140 The north will prosper
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Pov of Eddark Stark twelve moon 285 AC
Over the past few months, the North has truly changed; not just a small cultural shift, but how society and the economy function within the territory. The Prussian company has brought about unimaginable changes at an abnormal speed. The most common form of trade within our lands used to be barter; even many taxes were paid in goods rather than currency, as would normally be done in the South or the territories of the Manderly.
Now, where there is a branch of the company, there is an extensive use of coins because they offer numerous jobs, and payment is made in currency, although in some areas, they pay half and half, currency and grains. This has made it much easier to collect taxes from my smallfolk, as the same company offers to pay them when they hire someone, paying taxes based on what they earn, as an incentive for more and more people to seek employment with them.
This has been reported in many small cities. The only reason they have been unable to build cities like those in the South is that they lack the production of their liquid rock and it must be imported from the South, and all that arrives is usually for building critical infrastructure.
Regarding forced labor, even with several surprise inspections at the places they work (sawmills, mines, bakeries, and tailoring shops), they seemed to be more than well-treated. After a short time, they were considered valuable "tools," and it would be foolish to waste them through mistreatment. So, it was normal to encounter a prisoner spending their days in a better way than the rest of the peasants, as they had clothing and food provided by the company to their prisoners.
The relationship between Northerners and Prussians could not be better. They have gained a reputation for being reliable, respectful, loyal, and honorable. Their behavior has been more than exemplary in our lands, protecting and caring for the Weirwood Trees. When the time comes to fight against bandits or pirates who have landed, they are the first to attack and the last to retreat.
And yes, they have used this reputation well to gain allies in the North, especially when it comes to quarreling with the Manderly. Since the Manderly decided to fight against the Prussians, the house of the Southerners, known for being one of the richest, most influential, and respected, has fallen into a constant cycle of decline.
The Prussians quickly took over almost the entire grain market in the North. Although costly, the Prussians decided that food would reach the North one way or another, either by land or by sea. For a moment, I thought what we feared most was happening: the Prussians began to threaten the lineage of my nephew, as they asked Howland if he could sell them lands from his territories for the construction of a port. The problem was the proximity to Moat Cailin. What they did was drain and clean the swamps in the area and expand the safe zone of the Kingsroad passing through the Neck.
For several months, the Prussians sent thousands of men to cut down trees, hunt swamp creatures, build dikes, and extend the safe zone throughout the stretch, causing many caravans to travel by land, increasing the commercial flow from the North to The Reach.
The hunting of the Lizard Lions was so successful that some of the Prussian Finns began to wear cloaks made from their skins due to their abundance, considering them a worthy prey for their cunning and patience while hunting them to clean and extend the security of the Royal Hand.
Apparently, it was not a threat or extortion since Erich's adviser would let me know if they were threatening and extorting me at any time. It was only a favor to facilitate trade with their temporary port, but that temporary port has not stopped growing, and I think the Prussians have little intention of abandoning it.
With that port and the expanded road, the Prussians have almost gained powerful influence in the North, bringing in an immense amount of products while taking away large quantities of materials to the South. This has caused many to support the Prussians in their power struggle against the Manderly, who are increasingly isolated in social gatherings. Thanks to intensive diplomacy work, the Prussians have portrayed the Manderly as the Southerners who deceived the Northerners for years, letting them die of hunger while they enriched themselves at the cost of their suffering.
Something that could be noticed in the last annual meetings, as no one wanted to sit near the Manderly House, only some whose ties were too closely bound to the Manderly House. But the last one was the strangest; the Prussians handed me several envelopes in advance with grain prices, and this time the Prussians had made payments to all the lords of commercial and industrial activities within their territories.
So, when we were seeing the amount they could contribute to gather grains, everyone offered huge amounts of coins to the common fund. And when I opened the envelope, it showed slightly lower prices for the grains. Everything seemed too perfect to be true, and something felt off, but when Roerich asked for the floor with a special request, my doubts were answered.
His requests were almost unheard of, and if it weren't for the great respect they have for the two men of Lord Hohenzollern, probably no one would have listened to them. Their words still resonate in my head. Some of the grains that will be sold grew in the territories of the Reed. After reclaiming land from the swamps, they discovered that the land was fertile, and there was a great possibility of carrying out this recovery project on a total scale. The Reed lands would be among the most fertile of the Seven Kingdoms.
Truly, many were interested in the idea of having land with good climate and fertility within our territories. The problem was that we were destroying the North's greatest defense: the swamps of the Neck. But the second proposal was the one that caused them to receive quite a few insults from the nobility.
