ebookpocket.com #445 - Chapter 179: Sea Monster Enters the Game (I)
#445 - Chapter 179: Sea Monster Enters the Game (I)
Just then, a guard rushed into the room and knelt on one knee, reporting: "Your Majesty, the reinforcements sent by Duke James have arrived, led by Lord Tigett." Hearing this news, Cersei felt a surge of joy in her heart, but quickly returned to calm, and a serious expression reappeared on her face.
Next, Cersei turned to Qyburn and solemnly instructed: "I don't want anyone to know what happened just now, do you understand my meaning? Just do as I say." Qyburn respectfully replied: "Yes, Queen Mother. In addition, I have an important matter to report to you, please move to the cellar, there is something there that may become the key to changing the battle."
Cersei frowned slightly and asked suspiciously: "Oh? Really? I hope you didn't deceive me, otherwise..." A hint of threat was revealed in her words. Qyburn nodded quickly, indicating that he would never deceive her. So, Cersei stood up, followed closely by the loyal Mountain, and left the room together.
King's Landing Cellar, since the assassination of Duke Mace, the Red Keep has strengthened the management of the underground passage. Some passages were sealed off, and soldiers guarded major intersections like this.
Qyburn led a group of people slowly, hearing their footsteps, the Red Keep guard asked: "Stop, who is it?"
Then they saw a tall figure, with the golden armor, everyone recognized that it was the Mountain. And he followed the Queen Mother almost every step of the way, and several guards respectfully saluted: "Greetings, Queen Mother!"
Qyburn said to them: "Open the door! Her Majesty wants to inspect."
Passing through the dark corridor, they came to the underground palace where the dragon skeletons were displayed. The dark dragon skeletons faced the gate, and their huge bodies could not help but feel a chill. Under the illumination of the surrounding fire, these dragon skeletons looked hideous and terrifying, and although they had been dead for many years, they still showed people their former majesty.
"Have you been here before? Your Majesty." Qyburn suddenly asked, his voice echoing in the empty underground palace.
Cersei slowly shook her head, her eyes fell on the dragon skeletons, revealing a complex emotion in her eyes. She gently stroked a dragon bone, feeling its cold touch, and then said softly: "No, I have never been here before. Since Robert moved these dragon bones out of the council hall, I have never seen them again."
Qyburn nodded slightly, a look of contemplation appeared on his face. He looked at the dragon skeletons, as if thinking about something, and then he said: "I am very curious, why didn't King Robert send someone to destroy these things."
The corners of Cersei's mouth turned up slightly, she sneered, and said: "Robert would not destroy these dragon bones, this is his trophy and a symbol of his bravery. But he can't put these things by his side, it would make him look small. Sometimes Robert would bring some prostitutes here to fool around, and take a look at these things by the way." In her words, she revealed dissatisfaction and contempt for King Robert.
Soon they came to a hideous dragon skull, it was so huge that even a single tusk was taller than a person.
Qyburn looked at the skull in front of him, his eyes flickering with excitement. He introduced to Cersei: "This is Balerion the Black Dread, the largest dragon in recorded history. Aegon the Conqueror rode it across the sea, and its dragon flame forged the Iron Throne. He conquered the entire Westeros and brought the Seven Kingdoms under the rule of the Targaryen family. When I was in theCitadel, I was fascinated by the occult, and there were many studies about dragons. Perhaps the powerful dragons are not invincible."
His words aroused Cersei's interest, and she couldn't help asking: "Have you found the dragon's weakness?"
Qyburn smiled slightly, led Cersei to the other side, and lifted the tarpaulin, under which was a hugeballista. He continued: "I have consulted many classics, and there are records of dragons being injured by spears and arrows. At that time, I was thinking, since dragons can be injured, they must be able to be killed by ordinary weapons. So I began to study how to create a weapon that could penetrate the dragon's hard scales. Not long ago, I recruited the best blacksmiths and carpenters in King's Landing, and after working day and night, I finally made this. Your Majesty, please move that handle."
