"How many people are left in the tribe?"
Inside the wooden house at the center of the camp, Samwell sat at the head of the room and asked calmly.
Below him stood the newly appointed patriarch, the tribal wizard, and the elders of the Huya tribe.
"My lord, there are still more than two thousand three hundred people in the tribe," Qiman replied respectfully. "However, most of them are women, the elderly, and children."
Samwell naturally understood what Qiman meant and asked directly:
"A lack of food?"
"There is enough food for now," Qiman said, "but because there are very few young and able-bodied men left, the amount of prey we can harvest in the future will be greatly reduced… In a short time, there will likely be a food shortage."
Samwell leaned back and rubbed the armrest of his chair. Of course, he knew the reason well.
Most of the Huya tribe's young and strong men had either died on Yingzui Island, or had become his prisoners.
Naturally, he had no intention of releasing those captives. After all, he still needed them to build and develop his territory.
But the women, elderly, and children of the Huya tribe could not simply be ignored.
Whether from humanitarian concern or from a more utilitarian desire to win people's hearts, Samwell had to arrange proper settlements for them.
The problem was that supporting so many people with the money and food currently in his hands was no easy task.
Still, Samwell wasn't particularly worried.
After all, they had just won such a great victory. Was it really too much to use that achievement to ask investors for more resources?
Samwell felt that compared to those entrepreneurs who dared to ask for funding with nothing but a PPT, he was already exceptionally honest.
After thinking for a while, Samwell spoke again:
"Qiman, count the elderly over sixty years old and children under ten who have no one to take care of them. Also include the disabled, the sick, and anyone else who cannot care for themselves. I will establish an orphanage to look after these people collectively. Of course, entering the orphanage will be voluntary. If someone has family willing to care for them, they don't need to go."
"You are truly a merciful lord!"
Qiman and the clan elders all bowed deeply, speaking from the heart.
Samwell continued:
"As for the women in the camp, if they are willing, they may marry my unmarried warriors. For every Huya tribal woman who marries and relocates to Yingzui Island, I will grant one silver stag as a wedding gift. Consider it my congratulations."
"Thank you, Lord Caesar!" Qiman bowed again. "It is the greatest honor for a Huya tribe woman to marry those powerful warriors under your command!"
"Since you are now my subjects, you should no longer use the name 'Huya Tribe,'" Samwell said calmly. "From this day forward, this place will be called Huya Village. Qiman, I appoint you as village head. You will be responsible for managing this village on my behalf."
Qiman hurried forward, knelt respectfully, and saluted.
"It is my honor."
Samwell raised him up and said:
"Considering that Huya Village has just experienced a war, I will exempt you from taxes for three months. However, if war breaks out, Huya Village must answer my call."
"Yes, my lord! It would be our honor to fight for you!"
"Qiman," Samwell added, "write letters in my name to the nearby savage tribes. Inform their leaders that I am also willing to accept them as my subjects, and that the treatment will be the same as what the former Huya tribe has received."
"Yes, my lord."
In truth, Samwell did not hold much hope that the other savage tribes would come willingly.
The Huya tribe had surrendered largely because of Qiman's leadership. The chiefs of other tribes would certainly be unwilling to suddenly have a new lord above their heads—and to pay additional taxes as well.
Still, the proper posture had to be shown first.
In the future, those savage tribes could be conquered gradually. For now, the most urgent matter was to fully absorb and stabilize the Huya tribe.
Afterward, Samwell deliberately put on a friendly, approachable demeanor and asked the elders present for their opinions.
These elders were sensible people. Naturally, they did not dare to use the opportunity to make excessive demands that might offend the lord. They only raised some trivial concerns.
To further demonstrate his benevolence, Samwell also fulfilled their small requests.
Only one suggestion made Samwell frown—the opinion raised by the tribal wizard, Saru.
The Huya tribe had originally believed in the so-called "God of the Mountain." Now that they had become subjects of Samwell, Saru wanted to know whether all the tribesmen should convert to belief in the Seven Gods.
Samwell knew very well that matters of faith had to be handled carefully. Mishandling them could easily cause unrest.
