In addition to the Bu family signing a sacred pact with the black holy dragon, the other nine ministers also reached a secret agreement with
In addition to the Bu family signing a sacred pact with the black holy dragon, the other nine ministers also reached a secret agreement with the Dragon Queen on behalf of their respective families.
The reason all nine ministers came, and the reason the Bu family wasn't worried about the deadly sacred contract being leaked, was that every person present was about to "betray their country" together.
"We have to think of our families too," sighed the flat-nosed Prime Minister.
"Our fates are deeply tied to the Bu family and the Azure Dynasty. When one prospers, all prosper; when one suffers, all suffer. And then there's the looming threat of the Long Night. As the heads of our families, we must plan ahead."
Perhaps fearing the sacred dragon might look down on them for this "betrayal," the Prime Minister went on to explain the tangled web of relations between the nine major families and the Bu family.
It was all very complicated, and Dany found herself lost in the details.
But it could be summed up in one sentence: these people's relationship was much like the four great families—Jia, Shi, Xue, and Wang—from Dream of the Red Chamber, now banding together in a desperate attempt to survive.
The Bu family sold the throne to protect the Azure Dynasty, while the other nine families sold out the Faith of Yi to ensure their own prosperity: they would dispatch their young family members to join the Faith of the Seven Dragons and help the Queen establish the Church of the Seven—at least a hundred temples. In return, the Dragon Queen would guarantee their family lines' survival, allow some of their younger members to take refuge in Slaver's Bay, and ensure their future status and power in the Yi lands.
In truth, Dany wasn't particularly invested in spreading the Faith of the Seven Dragons across the Yi lands.
She was just testing the waters and cobbling together a set of good-looking "revenue figures" to fool potential investors.
Just like how a certain con artist tricked the Americans, the Dragon Queen wanted to deceive the High Sparrow: Look how effective the Faith of the Seven Dragons is—why not follow our example?
Since Bu Hao and the ten ministers' plan wouldn't demand much effort from her, Dany had no reason to refuse.
It was a genuine win-win, and neither side had to pay too steep a price.
After flying for a full day and night, Big Black returned to the Great Pyramid of Astapor carrying a yellow cloth-wrapped bundle.
Only old Aemon was home; Aegon, Tyrion, Missandei, and the others had gone with the Queen to Southport.
The old maester spent his days raising Little Red (the hatchling), sending and receiving raven letters, and substituting for Missandei in the first-floor court to adjudicate cases—quiet but fulfilling days.
"The Seven bear witness—do we Targaryens have another kingdom now? And one as vast and mighty as the Yi lands?"
Seeing the stack of official documents Big Black handed him, old Aemon felt as if he were in a dream.
"To think becoming a king could be this simple. Then why did we hole up in Westeros all that time—for what, exactly?"
As he came back to his senses, the old maester began reflecting on the "Dance of the Dragons," a tragedy that pained every Targaryen.
He was filled with regret—regret on behalf of their ancestors.
If you have dragons, the world is yours. Why destroy the entire family over a throne that stabs your backside?
That's what the Dragon Queen had once said. And now, it seemed...
"Dany really might turn House Targaryen into a 'royal house of the world.'"
The coalition army didn't just have 300 warships; Volantis alone could field 500. Altogether, the allied city-states had more than 2,000 ocean-faring vessels.
But at present, the coalition only had three fleets—each made up of 100 ships, blending oared longships and large war galleys designed to fight for naval supremacy.
The reason was simple: the coalition was a loose alliance of various lords and city-states.
The situation was much like the Eighteen Warlords Against Dong Zhuo—only in a more cooperative version.
In this analogy, the Dragon Queen played the role of "Fat Dong."
And while all the forces shared a common goal, none were willing to hand over their entire army to a single commander like Yuan Shao.
The Lys fleet belonged to Lys. The coalition fleet belonged to the coalition.
Though united in purpose, no one wanted to be cannon fodder.
