The Glory of the Seven Gods of Ice and Fire

Chapter 271 Extra: Expedition and Peace (20k)

I. Two Kings Rule the World

As successors to Hugo I, King Corron and Queen Mysera inherited a powerful and generally stable kingdom. The climate was favorable, the people were prosperous, and everything was developing in a positive direction. It was on this foundation that the two kings began their own rule, further consolidating their rule over the throne based on the foundation laid by Hugo.

Upon their coronation, the two kings immediately set their sights on the kingdom's currency, and their first decree was to issue a new set of currencies throughout the country.

Since the establishment of the Ptolemaic dynasty, due to numerous important matters, Hugo I did not make many adjustments to the kingdom's monetary system. Apart from cracking down on private minting and the substitution of inferior currency for superior ones, he continued the Baratheon dynasty's tradition, and the kingdom's currency maintained the structure of "Golden Dragon" – "Silver Deer" – "Bronze Star". As Hugo's successor, Corlon I had long wanted to change this situation, and the large-scale mining during his father's reign provided him with the basis for change; therefore, under Corlon's plan, the throne began issuing a new set of currencies in the first year of the new king's reign.

Similar to the previous dynasty, the kingdom's new monetary system maintained the gold-silver-copper structure. The main changes were in the coin designs and exchange rates: the new gold coins featured the seven-pointed star representing the Seven Gods, the silver coins bore the double-edged axe, a symbol of the Seven Gods, and the copper coins bore the stag emblem symbolizing the union of Houses Tollet and Baratheon. Furthermore, to emphasize the king's authority and the harmony of the royal family, the reverse sides of all three coins featured a unified image of the two kings ruling together. Regarding the exchange rate, as a correction to the unreasonable exchange rate during the Baratheon dynasty, King Corron personally established a new system: one gold star was equivalent to twelve silver axes or two hundred and forty bronze teeth.

Meanwhile, to reverse the declining quality of coins since the War of the Counts, the coins minted during the reign of the Two Kings maintained a very high purity. In the early part of their reign, the gold content of gold coins and the silver content of silver coins were generally between 95% and 98%, a level unimaginable during the reigns of the Targaryen, Baratheon, or even Hugo I. Because of the high quality of these coins, people often carefully preserved them, spending the lower-quality ones. The throne systematically collected these inferior coins, reminting them into high-quality new coins. This adjustment of the monetary system took decades to complete.

As expected, Corlon's monetary policy was successful. Hugo I's thirty-year reign focused on stability for the kingdom, and he made few changes to the monetary system. However, as the kingdom's economy prospered due to peace, this monetary system, inherited from the Targaryen era, gradually became detached from reality. Therefore, even at the risk of being struck down on the throne, a large amount of privately minted coins inevitably emerged. Corlon's monetary system, however, met the needs of society, and its implementation was naturally exceptionally smooth.

After adjusting the monetary system, the two kings focused their main efforts on managing the Seven Churches and the Seven Gods Church. Over the past thirty years, the influence of the Seven Churches had grown stronger with the reign of the king, and its various factions had also become increasingly powerful. Many devout lords had donated land to the church, and Hugo I had appointed many priests to manage secular affairs. This inevitably led to the emergence of religious nobility. This group of religious nobility had never existed in history before. During Hugo I's reign, due to the sacred status of the chosen ones, the Seven Churches followed the king's lead. For example, after the death of the fat archbishop who had experienced the entire Age of Expedition and the War of the Diadochi, the Seven Churches did not hold a traditional archbishop election, but instead directly declared Luchen Frey as archbishop according to Hugo I's wishes, thus briefly unifying the Eastern and Western Seven Churches. However, with the passing of Hugo I and the death of Bishop Luchen due to old age, the Church of the Seven in Westeros was no longer under the direct control of the throne, and the world was shocked to discover just how enormous the once-powerful royal echo had become.

Faced with this situation, King Corlon chose to prevent the Church of the Seven from further expanding its influence by enacting regulations and laws, and by leveraging the bureaucratic and military systems that had grown under his father's rule. Specifically, the Church of the Seven was quickly incorporated into the rebel army; its property and armed forces were placed under the supervision of royal officials; the power of the Old Town Territory to appoint its own local lords and officials was revoked by the king; and most of its religious territories were redeemed by the throne, retaining only land that met the legal requirements. This series of actions was undoubtedly a major blow to the rapidly growing Church of the Seven. However, when the king promised the bishops of the Church of the Seven that he would open up Eastern Church positions to them, these losses became less unacceptable.

For the Seven Churches, their isolation from the wealthy Eastern Church was a major weakness. During King Hugo's reign, although the Eastern and Western Churches were united under Bishop Luchen, the king and the Eastern Church maintained a policy of exclusion towards the Western Church, preventing the Seven Churches from expanding eastward. Now, King Corlon has informed them that they can enter the Eastern Church's system and share in the benefits of related affairs—a welcome development for the bishops. Similarly, from the perspective of the royal throne, this move is also advantageous: the Eastern Church has become highly systematized over decades and is firmly controlled by the royal throne; it is more like a bureaucratic organization than a ecclesiastical system. While the Western Church's infiltration of the Eastern Church may currently be sharing some of the royal family's profits, isn't this also the beginning of the Western Church being further influenced by the royal throne?

Since the establishment of the throne, the Church of the Seven has long been intertwined with the royal family due to its influence from miracles and prestige. However, considering the numerous historical cases of close advisors influencing kings and even undermining the monarchy, the current attitude of the two kings towards the Church is understandable—presumably, neither king wants their descendants to be sidelined at some point.

After initially resolving the church issue, the two kings focused their efforts on improving the kingdom's military system. They continued Hugo I's vision, adjusting and optimizing the kingdom's existing military system. The adjustments to the border guards and navy were the most important changes during this period.

As an army with a long history, the Border Guard of the National Throne originated from the armies of the three frontier territories of Upper Lorne, Lower Lorne, and Rhys during the Baratheon dynasty. Apart from the River Mouth Army, which was disbanded during the War of the Succession, its main force was composed of local lords. Therefore, during Hugo's time, although the Border Guard existed in practice, it was not part of the central army system, but rather a branch of the local army, and in many cases, it was simply a synonym for the Lorne local army.

For the current National Throne, it no longer requires the frontier vassals to shoulder such a significant task alone. Therefore, the two kings reorganized the kingdom's frontier system, establishing the East Coast Army on the east bank of the Lorne River, the East Frontier Army in the East Frontier, and the River Estuary Army in Valantis. These three armies are still based on the frontier lords, but the National Throne will also dispatch several thousand troops as its standing and core forces. The East Coast Army and the East Frontier Army are stationed on the frontier, while the River Estuary Army is stationed in the royal city of Valantis as a mobile force, and is also responsible for the coastal defense of the Lorne River estuary.

In terms of the navy, the Kingdom's navy during Hugo's era, like that of the Targaryen Kingdom and the Baratheon Dynasty before it, was still mainly composed of the fleets of local lords. Considering that many local fleets were destroyed or severely damaged in the War of the Succession, the naval power of the Kingdom's Throne was even weaker than that of the Baratheon Dynasty. In order to change this situation, the two kings began to focus on rebuilding the royal fleet and the Greenwood fleet destroyed in the war, and formed new royal fleets in Volantis and Braavos. For those fleets commanded by local lords, the royal family chose to send inspectors in the name of the Rebel Commander-in-Chief. These inspectors would perform the duties of supervising and assisting in the maintenance of the fleets in daily life, and would be responsible for the coordination between fleets in wartime.

