Chapter 81: Rendezvous at Bloodstone
The Stepstones, Bloodstone
"Woo woo woo..."
Amidst the blare of horns, a large number of warships appeared on the sea near Bloodstone. These warships flew various flags and insignias, and even some merchant ships were mixed among them.
Over the past few years, Tyrosh and Lys have been in a competitive relationship over the ownership of the Disputed Lands, especially in recent months, where regional conflicts have even erupted in some areas.
Recently, a topic has been hotly debated in the Stepstones: the conflict between the Chainbreakers and the Lysene Stepstones Fleet. Harris Mericas of the Seventh Squadron ignored the Chainbreakers' warnings and forcibly led his fleet to attack Bloodstone.
Bloodstone is the largest island in the Stepstones, rich in resources, strategically important, and, most importantly, a sacred place in the hearts of many pirates of the Stepstones.
Although some of Jon's deeds have been circulating throughout the Stepstones, the leaders of the three city-states involved with the region have always regarded his legends as jokes.
Sailors and sea merchants almost daily proclaimed their mystical stories in port bars; legends of sea monsters and fish-headed people were considered child's play.
It was precisely for this reason that many people dismissed the appearance of dragons in the Stepstones as a joke, as in the eyes of many, dragons had long since become mythical creatures.
Meanwhile, in the great hall of the Castle of Torturer's Deep, Jon sat upon the massive stone throne, with his huge direwolf Ghost quietly lying at his feet.
In the center of the hall, below Jon's throne, was a huge table laden with various delicacies and fine wines. The mercenary and private army leaders dispatched by Jon's merchant allies were eating there.
Jon's expedition was scheduled to rendezvous at Bloodstone because it was close to Tyrosh and served as an excellent resupply point.
Most of Jon's allies were merchants or governors, who could not mobilize many troops themselves. Therefore, most of what they could provide were ships and mercenaries.
On the continent of Essos, among the Nine Free Cities, the rulers did not possess many standing armies. Under normal circumstances, they typically used mercenaries or Unsullied for combat.
Especially the Unsullied from Slaver's Bay, these eunuch soldiers were like ruthless war machines on the battlefield, and many great merchants and governors used these Unsullied as bodyguards or private soldiers.
Among the troops supporting Jon were two units of about 1,000 Unsullied, purchased jointly by several merchants from Lys pooling their money.
The Harpy Scepter, symbolizing control, was tucked into Jon's waist. These fellows were excellent fighters; if used properly, Jon would effectively have a force comparable to professional soldiers trained by his system.
"We're going to attack Tyrosh this time. I heard those Tyroshi women are very charming. Finally, we can have a good fight!"
"Hahaha..."
"Those disgusting Tyroshi, I really want to see their embarrassed faces when their city is breached..."
"I've been to Tyrosh before, that damned place isn't easy to conquer..."
"Hahaha! We have dragons, what are you afraid of...?"
"Daemon Targaryen, the Rogue Prince, also tried to do that back then, but he failed..."
"We have enough troops, and many ships..."
...The mercenaries in the hall were shouting and talking loudly, while Jon carefully observed them, hoping to pick out a few capable individuals to utilize well on the battlefield.
Mercenary companies on the continent of Essos are as numerous as weeds, so their quality varies greatly. However, most of these mercenary groups were established by Jon's merchant allies, so there was little need to worry about information security.
Although the Golden Company and the Second Sons have great reputations, their independence is too strong, making them inconvenient to use.
Although the Tyroshi had received some rumors, these habitually arrogant slave masters treated the matter as a joke.
Because historically, Tyrosh was a place that had never truly been conquered. Volantis, in an attempt to revive the glory of the Valyrian Freehold, once sent a large army to conquer it, but they suffered an unprecedented defeat there.
This matter has always made the Tyroshi very proud, so proud that they forgot that their victory in that war largely depended on external support.
"Boom..."
