Chapter 154: Tyrion's Choice

Alduin was finally tall enough to reach its master's head while standing, and it stretched its neck to lean against Arthur's neck.

The Riverlands King immediately stepped back two paces.

Just kidding, Alduin was covered in sharp ridges, and if Arthur, who wasn't wearing a helmet, were to be rubbed like that, his skin would be scraped until it bled.

"My big baby is growing really fast." Arthur used his right hand, clad in a cowhide glove, to stroke Alduin's large head.

"By the way, Pod, collect these black skins. Although the strength of a dragonet's skin doesn't compare to that of an adult dragon, it's not far off, and it's much more supple. Sansa, when you have the chance, find a highly skilled tailor and have a set of close-fitting leather armor made to my measurements."

Regardless of whether this witch was a Children of the Forest or not, her body possessed magic, so after Alduin swallowed it, it grew half a meter instantly, and the shed skin pieces were also relatively large; after grinding off the sharp ridges, they made excellent material for leather armor.

Podrick and two guards stepped forward to collect the large pieces of dragon skin.

Afterwards, the group returned to the city.

After lunch, the army, which had only been resting for two days, began to stir; a small number of cavalry and the logistics supply train set off first, while the infantry and auxiliaries dismantled the tents in the military camp outside the city, gradually forming up in order and following behind.

The road to the north was filled entirely with Reachmen soldiers, so the formations were much neater and more uniform than those of the Riverlands soldiers, not to mention the armor they wore; many of the common soldiers had breastplates made of plate armor, covered with chainmail only at the joints like arms and the backs of knees.

As for helmets and the like, they were even more particular; the vast majority of the common soldiers' helmets had nasal guards, and officers at the level of centurion left only their mouths and noses exposed, providing much stronger protection than the pot-shaped helmets of the Riverlands soldiers.

High-ranking captives like Mace Tyrell and Jaime were also ordered by Arthur to be brought along with the army; although Sansa had no two minds toward the Riverlands King, he feared that someone in the castle might be bribed to secretly let these two go.

In Arthur's concept, five thousand people was not a large number, because in his past life, it was easy for a high school or university to assemble this magnitude of people on a single playground. But after five thousand people were armed as an army, they actually looked like a great many.

The marching column alone, obscured by forests and hills, was endless at a glance.

Alduin was also taken along to fight; the size of a dragon and the amount of dragonfire it could spew at once were positively correlated, and now it was a little expert at fanning the flames.

King's Landing, the empty Red Keep dungeons.

In a damp room where one could not see one's own fingers, Tyrion Lannister was leaning against the wall in regret.

He had thought that by temporarily making a major contribution to his family, he could bridge the gap between himself and his older sister Cersei, so he had not been on guard.

If he had known that his brother Jaime was away and that after his father's death his sister would dare to do this, he would never have entered the Red Keep.

Even if he had run to the Reachmen's camp, even if he were mocked, there would have been no danger of losing his life!

"Casterly Rock, my Casterly Rock." Tyrion murmured.

His consciousness was somewhat blurred; he was already fantasizing that he was sleeping on a feather bed in Casterly Rock, being kissed by a beauty famous throughout the Seven Kingdoms, and dying comfortably.

Tap, tap, tap!

Just then, a burst of footsteps came from afar, making Tyrion's dazed head temporarily clear.

"Who comes? Is it Pycelle? Kind sir, give me a bottle of poppy milk so that I may die without pain."

Since being kidnapped by Lady Stark, he had experienced four or five life-and-death crises, but none were as desperate as this one.

Tyrion widened his eyes, but did not see an approaching torch.

It was not until he had scrutinized it for a good while that he discovered a massive shadow standing before him.

"You startled me. Lord Varys, when did you walk here? With your weight, how do you manage to move without making a sound?"

After his eyes adapted to the dark light, although he could only recognize that this was a mass of flesh, he guessed who this person was.

Besides the omnipotent Spider Varys, what other fatty could enter the current dungeon?

"I am not the courtier Varys; I am the jailer Logan. Walking without making a sound is my unique skill."

Varys handed the small cloak in his hand to Tyrion. "Put it on, little one; I specially found a small-sized black cloak for you, which took me quite some effort."

Tyrion took the bundle of clothing handed over by "jailer Logan," and after his clever brain processed it quickly, he concluded that this person was not here to kill him.

"Let's go quickly; I reckon Kevan has already left the city, and Cersei no longer has any scruples, so the assassins will come immediately."

Once there was a hope of living, Tyrion's spirit became directly excited.