Furthermore, to ensure the security of the eastern frontier, the two kings, emulating Hugo I's construction of the Wall, launched a second wall-building campaign early in their reigns. This campaign involved constructing a fortification along the southern edge of the Kohor Forest to the northern edge of the Great Marsh, specifically along the east bank of the Lorne River at Desleto (meaning wilderness) and Pravialis (meaning rainforest). This fortification included deep trenches, earthen embankments, stone walls, passes, outposts, and camps, serving as a barrier against potential invasions from the direction of the Grass Sea—Bard and Drogo's invasions of the Seven Kingdoms of the East had all passed through this formidable area.

As the final link in the kingdom's eastern defense system, the two kings attached great importance to this construction. The stockpiling of related materials was carried out simultaneously with other policies. Many warehouses and barracks were built on the open fields on the east bank of the Lorne River. This step alone took the kingdom two years. Afterward, tens of thousands of laborers and craftsmen, with the assistance of the East Bank Army, began to build the East Wall. This project may take several years or even more than a decade to complete.

Meanwhile, considering the security of the northern border, the National Throne negotiated with Kohor, hoping to station a small number of troops in some of Kohor's border regions for guard duty. However, this proposal was rejected by Kohor. In Kohor's view, although the two kings were recognized as overlords by the city-state, neither the kingdom nor the city-state should overstep its bounds and should govern themselves—otherwise, Kohor's city-state officials and master blacksmiths could also interfere in the affairs of the capital—moreover, unlike Loras, Kohor was fully capable of defending itself. Even if it was necessary to mobilize forces to defend a section of the border, it should be done directly with Kohor's army, not by having the National Throne's border guards intervene. After hearing the appeal from Kohor's envoy, King Corlon abandoned the idea of ​​sending royal troops north and instead, in the name of the city-state's overlord, mobilized a portion of Kohor's army to be stationed on the border. The city-state faithfully carried out this order. This appeal did not affect the relationship between the National Throne and Kohor in other aspects.

Since Hugo I ascended the throne, the three northern cities gradually became integrated into the national throne system. As the rebel system took shape, each city-state had its own function, with Kohor holding the highest position and being the most valuable. This frontier city-state not only served as a barrier between the kingdom's east and the Grass Sea, but also exported a large amount of military equipment and horses to the kingdom. During the first wall-building campaign, Kohor not only exported its own horses to the kingdom, but also actively communicated with the Grass Sea tribes in the east, transporting a large number of Grass Sea horses to the Great Wall. This not only met the kingdom's demand for pack animals, but also changed the dietary habits of many regions of the kingdom. When Hugo I began to build the central army system, most of the army's weaponry was purchased from Kohor, which in turn brought Kohor even more orders. Against the backdrop of three out of nine free city-states, Kohor, relying on the large market of the national throne, ushered in the most prosperous time since its founding. It was for this reason that the city-state's master foundry chose to carefully record King Hugo's ideas in order to create things that might change the world.

Perhaps stemming from King Robert's failed siege of Valantis, Hugo I, during the reign of Duke Andas, had shown interest in more efficient siege weapons. After ascending the throne, he became interested in solid wildfire (now known as gunpowder), a product of pyrotechnics created to meet the demands of large-scale mining. The king believed that if this force could propel projectiles, its efficiency and power would far surpass the ballistae commonly used by the kingdom's army. Therefore, he corresponded with the Kohor, requesting their master foundries to find a way to bring this idea to fruition, and enclosed several concepts he had developed as a general. The master foundries fulfilled their mission, spending several years bringing the king's ideas to life.

With the king's patronage, the city of forging continuously researched and produced several types of firearms. The simplest of these was a combination of a metal tube and a wooden shaft, with a hole at the end for holding a fuse. After loading gunpowder and a projectile, it was ignited and launched. This was the cheapest and simplest design, typically used by civilians. To meet the needs of the kingdom's army, the masters improved upon this design, modifying the wooden shaft into a shoulder-mounted handle and installing a ignition tray next to the ignition hole. This allowed soldiers to fire the weapon using a fuse or flint via a sophisticated mechanical device. This type of firearm was commonly issued to the royal army, and King Corlon's royal guard even possessed hundreds of the same type made from Valyrian steel scraps—not only were they lighter than those made from other materials, but they were also longer-lasting and more reliable. Sometimes, they were even presented as ceremonial gifts to meritorious officials of the kingdom.

Based on these three types of firearms, larger firearms also emerged. Apart from those cumbersome siege weapons, the most popular was a medium-sized firearm called "the little gadget." This firearm was much lighter than the siege version, and two people could carry it around. It could also fire a half-pound projectile at a very fast speed to a distance of 4000 paces. Unlike the "big gadgets" that often required more than a dozen people, the "little gadgets" could be moved and operated by only two or three people. Although they were not single-person firearms, they could advance alongside infantry and fire farther and more accurately than single-person firearms. Some generals even said that as long as a dozen "little gadgets" were concentrated in the battle, they could quickly suppress hundreds or even thousands of enemies.

Technological advancements during the Hugo-Chorron era extended far beyond firearms. Influenced by Daenerys Targaryen's aerial command of her army during the Dragonfall War, the National Throne funded the hiring of several scholars and sorcerers in an attempt to replicate this method of command. The result was the invention of the hot air balloon. However, due to its fragility and poor maneuverability, the National Throne primarily used it for land surveying, with military applications limited to reconnaissance. Meanwhile, the large-scale mining during Hugo's reign created a demand for pumping water from the mines. Under the king's leadership, a simple "atmospheric pressure pump" was invented and used in the mines, and became more efficient after more than a decade of improvements. Therefore, King Hugo believed it could be miniaturized and used for transportation, and thus gave several detailed ideas. However, King Hugo did not live to see it come to fruition. The master foundry of Kohol did not create a machine that could directly bore cylinders from Valyrian steel until the reign of Corlon. The precision parts and casting materials required for this machine were still not resolved. If all Valyrian steel were used for casting, the price would be too high. Although the kingdom was cautiously peering into a doorway, it still needed a lot of time before it could truly take that step.

As Hugo's son, King Corron was deeply influenced by his father. From a young age, he listened to many of his father's imaginative ideas and believed them to be the future of the kingdom—though he himself could not live to see that day. After his father's passing, King Corron began to compile his father's words, eventually creating the book "Questions and Answers." This book not only records many of Hugo I's visions for the kingdom's future but also preserves numerous hand-drawn illustrations by the king himself, some very detailed, others only in outline. Many of the ideas within have profoundly influenced scholars and writers today; for example, metal chariots commanded by nobles and operated by their retinues, primarily using large-caliber projectiles for attack; "magical power" that transmits dialogue over long distances via metal cables; and poisonous agents capable of rapidly purifying water. These contents were widely discussed by the public, and the discussion itself became an interesting activity. Some adventure stories based on the king's ideas were also very popular, such as the story of the knight Marshall, who used a fishing net to entangle the propellers of the enemy's aircraft in the air and hid a metal plate to block a bullet attack when dueling with a villain. These stories are still well-known.

The final large-scale construction project of the Dual Kings era was the renovation of the road network on both sides of the Narrow Sea. The Dual Kings hoped this project would further extend the King's Road and strengthen connections between different parts of the kingdom. To this end, the National Throne spent a considerable sum purchasing corresponding land from local lords and establishing road inspectors in those areas. The Kings' vision was subsequently completed with astonishing speed, even below budget. Therefore, the Dual Kings' road renovation inevitably became a miracle, celebrated throughout the kingdom.

However, in my research, the myth of the Two Kings' road improvement is essentially based on the thriving commerce of the Hugo era. The prosperous economy of the National Throne greatly facilitated the flow of people and goods between the two sides of the Narrow Sea. Under these circumstances, existing roads were spontaneously widened by the locals, and new roads sprang up like mushrooms after rain. What the Two Kings actually did was simply regulate and survey these roads, which explains why the National Throne was able to complete such a large-scale road improvement project so quickly.

