Lu Xuan thought for a moment and asked, "Do we have money?"
"There are many, and as for the exact number, it's been a month and we still haven't finished counting them!"
The wealth of the Astapo people is unimaginable. These cities were primarily based on the slave trade. In some cities, the ratio of slaves to free citizens was as high as five to one!
To put this in perspective, slaves were not allowed to own any property. All property was concentrated in the hands of free citizens and nobles, with the nobles owning over 95% of it.
Centuries of accumulation all ended up in Daenerys' hands. This means that Daenerys has yet to finish calculating exactly how much money she has.
"That's simple. We just need to buy grain."
"We do not lack food now."
"But we'll run out later. In any case, the city we've captured has broken the rules of Essos. Now, all the slave owners on this continent are our enemies. Of course, all the slaves are also our potential allies. But for now, they don't have much power. So, we need to prepare. Prepare for a siege. So, start stockpiling food now; we'll need it eventually. Sell as much as you have. Gold coins will just gather dust in the warehouse; it's better to turn them into useful resources."
At the same time, our purchase of grain sends a signal: the Dragon Queen is willing to do business with anyone. As long as there's profit to be made, some merchants will always be willing to take the risk. Note that we currently only rule Astapor. Therefore, these merchants are outsiders; don't be too critical of whether they use slaves.
"Just let them trade freely, as long as they abide by our laws. Besides slaves, there are numerous plantations in the city. Olive oil, fruit, copperware, sugar, and seafood are all excellent commodities. Let them trade freely; as Queen, you only need to collect taxes. Get the docks busy again. Those freed slaves will be better able to find work. This will also contribute to the stability of the city."
“Okay, Missandei, write it down, and do it that way when the time comes.”
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Another issue is the one Sir Lu mentioned earlier. We've captured the cities of Astapor, Yunkai, and Meereen, and recently there have been many rumors about the Queen. They say that the Queen is about to attack Meereen and Yunkai and will kill all the slave owners. The rumors are quite rampant now. Both cities have cut off trade with Astapor."
This is a classic propaganda war. First, they portrayed Daenerys as a ruthless, bloodthirsty monster, using this to rally support against her. After all, Astapor had changed hands overnight, and hundreds of benevolent masters had been slaughtered, leaving no descendants. This had certainly frightened the slave owners of the two sister cities.
"That's easy. There are still many benevolent people in our city who haven't died."
That's right, although hundreds were killed, they were mostly benevolent merchants who primarily dealt in the Unsullied and the slave trade. Many others who dealt in sugar, olive oil, copperware, fruit, and seafood were not purged.
“There are at least thirty more. They didn’t have high status in the city before, so they weren’t on the first batch of targets. But now all of them are under our control, and we can eliminate them all as soon as the Queen gives the order.”
“No, these people cannot be killed now. If they wish, they can be legal merchants in the city by freeing their slaves. As compensation, Her Majesty the Queen can even reduce their commercial taxes for a year. Send someone to deliver this announcement to all the surviving benevolent masters.”
Having studied with Lu Xuan for a while, Daenerys was no longer a novice. She quickly understood what Lu Xuan meant.
“We will make them reappear in the world in a grand manner. We will tell everyone that not only have I not killed all the slave owners, but those who submit to me will also be rewarded.”
“That’s right. When someone kneels down before you, you should personally help them up. Find a time, in a public setting, to offer them some support. Not only should you not let them go bankrupt, but you should also help them grow their businesses.”
“I understand. Then we have one last question. Last night, four Unsullied were assassinated while on patrol. There seems to be a secret organization in the city called the Children of the Harpy, which is secretly rebelling against us.”
"Heh, a bunch of rats in the gutter. Dealing with them is simple: in chaotic times, harsh measures are necessary."
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Chapter 255 Balancing Public and Private Affairs
In a street in Astapo, a group of Unsullied stormed into the neighborhood and, without saying a word, arrested all the dozens of residents living on the street.
