Watching Illyrio's corpulent figure disappear outside the door, Daenerys, seated at the head of the table, turned her head toward the sole remaining mber of her staff.
"Aegor, what do you think?"
"Let state the conclusion first. What that Magister said is logical and mostly not nonsense, but there is a trap in it," the questioned man replied calmly. "He gave you two choices. Either abandon the Great King's Landing Plan or abandon the anti-slavery stance, or fight wars in both the east and the west. Does Your Grace not find that problematic?"
Daenerys frowned and thought for a mont, confused. "Is there a third option?"
"No. The problem lies in the thinking itself. We are all adults. Why should we have to choose between two options just because soone else presents them?" Aegor shrugged. "Why can't we have both, or neither?"
Both or neither? For a mont, Daenerys felt a flash of clarity, but after thinking carefully she still could not grasp it. "But if I insist on opposing slavery, at least seven of the nine Free Cities will unite against , right?"
"That's correct, but who says the two wars must be fought at the sa ti? Do not forget that the Narrow Sea lies between the two continents, and the Stormlands lie between the Reach and the east coast. These two distant forces cannot easily communicate or coordinate joint operations." Aegor spoke with confidence. "You did declare in ereen that you would abolish slavery worldwide. It is reasonable for slave owners to unite against you because of this, and I also believe they have ford a 'City Union'. But to say this union can simultaneously impose military, economic, and diplomatic sanctions against Westeros in perfect coordination? They may hope for such a thing, but such a highly organized operation would be difficult even for a unified Westeros Kingdom, let alone nine distant and independent trading Free Cities."
"Are you saying Illyrio is trying to scare ?"
"That is one possibility. But as policymakers, we must follow the principle of better safe than sorry when facing danger signals. We should not take them lightly. Let us assu everything Illyrio said is true. Facing the City Union's counterasures, do we have any solutions?" Aegor reviewed the points the wealthy rchant had listed.
"First, the war of public opinion. The enemy is widely proclaiming you as an anti-slavery fighter. While this provokes hostility from slave owners, it also lets slaves around the world know of your existence, raising their expectations of you as a liberator. The surrender and defection of the Volantis fleet is the best example. In so ways, public opinion and exposure bring not only enemies but also potential allies. The advantages and disadvantages are actually hard to judge."
"As for the trade embargo, it sounds frightening, but if you think carefully, what does Westeros import from the Free Cities? Silk, dyes, jewelry, spices, and certain specialties. These goods are of high quality and improve living standards. They are also favored by the middle and upper classes. But even if they were unavailable for a year or two, society would not collapse. On the contrary, the Seven Kingdoms regularly export grain to Essos. Although the quantity is not large, it is an essential resource. If trade is interrupted, saying thousands will starve may be an exaggeration, but soaring grain prices and people struggling to survive are certain. Considering this, the trade embargo should be our tactic, not theirs. Would the enemy really use a thod that harms us a hundred while harming themselves a thousand just to fight a war of attrition? This is not an argunt where whoever speaks first gains the advantage."
"That makes sense," Daenerys nodded. "But how does that relate to your 'have both' or 'have neither'?"
"After analyzing the situation we can see that things like the war of public opinion and economic pressure are rely clouds." Aegor raised a finger. "The only thing we truly fear is if the nine Free Cities actually send armies to harass us. More precisely, if they send troops to interfere when we attack the Reach."
Many people believe the nine Free Cities are simply nine cities, which is a serious misunderstanding. Though they are called Free Cities, each is actually a small republic centered around a prosperous core city like King's Landing, surrounded by nurous towns, villages, and lands. However, in these small states the republic belongs not to the people but to a group of slave owners and rchants. Each Free City is roughly the size of the Gift, and its population and strength are no weaker than the Crownlands. Volantis alone rivals several of the others combined. Altogether, the strength of the nine Free Cities is not much weaker than Westeros at this stage.
Both Aegor and Daenerys understood clearly that becoming enemies with all nine of these small states at once, even if victory were possible, would severely hinder the recovery of production.
"'Have neither' ans you do not need to abandon either opposing slavery or implenting the Great King's Landing Plan. 'Have both' ans we want both the Reach and the nine Free Cities." Aegor made a grasping gesture in the air, revealing the answer. "The thod is strategic deception. We buy ti and separate the timing of the two wars, avoiding a two-front conflict. We can send envoys or letters to the Free Cities, stating that we are willing to respect their traditional customs, or declaring that the issue of debt inheritance still has room for negotiation. Then we invite them to send envoys to King's Landing for further talks and to sign non-aggression treaties."
"The interests of the nine Free Cities are not fully aligned. Once we release this signal, their so-called City Union will struggle to act in unison because each city has its own agenda. Communication cannot be done by raven across the Narrow Sea. ssages going back and forth take at least a month. What we need to do is exploit this delay, quickly resolve the war in the Reach, and free our hands to deal with the conflict across the sea."
It was a good idea, but Daenerys still had doubts. "Should I be the one to show goodwill first to a group of slave owners? After declaring that I respect their traditional customs, would it not make seem deceitful if I later pressure them to abolish slavery?"
"Your Grace is still too kind-hearted." What is the problem with treaties that exist to be broken? Aegor laughed. "There are many ways to solve this. To give a simple example, when the ti cos to turn hostile, we can simply insist that slavery is historical dross, a sinful practice condemned by both n and gods, not a traditional custom worth respecting. That would be enough." He put away his smile. "There is an even more fundantal thod. I do not know whether you or your ancestors have realized it. Eight of the nine Free Cities were outposts for the westward expansion of the Valyrian Freehold. They call themselves the Daughters of Valyria. The only exception, Braavos, was built by slaves who escaped from your ancestors."
