SEC #412 - Chapter 146 All parties gather together
#412 - Chapter 146 All parties gather together
Currently, Marquis Garon has already shown his support for the Dragon Queen. Therefore, other lords are also beginning to consider whether to join this war. After all, Marquis Garon's strength is well known. His daring to confront the Seven Gods Church that spans across Westeros, openly slaughtering the Great Sept of Baelor, has shocked and awed everyone.
If the Dragon Queen receives Marquis Garon's support, she may be able to reclaim the Iron Throne. Even if unifying all of Westeros is impossible, they can at least form a situation of fragmented states like before Aegon's Landing. For those whose paths to advancement have been blocked, such a situation is extremely attractive.
Moreover, it is said that the Dragon Queen also possesses vast territories in Slaver's Bay. If the situation turns unfavorable, they can choose to leave Westeros and continue to enjoy wealth and glory there. Believing in the Dragon Queen's generosity, she will certainly not mistreat these loyal subordinates.
However, in the study of the Moon Gate, Petyr Baelish sat at his desk, his brows furrowed tightly, pondering a strategy to deal with the situation. Before him was Daenerys's summons. He knew that this decision would affect the future of the entire North.
Petyr Baelish knew that his position was hard-earned, and he could not give it up easily. He needed to carefully weigh the pros and cons, seeking a way to protect his own interests while dealing with the current situation. But facing such a complex situation, he couldn't help but fall into deep confusion. This was a fair and open conspiracy, summoning lords and nobles from all over in the name of protecting humanity, to jointly send troops against the White Walkers. However, the nominal Protector of the Realm, Tommen I, could only cower in King's Landing. Whether it was the High Sparrow in the church or Marquis Garon, they could easily ignore the king's dignity, and even dared to fight in King's Landing.
What's worse, Duke Mace Tyrell, a key figure in the Small Council, was assassinated in the Red Keep's sewers. If Margaery Tyrell were not the current queen, Highgarden would probably have already raised the flag of rebellion.
If this expedition beyond the Wall is victorious, then Daenerys will become the supreme ruler of all of Westeros. Now, the North has publicly announced its allegiance to Daenerys. Although the Riverlands has not yet made a clear statement, Edmure Tully, the Duke of Riverrun and Robb's uncle, has always maintained a consistent stance with the North.
In addition, the Westerlands has been plagued by constant warfare in recent years, and the lords have long been dissatisfied and resentful of the war. When Tywin was suppressing them, these people did not dare to have dissenting thoughts, but now that Tywin is dead, they have begun to show signs of division. Jaime is currently stabilizing the situation in Casterly Rock, while his three uncles each control a certain amount of military power. Among them, Kevan is willing to support him and is gradually consolidating power. But the other two uncles' attitudes are ambiguous and require time to observe their movements.
Looking at the Reach, the most affluent region in the Seven Kingdoms, Willas Tyrell has inherited the positions of Lord of Highgarden and Warden of the South. Although the power in the South has smoothly transitioned due to the suppression of the Queen of Thorns, Olenna, the years of war have taken a huge toll on both financial and military strength. The Tyrell family's strength is far from what it used to be. Not only are there powerful old nobles like the Hightowers and Redwynes, but also military meritocrats like Randyll Tarly eyeing them covetously. Facing these, Willas, the young lord, seems powerless and unable to suppress these powerful figures, and it is estimated that it will take some time to restore order.
Finally, the Stormlands, as the main battlefield of this great war, has suffered from economic decline and has almost become a scorched earth. The newly crowned Aegon Targaryen can only huddle in Storm's End, relying entirely on the Golden Company and the Dornish army to confront King's Landing. The power of the court has in fact fallen into the hands of Queen Arianne and Oberyn Martell, who have the full support of the Dornish people. However, the Dornish are sparsely populated, located in remote areas, with harsh natural conditions and extremely scarce resources. This limits their power to a certain extent, making it difficult to compete with other regions.
