The king on the Great Wall

What Old Bear really meant was that the Night Watchman Legion would not provide him with any help, and all he and Tyrion, who stood up for him, would figure out a way.However, the traverser used out-of-context and preconceived methods to interpret it as "I can fully represent the night watchman in King's Landing", and successfully used the inertia of thinking to bring the actual ruler of the northern border, the current king's hand, into the ditch. inside.

Now, as long as he takes this feathered arrow and deceives another certificate, he can do whatever he wants in King's Landing City, the capital of the Seven Kingdoms, and start his bold plan.

……

"I know that the kingdom is currently in financial difficulties, so I don't expect the treasury to provide assistance directly. But after investigation, I found that after more than ten years of peaceful development, King Robert's plan to hide wealth from the people is going quite smoothly. , since the national treasury is tight, then I will reverse thinking and raise funds from the private sector." Iger said proactively: "But I can't handle the task that a team can complete by myself, I need one or two people who can read and count help, and Yoren..."

"Sorry, I can neither read nor count." Yoren shrugged.

Hiding wealth from the people... I don't know if Robert will laugh or blush when he hears this?Ed Stark thought to himself, but he still nodded on the surface. This request is not too much: "Understood, I will pick two from the guards who meet the requirements, and I will lend you the call."

"Thank you, my lord." Iger made a grateful expression, "Also, I may stay in King's Landing for a period of time to dispatch supplies and recruit recruits. I need an office, it doesn't need to be big, but it's better not too remote and facing the city. streets so that I can start my conscription work."

(Like setting up a store and putting up a sign, you can recruit night watchmen who volunteer to join?) Ed knew the situation of the Great Wall defenders clearly, and expressed doubts in his heart... But for the Hand of the King, after all, it is With little effort: "Well, I'll let the King's Landing Guard see if there are any vacant houses belonging to the Iron Throne."

"Thank you, my lord. There is one last thing." Egra came to Yoren as a cover, and used two consecutive seemingly normal requests to numb the vigilance of the great noble in front of him. The last item came down as a foreshadowing: "Commander Mormont asked me to preside over the recruitment of personnel and the mining of obsidian. This requires money, but I can't carry too much money by myself, so I can only use the form of credit to transfer the personnel and tools first. Make it all right, start the mining and conscription work first, and then let the creditors ask the legion to ask for money directly... There is no problem with this plan itself, but I have encountered an obstacle."

"Credit? Mormont is really in a hurry." Ed smiled bitterly again. The huge amount owed by the royal family shocked him. Now, after the Iron Throne, even the Night Watchmen have to start borrowing money Liaomo: "What obstacle, tell me."

"Businessmen and nobles in the south probably don't know or recognize the signature and seal of the Commander-in-Chief of the Night Watch, and they might take me as a swindler." Iger carefully considered his words: "So, I would like to invite my lord Issue a certificate, in the name of the prime minister, declaring that I am indeed a night watchman, and I am really collecting food and supplies for the legion."

"Well—" Eddard Stark rested his fist on his chin and murmured.

As the Hand of the King, Ed was cautious and responsible if he didn't say yes, but he was the prime minister for the first time, and he hadn't seen all kinds of weird and weird scams like Iger before crossing. After all, he was not enough for such things sensitive.He didn't notice any problems in it, and he didn't realize at all: No matter what the content is, a certificate issued by the Prime Minister with his signature and seal, in the hands of someone with a heart... will play a huge role.

After a few seconds of hesitation, he took out a blank piece of parchment from the pile of clutter on the table, picked up a quill pen and dipped it in the ink, and looked up at Iger: "This is really the first time I have issued a certificate to someone. Tell me, how should you write it?"

-

Chapter 46

A small night watchman commanded the Prime Minister to write a written certificate like a king.Although Iger took advantage of wearing black clothes to make the other party's vigilance drop, but when he walked out of the prime minister's tower with the certificate of wolf's head stamped, he still couldn't help sighing in his heart: So, as long as you master the right method, these The aristocratic nobles are just as easy to deceive as ordinary people.

No wonder Littlefinger was able to thrive in King's Landing, playing with all the Baratheons, Starks and Lannisters.

Lies really work.

