Chapter 403: Befriend the Distant, Attack the Near
Of course, the answer was to ally with Dorne and the Reach to oppose the other five kingdoms—could there be any other way?
But as Daenerys opened her mouth to speak, she immediately realized: Egger's deliberate reminder of just how powerful the Reach was had not been without reason.
The implication was clear: the Reach, the strongest power in the land, was not a force to negotiate with or compromise into an alliance. It was a force that must be defeated and brought directly under her own control.
It defied all standard logic.
"But, aside from Dorne and the Reach, the other five kingdoms all stood against House Targaryen during the Usurper's War. Against my family—well, now there is only me—they share a blood feud for the murder of my father and brother. Even if I were willing to win them over, they would never stand on my side. I have no choice at all, so how can you ask 'how would I choose'?"
"First, forget those damned family feuds. Simplify the model and take it step by step." Egger shook his head, stood up, and retrieved paper and a charcoal pencil from a nearby cabinet. Fortunately, this room had once been a laboratory for the pyromancers; conducting experiments required frequent calculations, so everything needed was at hand. Returning to the Queen and sitting down, he sketched a rough topographical map of Westeros south of the Wall with a few brisk strokes. "Number the Seven Kingdoms from one to seven. Do not consider proximity or distance, do not consider how the ruling houses feel about you, and do not consider culture or faith... consider only geography. Suppose you are already the victor. How should you rule this land to ensure your control over the entire realm is so strong that... no one can hinder any reform you wish to enact?"
A man of the Night's Watch can draw a map of the Seven Kingdoms so effortlessly? Daenerys shot Egger a surprised look, then leaned forward, her hips slightly lifting from the seat as she peered over the table at the simple map like a child watching a teacher grade a paper. Her Night's Watch teacher had marked a series of numbers on the map: 1 for the Reach, 2 for the Westerlands, 3 for the Riverlands, 4 for the Stormlands, 5 for the Vale, 6 for the North, and 7 for Dorne. He paused, as if realizing he wasn't finished, and marked 8 for the Crownlands and 9 for the Iron Islands... finally, after a moment's hesitation, he marked 10 at the position of the Wall.
"Apologies, what I said earlier was too vague. The 'Seven' Kingdoms are actually ten powers—even if we ignore Dragonstone and the islands of the Narrow Sea. Please look again, Your Majesty. How would you rule this continent?"
Daenerys tilted her head, staring at the oversimplified map of Westeros for a long time, unable to fathom the logic behind the numbering. It clearly wasn't by direction, it didn't look like strength, and the richness of resources didn't fit either... As for how to rule this continent? Not only did she lack a plan... she didn't even have a clue where to start!
What did 'consider only geography' mean? She understood every word Egger said, but put together, she couldn't keep up with his train of thought at all!
I haven't even won the war yet, and he's already having me consider how to rule? Isn't that putting the cart before the horse!
...
Following her transformation from Proud Queen to Humble Queen, Daenerys now became the Helpless Maiden, looking up at Egger with a gaze full of confusion and a touch of pathetic pleading. She was one step away from saying, "Please, Master, teach me."
Egger looked up and met Daenerys's eyes. He couldn't help but glance at her face, which was inches away as she leaned over the map, and caught a scent of her—faint but extraordinarily wonderful. He suddenly realized: stripped of her shell of strength and pride, the young Queen before him was just a girl of seventeen or eighteen, younger even than Nina. Without her status as a Queen, she was just someone in need of care, help, and guidance...
Stop! Egger jerked himself out of the reverie, a cold sweat nearly breaking out on his back. This mystical attraction was almost impossible to counter. He thought he could fight it with logic, but in reality, he was likely just being influenced in a more subtle way, sinking into it bit by bit.
This was not the time for that. The brainwashing process was halfway through; he couldn't afford a mistake now due to a lapse in focus!
"A hint: which parts of the Seven Kingdoms border the Crownlands, and which are further away?" He tucked away his stray thoughts and handed the pencil to Daenerys. "Cross out the distant ones."
