295 AC
It had been over a year since Roman arrived at Harrenhal.
Harrenhal, the cursed land, had changed drastically since Roman's arrival; it was now a place that attracted people from all over the Riverlands and surrounding regions.
Grain production was the highest in the Seven Kingdoms, the safety rating was extremely high, and the standard of living far exceeded that of other noble territories.
In the past, Roman had to go to King's Landing to poach people, but now, as he sat in Harrenhal, a steady stream of refugees fled to his territory.
The nobles of various regions were quite dissatisfied with this. Population was wealth, and the siphon effect of Harrenhal had drained all the manpower from the surrounding areas. Except for the Mooton Family and the Darry Family, who cooperated with the Hean Family, other nobles were beginning to feel angry.
Some minor nobles from The Reach even went to the iron throne to demand that Harrenhal return their smallfolk.
Roman didn't even want to pay attention to them. Your smallfolk ran away, and you come to blame me? He had only one answer: if they could find their own smallfolk, he would send them back.
When the lower classes of a region flee on a large scale, it means the ruler there has lost control of the area.
However, to avoid trouble, Roman stepped up the training of his army.
The original Light Cavalry was expanded to 700 men, with veterans training the recruits in tactics and combat skills.
The heavy cavalry was tentatively set at 300 men; Roman was worried that too many at once would be unmanageable and cause a waste of resources.
These heavy cavalrymen and their horses were fully armored, similar to the previous Ironmen, especially when paired with the large horses of Westeros. You had to look up to see the full picture; a heavy cavalryman looked like a silver iron tower.
At the same time, the equipment of the heavy cavalry was extremely rich. Basic maces and scimitars were standard, and the most eye-catching thing was that everyone had a horse lance.
The lance was 5 meters long, with a 40cm head made of special steel, specifically designed for armor-piercing.
When charging, they held the middle with both hands to ensure balance and used a slanted thrust to ensure the shaft wouldn't break directly, while also exerting maximum power with both hands.
Because Scholar Tom produced quick-drying paint, the production cycle of the lances was greatly shortened, and the cost was reduced accordingly.
This allowed the soldiers to train with peace of mind, and many heavy cavalrymen who were originally commoners even fell in love with this feeling.
Previously, one had to be at least a knight to own this set of equipment, but now Roman issued a set to everyone, with spares in the warehouse.
Some poor lords' training volume couldn't even compare to that of the heavy cavalry in Harrenhal.
In the Riverlands now, it was an honor for a commoner to be a professional soldier in Harrenhal. Many poor people changed their family's fortunes by relying on the salary and benefits of serving in the Hean Family.
In addition to providing excellent material conditions, Roman often led troops to provide disaster relief and combat banditry, and usually organized study and ideological education.
The soldiers of the Hean Family were universally welcomed by the commoners of the Eastern Riverlands, and their dignity was greatly respected.
The loyalty of the soldiers under Roman could be said to be maxed out. Some families who were allocated land actively sent their sons to join the army, even telling their sons, "If you dare to run back, I will break your legs."
Everything was ready, and now he could finally go to the North with peace of mind.
Recently, Lady Helaena also began to urge Roman: "It has been over a year since we last assisted the Night's Watch. If we don't go to help again, relying solely on House Stark won't work!"
Roman had the same intention. On one hand, he needed to see The Wall and deliver supplies to the Night's Watch, after all, they were on the front line defending against the White Walkers.
On the other hand, Roman also wanted to build a good relationship with House Stark. Whether it was the conduct of the wolves or their role as the anchor of the North, it was extremely critical for the future.
"Child, on your way to The Wall, pay a visit to Winterfell. Our Hean Family hasn't been there for a long time. As the heir to Harrenhal, you should also interact with the Warden of the North."
Roman nodded, then turned to Old Jessy: "Drillmaster, I am leading a team to the North. I leave the defense and counter-espionage within Harrenhal to you."
Old Jessy smiled: "Rest assured! I've been doing this for decades and am very familiar with it. Moreover, the support of the people in the territory is very high now. Sometimes a little mobilization is enough to find those little birds!"
