Jorah Mormont felt a sense of unreality, as if a lifetime had passed, as he charged into the Black City of Tyrosh. This was not the first time Jorah had dealt with the Tyroshi.
When he was on Bear Island in the North, to please his wife, Lynesse Hightower, who came from the wealthy The Reach, Jorah bought luxuries, spent all his money, and eventually became penniless. To pay off his debts, Jorah violated the laws of the Seven Kingdoms and began selling poachers to the Tyroshi as slaves.
After the truth was exposed, Eddard, the liege lord of House Mormont, sentenced him to death. Jorah neither joined the Night's Watch nor accepted his fate, but instead fled with Lynesse to the Free Cities.
"Perhaps it was my fault for bringing her, unprepared, to the poor, harsh, and remote Bear Island," Jorah thought bitterly, still thinking of the person he had abandoned.
"The past is in the past!" Jorah raised his longsword, as if severing his unbearable past. Jorah took a deep breath, looked at the streets of the inner city of Tyrosh, and then stabilized the situation.
Jorah led the elite soldiers of the Wolf Pack into the Black City of Tyrosh, which had opened its gates, weak and powerless.
Though the Black City of Tyrosh was strong, the Tyroshi nobles no longer had the courage to defend it to the end. The Myrmen had failed, the Dothraki Screamers had failed, and reinforcements were slow to arrive.
Gendry looked at the Black City of Tyrosh, soaring high into the sky. Valyrian black technology still protected its people.
Most Valyrian strongholds were oval-shaped walls of molten black stone. It was said that the black walls of Volantis were the most spectacular, much taller than those of Tyrosh. The black walls of Volantis were two hundred feet high and very thick; six carriages, each pulled by four horses, could race abreast on the walls.
"Ser Jorah is a smart man; having him lead the assault into the Black City is a prudent decision," Maester Qyburn said. If angry, freed Tyroshi slaves had stormed the Black City, it would have led to slaughter and revenge.
"I've also heard his story; this Ser is truly a devoted man. A Northerner being with a woman from The Reach always feels strange; he should have married a Northern woman so he wouldn't be in such a predicament," The Handsome Man commented.
"He loved too deeply, to the point of being bruised all over." Gendry felt that Jorah was also one of Westeros's most "devoted" men. But Jorah was no longer down-and-out and had a new life.
Actually, Gendry thought it would be better for The Red Viper to talk to Jorah; The Red Viper was, after all, an old hand at romance, while Jorah was just a heartbroken victim.
"After Tyrosh is pacified, all armies will need to be reorganized," Gendry said, looking at the bustling Black City of Tyrosh. The Tyroshi flags on the high walls were now being thrown down.
"Standing army!" The Handsome Man also became interested. His sword hand was effectively crippled, and his recovery was not good, so he was now more of a strategist. With the financial and human resources of the Alliance of the Twin Cities, they indeed had the surplus capacity to form a standing army.
Gendry had been thinking about this for some time. The Two Cities of Tyrosh and Myr were considered battlegrounds on all sides. Besides the weak Pentos, the Dothraki to the east, Lys and Volantis to the south, and Westeros to the west, all dictated the need to gather their armies and have a standing army.
Gendry's idea was to have one army for the Wolf Pack, one for the freed slaves, and another built on the foundation of the Second Sons. As for the Dothraki Screamers, these cavalrymen would serve as auxiliary troops and special forces.
Actually, Gendry also wanted to form an Unsullied army, but Slaver's Bay was too far away, and violent seizure was not feasible. To get an Unsullied army without paying, he would have to wait until the magic dragons hatched in the future, then go to Slaver's Bay and get them for free.
"Lys and Volantis are brewing a storm, and we need to be prepared," Longspear said. "And Across the Narrow Sea, if those Lords intend to go to war with us."
"Besides armies, there must be corresponding military ranks," Gendry added. He did not intend to use the Westerosi system of landed Lords; the standing army would be linked to ranks and salaries. As long as he rapidly expanded his forces, he would have the strength to contend with these adversaries.
Currently, many Mercenaries, and even great families, had military ranks, but they were incomplete. Admiral was considered an honorary position. For example, the Golden Company also had officer ranks, which were considered high-level ranks, while soldiers held ordinary ranks. Gendry planned to implement a regular channel from soldier, sergeant, junior officer, field officer directly to general, essentially abandoning family background.
Maester Qyburn added, "In the Seven Kingdoms, the only family with the wealth and ability to organize a standing army is House Lannister of the Westerlands. Furthermore, this family is also our potential adversary."
Given the situation in the Seven Kingdoms, this was indeed true. The Reach and the Westerlands were the wealthiest regions in the Seven Kingdoms. Secondly, many years ago, Tywin pacified the Reyne-Tarbeck rebellion, achieving centralization of power. The Reach had the largest population, but it appeared disorganized compared to the Westerlands.
The Westerlands itself had no significant secondary Lords; any emerging ones had been eliminated by Tywin, which allowed House Lannister to centralize power all at once. House Lannister enjoyed high prestige, had few competitors, and thus stood out among the great Lords.
"How strong is the Lannister army?" Longspear asked Qyburn. "Many years ago, during the Dance of the Dragons, they were defeated by the Direwolf Army."
"Come on, brother, over a hundred years is enough to widen the gap in population and equipment between the North and the Westerlands," The Handsome Man said. The Westerlands' capital was much stronger than other regions.
"Wealthy, well-trained. Now Duke Tywin rules Casterly Rock; he is tough and ruthless. When war comes, the Westerlands can field at least thirty thousand troops, with the most elite consisting of ten thousand knights and fifteen thousand infantry, including at least five thousand heavy cavalry," Maester Qyburn said.
"Once we build our army, we will have a chance to contend with this lion," Gendry thought. His grievances with House Lannister were twofold: one personal, and one for the old The King's party; the two sides were destined to be irreconcilable.
However, in terms of time, the conflict between them was at most a secondary contradiction. With the death of Old Jon, it wasn't just himself who was giving Lannister a headache.
"Are there any secret letters from Duke Stannis?" Gendry asked Qyburn.
"No message for now," Maester Qyburn replied.
Gendry was unimpressed. Stannis was isolated; did he really intend to be trapped on Dragonstone? Unless The Red Witch, this bug, appeared, Stannis was simply waiting to die.
A moment later, Ser Jorah returned with his troops.
"Tyrosh has submitted, Commander-in-Chief," Jorah said.
"What about the Archon of Tyrosh?" Gendry asked. "And those on the list of traitors."
"The Archon has been poisoned, for his recklessness and persistence. As for those on the list, except for those who died in battle, the others are being arrested one after another."
"What about the High Priest of the three-headed god temple?"
"The High Priest has been sent back to the temple by the soldiers and is now very stable."
"I told you we would meet again." Gendry saw the distraught Aquido in the crowd, looking gaunt, having spent a long time in the dungeons of Tyrosh.
"I regret not having good eyes, and I suffered a double insult," Aquido said shamefully. After returning, he was indeed tormented by the Archon of Tyrosh and the war-hawk governors.
"Alright, tidy up your messy hair and pledge allegiance to me."
"Commander-in-Chief, this knight showed bravery in battle, consecutively killing several masters of the Tyroshi City Watch," Jorah recommended to Gendry.
Gendry noticed the knight before him; his appearance was ordinary, with gray hair, a flat nose, and a square chin, and he was stout and strong.
"Rosso Brenn, Commander-in-Chief," Rosso said.
"He's a good man," Gendry praised. He had a slight impression of this person; this was the Apple Eater who would later achieve great fame. Although his reputation was not grand, he was considered a master.
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