Chapter 165: The Vale Council, Marching on The Eyrie
The Vale, Seagull Town
"Dong, dong, dong…"
As the melodious tolling of bells echoed over Seagull Town, this seaport city, already bustling on ordinary days, seemed to become exceptionally lively.
On the streets of Seagull Town, people's faces were filled with tension and curiosity; they discussed fervently, speculating about what was about to happen.
In fact, more than ten days ago, when Jon's dragonwolf sigil banner was slowly raised to replace the iconic yellow tower and flame sigil of House Grafton, the residents of Seagull Town seemed to understand something in unison.
The battle from back then still terrified the residents. A large number of Seagull Town's City Watch soldiers had died at the hands of mercenaries and Northern warriors. The next day, when the Silent Sisters were notified to collect the bodies, at least five hundred soldiers were recovered.
From then on, the residents finally understood that the city was undergoing a massive change.
Seagull Town, as a prosperous and open port city, had always been a hub where various pieces of information converged. While merchant ships constantly arrived and departed from the port, they also brought novelties and the latest news from all over the world.
Sailors and merchants drank heavily in the taverns by the docks, exchanging stories and information they knew, and these stories quickly spread through the town's streets and alleys, making the residents of Seagull Town no strangers to recent major events.
Unlike the commoners in the north and west of the Vale, the residents of Seagull Town had known about House Targaryen early on. Many residents knew that the Targaryens had already established their own power in Essos.
Some of the sailors even brought news of Jon attacking the Stormlands and raising dragons in the Rainwood. Most people in Seagull Town had lived through the "War of the Usurper" and were well aware that their previous lord had died because of House Targaryen.
Count Jeyne Grafton was the younger brother of the previous lord. After his brother's entire family rebelled, he had placed duty above kin and taken over all of his brother's forces; his nephews were all sent to the Wall, and his nieces were all sent to the Nunnery of Maris.
Therefore, in the eyes of many Seagull Town residents, they did not much like this Jeyne Grafton who had seized power. Upon learning that it was Jon who had captured Seagull Town, these residents had different thoughts.
Especially when the Direwolf banner of House Stark of the North and the brown runic shield banner of House Royce of Stone of the Vale appeared in Seagull Town, the well-informed residents realized even more keenly that the Vale, one of the Seven Kingdoms, might be facing a shift in power.
The appearance of these two banners did not just represent two families; the meaning behind them was already quite obvious: the North and House Royce of the Vale had already recognized this Ice Dragon King.
At such a moment, every corner of Seagull Town was filled with a tense atmosphere. People could not help but hold their breath, waiting to see what impact this political storm would bring to this port city and even the entire Kingdom of the Vale.
At this time, within the ancestral castle of House Grafton in Seagull Town, Jon, dressed in black armor and a blood-red cloak, was already seated upon the main seat.
To Jon's left was his cousin, Robb Stark, and beside Robb was a large group of noble lords and heirs from the North.
The North had now obtained a large amount of grain, cattle, and sheep. Although wights were still rampant near the Wall, after receiving support from House Stark, the situation at the Wall was gradually being brought under control by humanity.
To Jon's right were Lord Yohn Royce and Uther Shett. Besides them, some noble merchants from Seagull Town were also seated at the long table.
"What we must do now is to establish the Vale Council system in advance. My ancestor, 'the Conciliator' Jaehaerys Targaryen, once used the Great Council system to decide national affairs. In my view, this is a very good system as it can fully respect the will of every meritorious subject and sage; it is an excellent system."
As Jon spoke, many people present showed different expressions. The Northern nobles looked as if they were listening to divine scripture, while the Vale nobles and merchants were half-joyful and half-worried.
"Since the unification of the Seven Kingdoms, the system of each region has remained one where noble lords lead military and political affairs. To some extent, this indeed allows territories to develop well, but doing so greatly reduces the vitality of the land."
At Jon's signal, an exquisite sand table representing the terrain of the Vale appeared before everyone.
