GOT/ASOIAF: Ruler Beyond The Ice

Chapter 638 - 640: River Bay Dungeon

The first meeting between the new Master of Coin and Daenerys was uneventful, neither anecdotal nor particularly cordial. The reason was easy to understand. The two rulers had no previous dealings in this timeline, so naturally there was no friendship or trust to speak of. Knowing only that Aegor and Tyrion had a close relationship, Tyrion, from Daenerys's perspective, became "Aegor's crony inserted into the Royal Council for personal gain," a pawn meant to secure more political benefits for the Night's Watch faction.

With such a mindset, it was already commendable that she could suppress her instinctive aversion toward a Lannister and treat him normally.

As for why she accepted this appointment, which clearly meant surrendering part of her authority and influence, a large part of the reason, besides truly valuing the Lannister's immense wealth and financial experience, was a compromise with Aegor's influence and a compensation for the feeling that she owed him for his unrewarded contributions.

Although she dreamed of breaking the wheel of history, Daenerys's vision and thinking were still deeply influenced by her feudal background. In her view, the position of Hand was neither hereditary nor permanent. This title and duty alone clearly did not match the enormous contributions and merits Aegor had made during the Conquest War. To relieve the imbalance and awkwardness of "reward not matching merit," Daenerys had privately hinted that she was willing to dissolve the Night's Watch as king, restore Aegor's freedom, and grant him the Gift and the lands Beyond the Wall. From then on he would become a legitimate Lord of the Gift, joining the ranks of the great lords, able to take a wife, have children, and pass his title down through his bloodline.

Who would have thought that Aegor would seriously refuse this generous offer, giving the reason that "the Night's Watch takes no wife, holds no lands, and fathers no children."

Was it the black cloak that clouded the mind of the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch and made him truly noble and selfless, or did he harbor even greater desires and ambitions?

Daenerys did not know, but she understood that perfectly clear water holds no fish. Since she had no more suitable candidate at the moment, Tyrion, as the head of the Lannister Bank and the only true financier in Westeros, was indeed the best choice for Master of Coin. Even if he and Aegor were close and used their positions to gain wealth for themselves or their families, as long as they did not go too far, she could tolerate it.

…

The brief meeting ended, and the summoned lords and generals had also gathered. This was not a coincidence. Aegor had deliberately requested another war council only after learning that Tyrion would arrive in King's Landing today, combining the announcement of the new Royal Council appointment and the distribution of the operational plan into a single audience, saving everyone's already tight time and energy.

Inside the slightly crowded hall, as the Master of Coin stepped away from the center and sat among the others under curious or hostile gazes, a map of the southern Seven Kingdoms, nailed onto a wooden board, was pushed forward by soldiers into the center of everyone's view. Aegor stepped forward and began the second major matter of the day.

"My lords, there is some regrettable news. After weeks of difficult communication and negotiation, the Queen's efforts to end the war peacefully have failed. The Reach and the rebel Prince Aegon they support still refuse our sincere truce conditions and intend to resist to the end," Aegor said directly. "Therefore, my lords, what we must do next is personally reclaim the peace the enemy refuses to give and restore tranquility to the Seven Kingdoms."

A low murmur spread across the room.

Daenerys's close supporters and the military faction of the Gift Army were excited at the prospect of continued war, but most others sighed or scoffed quietly. They simply dared not show it openly because of Aegor's prestige and because Daenerys herself was present.

There were no secrets among nobles. Daenerys's so called sincere peace terms for the Reach had long spread by word of mouth, and many nobles present had even received pleas from relatives in the Reach asking them to persuade Daenerys to end the war. Anyone with sense knew that Daenerys was the one unwilling to compromise and insisted on fighting to the end. However, because they had gained little merit in the previous southern campaign, had always disliked the arrogant and insular lords of the Reach, and because Aegon's usurpation of the throne was an unforgivable crime, and most importantly because this western campaign would still rely mainly on the Gift Army and the Queen's forces rather than themselves risking their lives, they lacked both the confidence and the standing to oppose it firmly.

"If we have decided to fight, the only question left is how to fight." Aegor ignored the various reactions. He tapped the wooden frame holding the map to quiet the hall and raised his voice. "The Reach has always been the wealthiest region in Westeros. Its overall strength surpasses the other kingdoms. When considering invading it, several characteristics must be noted. First, it is densely populated and has an endless supply of soldiers. Second, the people are martial and value honor. The number of lower level fighters such as knights, free riders, and mercenaries far exceeds that of the other six kingdoms, and their quality is quite high. Third, the land is vast and flat, with an extremely high density of towns and villages, completely different from the northern and southern campaigns. Fourth, internally, regardless of status, their identity as Reachmen is strong and unified, and they are extremely hostile to outsiders."

