Game of Thrones: The Wrath of the Sleeping Dragon

All the governors from other clans had been appointed, but Oberyn was not among them, which caused a great deal of discussion among the nobles of the seven kingdoms, especially the nobles of Dorne.

"Perhaps it's related to his massacre of the city; many ancient families..."

"This person is too ruthless..."

Oberyn's expression was calm, as if he had already known the outcome. He stood at the front of the courtiers, listening to the discussions behind him, most of which were sarcastic, but he did not turn around.

Chapter 582 Taking a Step Back Opens Up a Vast World

In fact, when he brazenly ordered the massacre of the nobles in the Western Territory, he had already anticipated the backlash from the noble forces.

Oberyn was a rule-breaker, and so was Viserys.

However, the nobles did not dare to cause trouble for the Viserys and the Dothraki, because they did not want to become a dragon's lunch or to reason with barbarians who did not even understand their language. The fate of nobles who dared to defy the king had already been seen.

Therefore, they could only point all their fingers at Prince Dorne.

He was a barbarian, an uncivilized Dornish who broke the rules of the noble game. Hatred should not extend to family members, and it is even more wrong to eliminate him completely.

If precedents like the 'Rainy Season of Castamere' had been set open and allowed everyone to slaughter each other, there wouldn't be so many families that have survived for thousands of years. They would have long since been locked in a love-hate relationship, each swallowed up by the river of history.

Before Oberyn returned to King's Landing, he had already received numerous impeachments and protests from the nobles of the Seven Kingdoms.

The Iron Throne may have been pressured into not bestowing a title upon him due to the balance of his merits and demerits, or it may have been due to the immense power behind Oberyn.

He has already bestowed no titles upon anyone; if he were to bestow another title, he would practically become the second 'king' under the Iron Throne.

As Prince of Dorne, Oberyn had the powerful Dorne as his backing, and as the commander of the Second Legion, he commanded 20,000 battle-hardened soldiers of the kingdom.

Moreover, he was a relative of the king, and the interference of maternal relatives in politics has always been a bloody internal struggle, and the story of the Targaryen family's interference in politics is no exception.

If Oberon were to be granted the title of governor of another region, the situation would likely become unmanageable.

Therefore, when the Council of the Emperor made its decision, Oberon himself, as Minister of Justice, was present. He proposed that there be no bestowal of titles, no seeking the limelight, and a smooth transition.

In this game of power, many people like Petyr Baelish rack their brains and resort to all sorts of schemes and tricks in order to advance further.

However, for truly intelligent and rational people, taking a step back often opens up a wider horizon.

Oberyn calmly suggested taking a step back, which naturally received unanimous approval from the Council of Kings.

Therefore, he knew long ago that his name was not on the list of governors, but he was still the kingdom's Minister of Justice, wielding judicial power second only to the king, even higher than the governors of various regions, and commanding 20,000 troops stationed near the royal guard to protect the capital.

Oberyn's choice was rational; at the last moment, he bravely stepped back to preserve his existing power.

The investiture ceremony was not yet over. All the non-royal governors of Westeros had been appointed, and the remaining issues, such as the overseas cities, the Dothraki, and the Dornish, had already been resolved.

The overseas states of Andalus and Pentos were not included in the granting order, but were granted them in secret decree beforehand.

Viserys had promised Illyrio the position of governor of a region, and thus he was nominated as governor of Andalus.

Meanwhile, Bessie Joyce, the commander of the First Legion stationed at Heroic Fortress, was connected to the Black Mist and was considered one of Viserys' most trusted and valued generals.

He was appointed governor of Pentos, the only local official in the kingdom system spanning the Narrow Sea to have both fiefdom and military power, holding both military and political power, and guarding the kingdom's overseas territories. Mistoin's troops were not stationed in the western border.

Viserys knew very well that he, Mia of the Kingsguard, and Brynden Tully, the Commander-in-Chief of the Capital Garrison, were people who would never betray him. The Black Mist had saved their lives and enhanced their strength, but it had also taken control of their very existence.

The Dothraki, who paid a heavy price and made the greatest contributions in the war against the White Walkers and the two wars of conquest, were also granted fiefdoms.

After the war, they will cross the Narrow Sea by ship and return to the continent of Essos. The vast plains southeast of Pentos will be their temporary home.