Therefore, we can conclude that the achievements of the dual-kingship era can be seen as further embellishments built upon the foundation laid by the previous era. The series of problems solved by King Corlon and Queen Mysera already demonstrated the initial capacity to solve them during Hugo I's reign; it would be impossible for Hugo I to have overlooked these developments. My view on this is as follows: King Hugo needed to focus his energy on more important matters, such as stabilizing the country initially, repairing the Wall in the middle period, and building the royal army and the rebel system later on, leaving him no time to attend to these relatively non-urgent affairs. On the other hand, King Hugo also hoped that his descendants would establish their prestige by solving these problems, and in hindsight, this was undoubtedly successful.

Thanks to the achievements mentioned above, the two kings received praise from the whole country, a situation that reached its zenith with the all-nation tournament held by Corlon I in Mil: although the country was prosperous during Hugo's time, Hugo I was too busy with many affairs to organize a large-scale tournament for the royal family, and now Corlon I made up for what his father had not done.

Therefore, in the 335th year after the conquest, nobles and warriors from the seven kingdoms of East and West gathered on the plains of Myr, attracting countless spectators. The tournament, hosted by the king, lasted a full month, with countless warriors showcasing their skills and numerous stories spreading far and wide. Naturally, in such a national celebration, nobles from all corners of the kingdom also exchanged ideas and formed marriage alliances. At this tournament, King Cronne was hailed as "the Wise One," and Queen Myrcella as "the Virtuous One," titles that would be passed down through the land. The final victor was Alan Baratheon, son of Gendry Baratheon and Arya Stark. This young man, who inherited the name of the former Storm King, became the undisputed strongest warrior in the kingdom. Everyone cheered for the birth of this greatest warrior, and the All-Conqueror Tournament became an insurmountable milestone in the kingdom's glorious history.

However, just as a stone on a catapult is destined to be launched, the challenge to the throne of the nation finally came from the East. Six months after the conclusion of this nationwide martial arts tournament, while the kingdom was still basking in prosperity and peace, the Grand Chancellor of the Sea Kingdom launched the last expedition of his life, an expedition that mobilized the entire nation's resources.

II. The Thirteenth Expedition of the Sea Kingdom Dynasty
Since the successful expedition to Yidi, the Sea Kingdom enjoyed a rare period of peace. Benefiting from the vast wealth plundered from the Far East, the Sea Kingdom began to undertake some domestic development, such as further developing agriculture in the Gulflands and Lazarin, and expanding the mining of copper and salt mines near Meereen. In order to restore the natural environment of the Gulflands and Gis as much as possible, the Grand Chancellor of Petyr did not hesitate to hire a large number of sorcerers and wizards from Asshai, and this was also effective. The newly developed lands also alleviated the internal conflicts within the Sea Kingdom.

Of course, the entire Sea Kingdom did not forget its goal of restoring the West. Militarily, thanks to its alliance with the Yi Di Qian Lü Dynasty, the Sea Kingdom, with the support of its ally the Feng Clan, continuously acquired resources from the region. In particular, the Sea Kingdom had large reserves of much-needed food, iron ore, fuel, and ships. In the three cities of the Gulf, the kingdom's official granaries were being built one after another, ore was being continuously forged into weapons and armor, and ships were being organized into fleets under the command of naval officers. Everyone in the known world could feel that war was approaching, which was why the two kings of the West began conscripting laborers to build walls at the beginning of their reigns.

However, if everything is predicted by the enemy, how can the Sea Kingdom fight its way back to the West? The Grand Chancellor had his own plan for the start of the war.

Also in the 335th year after the conquest, approximately two months after the nationwide martial arts tournament at the throne, a message from Ichijoji was delivered to the Great Pyramid of Meereen. In the letter, the King's father-in-law, Toyoji, recounted to King Rego the border conflict between the Asahi Dynasty and the Bayasabhad city-state within the Helkolon descendant kingdom, and presented evidence of some Sea Kingdom merchants being killed by the other side. Having already conquered almost the entire East, the Sea Kingdom immediately viewed Bayasabhad's actions as a provocation against its hegemony. Amidst widespread indignation, King Rego and Grand Chancellor Petyr quickly announced the commencement of the thirteenth expedition to completely conquer the three cities of the descendant kingdom.

On the day of their departure, the citizens of Meereen and merchants from various countries witnessed an unprecedentedly large army. Due to its remote location and determination to conquer three cities simultaneously, the Grand Master and the young Prince Aegon, the Crown Prince of the Sea Kingdom, organized a full 50,000-strong Sea Kingdom army to march eastward. Accompanying them were 50,000 warriors from the Grass Sea tribes and 100,000 Grass Sea horses. Even the entire Sea Kingdom navy was mobilized, carrying 20,000 troops eastward to support the allied forces of Yi. To prevent any loss of rear, the Grand Master also dispatched a high-ranking delegation to Meereen to meet with King Corron, who was staying there, in order to request a seventh renewal of the truce.

And so the Sea Kingdom's army set off, the people of Meereen watching them march along the Skazardan River until they disappeared on the eastern horizon. However, when the Sea Kingdom's army reached the north of Lazarin, the Grand Chancellor halted the army and announced to the people the true objective of this expedition—to attack the Ptolemaic Dynasty via the Grass Sea to the west. Amid cheers from the soldiers, the army slowly turned westward, following the Grass Sea trade route that had been established over many years.

While the Sea Kingdom's army marched westward, unrest was brewing on the northeastern border of the National Throne. For years, the conflict between the Kingdom of Iban and Kohor and Loras had escalated, beginning as a dispute between merchant ships, then escalating into a battle for shipping lanes, and now becoming a war on the northern shore. Because the Kingdom of Iban's raids last year had affected the Kingdom's far northern territories near the Axe Peninsula, a 10,000-strong far northern army, composed of members of the Frey family, the Amber family, former Freemen of the Frontier, and Thernmagna, was gathering on the Loras Islands at the behest of King Corron. They would then fight the Iban army as mercenaries from the city-states. The two city-states welcomed the National Throne's involvement. To dampen the Iban's spirit in this battle, Loras hired 12,000 mercenaries, and its fleet would provide ample logistical support for the army. Kohor, on the other hand, had deployed a full 30,000 troops, almost its entire elite force.

Kohor's confidence in launching a full-scale attack stemmed from the city-state's formidable defensive capabilities. With the development of firearms, Kohor rapidly expanded its gunpowder production, relying on its abundant forest resources and the saltpeter (from Andas and Norfos) and sulfur (from the Eastern Frontier) transported via the Lorne River. This not only met the nation's throne's annual demand of 6000 dan (a unit of weight) of gunpowder but also stored enough gunpowder in the city-state's warehouses for several years. Coupled with a large quantity of locally produced firearms and armaments, Kohor was confident of winning any defensive battle.

However, perhaps for the convenience of the defending soldiers, or perhaps out of arrogance, the Kohor people built their gunpowder depot right at the foot of the city walls. When the Sea Kingdom's army crossed the Kohor Forest and approached the city of Armaments, the Kohor people imprisoned all the Sea Kingdom citizens within the city and hired all the unclaimed mercenaries in the city to assist in the defense. While the soldiers were distributing weapons to the mercenaries, a Loras man suddenly threw a canister into the ventilation window of the gunpowder depot and fled into the city's alleys before anyone could react. When the soldiers entered the gunpowder depot to retrieve the canister, they unfortunately ignited a wildfire inside—an explosion that shook the entire city and collapsed a section of the city wall adjacent to the gunpowder depot. When the smoke cleared, the Sea Kingdom's army entered the city through the breach, and the artisans of the city of Armaments were forced to continuously manufacture equipment for the Sea Kingdom under military pressure. Kohor, once hailed as "unbreakable," fell in a single day due to the negligence of its defenders.

