"Power blinds people, even the most loyal can become selfish in the face of the power to control millions of lives." Tyrion Lannister, Duke of Casterly Rock and First Imperial Counselor.
--------
"Tyrion, are the fourth-generation cannons ready for war?" Aenar asked, raising his gaze to see a tall man with blond hair and green eyes. A true Lannister from head to toe. Tywin would be proud to see Tyrion's current appearance.
"Your Majesty." Tyrion greeted Aenar with respect and replied with a calm and deep tone. "The fourth generation of cannons is still unstable; the chance of the barrel exploding is three in ten shots."
Aenar frowned; he couldn't help but be dissatisfied with the technological advancement. Although he knew this was normal, he still wanted to see his cannons crossing Yi Ti's Jade City as soon as possible.
Caressing his forehead, Aenar changed the subject. "What about firearms?"
Tyrion finally showed a relieved look, seeing that he wasn't reprimanded by the Emperor. He adjusted his feelings and spoke professionally. "The third generation of rifles is stable and ready for use on the battlefield. If the Emperor gives more time, the artisans can create the fourth generation."
Unlike cannons, firearms were definitely simpler, especially with the designs given by the Emperor. So, the advancement in firearms was smooth throughout this decade. Especially pistols, which have practically become the preferred weapons of noble knights.
Although the role of the sword was still important, Tyrion could see that the future belonged to firearms. A man could die with just a pull of the trigger. Bullets were extremely fast and impossible to dodge. At least an ordinary human would never be able to dodge a bullet.
Good news. Aenar nodded. Although firearms were still far from what he wanted, the advancement was indeed much faster than cannons.
Cannons, besides being expensive to make, were time-consuming and could explode at any moment. In comparison, weapon creation was faster and safer. At least no one could die from an explosion…
"That's good." Aenar said, he looked at Tyrion and asked with a calm tone. "Is Myrcella doing well?"
Tyrion looked at the emperor's expression; he tried to guess his intentions but failed miserably. There wasn't a hint of emotion on the God Emperor of Humanity's face, just a perpetual expression of calm.
"Myrcella is doing well, especially her son, Lion." Tyrion avoided saying that Myrcella's son was Aenar's. Although such a fact was known to the nobles, no one dared to say anything or even spread rumors.
Aenar narrowed his eyes, hearing the name of his son with Myrcella. His vision crossed a distance of mountains, forests, and lakes, reaching the Rock, the Ancestral Castle of House Lannister.
An adorable blond child trained hard with his sword. With each movement of his sword, the winds spread to the sides, showing the boy's extraordinary strength.
Lion was growing well and healthy.
A smile appeared on Aenar's lips. He watched the boy for a while before returning his gaze to Myrcella, who was not far from her son, reading a book with a glass of wine in one of her hands.
Seeing her smile and her interested look at the book explaining planets and the solar system, Aenar sighed and returned to the Red Keep. He visits Myrcella and Lion every few months. Just as he also did with Arianne and Daeron (Logar Aurelian), Margaery and Roboute.
The three were his children, three bastard princes, but also three absolutely powerful Primarchs.
(Note: Daeron will abandon his name when he joins the Legiones Astartes, before being promoted to Primarch.)
Seeing the Emperor's smile, Tyrion knew that His Majesty had just seen Myrcella and Lion, even while in the Red Keep. At the same time, a weight seemed to disappear from the shoulders of the First Imperial Counselor.
One of Tyrion's greatest fears was the Emperor's possible indifference to Myrcella and the bastard son, Lion. However, seeing the Emperor's genuine smile, he knew that his fears were unnecessary.
"He's growing well; he will become a powerful Primarch." Aenar said with a satisfied look. Although he couldn't spend much time with his bastard children, he still visited the boys every time he had time.
After all, it was his duty as a father to educate, protect, and train them to be real men.
Tyrion's heart beat faster hearing the Emperor's words.
Primarch!!!
The highest rank in the Legiones Astartes, true Angels of the Emperor, having the power to overthrow mountains and destroy an entire city. Just hearing that his nephew would become a Primarch made Tyrion's heart beat faster.
