Chapter 401: The Law of "Easy to Gain, Hard to Govern"
Daenerys arched her eyebrows. Egger's words struck a chord deep within her, and she had to exert every ounce of her will to maintain her composure, though a jolt of shock instantly surged up her spine to the back of her head. She initially wanted to say, "You are very good at flattery," to dispel the awkwardness, but then she remembered she had already offered him that exact praise during their meeting on Dragonstone. Swallowing her words, she looked up to re-examine the man standing across the table, her eyes gradually shining with a light of disbelief.
Had she been familiar with the term, Daenerys would likely have had only one thought: Have I met a kindred spirit?
Realizing her previous assessment of the situation had been skewed, she slowly loosened her grip on the fork hidden beneath the table. Immediately, another question surfaced: "That book... was it truly written by you!?"
It was slightly different from what he had anticipated, but with that uncannily accurate stroke of flattery, Egger had finally found his opening—the chance to steer the conversation exactly where he wanted it.
"Did Your Majesty never wonder, while reading that first half, why there existed a book so perfectly suited to your tastes, so aligned with the current state of Westeros... a book that felt as if it were written specifically for you, yet one you had never heard of?" With an inscrutable expression, Egger shrugged and answered his own rhetorical question. "The answer is: there is no mystery. This book was tailor-made for you by me, used as a test—to see if you truly were the Queen I imagined you to be."
Outside, the guards cried out in alarm, accompanied by the sudden roar of rushing air and the low, guttural growls of great beasts. Led by Drogon, the three dragons had flown from their resting spot miles away to the sky above the small lake at Queenscrown. They circled the top of the tower, ready at a single command from their mother to either burn the castle to cinders or descend to retrieve her. But the Black Dread could sense that his mother—linked to him by soul—had shifted from extreme tension and defensiveness to a mix of anger, intense pleasant surprise, and curiosity.
Inside her mind, Daenerys soothed Drogon, telling him not to attack or force a landing. With practiced ease, she set the fork back on the table as if she had just finished a meal, crossed her arms over her chest, and leaned back into her chair, stretching her body comfortably.
With the dragons present, her confidence and presence returned to their peak state. "So, you have successfully lured me here. Am I indeed the Queen you imagined?"
"Yes, and no." Excellent. Even her dialogue was getting on track, naturally leading into the next segment. Egger knew the manipulation was now firmly on course, but the main act was still to come. "You are indeed the Queen I envisioned—one who cares for the common folk and is filled with a passion for change. But you appear... lost. Let me ask Your Majesty another question: you have a grand ideal, but do you know how to turn it into reality? I don't mean a specific plan, but do you at least have a general direction?"
Of course... she didn't!
If she did, why would she be so desperate to read the second half of this modified version of The Prince, even risking a flight north herself? The first half Egger had given her as a gift contained countless theories and narratives that she recognized and agreed with—many that even felt like revelations. It had thoroughly whetted her appetite. After the initial grand theories and illustrative examples ended, she felt the coming chapters would surely contain the substantive advice and ready-made solutions she needed most—only to find the back cover on the next page.
The feeling of being cut off just as one reaches the climax, left hanging in mid-air, was agonizing in the extreme!
"Lord Commander, the thing I hate most in this world is being deceived." Naturally, Daenerys could not admit she had no plan and intended to figure things out after reclaiming the Seven Kingdoms. Suppressing her inner guilt, she said coldly, "If you want my forgiveness for this deception, you had better truly be the author of that book and provide a second half that satisfies me."
If one acknowledged the legitimacy of Daenerys's status and titles, then the woman before him was the supreme monarch of the Seven Kingdoms, the Queen of all Westeros.
Unless there existed a massive, centralized empire spanning continents and ruling several kingdoms in the unknown parts of the world, this would be Egger's last chance to manipulate someone of a higher status than himself. If he could successfully win her over—influencing or even directing her thoughts—he would have beaten the game on this particular path.
Subconsciously, he had prepared for this day for countless days and nights.
"I shall do my best," Egger said, listening to the sound of dragon wings beating against the sky outside. "But before we begin, I must ask Your Majesty to promise me one thing: after hearing everything I have to say, whether you believe it or not, whether you follow it or not, you must not leak a word of it to anyone—including your closest advisors and counselors."
This request was somewhat excessive. If she didn't tell her trusted advisors, how could she—with her limited experience and lack of worldly wisdom—judge if Egger was merely fooling her or setting a trap? Daenerys frowned. "Fine. I shall see what you have to say."
In any case, let him speak first. Whether I actually tell others is entirely up to me. Daenerys was not as pedantic or stubborn as Stannis; her views on promises and rules had always been quite flexible.
