Chapter 151: The overall situation of Pantos
"Why have you come to see me, Lord Count?" Butler Mills asked. Ian had stopped him on the gravel path, and the older man's attitude was deeply respectful. He knew the young man before him was a key figure under Governor Illyrio's patronage.
"My apologies, Mr. Mills," Ian said. "I have something I wish to know, but I couldn't find Hazru at the moment, so I was hoping I might ask you." He paused, then added, "Are you out for a walk? Perhaps we could go together." With a small gesture, Ian invited him to continue.
Mills nodded and resumed his pace, with Ian falling into step beside him.
"Hazru is not in the manse at present. He is very busy," Mills explained, then asked proactively, "Did you encounter some trouble that required you to find him?"
"Not at all," Ian shook his head. "In fact, what I am concerned about is this… storm you mentioned. The life-and-death battle between Prince Hazan and Suda Tetrus begins the day after tomorrow. I feel a certain unease. It is a duel, but surely it will not devolve into a civil war?"
"To tell you the truth, there are already signs of it," Mills confirmed with a solemn nod. "According to our spies, the private soldiers of the Hauket and Tetrus families have set out from the nearby towns and villages for Pentos. We expect them all to be in the city before tomorrow night. Neither side trusts the other, and each wants to prevent the other from reneging on the outcome."
"Governor Tetrus is the worst offender. He has many sons and can afford to lose one. But he knows that Hazan is the core of the Braavos Party; they cannot afford to lose him."
"Guerrero Tetrus has publicly stated that if anyone attempts to forcibly disrupt the games to save Hazan's life should his team find itself at a disadvantage, he will take action. Hazan and his allies were forced to respond in kind by gathering their own troops."
"However," Mills's tone shifted, "both governors have also secretly expressed to His Excellency Illyrio and the old governor, Lotalus, that they do not wish to go to war."
"To avoid any potential conflicts, Governor Illyrio has agreed to exchange the mercenary company defending the southern part of the city with Governor Guerrero Tetrus's mercenaries in the eastern district. This will separate his troops from Prince Hazan's."
"Are there no mercenary companies stationed in the northern, southern, or eastern districts, then?"
"Our new mercenaries are here to defend against the Dothraki," the butler explained with a short laugh. "They are deployed along the three land-facing city walls. The West City district is close to the sea. Do not worry, Lord Count. Even if a civil war does break out, you will not be affected in any way living here. In fact, I can guarantee that our entire West City district will remain untouched."
"Why?"
"The West City is the traditional sphere of influence of our Chamber of Commerce. We have eight hundred long-term, trained Chamber guards in this district alone. In the port, we can mobilize anywhere from six hundred to a thousand sailors from resting ships at a moment's notice."
"Coupled with the Governor's five hundred Unsullied stationed at his various properties, and the guards of his allies, we hold the balance of power. No matter which side we were to favor, we would doom the other to destruction. This is the source of Lord Illyrio's neutrality. No one dares enter the West City and risk our irritation." Mills was merely stating a fact, but his words carried an undeniable weight of authority.
"But the problem," Ian countered with a wry smile, "is that I have already agreed to Prince Hazan's invitation. I will be at the Prince's Palace to watch the games."
"You can rest assured on that account as well. During the competition, the defense outside the Prince's Palace will be the responsibility of Governor Lotalus's First Banner Guard. There are eight hundred of them, all true elites."
"The First Banner Guard will control every street near the Prince's Palace. This was the unanimous request of both Prince Hazan and Governor Tetrus. No troops from the Volantis Party or the Braavos Party will be permitted near the palace."
"As for the two hundred guards inside the palace itself… you are a friend of Prince Hazan. It is Suda Tetrus and his cohort who should be worried about something happening, is it not?"
"Is Governor Lotalus reliable?" Ian pressed. "Is it possible he was bribed by the Tetrus family?" He could not, of course, suggest that Hazan might have bribed him. "After all, you said yourself that he stood with the Governor's Council when the Volantis Party supported war against the Braavos Party."
"I would vouch for the honor of Governor Lotalus, Lord Ian. He would never allow anyone to destroy the traditions and order of Pentos, let alone be complicit in such an act."
*An Eddard Stark type of character, then?* Ian had a rough idea of the man now, but he did not entirely rule out the possibility of treachery.
"Thank you for clarifying my doubts. That reassures me a great deal." His questions answered, Ian offered a polite bow. "If there is nothing else, please allow me to take my leave."
"As you wish." Mills simply nodded, watching as Ian departed.
Upon returning to his residence, Ian first instructed Rohr to find Hazru, the 'Big Rat.' He was to bring the spies responsible for investigating the Red Temple and the Gini Taime incident, as well as the priestess who served as Illyrio's informant within the temple.
Then, using his shape-changing arts, Ian's consciousness flowed into the body of a falcon. He launched himself into the night, soaring into the sky.
Ian did not fly high, barely a hundred meters up. Even in the darkness, the falcon's visual cells, far superior to a human's, allowed him to see everything on the ground with perfect clarity.
He had a theory, and his conversation with Mills had offered a preliminary confirmation. Now, he needed to conduct a reconnaissance of the entire city of Pentos to further verify his guess from a strategic perspective.
After circling the city, Ian investigated the newly established mercenary camps to the north, east, and south. From the sky, at least for tonight, everything appeared to be business as usual.
Next were the residences of the three governors—Hauket, Tetrus, and Mogan—as well as Prince Hazan's manse. Their guards and private soldiers had already begun to arrive in the city in considerable numbers.
The most elite among them were the two hundred heavy cavalry under Guerrero Tetrus. Their arrival had filled the stables of the governor's residence to capacity—each rider had three horses, one of which was a large Andalusian warhorse clad in barding.
Ian observed the sentries on guard. Their equipment was standardized: scale armor, open-faced helms, longswords, morningstars, and kite-shaped shields. Though urban terrain was ill-suited for a cavalry charge, men equipped like this would be formidable infantry. This force, Ian realized, was indeed the foundation of Governor Tetrus's leverage.
The private soldiers of Governor Hauket, Hazan's ally, were not much inferior, at least not for street fighting. His men were all infantry, but they too were well-equipped.
If war broke out, Ian concluded, these private soldiers, along with the mercenaries under their command and the city guard contingents they controlled, would form the main forces of the conflict.
Finally, Ian guided the falcon back toward the West City District. He surveyed the headquarters of Illyrio's Chamber of Commerce, the Red Temple on its mountaintop perch, the bustling port, and Liberty Street not far from the docks—a street at the junction of the West and South City districts, home to a particular establishment nicknamed the 'Mercenary Guild': the Joma Inn.
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