Game of Thrones: The Wrath of the Sleeping Dragon

However, it wasn't that Viserys wanted to lose this island, which held immense significance for the Targaryens; rather, he had long felt that if it couldn't be defended, it shouldn't be defended at all. Besides its strategic importance—like a sword that could directly threaten King's Landing—it served no other purpose.

They can't even be self-sufficient in terms of production, and Andalus needs to allocate a lot of resources every month to maintain their strategic deterrence against King's Landing.

But this kind of intimidation was meaningless to Viserys. What else could it do besides make King Robert unable to forget him and lose his appetite?

Should we call now?

With Andalus's current army of about ten thousand men and three little guys, how can he conquer the Seven Kingdoms?

Viserys cannot afford to lose, and he will not act rashly without absolute certainty.

This cautious, prudent approach has been a consistent characteristic of Viserys' actions.

Moreover, he now has dragons; he only needs to wait for them to grow up to recreate the story of Aegon's conquest of Westeros.

The one who should be anxious now is the fat man sitting on the Iron Throne; he probably feels the spikes on that iron lump are poking his butt even more. They, on the other hand, have nothing to worry about.

However, Sir Jeffrey thought differently.

As the fleet's commander-in-chief and the second-in-command of the Targaryen forces, the old man wielded considerable power.

When he was in Andalus, even Viserys had to respect his opinion.

Sir Geoffrey assured him that he could defend Dragonstone, and if things went wrong, he could retreat.

However, due to negligence, he failed to detect the betrayal of his subordinates and suffered a crushing defeat, even sustaining serious injuries and being on the verge of death.

Viserys didn't blame him for the defeat and the loss of Dragonstone. Instead, he blamed him for not taking care of his body, and for suffering this calamity at his age.

Now, in the hospital ward.

The old knight lay on his bed, pale and dying, still murmuring something.

Losing Dragonstone is a minor matter.

However, whether the Iron Throne will take the opportunity to cross the Narrow Sea and recreate the Battle of the Nine-Piece Kings, thus nipping the threat in the bud, is what Viserys should consider next.

When Robert Baratheon first ascended the Iron Throne, he didn't immediately launch a full-scale attack on Dragonstone because he didn't have a navy.

However, the royal fleet, which had been built at great expense, was completely destroyed by the old knight's fire.

Later, the Targaryens established themselves on the continent of Essos, but King Robert was still powerless to do so because the economies of the Seven Kingdoms had been severely damaged by the constant warfare in recent years, making it impossible for them to launch a long-distance, transoceanic campaign.

They could only watch helplessly as the Targaryens gradually developed on another continent.

Now, the opportunity has finally arrived.

Chapter 150 War Preparations

The royal fleet has just quelled the rebellion in the Iron Islands and is in high spirits.

Moreover, the country has recovered from the heavy blows it suffered in the war of usurpers and is gradually getting back on track.

"We must be very careful..."

During this time, the old Jazz lay in his hospital bed, but his mind remained clear, and he was making his final arrangements for Viserys.

Whether or not he survives this ordeal, he is destined to be unable to participate in this battle.

Viserys' expression was also very solemn, and he nodded slightly.

"I know."

Viserys had known for a long time that a battle between him and Robert Baratheon was inevitable.

Previously, the other party had been forced to allow the Targaryens to develop on the continent of Essos for various reasons, but he knew that this was not without a time limit.

As the Targaryen's power grew, the fat man sitting on the Iron Throne across the Narrow Sea became increasingly uneasy.

Based on Viserys's understanding of Robert Baratheon, he was a man of fiery temper and a temper like fire. If he knew that the Targaryens now had dragons, he would not sit on the Iron Throne and wait to die.

He will definitely choose to take the initiative and nip the threat in the bud.

"This battle was destined long ago, wasn't it?"

Viserys sat by Sir Jeffrey's sickbed, holding the old man's withered hand in one.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, illuminating the Targaryen boy's profile, highlighting his long eyelashes and sharply defined features.

He then squeezed the old man's hand tightly, stood up, turned and left the ward.

"His Majesty."

The scholar who had been waiting quietly outside the door saw Viserys come out, placed his hands in front of him, and bowed slightly.

"We must cure him."

Viserys stared intently at the maester before him, unusually using a commanding tone.

The scholar's body trembled slightly, and then he bowed once more.

"Although Lord Jeffrey is quite old, he is still in good health."

"There shouldn't be any problems."

"That's good."

"In that case, I'll leave it to you."

Viserys then nodded, brushed past the maester, and strode down the steps.

Given this situation, Andalus must be actively preparing for war, guarding against Baratheon recreating the Battle of the Ninepenny Kings and suddenly crossing the Narrow Sea to attack.

Viserys' figure hurried away, and the maester let out a slight breath, watching Viserys gradually disappear from his sight before straightening his clothes and returning to the ward.

