Under the warm sunlight, a gentle sea breeze blew, and taxi soldiers in silver-plated armor moved through the streets and alleys of Gulltown, silver spreading across the town.
Various sounds echoed through the city: thunderous hoofbeats, clashing armor, drawing swords, clanging spears and shields, and curses and shouts.
The sound of doors being violently smashed open was particularly harsh, and the soldiers' shouts were loud. Perhaps some tried to resist, but their enemies were no ordinary foe; they were the elite family soldiers of House Grafton, House Arryn, and House Shett, meticulously purging and absolutely loyal to The Eyrie, filled with the fury of revenge. Furthermore, the leaders of these areas had already been rounded up at the docks, making effective resistance impossible.
"Resisters will be killed without mercy!"
"Resisters will be killed without mercy!"
"Resisters will be treated as treacherous accomplices of Petyr Baelish and killed without mercy."
The herald soldiers shouted loudly, and blood splattered in Gulltown as resisters were physically eliminated.
The well-trained, brightly armored taxi soldiers moved unimpeded, smashing Littlefinger's years of hard work with iron fists of crossbows, longswords, and Longspears.
The soldiers formed ranks, shouting battle slogans, having planned their attack against an unsuspecting enemy. The unprepared enemy's defenses were torn apart like paper.
"Bang!" Knights of the Vale used logs to smash open a door, then Crossbowmen and Longspearmen rushed into a Mercenaries' dwelling near Gulltown's beautiful customs house.
"What do you want? We are Lord Petyr's men?"
Those Mercenaries loyal to Petyr frantically grabbed their weapons, then were all shot down by a volley of arrows. Their bodies lay scattered, by the ditch, in the courtyard, their blood flowing like a river, covering the ground, then dragged out by Gulltown soldiers.
"Long live the Storm!!"
"Resisters will be killed without mercy!"
The once tranquil White Gulltown had now become a realm of blood and violence, with violence erupting in many alleys and houses. Citizens, small business owners, farmers, and sailors in the streets and alleys, seeing the situation, quickly hid.
However, one thing that reassured the citizens and small merchants of Gulltown was that these acting forces were their liege's taxi soldiers, who would not burn, kill, or plunder their own people. Just like during the War of the Usurper, when Lord Arryn and King Robert broke into Gulltown, order was maintained. Some people hiding in taverns were already discussing the events.
"Whose taxi soldiers are these?"
"It seems Ser Uther Shite is leading them, and the soldiers are the elites of the three great houses, our Knights of the Vale. It looks like Lord Grafton and the golden eagle also supported him."
"How is this possible? House Shett and the other two aren't on good terms, and aren't Lord Grafton and the golden eagle friendly with Littlefinger?"
"I don't know, it's said the King's son has arrived. The particularly brave one, the King's eldest son, as wild as the King in his youth."
The residents of Gulltown still vividly remembered Robert being the first to climb Gulltown's walls and kill Earl Marq, as if he had gone berserk. They hadn't expected to see the power of the storm again after so many years.
"Are you talking about that eight-foot-tall blacksmith Gendry, who can eat a whole sheep in one sitting, killed the Khal, the Kingslayer, and is like a small mountain?"
"Nonsense, Lord Gendry is the beautiful, handsome, and dashing First Knight. You're talking about the Mountain."
"But isn't Joffrey the King's legitimate son?" someone asked in confusion.
"Shut up, the fat man was deceived. That's a lion; Joffrey is just a Bastard hiding in his mother's arms. Is he like a true storm?"
Some bolder citizens had already discovered the scope of the soldiers' operations: Gulltown Customs, Gulltown brothels, Gulltown granaries, and some of Gulltown's Mercenaries' garrisons. The target of the purge was now clear: Littlefinger, who had soared in Gulltown and stood firm for over a decade, was truly about to fall.
The soldiers' operation to clear out Littlefinger's minions spread throughout Gulltown and proceeded very smoothly. They fanned out across every street, arresting traitors, seizing wealth, killing resisters, and maintaining order.
Overall, there wasn't much strong resistance, and even if there was, it would only face more blood and fire. The Longspearmen, Crossbowmen, and swordsmen of the Vale were already eager to act against anyone who dared to resist, and they would show no mercy.