The young Queen took the pencil hesitantly, looked at the map for a long time, wavered, and then gritted her teeth to cross out the North, the Iron Islands, and Dorne.
"Essentially correct." Egger took the pencil back, resisting the urge to touch her fingers on purpose. He traced over the three small 'x's made by the Queen's delicate hand, turning them into bold, striking X, and then added crosses to the Westerlands and the Vale. "And these two places—they seem close to the Crownlands, but they are separated from the Great Plains by mountains, making them difficult to access. Do you understand why I crossed out these five places, Your Majesty? What do they have in common?"
"These five places cannot be reached without crossing mountains or seas?"
"Correct. But from a political standpoint, the characteristic of 'unreachable without crossing mountains' means... even if you conquer these five places, it would be extremely difficult to rule them from King's Landing." Egger nodded. "In the land I come from, there is an old saying: 'Befriend the distant, attack the near.' This is exactly that situation—if you cannot control it, do not waste energy occupying it. These five regions are far from the central core plains of Westeros and are geographically inconvenient. Unless Your Majesty's dragons have the power to burn mountains flat and dry up marshes and oceans, even if you put your heart and soul into conquering them, it would be difficult to rule them directly. Appoint new lords? Over time, they will harbor rebellious thoughts. Control them with a bureaucracy? With the the burden of corruption would eventually fall on the people, which contradicts your ideal of giving them a better life. Therefore, my suggestion is—do not make enemies of these five regions."
"As for the remaining parts outside of these five..." Egger gave Daenerys no chance to interrupt. As if he didn't even need to look, he marked the approximate locations of Gulltown, King's Landing, and Oldtown. With a few swift strokes, he drew a large, irregular frame. Using the three great cities as axes and the plains as the body, it encompassed the entire Crownlands, almost all of the Reach, half of the Riverlands, and small portions of the Westerlands and Stormlands. It was vast enough to rival the North, representing nearly one-third of the continent south of the Wall and half of the South excluding the North.
Putting down the pencil, Egger pointed to the large box on the map and feigned an expression of amazement. "Incredible! I almost suspect your ancestor, Aegon the Conqueror, considered exactly what you hope to do today when he chose the location of King's Landing and the Crownlands. Bordering the Crownlands are the Riverlands, the Reach, and the Stormlands—which together occupy the flattest, most fertile, and most densely populated core plains of the Seven Kingdoms. This plain holds 70% of the population of Westeros and 80% of its grain production. Expanding the scope of the Crownlands to what is shown here, ruled and commanded directly by the Crown, would mean firmly grasping the lifeblood of the kingdom. You could do whatever you pleased, and as long as you didn't court death too excessively, you would remain invincible!"
Daenerys stared wide-eyed at the large box on the paper, her mouth slightly agape, unable to close it for a long while. She swore to the gods she had only come here to read The Prince (Vol. II). And now, seeing these lines drawn with a charcoal pencil on a scrap of paper, she was... a bit frightened!
"But... but..."
"There are no 'buts.' Let's give it a name first. Extending outward from the original Crownlands—why not call it the 'Greater Crownlands'? Such a magnificent piece of land... why has no one unified it in the thousands of years of Westeros's history? Simple: insufficient productivity, inconvenient transportation, and a lack of ambition or capability." Egger continued to enchant her. "But your ancestors have already swept away these obstacles through nearly three hundred years of rule and preparation. King Jaehaerys I built great roads to strengthen connections. Now, this 'Greater Crownlands' I've drawn is crisscrossed by a transportation network consisting of the River Road, the Kingsroad, the Goldroad, the Roseroad, and the Searoad. With some repairs to these existing roads and a few north-south additions, the entire Greater Crownlands will be linked as one! Here, administrative decrees can reach their destination, and local regions can accept direct royal command, forming a complete kingdom. If you still hesitate and waver after this, then forgive my bluntness: please stop going around talking about 'breaking the wheel.' You'll only be providing a joke for others!"
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