Game of Thrones: The Wrath of the Sleeping Dragon

At first, Pentos didn't pay much attention to his little neighbor, but not long after, the little neighbor began to rise rapidly.

This then caught Pentos's attention, and he used the same old tactic as before, inviting Viserys to his home and giving him gifts to win him over.

Viserys then defeated a Dothraki horse king in Goldoho, and news spread that his sister Daenerys had hatched a dragon.

All of this has changed once again.

The Targaryens are not Dothraki; they wouldn't be uninterested in stone houses.

Furthermore, unlike the system of trading city-states, centralized kingdoms are inherently highly expansionist. This is a view put forward by a scholar from the City of Learning based on the chaotic history of the seven kingdoms before unification, and this book has also traveled across the ocean to this place.

Therefore, the people of Pentos gradually began to feel apprehensive and worried about this neighbor.

Andalus is situated in a fertile land nestled between the sea and mountains, surrounded by three free trade city-states: Braavos to the north, Norfos to the east, and Pentos to the west.

Everyone knows that it's fine to be content with the status quo, but if Viserys has the ambition to continue expanding, he has to choose a direction to break through, otherwise he will be obediently locked in.

If the Targaryens were to choose a direction for expansion...

Why would they choose Braavos, a city isolated by the Hengduan Mountains and the strongest among the free trade city-states?

Would they choose Norfolk, a place nestled in the mountains with complex terrain and protected by bearded monks with fanatical religious beliefs and fearless courage?

This is an answer that anyone could easily choose.

For these reasons, everyone in Pentos is deeply worried.

The Iron Throne's messenger arrived at just the right time, and the governors of Pentos gathered once again to meet him.

"Did the governors of Pentos meet with Petyr?"

Viserys' pale purple eyes gleamed, and he knew this was not a positive sign.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Rams, however, spoke respectfully as always.

"Petty persuaded the governors of Pentos to turn against you and form an alliance with the Iron Throne."

"During this time, a governor named Illyrio Mopatis voiced his opposition."

"He said... if Pentos and the Targaryens become enemies, they may face attacks from dragons and Andalus."

"Among the surrounding trading city-states, Braavos and Pentos are enemies. Pentos signed a humiliating treaty under pressure from Braavos. Norfos and Andalus, on the other hand, have friendly relations. Kohol is too far away to help in the present. Myr, Tyros, and Rhys have a long-standing feud and are mutually opposed. If one side rashly sends troops to help, it may lose the initiative in the disputed territory."

"And war costs money."

"Governors and the forty noble families of Pentos, how much will each of you contribute to hire trading city-states to fight this war?"

"As for the Dothraki... they are a bunch of barbarians, and also very shrewd. They are willing to fight and suffer losses for money, but they may not be willing to get involved in this war."

"Hiring a mercenary group would break the ceasefire agreement with Braavos, and they are likely to encounter trouble in the future. Besides, how much would it cost to hire a mercenary group like the Golden Company with more than 10,000 men? How much would it cost to send a gift?"

"Forget about the Iron Throne's support; winter is coming there, and they're barely able to take care of themselves."

Viserys nodded slightly as he listened to Ramsay's retelling, holding the intelligence report in his hand with a hint of scrutiny in his eyes. He paused for a moment, then continued to ask in a calm voice.

"The results of it?"

He needs to know the outcome of this matter.

"The result was that although the governors of Pentos asked many questions about the plans for the Iron Throne, they ultimately did not agree to Petyr Baelish's lobbying, only saying they would consider it further..."

This was something Rams pried out of the poor governor of Pentos.

Their attitude was cautious; they invited Viserys to Pentos only to ascertain his true intentions.

Perhaps they will offer another big gift: a policy of appeasement to increase ties with the Targaryens.

"but..."

“In addition to that, they have another plan.”

Chapter 185 Saints

That afternoon.

Viserys appeared in the castle's meeting hall, but one person was forever missing.

The young king, dressed in casual clothes and wearing a golden crown, sat in the main seat in the center, while the important rulers of Andalus sat on either side of the long conference table.

Viserys then presented the plan he had prepared the night before: the division of the military system after the establishment of the kingdom, the construction of new towns, and the reduction of a certain number of rural areas to create more densely populated towns.

Due to Andalus's unique military system, although nobles possess private armies to defend their castles, the number is not very large. All standing legions in the kingdom are under the control of the king or his designated commanders.

This is very different from the aristocratic system in Westeros, where nobles only govern the land and not the troops stationed there, and the garrison commanders have the same authority as the local nobles, except that this authority cannot be inherited.

In theory, the local nobles had slightly more power than the garrison commanders, but in reality, these military commanders were no less powerful than the local nobles.

Viserys was well aware that such a system still had many flaws, easily fostering warlordism, and facilitating collusion between local nobles and generals, etc.

However, this was a necessary measure given the current situation; at least compared to King Robert on the Iron Throne, he had centralized power more in his own hands.

Dragons are the best deterrent for Viserys to break with tradition and implement new systems. As long as dragons are present, Viserys can tear apart the deeply rooted system as much as possible and increase central authority.

