Chapter 400 Another coronation

Many things were decided from the beginning.

When the nobles chose to focus their attention on the capital, the situation slowly became out of their control.

It took two years for craftsmen from all over the country to build the new King's Landing City, safely wrapping both sides of the Blackwater River.

The drainage system was redesigned and sewage was sent directly into the huge river that rolled through the city.

The king demanded that the entire King's Landing should no longer be as smelly as before. Now King's Landing is populated by a group of gentlemen who pursue an elegant and refined life.

No matter how beautifully designed your manor or mansion is, if there is a pile of indescribable excrement not far away, no one will recognize the value of this building.

As a result, the problem that had troubled King's Landing for two hundred years was actually solved in the competition among nobles across the country.

Everyone prides themselves on being decent people with noble blood, so instead of enjoying the admiration of peasants in their own rural fiefdoms, why not come to the capital and let other big shots see their glory?

Obviously, the royal family seized this opportunity that no nobles could refuse.

The first round of the building competition was won by the Reach team.

But this is not the end, because under the guidance of some people hiding behind the scenes, etiquette, voice, clothing, etc., have become objects of comparison.

After the expansion, a considerable part of the Red Castle was also opened to the nobles from all over the country for them to hold grand banquets.

For thousands of years in Westeros, which king dared to do this?

But now Clay dares.

While the nobles were busy turning King's Landing into a holy place in their minds, the combined fleet, with the cooperation of four dragons, raided the city-state of Pentos and kicked off the conquest of the Free Trade City-state.

The first battle broke out at night.

Under the baptism of dragon flames, the Pentos fleet with its sails down and anchored suffered a devastating blow.

The dragon and the landed soldiers captured all the governor's palaces in Pentos.

The Pentos were forced to hand over whatever wealth they could.

Then, these guys who were satisfied with the robbery made a "righteous" declaration from King Clay Manderly and evacuated.

A large group of heavily wounded Pentos men were left in the darkness, looking at each other in shock.

Clay knew very well that these nine free trade city-states were used to being alone, and if he wanted them to be obedient, it would be impossible to rely on a war.

Only by constantly attacking and bleeding them until they hurt and completely broke their backs could the conquest of these people be completed.

As a result, the war on the Strait broke out instantly.

The Sea King of Braavos received the support of the Iron Bank and led the fleet to fight a decisive battle with Clay Manderly, but was easily bypassed by the king and burned down the prosperity of Braavos.

The Iron Treasury, the Sea King Tower, and the Courtyard of Black and White were all reduced to ashes under the sudden dragon flames.

In the name of the King of Westeros, Clay Manderly encouraged the nobles across the country to offer a frighteningly high bounty on the heads of all Faceless Men organizations, no matter what the means or the cost.

At the same time, Clay and Daenerys went to the headquarters of the Red God Church in Essos, and in a half-cooperation and half-threat manner, asked the Red God to declare the Many-Faced God as a heretic and start a war against these guys.

No one can check these two guys.

From the perspective of a fully grown dragon, the wide strait is a smooth road.

The previous Targaryen king was too distracted by the complications at home, but this is not the case for Clay Manderly now.

Suddenly, the entire Strait was ablaze with blood, and the continent of Essos was in flames of war.

Unwilling to sit still and wait for death, the remaining leaders of the trading city-states chose to meet in a secret location to resist the dragon king's atrocities to the end.

However, in Westeros, almost no one opposed the war started by the king.

Because every time the loot was brought back, the nobles who only asked the peasants for money were dumbfounded.

All the money was invested by the king in the construction of King's Landing and the construction of the navy.

The war continues and its scale continues to expand.

The intelligence organization began to fully infiltrate Essos. Again, regardless of losses and casualties, intelligence must be obtained.

Eventually, Clay learned of the plan before the survivors could launch it.

Therefore, the fleet ambushed the opponent's only way ahead of time.

Almost the largest naval battle in thousands of years broke out.

The combined number of warships from both sides participating in the war exceeded four figures.

In the end, with the power of dragon flames, the trading city-state fleet was defeated miserably.

After this battle, the possibility of confronting the Westeros Navy was completely lost.