Egger nodded, took a deep breath, and began his narrative. "If Your Majesty has a good memory, you should recall that in the first half I provided, I mentioned that the states of the world generally fall into two categories: centralized autocracies and feudal lordships. The former has only one sovereign, and all others are officials serving them. Westeros is the latter: the Seven Kingdoms are like a great wasteland, and the nobles are wild dogs within it, gathered in small groups here and there. At every moment, they are vying for power and plotting against one another. No matter the time or place, one can always find a lord who—over a single bone or a few scraps of meat—harbors a grudge against the King or another noble, waiting for a chance at revenge. There is always someone willing to jump out and serve as a weapon or a guide for a rebel or an insurgent, serving people like you or young Aegon in the hopes that with a new King or liege lord, their own lives might improve."
"I am the legitimate ruler of the Seven Kingdoms, neither a rebel nor an insurgent."
"We are not discussing anyone's legitimacy here, merely stating a fact: in a country of feudal fragmentation like this, to seize power, one only needs to find the right people to split the realm into two or more forces. Then, one only needs to defeat the sovereign and eliminate their bloodline. Once successful, if those remaining have no leader and no sufficient will to resist, they will naturally surrender." Egger shook his head. "The most recent example is Your Majesty: you only need to take King's Landing and eliminate Stannis to instantly possess the Crownlands and the Stormlands. Next, you simply need to win over the easily swayed Dorne and the Reach, and half the Seven Kingdoms are yours. Then, the defenseless Riverlands will be in your pocket, and the Westerlands—still reeling and unable to resist after the last war of the six kingdoms—will follow. Finally, only the North and the Vale, protected by the natural defenses of the Neck and the Bloody Gate, might hold out for a time. But under the deterrent of dragons, it is foreseeable that as long as you are willing to accept a surrender, that resistance will not last long."
"Essentially correct." In fact, entirely correct, Daenerys thought. Unfortunately, she was stuck at the first step: eliminating Stannis, blocked by that formidable foe. "And then?"
"There is no 'and then.' I mention this only to introduce a concept before moving to the next part. Only if we reach a consensus can we continue," Egger said. "That concept is the Law of 'Easy to Gain, Hard to Govern.' That is: the ease of conquering a realm is inversely proportional to the ease of ruling it. The easier the path you choose to obtain power, the more it inevitably means you have relied on external forces and left behind more officials and old nobles from the previous regime. When these people become heroes and supporters within your new kingdom, they form vested interest groups—unless you leave their interests entirely untouched, they will become obstacles to your rule."
Egger began with the content from the modified The Prince (Vol. I). Besides wanting to bridge the gap and make his points easier to understand, he had another consideration: he wanted to subtly occupy a position of psychological superiority.
Once they discussed the arguments from Volume I, Daenerys would quickly realize that Egger indeed knew the contents of the book inside and out—he was undoubtedly its author. This process of unconsciously acknowledging Egger as the author would simultaneously transfer the anticipation and respect she had felt for the mysterious writer onto the man standing before her.
When an author discusses their work with a reader, the former naturally holds the overwhelming upper hand!
"The Law of 'Easy to Gain, Hard to Govern'?" Daenerys repeated the phrase softly, entirely unaware that her attitude toward Egger had unconsciously become much more respectful. At this moment, she felt as if she had returned to her childhood, becoming a student again, with the man across from her as her teacher.
"Correct. To illustrate: if Your Majesty wishes to reclaim the Iron Throne, the simplest method is to recognize the legitimacy of Aegon Targaryen, marry him, and ally with Dorne, the Reach... as many Great Lords as possible. The more Great Nobles join your camp, the easier your path becomes. But when you reach the end—when you sit upon the Iron Throne—your husband and your first wave of supporters will, in turn, become the ones who weaken your control. Conversely, if you chose to slaughter every noble in the Seven Kingdoms and replace them all with new people, your path to power would be arduous and full of obstacles, nearly impossible to finish—but as compensation, should you succeed, your control over the Seven Kingdoms would be so firm it would be unshakeable." This was terminology that didn't even appear in the original The Prince, synthesized by Egger based on the reality of Westeros. No one had more right to explain it than him. "Remember this concept, for we shall return to it shortly."
Drogon, flying above the lake, sensed that his mother was not in danger. After a few circles, he led his siblings away. Daenerys didn't care at all; she had slowly fallen into a state of intense anticipation for what came next.
"Excellent. Now that this concept is introduced, we can continue to the main topic." Egger nodded, satisfied with his new student's attentive attitude. "Your Majesty wishes to correct injustices and reshape the world—specifically regarding policy, how do you intend to do that?"
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