Game of Thrones: Viserys the Three-Headed Dragon.

Chapter 247 Pre-departure Insurance
Viserys never imagined that one day he would have to honor the famous "inflatable fish" Lord Mace Tyrell.

However, after the Duke of the Reach returned to the South in disgrace after his defeat, he was criticized and punished by Viserys in writing and in public. But Viserys never expected that the Duke, far from being discouraged and sinking into despair, was very enthusiastic about the construction of granaries, road repairs, and post stations in the South led by his son Willas Tyrell, and took the initiative to arrange for the tenants of the Tyrell family to participate in this large-scale construction activity after the autumn harvest that had just ended.

As a result, several castles and towns under the jurisdiction of the Tyrell family in Highgarden completed their tasks very efficiently and in compliance with standards, so much so that they were only slightly slower than Oldtown and the Mead River area led by Viserys and Oberyn.

Although calling on one's own tenants to participate in the construction was cheating in a sense, Viserys did not explicitly prohibit it. So, considering the Duke of Mace's response and support for the policy - or involution, Viserys made comprehensive considerations, gave Mace Tyrell verbal praise in the official notice, and interviewed the Duke of Mace in the newspaper circulated among the southern lords, to explore how he accomplished the construction plan assigned to Highgarden in a short period of time.

This was undoubtedly a need for political propaganda, but Viserys still felt strange about giving this commendation to the inflatable fish.

Most of the princes who returned home from the defeat in King's Landing were confined to their territories, their troops were dismissed, they were fined and their land was taken away, and their children were sent to the families designated by Viserys. But in order to get the south moving as planned as soon as possible, Viserys did not cause too much unrest in the south, but relied on these princes to begin to enforce various predetermined policies.

The royal territories that govern Stormlands and Dragonstone are also carrying out construction work in full swing.

The city observed and recorded the climate and calculated that this autumn season would only last for a little over a year. This meant that after the autumn harvest, even if many places planted crops again, they could only rush to plant a wave of cold-resistant crops.

According to the winter conditions in previous years, the southern border and the part south of the Mande River and the Royal Forest in the Storm Land will have about half a year of warm weather after the winter, so we can rush to plant corn and potatoes.

Although Viserys's propaganda about winter and the White Walkers is no secret, it is not easy to make these southerners really believe in the cold winter.

Even if the lords believed it, the farmers who grew the land might not believe it.

As a country with an illiteracy rate of 99%, empiricism is the main theme. Without literacy, policy propaganda is one aspect, but we must not forget to let the knights lead people to urge and even force the king's plan. You know, even in modern China where Viserys' soul is, many poor areas still follow empiricism in farming.

Viserys understood this very well, so he had to use the following time to promote various policies in the name of the king. At the same time, he had to reward lords and regions with good performance and mobilize local enthusiasm.

But even so, there are still many people trying to sound out Viserys and the ministers to confirm when the general attack on King's Landing will be launched.

It was not until Viserys had Oberyn hint to the southern lords that they could secretly try to redeem their own captives captured by the Lannisters that they realized that Viserys really had no intention of using troops in the near future, and that he truly believed in the "White Walkers" and "winter", so they began to prepare - but even so, some people felt that their territories had made sufficient preparations for the winter in previous years, and only needed to deal with the inspection team that would be solemnly set up after the king returned.

This was the case in the southern border where Viserys was in charge, not to mention the Stormlands and Dorne further south. However, the crown territory governed by Dragonstone did not make him feel so bad because of the reform of the affairs officer system and the fact that many affairs officers of Viserys' headquarters were in action.

Because of this, Viserys thought of many ways to mobilize the enthusiasm of the princes, such as using official reports to commend them.

In addition to the inflatable fish, the other person who was honored this time was Earl Alister of Brightwater City. Speaking of which, since returning to Brightwater City, this Earl has been unwavering in his support for Viserys' policies. He really regards himself as Viserys's pioneer. He supports whatever Viserys advocates. In addition, Brightwater City is already rich, so many things can be done very smoothly.

After personally visiting Highgarden and Brightwater, I must say that although there were some minor flaws in the actual implementation, Viserys still did not hesitate to praise them.

To be honest, Viserys originally thought that it would be relatively easy to proceed with construction work without fighting, but only when it was actually implemented would he know how to do things that were good in the long run, which was not suitable for the generally short-sighted people of Westeros today.

After actual investigation, Viserys found that except for a few educated lords and knights, the rest of the people in Westeros seemed to generally find it difficult to understand and implement a long-term plan lasting several years or even decades.

The cultural differences across races and time and space often make Viserys feel tired and say "whatever, just destroy it", but after communicating with some people who agree with his policies, he often feels the expectation that "the world can still be saved" again.

