Dorneland, Sunspear.
Similar to the Red Fort, the family fort of the Nameros Martell family is also surrounded by the sea on three sides. It is located at the easternmost end of a small sandy and gravel peninsula, and the overall color is yellowish brown.
Earl Jason Mallister and his attendants, who had been wandering at sea for a month, were led by Martell spearmen in cloth armor and passed through the triple doors one by one and entered the innermost Old Palace.
After the leader was replaced by an old palace guard with a scimitar on his waist, Earl Jason and others were taken to the throne room in the Tower of the Sun.
Even though it has entered late autumn, the weather in Dorne is still hot. After only walking under the sun for more than ten minutes, the strong Lord of Seaside City was already sweating on his forehead.
But Jason noticed that both the Dornish civilians in the Shadow City to the east and the soldiers wearing yellow cloth armor had their foreheads and backs of heads wrapped in turbans.
"Aren't you cool with this turban and robe?" Earl Jason asked the waiter who moved a chair for him.
The waiter put the chair on the floor and did not answer.
"Heat is the second most important thing, but exposure is what kills you." A cheerful voice sounded from outside the door, and then a tall, thin man with brown hair and black eyes walked in with a melancholy expression.
So Jason, who had just touched his butt on the chair, stood up again, bowed and said, "I have met Prince Oberon."
Prince Doran, Lord of Dorne, cannot stand for long due to gout and is in poor health. He is currently resting in the Water Garden three leagues from Sunspear. Dorne's daily work is left to his brother Oberon the Red Viper.
"Please take a seat. You must be exhausted from the journey, Lord Mallister."
The red viper walked up to the high platform with light steps and lowered his butt into the chair with the golden gun symbol on the back.
There are two chairs on the high platform. The backs of the chairs are decorated with golden spears and sunburst patterns, representing the Martell family and the Rhoynar people.
Jason, who sat down again, said bluntly, "The situation is not optimistic, so I won't be polite. The King of the River, Arthur Bracken, wants to..."
He spelled out Arthur's requirements and conditions, and asked the attendant to open the box containing the two heads and hand it to the attendant in Sunspear.
The Red Viper did not respond to the Rivermen's request for troops. He was attracted by the foul-smelling head of the Mountain.
Since the pickling time was too late, Greg Clegane's big head was already in a state of complete decay, but Amory Lodge's head was very well preserved, and the facial features could be clearly identified.
"I have seen the portrait of Wild Dog Rocky. There is nothing wrong with this head, but how to prove that the other one is the head of the Magic Mountain?" asked the Red Viper.
Jason wiped the sweat from his forehead, "Are there any heads as big as this in the world?"
The size of the Magic Mountain is the largest in the entire Western Continent. Among normal humans, it is indeed difficult to find such a giant.
"Besides, Clegane's body is at the Actor's Bank of the Red Fork River. Although it may have been eaten by crows, the skeleton is still there. The prince can go and check it out when the situation is peaceful."
The Red Viper ordered the people to put away the two heads, "I like your gifts very much, and I think my brother will do the same. It's still early, so I'll let someone arrange a place for the count first, and then we can have an in-depth communication with me during dinner." "
After the Red Viper finished speaking, regardless of the guest's reaction, he asked an attendant to take the box containing the head and lead them away.
Jason guessed that Prince Oberon should go to Fallingwater Gardens to find Prince Doran, so he accepted the arrangement of the Dornish people.
…
After more than half an hour of galloping, the Red Viper arrived at this summer palace.
The Water Gardens was built by Prince Malon Martell, and the palace itself was a gift from Dorne to Prince Malon's wife, Daenerys I, to mark their union with the Iron Throne.
The entire palace is dotted with numerous pools, fountains and blood orange trees, and light pink marble buildings are scattered among them.
In addition to Prince Doran, there are also a large number of children living here. They come from all walks of life and have widely different statuses, but they can get along with each other on a relatively equal basis. Maybe this is the reason why the Dornish people are united!
"The people from the River sent the heads of two dogs, the Mountain and Amory Lodge, and asked us to send troops to the Reach to lure the Rose family and their vassals back south."
Oberon explained the purpose of the guests from the river in a few words, and asked the attendant to give the box to Alio Hota, the captain of Prince Doran's escort.
In fact, he didn't need to explain. Although Prince Doran could not leave Water Gardens, he had very strong control over Sunspear and Dorne. He was afraid that he would know everything in less than half an hour after Jason and others disembarked. .
"The two heads have nothing to do with the overall situation. Nightsong City is not in the hands of the Dragon Holders. It is just meat promised to us in vain. What do you think of the situation in the Riverlands and King's Landing?"
