Game of Thrones: The Red Dragon Lord.

Chapter 222: Food Crisis and Melisandre

On the streets of Meereen, gun smoke spread like ghosts, and the pungent smell filled every inch of the air. On the streets, corpses were lying in all directions, some of them were still bleeding, and some were already cold and stiff. In this chaos and ruin, Gavin rode his tall horse and slowly walked into the newly conquered city.

Gavin first came to the pyramid of Meereen. This magnificent building stood like a silent giant in the center of the city. It was a symbol of the city's power. Jalal, Kyle and others had already been waiting here respectfully.

"Your Majesty, the treasury of Meereen is under our control. Together with the wise lords who escaped from Yunkai before, the wealth inside is beyond imagination." Jalal was very excited, his eyes flashing with excitement, and he said eagerly.

Gavin nodded slightly, his expression calm and composed, and then instructed Missandei: "Go and carefully count the things inside, make a record and give it to me."

Missandei immediately bowed and accepted the order, and said in a clear voice, "Yes, Your Majesty."

"Kyle, you are responsible for leading a group of soldiers to maintain law and order in Meereen and ensure that the city is restored to order as soon as possible."

Kyle immediately bowed and accepted the order: "Yes, Your Majesty."

Then, Gavin looked at Jalal and said, "Count the population of Meereen, including slaves, freemen, and wise lords. I want detailed figures. Also, find out the food reserves in the city. We must ensure that people here do not starve."

Jalal responded: "Don't worry, Your Majesty, I will do it immediately."

Before the sea route was cut off, Gavin had never worried about the food problem. However, with the closure of the sea route, Slave Bay, which relied only on land transportation, had fallen into the dilemma of being unable to be self-sufficient. Land transportation was not only inefficient, but also costly, and could not meet the needs of the large population of Slave Bay.

Two days later, in the pyramid of Meereen.

Jalal stood in front of the table, his face solemn, as if shrouded by a cloud. He reported to Gavin: "Your Majesty, after a detailed count, the population of Meereen is about 150,000, most of whom are slaves. The current food reserves are relatively sufficient. If they are distributed reasonably, they can last for several months. But the situation in Yunkai is a bit troublesome. At present, they are all supported by the grain transport from Astapor. If this continues, Astapor will not last for more than two months."

Listening to Jalal's report, Gavin couldn't help but frown, his eyes revealing deep worry, and asked: "There are still no merchant ships arriving at Slave Bay?"

Jalal nodded and said, "Yes, Your Majesty. As more and more merchant ships disappeared, several major free trade castles stopped shipping trade with Slave Bay. There are even rumors that the route was blocked because of your order."

"Don't pay attention to those rumors." Gavin thought for a moment and then asked, "What is the current situation of those wise masters?"

"General Kyle executed nearly half of the Wise Lords, who were the ones who had previously proposed war. The remaining Wise Lords were very cooperative and they handed over a lot of property. But they don't have much food, and the food shortage problem is still serious." Jalal answered immediately. He spoke very quickly, as if he was eager to provide Gavin with the most accurate information.

"Keep an eye on these wise masters, they are not that honest." Gavin couldn't help but think of the Sons of the Harpy in the original plot, which were created by these wise masters. They would never accept failure, and there was a high probability that the Sons of the Harpy would appear again.

"Your Majesty!" Jalal said hurriedly, as if he suddenly thought of something. "If we buy food from the disputed lands by land, it will take two months for a single trip, and the transportation costs are extremely high. Moreover, when Volantis and Myr learn that we are short of food, they will definitely take advantage of our misfortune and impose a food embargo. It is better to buy food from Lhazarin, northeast of Slaver's Bay, which is less than a month's journey from Meereen. The only problem is that the Lhazarin people have no cities, but mostly small towns and tribes, which makes it difficult to purchase. And I heard that Khal Drogo and his khalasar are looting there, and the caravan we send out may be looted by the Dothraki."

After hearing this, Gavin fell into deep thought.

