The Red Viper came and went quickly. After all, The Red Viper's identity was special, and his visit to Firegrass Manor was a secret. The alliance was verbal, maintaining friendliness and commercial ties.
While at Firegrass Manor, The Red Viper also dueled Gendry many times. Dueling with one of the Seven Kingdoms' top masters allowed Gendry to improve even faster.
"The Red Viper is treating me like a low-spec Mountain!" The Red Viper always dueled Gendry with a Longspear, and Gendry understood The Red Viper's intention. The Red Viper's imagined opponent was mainly Tywin's mad dog, The Mountain, an eight-foot wall of muscle. Against such a large meat shield, a Longspear is more flexible and safer than a greatsword.
"He truly is a complex man!" Gendry thought. The Red Viper was also a popular figure in Westeros; rumors about his martial arts, his wars, his duels, his mounts, and even his sexual interests were countless. It was rumored that he slept with both men and women, and he had many bastard daughters across Dorne, who were called "Sand Snakes."
"What do you think of The Red Viper?" Gendry asked Master Qyburn.
"In terms of talent, he is outstanding. Unfortunately, Dorne's plate is too small, and it's out of step with the new dynasty," Qyburn replied. Dorne's climate is harsh, and its population is almost the smallest among the Seven Kingdoms. In terms of population and wealth, The Reach and the Westerlands lead, and unfortunately, these two territories are enemies of the Dornish. Next come the Vale and Riverlands, followed by the Stormlands, the North, and Dorne.
"Small in strength but grand in ambition, this pair of brothers also faces great difficulties. Back then, Dorne sent troops to support the Mad King, but they were utterly defeated. This was a great loss for Dorne," Gendry said emotionally. The Dornish are isolated and friendless. If they were to stubbornly challenge the alliance of fish, wolves, lions, eagles, and stags with their smallest force, it would be akin to suicide. Hence, Doran and The Red Viper are planning cautiously.
"You don't understand the story from back then, Your Highness!" Qyburn mused. "During the War of the Usurper, Dorne was also hesitant, as their military strength was relatively weak. But the Mad King held Prince Lewyn's niece, Princess Elia, hostage, ordering him to lead over ten thousand Dornish warriors to join Prince Rhaegar's forces. However, Prince Lewyn also died in the war. The Dornish endured their anger, having shed blood and exerted effort for the Targaryen family."
"Poor people!" Gendry thought of that war, the Silver Prince's mistaken love, and the bell that tolled for many in the Seven Kingdoms. House Martell was essentially dragged down by the Mad King and his son.
"Injustice and ambition are the sources of war!" Gendry thought. The situation in Westeros lay in divisions and discontent, in many Lords who felt they had been treated unfairly. The discontent of the two stags and three stags, the discontent of House Tyrell, the discontent of House Martell. Added to this were despicable individuals like the Spider and Littlefinger, lurking behind the scenes, fanning the flames. He needed to accumulate strength, rather than hastily getting involved in the chaos.
"I see Doran and The Red Viper as two sides of the same coin. There are many rumors about The Red Viper. On the surface, he is fierce and passionate, but he still obeys the cautious Doran," Gendry analyzed.
"He's truly exhausted!" Gendry suddenly felt that The Red Viper must be suffering greatly. For a man as proud and resilient as him, bound by Dorne's strength and his brother's commands, the delay of his revenge, day after day, was itself a torment.
Doran's long-term plans, while ambitious, were inherently flawed, leading most of his schemes to ultimately come to naught. Besides the fact that Doran's pawns each had their own ideas, it was also due to Dorne's inherent weaknesses—its poor mountains and harsh waters, coupled with its severe weakening in the War of the Usurper.
"This is also why The Red Viper wants to connect with us to break the deadlock! The Red Viper has been suppressing his anger, year after year," Qyburn said. "The Dornish need an army. In Westeros, they have few friends. Across the Narrow Sea, the Three Daughters, those merchants simply don't have the army or the courage to get involved."
"Seize this opportunity; The Red Viper's friendship is a double-edged sword," Gendry pondered. "Let's see how much help The Red Viper can offer us! Dornish horses, spices, spearmen—I need them all. What I want most are Dornish horses; these horses have amazing endurance, suitable for light cavalry charges." The Disputed Lands have flat terrain and a good climate, perfect for cavalry charges.
"Dornish horses are also a famous breed! But from what I see of Prince Oberyn's intentions, he is very cautious and will not sell to us in large quantities. After all, Dorne also has a good relationship with the Three Daughters; many children of the Three Daughters' Archons play in The Water Gardens."
"I think they're just used to being cautious!" Gendry mused.
"But what if The Red Viper guesses your identity, Your Highness!" Qyburn hesitated a little; privately, the two sides were actually mortal enemies.
"The situation is not static. Even if we wanted to now, House Martell wouldn't dare to openly rebel; it's just a form of cooperation. Even if that day comes, it would be nothing more than an alliance or bargaining. I don't think The Red Viper is interested in making more enemies for House Martell." The Dornish's primary object of hatred is House Lannister, which gives Gendry room to maneuver. And with the personalities of Doran and his brother, they are indeed capable of enduring; if not for the later opportunity when the situation drastically changed, they might have continued to bide their time.
"That's good then; now is not the time for us to intervene in Westeros."
"The focus is still on the Disputed Lands and the Stepstones!"
"We still need to go out and make the Wolf Pack's name known, to make Oberyn and the oppressed slavers re-evaluate our worth." Gendry's eyes gleamed. The more effective the Wolf Pack and the Free Army are in battle, the more investment they will attract.
"Spread the word that we are going to unite with the Cat's Company to plunder Myr!" Gendry said. "Let the Free Army operate more frequently in the border areas to scare those Myr slavers."
"Our real intention is the Stepstones?" Qyburn understood Gendry's meaning—to create a feint, but the actual move would be towards the Stepstones.
Now the people of Myr are in constant fear. Militarily, their navy is decent, but their land forces, relying on Free Mercenaries and adventurers, have always been weak. The Wolf Pack's offensive is swift as lightning. The Myrish want to hire the Golden Company, but for a war of this scale, the Golden Company demands an astronomical price, and besides, the Golden Company only defends, it doesn't advance; Mercenaries also know how to protect their strength.
"Yes, now that we have a sea outlet, we also need to occupy one or two island chains in the Stepstones, integrating them!" Gendry's ideal territory is the Disputed Lands and the Stepstones, gradually encroaching. Currently, his small kingdom spans from a semi-circular area of the Disputed Lands to a series of manor territories. If it could encompass the Stepstones, it would be even better. But this is a grand plan, so for now, he can only occupy a few small islands.
"It just so happens that several escaped slaves have come to us with their ships. We don't need to rely on the Old Pirate; we can capture a few small islands ourselves."
As their influence expanded, the relationship between the Wolf Pack and the Old Pirate became subtle. The Old Pirate foresaw the rise of the Wolf Pack, but he hadn't imagined it would be so rapid. Gendry's chosen path was particularly cunning and daring, being a pioneer. In the past, no force had ever challenged one of the core aspects of world trade, the institution of slavery, in such a way.
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