Dolan, who had olive skin and rich features, just glanced at the two heads and turned his head. He continued to stare at the children playing in the pool and asked his brother.
"Since the death of Viserys, we have someone we can ally with. But the current situation of the Dragon Bearers is very dangerous. The legal traditions of Tommen and Stannis supported by the old lion come from Robert, so regardless of whether these two families Whoever wins must get rid of him. From the current point of view, Stannis's intention is to quickly annihilate his nephew, and then let the nobles of other realms recognize him as the king, and then put down the small rebellion in the Riverlands."
The Red Viper secretly went to Braavos and reached a secret agreement with Illyrio, Jon Clinton and others. After Viserys came of age, he joined forces with Khal Drogo's roaring warriors and the Golden Company to counterattack the continent of Westeros.
This plan was abandoned after Viserys and the Horse King Khal Drogo ascended to heaven, but Dorne's hatred of the Lannister remained.
"And the Lannisters tried their best to keep Tommen, so the two deer kings fought first, and then they paid attention to the self-reliant River King."
The lions and wolves were fighting in the Hejian land, which had seriously damaged the vitality of the Hejian nobles. They might not be able to gather 10,000 people in the territory of one realm. So even if another king came and had a baby dragon, the forces to which the two deer kings belonged did not take him seriously.
After the Red Viper analyzed it, he stood aside, waiting for his brother's instructions.
Doran let out a long breath, "So the key to the situation is here. If Cersei and Tommen die in Duskendale, then the Reach is likely to fall to the Dragon Holders. It doesn't matter whether we send troops or not. If Tommen Even if they are not dead, the Lion Flower Alliance can still be maintained. Even if we add Hejian and gather the forces of the two realms, we may not be able to defeat the Lion. "
If Tommen dies, Stannis will be the only Deer King. According to his temperament, he will not be able to forgive the nobles of the Reach who successively supported Renly and Tommen, the two false kings, and the Rose House has fought for the Dragon House in the past. , so it is very likely that he will change his camp again and turn to the Dragon Holder.
Tommen is not dead yet, it depends on the outcome of the Battle of King's Landing.
"No, things can still turn around." Oberon crossed his arms and supported his chin, "Even if Tommen is not dead, Stannis still has 20,000 people, and adding a fortified city can delay it for a while. During this period, if we attack Highgarden and the Reach Army will definitely return to support, but the Lions now only have 10,000 main troops and 7,800 new recruits. The three kings are fighting, and the outcome is not certain. "
Prince Doran looked back at his brother, "Your idea is too risky. The fate of all the Dornish people depends on you and me. Every step must not be taken wrong. I heard that the dragon was only born not long ago and may not survive." In youth, we don't need to end now, we should wait first."
It is rumored that Daenerys Stormborn has entered Slaver's Bay, and Doran wants to cooperate with this clear-cut Targaryen.
"If you wait any longer, the old lion will die in his castle of Casterly Rock. My sister, will you avenge your sister Elia?"
Oberon's voice was very low, but it had a heart-shaking power, as if he would explode in the next second.
"I just postponed sending troops, not that I forgot to take revenge." Prince Doran motioned for his brother to come closer. "The origin of the Dragon Holder is too outrageous. I don't believe the story about Rhaegar's illegitimate son. We still stay with Daenerys. side cooperation."
The red viper stared at his brother and said after a moment: "Okay, I will listen to you. The Dornish people will temporarily forget their hatred of the lions and enjoy this last long summer."
He believed that his brother was in control of the current situation, and he also believed that he would not be able to control his hatred if he stayed any longer. He had a big quarrel with his brother over the issue of sending troops, so he turned around and left.
The direct enemies such as the Mountain are dead, but the enemy Tywin is still alive, and his children and grandchildren are also alive and well. The Red Viper has another revenge plan.
…
The Riverlands, upstream of the Blackwater River.
[King of the River: Arthur Bracken]
[Level: 9]
[Experience value: 20671/30000]
[Strength: 20]
[Agility: 12]
[Intelligence: 8]
[Charm: 9]
[Skills: Iron Bone 5, Strong Attack 8, Strong Throw 3, Strong Bow 1, Weapon Mastery 2, Shield Defense 1, Running 2, Riding 7, Mounted Shooting 0, Plunder 0, Coach 0, Tracking 0, Tactics 1 , Guide 0, Reconnaissance 0, Healing 0, Surgery 0, First Aid 0, Engineering 0, Persuasion 1, Prisoner Management 1, Control 3, Trading 0]
[Weapon proficiency: 74 for one-handed weapons, 135 for two-handed weapons, 117 for pole weapons, 31 for bows and arrows, 31 for crossbows, and 58 for throwing]
Since the level became higher, the experience value required for upgrading has increased significantly. Several battles and the upgrading of new army soldiers only brought more than 6,000 experience points. The two missions in Golden Tooth City gave 2,000 experience points. In the past two days, more than 6,000 experience points were gained. After completing two tasks to help the villagers catch "bandits", I was able to reach level nine.