The Lazarins are peaceful by nature. They are keen on herding sheep and farming. Because they have never achieved internal unity, their external military power is extremely weak. In the eyes of others, they seem to be weak beings that can be trampled on by others, and they were even once nicknamed "sheep people".

There is no doubt that the weak "sheep people" have become the most ideal source of slaves.

Lhazalin has a very special geographical location, it is right next to the Dothraki Sea.

Because of this, this place naturally became the target of frequent looting by the Dothraki.

It seems to have become a routine that every time a new khal rises, he will definitely tour here.

Thinking of this, Gavin couldn't help but frowned slightly and rubbed his forehead gently.

Now, Drogo's 40,000 howling warriors are in Lhazalin, not far from the Slaver's Bay. It is possible that they will come to the Slaver's Bay to plunder in the future.

Once upon a time, Drogo was a problem that the slave owners had to worry about, but now he has become a trouble that Gavin has to face.

The only thing that made Gavin feel fortunate was that the Dothraki’s technology was very backward, and they didn’t even have a dragon-hunting crossbow.

With bows and arrows alone, they could not pose a threat to the Blazing Shadow, and the Dothraki could only passively wait for the arrival of the dragon flame. However, it must be admitted that these roaring warriors were indeed fearless and fearless. This point has been painfully verified by countless free trade cities with blood.

The power of a dragon lies in its ability to destroy a solid city and shock the army, not simply to burn the enemy with dragon flames. Even if 40,000 Roaring Warriors were lined up neatly waiting to be burned, even if Blazing Shadow was exhausted, he would not be able to burn them all to death.

Seeing that Gavin was lost in deep thought, Jalal reminded him, "Your Majesty, there is one thing you must pay close attention to. Whenever the Dothraki plunder Lazarin, they will sell the slaves to the Slave Bay in exchange for food and weapons. If nothing unexpected happens, Drogo will do the same. At that time, should we buy those slaves?"

Hearing Jalal's words, Gavin couldn't help but reveal a trace of helplessness on his face. It was not impossible to accept those slaves, and some weapons could be barely accepted, but Gavin himself was also short of food. If the Dothraki could not obtain food through trade, then they would definitely choose to plunder the Slave Bay.

It seems that a conflict with the Dothraki is unavoidable. Gavin originally wanted to march into the disputed land immediately after taking Slaver's Bay, but now it seems that this matter can only be put on hold for the time being.

After a moment of contemplation, Gavin decided to solve the current problem first. Otherwise, he would not be able to leave Slaver Bay with peace of mind.

He said slowly: "Inform Kael that the Second Legion must hurry to collect the prisoners. In half a month, we will go north with the Unsullied Legion to Lhazalin. Instead of passively waiting for the Dothraki to attack, we should take the initiative and go find them."

Jalal straightened up and said respectfully, "As you command, Your Majesty."

Gavin nodded slightly and continued, "Send someone to carefully check the situation on both sides of the Worm River to see if we can reclaim more land there. At the same time, you can also consider building canals. We are not short of manpower now, and we can't always rely on imported food. At least we have to be self-sufficient. Finding something for the slaves to do can also avoid chaos."

"Yes! Your Majesty." Jalal took the order and left. His figure gradually disappeared from Gavin's sight, leaving Gavin alone in deep thought, thinking about the future situation.

Ten days later, as time passed quietly, Gavin welcomed an unexpected guest.

In the main hall of the pyramid in Meereen, Gavin narrowed his eyes slightly, his deep gaze full of thought and vigilance. He quietly stared at Melisandre in red robes below the stage. This Red God priest was supposed to assist Stannis, but due to Gavin's appearance, Stannis died unexpectedly, so Gavin subconsciously ignored her existence. Unexpectedly, Melisandre actually came to the Slaver's Bay and asked to meet him. Considering the real existence of R'hllor, Gavin still met her.

But Gavin was full of vigilance. "Why did Melisandre come to me? Did she receive mysterious instructions from the Lord of Light, or did she misinterpret the flames again? If it was the latter, it would be fine. But if it was the former, it means that the Red God has noticed me. The power of the Red God is far greater than that of the Thousand-Faced God. None of these gods are easy to deal with."

