Dominate the Game of Thrones with Mount and Blade

Chapter 154 Cersei’s Wisdom

After agreeing on the details, Arthur did not waste any time and directly led a team of fifty soldiers on a large merchant ship and headed east along Crab Bay.

Arianne originally wanted to take her two cousins ​​and the Dornish guards with her, but the King of the River only agreed to take her alone, so she joined this strange team with the Duke of Metz and others.

…

In the bay not far from the shore, a large ship was sailing eastward at full speed. In the cabin, dozens of rowing sailors were desperately circling back and forth to ensure that they reached their destination within the time limit set by their employer.

Deck at the bow.

"I think you should follow the example of your ancestors and establish your own Seven Guards."

The Duke of Metz suggested, leaning on the wall of the ship.

Arthur pointed at Alduin, who was flying in the sky, "This is my Kingsguard."

There are still six dragon eggs hidden in Harrenhal. When Alduin is large enough to continue to spray dragon fire, Arthur will hatch the dragon again.

"But a dragon can't live with you personally, nor can it protect the royal family. Knights with high moral character don't have this problem."

Arianne also stood behind the River King at some point, and she also supported the establishment of the Kingsguard.

"And I see that you haven't set up royal guards yet. This is very bad for your family. They don't have the same amazing combat power as you."

The Duke of Mace nagged for a long time, trying to persuade the River King to establish a complete guard system like the Targaryen kings.

Arianne also agreed with the middle-aged Duke.

By convention, the royal family living in the Red Keep has three layers of standing guards: the Kingsguard, the Royal Guard, and the Golden Robes King's Landing Garrison.

Since the Targaryen Dynasty was founded in the early days, the Long family had top-notch killer weapons like giant dragons at their disposal, so they did not establish a large standing royal army.

During the Dance of the Blood Dragons, most of the dragons died, but the rule of the Long family was still very stable, so the previous dynasty's elegant administration was continued without reform.

After entering the Robert I dynasty, the three territories directly under the Deer family were divided by the king to his two younger brothers, so the approach was still the same as the previous dynasty.

Even the number of Royal Guards has been greatly reduced, only remaining at about 500 people. For the huge Red Fort, it is barely enough to stand guard at key positions.

As usual, the Prime Minister also has his own bodyguard, which is why during the coup in King's Landing, Renly said that he could capture Cersei and her son by finding a hundred people.

The premise of these is that the king's territory is small, and the king's direct territory cannot provide enough taxes.

After careful consideration, Arthur gave his own statement:

"In terms of the Royal Guard and the Kingsguard, I will remain consistent with the previous government, but in terms of the army directly under the king, I will make a major reform."

In this regard, he and Emperor Qiao agreed.

It is necessary to expand the direct territory of the royal family, and at the same time create a very large royal collar, so that more earl-level nobles can skip the title of king and directly loyal to the king.

As for the money to raise soldiers, in addition to seigniorage, taxes on the territories directly under the royal family, and customs duties on the five major cities, Arthur is also planning to start a royal industry, learn from the free trade city-states across the narrow sea, and use business methods to earn money to support the standing army.

He told the two of his ideas, but only received support from Arianne.

It's no wonder that although the Duke of Metz is mediocre, he can still understand some things clearly.

The king's leadership has already harmed the interests of the seven lords. If the king builds another large royal army, the status of the lord family will be lowered.

"With all due respect, what you did is not in line with the ancestral laws of the Targaryens..." The Duke of Metz refused to give up.

"The laws of our ancestors are used for change." Arthur interrupted the inflatable fish. "Before you formally pledge allegiance to me, you should not dictate my ideas."

After the blood magic ritual, Daenerys has lost her fertility. According to the plot, Jon Snow will also be killed by the brothers of the Night Watch, and then the Lord of Light will resurrect him.

After Snow became a "fire ghost", he could not have sex with a woman and give birth to children. In addition, one of the Mad King's illegitimate children had no offspring, so the Targaryen bloodline was extinct.

This means that dragons can only be tamed by humans in this generation, and there will be no dragons to fight for humans after that.

Therefore, in order for Arthur's dynasty to be long-term and stable, the forces directly under the Iron Throne and the royal territory must have the strength to overwhelm the other seven realms.

The conversation didn't go well with a few people, so the conversation ended hastily.

Afterwards, Arthur and the Princess of Dorne returned to the cabin and began to stick to Daye.

During the period when the two met, Arthur deeply understood the true meaning of the four names Cao Cao, Cao Pi, Cao Zhen, and Cao Shuang.

…

King's Landing, the residence of the Rose family.

