The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Mountain looked at Haji Moar, and of course he heard that the other party was using retreat as a means of advancing. The King hoped to continue being the King of Qarth, and Haji also hoped to continue being the sole leader of the Merchant Guild.

Killing the Thirteen, the power, wealth, and trade control of the Thirteen naturally belonged to Haji Moar.

Mountain said, "Haji Moar, will the Thirteen Guild never exist again?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Then, who does the wealth of the Thirteen Guild belong to?"

"Your Majesty, each of the Thirteen has a family. The Twelve have already paid with their lives, and their wealth belongs to their families."

"What about the trade control of the Twelve? Who has the final say now?"

"If Your Majesty is willing to entrust it to me, I am willing to manage the Thirteen Guild's former trade channels, the management of the huge guild members, and the guild's mercenary corps for Your Majesty. Everything will be arranged by Your Majesty."

Mountain couldn't fault Haji's words.

But this matter was too smooth.

The pro-war faction in the city was the Tourmaline Brotherhood. Mountain understood killing the Tourmaline Brotherhood, but why kill the Twelve? After killing the Twelve, the power of the Thirteen Guild was concentrated in Haji alone. What kind of deal was there between the King and Haji?

Mountain said, "Haji, you and your party go back first. I will arrange for a general to enter the city and take over all the dragon-hunting ballistae first."

Mountain was very cautious!

"As you command, Your Majesty."

"Also, have your King come to the military camp to see me."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

*

A day later, the three indestructible gates of Qarth were opened one by one. Asha, Grey Worm, and Gormezzo Saan rode side by side, followed by a thousand Unsullied legions, more than two thousand Dothraki cavalry, and three thousand-man regiments, slowly entering the city.

The streets of the city were crowded with onlookers.

Because of its trade with the world, Qarth had people from all over the world, with diverse and colorful ethnic costumes.

Grey Worm and Gormezzo Saan entered the city of Qarth for the first time. They saw many reliefs on the city walls depicting intimate scenes between men and women, lifelike. In addition to those reliefs of intimate relationships, there were also images of various gods.

Each image was very colorful, as if it had just been painted yesterday.

Qarth's painting art and pigment technology had reached a very advanced civilization.

After entering the third gate, what came into view were various giant bronze sculptures. The bronze pillars were mostly carved with dragons, manticores, and griffins.

The houses on both sides of the street were of various shapes, and the exterior walls were covered with colorful paintings.

This was a beautiful and splendid city.

If such a city were to be burned down, it would simply be a waste of natural resources.

Asha entered the city of Qarth for the second time, but she was still shocked. The streets of Qarth were as straight and wide as the Long Bridge of Volantis. Except for Qarth, Asha, Grey Worm, and Gormezzo Saan had never seen such neat and spacious streets in any other city.

Qarth's prosperity was extraordinary.

The team entered the city with a bang. The thousand Unsullied were the first echelon. They were silent, their eyes cold, their faces resolute under their bronze helmets. Everyone held up a long spear, the tip of the spear shining brightly, like a moving forest of spears. The warriors all wore identical short knives at their waists, and round shields on their backs.

The Unsullied entered the city with solemn military might.

No one dared to underestimate these thousand people.

The most famous battle of the Unsullied was when two thousand people blocked the charge of fifty thousand Dothraki cavalry. In the end, after leaving behind tens of thousands of Dothraki corpses, the Unsullied still had six hundred people. Finally, the six hundred Unsullied, fighting back-to-back against the city wall, won the victory. The Dothraki Khal came to them, waved his knife, cut off his long hair, and handed it to the Unsullied captain, declaring defeat.

That battle spread throughout Essos, and the name of the Unsullied became synonymous with invincibility. The people of Qarth also knew about that battle. In the city of Qarth, many nobles and royals also had Unsullied soldiers purchased as guards.

A legion of a thousand Unsullied was a military force that no one could underestimate. The Unsullied's long spears were more suitable for restraining cavalry.

Behind the thousand Unsullied were a thousand Dothraki cavalry.

These were the elite of the Dothraki cavalry.

The warriors were all bare-chested, revealing their developed muscles. Their hair was long and braided, dragging on their shoulders, and bells were tied to their braids.

As the warhorses moved, the bells jingled.

A thousand soldiers had thousands of bells ringing.

As the team advanced, the warhorses did not neigh, the soldiers were silent, but the bells jingled.

The longer the hair of the Dothraki, the more invincible he was in battle. The bells were the dirge of the enemy's life. The more Dothraki cavalry with long hair and more bells, the more enemies he had killed and the more battles he had won.

