Chapter 23 Outside King's Landing

Jaime dislikes the Rose House very much because his father Tywin Lannister once had the idea of ​​marrying his sister Cersei to Highgarden, although in the end this idea has not yet been implemented. It was over, but he was still dissatisfied with the Tyrells.

  In addition, he was arranged to greet the Tilly family team this time. When Garland arrived in the Kingswood, he had already received the news, and counting the time, he came to the abandoned military camp at the entrance to the Kingswood to wait for Tilly. The arrival of the Er family, but the Tyrell family's team was several days late, making him suffer for a few days in vain, so he couldn't wait to make things difficult for Garland as soon as they met, in order to vent his resentment.

  "I am only ten years old this year. I wonder what Lord Jaime looked like when he was ten years old?" The Kingslayer's provocation and ridicule had no impact on Garland at all. He smiled and asked Jaime Lannister. .

  Faced with Garland's inquiry, James was silent for a moment. In fact, in James' mind, Garland was already very good. At only ten years old, he could lead the team from a place as far away as Highgarden to King's Landing. This kind of leadership is It's something that most people don't have, and he didn't have such an ability when he was ten years old.

  Although he recognized Garland's ability, he did not show it. He just smiled and did not answer Garland's question. Instead, he changed the subject somewhat bluntly and said: "Why is it that the person who led the team to King's Landing is not your eldest brother Wei?" Ra's Tyrell, but you, a little guy who hasn't shed all his fetal hair yet, are you, the Tyrell family, so disdainful of participating in the tourney organized by His Majesty Robert specifically for the birth of his eldest son? Or do you think you are too disrespectful to Labor? Are you dissatisfied with His Majesty's heir?"

  "Lord James, you seem to have forgotten one thing. My father, Duke Mace Tyrell, is currently in King's Landing. Is my eldest brother more important than my father? If Tilly If your family is really dissatisfied with His Majesty Robert's heir, I think my father would be in Highgarden now instead of staying in King's Landing." Faced with Jaime's disrespectful behavior, Garland could handle it well. With ease.

  Seeing that his difficulty was ineffective, James did not continue. Instead, he returned to the topic and said: "I was ordered by His Majesty Robert to greet the Tyrell family's team here. Now follow me to arrange for you." Let's set up camp!"

  After saying that, he pulled the reins of the horse, turned around and walked towards King's Landing City. When passing by the scout team, he couldn't help but look at Lind, who didn't care about him. A Tyrell warrior showing contempt and disdain.

  At first, he didn't think there was anything special about Linde, until he saw the albino shadow lynx Glory at Linde's feet. A trace of surprise and surprise appeared on his face, and he also had a trace of curiosity about Linde in his heart, but He knew very well that now was not the place or time to satisfy his curiosity, so he quickly averted his gaze and led the Tyrell family to the camp in accordance with the king's order.

  Under the leadership of the Regicide, two teams of a hundred people marched one after another on the King's Road. After seeing the flags of the two teams, the caravans spontaneously retreated to both sides of the road and waited for the teams to pass before embarking on the road. .

  Although it has been a year since the war ended, the impact of the war has not disappeared, especially the impact on business, which is still having a huge impact to this day.

  During the war, not all the Dragon Army was wiped out. Most of the surviving Dragon Army surrendered after the death of Prince Rhaegar, but some of the Dragon Army were loyal to Targaryen. The knights of the family led the army and had no intention of surrendering.

  It's just that these people also know very well that they can't reverse the situation with their strength. They can only escape to a safe place first and then think of a solution.

  At that time, there were not many escape routes they chose. It could even be said that there was only one, and that was to go south.

  Because the North, the Riverlands, the Valley and the West are all enemy territory, only the Tyrell family in the south and Dorne further south were still on the side of the Long family, so these last loyalists of the Long family led He led the remaining troops across the Blackwater River and moved south.

  However, before they even left the Kingswood, the Tyrells and the Dorns had already publicly expressed their support for Robert Baratheon to ascend the Iron Throne, completely abandoning the failed Dragon family.

  What made these remnants of the Long family even more desperate was that the new king Robert immediately issued a wanted order for all the remnants of the Long family, and confiscated all the properties of the lords and wealthy knights among the remnants of the Long family, completely blocking them. provided these people with a way out.