……

It was already dark when he returned to the hotel, and Iger didn't drag Yoren to run around anymore. After resting in the room for a night, he ushered in the second day of life in King's Landing.

"You ran to Eddard Stark yesterday and asked for two people, a room and a certificate?" Tyrion's eyes flashed with curiosity. According to the experience of getting along for two months, there must be something in it The doorway, and Iger's explanations always give him insight: "I can understand the first two things, what's the use of that certificate?"

"Use it to cheat money."

"Cheating money?" Tyrion was taken aback: "If Ed Stark knows that you use his signed certificate to cheat money... Well, he may not have the right to dispose of you, but as long as a letter, you may be Immediately recalled."

"Yesterday we arrived in King's Landing, and when you passed the gate, you made some comments on the 'Prime Minister's Tournament', remember." Iger didn't directly respond to Tyrion's reminder, but talked about another matter, " There is a saying in it that I really agree with - hosting these events makes the kingdom prosperous. The Iron Throne is in debt, making the spectators and business people happy. The king did spend a lot of money, but the money did not disappear, but In the form of event consumption, after circulating and stimulating some economic development, it ran from the vaults of the Lannister family and major chambers of commerce to the hands of the people, businessmen and winners, no matter whether he did it intentionally or not, but At least in this regard, the king's squandering of money is not entirely harmful."

Tyrion didn't interject, wondering what his adventurer friend from Cairnard might think differently about Robert Baratheon's extravagance.

"However, for a large part of this money, their journey ends here. The people of Westeros really like to hide money. The rich hide gold coins, the common people hide silver coins, and the poorer hide copper plates... If It is not necessary, and I would rather hide it until I die or be robbed. After the coins were spent by King Robert and entered the hands of the people, at least half of them were deposited in the form of storage and never entered circulation again ——And this is very harmful to the development of society, and now I want to cheat the money out and let them play a role.”

"I've heard the same statement from a bachelor in Old Town, and it's the same as what you want to express-the gold piled up in the treasure house is no different from stone." Tyrion raised his eyes and looked at Iger: "The currency Everyone understands that circulation can prosper the economy. However, irregular seasons and wars make people worry about tomorrow. If this situation does not change, you cannot persuade people to spend their money by reasoning.”

"It's a bit whimsical to change the consumption concept of the entire Westeros. I'm not that ambitious. I don't ask them to spend the money, I just ask them to lend me the money." Iger smiled , "People hide money because they worry that they will not be able to earn it back after spending it. What if I tell them that as long as they lend me money, the money will automatically generate money?"

Tyrion caught the loophole in Iger's words: "You say 'you tell' them, which means, you can't actually make money make money."

"Indeed, at least not temporarily, but as long as you find a way, you can." Iger said: "Before that, I will first use other methods to convince people that they can make money by lending me money-the method is, in Pay more when you pay back."

"Interest."

"Yes, and the interest is higher than normal loans. For example, one percent a month, if you lend me one hundred gold dragons today, I will pay you back one hundred and one after one month."

"Where did the extra one come from?"

"From someone who hasn't urged me to return it yet."

"This..." Iger's words are indeed a bit difficult to understand for residents of Westeros, a continent that doesn't even have a bank, let alone the concept of investment. Fortunately, Tyrion has a bright mind: "But it will be revealed one day. If suddenly one day everyone asks you to pay back the money, what will you do?"

"You asked the key point right away. If this happens, it will be a 'capital chain break'. Not to mention me, even a powerful and wealthy bankrupt bankrupt will go bankrupt immediately. What I have to do is to avoid this from happening "Iger said, "Using some small rules or bait-for example: if you borrow money from me within less than a month, there will be no interest when you get it back, if you borrow more than a few months, the interest will rise to [-]%, and if you take it out once, you will start from scratch... …Etc., etc."

"But no matter what you do, if the money does not increase in the end, sooner or later the day when the scam will be broken will come!"

"Will it come sooner or later? There are too many things that will come sooner or later-people will die sooner or later, dynasties will overthrow sooner or later, and the world will be destroyed sooner or later. As long as I can find a way in time, I can delay this date infinitely until I How is it any different from non-existence?"

"You're sophistry, Iger." Tyrion showed a nervous and disapproving expression for the first time: "Don't do this, it's better to be down-to-earth, if you do this, when things come to light, no one can save you Fate, if you just want to do business, my pocket money is enough to pay for you."

