The king on the Great Wall

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Chapter 704 Put down the crown and become a Buddha immediately

The moon star is thin, and the black dragonfly flies south.

The evening wind gently blows through the shrubs and grass, and the faint sound of insects is blown.Standing under the bright and clear full moon, admiring the spring night scene where everything was revived and full of business, Prince Aegon felt an inexplicable sadness in his heart.

The feeling of being cornered is not pleasant at all.

Contrary to what the soldiers had speculated, even within the core decision-making circle, it was not as soon as they heard the peace agreement sent by the queen, they all agreed and unanimously decided to return east and surrender.

Aegon didn't want to speak ill of his father-in-law, but Lord Mace Tyrell was a simple-minded, indecisive man who actually listened to his mother, the Queen of Thorns, and even his daughter Margaery in many decisions.Leaving the strong women at home, he couldn't quickly see the way and offer his opinion when faced with this abnormal agreement.

On the contrary, the Riverbend nobles such as Randyll Tarly and his like in the team are very shrewd. The lords quickly saw from the agreement that the Tyrell family had betrayed the entire Riverbend and betrayed other princes. clues.So after criticizing Metz's good sons and daughters in public, he angrily took the guards and subordinates and left the camp.

Those who walked fast were lucky. After Harry Strickland also understood the content of the agreement and found that his golden group was not mentioned at all, so he sent mercenaries to guard the entrance and exit of the camp. Difficult to pack up.

……

"I have persuaded Lord Mace, and he has agreed to the Tyrell family to bear the subsequent resettlement expenses of the Golden Company. 'Homeless Harry' will learn of this soon, and I let him forget about the pension This kind of thing...the way out of the living is unknown, who can care about the dead at this juncture? Both sides take a step back, this is the best ending we can provide."

Before people arrive, the sound arrives first.Jon Connington walked up to Prince Aegon who was staring at the night in a daze, and spoke in a serious tone.

There are lights and shadows around the small farmyard that has become the temporary residence of the prince: mercenaries holding torches and oil lamps vigilantly walk back and forth to patrol, guarding in name—in fact, imprisoning and monitoring the prince, prime minister and Duke of Highgarden in the courtyard.

"Don't listen to that bastard's nonsense, he came up with ideas because he couldn't accept losing his money. The slave owners will not really respect you as king, they will just eat you up and use them and throw them aside...More Don't mention it, I don't think the so-called 'Anti-Dragon Mother Alliance' can deal with Daenerys and Iger at all."

Clinton said this not simply because he was gutted by the Western Expeditionary Army, but after calmly analyzing and reviewing the battle situation, he realized a little detail: the kind of weapon that can emit a huge roar and shoot projectiles many miles away is used to attack the sea. It is also a weapon in combat.If they are deployed on King's Landing and Dragonstone Island, the fleet of the Free Trade Cities will not be able to enter and leave the Blackwater Bay, and will not be able to threaten the country of the Targaryen Dynasty, and if Daenerys' navy will also be deployed in batches...he can't imagine Find out how slave owners can fight to win.

"Don't worry, Lord Clinton." Aegon replied in a firm tone, "I will never go back to Essos with Harry and join the Free Trade City."

This is the truth, and the reason for making this decision is not because of the same long-term tactical and strategic considerations, but simply because his personality does not allow him to do such a thing.

Varys and Illyrio arranged a royal-level team for him, the civet cat who changed the prince, and raised him from childhood to adulthood, in order to cultivate him into a "perfect ruler" to ensure that one day he will be on the Iron Throne. Can make up for the lack of authenticity with excellence.

In this grand plan of "bringing a king artificially", Aegon only needs to be responsible for the final stability of the country-fighting the country, that is what his two "fathers" need to worry about.

With the background of this division of labor, it is understandable that the prince's serious partiality in the Zhengzhoutai course became understandable.

Aegon will use weapons like the best knights, and will play with feudal rules like a typical nobleman; he is proficient in listening, speaking, reading and writing in multiple languages, and has studied history, law, rhythm and even poetry; he has been taught to believe He also experienced the hardships of labor and the sufferings of the people with the fishermen...

But he doesn't know how to cheat, how to use intrigue and trickery to achieve the greatest things with the least resources, and most importantly - how to "flexibly float" his own moral standards for the greater good.

And these gray or black skills and awareness are precisely the indispensable characteristics of a conqueror without dragons.

The two behind-the-scenes shit-stirring sticks used the filth of power and conspiracy to grow a pure lotus that emerged from the mud but was not stained.Aegon is an excellent young man with all-round development of morality, intelligence, body, beauty and labor, and a good king who can truly put the interests of the kingdom and the people first.

His worldview does not allow him to turn into the arms of the enemy as a "violent traitor". No matter how unwilling he is, Aegon will never bring a group of slave owners to invade his homeland!

"It's fine if you don't." Clinton didn't care about what the young prince was thinking. He continued to chatter on his own, "After the surrender, you and I will offer to put on black clothes. But believe me, it's just a way to protect ourselves." means, a procedure to wash away the stain of 'rebellion' on you, we will never stay on the Great Wall forever. You are the Queen's nephew, the last living member of her family, and there is no doubt in the Targaryen bloodline The first in line of succession. As long as your aunt feels a little sick on the throne, has some accidents, or fails to give birth to an heir for a long time, she and her imperial court want to choose other candidates for the heir than you. No, I can only bring you back from the Great Wall..."

Aegon was unmoved, but heaved a long sigh.

And Clinton clearly misunderstood the source of the prince's emotions.

"Even if such a good thing doesn't happen, with the advantage of your royal blood, you can easily live and drink on the Great Wall. As the current commander-in-chief of the Night Watch, Iger has opened a hole in the rules and oaths of the Blackshirt Army since ancient times. : Not only did he lead the Night's Watch to participate in the affairs of the Seven Kingdoms, but he also served as the Hand of the Queen without taking off his black clothes!" He did not hesitate to exaggerate the tone, and the nature of this matter is indeed worthwhile. Emphasize, "Since the head of the Night's Watch can make an exception to become the head of the imperial court, why can't others get involved in the circle of power? You, Aegon Targaryen, as the prime minister's subordinate and the queen's nephew, stayed on the Great Wall for several years to plead guilty to rebellion Afterwards, returning to the court to assist your aunt and participate in governing the country together, even Iger may find it difficult to get a word to object to it..."

"Master Clinton! I will surrender to my aunt and wear black clothes as you suggested. It's just...you obviously haven't figured out what I really think in my heart!"

Aegon interrupted his prince's hand without turning his head, and continued to look at the distant night with a hint of impulsiveness in his tone.

"I feel terrible now." The young prince opened up, "First he crowned himself without authorization, and pulled up a team to compete with my aunt for the throne. If he couldn't win, he threw the crown away and begged her. Do you know what I think of now? A child who can't eat candy, throws and rolls all over the floor, and is honest after being spanked-my aunt is obviously younger than me, but now she is teaching me like an adult!"

Clinton opened his mouth, wanting to speak comforting words, but in his heart, he actually felt that the metaphor of the prince was so vivid that he understood why he sighed before.After heaving a sigh of relief, Clinton chose to remain silent, listening to Aegon's confession.

"Failing to protect my father, Prince Rhaegar, is the greatest regret in your life, Lord Clinton. In order to erase it, you have been thinking about sending me back to the Iron Throne for more than ten years. This desire is so strong, It has reached an almost morbid level, so much so that you still comfort me with the idea of ​​'still have a chance' as the main thread—but you never think about it at all, have I ever thought about it, or... still think about it? Want to be this king!?"

Aegon paused for a moment, wondering if his words would hurt the heart of the old man who had always been with him, and he picked up the topic again after a long while.

"From the moment I could understand the words, everyone around me kept telling me: You are the real master of the Seven Kingdoms, the one who is willing and able to govern the country well and bring Westeros The Mandate of Heaven for Peace and Prosperity. Under this constant brainwashing and indoctrination, I regard the crown as my responsibility and destiny. Pushed down, staggeringly ran towards the direction of the throne, even at the expense of resentment... Accepting the traitors and losers of the Golden Group as the starting team, and with the Tyrells who are full of power and only want to go Climbing family marriage!"

"I started a war to fight for the throne, made 'friends' I didn't like, married a wife I hated from the bottom of my heart..." Aegon swallowed his words in disgust. "Everything is just because I have such a belief in my heart: It is my mission to become the Lord of the Seven Kingdoms. In order to accomplish the great goal of bringing prosperity and stability to the Seven Kingdoms, I must go over mountains and seas, overcome thorns and thorns, Endure the trials of everyone and everything along the way!"

The prince glanced back at Clinton, and by moonlight confirmed that his prime minister was listening calmly, before continuing.

"However, guess what I'm thinking now?" He took a deep breath, "The prince in the prophecy is not me, but my aunt!"

"While she rode her dragon north to fight alongside the Night's Watch against the White Walkers, we faced off on the banks of the Blackwater with the Reaver's brother huddled within the walls of King's Landing, and the coalition forces were still bargaining with each other trying to reach a deal Dirty carve up the business of the Stormlands."

"When my aunt brought the donated land and the allied forces of the Northlands to the south of the kingdom, and won the support of five of the seven kingdoms in one breath, except for the valleys and rivers. I, who aim to bring prosperity and stability to the Seven Kingdoms, am actually leading the last opposition force, becoming the last stumbling block to the queen's unification of the continent, and the destroyer of peace in the kingdom!"

"In the decisive battle a few days ago, her Western Expeditionary Army of less than [-] defeated our [-] Allied Army—this is the verdict made by the gods! My aunt has shown with practical actions that she is a qualified and powerful Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, ruled by the Mother of Dragons, is definitely better than honoring me, the son-in-law of the Tyrell family! In this case, Mrs. The way of black clothes temporarily avoiding the limelight to lie dormant and wait, waiting for the right time to attack again?"

"I'm not that kind of monster!" He gritted his teeth, restraining the urge to shout out these words, "I will put on black clothes, but I will be a night watchman, guarding and defending the northern border of the kingdom, not in Waiting for my aunt to have an accident or not be able to give birth to a child!"

"I said these words, not to shirk my responsibility, to accuse outsiders of forcing me to pursue the throne I didn't want. It was our joint decision to land in Westeros and raise the banner. At that time, I really wanted to be king. I Willing to share with you the responsibility and punishment of failure for this. But please forgive me, Mr. Clinton - I formally ask you now, to stop whispering 'still have a chance' and such in my ear. To prevent my own existence from The threat to the stability of my aunt's rule, I will never follow the example of the current commander-in-chief Egger, but like my great-great-uncle Aemon Targaryen, I will watch for my life-not only for myself, but also for my family. Honor and respect!"

Aegon really hoped that his words would be resounding, but the reality was that the night and insects were still there, and his bold words did not echo in the wilderness under the moon, only the noise of a few mercenaries could be heard from afar.

But Jon Clinton listened.

A few days ago, he would probably have reprimanded Aegon for thinking wildly without any pursuit or ambition without waiting for the end of the hearing.

But the failure has cooled Clinton's blazing kingly heart, and now he has nothing to ask but to preserve the bloodline for his beloved silver prince Rhaegar.He felt the determination of the prince. If the child just blurted out these words in a flash, he would naturally persuade him to change his mind at the right time in the future. If Aegon was determined, then he, as the guardian and guard Or, naturally respect his decision.

But before Clinton finished reflecting on these words and straightening out his thoughts, the commotion and shouting that had been tens of meters away a moment ago approached beyond the wooden fence of the courtyard. Hundreds of torches were shaking and flowing, mixed with With shouts full of righteous indignation, such as "blood for blood" and "pay for your life"...

The danger intuition in all the cells of the old griffin's body was immediately activated.

"It's for us, go back to the house!"

Connington drew the sword in one hand, and stretched out the other hand to pull little Aegon—a sudden desolation occurred in his heart: it should be the duty of the soldiers of the Golden Company to protect the prince, but what should they do when they become a source of threat?

"What about after returning to the house? We are in the heart of the entire golden group!" The prince also realized that he had no way out, and simply showed the responsibility a leader should have. Has Lord S Tyrell's deliberation been sent to someone? It seems that Captain Harry is very dissatisfied with the price. Put away the sword and stand behind me. I am the most valuable hostage in the hands of the Golden Group. Dare to hurt me, but you don't have to."

While speaking, a large group of mercenaries with torches and various weapons rushed past the guard circle of the soldiers in High Court and came to them.

"Your Majesty, we threw our heads and blood for your throne, even our lives!"

"As a result, you won't even see a copper plate of pension after you die?"

"Are you worthy of your conscience!"

Facing the questioning of the mercenaries, Aegon didn't touch the weapon - under the huge disparity ratio of one to ten, resistance would only lead to death faster.He waved away Clinton's arm that was trying to pull him, and even took a step in front of his prime minister, facing the mercenary's swords with his chest.

"Everyone, please listen to me!"

The prince waved his arms and shouted loudly, trying to appease the group of aggrieved mercenaries with words. He was confident that he could solve the turmoil. Anyway, most of these people were sent by Harry to scare him.

But the steel sword passing through his heart told him: he guessed wrong.

"Go to hell—tell it to your brothers!"

Pulling out the blood-dripping weapon from the former king's chest, the mercenary captain looked ferociously at the old Clinton who was rushing forward to fight him desperately.

"Kill this too!"

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Chapter 705

The Western Expeditionary Army stayed in Gaoting for two full days to sort out the harvest, settle the wounded, bury the fallen soldiers, and send the news of victory to both the enemy and us in all directions (the entire river bend and the other two friendly forces in the north and south), and distribute and issue the latest mobilization and deployment instructions.After finishing all this work, Iger left half of the troops in the heart of Hewan (actually to recuperate the wounded), and brought along the victorious troops who had been reduced to only [-] left, and set off along the Rose Avenue Go west quickly and rush to the last stop of this western expedition——Old Town.

On the wide and straight road, the Queen's Army no longer maintained a battle formation but lined up along the road, stretching for several miles, from one end of sight to the other end.The soldiers walked briskly, with high morale, and sang loud and majestic military songs.

After obtaining the coalition army camp and the huge amount of food and armaments that the Tyrell family had stored in the castle, and the "loyalty" and cooperation of the ruling family of the River Bend, the next part of the Western Expedition turned into an easy excursion.Echoing this inspiring picture of marching is the fields on both sides of the road—the farmers who have finally begun to plow the soil under the call and order of the Tyrell family. They are immersed in the work that has been delayed for several weeks. Chun Zhong straightened up from time to time, wiping his sweat while looking at the neatly marching army on the main road with curiosity and awe... the Western Expeditionary Army, who was an intruder before, turned into a king's army in a blink of an eye.

Looking around this beautiful spring scene under the slanting warm spring sun, Iger couldn't help but have this thought in his mind: When Jaehaerys I Targaryen allocated royal funds to build this avenue, did he already expect it? So, after 200 years, there will be descendants who can "conquer" the river bend more quickly and easily along this avenue, and expand the royal territory belonging to the Long family?

woohoo-

A warning signal interrupted his thoughts, and the singing stopped abruptly. After a series of complicated military music and manual orders, the whole army figured out the situation: there were troops approaching in front—the soldiers who escaped from the battlefield three days ago The Golden Company and the Highgarden Guard accepted the peace agreement and returned east along the same road to surrender, and they were about to meet them head-on.

No fighting is expected, but according to military regulations, the first half of the troops still needs to put on their armor and enter a state of readiness for battle, while the second half of the troops should stop on the spot and take a break.