Viserys promised them that in the future his whip would point eastward, conquering more vast lands, and the entire Dothraki Sea would be their backyard.

They will rise above other tribes, becoming the upper-class 'nobles' among the Dothraki, driving other lower-class tribes to fight.

Viserys's promises thrilled the Dothraki warriors who had shed blood and sweat for the kingdom's foundation. They raised their scimitars high and shouted Khal's name, their voices shaking the battlefield of Star Shuttle.

As for the final Dorne issue, it was a promise Viserys had made before: all his reforms to the kingdom would not involve Dorne, as a way of repaying Dorne for their support in the past.

Dorne maintains its superior status compared to the other seven kingdoms, and they can continue to uphold the traditional Dornish aristocratic system, including nobles, tenant farmers, warriors, and so on... The Iron Throne will not interfere too much in this.

The nobles of Dorne were naturally overjoyed, and a large number of them knelt down, calling out to His Majesty. Their gazes toward the nobles of the other seven kingdoms were now filled with a sense of superiority.

They had been investing in Viserys for a long time, having served the country well, and even the queen was a Dornish. It was only natural that they deserved such a position.

The nobles of the other seven kingdoms, who were despised by the Dornish people who had previously regarded them as barbarians, naturally harbored resentment but could not vent it.

Now everyone knows that Dorne has made great contributions to the construction of the kingdom by "serving the king". The Dornish people have won the battle, and the king is more tolerant of the Dornish people. As a result, there are more and more Dornish merchants in King's Landing, which has squeezed the living space of merchants from other places.

Merchants from other parts of the Seven Kingdoms used to bully the Dornish, but now the tables have turned.

However, the Dornish were arrogant and domineering, which Tyrion, who served as the king's private advisor in the Council, noticed. He avoided Oberyn and privately expressed his concerns to Viserys.

Tyrion claimed that he harbored no hatred toward the Prince of Dorne because of the massacre of the Lannisters.

But it is clear that even though Tyrion suffered betrayal from his family, and such a terrible thing happened, with his entire family being killed, it is impossible for him not to have any resentment.

Tyrion worries that the Dornish, with the help of their 'in-laws' and their special sense of superiority, may become a cancer in the kingdom's system in the future.

After all, reforms were carried out in every part of the Seven Kingdoms except Dorne, which maintained its aloof status.

However, Viserys did not offer much explanation for Tyrion's concerns, but simply remained silent for a moment before telling him to think about it more carefully.

Tyrion didn't understand, but he was also a smart man. After Viserys's hint, he went home and thought about it carefully, and then his back was soaked with cold sweat.

He figured out how Viserys could contain Dorne.

Chapter 583 The Back Garden

Viserys' reforms were a reform system that broke the aristocratic autocracy, elevated the status of commoners, and centralized power.

That is, the king was superior to the nobles, who were superior to the commoners. The commoners were loyal to their local lords, the lords were loyal to even greater lords, and finally the king.

This system may not be inherently wrong, because ultimately, the world is still governed by a minority of people.

However, the crux of the problem lies in the fact that the power of the nobility, who are below the king and above the commoners, has become too great after a long period of development.

They were so powerful that they could easily overthrow the monarchy, and any king who did not conform to their interests would be ousted or killed without hesitation by their united forces.

Commoners were equally helpless against the deeply entrenched power of the nobility. In this era, any farmer who dared to resist the nobility, or even in the face of heavy taxes and wanted to pay less grain, would be judged as a 'thief'.

Whom did the farmers steal from the grain they grew themselves?

Nature stole from the nobleman.

They would leave their tenant farmers just enough to keep them from starving, and in times of famine or war, they would not even leave them that.

If you want to eat, you have to join the army and fight.

Therefore, in terms of the growth of aristocratic power, both the supreme royal authority and the lowest-ranking commoners were victims.

Viserys took action against the nobility because their interests were already too great. By cutting off the interests of the nobility, the common people and the royal power would naturally benefit. The royal power is the supreme symbol of the country, while the common people are the largest part of the country.

Viserys's policies benefited the common people, which naturally garnered him strong support, and the status of the common people improved under his rule.

However, if such reforms are implemented only in one place, they may be insignificant and fail to stir up any trouble, so the people who are used to being oppressed will not rise up in resistance.

