There was a brief silence in the chamber.

Then a voice of doubt sounded:

"Why just give taxes to the South? What about the North? ”

Tyrion spreads his hands:

"I also want to raise taxes for the lords in the north, but winter is coming, and the north is icy and snowy, and it is already commendable that they can starve to death less people in their territory, and they are expected to pay more taxes?"

"It's true that the north of the neck can be called icy and snowy, but the farmland in the south is not completely unproductive." Earl Leighton said, "So, I don't have a problem with raising taxes in the north, but the valley has the Bright Moon Mountain Range to block the wind and snow, and the valley is as warm as spring, and the land between the rivers is already fertile, even in winter, if you change to cold-resistant crops, the grain yield will not be low." These two realms can still increase taxes. ”

"No matter how good the valleys and rivers are in winter, they will not be rich in the south." Tyrion pleaded.

"The South is not all rich lands." Count Lucas also spoke, "Dorne's grain production is not much, and there have been many wars in the past few years, so I am afraid it is not appropriate to raise taxes at this time." ”

"Dorne's words, you can ...... as you like"

Before Tyrion could finish speaking, he heard Count Landau also question:

"Why don't you raise taxes in the West?"

"The west is mountainous and arable land is scarce......"

"But there's a lot of gold."

"Gold can't fill your belly, and it can't protect you from the cold wind."

"But you can buy food and furs."

"Who to buy from?"

"On the other side of the Narrow Sea," said Count Landau, "since the continent of Essos is not connected to the Land of Eternal Winter, it is less affected by the cold winter, and there is even a 'Land of Long Summer', so there is no need to worry about the invasion of cold winds. If there is enough gold, you can buy food from them. ”

"That's right." Tyrion nodded, but then changed his tune, "However, you may have forgotten that the gold of Castle Rock has been looted from the Iron Vaults, and even the gold mining rights for the next ten years have been taken away by the other party. The Lannisters now have to worry about what they're going to eat next. ”

"The gold mines in the West are not only in Kaiyan City, but also in Castelme City, Fort Nunn, and Pendry Hills."

"The fishing grounds of Fairy Island are also a 'gold mine.'"

"And Lannisport, the business tax revenue should not be low."

……

There were too many southern nobles in the Imperial Council, and Tyrion felt the difficulty of being alone, and shouted with some annoyance:

"No matter how good the West is, it can't compare to the riches of the riverbend! Lord Leighton, your Hightower family is rich in the world, and if you want to raise taxes, you should start with you! ”

Earl Layton was about to speak, but he heard a pounding sound from the long table.

As soon as he turned his head, he saw the king tapping the table.

The quarrel stopped immediately.

"This winter is a test for all of us in Westeros." Samwell said in a deep voice, "If the Great Wall of Desperation is breached, and strange spirits wreak havoc on the Seven Kingdoms, no matter how strong your castle is and how rich you are, it will be meaningless.

In order to survive this winter, we can no longer dwell on personal self-interest.

Tax hikes are imperative.

However, considering that there is indeed a gap between rich and poor in each territory, the amount of tax should be different.

Wealthy territories should take on more responsibilities, and barren territories can take on less.

Tyrion, as Chancellor of the Exchequer, draw up a tax increase plan as soon as possible according to the situation in each province.

To be fair and just, understand? ”

No matter what I do, there will be people who will have an opinion. Tyrion was tempted to complain.

But this time he kept his mouth in check.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Tyrion understood that he was able to enter the Council only because Caesar needed a "wicked man".

During the establishment of the Caesar dynasty, the southern aristocracy, especially the nobles of the river bends, made great contributions.

If you look at today's imperial council, you can see that they are basically all river bend nobles.

The strength and wealth of the nobles of Hewan are already known for the strength and wealth of the Seven Kingdoms, and now that winter is coming, they need to prepare military funds to fight against the strange ghosts, and they are the best "fat sheep".