"It's not just Varys." Roman patted Old Jessy on the shoulder, "Others have their own eyes and ears, too. Must be careful!"
After arranging everything, Roman officially headed to the North.
Due to Harrenhal's investment in Maidenpool, Roman could transport goods and troops directly from the main road to the port of Maidenpool.
And William, hearing the news, had been waiting at the port for a long time.
"May the Seven bless you, Lord Roman! You are as handsome as ever today."
Roman didn't want to listen to his flattery and quickly changed the subject: "Lord William, are the cargo ships ready?"
"Of course! Of course! Maidenpool has renovated the existing cargo ships, and we even bought some from the Eastern Continent as spares."
"These big guys can safely transport you and your goods to White Harbor. We are just waiting for you!"
Seeing that Roman didn't intend to stay long, William hurriedly called the workers to move the supplies.
The Hean Family had allowed Maidenpool to take a step up in the world. Porcelain, glass, and iron pots were sold at sky-high prices. The Mooton Family only needed to maintain the port to sit back and collect money.
Because of infrastructure like the port and the main road, Maidenpool had even suppressed Gulltown.
William himself had no ambitions; being able to live like this was enough, and now he was almost following Roman's lead.
Everything prepared, Roman's fleet sailed toward White Harbor. These large ships followed one after another like a piece of silk laid on the sea, attracting countless gazes.
The weather had been excellent during this period, and they had hardly encountered any strong winds or waves from Crab's Bay around to the Bite.
When Roman arrived at White Harbor, "Lord Eel" Wyman Manderly had been waiting at the port with his whole family for a long time.
"Lord Roman, thank you for your help to the North."
Wyman was amiable and had a loud voice. Because he was too fat, he was also called "The Lord Too Fat to Ride a Horse".
The Manderly Family was originally a great noble family in The Reach, but later their power was too strong, and they were suppressed by their liege lord and other nobles, so they fled to the North.
It was House Stark that accepted the Manderly Family and settled them in the Wolf's Den, so they were very loyal to House Stark.
Roman stepped forward to shake hands, then hugged Wyman.
It was just that Wyman was too fat, and Roman couldn't hug him at all.
Seeing this, Wyman let out a hearty laugh: "Oh, look at me. I've been eating too much eel lately and have become this fat. Lord Roman, please don't mind this old man."
"How could I, Lord Wyman? We still have to rely on your barges to get to Winterfell!"
As for Wyman's two sons, they were as fat as Wyman, so Roman only shook hands and didn't hug them.
Afterward, Roman signaled the servants to bring over several large boxes.
After opening them, inside was a full set of new-style porcelain, which was exquisite tableware painted with various glazes.
One of the boxes contained a porcelain jar. On the moist white porcelain were meticulously crafted water patterns and the Manderly Family crest.
At the same time, he gave Wyman's two granddaughters two square silver-plated mirrors.
This stunned the whole Manderly Family. They could get mirrors and glass by spending a lot of money, but this porcelain was unique, and it was custom-made for their family.
The two little girls held the mirrors excitedly, playing with them repeatedly, and Wyman's sons couldn't help but touch the porcelain.
"I hope that I haven't caused any offense by painting your family crest on the porcelain without permission." Roman nodded and gestured.
"No, no, no! Lord Roman has given us such a great gift. Why don't you come to White Harbor for a drink? I have plenty of Arbor Gold wine here."
Roman waved his hand: "Lord Stark is still waiting for me, and the Night's Watch supplies haven't been delivered for a long time, so I won't disturb you all."
"This batch of supplies is prepared for the Night's Watch. Next time I will bring a batch of good goods to White Harbor, and then we will drink together."
Hearing that Roman was going to support The Wall, Wyman generously called the fleet to help transport the goods up the White Knife.
"Lord Wyman." Roman looked at Manderly before leaving, "Take care of your health. You are a bit out of breath. You cannot be bedridden when I come next time."
"Of course!" Wyman stood by the river and waved to Roman, laughing loudly:
"The waters of White Harbor will be your shield."