Game of Thrones: The Wrath of the Sleeping Dragon

Therefore, the proposal of Franklin Fowler, Earl of Sky and City, actually had a certain market in Dorne.

While he was defending against the royal army's attack, he was also busy persuading the other Dornish nobles to join him. Sunspear City's attitude was ambiguous; although they expressed their opposition, they were not very resolute in their opposition.

Several noble families, however, were wavering and seemed inclined to join Count Franklin Fuller's proposal to undertake this important task together.

Of course, Yangji City's attitude was not so resolute. Perhaps it was not that Prince Doran had betrayed his son-in-law, but it might also have been an expression of dissatisfaction with the Iron Throne.

After all, Dorne's current situation has indeed become a problem that cannot be ignored. If things continue to develop like this, Dorne's independence will be lost sooner or later.

Moreover, they had to obediently submit to the kingdom's system, thus losing their autonomy. The 'unyielding' Martell family would also lose the trust and loyalty of the Dornish nobility as a result.

He may disregard the loyalty of the people, but he cannot ignore the trust of the nobles under his command.

The Martell family's rise to power with a queen is a temporary triumph, but Prince Doran must consider the Martell family's future standing in Dorne, for that is the foundation of the family's existence.

Otherwise, even if the future king had Martell blood, he would not relinquish his own interests to the Martell family, because his surname would still be Targaryen.

...

"Lord Jon Clinton!"

"Please seek justice for me!"

“Those beasts raped and killed my wife, and they also killed my son, who was only six years old!”

In the Crimson Mountains, a long stretch of tents lay piled up in front of the towering Prince's Pass. The white tents, adorned with various family flags, embellished this barren and desolate mountain range with only jagged rocks.

The few blades of grass and trees in the mountains swayed in the wind, and there was a smell of sand in the air. These were carried by the strong winds blowing from the desert south of the Crimson Mountains, which made him cough for a long time after taking a breath.

Dorne has a harsh environment and climate, especially since there are few trees on the hillsides. The bare royal army tents are exposed to the sun, and the temperature is rising rapidly.

Meanwhile, in the central command tent of the King's army, nobles from all over the Reach have gathered, led by Jon Clinton, the commander of the King's Hand army that is currently suppressing the rebellion.

The camp was in complete chaos. Everyone was talking over each other, and the already sweltering weather made the listeners want to scratch their heads. They were also becoming increasingly agitated, and their tone of voice became much harsher.

The person speaking now is also a victim of this conflict, and also another protagonist, Count Cenford. The Cenford family's fiefdom, Centree Beach, was captured by the Fowler family. Count Cenford's wife, children, and elderly family members were all killed, including the maids, guards, and even the chickens, ducks, geese, and two dogs in Centree Beach Castle. It can be said that his entire family was wiped out, and the perpetrators were extremely ruthless.

Therefore, the plight of the rabbits and the foxes was aroused, which aroused the anger of many nobles in the River Bend. They united against the common enemy, gathered a large number of private soldiers, and surrounded the Prince's Pass to seek justice for Earl Cenford.

After all, everyone's army has been confiscated, leaving only private soldiers within the size of their territories, a reduction of about five to ten times in size.

The nobles of the Reach in the past could easily gather an army of 20,000, and even with all their might, they could assemble an army of over 100,000.

But now all that's left is a pittance. If the Dornish don't invade, it's fine, but if they do, wouldn't we be putting our necks on their blades and just waiting to die?

This is why it aroused public anger. The nobles of the River Bend united and formed a strong demand to severely punish the Fowler family.

Even if the king wanted to protect the Fowler family, he would have no excuse.

Chapter 645 Internal Strife

Of course, Viserys had no intention of protecting the Fowler family.

He had no connection with 'Old Falcon,' so why should he protect him? However, Viserys wasn't particularly angry about the incident in Sky City either.

He had known all along that this battle would occur; it was only a matter of time. The landmine he had planted in Dorn a year or two in advance would eventually explode.

Viserys hadn't expected the bomb to explode so quickly, and Count Franklin Fuller had run right into his line of fire, so Viserys used his head as a warning to others.