In Corhol's palace, Petyr, the Grand Master, and Prince Aegon received good news from the north: to gain dominion over North Essos, the Iban king had mobilized almost the entire nation's army, and he himself had marched west with the army. Therefore, although the throne and its allies had amassed a combined force of 52,000 men on the north shore, the Iban had held off their attacks thanks to the terrain. When news of Corhol's fall arrived, the morale of the combined forces began to waver, and they ultimately decided to retreat westward—but the Iban and the northward-bound Sea Kingdom army would not allow them to escape unscathed. Thus, under the pursuit of two large eastern armies, the mercenaries of Loras collapsed first, followed by the former Free Men led by Mance Rayder. Thane Magnaside died in battle while covering the retreat of his allies. Only the army of Corhol and House Frey remained intact, eventually reaching the Gateway. By this time, half of the once 50,000-strong army had been killed, wounded, or routed.

After such a great victory on the northern coast, the God-King and the Iban army followed the Sea Kingdom's army to Kohor for rest and recuperation. After the Grand Chancellor and the Crown Prince met with the God-King, the Sea Kingdom formally established two military commanders west of the Grass Sea to direct military operations.

By this time, the Sea Kingdom had amassed 50,000 Sea Kingdom troops, 30,000 Iban troops, and 120,000 Grass Sea warriors at Corhol, excluding those tribes still gathering westward. In the division of forces, the Northern Commander of the Sea Kingdom received 10,000 Sea Kingdom troops and 20,000 Grass Sea warriors. Its objective was to assist the Iban in gaining dominance on the northern coast of Essos and conquering Loras and Braavos. Uther, a Braavos descendant with extensive experience in the struggle for the throne, was appointed commander of this army. The true main force and elite of the Sea Kingdom, the Western Commander, commanded 30,000 battle-hardened Sea Kingdom soldiers, with 10,000 of the most loyal and disciplined Grass Sea warriors also following them. To boost morale and bolster their position, the Western Commander was appointed by Prince Aegon, but the actual commander was Petyr Baelish, the Hand of the Great.

As for the remaining 90,000 Grass Sea warriors, the Sea Kingdom had no hope for these undisciplined steppe barbarians. Commanding them in battle would only drag down the seasoned veterans and drain the generals' energy. In the plan discussed between the king and the great powers, they only needed to rampage through the seven eastern kingdoms, forcing the national thrones to divide their forces to eliminate them, thus buying time for the Sea Kingdom's army to break through on the border. In addition, 10,000 Sea Kingdom troops would be stationed in Kohor to ensure that the Sea Kingdom could firmly control this military stronghold.

After allocating their respective armies, the two sea kingdom armies parted ways. The western commander, under the command of Prince Aegon and the Grand Master, marched south, conquering A Noy and then attacking the eastern coastal army that was building its border wall. Meanwhile, in the north, Utherlow's northern commander was gradually sweeping through the territory of the city-state of Corhol and eliminating the remaining rebels. He also dispatched ten thousand men to accompany King Iban northward, preparing to attack the continental territories of Norfolk and Loras along the coastline of North Essos.

Meanwhile, to the south of Essos, two large territories at the easternmost edge of the national throne were also attacked by the sea kingdom's army at almost the same time.

The attack on the Great Territory of Sothros was led by the Southern Commander of the Sea Kingdom, commanded by Morono Dubois, the former Eastern Commander who was familiar with tropical warfare and had just returned from the East. In addition to the 10,000 Sea Kingdom troops who came south from Meereen, 20,000 combined land and sea troops from the Isles of Thunder, Morak, and Elephant were also under his command. As the Sea Kingdom fleet blocked communication between the Great Territory and the Throne of the Nation, his army fought against the Lannisters and the Ironborn of the East for valuable settlements and harbors on this verdant continent of death.

Meanwhile, in the Eastern Frontier, King Rego led his Royal Guard on a personal campaign, accompanied by ten thousand allied troops from the Green Kingdom and several sorcerers from Assassin. On the banks of the River of Lamentation, the king's sorcerers managed to slow the current, while the Sea Kingdom's army, after a brief engagement, feigned defeat, luring Edric Baratheon's Eastern Frontier forces across the river in pursuit. Taking advantage of the situation, they used the rapids to destroy half of the army. Despite the defeat in open battle, Edric, with his remaining three thousand-plus warriors, successfully returned to Matarith and began defenses. Thanks to his timely plea for help, the River Stables of Valantis began organizing ships to transport troops and supplies across the Sea of ​​Lamentation to the frontier city. Left with no other choice, King Rego had to abandon his idea of ​​a quick victory and set up camp and manufacture equipment in the city. In the end, it took three months for the demon city to fall under the onslaught of the city siegemen and ballistae. However, Edric and the surviving defenders still managed to escape to Valantis through the Sea of ​​Sighs.

Furthermore, as the vanguard of the Sea Kingdom's westward attack, the so-called Ris army, led by the former Ris nobles and transported by the Sea Kingdom's navy, landed on the Ris Islands, preparing to retake the city. Unexpectedly, Ris, which had previously chosen neutrality or surrender in several wars, chose to resist this time. The family ruling the Ris Great Territory at this time was the native Rogal family of the archipelago. More than thirty years ago, during the Dragon Queen's westward expedition, they were betrayed by other major Ris families and forced into exile on the continent of Essos, until Hugo I reinstated them. Therefore, facing their former enemies who had betrayed them, the Rogals had no option to surrender. Faced with the scorched-earth Ris, the former Ris nobles had no choice but to attack. Even with the arrival of the Dornish army under Arianne Martell a month later, the city remained steadfast, and both armies were forced to withdraw from the Ris Islands several months later. Thus, the Sea Kingdom's plan to subjugate Ris and then attack the Stepstone Islands and Dorne ultimately failed.

Under the massive offensive of the Sea Kingdom, even the Wall was thrown into turmoil. As the Night's Watch had expanded since the War of the Succession, reaching seven or eight thousand men by the later years of Hugo's reign, many despicable individuals joined, corrupting the Night's Watch's spirit. These included Ironborn and pirates who had previously wreaked havoc under Euron, warlords who repeatedly rebelled in the contested lands, and captives from the Eastern city-states. Unlike the captives from the East during the Crusades, they lacked experience of uniting against the White Walkers (many had even been enemies of the Night's Watch), and held little reverence for the Night's oath and traditions. When news of the Sea Kingdom's full-scale conquest of the thrones arrived, they began to plot their own ends.

These scoundrels' plan is roughly as follows: First, taking advantage of the conscription campaign in the south, they will send envoys to communicate with the Starks and other old Believers in the North, using the loss of land and titles by House Stark and the expansion of the Seven in the North as pretexts to incite them to secretly form an alliance with them. Next, these conspirators will request the Night's Watch leadership to attend a meeting concerning the Wall, where they will assassinate all the Night's Watch leadership, including Lord Commander Jon Snow, thereby seizing control of the Legion. Finally, they will command the Night's Watch to purge the kingdoms near the Wall, then march south to join the old Believers, ultimately controlling the Gulf of Calamity, besieging the Dreadfort and White Harbor, and holding out until reinforcements from the Sea Kingdom arrive.