But the problem is that these riverbend nobles are the great heroes of the Caesar dynasty, and if the king directly attacks them, it will definitely affect their reputation.

That's where Tyrion's role comes in.

As a member of the Lannister family, he already has old grudges with these southern nobles, and he has reason and motivation to be ruthless against them.

The southern nobles would only take out their anger on Tyrion, rather than resent the king.

If he could, Tyrion certainly didn't want to be a villain, which was a high-risk job.

Maybe one day when you sleep, someone will wipe your neck.

But he didn't have a choice.

Not to mention that he has a secret of killing his father in the hands of Caesar, and it is easy for the other party to destroy him.

More importantly, the Lannisters needed to find a new place in the Caesar dynasty.

Tyrion knew very well that Samwell Caesar was not a fool like Robert Baratheon, and although the other party relied on the support of the southern nobles to ascend to the Iron Throne, it did not mean that he would let the southern power grow wild in King's Landing.

Otherwise, why would he bring a Lanistra to the Imperial Council.

Isn't it just about balance?

Therefore, the positioning of the Lannister family in the new dynasty is very clear, that is, to become a pawn used by Caesar to balance the southern aristocracy.

Thinking of this, Tyrion smiled a slightly hideous smile at the few riverbend nobles opposite:

"Your Majesty, please rest assured, I will draw up a tax increase plan according to the situation of each family. Be fair and just! ”

Seeing that Tyrion understood what he meant, Samwell nodded with satisfaction: "Very good, this matter will be left to you." It is imperative to ensure that there are no problems with the logistics of the army. ”

"Yes, Your Majesty." Tyrion was eager to ask if he would be beheaded if something went wrong with the logistics.

I guess this answer won't make him feel relieved.

At the beginning, his own father would have killed him because of logistical matters, and Caesar obviously would not have been more merciful.

"We can't be too anxious to support the Great Wall." Earl Landau spoke, "First of all, the army has just gone through a few major battles, and it needs to be repaired. Secondly, armaments also need time to prepare. What's more, the Alien hasn't really appeared yet.

Therefore, I suggest that a vanguard army can be sent to the Great Wall to support, and the follow-up army can wait until it is ready, or the strange ghosts actually appear, and the Great Wall defense line is in a hurry before setting off. ”

"Yes." Samwell nodded in agreement, "Let Earl Deacon Tully lead five thousand men first." ”

"Okay."

"In addition, it is possible to organize the migration of residents from the north to the south." Samwell said again.

"I'm afraid this won't be easy." Earl Leighton frowned and said, "The people of the North may not be willing to leave their hometown, and the Lord of the North may not want to let the number of people under his rule continue to decrease. And how to settle the northerners who have migrated south is also a problem. ”

Samwell Says:

"Moving south is not mandatory. If the people of the north are worried that they will freeze to death and starve to death in the cold winter, they can go south. As for the nobles of the northern border, hmph, if they are sure to feed the people, I naturally have no opinion, but if they are not capable, they are not allowed to stop the people from moving south.

Those from the North who go south can go to the Stormlands, where labor is needed.

Oh yes, and so are the savages. ”

Hearing this, Gavin spoke:

"Your Majesty, there is news from the Great Wall that the King of the Outer Gates, Mance Red, has not agreed to lead the wildlings into the Great Wall, but wants to meet you in person."

Samwell frowned, "What? He also wanted to talk to me about the conditions. ”

"Looks like so." "It is said that Mance found the Horn of Winter. ”

Count Lucas was shocked and said, "Is that the horn that can cause the Great Wall to collapse when it is said to blow?" ”

"Yes." Gavin nodded.

Earl Leighton said, "It is also said that blowing the horn of winter can awaken the sleeping giants of the earth. ”

"It's also possible that nothing happens after the blow." Tyrion Road.

"But we can't afford to gamble." Earl of Randolph Road.

"There's really no need to gamble." Samwell said, "Okay, I'll go to the Great Wall of Despair as soon as possible to meet old friends." ”

(End of chapter)