Melisandre was also quietly observing Gavin. After a moment, she seemed to have received confirmation. She stepped forward and bowed gracefully. Then she raised her head. The voice seemed to come from a mysterious distance: "Your Majesty, I am Melisandre, a pious priestess of R'hllor, the Lord of Light. I received the divine revelation of the Lord of Light in the flames, and came to visit you specially."

Upon hearing this, Gavin said politely: "Meereen welcomes you, Priest of the Red God. I have visited the Red Temple in Braavos. I wonder what kind of instructions you have received from the Lord of Light?" Hearing the title of the Lord of Light, Gavin was sure that he had been noticed by R'hllor. Melisandre's misinterpretation of fire in the original drama might not have been intentional by R'hllor.

Melisandre smiled slightly, with a mysterious light flashing in her eyes. She slowly opened a pair of slender arms and stretched them towards the sky. Her posture was pious and solemn. "My lord R'hllor told me that the reincarnation of Azor Ahai has appeared. He will shoulder the sacred mission of driving away darkness and saving the people. And in that flame, I saw your figure."

After hearing this, Gawen frowned slightly and said, "I have heard the prophecy you mentioned when I was in Braavos. It was told to me by the Red God priest there. But I don't think the person in the prophecy will be me, and I have always believed in the Seven Gods. I guess you must have made a mistake."

Melisandre looked at Gavin and said seriously, "Your Majesty, there are only two true gods in this world, R'hllor, the Lord of Light, and his mortal enemy, the God of Cold. The Seven Gods you mentioned are nothing but illusions. As far as I know, you do not believe in the Seven Gods, and you even have no respect for them. The Seven Gods are just an excuse for you. You do not have to worry. The Lord of Light is full of goodwill towards you, and you can trust Him unconditionally."

Gavin looked at Melisandre coldly after hearing this, and he really couldn't figure out her real intention. Gavin really didn't believe in gods, even if they really existed in this world. If he had to say what he believed in, Gavin only believed in his dragons. "Melisandre, if you are here just to be a guest, Meereen and I both warmly welcome the worship of the Red God. But if you are here to persuade me to believe in the Red God, then please go back. Regardless of whether I am devout to the Seven Gods or not, I will not easily change my beliefs."

Melisandre smiled and said, "Your Majesty, you do not understand the greatness of my Lord R'hllor. Soon, after the long summer, the stars will weep blood, and a cold, endless darkness will cover the world. Then you will draw the burning sword, the sword of Lightbringer, the red sword of heroes. Then you will truly understand the greatness of my Lord."

Gavin always kept his distance from things beyond his understanding, especially the gods of this world. He said coldly: "When I draw the sword, we can talk about faith. Melisandre, do you have anything else to do here?"

Melisandre spoke slowly, her voice seemed to come from ancient times, with a mysterious and distant charm: "Your Majesty, 'Lightbringer' is not just a sword. Soon, you will understand. I came here mainly to tell you that the cold god in the north has awakened. With his awakening, the undead army has moved south, and the shadow of cold and death is gradually spreading. You should return to Westeros, which is your battlefield. I clearly saw your figure in the north in the flames."

Gavin shook his head slightly, his tone as firm as a rock: "Perhaps one day in the future, I will conquer Westeros, but right now my focus is here. If you are here just to let me know, I already know. Next, you can stay in Meereen. If you are interested, you can also go to the Stepstone Islands, but the route is currently blocked and you need to take a detour. I hope you enjoy your trip here."

Melisandre stared at Gawen and continued, "Thank you for your hospitality, Your Majesty, but I am here to help you. I can solve the problems you are facing now. Whether it is killing Khal Drogo or solving the sea monster that cuts off the route."

After hearing this, Gavin couldn't help but think of the shadow created by Stannis and Melisandre in his mind, and guessed that was the other party's reliance.

Gavin knew that shadows could kill people, after all, that shadow had passed through layers of barracks and killed Lan Li. But killing sea monsters? Gavin asked uncertainly, "I'm curious, how do you kill sea monsters?"

(End of this chapter)