In fact, these things had already been discussed clearly between Viserys and Clinton during their final meeting in the study of Mega Tower, before Jon Clinton transferred soldiers from the Second Army south.

He wanted the head of old Franklin Fuller, and the Fuller family had to leave Skye City.

Although the Fowler family struck first and wiped out the entire Zenford family, the Iron Throne upholds justice without having to stain its hands with blood. Those who make mistakes are punished, but the innocent are not implicated.

Franklin Fuller's twin daughters did not deserve to be beheaded for their father's sins, though they certainly did not have an easy time after being stripped of their lands.

Viserys also gave instructions in advance that if any other Dornish nobles were involved in the rebellion, they should be wiped out without exception, showing no mercy, executing the ringleaders, and confiscating their family fiefs.

If necessary, Jon Clinton can use raven mail to request dragon riders to march south.

However, according to Viserys's prediction, the war should not have escalated to such an intense level.

The Dornish resistance was not a united effort. First, the Dornish people's determination to resist was not firm, and the Dornish nobles also had their own ideas, which was different from the situation three hundred years ago when Queen Rhaenys burned Dorne.

Jon Clinton was ordered by Viserys to march south and lead his army on a campaign against Dorne.

"Alright, Lord Cenford."

"I see."

Listening to the victim's cries, the middle-aged man with gray-red hair rubbed his temples with a headache and looked at the map spread out on the table before speaking.

He currently has no idea how to attack the Prince's Pass.

Although His Majesty said that if necessary, a letter could be sent to request dragon knights to fight, so that dragon flames could once again burn on the land of Dorne.

But right now, we haven't even knocked on Dorne's door yet, so it can't be considered a 'necessary time'.

Deploying dragon knights is not an easy task; it requires utmost caution, and the decision cannot be made lightly.

After all, the arrival of dragons in Dorne meant an escalation of the war, no longer just the suppression of the Skyhold rebellion, but the Iron Throne's invasion of Dorne, which could easily stir up national sentiment and resistance among the people of Dorne.

The Dornish people did have a precedent of resisting dragon invasions, and the harsh environment and climate of Dorne hindered the advance of ground troops.

Although the current Black Death, Bellerion III, is enormous, his growth rate has slowed considerably as his size and weight have increased, and he is far from reaching the size of the previous Black Death.

Therefore, Jon Clinton would not easily request the Iron Throne to send dragon riders south unless the most critical moment had arrived.

Otherwise, it would be a sign of his incompetence and could escalate the war. He didn't want His Majesty the King to think of him as an incompetent person.

"What scheme does Lord Jon Clinton have?"

"Will this allow us to breach the Prince's Pass and bring the murderer to justice?"

“I see you’ve been thinking about this all day.”

Meanwhile, in the central command tent, a knight wearing an iris-shaped emblem with a long-winged dragon couldn't help but ask a question.

The sweltering heat inside the tent made him irritable, and he spoke in a somewhat rude tone, which immediately drew a reprimand from the Prime Minister's bodyguards.

"Standing before you is Lord Jon Klindau, Lord Earl of Storm's End, Lord Viserys's Prime Minister, Governor of Stormlands!"

Watch your words!

"What did I say? I've been here all day, can't I even ask about the result?"

"Besides, when did it become your place to interrupt when I was talking to Lord Clinton?"

However, the Prime Minister's Tower guard's angry rebuke immediately drew a fierce rebuttal from the Knights of the Levi family.

"you..."

Upon hearing this, the Prime Minister's guard flew into a rage, gripping his sword hilt with one hand and glaring at him.

He grew up in King's Landing, and who were the people he usually met with when he went to and from the Red Keep? High-ranking officials of the Council of Kings and His Majesty the King. And who were these hicks in front of him? He never expected that they would dare to talk back after being reprimanded.

"shut up!"

But before the Prime Minister's guards, who were acting arrogantly because of their master's power, could utter a rebuttal, Jon Clinton, who was standing in the center of the tent, looking at the map with a furrowed brow, raised his head.