The Queen of Thorns has arrived at King's Landing and is currently exchanging her views on the situation with her grandchildren.

The butler hurried into the hall and reported, "Her Majesty the Queen Mother Cersei, the Queen Regent, is here in person and will come in immediately."

Mrs. Olenna whispered "What is she here for?" and then asked the housekeeper: "How many people did she bring with her? Did the king and nobles come with them?"

The butler replied honestly: "It's just a sedan, dozens of Lannister soldiers, and one Kingsguard, and no one else is following."

Margaery and her grandmother looked at each other, "How strange..."

The Queen of Thorns waved her hand gently, "It's not surprising. Since I've arrived in King's Landing, I have to deal with this guy. Garland, Loras, and you, go to the door to greet him. I'll sit here and wait."

The three of them listened to their grandmother's words and followed the housekeeper and most of the servants to the door.

The Queen of Thorns was sitting on the wicker chair, thinking carefully about how to deal with the next situation.

"...As soon as I heard that Lady Olenna had arrived in King's Landing, I ordered someone to prepare a sedan chair and leave the Red Castle to see her. It was a bumpy journey. Is Lady's health okay?"

Although Cersei hadn't yet entered the hall, her voice had already reached the ears of the Queen of Thorns.

Before Margery had time to answer, the Queen Mother walked in quickly.

Olenna did not stand up to salute the Queen Mother, citing her old age.

Cersei chuckled and said, "It's just a courtesy, Madam, you don't have to abide by it."

The two brothers Garlan and Loras who followed in looked at each other and were both surprised why Cersei was so polite today.

After a few people chatted for a while, they finally took their seats.

"The journey went smoothly. Did you encounter any bandits or Stannis's rebels?"

Cersei initiated the conversation.

The Queen of Thorns didn't know what the Queen Mother was paying attention to, so she told her roughly based on the actual situation.

"We took the western route, going north along the Mander River from Bitter Bridge, and then east along the Blackwater River. We didn't encounter many soldiers from the Stormlands."

Cersei smiled and said: "That's good. The old lady is already old, and I have been worried about your journey for a long time. Sometimes I go to the temple and pray for you."

The Queen of Thorns remained calm, "There is no Archbishop or Archbishop in the Great Cathedral of Baelor to listen to your prayers."

Although she was in Highgarden, she was extremely familiar with the situation on the entire continent.

In order to ensure the uniqueness of his king, Stannis took away the new High Septon and all the Archbishops, leaving the Great Sept of Baelor vacant.

"There are still a lot of monks. A bunch of monks who call themselves Sparrows are currently presiding over the religious affairs in the Great Cathedral of Baelor. As the Queen Mother Regent, I reluctantly agree to let them, who are not yet bishops, use the largest church in the Seven Realms."

She was uncharacteristically elegant and gentle today, and when talking to several people from the Rose family, her face smiled as brightly as a flower.

Although Margaery, the Knight of Flowers and others were not used to this kind of situation, they thought that someone might be giving guidance to the queen to establish a good relationship between the Lion family and the Rose family, so several young people slowly accepted this scene.

After the Queen of Thorns and Cersei chatted back and forth for a long time, they finally got to the point.

"Since the Tyrell family is the Iron Throne's most loyal ally, the relationship between our two families should be closer. I propose that Lady Olenna and Margaery move into Maegor's House in the Red Keep, while Garland serves as the financial As the minister’s family, they also live in the Red Castle.”

All members of the Royal Council have their own residences in the Red Keep. The largest one is the Prime Minister's Tower, which sometimes becomes a place for military discussions.

She smiled again and looked at the Knight of Flowers, "As for Ser Loras, a room large enough has been prepared for you in the White Sword Tower of the Kingsguard. I think it should be able to hold all your flowers."

Living in the Red Castle is a symbol of noble status.

All nobles who can enter the Royal Council and live in the Red Castle have at least the title of earl.

For example, the intelligence chief Varys, although he is a eunuch, he also has the title of earl. Archmaester Pycelle is a different matter. His status as a bachelor cannot lead to a noble title.

When little Rose Margery heard this, she was about to agree and then thank the Queen Mother for a few words, but she saw her grandmother waving gently to her.

"It's not urgent. We haven't become in-laws yet, and we don't have the status to live in Maegor's Tower."

The Queen of Thorns tells her grandchildren to calm down.

A hint of apology appeared on Cersei's bright face, "Is it because I didn't take good care of you enough that Lady Olenna was unhappy?"

