Game of Thrones: The Wrath of the Sleeping Dragon

"A large town was built here."

Viserys decided to vigorously develop the town, bringing in a large population and boosting its economic and trade potential.

After all, this place has a port and a natural advantage in terms of waterways. If caravans want to go to Norfos, this place might be closer than Pentos.

Everyone in the imperial council nodded slightly; this idea was within their expectations.

As Andalus developed, this port gradually began to flourish, with merchant ships docking, caravans coming and going, and supplies being replenished.

Naturally, villagers from the surrounding area gathered to do business with these merchant caravans and ships. With the investment of wealthy merchants, they spontaneously began to build a small town.

What Viserys needs to do is provide more policy and financial support, taking money from the royal treasury to build this town, which will become an important part of the Targaryen royal assets in the future. This is a great achievement that will benefit generations to come.

The plans for a camp and a town have been explained, and all that remains are the two castles that Viserys plans to build.

"The first castle is here."

Viserys pointed to the western end of Velvet Mountain, one of the two main roads leading from Andalus to Pentos.

One route is to travel by boat down the Upper Loen River, disembark at the Three Forks, and then take a land route directly to Pentos.

The second, entirely flat overland road leads directly from Andalus to Pentos, bypassing the plains west of Velvet Mountain.

Viserys is pointing to this strategic location, which, when viewed across the entire eastern coast of Essos, forms a sharp, outward-pointing apex that points directly towards Dragonstone and King's Landing.

“Build a ‘sentinel tower’ here to scout out any possible surprise attack from the sea by Stannis.”

Stannis's royal fleet is now a major enemy of Viserys, after all, he is a renowned general who rose to prominence during the War of the Usurper and also defeated the Dragonstone fleet.

The planned 'Sentinel Tower' is actually like a watchtower or beacon tower, with a castle below it, garrisoned by troops, and a small naval port built so that ships patrolling this area can guard against enemies suddenly sailing from the opposite shore of the narrow sea.

"And the second one is here."

Viserys then pointed to the banks of the Trident River, to the ruins of Gördöh, where this great battle had once taken place.

Viserys had extended his reach here during his previous expansions, and then decided to make use of this abandoned city-state to build a castle.

"A 'Heroes' Castle' has been built here to commemorate the heroic souls who bravely resisted the Dothraki invasion."

Chapter 188 Heroes' Castle

"Bessie".

After explaining the specific planned locations of the two castles, Viserys then spoke.

"His Majesty."

Upon hearing the king call him, the Iron-Masked Knight, who had been silent all along, turned his head, his smooth mask reflecting the metallic gleam of the lamplight, and then spoke in a hoarse voice.

"Your First Legion is stationed here at Heroes' Fortress."

"clear."

The legion commander, who had been given the title of 'Saint' by the soldiers, agreed without the slightest hesitation or even a frown.

"His Majesty!"

The others in the royal council were shocked to hear Viserys's arrangement, and even Melisandre, the priestess of the Red God, showed a slight look of confusion.

They weren't worried that Viserys sending out both legions would leave the borders strong while the central government was weak.

In fact, the two legions left Andalus, but Andalus's forces were not exactly empty.

Viserys still held considerable military power, and in exchange for power with Oberyn, two thousand city guards were now under the old knight's command.

They were worried about something else.

"Won't that provoke Pentos too much?"

Apart from Bessie, everyone else saw Viserys's arrangement as practically putting a sword to Pentos's throat, as if forcing Pentos to side with the Iron Throne.

What does His Majesty the King want to do?

Viserys has not yet made public the news that Ramsay brought back from Pentos.

All they knew was that Pentos had sent a letter not long ago inviting Viserys to visit Pentos to celebrate the arrival of the new year.

Pentos will host a grand banquet and invite many distinguished guests to celebrate the occasion.

Now, counting the days, there's not much time left.

"Is His Majesty trying to warn Pentos against rash actions through this move?"

The old knight, wearing the Order of the Prime Minister, spoke with a furrowed brow.

If that's the explanation, then it makes sense.

There are only two ways for a kingdom to deal with unstable forces around it: either to warn them or to win them over.

Viserys simply chose the method of giving a warning, but the money he spent seemed to be no less than that of winning someone over, and perhaps even more, since building the Heroic Spirit Castle was a huge undertaking.

If it can be completed, this place will truly become a strategic stronghold, holding the lifeline of Pentos and Norfos.

Moreover, any future attempt to attack Andalus by sailing up the Lorne River would require first crossing this formidable fortress, which is easy to defend but difficult to attack. From this perspective, it was definitely a brilliant move.