His gaze turned stern as he looked at his guard, who immediately shrank back and dared not utter another word.

He was not afraid of these country bumpkin nobles from out of town, but he was afraid of his master, because all his power came from the King's Hand.

Although Jon Clinton was displeased, he did not punish his guard in front of the Reach nobles. Instead, he decided to replace him with someone else after returning to King's Landing.

After all, when he led his army south, although he needed to rely on the strength of some locals, he also had to maintain a balance. Being too strong or too weak would not be suitable, as it would leave an impression of either being powerful or weak, neither of which would be a good outcome.

Jon Clinton's gaze then swept over the Levi family knights who had just been arguing.

The other man looked displeased. He, a knight of the kingdom, the Earl of Dark Valley, and the former captain of the High Court's guard, had been reprimanded by an ordinary guard.

But Aigun Levi pressed his hand on the hilt of his sword, and in the face of Jon Clinton's stern gaze, he ultimately said nothing more and chose to swallow his anger.

"Internal strife before a major battle is a recipe for defeat."

"Moreover, if one cannot remain calm, it is easy to make wrong judgments and lead to irreversible consequences."

Seeing that the two arguing people had stopped talking, Jon Clinton then slowly spoke.

His words were like a wake-up call, instantly sobering up many of the somewhat high-spirited River Bend nobles.

They had unknowingly been affected by the scorching heat of Dorne and had lost their basic composure. This was one of the major obstacles to attacking Dorne, and many of the nobles present showed shame on their faces.

"I have an idea that might help us break through the Prince's pass. What do you all think?"

Then Jon Clinton spoke, revealing the strategy he had just devised to defeat the enemy.

Chapter 646 Crossing the Mountains

A few days later, at dawn.

A group of fully armed royal soldiers assembled far from the Prince's Pass.

Before them stood the towering, steep Crimson Mountain Range. Although the western section of the Crimson Mountain Range was not as steep and dangerous as the eastern section of the Bone Road, it was still very difficult to traverse, and a slight misstep could lead to one's death on the cliffs.

Moreover, the biggest challenge in crossing the Red Mountain Range is not this, but the fact that the bare mountain ridges offer a clear view with no obstacles.

Soldiers of House Fowler in Sky and City could spot enemies attempting to cross the Red Mountains from a great distance, and many Dornish civilians who wanted to escape to the Reach were captured or killed because of this.

The Fowler family only needed a few highly mobile desert cavalry units and beacon towers along the way to guard this stretch of mountains.

Therefore, not to mention the harsh geographical environment and extremely poor climate of the Red Mountain Range, it is impossible for it to support large-scale military marches.

Even if a large enemy force were to cross the Crimson Mountains, it would be impossible for them to bypass the pass and launch a surprise attack on the Prince's Pass.

The barren mountain range offered no obstacles and provided a panoramic view. The Fleur family's scout cavalry would always be the first to spot enemy movements and then report them to the passes ahead, allowing them to prepare for an attack from the rear.

Prince's Pass is not only a formidable pass for dealing with enemies in front, but also a formidable fortress that can withstand enemies from behind.

This is why Prince's Pass has rarely fallen in history.

Now, the King's Army Commander-in-Chief, Jon Clinton, the Hand of the King, has selected a team of fifty of the army's best fighters.

Equipped with the finest weaponry, they set off from the royal army's camp, crossed the Crimson Mountains under the guidance of local guides, and then launched a surprise attack on the Prince's Pass from behind under cover of darkness.

Finally, they will ignite a massive fire that will be visible throughout Dorne, while the main royal army will coordinate with the warriors' attack to launch a fierce assault on the northern gate of Dorne from the front, striving to capture this formidable pass in one fell swoop through a coordinated attack from both inside and outside.

This is exactly the idea that Jon Clinton proposed yesterday, and it is now being put into practice.

"My lords, the path we have chosen is the steepest and most treacherous, a path that is almost impossible to traverse!"

"But the corresponding Fowler family scouts paid the least attention to this section of the road, focusing most of their attention on the main mountain road and setting up watchtowers on the ridge."