Andalus is such a small place that even if there is trouble on the frontier, such as an army rebellion or collusion with local nobles, Viserys can ride his dragon and gather soldiers from the surrounding towns by the afternoon of the next day, and then land menacingly on top of the castle. In this era, being 'one plane ahead' of others is quite impressive.

"It seems I'll have to retire."

Ser Geoffrey, with his gray hair and wearing the King's Hand medal, sat in the first seat to Viserys's left and shook his head slightly.

"These things should have been my responsibility to share His Majesty's burden, however..."

However, the old jazz had nothing left to teach him, and a bitter smile was on his wrinkled old face.

Viserys had followed this old commander of the Dragonstone fleet for so many years, and with the old sergeant's deliberate instruction, Viserys had learned how to lead troops and fight battles from him, and had almost mastered all of his skills.

In politics, the old knight was a mere military man who knew nothing about governing the country and developing the economy, and often even hindered it.

He originally wanted to get involved in the development and construction of Andalus, fearing that Viserys had gone astray. However, after a lot of busywork, he realized that he couldn't help at all and was only making things worse.

Now that the old man has relinquished his military power and retired to his hometown, he once again feels powerless in the political arena. Listening to Viserys explain the future development direction is like listening to gibberish, leaving him completely bewildered.

I don't know how much time passed after that.

"Bessie".

Viserys' gaze fell on the person sitting at the very end of the long conference table, and many others in the room looked over as well.

His entire body was shrouded in thick clothing, and he wore a metal mask on his face. Apart from his eyes under the mask, not a single inch of skin was exposed. His back was very straight, like that of an ascetic in a sanctuary.

Bessie heard Viserys's voice, turned her head slightly, and looked intently at the king she had sworn allegiance to, her eyes hidden behind her mask.

"His Majesty."

His voice was deep and hoarse.

After more than half a year, Bessie, a knight who rose from humble beginnings as a farm boy, overcame his illness and stood up strong again. Apart from his charred body, which he was reluctant to show to others, he was no different from an ordinary person.

Of course, there's one more thing.

That is to say, just as Gillian had diagnosed him, he would never be able to wield a sword again and fight like a knight.

However, Bessie pleaded with Viserys for a chance, as he didn't want to spend the rest of his life in a daze. In the end, Viserys handed over command of a portion of the army to him.

Subsequently, Bessie led these soldiers to wipe out the Brotherhood and bandits that were like weeds that could not be eradicated, and won one victory after another.

In addition, he was strict in disciplining his troops and had an orderly style of leading them, just like a monk who never committed any offenses wherever he went.

In the end, they made a name for themselves.

'Saint' Bessie Joyce.

The reason, of course, is his devout faith in the Seven Gods. The seven-pointed star symbol on his mask constantly reminds him of his identity as the son of a warrior.

"The First Legion is now in your hands."

The young king, wearing a gleaming golden crown, then handed him a bright, golden sword and shield-shaped medal.

This is the medal representing the commander of the First Legion.

Bessie was a trusted confidant who had followed him from scratch and had always been by Viserys' side, learning from him.

He didn't have many people he could trust, but this loyal knight was definitely one of them.

His loyalty to Viserys was as unwavering as his faith in the Seven Gods; he was a man of strong character, tenacious and principled.

Furthermore, Bessi's achievements in leading troops during this period were evident to all. He governed the army through religious means, and the entire army was steadfast in its beliefs, fought bravely, and never committed any offenses against the people wherever it went.

This legion of Andalus, designated 'One', consisted of four thousand elite Andal warriors who were among the first to follow Viserys in his campaigns.

These Andal warriors were brave and skilled in battle, and it was only natural that they were led by Bessie, the 'son of warriors'.

Viserys presented the first Legion Commander's Medal to the Iron-Faced Knight. The pure gold dagger gleamed under the lights, and a sparse round of applause rang out in the meeting hall.

The Andalus high command present applauded to congratulate the commander who came from a commoner background.

"Congratulations."

Oberyn, who was usually frivolous and lazy, looked much more serious this time and clapped his hands to congratulate Bessie.

Oberon had thought he would become Andalus's first legion commander, but he never expected that a man younger than him, who was low-key, calm, and even unknown, would pass him by.

"I am neither talented nor virtuous, and I am ashamed to accept this honor."

The knight wearing the metal mask had no emotion in his eyes.

However, he still stood up. Because of the changes in his body, the movement of standing up looked a little awkward, and then he bowed slightly.

"Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty."

Chapter 186 Princess Dorne

After the first legion commander was appointed, it was Oberon's turn next.

The Prince of Dorne had set aside his status and stayed in Andalus, where he had made great contributions to the war effort. He was naturally qualified to become a legion commander and had also resigned from his position as commander of the city guard. This had been discussed beforehand, so Oberyn knew that he would definitely become a legion commander.

Viserys entrusted him with the command of the Rhoynar army, which was later conquered.

Oberyn himself also has Rhoynar blood; his ancestors came from the ancient Rhoynar city-state that was defeated by the Valyrian Freehold.

The legendary Rhoynar heroine Nymeria married Morse Martell and helped her husband conquer all of Dorne.

Therefore, it was most appropriate for Oberyn to lead these kneeling Rhoynar troops, and Evan Pass, a Rhoynar general and Viserys's confidant, served as his deputy commander, helping Oberyn manage the entire Second Legion.