Only 300 warships were directly under the coalition's command. Member states contributed varying numbers of warships based on their national strength.
For example, Prince Trig of Lys brought 250 warships from the "Three Sisters" to New Ghis, but only 50 of them were distributed among the coalition's three main fleets. The remaining 200 remained under his personal command.
On paper, Trig alone matched the strength of two coalition fleets.
But raw numbers weren't the full picture. The fleets admitted into the coalition followed strict standards: age of the ship, tonnage, top speed, number of oars, crew complement—everything had to meet the highest requirements.
The coalition's three main fleets were the backbone forces, carrying out the most dangerous tasks without fear of sacrifice.
The city-states truly committed their strongest warships to the cause.
In this regard, the coalition's version of the Eighteen Warlords had far more integrity and awareness than Yuan Shao's crowd from the late Han Dynasty.
Of course, Fat Dong never put nearly as much pressure on the warlords as the Dragon Queen did on the slavers.
Had Fat Dong possessed dragons, even the selfish Yuan brothers—Shao and Shu—might have become as selfless as Cao Mengde (who was, at that point, genuinely passionate and patriotic).
Unlike the original Eighteen Warlords, the coalition had no single leader. It was governed collectively by several powerful figures.
Focusing just on the navy, the coalition's three admirals were: Sanetti, commander of the Iron Legion fleet of New Ghis; Xaro, one of the Thirteen of Qarth; and Errios, a magistrate of Volantis.
Upon discovering that the Dragon Queen's white dragon had been lurking near New Ghis's harbor, the coalition's internal council voted to summon Toros's First Fleet back to lay an ambush offshore—aiming to cut off the Dragon Queen's naval retreat.
The ideal goal: slay a dragon.The minimum goal: sweep the Dragon Queen's fleet and seize control of the sea.
The same day he received the raven from New Ghis, Errios immediately mobilized his forces, ordered provisions and water to be loaded, and by afternoon, led the 100 ships of the First Fleet out of port.
That night, during a routine reconnaissance at the Toros docks, the Dragon Queen discovered the move.
Midnight.
Southport, Queen's Command Post. All the generals were gathered around the war map, discussing the next step.
"How about we ambush Errios's First Fleet first?" suggested Jon Connington.
To be honest, Dany had the same thought.
But compared to the overall strategic situation, she didn't consider the First Fleet particularly valuable.
The Crab Prince tapped a spot on the map and said, "We can lie in wait. Station one fleet along the waist of Free Maiden Isle, another at Southport, then launch a pincer attack. With the dragons' help, it's a sure victory."
Garth nodded in agreement. "Iris and I are skilled in naval warfare, but this is our first time in Slaver's Bay. Our men are brave but inexperienced. Let us get some practice—and better understand the strength of the coalition's navy."
"Heh." Tyrion, standing on a stool, chuckled.
Well, he was now a second-rank official, qualified to attend the Queen's Privy Council.
Daenerys cast a glance at him and asked, "What are your thoughts, Wildfire General?"
"Your Majesty, what is the objective of this phase of the operation?" Tyrion countered with a question.
"Just speak plainly. Don't give me any nonsense," Daenerys said coolly.
Tyrion shrugged and began slowly, "We're here to probe the allied forces' trump cards. That's why you deployed the fleet to Nan'an Town.
Torlos is the supply hub for the allies. If we strike there, their hidden forces will be exposed—because they can't afford the loss.
The First Fleet only has a hundred ships. They're expendable.
But when we attacked the First Fleet, we revealed our strategic objective—Torlos. Once they got word, they bolstered their defenses.
By the time we destroy the First Fleet and turn back to strike Torlos, the enemy's hidden forces might inflict heavy casualties on us. It wouldn't be worth the cost!"
Clinton's expression changed. He pondered a moment and said, "I don't believe any hidden force could overturn the advantage of dragons, but the Imp has a point. Our goal this time isn't to destroy the enemy fleet."
Daenerys looked around. Seeing no further objections, she declared, "In one week, we strike Torlos."