Just then, the tightly closed great hall doors were suddenly opened, and an old man in black armor and a white cloak walked in.
After glancing at the rabble in the hall, he turned his gaze to Jon, who was seated on the throne. After bowing to Jon, he walked to his side.
"Ser Barristan Selmy, are you satisfied with this new power you've acquired?"
The newcomer was Ser Barristan Selmy, captain of Jon's Kingsguard. After swearing fealty to Jon, this renowned old knight had followed him ever since.
Some time ago, Jon also found an opportunity for him to successfully transfer to a Paladin class. Due to his immense strength, the system directly bypassed the apprentice knight threshold, making him a Level 1 Paladin.
Since Ser Barristan preferred using a longsword, Jon specially spent a fortune to forge him a Greatsword of Steel. In the system's description, this weapon was extremely heavy.
However, after Jon's modifications, the weight of this Greatsword of Steel was reduced to a minimum. Although it was still inferior to a Valyrian steel sword in some aspects, its characteristics were very suitable for an elder like Barristan.
"Lord Jon! These mercenaries are like monkeys in a circus. I truly can't fathom how they could possibly help us on the battlefield. I just hope they don't hold us back."
Ser Barristan kept his voice as low as possible while speaking. He genuinely looked down on these fellows; in his eyes, these untrained soldier-louts were no different from ordinary conscripts, except for their lack of fear in battle.
"Actually, we don't need them to do anything too important. When the war begins, they just need to tie up our enemies on the front lines. Mopping up and creating chaos are things they are very familiar with, and that's all I'm looking for."
The military atmosphere on the continent of Westeros is strong, and there are many knights capable of leading armies. Essos, however, is the complete opposite; merchants and governors here mostly prefer money and pleasure, believing that gold can help them accomplish anything.
"Alright, let's begin what we need to do today!"
After briefly explaining his plans to Ser Barristan, Jon rose from his stone throne.
At this point, the welcome banquet in the hall was also drawing to a close. Under Jon's command, a huge sand table was brought in by Chainbreaker soldiers.
"Alright, my dear comrades, the welcome banquet ends here today. We should begin discussing serious matters!"
At Jon's signal, several markers representing ships were placed on the blue sand, which represented the ocean, by Frodo and the others.
"What you are seeing now is the overall structural map of Tyrosh. I believe some of you already have a general understanding of this place, but to give everyone a more intuitive understanding of Tyrosh's defensive composition, we have specially created this war sand table."
Under Jon's guidance, the mercenaries looked at the city of Tyrosh on the sand table, and seeing the lifelike architectural structures, everyone thought they were looking at some kind of artwork.
"The island where Tyrosh is located has essentially been transformed into a sturdy fortress. Black stone walls protect the entire island. These black stone walls are approximately 15 meters high, reaching up to 20 meters at their highest points."
As Jon said this, the faces of some mercenary leaders who had never been to Tyrosh changed.
"However, in my opinion, there is no such thing as an impregnable fortress in this world. When a castle's foundation is damaged, no matter how sturdy it is, it cannot avoid the fate of collapse."
After seeing some individuals who had already developed fear, Jon mentally marked them as unusable.
After giving Kapo a look, the latter understood and recorded the faces and identities of those individuals.
"Alright, everyone, we will now divide up your future actions."
Although the task of attacking Tyrosh was somewhat arduous, Jon had long planned how to conquer this place, and he still had the ultimate trump card, Dragonstone, to use.
However, this item is consumed with each use, and to replenish it, he would likely only find it on Dragonstone or in the ruins of Valyria.
"Now I will divide our allied forces into five parts. The forces on the east, west, and south will be responsible for attacking the defensive troops and war machines on the city walls, while the other two forces will be responsible for feints and diversions."
"You mean we won't attack? Are you saying you intend to use your own troops for the main assault?"
After Jon finished explaining the attack plan, Janos Snow, the leader of the Wolf Pack, suddenly spoke up and asked.
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