The Dothraki seemed utterly baffled by numbers greater than ten and the concept of a "complex" organizational system.
Daenerys frowned slightly. Khal Drogo's forty thousand roaring warriors had always operated in units called khas, each led by a kos. Drogo himself only had to manage a dozen or so kos under his command.
In essence, the Dothraki military structure had only three ranks: Khal, Kos, and warriors. In fact, Khal and Kos were essentially the same rank, as were Kos and warriors.
The Khal was simply the strongest Kos, while the Kos was the strongest warrior—there was, at most, a two-tiered hierarchy.
The Dothraki society was primitive—so primitive that it almost embodied true democracy.
But Daenerys had no interest in such "democracy." If the Dothraki had been slightly more feudal, perhaps the fate of the Khaleesi wouldn't have been so grim.
At the very least, she could have been a regent dowager.
Daenerys' goal in reorganizing her khalasar was to establish a clear hierarchy. With a hierarchical system in place, the khalasar could swiftly transition into a feudal centralized society—a system that had already existed for thousands of years among other peoples. It required adaptation, not invention.
Simply put, this world already had the productive capacity to support a feudal structure.
At the very least, Daenerys intended to create a "Golden Family" centered around her bloodline.
Before Genghis Khan, anyone on the steppe could call themselves Khan (the equivalent of the Dothraki Khal), regardless of lineage. Titles depended solely on personal strength and influence. At that time, even the Mongols lacked a formal system of inheritance tied to family names and bloodlines.
The Dothraki were almost identical to that era.
However, after Genghis Khan united the northern steppes and founded the Mongol Empire, only the Borjigin clan could claim the title of Khan.
If someone wasn't a Borjigin, they had to marry a Borjigin woman. Their children would then inherit the Borjigin bloodline.
These Borjigin were known by a proud and illustrious name: the Golden Family.
Daenerys wasn't yet thinking about world domination, but if she couldn't establish her own Golden Family with three dragons at her disposal, it would be a waste of extraordinary resources and opportunities.
The fragmented and scattered Dothraki were essentially a heaven-sent foundation for an empire.
The chance to create her Golden Family would come only once.
The original Daenerys had been a bit naïve—or perhaps, like Murong Fu, obsessed with an unrealistic dream—fixated on returning to Westeros to reclaim her throne.
But the truth was painfully clear: Westeros was thousands of miles away.
And its nobles? Each one was a master of court intrigue, a skilled warrior, and an expert in wielding power and ambition. Their ruthlessness was unparalleled, and their loyalty—well, that was a negative number. They were all backstabbing opportunists.
Oh, and let's not forget: Westeros was a harsh, unforgiving land, periodically ravaged by White Walkers intent on ending the world.
That wretched place? Daenerys wouldn't want it even if it were handed to her for free.
No matter how difficult it might be, the reforms of the Dothraki couldn't stop.
"Aggo, what's five times ten?" she asked her bloodrider.
Aggo thought for a moment before replying, "Is it fifty?"
Daenerys nodded and asked, "And what's five times fifty?"
This time, Aggo took much longer. He frowned, counting on his fingers, before hesitantly answering, "Two hundred and fifty?"
"That's correct!" Daenerys spread her hands in encouragement.
"But didn't you mention captains and commanders? If we exclude them, how many warriors are left?" he asked.
"Why would you exclude them? If you're the commander, the other 249 are your warriors," Daenerys explained.
"But..." Aggo's expression grew conflicted. "Captains are also the commander's warriors? Aren't captains kos? Kos serve the Khal, but they don't..."
Aggo struggled to articulate his thoughts, gesturing animatedly but failing to form a coherent sentence.
However, Daenerys understood his concerns perfectly.
The same issue persists: the horse lords are unaccustomed to a multi-tiered hierarchical system.
"This is the new regulation; you'll get used to it over time," Daenerys declared, relying on her authority to enforce compliance.
Jorah understood Daenerys' vision and offered a suggestion. "Khaleesi, instead of using unfamiliar terms like 'squads' or 'units,' try leveraging the Dothraki's own organizational terms."
The words "unit" and "squad" had been adapted into Dothraki from the Common Tongue by Daenerys, which Jorah could recognize. However, for Jogo and the others, these were entirely new concepts.
"They do?" Daenerys looked puzzled. "What terms are those?"
"Have you heard of nolu and goleq?" Jorah asked, using two Dothraki words.
"Nolu means a hunting party, and goleq refers to a banner," Daenerys repeated, still confused. "Are these forms of military organization?"
It sounded oddly reminiscent of the Qing Dynasty. The Dothraki braids and savage customs resembled the wild, unrefined days of the early Manchu tribes—just waiting for their own version of a "Nurhaci" to reform their military system.
After all, the author of A Song of Ice and Fire often drew inspiration from real-world events, terrains, geographies, and ethnicities.
The Dothraki were essentially a blend of the Qing Dynasty and the Mongols.
If, one day, Daenerys united the Dothraki and led them on dragonback to conquer the world, it would essentially be a knockoff version of "My Great Qing" bringing its banner to a foreign fantasy land.
Jorah chuckled and explained, "According to Dothraki tradition, a hunting party typically consists of ten members. Fewer than that, and they can't handle a lion or other large predators; more than that, and the spoils aren't enough to share. Ten is the perfect number.
In fact, even in Westeros, when nobles go hunting, they might gather in large groups before entering the forest, but once they begin, they usually form hunting parties of about ten people each."
"I see," Daenerys nodded thoughtfully.
She realized she still wasn't fully grounded in the culture of the Dothraki. I need to better understand the customs of my people in the future, she resolved silently.
"As for goleq, Khaleesi," Jorah continued, "you know how every khalasar sends out scouts in all directions before moving out, correct?"
Daenerys nodded again. Her own khas warriors had served as scouts for Drogo, and it seemed like this task was rotated among different khas.
The scouts often had to ride a day or two ahead of the khalasar. It was grueling, dangerous work that no one could sustain for long.
"Depending on the size of the khalasar, the number of scouts varies. Typically, they're organized in groups of about one hundred, with each group carrying a distinct banner.
When two khalasars encounter one another, they don't immediately engage in battle. Instead, they gauge the opposing force's strength by the number of banners, helping to avoid a pyrrhic victory.
This is why Khal Drogo's khalasar carried many different banners.
These groups of one hundred scouts are what the Dothraki call goleq," Jorah explained patiently.
Dany suddenly asked, "Could someone deliberately use false flags to deceive their opponent? For instance, ten people using one flag. Or perhaps, pretending to be stronger than they are by sending out more scouts to make the enemy believe they have greater numbers."
"Uh..." Jorah was taken aback. "That's not in line with the traditions of the horse people!"
"No one would do such a thing," echoed Aggo and the others.
Jorah thought carefully before replying solemnly, "Khaleesi, look at the camps around us; the traces of life are too obvious.
Wherever a khalasar moves, there are signs of life left behind, the most conspicuous being the ashes from campfires. Everyone needs to eat, and the number of cooking fires can give a rough estimate of the khalasar's size.
You might deceive the opponent with scouts, but once they notice that the number of fires doesn't match, the enraged khal will most likely turn around immediately."
"Then you probably don't know that the cooking fires themselves can be faked," Dany said smugly. For example, I could have fewer people but deliberately light more fires to scare the enemy.
Or, I could have a large force but deliberately set fewer fires. When the angry khal thinks he's been deceived and comes charging, I'd ambush him at my leisure."
"Uh..." Not only did Jorah look stunned, but even the simple-minded Dothraki warriors like Jogo stared at her with wide almond-shaped eyes. Sir Jorah, who prided himself on years of knightly education, also gaped in disbelief.
The Seven Hells! Could this actually work? It seemed theoretically feasible.
Jorah looked at his "innocent" princess with a peculiar expression. Could she be a born military genius?
Still, there was something unsavory about it, something that clashed with knightly honor.
Alas, it seemed her lack of noble education in Westeros had been replaced by the cunning of unscrupulous merchants.
(P.S.: Dany grew up in the Nine Free Cities, where Westeros tend to look down on the merchant class as greedy and unprincipled. While Westeros play their own games of power, they like to think they have more honor than the rogues across the Narrow Sea.)
"Khaleesi," Quaro interjected, "even though the Dothraki Sea is vast, if you deceive one khal, others will soon hear of it."
"There are 36 stratagems. I might as well use them all," Dany replied lightly. "Even if the Dothraki Sea is boundless, there probably won't be many khals left by the time I'm done."
"Alright," she said, waving her hand to conclude. "A group of ten is led by a ten-man leader, a hundred by a hundred-man leader. Right now, we only have hundred-man leaders, but in the future, as the tribe grows, we can have thousand-man leaders, and even ten-thousand-man leaders. This way, with tenfold increments, it'll be easier for everyone to keep track."
The terms "ten-man leader," "hundred-man leader," and "thousand-man leader" sounded clear and straightforward, even in the Dothraki language. Anyone with normal intelligence could understand.
Aggo nodded, spreading his hands. "I have ten fingers, so if I count slowly, I should manage."
"From now on, all banners will be unified under the Black Dragon flag, representing the black dragon I carry. From this day forth, I am not only your Khaleesi but also your thousand-man leader, temporarily commanding a direct hundred-man unit."
With the tribe numbering over 200, she couldn't declare herself merely a hundred-man leader; otherwise, others would hold equal rank to her.
"My bloodriders and dragon guards are hundred-man leaders. There's also a militia hundred-man leader, responsible for the herders of the tribe. Though we're short on people now, and some units won't be at full strength, those holding the title of hundred-man leader can start building the framework."
After deliberating for two to three hours in the tent, Dany finalized the system and began immediate implementation.
First, they distinguished between military and civilian roles. Men aged 15 to 50 were classified as Roaring Warriors, distributed evenly among the five hundred-man leaders (including herself).
Civilians were then organized into functional groups: horse breeders, cooks, healers, and craftsmen.
While Dany was reorganizing the old, weak, and women into household records, a commotion broke out among the Dothraki warriors in the open field. Some had even drawn their arakhs.
Dany hurried over, ordering her direct Roaring Warriors to separate the troublemakers.
Riding atop her silver horse, she looked down at the flushed, angry Dothraki warriors and asked, "What's going on?"
"Khaleesi, I'm stronger! Let me kill that bastard," one of the men shouted.
The other, whom he was pointing his arakh at, yelled back, "Kill me? Don't hold me back—I'll flay him alive!"
Both men were long-time members of Dany's khalasar, having defended her for over a year. Yet now, they turned on each other, as was typical of the Dothraki.
Jorah explained, "They're dueling over who gets to be a ten-man leader. But with so few of us left, we can't afford the losses."
(End of Chapter)
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