A group of people were dragged directly to the Punishment Square, where tens of thousands of free citizens had already gathered. Meanwhile, on the newly renovated platform, Daenerys was already seated, waiting.
The Queen didn't need to speak herself; Missandei announced it from the side.
"You harbored the son of the treacherous harpy and murdered four Unsullied. The evidence is now conclusive. You shall be executed by hanging immediately."
Without giving them any chance to explain, a group of Immaculate Ones rushed up and hung them on the newly erected frame.
As nearly forty free men struggled and slowly died, the onlookers fell into a deathly silence. After all, the Dragon Queen's actions since ascending to the throne had been truly benevolent. She had emancipated slaves and reduced taxes. Her treatment of the lower classes was truly impeccable.
But today, he suddenly revealed his ruthless side, hanging more than thirty people on the spot without even blinking.
Did these people collude with the Harpy's Son? Certainly, the most obvious evidence is the ambush and killing of four Unsullied soldiers on that street, without any notification to other patrols. But certainly not everyone was a traitor.
However, for those in power, what they need now is deterrence, so they can only die together. Not only that, this kind of operation will become the norm. Whenever any further incidents of this heinous harpy activity occur, everyone around will be implicated.
Besides punishment, there must also be rewards. Reporting each Harpy's Son will earn two Gold Coins. Two Gold Coins are equivalent to one Goldlon in Westeros. What does that mean?
One gold coin is equivalent to 30 silver moons, 210 silver deer, or 11,760 copper coins. One copper coin can buy a whole roasted sausage and a bottle of ale. This is a luxurious dinner that ordinary people might not even be able to afford once a month. Even the best prostitute might only get one silver deer at most. Do the math...
The two gold coins caused an immediate commotion in the square. Before Daenerys could even adjourn the meeting, two men dragged out another fat man like a dead dog.
"We're reporting this guy! He's the son of a harpy!" the two shouted at Daenerys. Lu Xuan, on the platform, smiled slightly; these two shills were quite dedicated.
"You can't just report something and get a reward. Produce evidence, or you'll be punished."
“We have evidence.” As he spoke, one of the men held him down while the other pulled a golden mask from the fat man’s body. It was the mask of the son of the harpy.
Now, the fat man was in despair. He struggled to break free from their grasp and turned to run. But the next second, a Unsullied's spear thrust out from the side, piercing his thigh.
On the platform, Daenerys received the mask. It was the gilded mask of the Son of the Harpy. This indicated that it belonged to a member of the lower or middle ranks; the higher-ups wore pure gold.
"very good."
Immediately, a maidservant opened a chest beside her. The chest was overflowing with gold coins, their brilliance dazzling the eyes of countless people below under the sunlight.
He took out two gold coins and rewarded the two informants. The entire square immediately erupted in chaos. Visibly, more than a dozen fights broke out in the square in an instant.
Daenerys's decision-makers all sat on the high platform, silently watching the scene unfold without any intention of stopping it. Sure enough, a few minutes later, more than twenty Harpy Children were dragged out of the crowd. They were either wearing masks or carrying the short swords of the Harpy Children. It was all too obvious and too brazen.
So, the square now had twenty more hanged ghosts. Swaying precariously, they looked somewhat eerie. But to the newly freed citizens, barely scraping by, the scene wasn't eerie at all; in fact, it was a beautiful picture. All this money...
A bloody chaos erupted in the city. But this time, it was Daenerys herself who instigated it. Before this, the Sons of the Harpy weren't actually a secret organization. They were legitimate, founded by a group of people who considered themselves descendants of the ancient Gith Empire. They longed for the glory of the Gith Empire, which is why they created this organization. They only went underground after Daenerys came to power.
In other words, the identities of most of the Harpy's children were not kept secret before. Although not entirely public, many people still knew about them.
Countless mobs stormed into these people's homes, dragging them out to be sold to the Punishment Square. By sunset, the square was filled with over two hundred hanged men. And the darkness did nothing to stop the number from growing. The Unsullied even switched to a shift system, taking turns distributing bounties and hanging criminals in the square.