Arthur leaned against the inner castle wall, looking down at the common people in the city.
This was a good castle, at least much better than his family's fortress, with walls, strong defenses, fertile plains, and a strategic location nestled by High Mountain and overlooking the plains.
But they couldn't stay in this castle for too long; a guest residing too long in the host's city would inevitably lead to trouble.
Yet, he truly didn't want to give up. He looked at his soldiers patrolling below.
If he wanted to control this castle, he needed to find a loyal and reliable person to serve as Lady Rona's steward, but currently, he had no available managerial talent.
Arthur thought of Lucien and Hakon; they were loyal and reliable, but they were good at killing people, which was no different from wielding a hoe, but asking them to manage a city...?
Bronn was out of the question; he was also an ambitious man. And if Old Nicken came, what would happen to Stinking Keep...?
"Alas…" Arthur sighed softly. He needed someone who at least understood writing, law, arithmetic, and interpersonal relations to serve as the castle steward.
Someone who could help Lady Rona collect taxes, handle disputes within the territory, and yet be loyal to him. But besides himself and Old Nicken, he had no one like that by his side.
Westeros's cultural foundation was too poor; the study of cultural knowledge was the right of Scholars, nobles, and septons. Even nobles only needed to learn content related to governance, and septons only needed to be able to recite the holy texts. Knowledge and its representation belonged only to the Citadel and Scholars.
This meant that without the support of these people, there would be no available grassroots bureaucratic system, or rather, Westeros inherently lacked the soil for a bureaucratic structure.
Arthur's gaze shifted to his soldiers patrolling below. Their military bearing was solemn, and their killing intent was palpable; the soldiers and common folk of Deep Valley City dared not look at them.
"Lord Arthur," Hakon's voice came from behind him, interrupting his thoughts.
"Is everything arranged?" Arthur did not turn around.
"Yes, Lord Arthur," Hakon walked to his side and bowed respectfully to him.
"The messenger has already departed, with the fastest horses and best riders," Hakon reported.
"Why are we withdrawing from the castle, my lord?" But he still couldn't help but ask the doubt in his heart, "And you also gave half of your spoils to Lady Rona, and sent many of the common folk back."
"Lady Rona obeys your every command; this castle is already completely in our control."
"Hakon," Arthur said slowly without looking at Hakon, "I ask you, whose city is this?"
"A few days ago, it belonged to those two despicable dead men who ambushed us. After that, it belonged to Lady Rona," Hakon replied. "Now, it is yours, my lord."
"No," Arthur shook his head. "It has never been mine; it belongs to Lady Rona."
"We are guests," Arthur continued, his voice calm. "Nominally, we are guests invited by Lady Rona to clean the house."
"Now that the house is clean, the owner should return to live here, and the neighbors will soon come to see."
"If we occupy this castle, Lady Roslin will have the most legitimate reason to rally her vassals and allies to encircle and annihilate us, a group of rebellious traitors."
He looked at Hakon, deciding to explain more thoroughly: "Hakon, how many men do we have in our army now?"
"How many people are in the territory?"
Hakon scratched his head: "We have three hundred and twenty-three men, my lord."
"We have moved many, many people to the territory."
"Where does our food come from?" Arthur's question slowly changed Hakon's expression. "Where do our weapons and equipment come from?"
"It's… it's provided by Lady Roslin," he answered in a low voice.
"Exactly," Arthur's gaze returned to the distance, in the direction of Lady Roslin's territory. "Our lives are firmly held in her hands."
"Old Nicken has already written to me. Lady Roslin said that Daedings Family's food supply is short, and now demands that we buy it with silver stags."
"This is an insinuation that she can cut off all supplies to us whenever she wishes."
"My territory will collapse on its own."
"We have no ability to resist at all."
Stinking Keep was too poor, Arthur frowned. This was also why he wanted to control Lady Rona; a lord had no right to interfere in the affairs of a vassal's fiefdom. That's why he needed to arrange an old steward to enter the castle, to control Deep Valley City on his behalf, and help his own territory.
If he couldn't find another way out, his neck would forever be tightly clasped in someone's hand. He just didn't expect that even though he had earned Lady Roslin enough face by winning the battle, Lady Roslin wouldn't give him any chance to develop, seeking to extinguish it at the first opportunity.
He was fortunate not to have accepted Lady Rona's marriage proposal; if he had, he feared she might truly turn against him, and the land matter might not be fulfilled. He only hoped the two letters would have some effect.
Unlike what Lady Roslin would do, Lady Roslin, in his opinion, was a very emotional person. It was probably that damned old Maester Walder again, who only wanted him to be content as the Lord of Stinking Keep.
Arthur now understood why generals leading troops away from home would keep their enemies to maintain their own importance, otherwise they would be discarded once their usefulness ended.
Arthur looked at Hakon and smiled, gently patting his shoulder to brush off the dust that had fallen on it. "If I occupy Deep Valley City, in Lady Roslin's eyes, I will no longer be a useful blade, but a thorn plunged into her palm. She will praise me with a smile, and then try every possible way to pull this thorn out and throw it into the fire."
"Therefore, we retreat to advance," Arthur said, enunciating each word. "We have rendered great service to her; she cannot deal with me without any reason."
"Moreover, her promise to me has already spread throughout the Three Rivers."
"And the content of my reply has also spread throughout the Three Rivers."
Arthur had Lady Rona write a letter to all the lords and nobles in the Three Rivers region, praising Arthur, Lady Roslin, and Daedings Family.
Arthur sighed silently in his heart; this foolish woman obeyed his every word. He had no way to repay her except to treat her well.
"So Daedings Family will want this matter to become a model example of a liege and vassal."
"Rather than becoming a scandal that shocks the Seven Kingdoms."
His deeds had already spread. Arthur thought what was more important was House Tully; their control over the Riverlands was not strong, and they were also a newly emerging guardian family. They would want to hear a story of a loyal vassal as a role model.
As long as Lady Roslin gives me a piece of land, no matter how poor.
Arthur clenched his fist and extended it beyond the stone wall:
"When you reach that land, you can cultivate your own fields, grow your own food, and you will feed your own families with your own food."
A strong gust of wind swept through, lifting Arthur's black cloak, making it flutter and flap loudly in the wind.
Hakon stood beside him, his eyes wide, his chest rising and falling. He looked at Arthur's young profile, at the black cloak fluttering in the wind. In the night, that young, tender face appeared sharply defined, shining in his eyes.
Arthur slowly unclenched his fist, extending his five fingers as if to grasp something:
"I will… fulfill my oath!! To give you your own land!!"
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