  At the same time, in order to show his loyalty to the new king, ease the conflicts caused by the usurper's war, and eliminate the new king's suspicion, Duke Mace Tyrell immediately ordered all the nobles in the south to encircle and suppress the remnants of the Dragon family and forcefully The remnants of the Long family were trapped in the southern border and forced to become bandits and bandits.

  After hearing this order, the Queen of Thorns who was sitting in Highgarden was so angry that she broke her most beloved exquisite porcelain vase from the Far East, because she knew very well that this order issued by her son would How much damage and negative impact will it cause to the Southern Territory? These harms and impacts may even directly shake the Rose family's rule over the Southern Territory.

  However, it is impossible for her to stop it, because Duke Mace Tyrell issued this order in a public way. If she stops it, it will undoubtedly be regarded by the new king as supporting the Long family. The usurper army that has not dispersed will go south and directly bulldoze the Tyrell family.

  Therefore, the only thing she can do is to order Duke Mace Tyrell to stay in King's Landing and not return to Highgarden, lest he come back and make some stupid decisions and make things worse. The excuse is very simple, just to ease the situation. Relationship to the Iron Throne.

  For a whole year after that, the Southern Territory was as the Queen of Thorns expected. Bandits were rampant and bandits were wanton. The Red Lake Forest bandits that Lind participated in the encirclement and suppression were just one of them. There were also many bandits who were incarnations of the remnants of the Long family. Amidst the vast plains, hills and mountains between Highgarden and King's Landing.

  The entire Southern Territory has also suffered a severe commercial blow for this reason, because doing business in the Southern Territory is too dangerous, and there is a possibility of being robbed at any time. Without the caravans, the commerce of various cities in the Southern Territory has naturally come to a state of stagnation, and various lords They also suffered heavy losses and complained a lot against the Tyrell family.

  The nobles in the South who were originally dissatisfied with the Tyrell family becoming the Duke of Highgarden and the Guardian of the South became eager to move again and began to challenge the authority of the Tyrell family. The split of the Crane family was just one of the episodes.

  Although various lords in the southern region have tried their best to eliminate the bandits this year and restored some commercial activities, compared with the scale of business before the Usurper War, the part that has been restored now is simply insignificant.

  Previously, the Rose family's team encountered only a handful of caravans along the way. It was because the cavalry teams of various lords often patrolled back and forth on Rose Avenue that these caravans with their own escorts decided to give it a try. Those caravans that simply could not recruit enough guards did not consider taking the Rose Avenue at all.    

  When the Rose family's team crossed the Heishui Bridge, the difference in business between the north and the south was even more obvious. The road to the south of the Heishui Bridge was overgrown with weeds and the inn was almost deserted, while the north side of the Heishui Bridge was full of caravans. The warehouses are full, and some are even piled on the grass in front of the warehouse. These goods are all shipped to the Western Territory, the Riverlands, the Valley and other northern lands.

  Looking at the prosperity in front of him, Garland couldn't help but sigh, and he couldn't help but feel a headache for his father who always liked to make confused decisions.

  In fact, this trip to King's Landing was originally supposed to be led by his brother Willas Tyrell, but his grandmother, the Queen of Thorns, stopped him and instead let the ten-year-old him lead the team north, and Willas He stayed in Highgarden to assist the Queen of Thorns in handling various affairs. Apparently his poisonous grandma thought that since her son was raised crooked, she would train a grandson to replace her son.

  After the careful Garland adjusted his mentality, he soon discovered that something was wrong with the people around him. This was not the danger of assassination, but the way the people around him looked at them was wrong.

  Normally, ordinary people would feel scared when they see a team of nearly three hundred people, lower their heads, and stay away from them. But now these civilians in King's Landing have gathered on the roadside one by one, staring at the team. Look, each pair of eyes is full of hatred and contempt.

  However, Garland soon discovered that these eyes were not looking at them, but at the golden robe leading the way, or more accurately, the regicide riding on a war horse with his head held high.

  At this time, Garland also thought about the information he had seen about the Usurper War, and realized that the reason why the Kingslayer was hated and despised by the people in King's Landing was not just because he killed the Mad King to whom he was loyal. , especially because his surname was Lannister, and at the end of the war, the army led by Lord Tywin Lannister sacked King's Landing. Countless people from King's Landing died at the hands of the Western Army. In the end, all this hatred was settled. On the most dazzling Lannister, the Kingkiller.