Having a nephew who is a Primarch would not only protect House Lannister, but he also had a great ally in the Legiones Astartes.
Aenar looked at Tyrion and already knew what was going through his Imperial Counselor's mind. However, if Tyrion thought he could have even a small influence in the Legiones Astartes, he was very wrong.
There was one thing Aenar would not allow anyone to touch under any circumstances; this thing was the Legiones Astartes. The core of his power that no one should try to touch. Some nobles tried to bribe or even try to enlist some private soldiers in the Legions, but these nobles mysteriously died.
How could Aenar accept that his greatest weapon had foreign interference?
"Don't get too excited, my dear Duke Tyrion, someone might think you want too much power. In parliament, you might be attacked by your enemies." Aenar said playfully, but the Imperial Counselor's expression changed drastically.
Being a minister of the Emperor might seem good, but only he knew that during these ten years, the other two imperial counselors had been replaced five times!!!
The reason? Greed for power.
Although the Emperor had divided the Hand of the King's position into Three Imperial Counselors, the Imperial Counselors were still powerful, even being able to initiate a meeting in parliament.
Because of this, the second and third imperial counselors were changed five times. All were cautious at first, but as the Emperor rarely attended Parliament, respect and fear were replaced by thirst for power and greed.
Along with the flatterers around the Imperial Counselors, these counselors dared to touch on the extremely sensitive topic of noble rights over fiefs and laws. The next day, both counselors were stripped of their titles and thrown into prison for corruption and crimes against the Imperial Family.
Although it seemed that the emperor had no control over Parliament, Tyrion knew more than anyone that the Parliament's factions were controlled by the Three Queens. So, the imperial family firmly controlled all parliamentarians and ministers.
"I will be careful, Your Majesty." Tyrion said with a respectful tone, knowing that Aenar's previous words were a subtle warning as well as a threat. He was politically powerful, but the Emperor was infinitely more powerful.
The Emperor himself didn't need to do anything; the parliamentarians would devour him like hungry hyenas. All wanting his position, which was nothing new.
Aenar nodded with satisfaction, seeing that Tyrion understood the implications of his words. He didn't want to remove Tyrion from his position; the Governor and Duke of the West was very good at his job, saving him a lot of unnecessary headaches.
"When Asshai falls, we will begin the attack on Yi Ti, but before that, we have to strengthen our logistics in Volantis and other Free Cities." Aenar said, leaning back in his seat. His voice was calm and serious.
When Yi Ti falls, the Continent of Essos will be completely conquered, so Aenar planned to go to other continents. Of course, this was for hundreds of years later. The Imperium had to firmly establish itself in Essos, thus extracting the continent's resources to strengthen the Imperium and then worry about conquering more territory.
After all, conquering a territory was quick, but controlling it was more complicated. Not only trained people had to be sent to control the cities but also an army.
This was time-consuming, especially with humans, who were not born with knowledge.
"I will speak with Duke Willas about building logistics in Essos." Tyrion nodded, showing a smile. The stronger the Imperium, he and the noble houses of Westeros would grow stronger over time. This was cause for celebration.
In the beginning, he never imagined that the Seven Kingdoms could reach a level never before seen in history. What they were doing would be recorded in history so that all humans would know his name.
"I will take my leave, Your Majesty." Tyrion bowed and left the office with firm and calm steps.
Aenar looked at Tyrion's back and narrowed his eyes. The dwarf, who was no longer a dwarf, became more arrogant over time, but fortunately, Tyrion himself noticed this, or he would have to take some measures to end the Imperial Counselor's arrogance.
Pushing these thoughts aside, Aenar looked towards Asshai and murmured with a helpless tone. "If you wanted to get my attention, you succeeded, Konrad Curze…"
--------
Read the advanced chapters on my Patreon!
/GOTSW
Read my other books:
Game Of Thrones: The God-Emperor of Planetos (500,000 words written).
Percy Jackson: Godwyn the Golden.