In the eyes of these city-states with maritime trade as their core economic lifeline, the blockade of sea routes would simply cost them their lives.

The inability to do business means that the flow of materials is stagnant, and it also means that the city's living standards have plummeted.

Soon, some trading city-states could no longer hold on and chose to surrender to His Majesty King Clay Manderly.

It's not that I'm trying to be brave, I'm sincere.

Because if they don't surrender, they will be trapped alive.

A port that cannot be freely entered and exited has no meaning in existence.

…

The bloodshed at sea continued. After Clay Manderly handed everything over to Daenerys, he continued to return to King's Landing to control the domestic political situation.

Domestic wealth, relying on the strong inflow of early plunder, created a kind of abnormal prosperity in the King's Landing area.

Within five years, the area around King's Landing has completely surpassed Highgarden and Oldtown, the former core areas of Westeros civilization.

Most of the country's nobles are concentrated in King's Landing.

Clay held lavish balls one after another, encouraging the nobles to use this place as a new social place, and even decided on marriage matters for himself and the next generation.

The king's earliest layout has begun to take effect, and the King's Road, which was re-supervised by the two finance ministers, has been completed separately.

The royal cavalry carried the king's flag and rushed back and forth to any corner of the avenue. Anyone who dared to hinder them would face a sword in the head.

There are already shrewd nobles who have gradually figured out the meaning of the king's plan, but now, they have all been involved in this extravagant and lustful game, and they are completely unable to escape.

Unknowingly, the king's army stationed in important places such as Blood Gate, Cailin Bay, White Harbor, Bitter Bridge, etc., forming a military surveillance over the entire country.

Anyone who dares to act inappropriately will be killed immediately.

The construction of the King's Road objectively shortened the distance from various places to King's Landing. At the same time, it also facilitated the rapid advancement of the army.

As time went by, the first batch of bankrupt nobles appeared. Their wealth could no longer play this game, and they became the first batch of people to be eliminated.

At this time, how could Clay Mandler, as a generous king, see such a problem among his loyal subjects?

As a result, the huge amount of gold snatched from the iron gold vault came into use.

Borrowing, the interest rate is very low.

But there is one condition. As proof that you can repay the debt, the royal family needs to send some tax officers to your territory to collect taxes for you until you pay off the debt.

This step is a dangerous leap.

It was Clay Mandler who cut off the roots of the towering tree of the aristocratic system with a hoe.

But the most powerful nobles in the country are now focusing on the continuous victory of foreign wars and constant domestic competition.

They cannot see the suffering of the minor nobles.

So, silently, the power of the king, thousands of years after the aristocracy arrived in Westeros, finally came to the place.

Having mastered the financial power of the territory, and the military power was firmly controlled by His Majesty the King, what was left for the little nobles?

This gap was, of course, filled by the now dazzling Majesty Clay Manderly.

Aren’t you looking for self-worth and noble blood?

It's easy to handle, my king will endorse it for you.

From now on, just stay in King's Landing. It's best not to return to your fief for the rest of your life.

In less than twenty years, Clay is sure to completely eliminate the influence of this original aristocracy in the local area.

…

In the sixth year since the establishment of the new dynasty, under the convocation of Clay, the leader of the Westeros God Stick, all the "True God Sticks" from across the country gathered in King's Landing to solve the problem of blood magic that troubled the queen's fertility.

Finally, after a lot of effort, the problem was finally solved.

That same year, Queen Daenerys Targaryen announced she was pregnant.

In the seventh year, the eldest son of the royal family was born, which represented the successor of the new dynasty.

Countless marriage applications came in, and everyone wanted their daughter to become the second queen of the new dynasty.

However, the royal family has never let go.

Another three years have passed.

On the occasion of the little prince's third birthday, a sudden war broke out.

The Prime Minister, Lord Mace Tyrell, was poisoned and died in his luxurious mansion in King's Landing.

The royal intelligence agency went all out to pursue it, and the clues pointed directly at several core nobles of the Reach who had quietly tried to completely rule.

When the royal spies were discovered and beheaded, this unprepared war began completely.

It turned out that Mrs. Olenna, who was almost dead, had been watching with cold eyes a series of operations after Clay came to power.