But when all the other parts of the country have completed the reforms, the people own land to cultivate, there are no high taxes, the government officials are honest, and the nobles dare not be arrogant... then the only remaining place will become the target of everyone's criticism.

Therefore, Dorne is outside the kingdom's system, and in the short term, the Dornish people are feeling triumphant, having vented their past grievances in one go.

In the long run, however, the only beneficiaries of Dorne's superior status are the Dorne nobility. The common people and even merchants in Dorne do not benefit, and are even worse off than the people in other parts of the Seven Kingdoms.

At that time, the positions of the two sides were reversed once again. It was not that the Dornish were superior, but that all the Dornish people except the nobles packed their bags and moved to the north overnight to live, escaping the rule of the nobles in Dorne.

But what if the Dornish nobles discover this problem and want to stop it?

He only had two options: one was to strictly prohibit escape and carry out mass killings, and the other was to emulate the reforms in other parts of the Seven Kingdoms and gradually relinquish his own interests, thus becoming no different from other parts of the Seven Kingdoms.

Based on Tyrion's understanding of the nobles' nature, they would certainly try the first method first, but that would only be a temporary solution and might even incite rebellion. Ultimately, the second method would have to be used...

Having figured all this out, Tyrion felt a cold sweat soak his back. Looking at the smug Dornish people who were now practically strutting around with their noses in the air, he felt a pang of pity, but at the same time, he felt even greater awe for this seemingly young but actually extremely shrewd king.

However, if you consider that the other party was born in King's Landing or even the royal family, a place full of lies, conspiracies and scheming, and fled his hometown at the age of seven or eight, and then struggled all the way up to build a huge country almost from scratch, it is naturally easy to explain that he has such means.

After all, people change with their environment, and the ability to learn and adapt is the greatest talent.

After Viserys had appointed governors of all the non-Targians, the next step was to handle the internal affairs of the Targaryen family.

Below, a vast, densely packed group of nobles from the Seven Kingdoms, besides discussing why Oberyn, a general of House Targaryen, had not received a fiefdom, also noticed another problem.

That is, there was no governor of the River Bend among the newly appointed governors.

Where did the river bend go?

"Does His Majesty have other plans?"

The nobles whispered and discussed amongst themselves, while their eyes couldn't help but glance at Velas, who was positioned at the back of the line of ministers.

He was an ordinary tax collector, so he was standing very far back in the line, almost to the door of the throne room.

It's a sad sight to see the once-glorious heir of Highgarden reduced to this state. Yet, he leans on a cane, wears the emblem of the Highgarden rose on his chest, and stands tall with his shoulders held high.

Despite hearing the murmurs around him and feeling the gazes fixed on him, Velas Tyrell remained unfazed and silent.

Then a voice rang out again before the Iron Throne.

“Renise Targaryen, Your Highness the Princess.”

Renis, dressed in military uniform, looked dashing and her footsteps echoed.

Tap tap…

Then she stepped out from the front of the crowd, drew the Valyrian steel sword 'Dark Sisters' from her waist, which gleamed with a cold light, and knelt down on one knee, resting it on her hand.

"His Majesty..."

The brown-haired girl, dressed in gleaming women's armor, was saying something, but the nobles from the seven kingdoms behind her were too far away to hear clearly.

Some people couldn't even make out the princess's face clearly, but they still craned their necks to look ahead.

They had all heard of the princess's beauty, which she inherited from Prince Rhaegar and Princess Dorne. She was also one of House Targaryen's dragon riders, extremely active on the battlefield and having made many contributions.

If I could marry this princess...

Many nobles from the Seven Kingdoms were slightly tempted, but they only thought about it. The Targaryen family would never marry off a dragon knight, as everyone knew she would be His Majesty the King in the future.

Viserys then personally bestowed upon Renis the title of Duke of Summerhall.

Summerhall is the summer residence of the Targaryen family, and there is a historical precedent for bestowing the title of Prince of Summerhall, so it is not a title created by Viserys himself.

After Viserys made Rhaenys the Duchess of Summerhall, he went on to make his sister, Daenerys Targaryen, the Duchess of Dragonstone.

The Duke of Dragonstone has always been a symbol of the Targaryen crown prince, and the fact that His Majesty the King still bestowed the title of Duke of Dragonstone after having Princess Diana has caused quite a stir.