Hearing this, Cersei walked forward curiously, she stretched out her hand to hold the handle, and pulled it gently. "Whoosh~" With a sharp sound of breaking through the air, the powerful force of the four crossbow arms burst out instantly, ejecting a crossbow arrow more than two meters long at an alarming speed. The crossbow arrow flashed through the air like lightning, hitting Balerion's skull accurately, and the huge impact made it directly submerged for most of it.
Cersei looked at the giant crossbow in front of her, and a glimmer of hope rose in her heart. If, as Qyburn said, the giant crossbow could be used to shoot and kill the dragon, then they would have the power to fight against the Dragon Queen.
Qyburn said excitedly: "After countless experiments and improvements, I finally found the answer. Your Majesty, I am honored to introduce you to this dragon hunting crossbow. The power of this giant crossbow is enough to shoot through the dragon's scales, and as long as it hits the vital parts, it can be killed."
A flash of ecstasy flashed in Cersei's eyes, and she couldn't help but cheered: "Lord Qyburn, your gift is really a surprise to me! Now I authorize you to summon the craftsmen of King's Landing and do your best to build this dragon hunting crossbow. If you can shoot down that little bitch's dragon, I will make you a duke, and you can choose the territory of those rebels at will."
Qyburn bowed excitedly to thank him, his voice trembling slightly: "Thank you for the grace of the Queen Mother!" Then, he slowly raised his head, gazing at Cersei with fervent eyes, and said confidently: "Your Majesty, with this dragon hunting crossbow, we will have the power to fight the enemy. But we still need to find excellent shooters to maximize its power. I suggest selecting from the garrison in King's Landing and selecting the best shooters to form a special dragon hunting unit."
Cersei nodded slightly, expressing her approval: "Do as you say. Qyburn, I will leave this matter to you. If you can successfully slay a dragon, you will be the first to take credit."
Qyburn bowed again, a flash of ambition flashed in his eyes: "Thank you, Your Majesty! I will live up to your expectations!"
................................
At this time, in Maegor's Holdfast, Queen Margaery was discussing some matters with her brother Garlan.
Margaery said with a worried face: "Second brother, what exactly does grandmother mean? The supplies sent this time are less than 20% of what they used to be. The people of King's Landing are on the verge of breaking out. If this continues, I'm afraid the good reputation I've worked so hard to build will be ruined."
Garlan listened, and could only shrug helplessly, and sighed: "My dear sister, do you know how much our family has paid for this since your marriage with Renly until now? More than five million gold dragons spent, nearly 50,000 soldiers killed or injured, and the continuous flow of various supplies to King's Landing every month, all of these have put great pressure on the family."
Garlan continued: "The war in the south has not ended yet, and the long-term war has made the major families exhausted. Those lords are very dissatisfied with our Tyrell family, because they feel that they have paid too much and received too little. We rely on our own strength to fight against Dorne and Storm's End, but this is not a long-term solution. This time, the Dragon Queen is fighting against the White Walkers in the north, and the entire Westeros issued a conscription order. You saw the result, those fence-sitting families sent their children to go. As far as I know, the Hightower and Redwyne families have participated. Even Randyll Tarly's eldest son, who was exiled to the Wall, is said to have made great contributions in this battle."
Margaery is also a smart person, and she quickly understood the reason. The wars in the past few years have indeed greatly weakened the various families, and human and material resources have been severely depleted. Under the Westeros feudal fiefdom system, the liege has the right to conscript vassals to fight, but this service has a time limit. Usually the service period is 6-8 weeks, which is 40-60 days. Within this time, the knight needs to prepare his own equipment and pay for his own expenses.
Since all the bottom vassals, that is, the knights, are some small landlords, they need to manage their own territory. If the service period has been reached, they can justifiably refuse the call of the lord, or ask the lord to pay remuneration. (In the original play, Robb beheaded Earl Karstark, and the Karstark family's troops directly left his command. There was no obstruction afterwards, because the Karstark family's service period had already arrived.)