"One week—is that to eliminate the possibility of the First Fleet returning as reinforcements? If we take Torlos, we could also seize the allies' grain and supplies," the Crab King mused.
"Yes, without the First Fleet, our task will be much easier. Besides that—"
Daenerys' eyes gleamed as she smiled faintly. "We might also pick up a few extra helpers."
That very night, "Workhorse" Big Black left Nan'an Town and reached the Wall a day and a half later. On the third day, he tossed a wight into Baelor's Great Sept. By the fifth day, he quietly brought back three skinchangers: one man and two women.
Gisela, a thirty-year-old spearwife with a face weathered by the wind, was a weak-grade skinchanger. Her companion was a goat.
Because of her limited ability, she had not been among the first wave of wildlings sent to "Queen's Point."
Her gift was particularly suited to herding, and she currently served as a shepherd, helping the Free Folk manage their flocks.
Borroq, a fifty-five-year-old man with graying hair, was a mid-tier skinchanger. His animal companion was a wild boar.
A seasoned skinchanger with considerable skill, he had once been a trusted aide to "Giantbane" Tormund.
Upon learning that the Queen needed skinchangers for battle, Mance Rayder personally requested Tormund to send him.
Indeed, Tormund's group had been located by Jon Snow's crows.
When Tormund saw that the Dragon Queen had kept her promise and brought eighty large ships, he immediately led his tribe through the Wall.
However, due to his close relationship with Jon, Tormund had no intention of farming in the Stepstones. Instead, he chose to remain at the Wall to assist the Night's Watch in defending against the White Walkers.
The third skinchanger was "White Mask" Morona, a wildling chieftain who had joined the temporary Night's Watch.
When she heard that Daenerys needed skinchangers, she passed on her command and title to her daughter and volunteered to serve the Queen in Slaver's Bay.
She was following in the footsteps of Jon Snow, using her skinchanger gift to retrain in shadowbinding meditation.
After her previous animal companion died three years ago, she happened to encounter a resurgence of magic and had since focused on blood sorcery. She had not yet found a new animal partner.
Daenerys held a birdcage in one hand and a cat cage in the other. Addressing the three wildlings now dressed in clean clothes, she said, "Forget the goat and the boar. First, tame a storm-petrel. If you still have energy, tame a cat. And if you can manage more, tame a giant lobster."
Gisela the spearwife and the tall old man were visibly dissatisfied.
But before coming here, they had already abandoned their goat and boar companions.
They had no choice. Dragons can carry humans, but not goats or boars.
Before they even got close to the dragons, the goat died of fright and the boar went mad.
"Your Majesty, what use is a lobster?" Morona asked curiously.
This chieftain was not only among the first wildling leaders to sign an agreement with the Queen, but had also fought White Walkers at her side—an old acquaintance by now.
"Fit sharp blades to its claws. It can help my white dragon cut off fishing nets entangling it," Daenerys replied strangely.
The Dragon Queen's idea was beautiful, but reality was far less kind.
Even the weakest, Gisela, managed to bond with both a storm-petrel and a cat. Borroq and Morona, meanwhile, both formed contracts with a one-meter-long giant lobster.
The lobsters were found by Big Black in the sea. They were fast, strong, and tasty.
Uh—but once fitted with blades, their claws became clumsy, their heads heavy, and their footing unstable.
By the time the lobster clipped through the net on Little White's body, the enemy had already cast their second and third nets.
Still, Daenerys didn't end up steaming and eating the lobsters bonded to the two skinchangers.
Though the lobsters weren't efficient net-cutters, they might still prove useful for sabotage.
The only problem was that lobsters were very poor at triggering wildfire jars.
In the end, Daenerys promised Morona, "Here's the deal—once we take Torlos, if it turns out the lobsters really aren't of much use, I'll help you catch a few eagles.
With dragons around, even the fiercest and strongest birds of prey are little different from sparrows."
(End of Chapter)
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