...

Andalus is preparing for battle with all its might, taking precautions against any unexpected events.

Meanwhile, in the distant land of King's Landing.

His Majesty the King couldn't resist having a few more drinks. A tall, fat man was swaying unsteadily when he accidentally knocked over the wine jug on the table, spilling the wine all over the floor.

A beautiful woman with long, elegant blonde hair coldly observed everything before her. Clearly, her gaze was not directed at her husband, but rather at a wild boar.

However, all of this came to an abrupt end when the drunken, bare-chested man turned around with a wine glass in his hand.

A perfectly timed smile returned to the woman's face, neither overly cold nor so disgusting as to make her want to vomit.

With his large belly revealing thick chest hair, Robert held up a wine glass, his face flushed, then laughed heartily and spoke.

"By the Seven Gods!"

"Stannis has finally lived up to my expectations once again."

His Majesty's joy is naturally due to the victory. The Battle of Dragonstone was fought exceptionally well, thanks to the help of the Valerian family and the bribery of an inside agent, resulting in a coordinated attack from within and without.

If it weren't for the Dragonstone Fleet's commander-in-chief's extensive naval experience and decisive order to disengage and retreat, the entire fleet might have been wiped out.

This served as revenge for the loss of his entire fleet in a fire years ago, allowing Robert to finally vent his anger.

As a reward, upon receiving this good news, Robert immediately granted Dragonstone to Stannis.

However, Stannis, who had just returned victorious last night, did not seem very happy when he received the news.

Stannis had never been to Dragonstone before, and he had initially held some expectations for the island.

After all, this was where Aegon's conquest of Westeros began, and Dragonstone was rumored to possess an unimaginable fortune, which he believed to be dragon eggs.

Stannis had a wonderful dream of finding joy in hardship, but when he arrived at Dragonstone, he discovered that it was cleaner than his own pocket.

As the king's brother, Stannis doesn't even have a fiefdom. The powerful royal fleet he commands is only under his brother's name; in reality, it has nothing to do with him. He doesn't even have to ask for military pay; it's entirely borne by King's Landing.

However, Stannis, who had no fiefdom, still needed to support the vassals and soldiers who were determined to follow him.

When the three brothers of House Baratheon divided their estate, as punishment for their defeat and annihilation, House Baratheon was bypassed from him as the first in line to inherit and fell directly to his younger brother, Renly.

However, a group of soldiers who had fought alongside Stannis to the death at Storm's End chose to continue following Stannis as he left.

This included Maester Cresson of Storm's End.

"Lord Stannis."

"If you meet your elder brother today, remember not to argue with him."

The two walked hurriedly through the gardens of the Red Keep, one in front of the other, as Maester Cresson spoke up to offer some advice.

As a servant of Storm's End, Maester Cresson watched the three brothers grow up. The eldest, Robert, had a fiery temper, while the second, Stannis, was also stubborn.

These two people were incompatible in temperament, so they would always argue whenever they met.

"This time we are only discussing the possibility of taking action against the Targaryen remnants across the Narrow Sea."

At this point, Scholar Clement shook his head slightly.

"If I had known things would turn out this way, I would have killed that mother and child who fled to Dragonstone no matter what."

Stannis's expression turned slightly unpleasant upon hearing the maester's words, but he didn't say anything more.

The Targaryens have now risen from the ashes and are no longer a force that a single fleet can wipe out.

Based on the intelligence we have now, to take Andalus, His Majesty the King would need to organize at least another 30,000 troops and hundreds of warships of various sizes. Supply and transportation along the route would also be necessary. Transporting supplies from the mainland is not feasible, so it would be best to obtain the support of a free trade city-state.

Moreover, as they were fighting on their home soil to defend against invasion, the farmers of Andalus could take up arms and join the war at any time.

The difficulty of conquering Andalus has increased dramatically, since Andalus's territory is now comparable to that of one of the Seven Kingdoms.

If this war were to break out, the burden on the entire country would be no less than fighting another war of usurpers.

"It's tough..."

Chapter 151 Imperial Council

King Robert's desire was to press his advantage, cross the sea, and eliminate the remaining Targaryens. This was also what he considered a matter of course.

However, his ideas encountered obstacles at the Imperial Council meeting.

Because this king, besides knowing how to spend money, never understood how much money he had left in his pocket, nor did he understand how much dissatisfaction would arise from having to reorganize soldiers to fight again right after a war.

"Your Majesty, our national treasury no longer has the funds to support us in waging such a large-scale war."

First Lord Jon Arryn was the first to step forward and offer his advice.

The other ministers, including the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Minister of Justice, kept their heads down and remained silent. Stannis, the Secretary of the Navy, stared at the clean table, seemingly lost in thought.