Chapitre 173: -Chapter 164-

-Chapter 164-

-POV MC-

"Your Majesty, His Excellency the Master of Intelligence desires an audience with you," said a guard as he entered my office.

I gestured for him to enter, and a few seconds later, Bryan walked in with a troubled expression.

He said nothing and handed me a letter, which I opened calmly, though somewhat curious about its contents. Generally, the lords of Westeros communicate by ravens, unless it involves crucial information that must not fall into the hands of spies; in that case, they send letters by messengers.

The dukes and high-ranking nobles, however, send letters by falcons, all trained by Bryan or Connor, who, once free, return to their masters. As Wargs, these two can sense the presence of their familiars as soon as they enter a certain perimeter.

'The number of familiars and the distance can depend on the power of the Warg,' I thought.

For example, as an extremely powerful Warg, I could bond with dozens, even hundreds, of non-magical animals. However, I have chosen to prioritize quality over quantity, bonding only with magical species like Ghost and Rhaegal, as well as my red falcon.

'I have never named it,' I thought.

I had tamed it only to gain an advantage in times of war, for example, to observe the enemy's advances and other movements through the eyes of my falcon.

'This has been crucial in several instances during the two wars I have fought.'

---

Aegon,

A child named Jojen Reed has arrived at Winterfell, making extremely troubling statements.

I don't know if you are aware, but it seems that a being with magical powers north of the Wall, called the Three-Eyed Raven, is trying to influence the Northern Houses to force the wildlings through the Wall.

This being appeared in a dream to Bran and showed him memories of people killed by the White Walkers. He thinks that the weight of House Stark could change your decision to keep the Wall closed to invaders from the other side, pursued by death.

I don't know who this so-called Three-Eyed Raven is, but I trust you to make the right decision now that you have all the information.

I don't know if you still value my opinion or not, but I will give you this advice as your uncle: if what this being says is correct, open the gates. The wildlings can do nothing against the power of the empire.

If these informations prove false, I advise you to take precautions, for as you already know, magic is something extremely dangerous, and we would not want to face a person capable of using it with a horde of wildlings, mammoths, and giants, and who knows what else.

Your loving uncle,

Eddard Stark

---

I folded the letter nonchalantly and said to Bryan, "It's a troubling fact, but not alarming. We have several fronts to defend; one man cannot make us tremble, no matter how powerful his magic is."

Bryan frowned and said, "You knew of his existence?"

I smiled without directly responding to his accusation and then said:

"The Three-Eyed Raven is a Warg and a greenseer, hence why he can enter the dreams of Bran and Jojen Reed, who are also very powerful Wargs. With a little push, they could also become very powerful greenseers, although I doubt that little Jojen Reed has already achieved it, just like his father."

Bryan nodded and said, "I understand, but if he is so powerful, why aren't you afraid of him?"

"Because he can't harm me."

'And literally, he survives thanks to the roots of the Weirwood tree that fill him with vital force; otherwise, in my opinion, he would have perished long ago,' I thought.

"What should we do now? Do we continue sending weapons to the enemy, or do we stop now that we've discovered they are trying to undermine us from within?"

I shook my head and said, "Firstly, the wildlings are not our enemies. In fact, they are faithful allies who, I hope, one day will be true subjects of the empire."

Bryan raised an eyebrow without saying anything, so I continued, "Secondly, the wildlings are not allied with the Three-Eyed Raven, at least to my knowledge. Things might have changed, but the wildlings do not follow the orders of the Three-Eyed Raven because they don't share the same objective."

"What are their objectives?" asked Bryan.

I shrugged and said, "I think for the Three-Eyed Raven, it would be to defeat or kill the Night King. For the wildlings, it would surely be to fight to the death to survive as a free nation and not be subjected to the southerners."

"And that won't happen because they are caught between a rock and a hard place."

I nodded without saying anything.

I didn't like doing this because I knew people died every day on the other side of the Wall because of my refusal to open the gates.

But I also didn't want to open the gates to unstable factors that would harm the peace in my empire and my reign over Westeros.

'Let's hope they can come to their senses quickly,' I thought.

I got up quietly from my chair and paced around the room. The problems were starting to pile up, and I had to use my resources wisely, or I would suffer.

I recalled Tristan, who is my best asset, with the 1st Legion in the capital and the Dark Guard.

If I must be totally honest with myself, I have been misusing my resources lately, focusing solely on building a strong and enormous army while paying them handsomely, even though we are at peace, and 80% of my ground forces remain inactive except for routine patrols and training.

"Bryan, I'd like your opinion."

He nodded, and I asked, "Do you think I'm paying my soldiers too much?"

He frowned and said, "I don't know."