Before the Queen of Thorns could reply, Cersei explained again:

"It's my fault that I didn't make it clear. I didn't let Garland and others move in a few days ago because I was worried that Stannis had left some killers behind, which would put the lives of the distinguished guests in danger. You see, my dear brother Tyrion, As well as Lord Varys, the kingdom’s intelligence chief, they were taken to unknown places by the hateful killer. I sent many people to search throughout King's Landing, but they couldn't find these two people. But it's different now. I sent loyal soldiers to clean up the entire Red Keep, even the Maiden House and the Stables. The house and garden have been thoroughly cleaned, so Madam can move in with peace of mind.”

The Queen of Thorns picked up a small snack with a rose pattern, took a bite and said:

"That's not what I want to say. King Tommen has not yet accepted the allegiance of the loyal ministers of the Reach. My son, Duke Mace, is still in the hands of the Dragonlords. I heard that your brother is also there, and Margaery and Tommen The marriage contract has not been concluded in the presence of all the family governors, should we do these things first? "

The Red Keep is full of red robes from the Lannister family, and the Queen of Thorns would not dare to move in at this time.

Although Cersei was annoyed at why the Rose family didn't take the bait, her face remained as gentle and considerate as ever.

"My lady is absolutely right." She pondered for a moment, "After a period of recovery, my son has been able to meet all the loyal ministers. I think we can set a date for my son Tommen to formally meet the people of the Reach in the throne room. The governors met and made a marriage contract at the same time."

Having said this, she smiled lightly at Margaery and said, "My relationship with you will become very close."

"As for the Duke of Mace and my incompetent brother, I have already discussed it with the loyal minister of the kingdom, Duke Petyr Baelish. The army from the valley will enter the Riverlands, plus Lord Randyll Tarly's That army is enough to force the false king Arthur to reach a new agreement with us. We must first replace the kingdom's finance minister and then discuss how to quell the rebellion. Your Majesty Tommen has always put the lives of his loyal ministers first. Please do this. rest assured."

As she nibbled on her snack, the Queen of Thorns thought about what Cersei had said.

Since the king is willing to meet people and formally conclude the alliance in the throne room, there should be no doubt about Tommen's identity.

Moreover, her brother James is also in the hands of the Dragon Holder, so there is no need to worry about Mace's safety.

After thinking about it, Olenna, the head of the Rose family, already had an idea.

"Okay, you decide the location, and we the people of the Reach will decide the time, how about that? In addition, since His Majesty Tommen accepts the allegiance of our knights, when the people of the Reach enter the throne room, they must be fully armed and carry swords. , in order to draw his sword and show his allegiance.”

Cersei was still so considerate, "No problem, everything is as the lady said."

The Queen of Thorns took insurance again, "My legs and feet are not very convenient. When Tommen and Margaery sign the wedding contract, I will have to ride there in a carriage. At that time, from here to the throne room, all the way We have to have our Tyrell soldiers.”

Cersei hesitated for a moment, but agreed, "The Tyrell family is the closest ally of the Iron Throne, so our relationship can go further. To show sincerity, on the day Tommen and Margaery made the engagement, everything was done by You have the final say, as many Hebang soldiers want to come in. Once we make a sacred oath, everything will be easy."

The Queen of Thorns was very satisfied with this statement.

The two sides chatted for a long time, and then the Queen Mother took the guards and said goodbye.

After Cersei left, the Queen of Thorns complained about her grandchildren.

"It's all you who made me mistakenly believe that you were false about Tommen's rumors..."

Margaery immediately approached her grandmother and said affectionately: "This is all Stannis's conspiracy. He can even tell the rumor that his nephew was the result of incest. It is not impossible to spread such a lie again." ”

Garland and Loras are also very satisfied with Cersei's performance today. The Lannisters finally pay attention to their allies in line with their status.

…

The Red Keep, Maegor's Tower.

Cersei, who had been pretending for a long time, finally stopped pretending. She ordered the Kingsguard Meryn Tran:

"Go and call Sir Adam Marbrand. I have something important to discuss with him."

The tall Malin Tran nodded and saluted, then turned and left.

Soon, Adam, wearing the black ring armor of the Lion family, walked into the Queen Mother's room.

"There is a cellar under the throne room where dragon skulls are hidden. Many people can be hidden there. You should get familiar with it first, and then select the five most elite 200-man team among the Lannister soldiers..."

Since Kevan left, the main force of the Lion family is temporarily in charge of Sir Adam.

Although he was loyal to the Lion family, the more he heard, the more something was wrong.

"Your Majesty, is this crazy?"

Cersei glared at him and said coldly: "Only the Riverbend soldiers are useful to us, the rest are just waste of food. That's how we deal with it."

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