis, hoping to make the other party feel comfortable and reassuring himself by giving him a share of the obsidian industry, dividends and other benefits...... Anyway, with this guy's temper, it is estimated that he will not be greedy enough for the lion to open his mouth.
Unfortunately, the Sea Chancellor was busy leading the Dragonstone fleet to deal with the swarming pirate and mercenary ships these days, so that Egger's men pounced several times in a row and couldn't find it.
Everything went so smoothly, but the good days didn't last a few days, without him even knowing it...... By chance and inevitable, the Seven Kingdoms were in chaos.
Ranri Baratheon and Margaery Tyrell quietly left King's Landing, and without warning, the Stormlands army turned back from their way to the battlefield of the West, closing in on King's Landing...... Without Arya, a little informant, Egger didn't get the news at the first time, but fortunately it wasn't too late: as the garrison began to recruit new soldiers in King's Landing, Eddard Stark recruited the remaining troops of the princes of the royal realm for the second time, and Egg, as the umbrella and godfather in the eyes of half of the golden robes, one of the most powerful people in the "non-aristocratic status" in the capital of the Seven Kingdoms, even if he didn't take the initiative to inquire, it was difficult not to hear about it.
After experiencing the refreshment of turning his hands into clouds and turning his hands into rain for more than half a month in the business world of King's Landing, a sense of powerlessness surrounded Iger again. The Night's Watch industry has grown enough to withstand the aftermath of war, but it's definitely not strong enough to prevent a civil war from happening—and this time, it's going to face the brunt of war directly.
The Night's Watch Industrial Park is located on the banks of the Blackwater River on the northwest outskirts of King's Landing, and Lan Li's army is coming along the Golden Avenue from the west, and if the Riverbend raises troops to support him, it is likely that he will march east along the Rose Avenue and finally cross the Blackwater River at a suitable location to complete the siege of King's Landing.
As long as you are not blind, such a huge complex as the Night Watch Industrial Park will not escape anyone's attention at all.
"Developing itself in the suburbs", this model allowed the night watch industry to start and carry out mass production almost at no cost, which was able to grow into the behemoth it is today in less than a year, but as a satellite city of King's Landing, an economic development zone in the capital of the Seven Kingdoms, an industrial park without even decent walls, and a warehouse with grain and grass and armaments inside, such an existence, in front of thousands of large corps, is simply a piece of fried bacon on a plate, full of aroma and easy to obtain.
The most troublesome thing is that every inch of land in King's Landing is expensive, and he can't move the industrial park into the city walls at all!
As the leader of the forces, Iger must survive for his cause.
***
The situation is tense, and all the gates of King's Landing have begun to strictly control it, although the entry and exit of Egger is still smooth for the time being, but if the door is officially closed in two more days, then no one can accommodate themselves...... Hard-headed, he took the guards and three times the number of horses, went out of the city through the King's Gate, and began to gallop west along the Golden Road.
Because of Melisandre's existence, Lan Li was already doomed to defeat the moment she decided to fight for the Iron Throne, and what she had to do now was to stop ...... Or plead with him, don't drag the Night's Watch property into the water.
......
The sky was clear, and the golden road was full of golden-robed scouts sent by Eddard Stark for early warning, but fortunately, Egger already had no less recognition and authority than the commander in the eyes of the garrison soldiers, he was not hindered or interrogated, he set out in the morning, and drove non-stop for a day, and on the second morning, he encountered scouts from the Stormlands army, and after indicating his intention, he was led into the camp of the Blue Rite.
Even after seeing the army of the Six Nations led by Robert himself during the rebellion in the Vale, Egger was still shocked by the sheer size of the military camp in front of him, and with just one glance, he realized that the army in front of him was by no means more than the "more than 10,000" Stormland soldiers he had heard from Aral Tim before—not that he could count the number of people in an instant, but because he had seen the golden rose of the High Court beside the Crown Stag Banner fluttering high in the Blue Ceremony.
In less than ten days, when the main elite was in the western realm, Hewandi gathered another army and rushed to join Lan Li. Its combat effectiveness is unknown, but its numbers alone are terrifying enough...... King's Landing may be hard to keep!
This war of exterminating the lion from the six nations inadvertently gave Lan Li a good opportunity to usurp the throne by force - on weekdays, if someone gathered troops in Storm's End or High Court, I was afraid that before the people arrived, the rebuke and warning from King's Landing would have arrived, but under the banner of going to the west to fight against the Lannisters, his army calmly passed through the gate of King's Landing, without arousing anyone's alarm. What's even better is that the army gathering and marching speed of the Stormlands are ranked last among the six nations, and this deficiency has become the biggest advantage at the most critical moment - because of the fast running, the main armies of the other five kingdoms and the royal leader have already entered the battlefield, and none of them have time to return to the rescue, this battle will be a one-on-one battle between the Stormlands army and the defenders of King's Landing with the cooperation of the new army of Riverbend!
Is all this coincidence premeditated and deliberately created by Lan Li, or did he seize the opportunity to take advantage of the trend?
Passing through the sprawling barracks, Egg struggled to identify the coats of arms of the Stormlands and Riverbends, a task he had done his homework on, but still couldn't quite recognise them - in addition to the noble army, there were also a number of mercenary knights and freeriders, who had not made it to the Westside to respond to Tywin's recruitment, but who had gathered under the command of Lan Li along the way, in order to take a more attractive and generous side in this battle between the two deer.
