"Long live Cliff City!" a citizen shouted.
In this world, people, in order to express the highest respect for their lord, would shout "Long live the city!" when they were emotionally excited. On the battlefield, when launching a charge, generals would also shout "Long live the city!" to boost morale.
In a short time, shouts of "Long live Cliff City!" echoed over Cliff City, lingering for a long time.
This is the first time in generations of Westerlings.
People have never so wholeheartedly supported Cliffrock.
The crowd was in an uproar, excited!
Being a professional soldier is a desirable job.
Tax cuts or even tax exemptions are a great blessing.
During the season when milk outbreaks cause disease, it is an even greater act of kindness for the lord to pay for the milk of his people.
None of the people considered a very simple question: the Westerlings were a poor, fallen family; where would they get so much money to support an army? Where would they get so much money to buy milk? In order to improve their status and become true nobles, Lady Hipper and her brother, Lofo Spicer, both gave up running the lucrative spice business.
Being a spice merchant was looked down upon by the nobility.
In order to avoid being 'looked down upon' by the nobles, the Spicer family gave up their spice business in Lannisport, a business that had made their ancestors incredibly wealthy.
The people did not think about the lord's problem, but the men in the households who had surplus labor were already asking Leonard Westerling about the conscription time.
Leonard's guards immediately ran upstairs to ask Lord Mountain.
However, Demon Mountain did not decide to strike while the iron was hot. He said, "Five days later, we will begin recruiting the first batch of 300 soldiers. Ten days later, we will begin recruiting the second batch of 300 soldiers, and fifteen days later, we will begin recruiting the third batch of 300 soldiers. The age range is from 15 to 40 years old. Those who are particularly strong, have basic swordsmanship and horsemanship skills, or have special skills, such as blacksmiths who can forge iron, stonemasons who can quarry stone, carpenters who can make furniture, horse breeders, calculators, and literate, will have their age restrictions relaxed."
*
At noon, the atmosphere in the restaurant was quite unusual.
Knights and nobles ate inside the dining room, while soldiers ate at long tables in a large room outside. Each long table could seat two hundred people. There were seven such long tables, indicating that during the Westerling family's heyday, the number of diners exceeded one thousand.
"Lord Mountain," Count Damon asked cheerfully, "I'm curious, you're recruiting nine hundred men. Where will your money come from?" He held a fork in his left hand, not chopsticks. Having lost his right hand, the Count had vowed never to eat with chopsticks again. Using his unaccustomed left hand, the chopsticks would fall to the ground.
"Weapons and armor are barely enough," Earl Gavin said sullenly.
The Westerling family still has their old cellars, although the weapons are covered in dust. They'll take them out, mend what needs mending, repair what needs repairing, and sharpen what needs sharpening; they still have a stock of a thousand sets of armor and weapons.
The Mountain said, "Earl Damon, are you unaware of Duke Tywin's decree to replace iron with wood? Now, even slightly wealthy citizens can afford to buy good swords and armor."
"Heh, alright. I believe you can find some rusty armor and swords in the ancient Westerling family's armory. So, how many months can you sustain these people's food, clothing, marching training, and pay?"
"I can't even last a month," Demon Mountain said calmly.
Count Damon raised an eyebrow and said to Count Leo, "Count Leo, are you planning to lend money to Lord Mountain to support his army?"
"Yes, two golden dragons!" Count Leo said in a serious tone.
The count was joking, of course. The two golden dragons he mentioned were a mockery of the foolish thing the Mountain had done that morning: giving two golden dragons to a stupid woman who was moving logs.
"Oh, if Lord Mountain needs to borrow money, I'm happy to give him two gold dragons, and you won't have to pay them back," Count Damon laughed heartily.
Count Gavin's face turned liver-colored.
Lady Hibel bit her lip, opened her mouth, glanced at Jenny, but ultimately said nothing. Lady Hibel had so much to say, but with two obnoxious counts present, it was best to remain silent to avoid humiliating herself.
This made Count Gavin even happier. It also put Count Leo in a very good mood.
Earl Leo said, "Earl Gavin, Lady Hibernate, Lady Jenny, Sir Gregor's decree announced this morning was impulsive! It was ill-considered and poorly planned. I still feel like I'm dreaming."
The Mountain laughed and said, "Count Damon, Count Leo, I have no money, and neither do my father-in-law and mother-in-law. But I would like to ask you, do you know if Duke Tywin Lannister is rich?"
Damon, forking a piece of beef, held it in the air: "The Mountain, you mean to say that Lord Tywin will give you money to train troops? You must be dreaming."
"I don't know, Earl Damon. You are Duke Tywin's cousin. You should ask Duke Tywin about this yourself."
Count Damon's face froze instantly.
It was as if someone had slapped him in the face.
His right hand was cut off, and Adam Marbran had already returned to the City of the Brand. He must have already sent a letter to Lord Tywin Lannister to complain. However, Lord Tywin Lannister of Casterly Rock did not send any ravens to the Rock to rebuke the Mountain.
Why?
This is a very subtle issue.
Earl Leo, being a shrewd man, immediately realized that the Mountain's words couldn't all be false. Perhaps Duke Tywin wouldn't give the Mountain much money, but since the Mountain had spoken so openly, the Duke would surely help him build this army in some way.
As for why?
Count Leo has no right to question why the Duke is doing what he wants to do.
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Earl Leo laughed heartily: "Sir Gregor, my earlier joke about lending you two golden dragons was just a joke. Earl Gavin, Lady Hebel, since Sir Gregor dared to announce such a bold decree, he must have received some kind of support from Duke Tywin. Earl Gavin is Sir Gregor's father, and Duke Tywin is also Sir Gregor's father. Sir Gregor is truly brilliant; he said nothing, then suddenly announced it, and finally secretly came to see our astonished reaction. Haha, hahaha!"
Lord Gavin and Sybil, old friends, exchanged slight smiles, their expressions a mixture of awkwardness and relief. Sybil's eyes questioned her husband, while Lord Gavin's eyes responded in kind; he had no idea how the Mountain would manage to fund his army. As for the idea that Lord Tywin would give the Mountain money as his father, Lord Gavin didn't believe it for a second.
Count Damon, however, felt a sudden bitter taste in his mouth. He threw down his knife and fork and cursed, "Damn it, these dishes are so awful, Count Gavin, your chef should be beheaded!"
*
In the afternoon, the sun was setting.
On the northeastern road of Cliff Rock, Bull and Bernie walked together.
Bernie looked around and saw no familiar faces from his village. The road was full of strangers. He then asked Bull for money.
"Give me the golden dragon," Bernie shouted at the bull.
Bull, however, did not take out the golden dragon: "Bernie, the lord is recruiting soldiers, professional soldiers. You can join the army, and I will stay home to farm. I want to use this golden dragon to buy a pony, so that I can come to Cliff Rock City to see you anytime."
"You'll be joining the army in three days," Bernie said gruffly. "Give me the Golden Dragon first."
"If you sign up for the army, I'll give you the Golden Dragon," Bull insisted. "That way, our family can raise dairy cows without worry. We won't have to pay taxes or grain rations on our land this year. After a year of hard work, our family will have money and grain."
Bernie was furious. Seeing that there were many people coming and going around him, he restrained his temper and said, "Give me the golden dragon right now, you stupid woman."
Bull looked into Bernie's eyes: "Lord Gregor said that anyone with a special talent will be given preferential treatment. You can imitate all kinds of voices, so you can be Lord Gregor's personal bodyguard."
"You don't know anything. He won't want me as a bodyguard. He needs someone who is proficient in swordsmanship."
"Yes, Sir Gregor will need your brilliant performance when he is tired, and when the knights and nobles of Cliffrock celebrate festivals, birthdays, and banquets. Bernie, your talent is unique, and Sir Gregor will be amazed by your abilities. Come back in three days to enlist and show the recruiting officer your skills."
"…Okay…" Bernie reached out his hand to the bull.
The bull pulled a golden dragon from his pocket and placed it in Bernie's hand.
Bernie put the golden dragon into his money bag and then stretched his hand out in front of the bull.
The bull earns two gold dragons by carrying a log, not just one.