Although the plan seemed incredibly absurd, the scoundrels did indeed carry it out. They managed to send a letter to the Northern Lords of the Sea Kingdom, and carefully selected a Northern murderer named Stinkhorn as an envoy to meet Lord Robb Stark at Winterfell under the pretext of recruiting soldiers south. At the beginning of the meeting, Lord Stark seemed very interested in the proposal. He warmly entertained Stinkhorn and invited him to invite the rest of the Night's Watch to join them for a meal. However, during the feast, the Lord's personal guards ambushed and killed the entire Night's Watch, leaving only Stinkhorn alive to extract information. Finally, after several rounds of brutal torture, the Lord obtained a rough list of names from Stinkhorn. He then executed Stinkhorn, impaling his head on a spear, and personally led the Inner Army to the Wall to rescue his brother.

Thanks to Lord Robb's decisive actions, the Wall did not fall into the hands of the Sea Kingdom and its traitors. Hundreds of Night's Watch members, confirmed or suspected of involvement in the conspiracy, were executed, their bodies hung atop the Wall in Eastwatch as a warning to those who might come. Upon receiving the message from the Wall, the Sea Kingdom's northern commanders did indeed take action, but not with the Sea Kingdom army the traitors had expected. Instead, it was a disguised merchant ship with a dozen or so Sea Kingdom spies. After witnessing the remains of the traitors hanging atop the wall, they quietly unloaded the entire ship of frozen Lorath salted fish and then turned east, never to return. However, although the rebellion at the Wall was swiftly quelled, it still caused a great shockwave throughout King's Landing and the entire Kingdom. People were incredulous that the Night's Watch, who had sworn to protect the Kingdom for life, would intend to rebel, and King Coron was utterly horrified. In response, the King urgently ordered the Riverlands army, which had already assembled and was preparing to cross the sea to the east, to enter the north via the King's Road. The armies of Botton and Mandalay were also ordered to remain in the north to closely monitor the Night's Watch and all the Old Trust lords in conjunction with the Riverlands army. Even the Iron Fleet of the Sunset Sea was ordered to sail north to investigate any activity by Sea Kingdom ships. Subsequently, King Corlon, as the commander-in-chief of the rebel army, organized a 5,000-strong "Wall Auxiliary Army" in various regions, stationed directly in the Grants and New Grants near the Wall. This army was theoretically under the command of the Kingdom's official "Wall Watch," but in reality, it only obeyed the King's orders, its purpose being to monitor the Wall and prevent further unrest.

As for Lord Robb Stark, although he had rendered meritorious service in suppressing the traitors and preventing a coup at the Wall, his previous warm reception of the traitors' envoys had aroused the king's suspicion. Therefore, Lord Stark immediately received a decree from the throne, ordering him to lead all of his family's troops to the East to join the Andas army in fighting against the Sea Kingdom. The throne would send officials to help the Lord with the affairs of his domain.

While King Korlon was dealing with the Great Wall project, the situation on the kingdom's borders had deteriorated further. Since the wall was still under construction, the Eastern Coast Army and the laborers involved in its construction were scattered throughout the border regions, consuming astronomical amounts of food and fuel. Faced with the overwhelming offensive of the Sea Kingdom, even the lords and the Eastern Coast Army, who had long been engaged in border warfare, were caught off guard. As the Western Sea Kingdom's army marched south, cutting off the Eastern Coast Army's connection with the interior, the laborers along the border almost immediately began to scatter and flee. Due to the chaos, many of the Eastern Coast Army's fortresses and camps were quickly breached by the Sea Kingdom's forces. Large quantities of official granaries prepared for the wall construction were also seized by the Sea Kingdom to support the upcoming war. The remaining Eastern Coast Army was besieged in a few castles and strongholds, completely surrounded by the Sea Kingdom's large army.

Ultimately, families closer to the Lorne River, such as Moonvale and Redford, found an opportunity to break through the siege. After a month of wandering on the edge of the Great Swamp, they reached the lower reaches of the Lorne River and joined the River Mouth Army to continue fighting. Families located further north were forced to choose between surrender and death and extermination. Several branch families in the valleys perished, and even the Hightoar family split as a result: after holding out for half a month, the Hightoar chieftain committed suicide in exchange for the preservation of the family castle and the survival of his people. A small number of Hightoars who remained loyal to the throne escaped into the Kohol Forest after the family surrendered.

Thus, the East Coast Army, one of the kingdom's border defense forces, ceased to exist.

With the fall of Kohor and the collapse of the Eastern Coast Army and the Eastern Frontier Army in the border battle, the power of the National Throne in the East had been severely weakened. King Corlon realized that the Royal Army alone could not stop the situation from deteriorating. Therefore, he announced that he would remain in Myr to command the war, and his second son, Duron Tollet, would also cross the sea to the east to stabilize morale. At the same time, the King, in the name of the city-state's overlord, began to summon the Norfos army south to garrison Nasastar to prevent the Sea Kingdom's army from advancing north along the Lorne River. At this time, although the Sea Kingdom had sent envoys to Norfos, promising them land, the chief priests of the Order still believed that the National Throne was more likely to win this great war and firmly stood on the National Throne's side. Therefore, upon receiving the National Throne's summons, this venerable leader immediately summoned Milo Ludsin, the commander-in-chief of the Great Norfos army, and ordered him to lead 30,000 troops south to prevent the Sea Kingdom from invading and harassing Norfos from the south.

Norfolk's army comprised a large number of highly trained warriors, allowing them to move swiftly, taking less than ten days from assembly to deployment on Na'Sa. Upon arrival, Milo's men discovered rumors of a potential rebellion by some local Dornish lords. As an outsider, Milo, unwilling to directly intervene, reported the information to King Corron in Myr. Still shaken by the events at the Wall, the king was enraged upon learning of the situation. Seeking a preemptive strike, he ordered Milo to capture Oberyn Martell's eight daughters and send them to King's Landing under house arrest, thus intimidating the Dornish people of Lorne.

Upon receiving the news, Milo acted immediately. He summoned the local Dornish lords to a military conference and arrested eight Sand Snakes at the meeting. One of the Sand Snakes, Obaya Sand, resisted fiercely and attempted to escape the meeting. She was slashed in the back by Norfolk warriors. Her eldest son and his retinue also attempted to resist and were killed. Although no evidence of treason was found, the eight Sand Snakes and their family members were still taken to Myr by longbearded warriors and then on to King's Landing. The relevant properties were entrusted to the Norfolk by King Korron, who also demanded that at least ten thousand Norfolk troops be stationed on Na'Sa during the war.

While the Norfolk were preparing their forces on Na'Sa, the Lannisters of the Seven Kingdoms in the East were already ready for war. In the spring of the 336th year after the conquest, Tyreke Lannister led 20,000 Lorne troops to join forces with William and Martin, who were marching north. The latter arrived with 15,000 Rivermouth troops, almost all the available forces in the lower Lorne. At the same time, Lancel Lannister, who had joined the Church of the Seven, brought 6,000 Eastern Church followers to the army, and the Norfolk in the north also sent 10,000 men to support them. In the end, the army under Tyreke Lannister in Lorne reached a total of 51,000 men. The army was stationed along the Lorne River, facing off against the 40,000-strong army of the Western Commanders advancing westward. Thus, the Battle of Riverbank broke out.

At the start of the battle, Petyr did not rush to cross the river. Instead, he ordered a portion of his army to provoke the Lannisters, attempting to lure them across for an attack, but the Lannisters made no move. Thus, on the third day of the stalemate, Petyr went to the front lines to find a crossing point and planned to launch a surprise attack under the cover of darkness the following night.

Upon learning that the Grand Chancellor had personally scouted the crossing point, the Lannisters immediately convened a military council. William Lannister, the River Lord, suggested attacking while the enemy was crossing, but Tyreke rejected this, arguing that the Lannister positions on the Lorne River were flat and unsuitable for defense. Furthermore, Tyreke had consulted a sorcerer he knew before the battle, who divined that "water will lead to defeat," thus fearing the Sea Kingdom would repeat the Battle of the River of Regret, using the sorcerer's power to destroy the army. Ultimately, Tyreke decided to withdraw the main force of his army to the Riverbank Plains, further from the riverbank, while the reinforcements sent by Norfolk retreated to the northern Grasslands. The two armies were separated by a small river for water.