......
When Iger was ushered into the entrance to the Blue Rite's tent, the Duke of Storm's End was having breakfast with Margaery and his closest nobles, talking and laughing with each other, as if confident of victory.
"Your Majesty, the Night's Watch Chief Logistics Officer, Egger West asks to see you. ”
"Please come in. Lan Li didn't stop eating, and when Iger entered the tent and stood in the center, he even asked cordially: "Your Excellency Chief Logistics Officer, have you had breakfast?"
Lan Li, how capable Iger doesn't know much, he doesn't dare to talk about it, but in terms of emotional intelligence and popularity, he really has achieved the ultimate. Socialize with him, never have to worry about him embarrassing you in public for no reason, and even get angry without warning, and then a wine glass slams over...... Such a person, when one of the princes is fully qualified, but he occupies the position of Minister of Law, and the Baratheon dynasty is rotten like this, he is afraid that he will not be able to escape the blame.
And now, this guy actually covets the Iron Throne again...... Which was more suitable, Lan Li or Lannister, Egger really couldn't tell, and if he had to answer, he felt—maybe neither of them would be suitable.
Slander is slander, but Lan Li's character of never offending people will at least make what he wants to talk about next much easier, and Egger bowed: "You are too polite, Lord Lan Li, I have already eaten." ”
"Your Majesty. A tall guard standing behind Lan Li corrected, "Not your lord, and you should kneel before the king." ”
Your Majesty?Egger was puzzled, he was in King's Landing, but he hadn't heard of Robert's death, so Lan Li dared to claim himself king like this?Did Ed hide the news of Robert's death, or did he ...... The voice of the guard was strange, and he looked up and saw a tall, ugly woman behind Margaery, who was smiling.
It's Brienne, the "beauty", and the two should meet for the second time, but Egg only saw his appearance clearly this time, so he had to mention it...... The actors of the TV series are much better looking than her.
"King Robert has died, and Prime Minister Eddard Stark has concealed this from the inhabitants of King's Landing and changed his last words, intending to make Stannis Baratheon king and thus dethrone the Seven Kingdoms. We will wait for the army to rise up and uphold justice and morality. With a gentle and polite smile, Margaery explained to the stunned Egger without changing her face: "I believe that Lord Egger is not here to be a lobbyist for Duke Stark." ”
If it weren't for knowing Eddard Stark from God's perspective, Iger would have almost believed it. In order to win the Game of Thrones, people can do whatever it takes to make up despicable and shameless lies...... It's unimaginable to ordinary people.
"The Night's Watch is impartial and does not interfere in the internal affairs of the Seven Nations. Egger said, secretly glad in his heart - fortunately, he didn't use any crooked brains in the matter of selling paper printing patents, although he suffered a small loss, he had a good relationship with the male and female actors in front of him, and there was no conflict of interest between them...... As long as you take out the signboard of the country's righteousness, the probability of achieving the purpose of this trip is very high: "I came here for another thing - the Night Watch Industrial Park is located outside the city, and there is no city wall to protect it." The sword has no eyes, and I also ask Lord Lan Li to point out that he can show mercy to his subordinates and not affect the defenders of the Great Wall. ”
"Night Watch Industrial Park?" Lan Li muttered, thinking about it, he couldn't help laughing: "I also said why His Excellency the logistics officer came, it turned out to be this." ”
There are many kings and princes in the Night's Watch industry, and this matter is well known in King's Landing nobility circles, and Lan Li's trip to King's Landing has to rely on the cooperation of these friends to take the Iron Throne with as little bloodshed as possible - not to mention that he himself has seen the ghouls in the Red Keep, even if he hasn't seen it, Lan Li will not take the initiative to touch the Night Watch industry.
Of course, it's one thing not to take the initiative to touch it, and no one can say whether the officers and non-commissioned officers under his command will go to loot and destroy the thousands of princes in the storm and the river bay...... Egger's trip reminded him of this. Lan Li waved his hand: "This is very easy to do, you go back and let your men build a wall around the territory of the Night's Watch and paint it in black - I will give the order to ensure that the army of Storm and Riverbend will not be committed." ”
Egger was really surprised, but after a little thought, he figured out the joint, and after a turn of thought, he immediately took advantage of the victory to pursue: "There are also some industries in King's Landing......"
"Tell them to hang a black cloth at the door. ”
"Thank you...... Your Excellency!" Iger was overjoyed, but hesitated but did not utter the word "Your Majesty". The two deer will fight, and it will definitely be Stannis who wins, and if this rigid guy learns that he recognizes Lan Li as the king in the future, I am afraid that he will cause trouble.
"It's 'Your Majesty'!"
Margaery waved her hand to signal that Brienne didn't have to argue with an inconsequential detail like "title" with a night watchman who wasn't in the aristocratic gaming ring, and leaned over to Lan Li's ear, staring at Egger as she whispered something to her future husband.
Egger was creepy, and quickly thought about it carefully, except for the fact that he didn't give her a friendly enough response during the counterinsurgency in the valley, he didn't seem to have provoked Margaery again. This scheming girl, what is she doing at the moment?
Under the curious or indifferent gaze of the princes of Storm River and Bend in the Blue Tent, Egger struggled through the minute. It seemed like a long time before Margaery got up and left Lan Li's ear, and the latter immediately raised her head, looked at Egg, and spoke again.
——