In the end, she was shocked to find that without realizing it, the king had completely grasped the foundations of many nobles with his hands.

As long as he thinks about it, he, Clay Manderly, can uproot these nobles at any time.

The Tyrell family does not want to sit still and wait for death. They have invested too much money in the glorious city of King's Landing, but that magnificent city is like an abyss that can never be fed, trying to swallow them all in. .

This can't go on like this!

Mrs. Olenna, who was so shocked that she broke into a cold sweat, began to secretly withdraw the power of her family.

With the exception of Mace Tyrell, the other core disciples tried to leave King's Landing one after another.

However, how could this be hidden from Clay, who always kept his eyes on them?

The king was well aware that this was a rebellion, but he condoned it.

When it was time to evacuate, Tyrell killed Duke Mace Tyrell. Just when he was about to blame the royal family, Clay, who had been observing everything secretly, made the complete chain of evidence public. .

After that, it’s about counterinsurgency.

This time, Clay didn't let any nobles interfere.

He wanted to make a thorough declaration of force and show unparalleled violence.

The army stationed at Bitterbridge immediately dispatched, and before the Tyrell family had time to activate their noble mobilization machine that had been corroded by Clay, they had already defeated all the castles along the way.

The army is approaching the gates of Highgarden.

At this time, everyone realized that the king's power had actually expanded to the point where he could directly defeat a top nobleman without even using the dragon.

They sensed danger, but Clay Mandler, who was sitting on the throne, stared at them coldly with sharp eyes like a falcon, making these nobles who were addicted to life and wealth dare not show their dignity.

They understand now.

What kind of rebellion? It is estimated that this was a warning from the king from beginning to end.

It's just that the heads of all the rebel nobles in the Reach were used as props.

This time, Clay showed none of his previous kindness.

The army swept through, and the grassroots aristocratic organizations above the baron level were wiped out.

In the end, the Tyrell family opened its doors and surrendered after the civil strife, but everyone in King's Landing never saw these people again.

At the end of the war, Clay used the reason that there was no longer any noble bloodline in the Southern Territory and sent a large number of his direct descendants to White Harbor and King's Landing.

The Crown Prince was appointed Governor of Highgarden, overseeing the land that had just experienced war.

But in fact, it was the experienced bureaucrats sent by Clay who truly represented administrative power.

These people are not tenured for life and will be transferred or replaced after a period of time.

The king abolished the position of Prime Minister, but created a new position of Minister of Personnel in the Imperial Council.

Specially responsible for managing the personnel movement in the southern border area.

At this stage, it is simply unrealistic to implement a nationwide examination, so the recommendation system is an inevitable choice.

As long as the local power does not form again, there are no taboos.

Everyone was waiting for chaos to break out again in the South, but they were disappointed.

There is singing and dancing here and nothing happens.

The king's people quickly took over the power and, in cooperation with the frightened nobles at the bottom, quickly began to rule effectively.

This is the tenth year since the establishment of the new dynasty.

After that, the nobles of the king's territory took the lead in surrendering to the king, expressing their willingness to move their families to King's Landing, and praying that the king would not attack them.

At this time, the most fertile land in Westeros has completely fallen into the king's control.

Of course, a sweet date will be given for every blow, and Clay transferred part of his power of election to this group of nobles living in King's Landing.

The chief executive of each place can naturally be held by these people or their heirs, but it cannot last long and must accept the transfer order from the Minister of Personnel.

In the fifteenth year of the new dynasty, the Straits War ended completely.

All nine trading city-states surrendered to Clay Manderly, and a crown of the Emperor of Valyria was given to Clay.

Because only this title has the legitimacy to rule both sides.

This was the beginning of the dynasty founded by Clay Mandler.

In the forty-second year of the New Calendar, Clay Manderly, the Guardian of the Realm, the King of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men, the Ruler of the Seven Kingdoms, and the Emperor of the Empire, gave up his position to his son.

Then, ride on Galesos, the largest dragon in the world at that time, and enter the smoke-filled ruins of the Valyrian Free Fortress.

No one has ever seen this great conqueror and ruler since.

Complete book.