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It was a strange morning in the cities of Yunkai and ereen. The people of both the cities had woken up as usual, expecting to go about their usual routine of the daily work. But sothing unusual had thrown both cities into chaos. Not a physical chaos, but rather a ntal chaos. And even the physical chaos did not seem very far.
Parchnts, hundreds of them, had been found posted all over the cities, pinned to doors, stuck on pillars, nailed to market stalls. Each carried the sa ssage, and by the ti the good and the wise masters could even think of getting them removed, almost every person in both cities knew of them.
To the smallfolk and the highborn, to slaves and freen, to n and won, to the masters who rule and the many who are ruled. Hear .
I am Aeos, The Monarch of Astapor, founder of an empire where no man or woman wears the yoke of slavery.
An empire where the necks of people are not clutched with a band of slavery.
An empire where wealth flows not only to the mighty, but to any who would work for it.
An empire governed by laws and order, and not on whims of rich elite.
An empire where no one is tortured or slaughtered simply for being poor, or powerless, or born in chains.
An empire where the daughters and sons are not snatched away from their mothers to be turned into slaves.
You may wonder why these words reach you now. What purpose lies behind them?
Know this truth.
My army, twenty thousand strong, marches even now as you read this ssage. Twelve thousand n will stand before the gates of ereen while eight thousand before the gates of Yunkai
Six days from this very morning, my soldiers will be at your walls.
And what do my army carry with them? Liberation. Freedom. Dignity.
To the masters of ereen and Yunkai, who are the perpetrator and protector of this order. Who pride themselves on their false sense of greatness. Do not resist.
As in Astapor, slavery shall end in your cities. Your cities will be reshaped as part of my empire. Whether you want it or do not want it.
So, hear my counsel. Open your gates when and my n appear. Bend your knee. It shall not be your defeat, but it shall be your wisdom. Your foresight. Stand on the right side of history. Claim the prosperity and security my rule will bring.
Cling to your lives and let them flourish under new laws, rather than perish in useless struggle against .
To the slaves, the oppressed, the humble and hungry of your cities.
A new dawn of revolution approaches. Let its fire smolder in your hearts. Let the seeds of revolution sprout in your heart.
But hold your hand. Wait for .
When my army will stand at your gates, then the hour of your freedom will co. Then shall the revolution truly begin.
Then shall your fate be yours alone to shape.
For I am coming.
The ssage from Aeos had caused an uproar throughout both cities. Though Yunkai and ereen were outwardly calm for now, heavy undercurrents of unrest were brewing beneath the surface. Undercurrents which were gearing to burst one Jon and his army would reach their gates.
And this was precisely Jon's strategy. To ignite an internal rebellion within these cities. This ssage was neither the first nor the last move in his carefully woven plan.
His preparations had begun over two months ago. One full company (500 n), from the Spy and Secret Services had been quietly deployed to each city.
While many of these were trained soldiers, a large number of them had been civilians, smallfolk, rchants, common wanderers.
They entered the cities under a variety of disguises. So as rchants seeking new trade. Others as travellers or rcenaries looking for employnt. Few even had posed as perverted nobles staying away from Astapor to enjoy the fine beauties of eren and Yunkai, so that they could also infiltrate the upper class of both the cites.
The news of Astapor's prosperity had already spread far and wide. Like countless other places, Yunkai and ereen were not untouched by these stories. They too had heard how life had been flourishing in Astapor.
How every person there seed to grow richer by the day, how the city itself had been transford and beautified, with new roads, sewage systems and sll free and clean streets.
So, what did Jon's spies do? What was their true mission?
They stoked the desires of the smallfolk and common people and even the upper class rchants. They spoke at tavern tables. At inns both cheap and luxurious. In crowded markets and shops.
About how marvellous Astapor had beco. How joy and wealth seed to spill from every street. How milk practically flowed through the lanes of Astapor and how wine, vodka and rum seed to sprinkle from its fountains.
They painted vivid and almost imaginative pictures of what it would be like if it was not Astapor, but Yunkai or ereen that had been claid by Lord Aeos.
How their own cities might have flourished. How they too might have lived in such splendour and happiness. How it would have been them who would have been enjoying all the wonders that Astapor now enjoyed.
anwhile, Jon and his n had setup their temporary camp. They would have their breakfast before they would begin their march once again.
"My lord," Asmund said, bowing before Jon, "a bird just arrived from ereen. The parchnts have been spread throughout the cities."
Jon nodded, then gave his next command. "Tell them to begin the next phase of the plan. By the ti I reach their gates, I want every man and woman fired up."
"Yes, my lord," Asmund replied, before briskly walking away to dispatch another ssage.
As he went, he could not help but marvel at the wonder that was Lord Aeos. Training birds to deliver ssages was a difficult task. Only crows had a temperant that allowed for relatively easy training.
But Lord Aeos had trained these birds by the hundreds. Eagles. Vultures and every kind of bird. These birds were much faster than the average crow.
Lord Aeos had trained so many of them that the spies who had infiltrated both cities were equipped with two birds for every group of five. That was the exact size of each small team operating together.
It ant they never had to worry much about the rest. Even if one or two groups were caught, it hardly affected their operations. The remaining could continue their work unhindered. Their chain was not broken.
Truly, Lord Aeos was a marvel. And when two more cities were added to his crown, Asmund knew his lord's greatness would only rise further.
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