The people of Qarth had no good feelings towards the Dothraki. The Dothraki lived by looting and slaving. Wherever they went, they looted. When they encountered a city, they besieged and looted it; when they encountered a village, they surrounded and looted it. They not only robbed money and food, but also people. They robbed people, regardless of gender. Men were enslaved, women were concubines, and then sold into brothels. If they disagreed, they would raise their scimitars and kill people.

On the streets, there were also Qartheen soldiers maintaining order.

The people dared to be angry but dared not speak out against the Dothraki entering the city. Many citizens were worried that the Dothraki would not be able to resist the temptation to suddenly ride their horses and rob after seeing the prosperity of Qarth. Those with daughters in their families hid their daughters first.

The Dothraki had a bad reputation in Qarth, and the fair-skinned and handsome Qartheen also looked down on the bare-chested, sturdy, and wild Dothraki. They considered the Dothraki barbarians.

The second Dothraki thousand-man regiment entered the city, the team was neat, and the bells still rang. The jingling sound rang on the streets of Qarth, like a cheerful light music.

The looting and chaos that the people of Qarth were worried about did not happen. For the first time, they saw the sturdy Dothraki cavalry up close, and for the first time, they felt that the Dothraki were also a military regiment with military discipline.

*

Asha, Grey Worm, and Gormezzo Saan led the team to the royal palace. The courtiers and generals of the royal palace were already waiting in the royal palace square. The one in the middle, wearing brocade clothes and a crown, was the King himself.

On the King's left and right sides stood Haji Moar, who had once been an envoy to see Mountain, the Undying warlock, and the Grand Steward.

Asha, Grey Worm, and Gormezzo Saan knew these three people.

Asha and the others dismounted, knelt on one knee, and saluted the King.

This was what Mountain had ordered them to do.

After the King of Qarth was willing to kill the pro-war faction, unify the various forces, open the door to surrender and submit, Mountain ordered his generals to respect him and treat him with royal etiquette.

Mountain always remembered Tywin Lannister's words: Be majestic and cold to the enemy, but once the other party kneels, personally help him up.

The King of Qarth did not dare to neglect, and quickly helped Asha and the other two up.

Behind Asha, the Unsullied legion stood ready, and the Dothraki cavalry legion did not dismount.

Three thousand people had the military might of thirty thousand people. In contrast, the Qartheen soldiers lacked that indomitable, strong, iron-blooded temperament.

Asha said, "Your Majesty, we are here on the order of King Gregor to take over the city walls and royal palace guards. Please give us a warrant so that our centurions can remove all the dragon-hunting ballistae on the city walls, and all the dragon-hunting ballistae in the city need to be gathered together and then destroyed."

"General Asha, I have already signed the order."

Originally, the King of Qarth directly ordered the city defense team to remove the dragon-hunting ballistae deployed on the city walls; the same was true for the dragon-hunting ballistae placed in various parts of the city. An order could solve the deployment of the dragon-hunting ballistae, but Mountain specifically requested that his soldiers personally remove them.

Although the King and generals of Qarth felt that King Gregor Clegane was doing something unnecessary, they were still willing to listen to King Gregor's decision and did not raise any objections.

The person in charge of this operation was Asha Greyjoy.

Grey Worm and Gormezzo Saan were Asha's right and left hands.

Thirty centurions were Asha's executive officers.

Three thousand soldiers also included taking over the outer guards of the royal palace.

After Asha received the King's edict, she immediately ordered four Unsullied hundred-man regiments and four Dothraki cavalry hundred-man regiments, a total of eight hundred soldiers, to guard the east, west, north, and south gates. The city gate guards were not the guards on the city walls.

Six hundred Unsullied were responsible for guarding the royal palace and protecting the safety of the royal family.

A thousand Dothraki cavalry, in groups of two hundred, were divided into four areas and were responsible for collecting the dragon-hunting ballistae in the entire city. All the dragon-hunting ballistae were piled up in the royal palace square.

Six hundred Dothraki cavalry were responsible for carrying down the dragon-hunting ballistae on the city walls.

After all the arrangements were completed, the three thousand legion soldiers left in order and went to their respective positions.

"Your Majesty, please!" Asha said.

The King of Qarth nodded and sat on the brocade carriage that had been prepared earlier.

