The courtyard in Tyrosh was bright with sunshine this morning, with an occasional cool breeze. Gendry was already on the training grounds, working up a sweat.
Gendry's speed was astonishingly fast, as he wielded his longsword in a dazzling display. Rosso Brenn, his opponent, defended calmly, the sounds of longsword slashes echoing in the air, steel clashing against steel. The Unsullied guards stood by the training grounds, watching the intense duel.
Gendry's deep blue eyes watched his opponent, tracking Rosso's movements. There were no horns, no horse hooves; it was a pure contest of strength and skill between two men. Gendry's speed was indeed extremely fast, and the power behind his sword was immense. Gendry favored heavy cuts, and his blunt sword was heavier than average.
Rosso had a flattened nose, a square jaw, and flat gray hair; he wasn't handsome, but not ugly either. A plain-looking, loyal warrior, his inconspicuousness was also his advantage.
"Clang!" "Clang!" Moments later, Rosso was cut down to the ground, admitting his defeat. He was a calm, silent man, rarely speaking, but extremely strong. Although Rosso didn't say much, he must have endured many hardships to hone his combat skills.
Gendry helped Rosso, who was lying on the ground with aching arms, to his feet. Rosso was flattered. Rosso cared deeply about this feeling of being valued and esteemed.
The praise from a tall, handsome, and invincible man of power was enough to make Rosso serve him. Rosso felt that the Commander-in-Chief possessed a mysterious charm, a trembling current of power and will.
"You are truly blessed by the gods, possessing both strength and character." It was rare for an honest man like Rosso to flatter someone.
"Alright, Rosso, your mouth is as sharp as your sword now," Gendry joked with Rosso.
"I appoint you as a Major in the Kingsguard, but it has not yet been publicly announced," Gendry told Rosso.
Besides the First Wolf Pack Legion, the Second Free Legion, and the Third Second Sons Legion, the Kingsguard Legion was Gendry's personal retinue and his elite guard.
Rosso had a basic understanding of Gendry's newly designed standing army system: Soldier, Sergeant, Officer, Major, General, with each rank more difficult to attain than the last. This pay system differed from Westeros's feudal lord-knight mobilization system.
Within the framework designed by Gendry, in the Two Cities of Myr and Tyrosh, a title meant status and treatment, and for a newcomer, the Kingsguard rank still greatly satisfied Rosso.
"This is truly my honor!" Rosso said. After some time together, Rosso still very much enjoyed his days in Tyrosh; warriors had a common language with other warriors.
Gendry knew his story. Although Rosso had become a knight, his origins were extremely humble; he was a distant relative of the Brenn family of Brown Hallow, an ancient knightly family on the Claw Peninsula. "After my father died, I went to seek refuge with my kin," Rosso revealed, "but they threw dung at me, saying we weren't of their blood."
"Rosso, do you know anyone on the Claw Peninsula?"
"Not many acquaintances, no." Rosso answered awkwardly. His status was too humble, and he was completely ignored on the Claw Peninsula, possessing no charm. In a way, the Claw Peninsula was a place of sorrow for him.
"But with Princess Daenerys in your hands, you have the possibility of intervening in the Claw Peninsula," Rosso shrewdly grasped Gendry's intentions. "And the Claw Peninsula is actually not far from King's Landing, and it's easy to defend and hard to attack."
"Claw Peninsula." Gendry indeed had designs on the Claw Peninsula. People in King's Landing said the Claw Peninsula was home to wildlings and bumpkins. Every dark valley on the peninsula had its lord, and their lords and subjects trusted no outsiders. Since Queen Visenya brought them into the fold, the Claw Peninsula had been fiercely loyal to the Dragon Kings through generations.
In the Battle of the Trident River, the great families of the peninsula fought alongside Prince Rhaegar until the very end. The locals proudly claimed that all Claw Peninsula people were exemplary subjects of the Dragon family.