In the Vale, Petyr sat in his chair, his brows furrowed, his fingers tapping incessantly on the table. Despite his shrewd mind, the nobles of the Vale did not recognize his appointment as Warden of the East due to his humble origins. Even with the support of Lady Lysa and Lord Robin, these people were still unwilling to obey his command. More seriously, Lord Yohn Royce led the Waynwood, Hunter, Redfort, Belmore, and Templeton families to form an organization called the "League of Righteous Men". This alliance almost controlled the entire Vale, and any order issued by Petyr needed to be discussed by the League of Righteous Men before it could take effect.
Overall, the situation in the Seven Kingdoms has become extremely complex, with various forces secretly vying for power. Everyone is trying to gain more power and benefits through various means, while also avoiding being schemed against by others. This situation of mutual testing and struggle makes the future full of uncertainty. In this turbulent era, who will ultimately emerge as the true victor?
"Yes! Vulnerable!" Petyr sighed with a worried face. Since the establishment of the League of Righteous Men, he has been trying to find ways to control this organization, but now it seems that everything has been in vain. Although he has placed his own people within the League of Righteous Men and gradually bought off and divided its members, the rapid changes in the situation have caught him off guard.
Faced with this situation, Petyr deeply recognized a fact—in the face of absolute strength, any conspiracy seems so vulnerable. This is what Garon once told him, and now, he has finally personally experienced the truth of this sentence.
Petyr shook his head helplessly, then summoned Maester Cance, and ordered in a low voice: "Maester, please immediately notify the lords of the Vale to attend the meeting. Remember to clearly inform them of the theme of this meeting, which is to discuss how to respond to the Dragon Queen's summons." He knew that this matter was something he could not stop, so he could only try to make things public, otherwise those people would secretly join the Dragon Queen, which would be a consequence he could not bear.
At the same time, in the distant Westerlands, a magnificent castle stood by the sea, which was Casterly Rock.
The castle's architectural style was unique, majestic and spectacular, and it was the Lannister family's territory and center of power. Inside the castle, in the Hall of Heroes that Liu Yuan had once visited, statues and portraits of the Lannister family's ancestors and heroes were displayed, which was a testament to the family's history and glory.
Deep in the Hall of Heroes, Jaime stood in front of Tywin Lannister's statue, his eyes firm and resolute. Beside him were several Westerlands lords, including Kevan Lannister, Earl Roland Crakehall, Earl Quenten Banefort, and Earl Tytos Brax. They were all Jaime's loyal supporters, and they were full of concern about Jaime's decision.
Kevan frowned, worriedly saying: "Do you really intend to respond to that Dragon Queen's call? And you want to personally lead the team to the North. Not to mention our hostile relationship with the Targaryen family, don't forget that you personally killed that Dragon Queen's father! Once you fall into her hands, she will definitely chop off your head without hesitation."
Jaime took a deep breath, a trace of determination flashing in his eyes: "This may be an opportunity, I must try it. The Dragon Queen's summons clearly states that in this war against the White Walkers, all forces that send troops to help will be protected by her, ensuring their safety. The Dragon Queen will not move me for the sake of her reputation."
Earl Roland Crakehall shook his head and sighed: "Lord Duke, you are simply taking a risk! Your actions are not only irresponsible for your own life, but also put the families that have always supported you in a dangerous situation. What if you encounter misfortune in the North? What should we do?"
Jaime was silent for a moment, his eyes flashing with determination and firmness. He took a deep breath and slowly opened his mouth and said: "I understand your worries, but there is no other choice now. We are currently in an extremely dangerous situation, especially after forming such a deep feud with the Dragon Queen. If we start a war at this time, we have no chance of winning, and even the entire Lannister family faces the danger of annihilation. We cannot sit still and wait for death, we must take action. And the appearance of the White Walkers happens to provide us with an opportunity. The summoning of the Allied forces takes time, and that is exactly what we lack. Cersei has written to tell me that she has found a way to fight the dragons. Only if I personally lead the team can I show enough sincerity and buy more time."