He draped the cloak over himself in two or three movements, then stood up and urged Varys to take him away.

"Does Lord Tyrion not ask me where I intend to send you?"

Although they were in the cold, desolate dungeon, Varys's voice remained oily.

"Anywhere is better than staying here; when I am out of trouble, I will thank you then." Tyrion Lannister said as he walked.

"Very well, we shall talk on the way."

Varys did not stand on ceremony, directly taking Tyrion to the lowest level of the dungeon without a sound, and then turning into a secret passage.

After passing through heavy rotating wooden stairs and stone corridors, Tyrion smelled a pungent stench.

He vaguely remembered seeing in the administrative records that Joffrey had ordered the secret passages controlled by Varys and Littlefinger to be blocked, but the fact that the Spider could still bring a living person out of the Red Keep made Tyrion's heart very shocked.

How many secrets did this fatty know?

"Although a portion of Stannis's longships are still fighting the Redwyne Fleet in Blackwater Bay, the sea area near the north is in our hands, and many captains have begun to risk their lives to sail and make money, so I can send you to Pentos on the other side of the Narrow Sea."

Varys stopped from time to time, waiting for the trotting Tyrion to catch up.

"There is a Jiu Jiu Jiu Jiu Zongdu in Pentos named Illyrio Mopatis, who is a good friend of mine; he will reasonably arrange your destination, my lord. I personally suggest you go to Slaver's Bay to find the Stormborn Daenerys Targaryen; I hear she is just and strict, and I imagine she will let you obtain Casterly Rock. Moreover, this queen does not have many wise and intelligent people around her, which is just right for you to display your talents."

Tyrion listened to the rambling speech of the Master of Whisperers of the kingdom, and finally understood that he was recommending him to find that "Dragon Mother" Daenerys.

This made Tyrion secretly alert; the Spider was the one promoted to the Small Council by the Mad King Aerys II, and it seemed this Master of Whisperers was still loyal to the Targaryen family.

"Fine, fine, everything as you arrange."

With his life in the Spider's hands, Tyrion had no choice but to accept the arrangement.

"Illyrio's mansion is in... once you arrive, you can go directly to find him and have the guards report it. He should be in Pentos now."

Just before walking out of the secret passage, Varys stopped pretending to be the jailer "Logan" and laid everything out.

Tyrion secretly noted down all the details.

After thinking it over, he found that it seemed there was no one specifically waiting to pick him up after arriving in Pentos, which left room for flexibility.

The "Dragon Mother" Daenerys was too far away, and he did not know her; he did not know what the situation would be like there, or if he would be valued.

The other Targaryen who had a Dragon had a pretty good relationship with him, and that person had even promised to leave the position of Hand of the King for him.

Tyrion Lannister made up his mind that after arriving in Pentos, he would first find someone to sound out the Dragonrider's intentions; if Arthur agreed to give Casterly Rock to him, then he could very well go and serve the familiar Dragonrider.

After all, one's feet are attached to one's own legs.

The two, one large and one small, moved quickly. After exiting the sewer, they climbed onto the King's Landing Port docks, which already had some fishermen and crew members, and then quietly slipped beside a certain ship.

Under Varys's direction, Tyrion Lannister took advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention and squeezed into a large crate.

After the crew dispersed and then gathered again, this large crate was moved onto the merchant ship that was about to depart. Varys, dressed in a black robe, hid in the darkness and watched the ship sail away.

……

Five days later, at the Earl of Harroway's Town.

In the living room of the Root family castle, the noble commanders gathered again to discuss another major crisis.

"Scouts report that a large army in King's Landing is marching north along the coastline toward Rosby, Duskendale, and other places. Based on the banners they are flying, Randyll Tarly is likely serving as the Commander. The soldiers are primarily from House Tarly, the Red Apple Fossoway, the Longtable Merryweather, the Starpike Peake, and the Red Lake Crane. A considerable number of Reachmen Knights are marching north with the army, and the total number of soldiers adds up to at least ten thousand."

Sir Hugo Vance introduced to the group.

This was the second son of Earl Norbert Vance of Yalan Cheng. After Karyl Vance went south with Dickon, he took over the position of Chief Scout.

Except for the five highways built during the reign of Jaehaerys I, there are several shorter, paved roads on Westeros. One of them starts from King's Landing, passes through Rosby and Duskendale, and leads directly to Maidenpool.

Therefore, if there is no army to stop them, this army led by Randyll Tarly will reach the territory of House Mooton in about fifteen days to a month.

And Maidenpool today is no longer just a simple trade hub for Crab Bay; it also handles the foreign trade for the territories under Arthur's name.