"In summary, the enemy lacks neither soldiers nor commanders, nor food. They possess a huge advantage fighting on their own land, and they unite strongly against foreign invaders. These traits together mean that once an outside army enters the Reach, it cannot hide. The Reachmen scattered across the plains will naturally become scouts and watchers, reporting all information such as our numbers, equipment, marching routes, and supply lines. No matter how brilliant the commander, once he steps into this quagmire he cannot display his talent and can only push forward head on."

The hall filled with discussion again, but the situation had reversed. The war hawks who had just been excited now fell silent, exchanging confused glances or looking toward Daenerys, not understanding why the usually confident Aegor was raising the enemy's prestige while diminishing their own. Daenerys herself showed no reaction.

The noble lords, however, nodded in agreement, secretly praising Aegor's concise and accurate analysis. Although everything he said was common knowledge, summarizing such common knowledge so clearly and understandably was itself a skill.

Only twenty years had passed since the War of the Usurper, and some of the older men present had even fought in it. At that time the victorious Robert Baratheon, backed by the alliance of stag, wolf, fish, and eagle, had overthrown the dragons and formed kinship with the lion. With the strength of the entire realm behind him, he still did not dare declare war on the Reach, even after it had besieged Storm's End for a year.

Why?

There were many deeper reasons, but the most direct one was that the Battle of the Tumblestone had completely destroyed Robert's arrogance.

In that battle, the lords of the Stormlands, fresh from their "Three Victories at Summerhall," rallied around Robert with high morale. Marching rapidly westward, they entered the Reach intending to secure the Stormlands' western flank by capturing the strategic castle of Tumblestone at the junction of three regions. The strategy was sound and no major tactical mistakes were made, yet the reinforcements from the Reach arrived with astonishing speed and terrifying ferocity.

Caught off guard, Robert's army was shattered by the vanguard led by House Tarly and forced to withdraw in haste before the Tyrell main force even arrived, retreating north in chaos and nearly costing Robert his life in the later Battle of the Bells.

This minor invasion of the Reach barely touched its outer edge, yet it triggered a storm like counterattack from the Reachmen. The future king, Robert Baratheon, was thoroughly taught the lesson that their homeland could not be invaded, and he witnessed their astonishing speed of mobilization and unity when fighting within their territory. Even after gaining the Iron Throne, Robert only dared weaken the Reach through politics and never again considered war. More than ten years later he still avoided touching the Tyrell girl, a perfect example of striking once to warn a hundred.

It was no exaggeration to say that conquering the Reach in the world of ice and fire was about as difficult as defeating the Five Permanent Members on Earth. So far only Aegon the Conqueror had done it successfully, and even with dragons he chose the easiest path.

A truly great warrior leaves no obvious feats. The Reachmen did not have the fierce reputation of the Northmen who could fight ten against one, nor the proud legend of the Dornish whose warriors were as numerous as sand. This was not because they were merely showy summer knights, as Catelyn once believed. It was because they were too strong. So strong that no single hero could stand out among them. So strong that anyone daring to challenge them must either be a monster or someone completely certain of victory. That was why the Reach rarely produced famous victories in military history.

And now Daenerys and Aegor intended to challenge them.

"The Hand's analysis is quite good." A few crisp claps sounded, drawing everyone's attention. It was Princess Arianne Martell of Dorne. "To fight the Reach you must advance head on. And advancing head on means facing endless enemy soldiers and commanders and a vast strategic depth that makes every step difficult."

She was an anomaly in the room. House Martell was noble, yet the only faction among the lords firmly supporting a war against the Reach. Princess Arianne was a determined war hawk and also a quiet admirer of Aegor, convinced that he could defeat the Reach. Therefore, although the black clad Hand had described the difficulty of fighting the Reach in discouraging terms, she firmly believed there would be a turning point. She stepped forward without hesitation to continue the conversation.

"This situation seems like a dead end," she said with a smile. "But I believe the Hand must already have a brilliant plan to break it, correct?"

"No, there is no brilliant plan." Facing his supporter's well meant cooperation, Aegor calmly gave a clear negative answer before the entire hall. "I choose to accept the reality. Since there are no tricks to defeat the Reach, we will not use tricks. We will push forward directly and eliminate this tumor that has strangled the Iron Throne and the other Six Kingdoms for three hundred years, leaving a more equal and peaceful future for those who come after us."

(To be continued.)

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