The idea is easy, and the money is well spent, but the difficulty of building the Heroes' Castle lies in the pressure it can withstand and whether it can be successfully built.

After all, this castle posed too great a threat to Pentos, and Pentos would certainly not allow Andalus to begin construction of a castle here.

One in the east, one in the west.

On the other side, there is a sentinel castle that monitors the sea, all of which could pose a serious strategic threat to Pentos.

If completed in the next few years, Andalus could order a simultaneous land and sea attack to sever all of Pentos's connections with the outside world, effectively turning this magnificent city into an isolated island.

"Deterrence? Warning?"

Whispers circulated among the royal council members, speculating about the king's intentions behind this arrangement. Melisandre's beautiful eyes darted over Viserys, as if trying to discern his thoughts.

Viserys rested his hands on the table, his gaze sweeping over everyone present, but he didn't rush to explain anything.

After all the whispers quieted down, Viserys took out the intelligence report that Ramsay had obtained and threw it on the table.

"Take a look at them all."

Although the incident involving the academician had occurred, there was no better way than to maintain strict vigilance and rely heavily on the Ministry of Internal Affairs to eliminate spies.

Those present are all people Viserys trusts most, which is why he brought out this secret information.

Rams presented two possibilities in the intelligence summary section.

The governors of Pentos are now divided into two factions.

One faction advocated a policy of appeasement, continuing to send gifts to Viserys to satisfy the dragon's greedy appetite.

The other faction advocates an alliance with the Iron Throne to eliminate this potential threat in time.

At the same time, it was heard that the three dragons of the Targaryen were still in their infancy. If Viserys could be captured and threatened to hand over the three dragons, Pentos would have the confidence to tear up the unequal treaty and reorganize the fleet to seek revenge against Braavos in the future.

Both sides have their own reasons, but one side is conservative and the other is radical. The two sides are evenly matched, and it is hard to say who has the upper hand.

The governor who was murdered by Ramsay was a member of the conservatives and sided with Governor Illyrio, so the conservatives are now likely to be at a disadvantage.

Ramsay advised Viserys not to attend the celebration.

Because this could very well turn into a case of a 'rat chef' who tramples on the rights of guests.

This is a famous horror story that has been circulating in Westeros for a long time, enough to stop children from crying. It tells the story of the trampling of guests' rights.

Ramsay used this story to remind Viserys that the governors of Pentos and others were also ruthless people who had gotten to this point.

They might invite Viserys to Pentos, then suddenly intervene and subdue him, forcing him to hand over the dragon.

"what?"

After everyone present read Rams's intelligence report, it immediately caused a huge uproar.

"Such a thing actually happened?"

No one could believe that the governors of Pentos would dare to trample on the rights of their guests.

If they actually did this, Pentos would be utterly disgraced, murdering his own guest under his own roof—a sin that even the gods would never forgive.

"Pantos actually dared to do such a thing?!"

The old knight was furious, his fists clenched tightly.

However, upon closer examination, it seems... not impossible that the governors of Pentos might actually do something irrational under the powerful lure of dragons.

“Pantos is not a wise choice.”

Oberyn frowned slightly. If Pentos really sided with the Iron Throne, Andalus's southern border would naturally be under pressure.

Viserys's decision to make such a deployment was entirely reasonable.

He deployed the First Legion to Götöh and undertook a major construction project to build Fort Heroes in preparation for a sudden attack by Pentos.

"Moreover, actively trampling on the rights of guests is tantamount to..."

Oberyn frowned, then looked up at Viserys and abruptly spoke.

"Will Your Majesty still go on this trip to Pentos?"

Chapter 189 A Risky Move

"Of course His Majesty cannot go!"

As soon as Oberyn finished speaking, someone spoke up.

"Since Pentos has made contact with the usurper and intends to trample on the rights of the guests, why go at all?"

"Wouldn't that put the king in danger?"

"Your Majesty's health is of utmost importance and you absolutely cannot take such a risk."

The meeting room immediately erupted in a noisy commotion. The others nodded in agreement with the man's point of view. If they didn't know, they wouldn't care, but now that they had discovered Pentos's malicious intentions, they certainly couldn't risk their lives.

However, Oberyn did not speak, but held the intelligence in his hand and looked up at Viserys.

His thinking differed from the others, and coupled with Viserys's recent arrangements, it seemed he had already vaguely guessed Viserys's true intentions.

really.

Oberyn looked at Viserys, who listened calmly to the commotion around him, a thoughtful expression on his face, without rushing to speak.