Game of Thrones: The Wrath of the Sleeping Dragon

They rallied and encouraged the people in their territory to join the army, spreading the so-called 'atrocities' of Viserys, almost portraying him as a second mad king, which terrified the people in these areas.

Indeed, in the eyes of these nobles, Viserys's madness was even greater than that of his father.

After all, the Mad King was only burning a few people for fun, while Viserys was burning the rules and systems that had sustained Westeros for thousands of years.

How could such a person not be a 'tyrant'?

Thus, the name of 'Tyrant' Viserys I spread throughout all the lands except the Riverlands and King's Landing.

The people of King's Landing and the Riverlands may have heard of such a name, but they scoffed at it.

They didn't know whether His Majesty the King was a tyrant or not, but many of the allied soldiers who surrendered after the Battle of Riverrun later distinguished themselves and were indeed allocated their own land, which was obvious to all.

Instead of simply renting the lord's land for free.

Many soldiers were even knighted, and with their own land, they could give their dilapidated thatched huts a grand name, jokingly calling themselves "Lord of Two Acres".

These unprecedented changes have been witnessed by all the villagers.

Therefore, although they had never seen Viserys and did not know whether he was a tyrant, he at least gave people hope, and the land was the hope of ordinary people.

However, outside of the Riverlands and King's Landing, discussing Viserys's achievements is strictly forbidden. They continue to loudly proclaim his tyranny, and anyone who speaks of Viserys will be arrested.

There are even more outlandish claims that Viserys ate a virgin every day, swallowing her whole.

His dragon was also evil, and it needed a lot of human flesh to feed it every day, otherwise how could the black dragon be so much bigger than the other two dragons?

However, the clear division between the pure and the corrupt on the continent of Westeros will eventually be resolved by unification. What is divided for a long time will unite, and what is united for a long time will divide again. There is no room for easing the contradictions between the two sides.

The leader chosen by the conservative nobles, or rather the rebels, was Stannis Baratheon, because he was King Robert's younger brother, the Duke of Dragonstone, and the nominal heir to the Iron Throne. However, as long as his brother, who was imprisoned in King's Landing, was alive, he would never be crowned king.

...

Less than half a month has passed since the New Year's bells rang in the capital.

The declaration of the Second Conquest was issued from within the Red Keep, and the shadow of total war loomed over the continent.

The Iron Throne issued its final warning to all nobles who were prepared to resist: surrender or die.

They had no third option; there was no possibility of negotiation. They either had to kneel down or, along with the glory of the old nobility, turn to ashes.

The Iron Throne's warning spread swiftly throughout the Seven Kingdoms, and everyone knew that the final war was imminent. People discussed it extensively, some indifferent, some worried, some excited... there was fear, but also anticipation.

The common people were mostly numb, having already experienced too much ravages of war. Merchants, on the other hand, were worried about the instability of the political situation in the seven kingdoms, as the risks of doing business were too high. Although the chaos of war presented both opportunities and risks, it was a risky situation.

Meanwhile, the lower-ranking soldiers of the Targaryen army were excited about the upcoming war.

Because in today's promotion system, only war, and only war, can enable them to live a better life.

The commanders of the Golden Company also hoped that the nobles of the seven kingdoms would all be tough nuts to crack.

This will make it easier for them to breach these people's castles in the future, kill all these nobles, plunder their wealth, and ultimately take their place.

There are too many nobles in the seven kingdoms. If we don't kill a bunch of them, how will we make room for them?

Especially their homeland, which has been occupied by others. How can they take back their homeland if they don't kill them?

On the eve of this great battle, it seemed that only the traditional nobles, who were preparing to put up a stubborn resistance, were filled with fear and anxiety.

...

woo-

On the eve of dawn, the bugles sounded from the walls of King's Landing.

Call ~

A colossal figure swept across the sky, letting out a deep roar, flapping its wings, stirring up a gale, and flying into the distance.

The gates of King's Landing were wide open, and Targaryen armies were ready to march.

Swish swish swish—

Their helmets gleamed, their armor gleamed, their swords and spears sharpened, and they marched out of King's Landing in orderly formation, then flew off into the distance, carrying the banner of the three-headed Targaryen dragon.

Rumbling--

The heavy hooves of the Dothraki also pounded the earth, and the warriors on horseback let out excited howls.

Although King's Landing is a large city, the Dothraki are a people of the plains, and they still prefer their old way of life, but they cannot disobey the orders of the dragon-riding Khal.

Although the steppe knights are wild and unruly, they absolutely obey Khal's orders, and their core objectives in this battle are Highgarden and Oldtown.

The Second Conquest was divided into three armies. The first army, led by Prince Oberyn of Dorne, had already set out and was now deeply embroiled in the war in the West.

For the past month or two, Oberyn has had the help of dragon knights, and his niece Renis, riding Rego, has been setting fires all over the western mountains.

This dealt a heavy blow to the Lannister army, burning countless towns and castles in the Westerlands, leaving the people displaced and suffering immensely.

However, Lord Tywin was shrewd and prudent in his military tactics; he was certainly not one to give up easily.