On the second night, Petyr's night raiding party, after crossing the river, immediately discovered that the Lannister army had retreated, and at dawn they saw that the enemy had used the natural environment of the swamps and rivers to form ranks on the high ground. Petyr had no good solution, and the two armies thus began a stalemate.

A month later, with King Rhaegal's advance at the mouth of the Lorne River progressing smoothly and the siege of Volantis underway, the Grand Vizier once again planned a night raid. With the support of the water sorcerers heading north, on the sixth day of the month, the Sea Kingdom's raiding party, led by Garan Tyrell and aided by the sorcerers, sailed upstream along a small river between the enemy lines, infiltrating behind the main enemy force. Upon receiving the signal, they launched a surprise attack, while the main Sea Kingdom army would launch a frontal assault. Simultaneously, the Grass Sea tribes accompanying the army would launch a fierce attack on the Norfolk army to the north at dawn, repelling them and then flanking the Lannister main force.

In the actual execution, thanks to the assistance of the water sorcerers, Garan Tyrell's raiding party successfully circled around the Lannister army's main force along the flooded stream. However, they were discovered by sentries while landing and were forced to launch a night attack by setting fire to the river. Upon seeing the flames, the Grand Warden realized that the raid had been exposed and had no choice but to immediately lead his main army to attack from the front.

Although the plan did not go as expected, the night raid itself was successful. The Lannister army was indeed thrown into chaos, but as dawn broke and both sides could identify friend from foe, the Lannister army, with its numerical advantage, began to organize a counterattack, and the two sides became locked in a stalemate. To break the deadlock, Prince Aegon, who had accompanied the army, led his squires and nobles of the Old Seven Kingdoms to the front lines. After joining forces with the Hand of the Great Kingdom, they launched a surprise attack on the Lannister flank. Ultimately, at the cost of Prince Aegon being seriously wounded, Hand of the Great Kingdom Petyr being injured, and the deaths of many squires and nobles of the Old Seven Kingdoms, a number of generals, including Lancel Lannister and William Lannister, were killed, and the Lannister-Norfolk allied forces retreated. This fierce battle began at dawn and ended at noon the next day with a great victory for the Sea Kingdom; the Sea Kingdom suffered 2.5 casualties, and the National Throne Army suffered 3.1 casualties, with a total of more than 7400 dead on both sides.

The victory at the Battle of Riverbank marked the beginning of the Sea Kingdom's offensive at the Loon River, which successively captured cities such as Chayorn, Sehol, and Valisa. Three months later, they captured New Rock (formerly New Keirin), the capital of the Loon Great Territory, and relocated the Western Commander and the Sea Kingdom's court there. At this time, thirty-six years had passed since King Rego left the Seven Kingdoms of the East.

After losing his fortress and capital, Tyrek Lannister retreated to Myr to regroup. With the support of the Westerlands army, he attempted to organize the remaining Lorne forces for a counterattack. However, he suffered a crushing defeat at the Battle of the Hills at the end of the year, with many Westerlands nobles killed and himself severely wounded and nearly captured. He was then forced to recuperate in Myr, while the remnants of the Lorne army were incorporated into the Kingdom's Myr army.

Thus began the Sea Kingdom's approximately eleven-year rule over Lorne.

While the Battle of Riverbank was raging, King Corron's impulsive decision was having a devastating impact in the south. Fearing the same fate as the eight "Sand Serpents," Dickon Tarly, after much deliberation, killed the royal officials of the Rhys Coast and, with the support of Matus Rowan, regained control of the Rhys Coast, ultimately pushing the war line between the two nations to the disputed territory. Valantis, still holding out in the east, was now completely isolated.

Given this favorable situation, the Sea Kingdom quickly launched another large-scale offensive. Before the war, King Rego and the Grand Chancellor dispatched a large number of centaur tribes westward to harass the kingdom and disperse its military forces. Subsequently, almost all of the Sea Kingdom's armies, including the Royal Guard, the Western Commander's Army, the Dornish Army, the Reich Army, and the Far Eastern Alliance Army, joined forces and marched towards Myr. In response, King Corlon and Prince Torun also gathered all available troops near Myr, including the Royal Guard, the Myr Army, the Andas Army, the Golden Company, and some of the Reach Army, and stationed them around the city. Both sides had mobilized almost all their forces for this great battle.

When the great war officially began, everyone in the known world was shocked by its scale. As the defenders, the Throne of Nations amassed 100,000 troops in Mil, nearly half of whom were central troops directly under the royal family. As the attackers, the Sea Kingdom gathered more than 220,000 troops outside Mil, including 70,000 Sea Kingdom soldiers, 10,000 Far Eastern Allied forces, and 10,000 Iban soldiers. Even though the remaining besieging forces were mostly undisciplined Grass Sea warriors, they were still able to play an important role in conquering the dense fortifications outside Mil.

In addition to the troop numbers of both sides, the Siege of Mil also set a historical record: the first large-scale use of firearms in battle. Both sides were equipped with a large number of firearms (muskets, matchlock guns, and cannons), with the Sea Kingdom's army possessing an particularly staggering quantity. Due to the rapid fall of Kohor, the Sea Kingdom army captured almost all of the city's reserves without bloodshed. It is said that they captured 20,000 muskets of various types alone, as well as more than 100 cannons. Supported by a gunpowder reserve sufficient to "defend the city for three years," although some firearms were distributed to other battlefields, the Sea Kingdom army under the walls of Mil was still equipped with approximately 10,000 muskets and 50 cannons of various types. In contrast, the National Throne army was equipped with fewer muskets than its opponents, with only a little over seven thousand, and the city had only fifteen cannons. However, the defenders were generally equipped with matchlock muskets as a supplement to their firepower. The National Throne favored this type of firearm, which was superior to muskets in power, accuracy, and reliability, and was also more mobile than cannons. Moreover, in order to avoid conflict with the production of cannons, it was mainly produced in Westeros. By the time the war began, the city's defenders were equipped with over a thousand matchlock muskets of various types.

Because both sides were well-prepared and the Sea Kingdom's army was unable to blockade Myr from the sea, the siege inevitably became protracted. To capture the city, the Sea Kingdom's army spared no expense in expending ammunition, bombarding the city and its surrounding fortifications daily with various types of projectiles. Large numbers of Grass Sea warriors also launched repeated attacks on the city under King Rego's orders. In response, the defenders spared no enemy in their path. The musketeers, commanded by Prince Duron, fully utilized their range and rate of fire, frequently suppressing the Sea Kingdom's musketeers and artillery with concentrated fire. As the siege continued into the 337th year after the conquest, the increasingly anxious King Rego even ordered his meritorious sorcerers to try to increase the receding tide of Milford Sound, hoping to bypass the formidable city defenses via the beach. Unfortunately, the sorcerers' ostentatious display was too conspicuous in the eyes of the defenders. After they roughly guessed who those people on the distant plains were, they soon sent dozens of muskets at them in a warm greeting, confirming with a pragmatic approach that sorcerers were also mortals.

At the walls of Myre, the Sea Kingdom's army faced the same predicament Hugo I had faced twenty years earlier at the walls of Volantis, and the King's throne understood how to fight fire with fire. Under the command of Queen Myrcella and Prince Jon Snow, who remained in King's Landing, armies from the Reach, the Riverlands, and the Vale crossed the Narrow Sea. They landed at Pentos, joined forces with Corhoal's army, and immediately headed south for Myre. When the Sea Kingdom's army discovered the southward-bound reinforcements, they were forced to retreat. But just as the Iban had never spared the Far North coalition, upon discovering the Sea Kingdom's retreat, the Kingdom's elite generals, led by Robb Stark, immediately charged out of Myre to engage the enemy, ultimately causing the siege army to collapse.