"Is the Commander-in-Chief sending me to the Claw Peninsula to recruit men?" Rosso asked Gendry. The old king's son-in-law, the new king's bastard, could always find an outlet for the volcano that was the Claw Peninsula. After all, the War of the Usurper had caused significant losses on the Claw Peninsula.
"No, not to the Claw Peninsula now. There's a more important mission."
"What is your impression of King's Landing?" Gendry asked Rosso Brenn directly.
"A bloated, dirty city. However, because King's Landing has enough rich people, it also supports many Free Knights and free swordsmen," Rosso said. In fact, if Rosso Brenn hadn't come Across the Narrow Sea to try his luck, he might have already found work in King's Landing by now.
"I want to send you to King's Landing," Gendry told Rosso. "King's Landing has many troubles, and I need my own people there."
"I will follow your command, my lord," Rosso said after some thought, without the slightest refusal.
"Men deal with things based on shared ideals. I hope you don't mind," Gendry smiled. "This task of sending you back to King's Landing isn't glorious, but please don't mind it. If you don't like it, I can give you a chest of gold to leave."
"I don't need gold. As a warrior, I should be as hard as a warrior," Rosso said. "This is my promise to you."
"Very good, Rosso, my Kingsguard will keep a place for you." Gendry looked into Rosso's eyes. While money can form bonds, the bond between men can also be based on shared ideals.
Although Gendry was unsure if the story would unfold as usual, he had already set his pieces in King's Landing.
The Spider's intelligence came from his Little Birds, from his deep roots in King's Landing, his secret monopoly over The Red Keep's underground passages, and his alliance with the fat man.
Littlefinger's intelligence came from money, from his deep roots in the financial system. The Master of the Four Treasuries, the Royal Accountant, the Royal Measurer, the heads of the three mints, the Harbormaster, the Tax Farmers, the Customs Officers, the Wool Agents, the Road Toll Collectors, the Shipmasters, and the Wine Agents, among others, were all his subordinates.
As for Gendry, Gendry wanted to build his own spy network. Gendry's intelligence would come from the warriors who admired him, the slaves who yearned for freedom, the second sons, adventurers, merchants, and landless nobles.
"Just wait, you two, I will make you understand how to resolve disputes through military means! Games are just games; it's the warriors and blacksmiths who lead the entire country, not the Littlefingers and Spiders in the corners." Gendry thought, in a cesspit like King's Landing, Cregan's methods were the essential needs of military politicians.
"Who are you now?" Gendry asked Rosso.
"A down-and-out Free Knight, a nobody in Westeros. A distant relative of the Brenn family of Brown Hallow on the Claw Peninsula," Rosso replied.
Gendry was very satisfied with Rosso's answer. A loyal, reliable, and inconspicuous person was suitable for King's Landing. His other companions, Jorah, Longspear, and Brown Ben, were too conspicuous and not as meticulous.
"But what should I do?" Rosso asked again.
"You only need to live as you normally would. A Free Rider earns his living by force, and if your skills are good enough, a great lord will naturally be willing to employ you," Gendry stated clearly.
If the story didn't deviate, Littlefinger would happily accept this gift from him. The chaos in King's Landing was imminent, and although he was beyond reach, he could still send out spies.
"Beware of The Spider, and beware of Littlefinger. The Spider's Little Birds are everywhere. A place where you can hide your presence is the Godswood in King's Landing. As for Littlefinger, the master of coin also has many minions."
"I understand, my lord." Rosso understood Gendry's meaning; he needed to lie low in King's Landing and await instructions.
"But what if these two try to recruit me?"
"Then that would be even better."
Gendry expected Rosso to be discovered by Littlefinger. This type of low-born, loyal, and down-and-out Free Knight was exactly Littlefinger's type. Moreover, Littlefinger had been intimidated by him Across the Narrow Sea once, and now had higher demands for guards.
Because Littlefinger was of humble origin, besides these Free Knights and the truly desperate, the legitimate old nobles disdained to work for him. But Littlefinger lacked military power, so he greatly needed to recruit men from among the Mercenaries.
"Maester Qyburn will find you later and tell you some things to pay attention to."
"Understood."
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