socalfunplaces Chapter 132 Forced Takeover of Hard-Working Farm
Chapter 132 Forced Takeover of Hard-Working Farm
Chapter 132 Forced Takeover of Hard-Working Farm
The Iron Islands are barren, covered in rocks, and cannot produce much food.
Ordinary people had no oxen or horses to plow the fields, so they had to act as their own oxen and horses.
But the Riverlands are the second largest grain-producing region among the Seven Kingdoms.
If we let the people of Tiemin run rampant here, what will we eat in the future?
The Iron Islands' long-standing customs have led them to believe that raiding and fishing are the most noble professions.
Therefore, the slave laborers working in the mines and farms were all prisoners captured during their plundering.
Stronger forces prevail over more diligent labor.
This is especially evident in the Greyjoy family motto.
Although the Iron Islands' mineral resources cannot compare to those of the rich West Frontier, it is still named after them, and the easiest iron ore to mine is located here.
So in Joffrey's eyes.
We must take strong measures to crack down on the criminal gangs, and then properly discipline the troublemakers so that they will obediently work for us in the mines from now on.
However, the population of the Iron Islands is a complete mystery.
The population of 500,000 in King's Landing and the surrounding area has been accurately counted, as it is related to the most important tax revenue of the Iron Throne.
Among the seven kingdoms and five major cities, only Oldtown can reach this scale, with a population of three to four hundred thousand, followed by Lannisport with a population of around two hundred thousand.
It was with this financial and population support that these two families were able to muster several times more troops than other feudal lords.
As for Seagull Town and White Harbor, their populations plummeted to 50,000 and 30,000 respectively.
Further down are towns like Mugu Town, Meirenji, and Huangjiatun, with populations of several thousand.
The plains of the King's Lands are very large, but they have been fought over by many forces over the millennia. They were only separated after Aegon's landing, so the population has not yet increased.
The vast rural areas combined have a population of less than one million.
However, this is because the feudal lords would underreport some taxes in order to pay less; in reality, the amount should be higher.
As for other places, the river valleys and valleys are in the same category.
One is a fertile land nourished by a tributary of the Trident River, and the other is a basin surrounded by mountains.
Comparing the two pieces of land that a certain imperial uncle borrowed but never returned with the land that led to his ascension to the title of King of Hanzhong should make things clearer.
The population of the Reach is equal to, or even greater than, the combined population of the two Reach areas.
As for the rest, Stormlands and Dorne are in the same tier, both with unfavorable climates and terrains.
The North and the West are in another category.
One reason is that the area is too large; the Starks still haven't been able to figure it out.
As for the other one, Tywin should know, but he doesn't tell outsiders, and Tyrion can't get it out of him either.
However, Joffrey felt that the population here wouldn't be too large, at least not reaching the level of the second largest in the country.
Estimating based solely on the size of the army is inaccurate, since gold can be used to inflate the recruitment rate several times over.
This brings us back to the Iron Islands.
This wretched place can produce 10,000 to 20,000 soldiers, which is almost the same as the North.
You can't exactly say they have a population of over a million.
"Your Majesty, I implore you to grant me the honor of leading the army in your stead. I swear I will not let you down."
Joffrey smiled as he looked at Edmure, who was making a fuss below.
It's like someone just handed you a pillow the moment you doze off.
This guy is almost thirty, but he's as reckless as a sixteen-year-old. He jumps out on his own after being lured in a little bit.
You really can't tell he's about the same age as the hound.
Joffrey does not intend to send a single soldier to this campaign against the Iron Islands.
They stripped away so many titles in one go just to use them as a bargaining chip for a reward. Everyone present disliked the Iron Islands, so no one would object to it.
In ancient times, there was a black-hearted Horen who served as both King of the Iron Islands and King of the Three Rivers.
Now, with Edmure, who is about to become the Duke of Riverrun, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he could serve as the Governor of River Isles.
Joffrey still has Theon in his grasp, and when he sends him back to Pyke Island, he can use him to counterbalance the power on the island.
At the council table beneath the Iron Throne, the courtiers in the royal council seemed to have differing opinions.
Cersei probably thought the Iron Islands were barren and useless, so she didn't help her father get the job.
Tyrion just wanted to spend more money.
Pycelle followed the Lannisters' lead without question, while Barristan stood to the side, leaning on his sword, not uttering a word, perhaps dozing off.
Edmund was also involved.
The only one who truly had doubts was Ed.
But more than that, he knew his brother-in-law was incompetent and worried that entrusting such a big matter directly to him would cause trouble.
The shadow on the floor slowly shortened.
After dealing with a bunch of trivial matters, today's petition has finally come to an end.
Cersei and Pycelle got up and left, while Eddard stayed behind to tidy up the documents scattered on the council table.
"My legs are too short to be of much help."
"Since you're just standing there idly, can't you help your brother-in-law?" The little devil winked.
Edmure nodded blankly, then grabbed the parchment from the table and piled it up haphazardly.
"Forget it, you go about your business." Ed sighed silently.
These tasks were previously done by Varys.
However, no one had taken over the intelligence chief position yet, and because it involved classified information, it was inconvenient to entrust it to a servant, so the prime minister had to handle it personally.
Joffrey carefully descended the steep, narrow iron steps and arrived at the council table.
"Our royal enforcer doesn't seem too happy," the little devil said, jumping off his chair and limping closer.
"This is his job."
Joffrey turned around and saw a mute knight with a bald head, the few remaining tufts of hair above his ears growing as long as a woman's, drooping softly.
Although Joffrey's own helmet also drooped over his shoulders, he had to tie it up before putting it on.
"No way," he said. "Sir Ilyin has done his duty perfectly. Uncle, you're just stirring up trouble again."
The little devil chuckled and said, "Is beating my brother up so badly part of his job?"
"Good James pulls him along every night—"
Upon hearing this, James took two steps forward and hurriedly apologized to everyone.
Then they covered his mouth and dragged him away.
Finally, only three people remained at the council table, and they could now freely plot their schemes.
Ed, who had been dawdling for a while, finally sat down, and Joffrey pulled over a chair as well.
Damn it.
He was restless on his seat, while the chairs of the people below were still cushioned.
Edmure stood there, stunned.
"Sit down, what are you standing here for?" Ed said calmly.
"oh oh."
Then came endless silence.
"Lord Edmure, please speak your mind."
Joffrey always practiced a system of giving bad land to others and good land to himself.
Especially in places like the Iron Islands, where even beliefs differ, cultural cleansing takes decades or even centuries.
He deduced that Edmure must be planning the attack in private, as well as how to deal with the local residents afterward.
"Don't worry about being eavesdropped on," Ed said. "The secret passages of the Red Keep have been searched."
"What eavesdropping? What secret passage?" Edmure was a little confused.
Joffrey reminded him, "You're not leaving after the meeting; isn't there some arrangement you can't disclose?"
Edmund shook his head immediately.
"No, no, no." His face turned as red as his beard. "I'm just—it's just my first time attending such a large conference."
"I was so engrossed in the moment that I haven't snapped out of it yet."