He used rumors to portray Viserys as a demon, coupled with the Targaryen army's invasion and atrocities, the dragons flying in the sky, and Oberyn burning 20,000 men of the Westerlands at the Red Lake. All of this successfully aroused the fighting spirit of the Westerlands nobles, soldiers, and people.

Tywin Lannister led the united army of the Westerlands, taking advantage of the complex mountainous terrain, to tenaciously repel the Targaryen invasion, causing Oberyn Martell considerable trouble.

Therefore, the two sides were temporarily deadlocked, like two skilled hunters waiting for the final opportunity to kill each other with a single blow.

The second army was the Golden Company, personally led by Viserys.

He commanded tens of thousands of soldiers, forming the main force of the Targaryen family.

He led his troops to confront the remnants of the Baratheon dynasty, Stannis Baratheon, the nominal leader of the Conservative Aristocracy and self-proclaimed Duke of Stormlands.

As a renowned commander throughout the Seven Kingdoms, Stannis, upon hearing that the Targaryen army was advancing towards Storm's End, did not choose to sit idly by and wait for his doom. Instead, he actively dispatched his vanguard to meet the enemy.

Because Stannis had participated in the Battle of Riverrun, he knew that defending the castle against dragons was a dead end.

As a result, the vanguard of both sides engaged in a fierce battle near the Wende River.

Chapter 519 First Battle

Ugh~

The melodious sound of bugles rang out.

The Stormlands army laid an ambush in the Kingswood and launched an attack on the vanguard of the Targaryen army, resulting in a fierce battle on the banks of the Wendr River.

"kill!"

Ser Bruce Bookler of Bronze Gate led the Stormlands soldiers out of the woods, charging into the Targaryen army with his longsword, hacking and slashing as if they were nothing.

Meanwhile, rows of archers in the woods drew their bows in unison, and a dark rain of arrows fell, causing numerous casualties.

"Everyone, hold your formation!"

"Don't panic!"

The commander of the Targaryen vanguard was Ser Beneder Beryl, who was equally diligent. He wore heavy golden plate armor from the Golden Company, rode a tall horse, and had a scraggly beard and sharp eyes.

He remained calm in the face of the sudden attack, drew his long sword from his waist, and loudly commanded his men to first stabilize their formation before launching a counterattack.

"kill!"

Ding ding ding—

The sounds of metal clashing filled the air, arrows struck shields, and shouts of battle echoed from all directions.

At that moment, a Stormlands soldier rushed toward Ser Beneder Berean, having heard him give orders and recognizing him as a commander of the Targaryen army.

However, he underestimated his opponent. Beneder Berean was originally a mercenary of the Golden Company, whose ancestors were a knightly family in Westeros, but were forced to flee their homeland due to the Blackfyre Rebellion.

Bened Berlean was knighted for his meritorious service in the First Conquest.

puff--

Faced with a menacing enemy, he killed him with a single sword strike.

...

This was the first battle since the Second Conquest War began, marking the first encounter between the Targaryen and Stormlands armies.

Outside the battlefield, as the leader of Stormlands and even the entire conservative noble faction, Stannis could be crowned king in Stormlands right now if his brother and nephew, who were both kings, were still alive.

This would give them a more legitimate reason to rebel against the Iron Throne, instead of being labeled as rebels as they are now.

Stannis, cloaked and riding a tall black horse, stood on a hill not far away, overlooking the entire battlefield.

"Davos, do you think we will win this battle?"

His expression remained calm, then he abruptly asked a question.

As Stannis's most trusted advisor, Davos Seaworth, the Onion Knight, was always the person he consulted, and he also rode a warhorse alongside Stannis.

But this time, Davos paused slightly when he heard Stannis's question, then turned around and looked at him in disbelief.

"of course."

"Lord Stannis, you..."

Many of the soldiers of Stormlands, including the Onion Knight, were full of confidence in this war.

The reason is that, apart from the Onion Knight, most people have not experienced the war between humans and the White Walkers, or the dragonfire and the iron hooves of the Dothraki.

Outside of King's Landing and the Royal Territory, the common people would rather believe their lord than a prince who left the Red Keep at the age of seven and went into exile on Essos.

This was one of the drawbacks of the previous political situation in the seven kingdoms; they only knew the noble lords above them, and did not even know which king ruled the seven kingdoms.

In particular, the Targaryen army also included many barbarians. To the ordinary people and soldiers of the Stormlands, the Dothraki were merely a legend. They firmly believed that Viserys was a tyrant and that they were the ones on the side of justice.

The Onion Knight's confidence stemmed from his loyalty and his admiration for Stannis, but now, hearing Stannis ask him this question, he suddenly felt a little flustered.

He sensed the lack of confidence in Stannis's words; he knew the lord to whom he had sworn allegiance all too well.

When even a commander lacks confidence, this battle...

"It's nothing, Davos, I was just asking casually."

However, Stannis ignored Davos's reply and interrupted him, his expression calm and unreadable.

He then turned his horse around and went down the hill, telling the messenger beside him to prepare to withdraw the troops.

The Onion Knight saw Stannis leave, watched his retreating figure, and then turned to look at the battlefield not far ahead.

Finally, he gritted his teeth slightly, turned his horse around, and followed Stannis's footsteps. His cloak fluttered in the wind as he rode down the hill.

...