Once Maidenpool is occupied by enemy forces, those hundreds of thousands of Riverlands Peasants will go hungry again, and the rural order of the Riverlands that has just stabilized will immediately collapse, returning to a jungle society where the strong dominate everything.

What is fatal is that near the Bloody Gate in The Vale, the major noble families sending troops have already assembled about ten thousand soldiers, and the continent-renowned Cavalry of The Vale numbers at least four thousand.

"Whatever I fear comes to pass." Arthur traced the distance from the ferry town to Maidenpool and the Bloody Gate on the map and found that it was not much different.

"Your Majesty, we can fight the Vale troops first, then turn back to face Randyll Tarly. I have heard that there are still quite a few remnants of Stannis's army stationed in the northern part of the Crownlands, and some members of the Brotherhood Without Banners are also in that vicinity; these should be able to slow down their offensive speed."

Mathos Rowan suggested.

"But this is not safe. The Reachmen have a lot of Cavalry. If Randyll takes advantage of us fighting the Vale people north of the Trident and sends Cavalry to raid Maidenpool, what then? Earl William Mooton is a man of extremely small courage; he has only kept about five hundred soldiers in his territory. If a large force of Cavalry comes, Earl William will surely surrender."

Arthur felt this idea was unreliable, but he had no extra soldiers to conscript near Maidenpool.

"I have a proposal." Lyman Darry pointed to the Crab's Claw Peninsula, "The indigenous people of this place are all loyal subjects of House Targaryen, and they are all pure First Men. Your Majesty happens to have both of these qualities. I think if you take Prince Alduin to Crackclaw Point, the Whispers, and other places, you will be able to gain their support. By then, pulling out four or five thousand men will not be a problem."

The Crab's Claw Peninsula is located to the east of the Riverlands and to the northeast of the Crownlands. The peninsula extends into the Narrow Sea, with the north near Crab Bay and the south near Blackwater Bay. The peninsula is barren and desolate, full of swamps and pine forests. Every dark valley has its own lord, and their lords and subjects do not trust any outsiders; they are mostly descendants of the First Men.

Back then, the Andals tried to seize the Crab's Claw Peninsula, but they hit a wall everywhere. Finally, they realized they could use marriage to win what they could not obtain with swords.

During the Conquest, the strong woman Visenya Targaryen came to the Crab's Claw Peninsula to accept their submission. The lords had heard of the fate of King Harren, so they all knelt and surrendered. The Queen took them as direct vassals. During the Battle of the Trident, the major families on the peninsula fought to the end alongside Prince Rhaegar, and the locals proudly call the people of the Crab's Claw Peninsula the model subjects of the Dragon family.

So for Arthur, this is a very reliable force.

"This plan is very feasible. As long as Your Majesty takes Prince Alduin to make an appearance on the Crab's Claw Peninsula, a large number of Targaryen loyalists will fight for you."

Ronald Vance said.

He is Hugo Vance's older brother, the first in line to inherit Yalan Cheng, nicknamed "The Bad Man." His martial prowess is average, and he is a rather cruel person.

Mathos and other Reachmen nobles also agreed with this plan.

"Yes, the natives of the Crab's Claw Peninsula are known for their ferocity. They don't even have standing Iron Armor soldiers like we do; as long as they are adult males, they can pick up weapons to fight. So the number of soldiers that can be found here will far exceed our imagination."

Arthur carefully considered this plan.

Randyll Tarly's army has not yet reached Rosby and is still some distance from Duskendale, let alone Maidenpool further north.

By the time Earl Tarly leads his army to Crab Bay, the natives on the Crab's Claw Peninsula will have long been able to assemble near Maidenpool and hold out for a while.

As for the Mountains of the Moon side, the Frey family forces and the Reachmen soldiers together total a large army of nine thousand. The plan to use fire attacks should be able to quickly defeat the Vale army at the Blood Gate, and there will be enough time to return to reinforce Maidenpool.

"Then it is settled. Earl Mathos will lead all the Reachmen soldiers north. After merging with the Frey army, they will be commanded by Marquess Innes. You must go deep into the uphill roads of the Mountains of the Moon, first send Archery units to attack the small vanguard troops of the Vale, and then stand in a stalemate with the Vale army."

"I will take Alduin and Mace Tyrell and go to the Crab's Claw Peninsula by ship to strive for the support of the lords of Crackclaw Point and others, and then I will go north to rendezvous with you."

Arthur waved his hand, "Aren't they just two large armies? We will defeat them one by one."

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(End of chapter)