The Prussians wanted to build a canal and two cities where it starts and ends, but this had to pass through Moat Cailin because they wanted to use the nearby river as a base for the canal and significantly reduce construction. This was taken into consideration, but none of them was approved to the displeasure of the Prussians.
I thought this had ended, but here we are, letters and letters from many lords who decided to change their minds about their previous decision. House Flint of the Fingers, House Ryswell, House Glover, House Mormont, and some mountain clans sent letters because the Prussians promised to establish a fleet to defend against Ironborn attacks, in addition to economic support and assistance in developing their lands.
House Dustin and Tallhart changed their minds due to the Prussian offer of the enormous increase in trade that will occur through the canal, as well as allowing the city to have administrators from the northern nobility. House Umber and Karstark changed their minds when the Prussians promised to restore Moat Cailin and turn it into the largest and best-protected fortress in the Seven Kingdoms, in addition to financing the fortress guards.
Finally, the Reeds, Howland, sent me a letter saying that I should at least consider it since they were offered a package of all the above, but they reduced their proposal from all of the Reed swamps to the half closest to Moat Cailin, while building another fortification in the south to mimic the current defenses while creating farmland to the north.
With almost all the northern nobility in agreement, except for some the Prussians did not try to reach, the decision was mine on whether to authorize everything or not. The Prussians had asked me to travel south to make the best decision. Only to find that Erich's advisor and several of his men were looking at the Fever River, and they turned at the same time to observe me; apparently, Howland was with them.
"Lord Stark, thank you for giving us the opportunity to explain our plan, as unfortunately, the annual meetings with you don't seem to be the best place to present an idea that requires more explanation," said the mysterious man.
"Where is Erich? I thought he would be here to explain the plan," I said, looking at the wolf-headed man.
"That empty-headed one is hunting those lizard lions since they bit him and almost tore off his arm. He developed a taste for their meat, and whenever he can, he goes out to hunt them to feast on their flesh and use their skins to adorn his clothes. So, you negotiates with me," the man replied.
"So, what are you going to do? Since I've seen that you've promised a lot to my bannermen," I said, looking at the man with the wolf head.
"Prosperity and security, as I promised Lord Reed. We will restore Moat Cailin; Prussian engineers will restore the fortress, and we will finance three thousand guards for the fortress. You choose the commanders. Also, we will build the canal that will serve as another line of defense for the fortress and at the same time allow trade, reducing the journey from Braavos to The Reach by almost a month, and we will collect a toll," he said, handing over some plans.
"And finally, drain part of the swamps closest to the cities we build around the canal. If built well, they will be fertile lands. Your people, Lord Reed, will no longer have to fight every day against the hardships of life in their swamps. They will live like the rest of the people, working the land and taking care of animals. They will no longer be victims of the cruel jokes of the others, like frog eaters. And your lands will become a granary for the North, and they could stop buying grain from our competition, leaving only neck grain and Prussian grain, because unless the entire neck becomes very efficient farmland, they could not supply the entire North."
"In case you want to significantly expand farmland, we will build a fortress to the south to continue guaranteeing your defense against the south. In addition to this," the Finn concluded and handed me a letter with Lord Hohenzollern's seal.
"What does the letter say?" Howland said, keeping a serious face.
"Lord Hohenzollern commits that any attack on the North will be an attack on Prussia itself and commits to marching with us in any defensive conflict," I said after reading the letter.
I signaled to the Finn that he should not leave them alone, and he and his men withdrew.
"What do you think, Howland?" I said, looking at my friend.
"They are among the few people I know who have fulfilled everything they have said, and I have constantly observed their movements, especially in their port. The grains grow there with a golden glow. Also, I think they won't have problems cleaning the swamps if they really set their minds to it. This is between us, but when I was watching them, they saw me, and they chased me through the swamps, and within minutes, they captured me and my men moved as if they had lived in the swamps all their lives. Everything ended as a misunderstanding, but since then, I have been very careful, but in any case, they manage to find me or chase me," Howland said, looking with respect at the Finns.
"I have no reason to refuse then. With that canal and cities, the North prospers like never before. In addition, we will gain a powerful ally against any attack. Well, who opposes this? The Boltons and the Manderly; everyone else agrees," I said, looking at Howland.
"Let's hope everything goes well because their words were very tempting. As greedy as the company may appear, they have always made honest deals and kept their word," Howland said.
I nodded and called the Finn and accepted his plan, which he immediately sent one of his men riding to bring his workers.
"HEY! I CAUGHT TWO! TODAY WE EAT LIZARD LION!" Erich shouted, carrying two lizard lions in his arms.
"Hey, Howland, how does lizard lion taste?" I asked my friend, who was well aware of the Prussian's prey's enormous size.
"It tastes like chicken. Very good," Howland said.
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