Iger was a little helpless. He thought that smart people like Tyrion would be more receptive to new things, but now it seems that his plan is probably too advanced for people in this world, so he has to think about it. There are other ways to convince him.

"What I said above is only the initial stage of this plan. You are right. When this 'scam' reaches the mid-term stage, I still have to find ways to make more money, such as investing in certain chambers of commerce, expanding The Night's Watch fleet allows the Legion and the Land Grants to trade more and more across the Narrow Sea... with real profits to pay the interest."

"Assuming you don't make mistakes in the early stages of planning."

"Yes, but there will be no mistakes in the initial stage." Iger said, "Now I have the certificates of the Commander-in-Chief of the Night Watchman and the Hand of the King, and I can borrow money in the name of the Legion instead of an individual. You won’t get nothing... But as long as you pay off the principal and interest of the first round of loans once, you can establish investors... No, the creditors have confidence in me, and everything will go smoother and smoother. Tyrion, the most you can do now is How much money can you take out?"

"It's less than a thousand golden dragons, and four or five hundred of them must be the ransom you paid for leaving the Night Watchman Corps. Because when I negotiated with your chief affairs officer and craftsmen, we agreed on the types and quantities of materials, so we still have to pray." Prices haven't risen since I left King's Landing."

"Well, assuming you have three hundred gold dragon cash, what can you do with this money?" Iger still did not give up persuading: "It is enough to buy a batch of supplies and give me three or two more months of freedom, even start obsidian mining Neither is necessarily enough."

"I'll find a way for you. My brother has some money, and he doesn't spend it much. If it doesn't work, I can go to my father and get some. It won't be too much, but definitely not much..." Tyrion said Resolutely interrupted Iger's words, "No matter what, cheating is shameful, and I will not help you carry out your plan."

……

Seeing Tyrion's serious and persistent expression, Iger suddenly realized what the problem was. At the beginning of the conversation, he joked that what he was going to do was "cheat money". Be taken seriously by the other party.

He scolded himself in his heart, his head was running fast, and he thought of a way to make up for this mistake.

-

Chapter 47 The Game of Money

"God, I have to apologize for my unclear explanation before." Iger waved his hand, "Let's start again. I will use a game to explain the feasibility and advantages of my plan. You know the Iron Bank."

"of course."

"How does it work?"

"Gather the surplus money of the residents of Braavos and lend it to those in need." Tyrion came back to his senses and added: "But it is different from you, it is managed by the ruler of Braavos, rather than individuals."

"Indeed, but we will discuss the difference at the end. Now, let's play role-playing to understand how it works." Iger put away the two certificates on the table, took out a silver coin, and put it on the On the table in front of Tyrion: "I am an ordinary citizen of Braavos, and you represent the Iron Bank. Now, several wealthy residents of our city have deposited ten thousand gold dragons with you."

The dwarf looked at the silver coin in front of him, which symbolized ten thousand gold dragons, and the expression of disapproval on his face relaxed. He is an easy-going person, but what he looks for will not change easily, and he will never support anyone in fraud Behavior, even with approved friends.Because of this, he was even more curious about how Iger planned to convince himself.

***

Iger's tone became serious: "I, an ordinary Braavosian, am planning to open a shop. After preliminary calculations, I think I need about [-] gold dragons, but I have no money... So, I ran to you , borrowed ten thousand gold dragons."

Iger picked up the silver coin that was just placed in front of Tyrion, put it back to his side, and the game began.

"Then, I used the [-] golden dragons to rent a shop, bought tools, and opened the shop." Iger put the silver coins on the side of the table where no one was sitting, to show that he had used up the [-] golden dragons: "The first round of the game is over. So far, everything is easy to understand. I owe you [-] gold dragons, and you owe the person who deposits with you—referred to as the depositor [-] gold dragons. Next, something interesting happened."

"Huh?" Tyrion stared at Iger, watching him take the silver coin that he put aside to show that he had spent it back in front of him, "What does this mean?"

"This is the biggest difference between Braavos and Westeros. In Braavos, people don't hide their surplus money at home, but deposit it in iron vaults. It's this small change, It is very important in the game of money." Iger couldn't help smiling, thinking that he had a good idea: "After I spend the ten thousand gold dragons, the person who earned my ten thousand gold dragons will give the money to me again." Here you are."

"Huh..." Tyrion seemed to realize something, but still didn't know what was going on.

"Then, something went wrong with my business plan, and I found out—although the store was opened, I haven't bought raw materials yet, and I still need [-] gold dragons, so I asked you to borrow it."

"But you haven't paid off the last sum of money."

"That's right, but if you don't lend me, I can only declare bankruptcy and let you take away my half-opened store." Iger said with a smile: "But I rented the facade, and the things in my store It’s useless for Iron Bank, which means that if you want me to pay back the money, you can only continue to lend me money, hoping that my store can open and make money.”

"Isn't that rascal?"

"No, this is not a rogue, this is the reason why Braavos is the strongest and richest among all the free trade cities!" Iger raised his voice, and took the silver coin back to his side, and put it on the table again. The corner of the person: "I used the ten thousand golden dragons I borrowed from you again to open the shop and start business. Do you understand what's going on?"

"You turned this '[-] golden dragon' upside down and opened a shop that costs [-] golden dragons?"

"That's right, with [-] gold dragons, I opened a store that can only be opened with [-] gold dragons. In the future, you can also recover the principal and interest formed by the [-] gold dragon loans. The rich people who deposit with you will eventually earn [-] yuan." Interest on gold deposits, all three parties are happy!" Iger asked Tyrion back. "But how did this happen? Where did the extra ten thousand golden dragons come from?"

The dwarf thought for a long time before carefully answering: "It's because I took a risk and lent other people's money to you who haven't paid off the last loan!" Leon quickly remembered the problem that had not been solved before, "The extra ten thousand golden dragons that do not exist are actually the manifestation of the risk I took!"

"That's right, but back to your previous question, what if when you lent me the [-] golden dragons, the people who deposited the money with you, we call them depositors, suddenly want to withdraw money?"

"It is impossible for the iron treasury to only have ten thousand golden dragons."

"That's true." Iger took out another handful of silver coins and put them in front of Tyrion: "You have a lot of money in your treasury, so if someone wants to take [-] gold dragons, you just give him [-] gold dragons." But the problem now is that there is so much money in your treasury, none of which belongs to your iron treasury, what if all depositors demand to withdraw money at the same time?"

Tyrion suddenly remembered the conversation between the two, the difference is that now the questioner has become Iger sitting opposite: "This can't happen, because this is exactly what the Iron Bank is trying to avoid."

"How to avoid this from happening."

How did Igger ask and answer by himself?Tyrion found himself being involved, and realized that the other party let him play the Iron Bank to make him think about this issue.But he has always claimed to be smart and likes mind games, so he decided to accept the challenge.

After a few seconds of thinking, he had the answer: "Interest and trust, interest makes 'depositors' willing to deposit, and trust in the strength of the Iron Bank makes 'depositors' never worry that they will not be able to withdraw money when they want to withdraw money." out, so unless you really need the money, no one withdraws it just out of fear."

"That's good, but now there is another question, what if the store I open doesn't make money?"

The dwarf's eyebrows were all in a ball, and after a while, he answered word by word like a curse: "Then I won't lend you any money! I will send staff to confirm before releasing the loan. If I If your employees think that your store will be difficult to make a profit, then I won’t borrow a single coin.”

Tyrion's answer was more accurate than that in Iger's heart. It's no wonder that he is one of the smartest people in Westeros, and he was able to realize the truth of risk assessment before lending so quickly.But this is also good: "Then, now we can come to the conclusion that we can use [-] gold dragons to accomplish what [-] gold dragons can do, because through a series of seemingly complicated operations, the principle is actually very simple, Virtually created [-] golden dragons that do not exist. And the reason for this is that you believe that my store can make money, and your depositors also believe that you will always be able to pay off their savings with interest. "

……

"The non-existent ten thousand golden dragons are not so much a manifestation of the risk you take, but rather a manifestation of the 'trust' between the iron bank, depositors and lenders. It is this trust and confidence in the future , so that the Braavosi people can use limited money to build a huge fleet and a beautiful city far beyond their own financial capabilities, becoming the youngest, but the richest and most powerful of the nine free trade city-states. Other trade city-states followed suit A bank has been established, but because it cannot simulate the cultural atmosphere in which Braavosi people are used to depositing money in the Iron Bank, they are completely unable to compete with the Iron Bank in terms of the amount of funds.”

Tyrion was overwhelmed by Iger's new vocabulary and unheard of rules. For the first time, he felt that his brain was not enough. After thinking for a while, he admitted that he couldn't find the problem.

But Iger didn't give up, he decided to go all out: "Do you think our game is over?"

"Not yet?" The dwarf raised his head, looked at his adventurer friend for a few seconds, and suddenly realized: "Seven Gods, you... still want to borrow money!?"

-

Chapter 48 The Game of Money

"That's right, if my store encounters any problems again, I will come to you to borrow it. As long as the person who earns my [-] gold dragons finally deposits the gold coins back to the iron vault, this game can continue indefinitely." Iger showed a sinister smile: "Using [-] gold dragons, it is completely possible to accomplish things that require [-], [-], or even [-] gold dragons. There is only one situation that will interrupt this cycle, that is, too much money in circulation wasted, or ran away from Braavos and failed to return in time. Now, you understand why the Iron Bank is so eager to collect money after lending it to King Robert."

"Because the money spent by Robert will not go back to the iron treasury, but will be hidden at home by the people of Westeros!" Tyrion almost snapped his thigh, and finally there was something he could easily understand, " This is the so-called ... what is it called, 'the capital chain is broken'!"

"That's right." It's no loss that Tyrion is really quick to use what he has learned: "Now, the money borrowed by the Iron Bank is actually far more than the wealth in its treasury and even the entire Braavos, and the repayment of the principal In fact, it is something that it does not consider and cannot do, can you say that Iron Bank is cheating money?"

I seem to be really convinced?Tyrion's eyes widened, and he was still a little unwilling: "But you are an ordinary person after all, not a nobleman, nor a rich man..."

"I'm the material recruiter of the Night's Watch, a recruiter for King's Landing and the King's Landing, the person in charge of dragon crystal mining, and an image ambassador. I have a job offer, or you asked for it for me, forget? The certificate issued by the Prime Minister, if I borrow money in the name of the Night Watchman, Commander Mormont will not admit it.” Iger smiled more complacently, and suddenly felt that the identity of the Night Watchman is not bad: “What is a scam? If I After borrowing money, I took the money and ran across the narrow sea in a boat, which is called a scam; if I mess up and don’t pay the money in the end, it can also be called a scam; but if everything goes well, every time I borrow the money If a person can withdraw the money with interest when needed, can this still be called a scam?"

"Isn't it? It can only be regarded as a clever deception at best?"

"Hey... just imagine, if a Westeros wants to open such a store, he needs [-] real golden dragons that belong to him. But without a store, I will definitely not be able to make so much money. With so much money, I won’t be able to open a store...Under this kind of predicament, Westeros will not be able to develop for thousands of years.” Iger said: “If this is also called a scam, Then the world I come from——" He almost slipped the tongue, and he quickly corrected it: "The whole continent and the whole society where I come from are all built on deceptions, but this is a society built on deceptions. But it has developed a level of politics, economy, culture and technology far beyond Westeros, what do you think of this?"

"This--"

"Not only that, but the place where I come from has played the money game to a higher level than Braavos." Iger continued to throw a bombshell, "The money lent by the Iron Bank is all real money, so After a few cycles, it will have to slow down for various reasons to prevent accidents due to insufficient gold coins returned to the vault. Therefore, for each gold coin in its vault, it can only virtualize at most two gold coins. Three non-existent gold coins are put into the market to build your own army and city, or to earn interest on loans. But the bank adopted is different, it does not lend any real money, but only issues paper certificates, we Call it banknotes or 'banknotes'. It will declare in the name of the bank that the holder of this paper has the ownership of [-] gold dragons in the treasury. Proof that it can be used as [-] gold dragons... In this way, for every gold coin in the bank vault, it dares to fabricate more than a dozen non-existent gold coins, and let this fabricated money flow into the market to build the country. Which of the two is more efficient, you can tell at a glance that Braavos is indeed very powerful, but Zana is far stronger than it, if it is not separated by a sea of ​​​​sunset that can't be seen at a glance, Zana's army occupies Westeros, Essos, and all of Sossos are but a matter of time for the army to travel."

