Seagulltown:
An army of 15,000 people arrived, as mighty as a steel torrent.
The half-meter-high white wall seemed to break with a single step.
News of the army's arrival spread quickly, and the huge city went into a state of defense.
Barking Graveson put on a suit of armor and walked out of the castle under the protection of the guards.
"Seven layers of hell!"
Seeing the majestic army stretching as far as the eye could see, cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead.
How many years had passed?
Under the rule of the Centenarian King, the kingdom has enjoyed long-term peace.
Since young King Viserys ascended the throne, he has adhered to his grandfather's will, making the kingdom more prosperous.
Even the Martial Valley has not seen war for many years.
"Hiss—"
A roar came from the sky, and two giant dragons circled in the air with wings as big as dark clouds.
"God bless you!"
Lord Barkin closed his eyes and prayed silently that the dragons would not burn indiscriminately.
Outside the white low wall,
Aemon rode a white deer and slowly walked to a spot nearby.
William and Adrian, two deputies, carried the second flag and the Royce family flag, respectively.
There was no need to speak; they just closed their eyes and counted silently in their hearts.
He wanted to see how long it would take the other party to come out and greet him.
Last time, he had only brought a dragon and flown directly to Graveson Castle.
This time, he had brought more people.
"One, two, three..."
When he counted to sixteen, the low white wall opened the gate.
"Your Highness, I'm late!"
Lord Barkin took off his armor and ran out hurriedly.
Accompanying him were the blonde girl and several servants.
Aemon opened his eyes, a smile appearing at the corners of his mouth.
"Your Highness, are you here to help with the encirclement and suppression of the pirates from the Three Women's Kingdom?"
Lord Barkin was shrewd and approached to ask.
"Don't you welcome it?"
Aemon asked back.
"How dare I?"
Lord Barkin took two steps back and raised his head with effort.
The white deer was so tall that it would have been difficult to see the other party if it were not for this.
Aemon looked down from above and said, "Without question: "Lord Barkin, my army is exhausted. May we enter Seagulltown to reorganize?"
"This..."
Earl Bajin looked at his army of at least 10,000 men and hesitated.
"Who has the final say in entering Seagulltown?"
"Are there any difficulties?"
Aemon clamped his legs together, and the white deer leisurely circled around the few people.
Lord Barkin followed with his eyes, looking left and right, but he ended up going in circles.
Boom!
The army behind them took a sudden step forward. Weapons and horses' hooves hit the ground, and the earth trembled three times.
"If you have any difficulties, just tell me. I will solve them for you."
Aemon stopped the white deer and stood at the gate of the low white wall.
He didn't want to reason.
If you were frustrated last time, you must pay it back double.
Lord Barkin forced a smile and said submissively, "No difficulties, Your Highness."
"If there are difficulties, you have to go. If there are no difficulties, you have to create some and go."
Aemon raised his eyes and glanced at him, saying, "Riverdale is in urgent need of building materials. The next batch is about to arrive. Can Seagulltown open the port to let them in?"
"Of course."
Lord Barkin lowered his head in shame, feeling that he had no limits.
"Thank you, generous Lord Barkin."
Aemon said something in the local dialect with a triumphant smile on his face.
The white deer jumped out and over the low white wall into Seagulltown.
Boom!
The army in the rear, flags flying, bypassed "Generous Lord Barkin" and entered Seagulltown like a long snake.
When it got dark,
When the army had entered halfway, the torchlight illuminated half of the city.
The next day,
With the blonde girl's help, Aemon ate breakfast leisurely.
Her long, silver-gold hair fell naturally around her shoulders, and her every move showed an elegant posture.
Without Laena, His Royal Highness ate very comfortably.
"Eat whatever you want."
"Prince, when will you go to High Tide to discuss the war?"
Lord Barkin asked cautiously from across the table.
He was glad he hadn't annoyed the other party last time.
After the army entered the city, it did not damage Seagulltown.
Aemon had almost finished eating and used a handkerchief to wipe his mouth.
"I will send a few vassals first, and then the dragon will follow."
The Velaryon family led the battle.
High Tide is an unavoidable checkpoint.
"Thank you."
Aemon returned the handkerchief.
The blonde girl buried her head in her chest, her face blushing.
Aemon silently moved the chair away.
His Royal Highness is a loyal man.
Without Rhaenyra's identity and background, women with bad brains would be sold by those bad women, who would count the money.
"Yes, Prince."
Lord Barkin's eyes were cunning, and he sighed secretly.
"My daughter is too innocent."
It seems that His Royal Highness prefers mature women who can manipulate people's hearts.
King's Landing.
Red Keep, Parliament Hall.
"The pirates of the Three Kingdoms are causing chaos, and the Sea Serpents are mobilizing to fight back."
Viserys frowned as he listened to the Grand Maester's report.
"It's not just the Sea Serpents."
Grand Maester Melos put his hands in his sleeves and slowly said, "There are also the Celtigar family of Crab Island and the Graveson, Shet, and Arryn families of Seagulltown."
The latter two families are called the Shet and Arryn families of Seagulltown, respectively.
Though loyal to the Arryn on the surface, the Arryn family are not vassals of the Graveson family.
Viserys's face turned grim upon hearing this. "Another war launched without notification or authorization.
Every similar war provokes the royal family.
How long will the Sea Serpent continue to test them?
Lyonel lowered his head and pleaded, "Your Majesty, this war may not be a bad thing."
Someone has to pacify the pirates of the Three Women's Kingdom.
The Sea Serpent mobilized the army for war, so it was inevitable that he would suffer losses.
"That is also coercion to me."
Viserys stood firm.
Lyonel immediately fell silent.
The king is sometimes shrewd, sometimes capricious.
He is a little difficult to serve.
Viserys glanced at Lyonel and asked the ministers, "Is there any more news?"
The Law Minister, Jasper, hesitated to speak and quietly exchanged glances with the Sea Minister, Tyran.
Tyran's face changed. He stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I received news last night that Prince Aemon has gathered his vassals in Runestone City and is involved in this war."
"Aemon?"
Viserys asked in confusion. "How many vassals can he gather?"
Tyran touched his nose and stuttered, "One or two thousand troops."
"That's too few.
There are many knights in the Vale, and they have more than 30,000 war horses.
"How much? Twenty thousand?"
Viserys's face changed drastically, and he nearly jumped up from his chair.
What is he going to do?
Ruin the Vale?
Finance Minister Linman raised his eyebrows and exclaimed, "You are worthy of being Prince Daemon's son. The population of the Vale is sparse. Even Lady Jeyne may not be able to gather more than ten thousand troops in a short time."
The flattery came at the wrong time.
Viserys was angry and retorted, "Aemon has gathered 20,000 troops and formed an alliance with the Sea Serpents?"
"I'm afraid so."
Seeing that the king looked like he was about to eat someone, Tyran became frightened.
"Asshole!"
Viserys was so angry that his face turned red and his neck thickened. He cursed without caring about his image. "He's just like his father! Damn Daemon!"
He almost shouted the last half of the sentence.
The Sea Serpent is the biggest challenger to the Iron Throne.
The father and son have successively formed an alliance with him, yet they still question his loyalty.
"Your Majesty, don't worry."
Lyonel took action again and comforted him. "Prince Aemon may have been forced to do so. The newly opened prince's territory has a high demand for sea transportation."
As a qualified prime minister, it is essential to be familiar with the affairs of the kingdom.
It is also an indispensable skill to calm an angry king at a critical moment.
Sure enough, Viserys felt much better after hearing this.
He had heard his daughter mention it.
His nephew opened a Riverdale and invested a lot of manpower and material resources into it. He even searched for strong men from the mountain clans.
This is all slavery.
Had it not been for his nephew, Viserys would have been arrested and interrogated in the Red Keep dungeon.
"What do you think we should do now?"
Viserys rested his elbows on the table and observed the ministers' expressions carefully.
Some people said behind his back that he was weak and incompetent.
Others mocked his royal council, saying it was full of good-for-nothings and ambitious people.
But who knew what a mess his grandfather left him with after his uncle and father died one after another?
Don't think it's impossible.
The wisdom and strength of any king in his youth cannot negate the powerlessness of old age.
Even Aegon the Conqueror died of depression.
Maegor the Cruel was stabbed to death on the Iron Throne.
Then it was his grandfather Jaehaerys's turn. In his later years, he was overpowered by the Church of the Seven and the Seven Kingdoms' nobles. From then on, the Red Keep was like a rat's nest, air leaking from all sides.
The most straightforward example?
Did his father, "Brave Baelon," really die of simple abdominal distension?
As far as he knew, Lys had a poison that caused a similar death.
Then there was his youngest aunt, "Child of Winter" Gaery Targaryen.
Gaery was simple by nature; in layman's terms, she was mentally disabled.
An 18-year-old girl with intellectual disabilities was seduced by a court musician, but she concealed the truth for nine months.
Ultimately, she gave birth to a stillborn baby alone and jumped into the Blackwater River out of fear and sorrow.
Is this reasonable?
Why did his grandfather choose Otto Hightower as Hand a few years before his death and take his daughter, Alicent, as a companion?
It's because the Hightower family is powerful, second only to the Velaryon family.
Since ascending the throne, he has been balancing and checking all the time.
Daemon is a threat, so he was driven out of King's Landing.
The Sea Serpents are thieves, so they were expelled from the seat of power.
Otto's selfishness is at work; he was sent back to Oldtown many years ago.
"I will never allow the next threat to arise."
Viserys remained expressionless, his hands clenching quietly.
Silence!
The conference hall was quiet.
Led by Grand Maester Melos, the three ministers—Jasper and Tyran—all bowed their heads and pretended to be dead.
No one dared to offend the king.
Linman frowned, thinking about the solution.
Ultimately, the problem fell to Hand Lyonel.
"What do you think, Hand?"
Viserys stared at the taciturn Lyonel.
After all, Lyonel was still an ally in the royal meeting.
Lyonel took a deep breath and replied carefully: "You sent soldiers to help Prince Daemon before, and you should send soldiers again to show the king's majesty and love for his nephew."
"Very good, just as you said."
Viserys smiled more sincerely.
Lyonel is worthy of being the Hand he chose; the two share a tacit understanding.
Last time, Viserys gritted his teeth to support Daemon. He didn't expect the damn bastard to be so rebellious, breaking into the enemy camp alone to kill the Crabfeeder.
He also almost killed the messenger Viserys sent.
This time, his nephew Aemon is sending troops, so he can't offend his uncle.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Lyonel stood up, signaling the end of the meeting.
He tried to read the king's thoughts and then made a judgment call.
From the royal family's perspective.
The vassal started a war privately, and the only way to make up for it was to stop him.
Prince Aemon is also a member of the royal family.
As long as the three-headed red dragon flag is raised, the king will send reinforcements.
If this war is won, it will be a sign of the royal family's might. If it is lost, however, it will be bad luck for the Sea Serpents and High Tide.
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