This item was a map Jon had scouted using his warging ability during his journey from Seagull Town to the Bright Moon Mountains. Although the settings and locations of some places might have slight discrepancies, this sand table was already more detailed than many maps.
"The major castles of the Vale actually have suitable roads and settlements, but due to the limitations of this system, many villages and towns can only exist by being attached to these castles. Once they leave the protection of these castles, they may face sneak attacks from thieves or clansmen."
Under Jon's guidance, everyone's gaze extended from The Fingers peninsula in the north of the Vale to the current Seagull Town, and many more observant people had already seen the white lines Jon had drawn between these castles.
Some of these white lines were existing roads that some merchants had already traveled, while others were narrow paths that many had never even heard of.
"My plan is actually quite simple: to classify these castles into levels, from castle level to town level, and then to village level. These places will be separated in the future and ruled by our council nobles."
"This doesn't seem any different from before, does it?"
Lord Yohn Royce spoke up directly after seeing Jon's plan.
"No, it is different! My dear Lord Yohn!"
Jon replied directly after hearing Yohn Royce's question.
"Our military system must be rebuilt. Combat units and garrison units must be separated. After this, towns and villages will only retain security forces, while specialized combat units will be collectively controlled by the council."
"Respected Lord Aegon, over the years our grain and supplies have been quite sufficient, but over time, or if we encounter a disaster, this system is very likely to collapse."
Maester Hengwyg, being one of the more highly respected individuals in the Vale, also participated directly in this meeting.
"The combat troops in the later stages will be mixed military and agricultural units. My drakons will serve as mounts and draft animals, and the Alchemists' Guild in Lys will continuously provide you with high-quality livestock breeds and crop seeds, ensuring your harvests are bountiful year after year."
After Jon finished speaking, the nobles and merchants present all showed expressions of pleasant surprise.
"Jon… Aegon! That kind of thing you mentioned…"
"Rest assured, my dear cousin! How could I not consider the North?"
Robb was so excited upon hearing this that he even called out Jon's old name.
"These things will be tested in the Vale first, and then sent by those alchemists to the North for testing. These are crops we planted in the Stepstones; they still need improvement."
Under Jon's explanation, Robb suppressed his restless heart.
In this low-magic world, some low-end magical means can still have a certain impact on animals. Thus, using blood magic to influence and modify these livestock was essentially achievable.
As for the crops, Jon didn't actually contribute much, because the maesters and alchemists of this world had already researched much knowledge regarding plant hybridization and breeding; it was only due to the limitations of transportation and communication that many techniques had not been spread.
"Very well, respected lords, a new era belonging to us is about to begin, and the future of the Vale is in your hands."
One week later, outside Seagull Town
"Neigh…"
Amidst the neighing of warhorses, an army ready to march quickly assembled on the open ground outside Seagull Town.
The cavalry from the North and the knights of the Vale were all filled with excitement, because for them, war was an opportunity to achieve fame and fortune. With the establishment of the Vale Council, Jon had set up a military merit system unique to him.
In Jon's military merit system, as long as one could gain enough military merit during Jon's military operations, then regardless of that person's status or lineage, they could obtain a corresponding military rank.
With the establishment of Jon's system of separating military and civil administration, a large number of vacancies had appeared in the military ranks of his army. Therefore, after he issued the order to attack the Eyrie, the hedge knights and Northern cavalry were all full of energy, waiting to obtain their own glory and military merit in this military operation.
"Roar, roar, roar…"
"Thud, thud, thud…"
As the roars and the sounds of heavy objects hitting the ground echoed, Jon, riding a drakon, walked out from the West Gate of Seagull Town.
When his drakon appeared before everyone's eyes, the Vale knights and Northern cavalry on their warhorses instinctively retreated a few steps.
Before this terrifying monster, everyone felt their own insignificance. Looking at that gaping maw that could swallow a person in one bite, everyone felt somewhat fortunate—fortunate that this terrifying monster was on their side; if they encountered such a monster on the battlefield, they could only turn and flee.
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