  At this moment, Garland suddenly sympathized with Jaime Lannister, and also admired the Kingslayer's will. Thinking about it from his perspective, if he were in the Kingslayer's current position, he would never be able to deal with this person who is always around him. If you turn a blind eye to such malicious eyes, it will only be a matter of time before you are driven crazy.

  While Garland was analyzing the situation in King's Landing by observing the surroundings according to the method he learned from the Queen of Thorns, Linde, like the rest of the team, looked around curiously, admiring the scene of King's Landing.

  Most of the people in the Rose Family team have never left Highgarden. They have long been famous for King's Landing, the most famous city in the Seven Kingdoms, and they had already made plans to see this famous city before coming here.

  After just crossing the Blackwater Bridge and passing through the station area to the outskirts of King's Landing City, they were a little disappointed by the corner of King's Landing City that appeared in front of them. The towering city walls should have given people a strong sense of oppression, but they were all over the city walls. The dilapidated marks make people feel as if this city wall will collapse at any time, and what is even more speechless is that these dilapidated marks are not caused by the damage caused by the siege, but are all natural damage caused by years of disrepair.

  In addition to the disappointing city walls, the residents of King's Landing were also disappointing. Each of these people were in ragged clothes. They felt like refugees who had escaped from other places. They had no courage at all like the residents of the capitals of the Seven Kingdoms.

  However, they soon knew that their judgment was correct. Most of the people they saw on the road were indeed refugees. Originally, these refugees who escaped because of the war should return to them after the war. Their respective hometowns, but their fields were confiscated by the local lords after they fled. Going back was a dead end, so they could only stay in King's Landing to earn a living.

  The influx of large numbers of refugees has exceeded the limit that King's Landing can bear. Even though Duke Tywin's Western Army cleared King's Landing a year ago, the rapid influx of refugees still quickly filled the population vacancy caused by the dead civilians. , and later refugees were unable to enter the city to live, and could only build wooden houses and tents on both sides of the road outside the city.

  Over the past year, King's Landing started with the Mud Gate and ended with the Steel Gate. Most of the city walls were filled with wooden houses and tents of refugees, and several new city districts were spontaneously formed in the area near each city gate.

  Such a huge influx of people has naturally brought about various problems. Theft and robbery can be seen almost everywhere, and gangs of all sizes have also sprung up in these places. But now for Linde , these refugees brought him only one trouble, and that was the dirty environment.

  The streets filled with feces and urine were simply torture for Linde. Fortunately, when he was crossing the Blackwater Bridge, in order to prevent Glory from attracting unnecessary attention, he put it in the pocket specially made for it on his chest early. Otherwise, He was about to face the situation where Glory, covered in shit and urine, was rubbing against him.

  Fortunately, this journey was not particularly long. When they arrived outside the King's Gate, they turned in another direction and walked along the edge of the arena towards the Lion Hill on the west side.

  Lion Hill is located on the northwest side of the competition ground, close to the Lion Gate. This is the best viewing spot around the entire competition ground. Standing on Lion Hill, you can overlook the competition ground and have a panoramic view of everything going on in the competition ground. .

  At this moment, there are several flags flying on the Lion Hill, such as the golden lion flag of the Lannister family in the west, the wolf flag of the Stark family in the north, the deer flag of the Baratheon family in the Stormland, the Vale The Eagle Banner of the Arryn family and so on are all the largest families in the Seven Kingdoms.

  The rose flag of the Tyrell family is also among them. It seems that Mace Tyrell has prepared the camp in advance, but the location of this camp is not very good. On the west side of the Lion Hill, there is no fighting field at all. It was much worse than Dorne Martell's camp. Obviously, the Duke of Highgarden's efforts to ease relations this year had not had much effect.

  After the Kingslayer sent Garland and others to the gate of the camp, he turned around and left without making any stop.

  After entering the camp, Garland chatted with the people guarding the camp for a few words, probably asking where his father was now. Then he led Fertimo and other nobles and knights to temporarily leave the camp and head to King's Landing City. The remaining people were assigned to various tents under the arrangements of the camp, and were also assigned their own patrolling, guarding and other tasks during this period.

  (End of chapter)