Gendry and The Red Viper rode along the coastline, and once they reached flat ground, they could speed up their journey to Myr.
A portion of the land army was also transported to Myr by Moros's ships.
Some understanding was unspoken, known only in their hearts. House Martell lacked allies, and a bastard with an army was highly valuable for recruitment.
"How will the Commander-in-Chief deal with those horse people?" The Red Viper asked.
The Red Viper had a long, melancholy face, with big, bright eyes like pools of kerosene under finely arched brows, a similarly sharp forehead and nose, and only a few silver threads in his glossy black hair. He was a true "salt man."
Gendry, on the other hand, was a true Baratheon, with hair like black jade and eyes as deep blue as the sea. He was a tall, agile, and brave young man.
"With soldiers and Myr's city defenses! I have no interest in plundering Myr for the horse people; that's what merchants do," Gendry said. Most of the Free Cities were flat, suitable for the horse people's attacks. To break the horse people's bones, a head-on clash was necessary.
"The horse people weren't undefeated under Qohor's walls back then."
"Moreover, we now have your assistance, Prince!" Gendry emphasized.
"Dorne's usual tactics involve avoiding large-scale frontal combat, relying on lightly armed warriors and Dornish steeds for surprise attacks, while also using the harsh local climate to wear down the enemy. In the Disputed Lands, this tactic might not be suitable; most of it is vast plains here."
"You just need to act as support! The Wolf Pack and the Free Army can confront the horse people directly!" Gendry said with great confidence. If they didn't strike hard against the Dothraki, they would come to Myr begging for food.
"Then I'll look forward to celebrating victory with the Commander-in-Chief!" The Red Viper smiled.
"What about those lands and estates?" The Red Viper and Gendry rode through the Disputed Lands, passing fertile fields and estates where the slavers were either dead or had fled.
Although the Free Folk on the land were panicked, as the Dothraki had destroyed towns like locusts, the Free Folk still believed that the brave and fearless the liberator was invincible.
"Divide them up! Some will be nationalized, and smaller plots will be distributed to the Free Folk," Gendry said. "I want to survey the land and count the population!"
"Survey the land! Count the population?" The Red Viper was somewhat surprised.
"Exactly. Household registration and land are the core of political power! Many slaves don't even have names, and slavers used to hide people to avoid taxes. That won't do!" In Gendry's envisioned framework, he wanted to unleash the land's potential, with the town system, household registration system, and examination system as core components.
"That's a ruthless move!" The Red Viper exclaimed. "The power of this fertile land is enviable. Dorne is too barren; even controlling all its people isn't enough."
The populations of Dorne, the Stormlands, and the North were among the smallest in the Seven Kingdoms due to the harsh climate, with Dorne being the least populated.
"I knew your father many years ago!" The Red Viper recalled the past.
"Oh, I'm not familiar with him. I imagine he probably doesn't remember how many bastards he has!" Gendry said indifferently, following his heart, biding his time, waiting, strengthening his power, and then waiting for the chaos in Westeros.
"Other families might be like that, but House Baratheon, your ancestors were The Conqueror's bastard brothers!"
"That's just a rumor, isn't it? The matter of House Baratheon's heir is not for me to comment on!" Gendry mused. House Baratheon was a mess now, and getting involved wouldn't do him any good.
"The great lords in King's Landing, Casterly Rock, Storm's End, and The Reach don't think that way. You've taken in the Targaryen family's orphan girl! Don't you want to lay claim to that ugly chair, won't you lead the exiles in revenge?"
"I admit you're a good speaker, Prince Oberyn!" Gendry looked at The Red Viper. For many years, The Red Viper and his brother had been looking for allies. There was no moment that would make them happier than House Baratheon fighting among themselves.
"This isn't a threat! Power stirs the heart! Speaking of which, King Robert's grandmother was a Targaryen princess, and yet he still overthrew the Targaryen Dynasty."
"The War of the Usurper, that can't be attributed to ambition and desire; it was the Mad King and Rhaegar who ruined it," Gendry chuckled. The War of the Usurper was truly a case of 'flies don't sting a seamless egg,' and the Mad King and his son's brain-dead thinking played a major role.
"No matter the reason, Rhaegar lost the Battle of the Trident River after all."
"Many years ago, we were still young then, but the heir of Storm's End's wild and unrestrained nature was already famous! He loved women, loved wine, loved Tourneys. People said he was like the mad storm.
Robert liked songs that made him laugh, the cruder the better, and he only sang them when drunk, such as 'A Barrel of Ale,' 'Forty-Four Barrels,' or 'The Bear and the Maiden Fair,'" Oberyn recalled.
"The Silver Prince and he truly were two extremes!" Gendry thought for a moment. "My maester told Daenerys and me the stories of Prince Rhaegar. He was born at Summerhall, carrying a sense of sadness and melancholy. He loved music, loved Summerhall, and enjoyed sleeping under the stars and moon in the ruined hall, then playing that silver-stringed ancient harp, lamenting dawn, tears, and fallen kings!"
"But he shouldn't have given that crown to the wolf girl from the North. He ruined himself, he ruined my sister, and he ruined Robert," The Red Viper sighed. "That was many, many years ago!"
Gendry knew that Tourney happened at Harrenhal, in the wrong spring. The past was still like a mist.
"If it weren't for the gods' mischief, I would be the firstborn, and Doran the third. You've seen, I'm bloodthirsty. In truth, I'd rather fight in King's Landing; I've thought about it day and night for over a decade."
"That's what you say, but I think you'll still obey Prince Doran."
"There's no other way!" The Red Viper gave a bitter smile. "You should know about that humiliating defeat, the ten thousand brave men of Dorne, and Prince Lewyn."
Gendry knew that during the War of the Usurper, the Mad King held Prince Lewyn's niece, Princess Elia Martell, as a hostage, ordering him to lead ten thousand Dornish warriors to join Rhaegar's forces against the rebels led by Robert. The Dornish suffered heavy losses, and Prince Lewyn was killed.
"There will be a chance to contend with Lannister!" Gendry said. "At least when it comes to Tywin, we still have some common ground."
"Those are all in the past! But now, I finally see a glimmer of hope in you. All I want is to avenge my sister and her children, first by killing that ox-stupid monster Gregor, and preferably also killing that mad dog's master along the way." The Red Viper spurred his horse. "For now, let us first defeat those horse people who smell like sheep."
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