Chapter 170 Battle Plan
"Brother, what are you holding?"
Early in the morning when Dickon Tarly met Samwell in his tent, he saw his brother playing with an oval-shaped stone.
"Dragon egg." Samwell didn't hide it, because he knew that his younger brother would not believe him if he told the truth.
"Dragon egg ?" Dickon Tarly couldn't help frowning when he thought of the various "dragon relics" that his brother had shown him before.
no!
I must persuade my brother from the wrong path!
Dickon looked at his brother as if he were looking at a misguided prodigal.
"Brother, there is something I've wanted to tell you for a long time."
"What's the matter?"
"It's just... the dragon relics you treasure are actually fake!"
"How is that possible!" Samwell pretended to be stuck, "I spent a huge sum of money to buy that, how could it be fake!"
Dickon sighed, "Brother, how much did you spend on this 'dragon egg'?"
"Not much, just Three hundred golden dragons." Samwell casually reported a number.
"Three hundred golden dragons!" Dickon's eyes widened. "Brother, no matter how generous your tourney reward is, you can't squander it like this! This 'dragon egg' is absolutely fake! So many kings of the Targaryen family have tried for many years, but they have never succeeded!"
"They can't do it, but it doesn't mean I can't do it either," Samwell said with a smile.
He thought of the Red Comet.
Calculating the time, there should be less than a year left before the arrival of the red comet. When the "stars cry blood", the world's magic tide will officially recover. That will be the time for the dragons to return.
For this, he still needs to make some preparations...
Unfortunately, in the eyes of younger brother Dickon, Samwell's self-confidence is clear proof of his obsession:
"Brother! You can't go on like this! Otherwise, you will squander all the wealth of Eagle Island!"
"Okay, okay, I know. Let's not take this as an example." Samwell put the dragon eggs in the bottom of the suitcase and hid them, "By the way, when will we start?"
"Right now but our Reach army is arranged to go last, so there should be a while."
"Okay, I'll sleep first, and you can call me when it's our turn." Samwell yawned and drove his brother out.
After regaining some sleep, Samwell got up under the urging of his younger brother. After a brief tidying up, he summoned the soldiers, followed the large army, and started a new march.
The army headed south along the bone way, all the way was rugged mountain roads, so the speed naturally couldn't be increased, and it was not until half a month later that they finally arrived at their destination -
Black Haven City.
Black Haven City is located in the frontier of Dorne. The dark basalt city wall stood majestically, surrounded by a wide moat, like a strong military fortress.
In fact, at the beginning of the establishment of this castle, it was more out of military considerations, because the strategic location of Black Haven City was indeed very important, guarding the bone way was the first barrier against Dorne's northern invasion.
Speaking of the Borderlands of Dorne, although this region has Dorne in its name, it is not actually under the jurisdiction of the Prince of Dorne. Almost all the lords here are vassals of the Duke of Storm's End, but the strange thing is that the "guardian of the frontier" This title has always been awarded to the Duke of Highgarden.
So in theory, Duke Mace Tyrell has the name or right of mobilizing the troops on the border of Dorne. As for whether the lord here will really obey his call, that is another matter.
As a buffer zone between the Reach, the Stormlands, and Dorne, the frontier of Dorne has been at war since ancient times. After Aegon, the Conqueror Targaryen unified the six kingdoms, the Iron Throne and Dorne fought here.
The Lord of Black Haven City is Lord Beric Dondarrion, who has a relationship with Samwell.
Earlier in Starfall City, the two direct members of the Dayne family that Samwell was accused of murder—Edric and Allyria died in Black Haven City, and the latter was also the wife of Earl Beric.
However, Beric never troubled Samwell, and he seemed to be quite a sensible person.
The army stayed in Black Haven City for half a month before finally waiting for the troops from the Reach, Vale and the Northern Territory. Now the total number of troops swelled to as many as 170,000.
You know, this is just the number of the main army. If you count the people who transported food, the hawkers who sell goods, and the battalion girls who came to donate... the total number may have exceeded 300,000.
With a thicker skin and a little more courage, you can declare to the outside world that an army of 500,000 is going south.
See if you can scare a Dornishman out to urine.
Only when you are really in the middle of it can you realize what such an army really is.
The densely packed tents were like mushrooms that grew wildly, almost covering both sides of the Boneway River.
To make long poles to carry the banners, all the trees within a few miles were cut down. Under the sunlight, countless swords and spears shone like a forest of steel, icy cold.
When it was mealtime, thousands of fires filled the air with a pale mist.
"Lord Caesar, the king ordered a pre-war meeting, please, attend immediately."
"Okay."