This is the rule under the feudal system. Although the lord has a higher status, the vassals also have certain autonomy and rights. When the vassals feel that they have been treated unfairly or their interests have been damaged, they may take action to protect their rights. Therefore, as the war goes on, the vassals under their command become mercenaries. This situation is not uncommon in history.
Of course, if you encounter a very strong lord like Tywin Lannister, no one dares to stab him. In today's Westeros, all the major families are facing such a dilemma. The long-term wars have made them unable to bear more burdens.
Therefore, when the Dragon Queen issued a conscription order, many families chose to respond to the call, and the major families sent people as a test. For those fence-sitting families who were originally wavering, this was an opportunity to please the Dragon Queen and change the status of the family.
The Reach has the largest population and the most fertile land in the Seven Kingdoms. In order to support the Iron Throne, the Tyrell family has been involved in the war for a long time. The nobles and lords below have long been dissatisfied, and they are taking this opportunity to cling to the Dragon Queen.
After figuring out the key, Margaery asked eagerly: "Then what are grandmother and brother's instructions?" She knew her grandmother's wisdom and experience, and hoped to get guidance from her. She understood that the current situation was very delicate, and hoped to ensure her safety.
Garlan: "Big brother asked Loras to leave with some people first, and I will lead the army here to help you. If... the war is unfavorable, I will protect you from leaving King's Landing."
Margaery: "What about Tommen?"
Garlan said seriously: "Tommen is the king. If King's Landing falls, he must stay in the Red Keep to maintain the dignity of the royal family."
Margaery: "But I can't leave him alone!"
Garlan responded indifferently: "............"
Margaery: "I understand, I will obey grandmother's arrangements, but I want to try harder."
Garlan: "Okay, I will write a letter to grandmother. But I don't think you should have too much hope. Daenerys has hundreds of thousands of troops, and the most important thing is that she has dragons."
"I know, but I don't want to give up so easily." Margaery looked out the window with firm eyes. She knew this would be a difficult battle, but she was willing to work harder for her dreams. The first thing is to gather military power. She decided to personally visit those powerful families and win their support. However, many families were afraid of Daenerys and were unwilling to risk confronting her.
A few days later, the atmosphere in King's Landing became more and more tense. Margaery ran around trying to persuade other nobles and generals to join her camp. Because the king has been depressed and does not care about government affairs. Margaery began to compete with Cersei for power as queen, and military power was the most important thing. With her wisdom and charm, she gradually won the support of some people.
At the same time, Loras led a group of people and has left King's Landing. These people include relatives of the Reach nobles. Margaery prayed silently in her heart that they could reach their destination safely.
With Margaery's efforts, she successfully won over several families who held important positions. They promised to give her support in the war and provide a certain number of soldiers. Margaery felt a trace of comfort, but she knew it was far from enough. She needed more power to counter Daenerys' threat.
This day, Margaery received a secret report. After reading the content, Margaery immediately went to Garlan to discuss countermeasures with him.
Garlan was dealing with official business. Not all the children cultivated by the top families are useless. Even a freak like Loras is a top fighter in the Seven Kingdoms in terms of martial arts. Garlan looked at Margaery walking over with a serious face, and couldn't help but feel a little puzzled. He signed the document and gave a few instructions to several officials: "Okay, arrange it like this, you go down and do your work!"
After a few people left, he raised his head and said: "My dear sister, what happened that made you so anxious?"
Margaery threw the letter in front of him: "It's the news I just received. We've been deceived by that bitch for so long."
Garlan picked up the letter and looked at it, and couldn't help laughing: "Hehe, Cersei, as the Queen Mother, has really spent a lot of money, and she is willing to lose herself."
This letter is fromArbor, which is quite dramatic. A few days ago, the Grimm family of Greyshield Island discovered the sky-coveringKraken sails during the patrol.