EBE #200 - Chapter 10: Qarth
#200 - Chapter 10: Qarth
Arya began her career as a wine server. She was wild, not stupid. Catelyn had taught her well, and Liu Yuan also urged them to study hard; even a true illiterate wouldn't achieve much in martial arts.
She was literate, knew etiquette, and even behaved better than many lords. Tywin liked this clever girl very much, and gradually, they didn't avoid Arya when they held military meetings.
However, Sansa in King's Landing was having a hard time. At this moment, she was being slapped in the throne room because news had just arrived that Robb had raided Oxford Town last night.
Ten thousand recruits from the Westerlands were stationed there, with Stafford Lannister as the commander, responsible for training these inexperienced soldiers. Ser Follard Plumm, garrisoned at the Golden Tooth, also sent veteran soldiers to assist in the new army's training.
Since lifting the siege of Riverrun, the Northern army had gained the initiative on the battlefield. Robb Stark, with the help of Brynden Tully, was planning to bring the war to the Westerlands. This would force Duke Tywin to withdraw his troops from the Riverlands, making Tywin choose whether to protect his old nest in the Westerlands or King's Landing.
Grey Wind found a small path near the Golden Tooth that cavalry could barely pass through. Robb risked leading all the cavalry, quietly passing through this path at night, bypassing the heavily guarded rear of the Golden Tooth. Among all targets, the most suitable was, of course, this new army unit undergoing training.
In a rainy night, they launched a surprise attack, and this army was almost completely wiped out. Even the commander, Stafford, was beheaded by Count Karstark while trying to escape. This Stafford Lannister was no ordinary man; he had a sister named Joanna Lannister. She married Tywin and gave birth to Cersei, Jaime, and Tyrion—their maternal uncle.
When this news reached King's Landing, it became that Robb Stark used witchcraft to summon an army of direwolves, which bit thousands of Lannister soldiers to death and used their bodies to feed the beasts.
As a result, Sansa was unlucky. She was not only slapped in public, but Joffrey also ordered her upper garment to be torn off. In the end, Tyrion came forward to ease the situation. The Hound did a good job, taking off his cloak to cover her body. Tyrion saw the girl's inner strength in Sansa's words and admired her forbearance. "Lady Sansa, you will live a hundred years, longer than all of us."
Tyrion felt that his sister was a bit off. In this situation, King's Landing could be said to be besieged on all sides. Not to mention the Renly army in the south, which was about to set off, and Stannis, who was eyeing them overseas.
Even less than half a day's journey from King's Landing, there was a mysterious Thorn City. Thinking of Garon, he felt a headache because he couldn't figure out what Garon would do.
Tyrion felt that Cersei must have something to rely on. No matter which side attacked, she had the ability to resist. So what exactly was it that gave her such courage? He should investigate it carefully!
…………………………
In the central area of Thorn City, Liu Yuan stood in front of a hospital bed. He looked at the patient on the bed, wrapped like a mummy, with a grin.
Liu Yuan: "Hehehe~ I have to say, you are really lucky. Even like this, you can still get your life back."
"Oooooo X﹏X oooooo~" This person's throat seemed to be injured, and he couldn't make a sound even when anxious.
Liu Yuan patted his uninjured right leg: "Don't worry! Just recuperate here with me. There will be plenty of opportunities to get revenge in the future."
This person was Yoren, who had escaped with his life. After falling into the water that night, he was swept downstream by the river. He suffered a lot of injuries along the way, but luckily, he was discovered by nearby farmers the next morning. The marks on Yoren's body were still obvious, so he was sent to the lord there.
The lord of this place was originally a knight serving Harrenhal, and now his position was even more awkward. Ser Wode heard that many territories in the north had been looted, and now he had rescued a crow. He simply abandoned the territory, led all the people, and took valuable belongings to move to Thorn City.
The Wode family was actually the first lord to formally join Liu Yuan. Liu Yuan was very happy to accept them. There were only more than one hundred and forty people in total, so he arranged accommodations for them.
Ser Wode brought him a surprise: the injured crow Yoren. This guy was lucky to receive the best treatment in Thorn City.
Nina quietly handed him a note. Liu Yuan picked it up and saw that it was intelligence sent from Qarth, which was also his farthest trading post. Twelve days ago, Daenerys, the 'Mother of Dragons,' who had been missing for two months, led her people to the outskirts of Qarth. After negotiations, guaranteed by Xaro Xhoan Daxos, one of the Thirteen, they temporarily settled in Xaro's mansion. It is said that Daenerys Targaryen has three young dragons, but the scouts did not see them.
Liu Yuan recalled that there seemed to be a plot about the House of the Undying, which seemed to possess mysterious powers of time and space, which might help him advance to the fourth rank. He said to Yoren, "Take good care of yourself! I'll come to see you again in a while."
Returning to the city lord's mansion, Liu Yuan asked Bick to assemble the five thousand heavy infantry and prepare to set off. This time, he was going to play big and occupy Qarth.
Late at night, Rickon, who had been awakened, was dressed by Nina. After being slightly more sober, he found that he had arrived at the Dragon's Nest. (Liu Yuan expanded a large cave on the mountain behind the lord's mansion, specially for Leviathan to live in, filled with various crystals, which people called the 'Dragon's Nest.')
Liu Yuan had been waiting there for a long time. He stroked the scales on Leviathan's chin, and the giant dragon's huge head showed an expression of enjoyment. Rickon didn't expect the dragon to have such human-like expressions, just like Shaggydog did to him. Seeing Rickon come in, Leviathan lowered his body and stretched out his left dragon wing.
Liu Yuan said to him, "I know you've wanted to ride a dragon for a long time. This time, I'll take you on a long trip to fulfill your wish."
Rickon excitedly said, "Really! Thank you, Godfather." He cautiously stretched out his foot, stepped on the dragon wing, and ran to the dragon saddle in a few steps, sitting inside. The dragon saddle designed by Liu Yuan was different from the traditional ones, more like an early World War II aircraft cockpit.
Liu Yuan instructed his subordinates on matters: "When I'm not here, all work will be carried out according to duties. Uncle Roddy will still be responsible for internal affairs; Bick, you have to take on military matters. If Tywin of Harrenhal dares to send troops to attack here, don't be polite, counterattack with all your strength. Ser Wode~"
Ser Wode then came back to his senses from the shock of seeing the dragon and quickly knelt on the ground, saying, "Lord, just call me Ollie, please feel free to instruct me on anything." His attitude was extremely humble. He originally planned to hug a big thigh, but he didn't expect to hug a dragon leg! He quickly hugged it tightly.
Liu Yuan smiled: "Okay, Ollie. During this time, you will follow Uncle Roddy and learn from him. There will be other tasks assigned to you in the future. If there are other lords who come to join, you will be responsible for receiving them. You can first accept them into the city, temporarily stabilize them, and wait for me to come back before making a decision."
"I obey your orders, Lord!"
Liu Yuan walked towards the dragon's back, fastened Rickon's seat belt, and waved for the people below to step aside. Leviathan sensibly propped up his body and walked out of the Dragon's Nest in a few steps. The huge dragon wings flapped a few times, and it soared into the sky. It circled in the air for half a circle and flew away in the direction indicated by Liu Yuan.