Samwell quickly gnawed off the remaining bones, wiped his hands, and went to the largest and most gorgeous building in the centre of the camp.
Soldiers holding swords and armour, handymen carrying goods, attendants polishing armour, and battalion girls ostentatiously can be seen everywhere along the way... Sometimes he couldn't help but wonder how much golden dragons would be spent every day to maintain such an army.
It's a pity that no one can answer Samwell's question.
The master of coins in charge of logistics may know, but "the imp" Tyrion Lannister returned to King's Landing the day Samwell first arrived, and it is said that he was scolded by Duke Tywin.
The further you go to the centre of the camp, the more you can see the crowned stag flag flying high above all the flags. This is probably the largest flag Samwell has ever seen in his life. So big that It can even be placed as a carpet in the castle hall.
When Samwell walked into the tent, he saw that there were already many people inside. However, the seating was pre-arranged, and he, a little baron, was led by the guards to sit in the corner at the farthest edge.
However, it was not the young king who sat on the throne, but a middle-aged man.
This person was wearing a crimson velvet dress with the coat of arms of a roaring lion printed on his chest. Samwell immediately guessed that this person should be the Guardian of the West, Duke of Casterly Rock, Tywin Lannister.
Lord Tywin's face was serious and cold. It is said that Lord Tywin has never laughed since his father, Lord Tytos, was dubbed "Laughing Lion".
"Laughing Lion" is a weak lord. When he was in power, the vassals of the Western Territory borrowed money from the Lannister family and refused to return it. They often turned a deaf ear to the call-up orders. Some people even dared to laugh at the Duke of Casterly Rock... so, when his son Tywin took power, he went to the other extreme-ruthless.
Duke Tywin wiped out the vassals who did not obey orders with iron and blood, destroyed their castles, and left only ruins to warn other families, and gradually pulled the family back from the brink of collapse through a series of tough measures, and regained its former glory.
Moreover, this person also served as the Hand of the King of the "Mad King" Aerys II Targaryen. He sat in this position for twenty years. Prestige and love, even surpassing the king.
But because of this, he was envied by the "mad king" -
"Only the gods can be above the king."
The monarchs and ministers gradually turned against each other, and Duke Tywin had to resign as the hand of king .
After the outbreak of Robert's rebellion , Duke Tywin stood still and watched the royal army fight the rebels until Robert Baratheon killed Prince Rhaegar Targaryen with a hammer at the crossing of the Trident. Then he led the army from the west to King's Landing.
The "mad king" thought that his hand of the king was here to save him, so he ordered someone to open the city gate. Afterwards, Duke Tywin ordered his army to capture King's Landing, and his son Jaime also killed the "mad king" himself.
However, at that time, the Alliance of Fish, Wolf, Deer, and Eagle was extremely strong. After King's Landing was captured, Duke Tywin resisted the temptation to sit on the iron throne. Instead, he handed over the throne to Robert Baratheon, and at the same time gave his daughter Cersei as marriage alliance.
Afterwards, the male lion of the western region returned to Casterly Rock City and continued to hibernate.
Only now has he returned to the centre of power in the Seven Kingdoms.
Perhaps this time, the lion of the western region did not intend to leave again.
"Have all the lords arrived?" Duke Tywin asked, sitting on the throne like a king.
"They're all here."
The key is that everyone took it for granted, and no one even asked where His Majesty Joffrey had gone.
As for our Queen Regent, Cersei, she is sitting at Lord Tywin's right hand, trying her best to play the role of a well-behaved daughter.
"Wait a minute! His Majesty hasn't arrived yet." It was Duke Eddard, the Hand of the King, who spoke.
At last, someone remembered the king.
"His Majesty is tired and has fallen asleep," Cersei explained.
Duke Eddard frowned tightly, his eyes lingering on Tywin and his daughter. Although he hated the arrogance and domineering of the Lannister family in his heart, it was really difficult for him to attack at this time.
Although he is the Hand of the King, he does not have the title of regent, and he is already a bit shorter than Cersei. Now that the woman is willing to hand over the power to his father, what can he do?
What's more, this time he was here to fight Dorne, Duke Eddard really didn't want to cause internal discord.
At a time, only face one enemy.
Duke Eddard still remembered the advice given to him by the Baron of Eagle Island.
This time, he came to avenge Jon Arryn. As for Robert's revenge, we will talk about it later.
Seeing that Duke Eddard quite down, Cersei smiled triumphantly, and then said loudly:
"My lords, His Majesty has agreed on a plan for this campaign against Dorne, and now my father will explain it to you."
Duke Tywin's eyes slowly swept across the faces of the participants, and then said in a deep voice:
"This time, we plan to attack Dorne with four armies."
[END]