Asha, Grey Worm, and Gormezzo Saan led the way, followed by the King's carriage, heading towards the north gate. The King's carriage was followed by Haji Moar, the Undying warlock, the Grand Steward of the palace, the masked elders of the Sorrowful Men, and dozens of courtiers and generals.

Behind the courtiers and generals was the royal guard—five hundred-man regiments. They were all pure Qartheen, with white skin, tall stature, golden yellow scale armor, golden yellow saddles, and golden yellow banners. They had golden yellow long spears, golden yellow short swords at their waists, daggers in their boots, and golden yellow round shields on their backs, with a golden yellow lion in the middle of the shield.

The team headed towards the Dothraki cavalry camp outside the north gate, where Mountain and his generals were waiting for them.

*

In the rear of the Dothraki military camp, hundreds of blacksmiths and thousands of apprentices were smelting steel. Weapons Master Tobho Mott was guiding them. The relevant molds for casting a cannon had been completed, and as long as good iron was forged, a cannon would soon be made.

The Great Sage led hundreds of people in refining cannon iron bullets.

Qarth had not officially surrendered, and all of Mountain's plans were still being implemented. Even if Qarth completed its surrender, Mountain would not stop the cannon casting.

He wanted to continue eastward!

Melisandre and Quaithe's hometowns were still further east, in the Shadow Lands of Asshai. Legend has it that the Ghost Grass Sea in the Shadow Lands is the original area where magic dragons are born. On the grasslands of the Ghost Grass Sea, there are still many dragon egg fossils.

Magic dragons had returned, and those dragon egg fossils would also awaken. Some small wild dragons were about to be hatched by nature.

*

The scout blew the horn.

The呜呜呜 horn sounded throughout the military camp.

Tens of thousands of Dothraki cavalry immediately mounted their horses and formed a line, with a thousand people in each square formation.

Mountain and Daenerys also walked out of the central military tent to greet the King of Qarth. Mountain and Daenerys were followed by Jorah Mormont, Quaithe, Missandei, scholars, doctors, priests, heroes, Unsullied guards, Khals, and their bloodriders.

Tens of thousands of Dothraki cavalry ran and lined up in response to the orders, rumbling, and the horses' hooves pounded the ground, making a thunderous sound.

The military might was inspiring and made people's blood boil.

Sheepstealer flew out of the central military tent, its wings unfolded, darkening the eyes of the crowd. Drogon, the black dragon, followed closely behind, making a dragon roar, flying diagonally, drawing a beautiful arc.

The giant dragon flew into the sky, and tens of thousands of soldiers raised their scimitars and shouted in unison. Tens of thousands of people shouted together, and the声音惊天动地 sound was earth-shattering.

In front, the King of Qarth and the nobles who came to see Mountain all looked solemn.

Even sitting in the carriage, the King could feel that powerful aura.

After seeing the giant dragon that covered the sky and the sun overhead and the dark mass of Unsullied legions and Dothraki cavalry formations on the ground, dozens of courtiers and generals secretly rejoiced at the correctness of His Majesty the King's decision to seek peace.

Once the war started, even with the dragon-hunting ballistae, the triple city walls could not stop the dragon's dragonflame.

As His Majesty the King said, even if the dragon-hunting ballistae could pose a fatal threat to the dragon, as long as one dragon successfully breathed fire, Qarth would usher in destruction.

Once the city gate was broken, there would be a bloody battle and a massacre of the city. Qarth's mercenary legion would not be a match for the Unsullied and the Dothraki. In the end, Qarth would be washed in blood.

*

Outside the military camp, Mountain stood in the middle of the avenue. He wore plate armor, a black cloak, and a giant sword on his back. The hilt of the giant sword extended from behind his shoulders, which was very huge.

Even the tall warhorse looked small standing next to Mountain.

The Qartheen courtiers and generals on horseback were all surprised when they saw Mountain's figure.

The rumors they had heard and the real person they saw were completely different feelings.

Many generals and soldiers had the urge to dismount and pay homage as soon as they saw Mountain.

That natural desire to submit was the same as the psychology of those rogue bandits and pirates who willingly submitted as soon as they saw Mountain.

The submission of the rogue bandits and pirates was an undisguised kneeling submission, swearing allegiance to Mountain, and they would not care about any other people's eyes at all. However, these Qartheen generals and soldiers controlled that instinctive impulse. They still had the dignity of the royal family and the face of the royal soldiers.

The courtiers were surprised by Mountain's rare power and ferocity. They were more willing to associate this power and ferocity with barbarism.

And those who valued martial arts even more worshiped the strongest in martial arts!