The Gulltown soldiers already disdained Littlefinger, this treacherous villain who favored a woman's approach. However, in the past, Littlefinger was always smiling and very approachable, appearing polite and quite deceptive. They never expected him to poison their beloved Lord Arryn, which was an outrage to both gods and men.
The soldiers ruthlessly eliminated Littlefinger's remnants, and the operation was largely orderly. After all, these family soldiers were children born and raised in Gulltown, and they had been diligently trained by the three great Lords. It would be too outrageous for them to loot Gulltown.
The order of elite soldiers is still superior to that of ordinary farmers, small merchants, and Mercenaries. Even a butcher like Tywin would first plunder others, not lay hands on his own people.
Arrest! Seize! Control warehouses and treasuries! Kill resisters!
The soldiers also wanted to perform well in front of the storm. Ser Uther and Lothor had repeatedly emphasized that the storm specifically demanded discipline. So, no looting, no taking advantage of the operation to visit brothels for free. The storm's rewards were always generous, as long as they completed their tasks well.
The storm was watching their actions, and the Vale would become the sword of vengeance in Gendry's hand.
At the corners and alleys of Gulltown, a strong smell of blood occasionally wafted, and the casually discarded bodies and smashed doors also attested to the brutality of the war.
The history of Westeros, once opened, is largely a history of blood and fire, of violence... In the council chamber of Gulltown's city hall, the beautiful white marble was as smooth and new as ever.
Gendry wore a robe of gold, black, and red today, representing the colors of the stag and the dragon, which made him appear even taller and more handsome. Gulltown's tailors were also renowned throughout the Seven Kingdoms.
Around a long blue round table, Gendry sat at the high seat on the dais. The chair, carved with the shape of Gulltown on its back, was originally Lord Grafton's favorite. Ser Barristan, the Kingsguard, and his Attendant Anguy stood to his left and right. On the other side of the long table were Earl Jellico and the golden eagle Essenba.
"Your Highness, according to our operations, Petyr's subservient minions have now been completely swept away. The main operating locations were Littlefinger's private residence, Gulltown Customs, several large brothels in Gulltown, the granary, the wool agent, the wine agent, the harbormaster's house, and some of Gulltown's Mercenaries' garrisons..." Earl Jellico Grafton reported with high spirits.
When a whale falls, all things grow. War is a process of dividing the pie and replacing the old with the new. Now that Littlefinger has fallen, to whom will those positions of power and roles now fall? The three great Lords, being close to the water, would surely get the most.
Essenba Arryn also nodded, "Your Highness, these are also the main places where Littlefinger infiltrated and entrenched himself."
"Have Littlefinger's affairs been thoroughly investigated? I'd like to see what kind of tricks this master of coin has up his sleeve."
"They've been basically figured out," Jellico replied. "First is document forgery. Littlefinger's tricks are essentially a financial fraud scheme. Most of the accounts are complex and forged, a mix of truth and falsehood, year after year, very complicated. He made the account profits look very good, but the deficits also kept growing, with a lot of reckless spending. Because the accountants were all his people, no one audited the books. For example, for the purchase of royal supplies, he would buy items from merchants at high prices or sell them at low prices, and the merchants would give him a kickback. These gold coins, after being refined, meant the royal treasury incurred losses, while the wealth in between ended up in his hands. There were also fictitious projects; the money for these non-existent projects also went to him and the merchants. The Crown's huge deficits over so many years, while partly due to the King's extravagant spending, also involved a lot of embezzlement by Littlefinger.
Second is the power to appoint key positions. Littlefinger found money for the King, and the number of positions he acquired grew, allowing him to further subsidize many of his subordinates. To get lucrative positions like tax collector, many people sent him money and supplies. Overall, the country suffered losses while he grew rich.
Third is smuggling activities. He used his connections and power to interfere with customs operations, even allowing smuggling fleets to enter. These smuggling fleets were also considered his private property. It was also his smugglers who secretly brought in poisons like the tears of lys, as well as intelligence.
Fourth is his personal business operations. Although Littlefinger was the master of coin, he also had his own businesses, and they were very well managed. Brothels, granaries, and other ventures brought in good income..."
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