Attribute points are added to intelligence, two skill points are added to the riding skills required to ride a dragon, and weapon points are added to two-handed weapons.
After adding points, Arthur skillfully put away the panel, and then ordered his soldiers to continue moving towards the destination of Shitang Town.
The composition of this army of more than 900 people is a bit complicated, 500 people are from the Tully family, more than 100 people are Arthur's new army, they were taken to Riverrun by him to fill the scene, 200 people are from the Pink City territory, Claremont ·Earl Piper gathered four to five hundred people in his territory, but only half of them had weapons and chainmail, so two hundred people followed Arthur to stop the Lion Army, and the remaining people followed Count Piper to reorganize the red powder collar.
There are also seventy or eighty surrendered troops and prisoners. These people are what the nearby villagers call "bandits". They are actually defeated skirmishers, composed of mercenaries from the west and cavalry from the Karstark and other families in the north. host.
The mercenaries could easily change sides, so when Arthur offered to surrender so he wouldn't have to be tied up and walk on foot, thirty-three mercenaries joined the army on the spot.
The remaining skirmishers in the north are much more bad-tempered. They don't even recognize Robb, the Young Wolf Lord. How can they surrender to Arthur, the self-reliant King of the River?
So fifty-two Yankees had their hands tied and marched with the army.
Half a day later, the spy at the front of the team reported that there was an inn and several farmhouses, where about a dozen farmers were active.
Arthur thought about it and asked Desmond, the leader of the team, to lead the army forward. He took Podrick and a few others to go there to listen to what the nearby farmers think of the King of River.
"Will it be dangerous?" asked the big boy Lyman Darry.
Since Arthur restored his family's earl title, he took him with him to fill the scene, because other earls basically had tasks, and the King of River could not go everywhere alone.
"It's okay, are you still worried about my fighting power? A dozen people can't get close to me, not to mention Pod and others."
Arthur was still wearing a layer of mail and a set of plate armor. The plate armor was Jules's set, which was quite new and could be used for a long time.
While he was resting in Harrenhal and busy contacting nobles at all levels, the great bull Gendry also took the time to recast the golden Guandao, so Arthur's equipment is still very complete.
"Then I will go with you." The fourteen-year-old Lyman was still very lively and active, and he also wanted to go with him to watch the fun.
Pod, who was the same age as him, was much more mature. Since the big-bellied Sir Lorimer was buried outside the Golden Tooth City, he has been Arthur's personal guard and the officer in charge of armor and weapons.
Arthur selected five third-level mail sword and shield soldiers, took Lyman and his two guards, and Podrick, and went to the inn.
In the woods about a hundred meters away from the inn, the King of River asked Pod to stay here with his golden Guandao and five sword and shield soldiers.
In case of accidents, they would be the backup.
"Another person is coming. Which king are you fighting for?" Someone asked before Arthur and the other four entered the door of the inn.
"We only fight for ourselves. We are just passing by here and hope to have a full meal." Lyman Darry replied.
This was agreed in advance. A big boy's answer could reduce the vigilance of the farmers.
Arthur pretended to be Lyman's senior guard and followed him.
"Give me the money first. Let me think about it. Twelve silver deer for four people, three for each person, which is already very cheap." said the innkeeper.
Even considering that the price of wheat and potatoes has almost increased fivefold, and meat has increased nearly tenfold, this price is still very expensive.
Lehman, who has been living in the castle, has no concept of cheap and expensive. He took out his wallet, counted out twelve silver deer and threw them in front of the door.
A short and fat middle-aged man ran out and picked up the silver deer, then signaled the guests to come in.
"Forgive my unreasonableness, lords, it's a chaotic world now, we have to collect money before we can open the door to do business."
After getting the money, the middle-aged boss's tone softened a lot.
The four entered the inn, and as expected, there were seven or eight people inside.
Of course, these people didn't look like guests, because they were a little tattered and couldn't afford such an expensive meal.
Arthur didn't waste time, and bought a small half barrel of beer with two silver deer. After serving a few glasses to these people, he began to talk.
"Which king or lord do you think is better?"
Their vigilance exceeded Arthur's expectations. After drinking, they talked about this and that, but did not say their own evaluation.
But the King of Hejian still had a way. After sending several cups of beer, someone finally got drunk and said what was in his heart: "I think the king in King's Landing is better."