After saying these words, Jaime turned around and faced the crowd present. His gaze was firm and resolute, as if telling them that he was ready to die. He continued: "This expedition may be a test of life and death, but it may also be our only chance. No matter what the final outcome is, I hope everyone can understand my decision and give me their full support." After speaking, Jaime once again stared at the statue of Tywin Lannister, as if drawing strength from his father's figure.
Behind him, several nobles looked at each other in silence, their faces with a trace of helplessness and worry, their eyes fixed on the figure in front of them. They could only stand there silently, praying for Jaime, hoping that he would be safe and sound in the end.
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The Karstark family's territory, the coastal area northeast of Karhold. This land used to be a desolate and uninhabited place, with spectacular cliffs and the magnificent Shivering Sea.
However, a sudden natural disaster completely changed the face of this place, and the sky full of lightning leveled the original cliffs to the ground. (When Liu Yuan was crossing the Golden Core Tribulation, he was struck by the Forty-Nine Lightning Tribulation.) Not only that, even those steep cliffs collapsed one after another, and even the reefs on the coast were shattered.
After this natural disaster, a bay formed here, suitable for seagoing ships to dock. The Karstark family picked up a big bargain and invested heavily in developing it into a port. As time passed, more and more ships chose to dock here, giving this once barren land a new lease of life.
Since the Queen issued the summons, reinforcements from all over have been continuously gathering in the North. However, due to the terrain limitations of Eastwatch-by-the-Sea, which cannot accommodate too many seagoing ships, Grey Cliffs became the main gathering point. After more than a month of intense construction, it has now become extremely prosperous, gradually forming a huge gathering place. This gathering place not only has soldiers and adventurers from all over the world, but also various merchants and craftsmen.
The army gathered here now exceeds 40,000 people, and Daenerys has sent 5,000 Unsullied and more than 10,000 Dothraki cavalry. In addition, there are many lord's armed forces, wandering knights, and high-level mercenaries from various territories. Because Daenerys is wealthy, she gives a certain subsidy to everyone who accepts the call.
These tens of thousands of energetic men have money in their hands, and they either fight or drink. Facing this huge market, many merchants flocked to it. They brought not only a large number of ordinary commodities, but also some colored industries.
Some smart merchants even had ideas about the wildlings in the Last River and the Dreadfort resettlement points. Although Robb strictly prohibited looting the population, he did not prohibit hiring people for money. So, these merchants went to the resettlement points and hired thousands of wildling girls at low prices, letting them leave here to earn money. In contrast, the girls in the North are much more expensive and require better treatment. Therefore, these merchants chose more affordable wildling girls.
A four-masted sailing ship slowly entered the port, hanging the lighthouse flag with a burning black flame. Gals, wearing a black eye patch, stood at the bow of the ship, dressed as a southern pirate. Lord Leyton thought that his relationship with Liu Yuan was not bad, so he let him take two hundred people to respond to the Queen's call. Due to family reasons, he could not show his identity.
"Cough, cough!" Someone behind him coughed a few times, and Gals quickly stepped aside and said flatteringly: "Sister, please go first."
The person disguised as a man was the eldest daughter of Lord Leyton, Morroha Hightower, who was known as the "Madwoman". She was about the same age as Catelyn Tully, but she was still unmarried. She was passionate about all kinds of knowledge, especially keen on exploring the field of mysticism, and has now become a senior scholar in the Citadel. After hearing the news that White Walkers were appearing in the North, she insisted on following Gals.
Morroha asked curiously: "Why did we come here instead of going directly to the Wall?"
Gals explained: "As far as I know, because it is necessary to maintain the supply of the front line, only the Queen's direct fleet can dock at Eastwatch-by-the-Sea. Other reinforcements need to rest here for a while to adapt to the cold climate of the North, and then they will be sent to the Wall."