"One piece of paper represents ten thousand golden dragons?"

"It's not such an exaggeration, it's just an analogy."

"How is this possible? According to what you said, the bank is playing such a big game. As long as one tenth of the people take the paper you said to the bank to exchange money, the scam will be exposed!"

"Don't talk about one-tenth, in fact, no one will take gold coins. Because in the eyes of the pickers, banknotes and gold coins are already the same thing." This is a bit difficult to explain, and Iger also thought about it After a while, he opened his mouth cautiously: "Playing money games will produce a very miraculous result-although the 'chicken' we created is fake, the 'eggs' it lays are real. The existing gold coins prospered the society, mobilized people's enthusiasm and improved productivity, and then built an army of houses, produced countless grains, clothes, toys... Finally, the value of the goods owned by the pickers has far exceeded the value of the goods in the bank. Even the value of the gold and silver coins that exist in the entire Caira continent. At this stage, it has become unrealistic to use precious metal currency for transactions. Caina people have completely abandoned the ancient currency and turned to banknotes as real coins. .”

"Think paper as money?"

"That's right, this is the final stage of the money game. At this point, this 'scam' you think is already one of the frameworks and rules of social operation, and it will not be shattered anyway." What Iger didn't tell the other party was , In the real final stage, money will be just a number on the books, and even banknotes will not be needed.

***

"The chicken is fake, but the egg it lays is real... The chicken is fake, but the egg it lays is real..."

In the past two months, whenever Iger had the opportunity, Iger told Tyrion the stories of his motherland, and these stories basically covered up the modern technology of the Chinese dynasty and then moved to another place. It can be said that nine out of ten are true. False, almost no flaws can be found, which has led to the fact that the dwarf has no doubts about the existence, strength and wealth of "Cai Na".So, the smartest Lannister in the world also fell into Iger's story, murmuring the latter's words like a fool, completely losing the eloquence of the past.

"It's still early to make a fictional 'chicken' to lay eggs. What I'm going to do now is just to use chickens to lay eggs." Iger finished telling the whole story, and it's time to see the results: "Since we have even made a fictional 'chicken' that is more than ten times Behaviors like gold coins can be a good thing to promote social development, so I borrowed money in the name of the night watchman, and I did use the money to do things for the night watchman, and I guaranteed to repay the principal and interest on time, so why is it a heinous crime?"

"Let me see, it's kind of messy in here."

"Think about it slowly, it's still early before I need to do business next time." Iger stood up: "I have other things to do today, raising funds, I'll talk about it when I come back. Tyrion, you Saving my life when I was in danger, this kindness will never be repaid. I swear in the name of all gods, new gods and old gods, that I will never cheat you. But have you ever thought that you are a dwarf, just studying and self-cultivation? , when will it be your turn to contribute to the family, and when will you get the chance to prove yourself to Duke Tywin?"

These words are a bit suspicious of poking at people's pain points. If the relationship is not in place, it may be a shallow exchange of words, but Iger is bullying Tyrion as a gentleman.What is a gentleman?Even if he is offended, he will not lose his mind and hold a grudge, and this just touches Tyrion's deepest desire.

"My suggestion is to try to open the first bank in Westeros. It is impossible to do this with my status as a night watchman, but with the strong financial foundation of the Lannister family and the "debts must be repaid" Good reputation, if you have an idea, you will definitely be the easiest to succeed. And if you think it is not advisable after thinking about it, then let this matter go, and you will end up lending me a hundred and eighty golden dragons as the first round of borrowing I will carry out and bear all subsequent operations and risks by myself. And if you decide to give it a try after consideration, not only will you be able to participate in the whole process of fundraising this time, but when you plan to formally establish a bank in the future, I will I will definitely do my best to provide help and advice, so it’s settled, how about it?”

"Okay, I'll study it and give you an answer."

"Okay, now, I'm going to the Red Castle first." The conversation between the two took some time, and the whole morning passed, and Iger walked to the door of the room, and suddenly remembered something: "I almost forgot, what we just said The money game has a specific name in Caira. There is no corresponding word in Westeros, so I decided to use gold and liquidity to form a new word to call it-'finance'."

-