Is that not common knowledge?
Daenerys thought subconsciously. The next second her eyes suddenly widened.
"I can have both the Reach and the nine Free Cities. This is not a taphor?"
"Exactly. As the ruling family of the Valyrian Freehold, one of the Forty Dragonlord families, after the other thirty-nine families perished the Targaryens naturally possess a claim to the entire ancient territory of the Freehold. The rebuilder of the Freehold, the Empress of the Valyrian Empire. Your Grace, think about it. Is that title not far more appealing than Queen of Westeros?" Aegor smiled, confirming her guess. "Revealing this hidden claim preserved for three hundred years is a major undertaking. Once used, it becos a life-and-death struggle with no turning back. But the benefit is also clear. Once we successfully subdue the Free Cities and make them swear allegiance, whether they continue practicing slavery will beco an internal affair of the reborn Valyrian Empire. At that ti, as Empress, you can issue a decree to reform the system of the nine Free Cities that has existed for thousands of years, without having to fight and shed blood as you did in Slaver's Bay. Would that not be wonderful?"
Daenerys's mouth hung slightly open. Her eyes were blank, yet flickering with longing. She remained silent for a long ti. If the Great King's Landing Plan had seed grand and ambitious, at least she had considered or anticipated sothing similar. But restoring the Valyrian Empire was pure fantasy. She had never imagined even a fragnt of such a vision.
"So I should first stall the Free Cities with strategy. After securing King's Landing, I then deal with them and attempt to intervene in Essos. But with continuous warfare like this, can our logistics and treasury support it? Would we not appear overly militaristic?"
"It would certainly be impossible to wage war against all the Free Cities at once. A mixture of pulling and striking is the correct approach. Harming ten fingers is not as effective as breaking one. As long as we catch the two leaders and crush them, the others will beco fearful and realize they are no match. Then we offer generous terms of surrender. With the character and courage of slave owners, how could they possibly fight to the end?" Aegor spoke with certainty, then prepared to change the subject. "This matter can be discussed later. At that ti I will draft a detailed plan and present it to Your Grace for review. You can decide then. For now we must focus our attention, fight the coming western campaign well, and complete the final step of the Great King's Landing Plan."
As the war advanced with repeated victories, the Great King's Landing Plan gradually moved from a distant concept sketched on paper in a tower of Crown Town toward reality. As it approached realization, however, its sense of anticipation began to fade. To address this, Aegor not only provided Daenerys with a workable plan to handle the City Union but also painted a far grander vision, drawing her attention toward greater ambitions.
The purpose was to use the lure of greater military glory and domination to suppress the faint maternal affection she felt for Young Aegon.
Only after doing this could he calmly move to the next topic and throw a bucket of dirt, or rather blood, onto soone who had just walked out the door.
"Oh, I suddenly thought of a subtle detail regarding timing," Aegor said as if recalling sothing after giving Daenerys ti to digest the grand vision. "Your Grace, how many days has it been since we took King's Landing? And how many days does it take to sail from Pentos to King's Landing? No matter how we calculate it, Illyrio should still have been on the road south, not yet outside the city, when he boarded a ship and set sail. If that is the case, did he travel here specifically to wait for you at your camp, or did he have another purpose?"
"Hmm?" Daenerys was slightly confused by the sudden change in topic. "That does not seem strange. My Unsullied and sellswords were besieging King's Landing. It is reasonable for him to co wait at a place where I was certain to arrive."
"Indeed, indeed." Aegor nodded repeatedly, though the doubt in his brow remained. "But you also heard him admit that he has been in contact with Aegon's Hand. I am wondering how deep his relationship with Lord Jon Connington truly goes. Has he hedged his bets and provided substantial support to the other Targaryen as well? Is that why he does not wish to see the two sides he supports weaken each other, reducing his final profits?"
Daenerys said nothing. A strange chill crept up her spine to the back of her head.
Illyrio had helped her so much that although she knew he was rely a rchant and investor, she had never truly doubted his stance. But what if he was not her enemy, yet not entirely on her side either?
If that were true, many doubts that once seed shrouded in fog suddenly began to make sense.
"Alright, it was my lack of foresight. Your Grace, please forgive my casual remarks. I should not influence your thinking with speculation that lacks evidence." Aegor shook his head with annoyance, as if discarding the thought. "As for Illyrio's involvent with Aegon's faction, I will send people to investigate carefully. Once there are concrete results and evidence, I will report to you personally. Until then, please continue focusing your energy on the original plan."
Aegor only questioned Illyrio's loyalty. Nowhere did he ntion the poisoning incident. So things are most effective when others reach the conclusion themselves. Obvious hints are less effective. Although Daenerys had not pressed constantly for progress in the investigation, with her personality she would never forget an attack that threatened her rule and safety. Illyrio could never imagine that the true culprit who poisoned his partner had been among the few people in the hall just now, and that he himself had revealed the key clue and the breakthrough point.
...
The wealthy Magister who had just walked out of Daenerys's temporary residence was being helped into his sedan chair by servants when he suddenly sneezed for no reason. A faint unease rose within him as an inexplicable chill spread across his body. He suddenly had a premonition that his improvised performance had failed to convince Daenerys to spare Aegon. He would likely have to devise other plans to provide his child with the support and assistance he desperately needed.
(To be continued.)
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