So the various policies originally planned were advancing in this way, and although Viserys still had a lot of things on his hands, he seemed unable to get away.
But the situation is beyond our control. Even for Viserys now, he has to consider the situation and act in accordance with the times.

The day promised to Fremi finally arrived.

When Viserys saw the flame rising from the glass candle he brought out of the Citadel one night, he knew that it was Fremi who had left Dragonstone after the previous secret conversation and returned to Essos to make preparations. She was using magic to convey the signal of the Red God to him through the glass candle in the Temple of R'hllor in Essos.

Viserys quietly informed Daenerys and Oberyn, who could now be considered half a god-favored one, and one day took Daenerys to Sunspear in the name of inspection.

There are many things to explain, but Viserys is clear-headed and can only choose to trust Oberyn, who has discussed the situation many times, to do his job according to his own ideas while he is away. Viserys's whereabouts are uncertain, and Oberyn is used to blocking some things for Viserys. Viserys's trip to Valyria is a secret among secrets, and they need to keep it a secret for Viserys before a certain time limit.

To be honest, Viserys often regretted that only one "Follower" Oberyn was not enough, but time was urgent and Viserys really had no time to give instructions and develop more "Followers".

And although Valyria was far away, with Viserys's current speed, it wouldn't take long for him to go there and back. The only problem was that this time he was truly walking with the gods, so the round-trip time could not be guaranteed, so he had to prepare for the worst.

Nightfire and Glittergold were also traveling with them on their way to Dorne. Viserys had tried to give them some of his power to make them stronger, but it seemed that dragons were much more difficult to accept new power than humans. Viserys gave them without reservation, but they still could not reach Daenerys's acceptance and could not call upon the power of thunder. The two little dragons did show some talent in controlling the power of "wind".

Viserys was not sure whether it was a matter of species difference or the age and intelligence of the two young dragons.
But protecting Daenerys - or rather, Daenerys protecting them - is obviously enough, not to mention that many personal guards had been secretly arranged to wait in Sunspear City a long time ago.

To show his sincerity, Prince Doran of Dorne even gave up the Water Gardens to serve as a temporary palace for the king and queen.

Speaking of which, although they have been friends for a long time, this "inspection" in Dorne was the first time that Viserys met Prince Doran of Dorne.

Prince Doran, who suffered from gout, wore a brand new robe today, his hair was combed neatly, and a sincere smile appeared on his wrinkled face. He looked radiant.

"You look younger than I thought."

This is Prince Doran's opening statement.

"You are also more resilient than I thought, Prince Doran Martell. We have known each other for a long time, and now we finally meet." Viserys stepped forward and took the hand of the prince who was obviously holding on. His knuckles were swollen and red like pomegranates.

Gout is a disease of the rich. Even in modern times it is difficult to cure it, it can only be relieved. Even the gout suffered by young people in another world who drank beer and seafood is already very painful, but the gout in the old man in front of him has developed over the years, and his joints are already full of tophi, which may have reached the level of kidney disease.

Viserys once had a relative who was suffering from gout. Not only did he need to have surgery to remove the tophi, but he also had to control his diet. However, it was difficult for the elderly to change their lifestyle. They would always say, "I'm so old now. Even if I change, I can live a few more years. So I'll just stay like this, okay?" So they continued to drink and eat.
Gout is often accompanied by high blood pressure, diabetes or other kidney diseases. When Viserys saw the prince, he knew that even if he had brought "Febuxostat" or "Colchicine" with him, he would not be able to cure him. The prince was very likely to have kidney disease, and giving him medicine would be tantamount to harming him. Besides, Viserys didn't have any medicine.

The prince smiled at Viserys and returned his hand. "Your Majesty, Queen Daenerys, I beg your pardon."

"That's all right. Why don't you take us for a walk in the garden?" Viserys replied.

So, led by the prince and his guard captain Hota, everyone began to walk in the garden.

Suddenly, the prince mentioned, "In a few days, Arianne will be engaged to Cletus of Yronwood. I wonder if His Majesty the King and the Queen will be free to witness it?"

Although they were just taking a walk and having fun, after all, one was a king and the other was a prince of Dorne, so they couldn't help but talk about some political matters.

Daenerys was pregnant and had just come here on a dragon, so she really needed to rest, so she had been arranged to rest in the house. Captain Hotah was in front of them to disperse the crowd and leave a quiet area for them to talk.

At their level, family affairs are basically part of politics. Viserys nodded and said, "Of course, there is still time in the next few days. Congratulations, Yronwood is a good choice. Princess Arianne's rule over Dorne will be more stable."

Normally, for a top-tier noble like Martell, the person he marries should also be top-tier. For example, for Arianne now, the first-tier choice is actually someone at the level of Willas Tyrell. Otherwise, it can also be the offspring of a powerful governor of a free trade city.