The troops without security tasks completely relaxed. Soldiers who drank water, urinated, or sat or lay down to rest immediately scattered all over the right half of the avenue. On half of the road, the Queen's confidant Unsullied troop trotted past at a neat pace, preparing to go to the forefront to protect the Queen, witness and accept the impending surrender.

That's right, even though the east coast of the kingdom was frequently harassed and threatened by the slaveholder alliance, Daenerys insisted on staying in the Western Expeditionary Army and did not return to King's Landing.One is to help Iger, who has just become a dragon knight, better adapt to his new identity and car; the other is to personally accept the surrender of little Aegon, so as to ensure that there will be no "accidents" in this process—whether he is true or not.

The second dragon hovered above his head, and Iger also rushed to the front from the middle of the team.He got off his horse and stood beside the queen, and waited with her for the surrender under the guard of the Unsullied army array beside the road standing on both sides.

A moment later, a large number of bright yellow flags mixed with red and green colors appeared in the field of vision, and they quickly advanced under their eyes under their gaze.After stopping at a distance that would not cause misunderstanding, a small team of about 50 people in the defeated army broke away from the army formation and greeted Iger and Daenerys.

The two of them paused their chatting and observed quietly.

They saw the big round head of the head of the Golden Company and the bulging belly of Mace Tyrell, a group of tall and strong mercenaries and bodyguards, and the slow-moving pony carriage at the end of the line. The tall, slender figure of young Aegon was missing.

"Perhaps His Majesty's nephew feels that his crime is unforgivable, and wants to play some tricks of pleading guilty, and he is walking at the end in shackles and chains at the moment." Iger breathed out his nose, without concealing the contempt in his tone.

He still doesn't know whether his plan to kill with a knife is successful, but with his identity and status, he doesn't need to hide his hostility to a rebellious prince anyway—even if Aegon came to him alive, he would still be eccentric. .

Daenerys pursed her lips, neither agreeing nor rebutting the sarcasm.As the Hand of the King, Egger pampered and supported her willful decision to protect Prince Aegon, and even offered to let the Unsullied guard the surrender ceremony to avoid suspicion. My nephew remained respectful.

Soon, the surrendering delegation got close enough to see their faces clearly.This group of people is mainly the generals of the Golden Regiment, with different skin colors and distinctive clothing, but there is only one thing in common: the mercenaries are used to displaying all the worldly wealth. Swords and carved armor, gold armbands on everyone's arms are enough to serve as a ransom for the lord-in the Battle of the Blackwater River, the Dornish Army, which stood on the side of the Land Grant Army, was robbed of the corpses of the soldiers who died in battle. Oberyn Martell, disgraced by the brawl over the spoils, severely punished both parties afterwards.

As the defeated and surrendered, today they did not ride horses but all walked.

"Your Majesty the Queen, Your Excellency the Prime Minister, the Golden Group hereby offers their most sincere surrender and highest respect."

Harry Strickland, the mercenary captain who was naive and completely lacked the tone of a soldier, spoke first.

Daenerys frowned and looked at the ashen-faced and silent Mace Tyrell beside her, wondering: How could a mercenary leader without a title or noble status surpass Prince Aegon and the Lord of Highgarden as such? A representative of field surrender?Not to mention a Jon Connington.

It doesn't matter.

"Where's your prince?" She didn't have the slightest interest in talking nonsense with the greasy middle-aged man in front of her, and asked directly indifferently.

"Your Majesty!" The fat commander's round face suddenly revealed a sad expression, "Yesterday night, a riot broke out in our military camp due to dissatisfaction with the post-war resettlement. Some soldiers found the prince's residence by smearing it. During the dispute...he accidentally killed him!"

"what?!"

Daenerys shook her shoulders, she was too surprised to make any expression, she watched the indifferent generals of the Golden Regiment and the guards of the High Court in the front row step aside, and a coachman led the horse, and was carrying The cart of young Aegon's body was drawn in front of her.

