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Game of Thrones: The Sword King
Game of Thrones: From Deserter to Power
Game of Thrones: King of Harrenhal— Garth Greenhand Stat Panel
First, building upon Jon's "Gate Tax" foundation, Tyrion didn't just pile on more fees. Instead, he used it as leverage to abolish all "stall fees" for merchants within the city.
In the Master of Administrative Affairs' own words: "Since we've already ensured every good entering the city is taxed at the gate, there's no need to double-dip."
Simultaneously, to protect and encourage Westerosi industries, Tyrion slapped a hefty 30% tariff on all imported luxury goods—exempting only essential daily necessities.
This move immediately caused wailing and gnashing of teeth throughout the upper echelons of King's Landing.
After all, the only people with spare coin to buy these useless, hedonistic imports were the nobles.
Therefore, this tax was essentially a direct levy on the wealthiest class.
But Tyrion wasn't done yet. His third and fourth decrees made every man in the city curse his name.
These were two taxes specifically targeting the brothels:
Anyone stepping foot onto the Street of Silk had to pay a "pleasure tax" of five silver stags. Correspondingly, the brothel owner had to match that amount for every customer entering their establishment!
So, coming and going, every man with needs brought the Imp half a gold dragon in revenue. It got to the point where the working girls joked that even pirates would have to pay an entry fee before robbing the place.
Tyrion ignored the complaints. While his hands cramped from counting the gold, he continued to brainstorm new ways to make money.
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Since taking office as Commander of the City Watch, Jon had quietly begun to change his image, donning a brand-new set of armor to reflect his new position.
Littlefinger jokingly referred to him as the "Sword-Bearing General."
But Jon remained highly alert during this brief honeymoon period.
Although he had successfully influenced Joffrey and Littlefinger by spreading rumors, these whispers couldn't bring him lasting prestige or power.
Fortunately, securing the command of the Gold Cloaks allowed Jon to sit in the Hand's chair with much more confidence.
Comparatively, Jon's progress was far more impressive than Tyrion's.
But when facing the other three members of the Small Council, he encountered stiff resistance.
The cause was simple. After successfully taming the Gold Cloaks and securing a stable revenue stream, the Shadow Hand—despite having two lifetimes of experience—got a little carried away by his youthful body's ambition. He tried to seize even more power.
His focus naturally landed on his current role.
Back when he was at odds with the Gold Cloaks, Jon feared their numbers were too great to control.
But now that he sat in the Commander's chair, he began to question: How can a force of barely a thousand men secure a city of nearly half a million?
With that thought, Jon merely opened his mouth to suggest expanding his forces.
But this time, his luck ran out. He faced unanimous opposition from Varys, Pycelle, and even Littlefinger.
This rare unity among the schemers was a wake-up call for Jon. Clearly, within the existing framework of the game, he could play freely.
But the moment he tried to gather enough power to flip the table, the other players would collectively shut him down.
Realizing this, Jon turned his gaze beyond King's Landing.
Currently, Tampa's development had entered a stable phase. Even though he hadn't given Lady Anya any formal promises or a marriage contract, his hands-off attitude gave the Red Fox substantial freedom.
Regarding the cross-sea trade, Jon only needed to check the ledgers periodically; it didn't require much of his energy.
As for his innovative resort, with the collaboration of Arya, Gendry, and Ser Wendel—along with the new Gold Cloak rotation system—it practically ran itself.
In fact, Arya sometimes complained that she was bored.
Jon had to hire a master technician from Braavos just to keep his little sister occupied.
But this one corner of the world obviously couldn't satisfy Jon.
Looking at the broader picture of Westeros, the Baron of Tampa knew better than anyone that the Lannisters were destined to rebel.
This certainty didn't just stem from Cersei's stupidity, but from a secret he had uncovered.
Earlier, when the Lannisters delayed their compensation payments, Jon became suspicious. To uncover their true situation, he spent a fortune hiring a Faceless Man from Braavos for an investigation.
Since the contract didn't involve assassination, the fee charged by these secretive assassins was surprisingly reasonable—fair enough for Jon to accept.
When they concluded their investigation, a report landed on the Shadow Hand's desk.
Only then did Jon understand why Tywin Lannister—despite the looming exposure of Cersei and Jaime's incest—chose to aggressively raid the Riverlands.
Besides protecting Lannister pride and honor, it was a pretext to plunder the Riverlands' wealth and resources.
The Faceless Man's report revealed a shocking truth: Casterly Rock's supposedly inexhaustible gold mines had collapsed more than once, and the gold veins were running dry.
After investing massive resources with diminishing returns, the Lion's wealth was drying up. This terrified House Lannister, whose reputation was built entirely on gold.
The Westerlands were a barren, rocky region. The arable land capable of sustaining a population existed only in valleys and coastal strips.
Without their rich gold mines, hunger alone would drag House Lannister down from its pedestal—let alone upholding their words, "Hear Me Roar."
Jon, with his modern understanding, knew that the economic base determines the superstructure.
The collapsing gold mines would ultimately force the Lannisters to launch a desperate military coup while they still had some strength left.
Knowing this, Jon dared not push Tywin too hard. He feared the Old Lion might snap, distribute the 500,000 Gold Dragons owed to the North among his troops instead, and march his army straight into the Riverlands, triggering the War of the Five Kings ahead of schedule.
Fortunately, according to the latest raven, while 500,000 dragons was a painful sum, it wasn't the final straw that would break Casterly Rock—thanks to generations of accumulated wealth.