The savage tribes living in the Crimson Mountains held various beliefs. Some worshiped the Seven Gods, some believed in the Old Gods, and others followed all kinds of strange local deities—such as the Huya tribe's "God of the Mountain."
If he forcibly converted them to the Seven Gods, not only would Huya Village likely fall into turmoil, but other savage tribes might also grow more resistant to Samwell once they heard about it.
On the other hand, in the continent of Westeros—outside the northern border—the Faith of the Seven was the official religion. If the church learned that Samwell's subjects believed in all sorts of strange gods, they would probably send people to question him.
After pondering for a moment, Samwell said:
"My subjects have the right to freedom of belief. Those who are willing to convert, the Seven Gods will naturally welcome them. Those who are unwilling may continue to keep their original faith."
After weighing the pros and cons, Samwell ultimately decided not to provoke the Faith of the Seven directly.
Strength was his top priority. He had no intention of pushing the mountain savages to oppose him over religious issues.
As for the accusations of the Faith of the Seven…
To put it bluntly—how many teachers did they really have?
After Maegor I forcibly dismantled the Faith Militant, the Church of the Seven had long since lost the ability to interfere in a lord's affairs through force.
If they merely sent septons to question him, Samwell had plenty of ways to deal with that.
In any case, he would delay as much as possible. Once he had sufficient strength, he would naturally have the confidence to negotiate with the Faith of the Seven.
After all, the nobles of the North still stubbornly believed in the Old Gods. Did the Faith of the Seven dare to send people north to burn their weirwoods?
"You are truly a benevolent lord," Wizard Saru said respectfully.
Just as Samwell thought Saru was finished, the old wizard spoke again:
"My lord, may I recommend a young man to serve as your attendant?"
Samwell frowned slightly, displeasure flickering in his heart. He felt that the old man was somewhat ignorant—actually trying to push someone into his inner circle.
Seeing that Samwell had misunderstood him, Saru quickly added:
"My lord, he is a descendant of the former patriarch. If you accept him as your servant, it would be a great honor for everyone in Huya Village."
"The heir of the old patriarch?" Samwell looked toward Qiman. "Do you have other brothers?"
Before Qiman could respond, Saru explained:
"No. I mean the grandson of the old patriarch—Katu."
Samwell understood instantly. He looked at Saru with a slightly amused expression.
"Is he Cheka's son, or Chimu's?"
"Cheka's son, my lord."
"Bring him here. Let me take a look."
Saru stepped out of the wooden house and soon returned with a boy of thirteen or fourteen. Holding the boy's hand, he said solemnly:
"Katu, you will become the lord's attendant. From now on, you will lead his horse, carry his spear, clean his armor, and obey all his orders. Do you understand?"
Katu shook his head instinctively and said in a muffled voice:
"But I don't want to be his servant. He killed my father!"
"He killed your father on the battlefield—openly and honorably," Saru said quietly. "You should not hate him for that. Instead, you should learn from his bravery. Moreover, if you continue to stay here, I'm afraid you'll die without even knowing why."
"Why?" Katu asked, startled.
"Do you know how your grandfather really died?"
"Didn't Grandpa die from illness?"
"No. He was smothered to death by Qiman."
Katu's mouth fell open in shock.
Then he shouted, "Then why didn't you tell everyone?!"
Saru raised a finger to his lips, signaling him to lower his voice, and said helplessly:
"Even if I told the truth, how many people would believe it? It would only plunge Huya Village into even greater chaos."
After that, Saru said no more. He took Katu by the hand and led him back into the wooden house.
"My lord," Saru said respectfully, "this is Katu."
Seeing Katu standing there in a daze, Saru quietly pushed him forward.
Katu stole a glance at his uncle Qiman, then quickly looked away. Taking a step forward, he knelt before Samwell and said:
"My lord, please allow me to serve as your attendant."
Samwell glanced at Qiman, only to see him staring at the ground expressionlessly, as if he did not care at all about what was happening.
"Approved," Samwell said.
...
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Here are a few fan-fic titles that I've recently uploaded on my Patreon:
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(End Chapter)