"Yes."
Viserys keenly sensed the disappointment in the old sergeant's tone, his heart sinking slightly.
But outwardly, he remained calm and spoke.
"If we want to reclaim the Iron Throne, this number of ships and resources is insufficient."
Viserys thought to himself, even Aegon didn't conquer Westeros solely with three dragons; Aegon had an army to support him.
He landed first at the location of King's Landing, built a small wooden castle called Aegonburg,
and quickly subjugated the Rosby and Stokeworth families before officially beginning the conquest.
Moreover, the Targaryens no longer had dragons; to counterattack Westeros with only a fleet was undoubtedly a pipe dream.
And if they remained entrenched on Dragonstone without replenishing resources, defeat was only a matter of time.
"Child, what you say makes sense, but you don't understand the actual situation."
However, just as Viserys was about to say something, the old sergeant interrupted him,
changing his address from 'Your Highness' to addressing a child.
The old knight felt a slight disappointment; it seemed Viserys wasn't yet at his brother's level.
But it didn't matter; he was still young, and could be nurtured. If Prince Rhaegar were here…
no.
Prince Rhaegar was already dead.
In fact, if it weren't for Rhaegar and Lyanna's selfish desires, this war of usurpers wouldn't have been started, and the entire country could have survived for at least a few more years under the Mad King's machinations.
His thoughts suddenly drifted to this point, and the old knight felt a slight sense of confusion. Something seemed to have gone wrong with the goal he had been pursuing, and his voice paused.
The entire Hall of the Table fell silent instantly.
Queen Leila, heavily pregnant and seated at the head of the table, was already experiencing some mental distress due to the continuous heavy blows of the past six months.
Hearing Viserys's words, she became emotional again. Dragonstone held immense significance for her; she understood, but she couldn't truly abandon Dragonstone and flee to the Eastern Continent.
"Impossible!"
The silver-haired woman, her usually beautiful pale purple eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep, her hair disheveled, slammed her hand on the table, her voice shrill.
"Your Majesty..."
The old sergeant raised a hand slightly, attempting to interrupt Queen Leila.
But the emotionally charged woman ignored him; she was determined not to allow such a thing to happen.
"Absolutely not! We cannot abandon Dragonstone!!"
"Your Majesty!"
Ser Geoffrey also raised his voice sharply, interrupting Queen Leila once more, finally silencing her temporarily.
He had already interrupted both Queen Leila and Viserys, yet Queen Leila dared not retaliate, for the last remaining force of the Dragonstone fleet was now in his hands.
Neither Queen Leila nor Viserys dared to offend him.
After interrupting the woman, the old sergeant stared intently at Viserys, scrutinizing him from head to toe, before continuing.
"The reality is... Your Highness, the nine free trade city-states will not allow us to interfere."
The nine free trade city-states may seem loosely connected, even riddled with internal conflicts, but they display remarkable unity when faced with an external enemy.
This is because it concerns their vital interests, and they do not want an external force to disrupt this balance.
Moreover, while this force may not be extremely powerful, it is certainly not to be ignored, and their very existence could potentially trigger a war in the future. If Viserys and his widow had fled to Essos alone, the nine free city-states might have welcomed them with open arms, hoping to cause some trouble for Westeros.
However, if Viserys arrived in the East with a fleet, the attitude of the free city-states would change drastically.
They knew that the Iron Throne across the Narrow Sea might ignore a widow and her child, but it would never allow the Targaryens to return to Essos.
Therefore, a fierce war between the two continents was highly likely, just like the War of the Nine Bronze Kings years ago.
The Iron Throne would never allow anyone who had a future chance to challenge its position to survive, and might even launch a preemptive strike.
These unstable factors meant that they could accept Viserys and Queen Ryra, and even actively help them escape to Dragonstone, hoping to cause some trouble for the Iron Throne.
But they would never allow Viserys to arrive with a fleet.
"I see."
Upon hearing this, Viserys' expression clearly showed a slight pause.
He wasn't entirely clear on these details; after all, he was only theoretically strategizing. Viserys knew a lot, but equally, he didn't know much more.
These were all tiny, inconspicuous details hidden beneath the grand scheme of things.
Yet, these small details often influenced the entire situation.
"I apologize, Sir."
Viserys remained seated, slightly conflicted for a moment, unable to come up with a better excuse. Every Iron Alliance has its weaknesses, especially the Nine Free Cities, which were still embroiled in internal strife. He
could certainly find an opportunity if he wanted to.
However, Viserys didn't say this, because it would sound like an excuse, and the recent events had served as a wake-up call.
Nothing was ever as simple as it appeared on the surface.
He couldn't rely on 'what I thought' as the basis for his decisions; everything needed concrete evidence to justify its validity.
Viserys was fortunate he wasn't yet in power; if the old lord hadn't hesitated and had directly followed his advice, it could have had serious consequences.
If the route to the Free Trade City-States were cut off, Viserys and his mother would truly have no way out.
Thinking of this, Viserys even felt a chill run down his spine.
He then looked up and apologized to Ser Geoffrey.
"It was my negligence."
However, the old sergeant, standing before the map, unusually abandoned his arrogant expression. His face softened slightly as he accepted Viserys's apology, then abruptly said,
"However, Your Highness's words have indeed reminded me."
"What?"
Viserys was slightly taken aback.
He had just been immersed in the frustration of his failed first attempt to demonstrate his presence, but he hadn't expected the old sergeant to say this.
Then he heard the old sergeant continue,
"We shouldn't sit idly by and wait to be killed.
Instead, we should take the initiative!"
.....
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