During the retreat, the Sea Kingdom suffered its greatest loss since the start of the expedition: when Petyr Baelish, the Hand of the Great, attempted to restore order to an army, he was attacked by muskets from the Andasian army. A lead bullet struck his thigh, causing him to fall from his horse. Although Prince Aegon immediately helped him back onto his horse, the Hand of the Great's aged body could not withstand such an injury. In the autumn of the 337th year after the conquest, Petyr Baelish, the founder and leader of the Sea Kingdom, died of old age and injury at New Rock at the age of 69. Because the Hand of the Great remained unmarried and childless throughout his life, before his death he designated Darksus the Myr as his adopted son to continue the expedition in his place.

However, after the death of the Grand Chancellor, the high command of the Sea Kingdom generally opposed the Chancellor's appointments, and a heated debate ensued over who would become the next leader of the Western Command, leading to a subtle tendency towards division within the Western Command. Ultimately, King Rego overruled the objections and personally appointed Velas Tyrell, thus calming the turmoil. Meanwhile, to prevent a recurrence of this situation on other fronts, the king appointed his second son, Viserys, as Commander of the North, and his third son, Inar, as Commander of the South, hoping to alleviate internal conflicts across the various fronts.

The following spring, at the summons of King Rego, the Sea Kingdom's army launched a new offensive across Essos, led by the Yi army from the east. Since the twelfth expedition, Toyoji, the de facto ruler of Yi, had allied with the Sea Kingdom. However, the main force of Yi failed to arrive to support them in the initial offensive because Yi was unstable: the collapse of the Orange Dynasty led to repeated invasions by the Jugsna tribe in the north, while the prosperous southern regions were engaged in battle with the remnants of the Azure Dynasty. The allied forces of the three cities of Helcolon also constantly harassed the western part of Yi. Amidst this widespread conflict, the Green Dynasty was forced to leave a large number of troops to fight on its homeland. The Beast-Faced Army and the Shield Army under the Eastern Commander of the Sea Kingdom also frequently went to various places to put out fires, but during this time, a significant portion of both armies was still transferred to the west.

Undoubtedly, Yidi needs the support of the Sea Kingdom, but if the Sea Kingdom cannot extricate itself from the great war with the throne of the nation, it is impossible to rely on the power of the West. Therefore, the Qianlv Dynasty must make a choice: whether to help the Sea Kingdom win and then obtain its support, or to stabilize its internal situation first and then move west to support the Sea Kingdom. The Feng clan ultimately chose the former.

To break the difficult status quo, in the autumn of the 338th year after the conquest, Toyoji began to gather the strength of the Toyo clan throughout the country. Apart from the main Toyo clan, nine branches, including the Gao, Qian, Chang, Li, Yao, Lin, Ye, Mai, and Tian clans, responded to the call. This 30,000-strong Eastern army, commanded by Toyoji's second son Toyoei, left Yidi in the spring of the following year, passing through Qarth and Newgis, and finally landing on the coast of Rhys. Subsequently, the Yidi army assisted Tali and Rowan in defeating the Tyrothy army at Bloodhill and Killhill, and then defeated the blocking forces of the National Throne on the plains of Myr, approaching Myr. Some of the local allies also sided with the Sea Kingdom. However, since Uther and the God-King were approaching Braavos in the north and were fiercely attacking Ashvale, at the request of King Rego, the Yidi army did not attack the heavily fortified city of Myr, but instead marched north, passing through the Southern Hills to attack the weaker territory of Pentos.

During their northward march, Feng Ying's army did not choose to traverse the Scorched Lands, but instead swiftly crossed the hills of Vikelina. They later received support from some rebels in the Old Territory. However, as the army penetrated deeper into Pentos territory, the kingdom's nobles, relying on their fortified strongholds, slowed their progress. The local scorched-earth policy also prevented Feng Ying from replenishing his army's supplies through local plunder. Under these circumstances, Gowald, son of Inis Frey, the then-commander of Pentos, assembled the local armies of Pentos and the Far North, and, with the support of the Andas army and the Golden Legion, deployed them in the open field, intending to fight the Eastern army to the death. Subsequently, the two armies clashed at Daoqian Plain near the Flat Road, known as the Battle of Daoqian Plain. Although the battle resulted in Frey's defeat and Gowald's serious injury, the Yi army no longer complied with King Rego's request to besiege Pentos or march north to Andas. Instead, they turned their forces eastward back to the Lorne region controlled by the Sea Kingdom. This marked the end of the last major military operation of the Maritime Kingdom during the war.

The reasons for this major turnback in front of the enemy are still debated. The most likely explanation is that the Yi army, which had embarked on a long westward expedition at the beginning of the year and then fought continuously in enemy-occupied territory for nearly half a year, was no longer able to advance after the intense march and several fierce battles. Although specific records are unclear, the Yi army must have suffered considerable losses by this time, ultimately forcing Feng Ying to choose to rest and regroup.

There is a prevailing view that the Sea Kingdom's best opportunity since the Battle of Mil was wasted due to Feng Ying's retreat. However, this opportunity may never have existed in the first place: relying on an isolated western expeditionary force to overcome numerous obstacles and gain an advantage in the war was an overly idealistic plan. King Rego's actions, given that the Sea Kingdom's manpower and resources were gradually falling short of the throne, were both a flawed decision and a desperate measure.

For the next seven years, aside from the suppression of the invading Grass Sea tribes, no large-scale open-field battles occurred between the National Throne and the Sea Kingdom. During this period, both countries focused their warfare on the struggle for important cities and regions. For example, in the disputed territory, the two sides engaged in a five-year tug-of-war. Initially, the Sea Kingdom's army and the Crimson God Cult of Tyrosi were evenly matched, but as the National Throne increased its forces, and the local lords and immigrants found it difficult to accept the repeated demands for military intervention from the Sea Kingdom's western commander, the situation in the region rapidly deteriorated in the fifth year. Matus Rowan and his three sons were killed in battle, and the Rowan family fell into decline. Dickon Tarly, who had previously sought refuge with the Sea Kingdom, also realized that he could not find a place to live there, so he led his relatives to flee to the Sea Kingdom. The territories of Horn Hill and the Riss Coast were later granted to his distant relatives by the National Throne.

Furthermore, during this period, the battles between the two nations surrounding Na'Sastar and Valantis were also fierce. As the Sea Kingdom's forces withdrew from their initial offensive, they immediately realized the threat these two cities posed: Na'Sastar, a fortified city on the Lohn River, prevented the Sea Kingdom's army from advancing up the river to attack Andas and Pentos, while Valantis blocked the Sea Kingdom's fleet and supplies from resupplying the army north of the Lohn River, forcing the army to rely heavily on land transport for logistics. Therefore, the Sea Kingdom deployed large siege armies in both cities, and King Corlon, who also understood the importance of the two cities, did everything in his power to provide support. Gradually, the Sea Kingdom's strength was exhausted in what seemed like an endless, brutal war, while the counterattack of the throne was poised to launch.

During this period of stalemate, King Coron was far from idle. After several years of rest and recuperation, he traveled north and assembled five armies at Braavos: the Andars, the Pentos, the Far North, the Riverlands, and the Corhols. Many Andal tribes from the mountains also joined this massive army at the call of Tyrion Lannister and Shagar. Subsequently, with the support of several kingdom fleets, the king landed on the island of Loras, where he destroyed the northern rulers of the Sea Kingdom in the Battle of the Island. Uther and Prince Viserys both perished in the chaos. Meanwhile, at sea near the islands, the Iban fleet was reduced to burning torches in the kingdom's fury. In order to bring his tens of thousands of soldiers back to the East, King Iban knelt before the king in full view of everyone, offering his son as a hostage in exchange for the chance to escape to the East.