The nearest Unsullied immediately stepped forward with spears in their hands, forcing the mercenaries back. One of them touched Aegon's arm, making sure that his body was cold and stiff, and there was no possibility of pretending to be dead, so he stepped aside. Bring Daenerys closer to observe.

The silver-haired young man with pale cheeks and eyes closed was lying straight on the deck of the open-air carriage, among the layers of luxurious silk cloth. He was not the cheap nephew she had seen once before: Aegon Targaryen, the self-proclaimed "Son of Rhaegar"?

There is no basis for any relationship between them, and they don't even know whether this blood relative is true or false. Of course, Daenerys would not make such intimate actions as shedding tears or stroking Aegon's face.

However, not being sad still couldn't change her heart's sudden drop, and her strong feeling of being lost.

Before last night, no matter what—there was neither evidence nor reason and position to admit the authenticity of this nephew, but at least, she still "may" have a family member.

But from today, even this "possibility" has completely disappeared.

Now, she was truly alone, the last Targaryen alive.

The sense of loss was followed by a surge of anger.

She owed Iger a lot of favors to persuade him to accept little Aegon to wear black clothes, and even left King's Landing and the safety of the small half kingdom on the east coast to forcefully stay on the battlefield of the River Bend, and the result was like this a corpse?

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Chapter 706 Cross the river and demolish the bridge

"How did it happen, and who killed Prince Aegon?" Daenerys raised her head, and her always seductive eyes swept over the generals of the Golden Squad with anger, and finally stopped at the leader of the surrendering delegation. , "I need an explanation, Captain Strickland!"

Damn, you have to act after doing the dirty work?

This is a female cousin who wants to set up a memorial archway!

Storm's End is really not so easy to get.

Secretly slandering Daenerys, Harry Strickland was trembling and sweating, and began to tell the story of the incident with a face of shame.

As an old fritter that has lived for decades, Harry had expected that things might not be so simple.In order to avoid unnecessary twists and turns and the handle falling into the hands of others, he has prepared supporting witnesses, physical evidence and confessions on the way here.According to the script: he was sleeping at the time of the incident - the "absence" is enough to make him reasonably ignorant of any details.As the turmoil grew bigger and bigger, the attendants woke him up, and he hurriedly put on his armor and led his trusted soldiers to the prince's residence... Unfortunately, it was too late, he only had time to grab the prince's body to avoid humiliation. And blocked the murderer at the scene, and finally executed them on the spot in the confrontation between arrest and resisting arrest.

This is a complete and self-consistent timeline, and no one in the Golden Group has the position and reason to expose his lies.And even if the Queen wanted the culprit, he could still get the bodies of the "murderers"—in the chaos that night, the mercenaries fought with the loyal Gao to prevent Mace Tyrell from rescuing Aegon. There was a conflict between the court guards, and there were casualties during the battle. These brothers who died in battle died anyway, and the stinky skins left in the world were used as a back-up to kill the king. If they make the best use of them, even the spirits in the sky will only feel comforted ...without any comments.

Well, on that last point, believe it or not, Harry Strickland did.

The Unsullied soldiers rejoiced at the fate of the traitor prince, but also regretted the queen's loss of blood.

Daenerys aggressively asked every detail of the tragedy, she was full of grief and doubts about the truth.

Harry Strickland seemed to be flustered, but he answered with confidence - the thing is of course false, but he has arranged it to be true, and he is on the third floor in this wave.

A group of officers of the Golden Regiment and Mace Tyrell watched the performance with a sneer on their faces.They had guessed that everything was just a cutscene. Even if Strickland's killing of Aegon was not ordered by the queen, it was at least with Iger's acquiescence. They were on the fourth floor.

Behind the Queen, Iger, who was floating outside the atmosphere, looked down at the people at the scene whose sorrows and joys were not connected, and felt that they were noisy, while thinking coldly and ruthlessly about how to detonate the conflict.

The plan to kill someone with a borrowed knife succeeded, but the aftermath and extermination work of crossing the river and demolishing the bridge still has not been settled.