"What do people think?"

"Well, many common people are excited to fight for you, but many nobles are upset because soldiers' pay can reach 10 gold dragons a year," Bryan said.

My wish has always been that the people who fight for me, who give their blood for me, and even their lives in the most severe cases, can keep their families safe from want.

I realize more and more that this only builds another social class and simultaneously separates the people.

Over time, this could lead to a rift with those who earn meager wages while serving the crown, like blacksmiths, farmers, herders, and others, as well as an inflation of prices for all basic necessities.

'I need to slow down the pace but without becoming the target of public criticism from my own army.'

'Although it would take a lot, given the ideological work and brainwashing I do daily during training.'

I took a few seconds to think, then said:

"What do you think of this? Reservist soldiers will be paid one gold dragon every six moons and can work part-time for the crown if they have particular skills. However, they must participate in regular training and can be called upon to do their duty and serve their country at any time.

Soldiers sent to combat will be paid two gold dragons every six moons, with bonuses ranging from one to five gold dragons for non-commissioned officers and officers.

The bravest and most courageous soldiers could receive special rewards ranging from a reward of one hundred gold dragons to a noble title, depending on the service rendered."

He nodded, though he didn't seem entirely enthusiastic about the idea, then said, "You plan to eliminate the seniority bonus and set soldiers' pay once and for all?"

I nodded, and Bryan said, "It's not a bad idea, but I advise you to find a way to divert attention from yourself. Most soldiers admire and idolize you, so you shouldn't tarnish that image for so little."

'It's not so little. With this gold, I could build navigation canals, roads, and even hospitals, which this kingdom greatly needs, all while maintaining the same number of soldiers,' I thought.

"I've already found the perfect scapegoat," I said, nodding in agreement with Bryan's words.

Since the end of the Blackfyre supporters' rebellion, recruitment has exploded, and my army of over 175,000, including 5,000 Dragon Guards guarding the Red Keep's interior and certain secret passages that haven't been sealed due to difficulty of access.

The Dark Guard, numbering 10,000 elite armored cavalrymen, is a deadly unit capable of destroying an army of 50,000 infantry soldiers alone.

The Imperial Legion, composed of 10 legions of 10,000 soldiers each, ensuring peace in the vast imperial domain, and finally, the Imperial Navy, 60,000 soldiers ensuring peace in the Narrow Sea and the Sunset Sea, has grown to an astonishing 315,000 soldiers.

The news of all my victories over the past year has ignited the hearts of countless young men, as well as retired mercenaries and hedge knights from all over Westeros seeking glory and adventure.

My victory over the giants north of the Wall, the annihilation of the Ironborn, my victory and the definitive annihilation of the demonic House Blackfyre, the hatching of dragons, and all the other exploits I have accomplished in recent years have spread and created a sort of mythical being surpassing all stories and legends, and everyone wanted to be part of my legend.

'I admit that I had a hand in this, as I paid many troubadours to write songs and praises about me throughout the empire so that everyone would know how just, strong, and protective of the oppressed the emperor is.'

The effect of this media stunt was seismic throughout the empire, as over a million young men wanted to join the imperial army.

They came from everywhere, unlike the last recruitments made in my Domain.

Unfortunately for most, the dream remained just that: a dream, as only 320,000 out of more than a million people had the privilege of joining the army.

The orders I gave to the commanders conducting the recruitments were strict and uncompromising: only the most loyal men and those capable of demonstrating that they had the strength and determination to go into battle and die for their emperor were accepted.

But a problem quickly arose, as few were skilled commanders.

In fact, few people knew how to read and write, so I had to accept the integration of second and third noble sons from the Imperial Domain into my army.

In total, I had to create 5 additional legions in addition to the 10 legions I had built, bringing my army to 150,000 men.

I increased the number of each legion to 10,000 legionaries and 5,000 reservists.

Then, I increased the size of my fleet thanks to the shipyards of Maidenpool and Duskendale to bring my fleet to a total of over 500 warships.

The particularity of my new ships was that the minimum number of people needed to maneuver the ship was between 40 and 70 sailors, while the ship could carry more than 200 people while maintaining good speed and maneuverability at sea, a kind of hybrid between a carrack, a frigate, and a Spanish galleon.

'I was only able to achieve this kind of ship thanks to Ironwood from the North.'

"Aegon."

"Hmm... oh yes, it's good. You can withdraw, but I will need you to notify all members of the Imperial Council to gather so we can discuss all this upon their return."

Bryan nodded and left, leaving me alone in my thoughts.

'Brynden Rivers, my dear great-great-great-great-great-uncle, if you don't stay six feet under in your cave, I might have to become a kinslayer.'