Having resolved the threat from the Iban, King Corlong set his sights on Kohor. With the Iban army's withdrawal, a vacuum was created in the Sea Kingdom's forces on the northern shore of Essos—a golden opportunity. At this time, due to the escalating wars elsewhere, most of the 10,000 Sea Kingdom troops previously stationed in Kohor had been redeployed, their positions filled by the Grass Sea tribes. The King's surprise attack from the north caught the Grass Sea tribes completely off guard; many were routed, and King Corlong captured countless prisoners. Meanwhile, because Kohor's walls had remained unrepaired due to the Sea Kingdom's prohibition, the city changed hands again in a single day, allowing Kohor to regain its kingdom, and Belron Aurelius was appointed its new governor. However, in terms of the overall war situation, the biggest impact of the change of hands in Kohor was not even the shortage of ammunition for the Sea Kingdom's army, but rather the retreat of the various tribes of the Grass Sea who were fighting in the west to the east. During this period, King Korlon also sent many envoys to negotiate with the Grass Sea tribes whose families had been captured, offering to return their families in exchange for these Grass Sea tribes breaking away from the Sea Kingdom's system. Almost all the tribes agreed to this—perhaps this long and bloody war had made even these most warlike warriors weary.

Thus, the threat from the Grass Sea was largely resolved in a short period of time, and most of the Grass Sea tribes retreated back to the Grass Sea. Although a few tribes still obeyed King Rego's orders to plunder everywhere, these people were no longer of any use.

With the recapture of the Far North, Loras, and Corhor, the flames of war that had engulfed the entire eastern part of the kingdom seemed to be slowly dying down. Both King Corron and King Rhaegal recognized this, and both sides began to prepare for the inevitable final battle: King Corron summoned his troops scattered across Myr, Norfolk, Corhor, and the disputed lands, while King Rhaegal withdrew his army besieging Volantis. Only the Southern Commander's army, which was fighting fiercely at Sothros, was not recalled; they were ordered to travel further south through the Summer Isles—if the Sea Kingdom collapsed in the ensuing war, they would become the last spark of Targaryen.

Next, the Sea Kingdom's army abandoned one occupied territory after another, and the armies of the two known world powers converged on New Rock, the city on the middle reaches of the Lorne River—the seat of the Sea Kingdom's court. Finally, in the summer of the 347th year after the conquest, the National Throne and the Sea Kingdom engaged in a decisive battle around New Rock. As King of the Sea Kingdom, Rhaegal did not flee; he once again personally led the charge, fighting a bloody battle against the army of Corron. On the land where the Valyrians and Rhoynar had once fought, the battle between the National Throne and the Sea Kingdom raged for seven days. Even nobles, including Prince Durran Tollett and Prince Aegon Targaryen, received no special treatment. Ultimately, the decisive battle ended in the defeat of the Sea Kingdom's army. Under the watchful eyes of the exhausted royal army, the remnants of the Sea Kingdom abandoned and burned New Rock, and their king retreated to the fleet crossing the Lorne River.

As the burning black banner with a red dragon fell from the city wall, the thirteenth and final expedition of the Sea Kingdom Dynasty came to an end.

III. Be vigilant against peace

The thirteenth expedition failed. When Rhaegal Targaryen sat on the ebony throne where his mother had once sat, he vowed to carry on her legacy and bring Targaryen rule back to Westeros. But fate is cruel. Despite the kingdom’s best efforts to reclaim their homeland, the distant green lands were ultimately gone—the arid Gulflands were their new home.

As the backbone of the Gulf Kingdom, the Western Exiles fought fiercely in the thirteenth expedition, suffering heavy losses as a result. This phenomenon triggered a chain reaction throughout the kingdom. Although the core areas of the Gulf Kingdom—the Gulflands, Lazarin, and Qarth—remained under Meereen's control, in other regions, the order established by the Sea Kingdom collapsed almost instantly: the Grass Sea broke free of control, the archipelago returned to its old state, the lands of the serving nobles were wantonly seized, and the vassals also declared independence... Almost overnight, the Gulf Kingdom once again became a fragment of the dragon's hegemony.

However, just as King Rego slumped on his mother's throne, growing increasingly despondent, the kingdom's allies in the east offered him an offer he couldn't refuse—during the Sea Kingdom's thirteenth expedition, the Feng clan of Yi, as the king's loyal ally, had fulfilled their duty, even though 168 members of the clan and tens of thousands of their followers had perished in battle, without complaint. Now, it was time for the Feng clan to seek their reward from the king—they demanded that he transfer the remaining forces of the royal court and the Gulf Kingdom to the Far East.

Over the years, although the Light Green Dynasty and the Kingdom's Eastern Commander have repelled the incursions of the descendants of Helcolon and wiped out the remnants of the Azure Dynasty, the northern part of Yi remains turbulent, and the pseudo-emperor of Kakosa is gradually becoming restless. During the previous thirteenth expedition, the Feng clan witnessed the power of the Sea Kingdom's army. If King Rego could transfer the remaining forces of the Gulf Kingdom to Yi, these problems could be resolved. Therefore, demanding the abdication of the puppet emperor of the Light Green Dynasty is one feasible option.

King Rego was not immediately swayed by the sweet promises offered by his in-laws; he pondered the matter deeply for a long time. Ultimately, he made his decision: to relinquish his claims to the former Iron Throne territories, negotiate peace with the National Throne, and eventually establish a new foundation for his family in the far east.

Faced with a peace request from the East, the two kings hesitated for a long time. They also hoped to reach peace as soon as possible. The aftermath of the war also troubled the throne of the nation. The royal family had to invest a lot of resources in the post-war recovery of the seven eastern kingdoms. However, due to the terrible losses caused by the war, there were also voices and forces within the throne of the nation that were determined to oppose the Dragon Kingdom and demand a decisive battle with it. Most of these people were the eastern lords who had suffered heavy losses. The king had to choose between war and peace.

Ultimately, after carefully weighing the pros and cons, King Corlon I agreed to the Eastern Kingdom's request for peace. He articulated his views in the Great Council and held several rounds of negotiations with the warlike lords, eventually changing their stance. With the return of the Kingdom's envoy, Rocus Mopatis, from Meereen, peace finally returned to the known world—though it did not signify the complete end of the East-West conflict, it did usher in a period of peace for at least several decades.

During this period, the two kings on the throne implemented many proactive reconstruction measures, focusing on restoring the former prosperity of both sides of the Narrow Sea. Once the situation stabilized, they followed Hugo I's example and abdicated early, passing the throne to their eldest son, Jon Tollett. The Baratheon-Tollett dynasty thus entered its third generation, and the decades-long plan for the royal family to reunite its bloodline was finally completed. In the East, Rhaego I also adopted a policy of recuperation and development in the Gulflands, actively restoring exchanges with neighboring countries. This kingdom, which had been constantly waging wars since the reign of the Chancellor, finally found peace. Meanwhile, in the 360th year after the conquest, the elderly king formally accepted the abdication of the Green King, Tanglong, and the Mandate of Heaven of the Land of Ebony was transferred to the new dynasty, the Ebony Dynasty, wishing it a long and prosperous reign.

Currently, due to the tense state of peace between the two major powers of the East and West, the era I am writing about has a common name in the world: "Peace Under Warning." No one knows when the next war will break out, but at least for now, the world is bathed in peace and prosperity, and they sincerely hope that this peaceful era can last forever.

(End of this chapter)