But Oberyn was appointed Warden of the West, and the Martell family already had a Lord of Dorne and a Lord of the West, so they were already in a very tight spot. In addition, they had already been engaged to the designated heir to the country. Anyone who knew a little about the principle that when the water is full, it will overflow, and when the moon waxes, it will wane, would know that they should be more restrained.

Although many of Prince Daolang's plans in the original world line were not successful in actual implementation, and he was given the reputation of "Daolang's clever plans brought peace to the world, but he lost his brothers and his son", there is no doubt that this prince had enough political acumen and long-term vision. Unfortunately, he could not do it himself, and due to the time and luck, there were problems in the execution of every move, and he could not get what he wanted.

Now that the power of the Martell family is at its peak under the rule of the Targaryens, it is unrivaled. At this time, Prince Doran must come up with a sufficiently prudent plan.

He undoubtedly thought that the Martell family was not suitable to continue to expand its influence at this time, but should restrain its edge. This marriage with Yronwood is a clear proof. Yronwood is one of the most powerful families in Dorne after the Martell family. This marriage can bridge the contradictions between Martell and Yronwood for many years and consolidate the rule of Dorne Martell. Secondly, it is also in Viserys's heart. After all, the power of the Martell family today can be said to be unprecedented in Westeros since the Targaryen dynasty.

Viserys certainly understood what Prince Doran meant, so as a king he gave a respectful and satisfactory answer. This was Doran's little thought, but it undoubtedly touched Viserys' heart.

And, apart from his status as king, Viserys would feel strange.

Because as far as he knew, Cletus was also a very dissolute nobleman. Why did he say "also"?
Viserys thought to himself, I just hope that the child that Arianne and Cletus use to form a marriage alliance is indeed their own.

After receiving Viserys's answer, Prince Doran raised another matter: "Your Majesty, Aegon of the North. I thought we could talk about him now that we are in person."

Doran seemed to cherish this opportunity for a secret conversation. Viserys couldn't help but look at him and found that his expression was still calm and cautious, but beads of sweat still appeared on his forehead.

Viserys realized that the prince was trying hard to hold back the pain and stay awake. His body was probably worse than it looked. He felt exhausted when talking to Viserys. The prince thought that he had few opportunities to talk to Viserys alone. He didn't know if it was because of Tywin's death that the tension in his heart loosened, causing him to think that he didn't have much time left. Viserys probably knew that although Doran looked calm and kind, in the original world line, he was a ruthless man who planned to destroy the Lannister family.

Since Prince Doran mentioned it, Viserys did not want to spoil the fun and replied, "Speaking of Aegon."

-

"Aegon, this is a letter for you. It was sent to you by your uncle Viserys."

When Master Aemon said this, Aegon was admiring the huge black messenger crow in the crow's nest. It was the first time he had seen such a big messenger crow. He fed it corn, but it refused to eat. He also fed it meat, but it refused to eat. Its eyes were fixed on Aegon, and its big black eyes moved with his movements, as if it was on guard against him and ready to fly away at any time.

"What?" Aegon was incredulous when he realized what was happening. "Master Aemon. No, Great-great-grandfather Aemon, you mean I can call you great-great-grandfather?" He jumped up excitedly. The messenger crow was startled and flew away from the nest, circling around the crow's nest.

Sam, who was working nearby, looked at him and seemed to be able to sense that joy, with a smile on his face - this Prince "Aegon" had made many friends on the Wall these days, and after almost two months of getting along, it was obvious to all that this "prince" treated people well and made people feel like spring breeze. He got along well with the nobles, and when getting along with brothers of commoner origin, he did not have the arrogance and high-handedness of the great nobles. He could get along well with most people, and when the brothers of the Night's Watch communicated privately, they all agreed that he was a good person.

This was due to Aegon's experience of trading on the Rhoyne River in secret. When trading on the Rhoyne River, he had to come into contact with all kinds of people. He even knew the jargon used by the river bandits on the Rhoyne River - an analogy is "the king covers the tiger on the earth, the pagoda suppresses the river monster" and other underworld jargons - and these experiences made him patient. Staying with Master Aemon for more than two months allowed him to understand his own character, and he could also thrive in a place like the Great Wall where all kinds of people mixed together. Aegon took the letter. But he didn't read it immediately. He was so excited that he even had tears in his eyes and said to Master Aemon: "Great-great-grandfather, can I hug you, as your great-great-grandson?"

Master Eamon's old face gave him a kind smile: "Of course, good boy."

Sometimes, not knowing the truth is a kind of happiness. Master Yimon is 102 years old and has experienced a lot in life. Today, he is so excited to have a grandson.

The Targaryen family is declining in number. In the eyes of Master Aemon, even if Aegon is recognized, there will only be four people at most. