Outside Carefree Cottage, Wylis Wode and Lucas Roote were still training with sword and shield on the flat ground.
Clang! Clang! Longswords crashed against shields with resounding booms.
The two were fairly evenly matched, though Wylis was slightly stronger.
Their talent and aptitude were average.
Even with training from Arthur and Ser Lucas, they would likely peak at the level of a first-rate knight.
This was normal for the Riverlands; right now, the Riverlands were arguably in a martial slump.
Inside Carefree Cottage, Arthur and Ser Lucas Dayne continued to plot their next moves.
"Harrenhal's trade routes primarily radiate eastward. Aside from the line along the Trident's mouth, there's King's Landing. The routes to the western Riverlands and the Westerlands are secondary," Ser Lucas said.
This was normal; to the east lay King's Landing, the Vale, and the wealthy merchants of Essos.
To the west, aside from the Westerlands and the western Riverlands, there were only the impoverished Ironborn.
"Correct. The ports along the Trident's mouth—Lord Harroway's Town, Saltpans, Maidenpool—are all inclined toward us. I've scattered gold in King's Landing and established a relationship with Commander Janos. That money will even find its way into the King's hands."
The "Frog" Commander was extremely solicitous toward Arthur, seeing him as a thick leg of cash flow to hug.
"It's not without reason that Janos can sit securely as Commander of the City Watch. Besides being a sycophant, he's adept at grabbing money..." Ser Lucas laughed. "It's truly incredible when you think about it; the Commander's money continues to flow upward."
"Upward" meaning Robert spent it too.
Janos didn't just eat and drink his fill; he siphoned off a portion of the funds to curry favor with the King.
Janos took bribes, then spent them on Robert—he was more like a glove.
This was very Robert, and it fit the rules of Westeros.
Raising taxes was synonymous with tyranny in any era, so financial wizards like Littlefinger who could conjure money out of thin air were much more popular.
Littlefinger rubbed his coins together, and both income and deficits grew in tandem.
This wasn't a good thing, but Robert liked it, and he even implicitly protected Janos, who sucked up to him.
"The trade channels in King's Landing are open, and Harrenhal is slowly recovering its blood. The next step is training soldiers," Ser Lucas said, taking a deep breath.
Rich country, strong army.
After becoming wealthy, one faced the problem of military strength.
"But Arthur, what is your expectation? If you are content to be the Earl of Harrenhal, to make Harrenhal wealthy and restore its past glory, that is not a big problem. But if you want more, that will be very difficult." Ser Lucas looked directly at Arthur.
Making Harrenhal wealthy again was a simple task.
Harrenhal's superior geographical environment was right there: farming, collecting taxes, and tolls.
At the very least, they would be among the richest high lords in the Riverlands.
The hard part was the second step: how to surpass the Tullys of Riverrun and dominate the Riverlands.
According to Ser Lucas's proposal, it was better to be steady and live a good life.
After all, House Tully and the new nobility of the Baratheon dynasty were intertwined, looking very stable.
"The second step is naturally difficult, but I have no choice," Arthur said firmly.
"Do you think the Seven Kingdoms will remain at peace for long, Ser?" Arthur asked Ser Lucas in return.
Ser Lucas shook his head.
"Unlikely. The future is hard to say. Looking at it now, even with those foolish moves, the King and the Hand have the authority to suppress any chaos."
Anger and dissatisfaction still lingered in the Seven Kingdoms.
Dorne, the eastern Riverlands, the Crownlands, the Reach, and even the former Hand Tywin were still sidelined.
No one could accurately predict when war would come; currently, the Seven Kingdoms were generally optimistic.
"Kings and Hands do not live forever." Arthur looked at Ser Lucas, his eyes cold as stars. "Ser. To tell you the truth, the Riverlands are still in a time of danger."
"A time of danger for the Riverlands? How is that possible? Wolf, Stag, Fish, Falcon, and Lion form a great alliance. Trout and Falcon, Wolf marriage; Stag and Lion marriage. This is impregnable." Ser Lucas was a bit confused. "Furthermore, Hoster Tully is a man of strategy. Many compare him to the most outstanding Duke Kermit Tully of the past."
The "Lads" of the Riverlands who wrapped up the end of the Dance of the Dragons were considered some of the finest warriors the Riverlands ever produced.
Key figures included Duke Kermit Tully, his brother Ser Oscar Tully, and Earl Benjicot Blackwood, "Bloody Ben," who took the battlefield at eleven.
They were young, but ferocious in war.
The "Lads" killed Duke Borros Baratheon of Storm's End at the Battle of the Kingsroad.
Both Kermit and Hoster had elevated the power and influence of House Tully.
One through war, the other through marriage alliances.
Did House Martell of Sunspear not want revenge? Did House Tyrell of Highgarden not want to meddle in King's Landing?
It wasn't that they didn't want to; they lacked the capability.
In the face of this five-house alliance, they appeared weak and isolated.
"Nothing is impossible. Alliances formed for profit will shatter for profit. In this world, only two types of people are the most coldly sober: politicians and warriors. And a few are both. Tywin is one of them."
Arthur stood before the map tapestry of the Seven Kingdoms, analyzing the situation in the Riverlands.
With strong neighbors at your side, it's hard to sleep soundly.
One drawback of the Seven Kingdoms' politics was that the cake was fixed; to gain inheritance, one had to fight constantly.
Many spoke of expansion, but expansion was never as comfortable as holding established lands.
The few foreign wars waged by the Dragons centered around Dorne and the Stepstones, and they prudently controlled the scale of the conflict.
Once the various factions overlapped in King's Landing, they would start fighting each other first.
"So your true worry is Tywin." Ser Lucas realized.
Arthur's vision wasn't just on House Tully, but further afield on the Lannisters.
If the Tullys were insufficient to protect the people, then let the people flow to the protector.
"Ser Lucas, the Vale has the Bloody Gate, the North has the Neck, the Westerlands have the Golden Tooth. What does the Riverlands have?" Arthur's gaze swept over those geographical barriers one by one.
The eggshell of the Riverlands shatters at a touch; all the terrain favors the neighbors.
Others have maces; I have a big head.
Ser Lucas also stood up, his brow furrowed. "These are the defensive flaws that have existed in the Riverlands for thousands of years. But now, it's the union of three regions..."
Duke Hoster's decision to join Robert's Rebellion was logical.
Situated in the crossroads of war, the Riverlands were going to get beaten up anyway.
Better to steel his heart and throw his lot in with an ally who had a higher chance of winning, relying on the alliance for safety.
Tully married into two regions, and his biggest reliance wasn't the Starks of the North, but the Arryns of the Vale.
Arryn was closer and stronger; the Knights of the Vale could exit the Bloody Gate to aid the Riverlands. Arryn was also the Hand of the King and the foster father to both the King and Duke Stark.
If the three regions united during the War of the Five Kings, they wouldn't be defeated one by one.
But Hoster didn't anticipate that his two daughters would turn out so bizarrely in the future, turning saviors into disasters.
"First, we cannot rely solely on Arryn and Stark. Better to rely on ourselves than on others. The North is vast and bitter cold; mobilizing troops takes time. The Vale is wealthy, but the Valemen can simply close their doors and defend themselves. The Riverlands suffered greatly in the War of the Five Kings, and the Iron Throne confiscated a large amount of gold and land from the western Riverlands. By the time reinforcements arrive, the Riverlands will have been burned to the ground. Second, the Tullys have no alliance with the Lannisters; their relationship is average. The Golden Tooth looks down from above, making it easy for the Westerlands army to march east. Tywin is arrogant and ruthless; his notoriety is known throughout the Seven Kingdoms." Arthur said softly.
Ser Lucas nodded: "Pessimistically speaking, this isn't impossible. The gap between the Westerlands and the Riverlands alone is widening, which is also Duke Hoster's reason for binding the alliance."
The Three-Region Alliance was very intimidating; average people would certainly be bluffed by it.
"Wolf and Eagle are not the Trout's own strength. The worst outcome is the Riverlands facing a strong enemy alone. On paper, no one dares to provoke Hoster. But what if the opponent is Tywin? Tywin turns hostile without mercy..." Arthur emphasized the name again.
"Tywin Lannister." Ser Lucas's face stiffened.
Yes, Tywin.
This man who acted willfully, coldly, and ruthlessly.
Tywin was absolutely an anomaly in noble politics, known for his petty grudges and brutal methods.
Back then, Tywin had intended to stick a foot in the Riverlands, but the Kingslayer didn't marry Lysa Tully, who instead married Jon Arryn.
Tywin's rules weren't the traditional "stop at the point of contact," but rather a vicious extermination.
"Tywin is not a forgiving man. House Targaryen, House Martell, House Reyne, and House Tarbeck have all felt this," Arthur said coldly.
The Dark Forest, the era of moral decay, had arrived.
Extermination, liquidation.
When he says kill the whole family, he kills the whole family.
The man who brought the Seven Kingdoms into the Dark Forest was none other than Tywin.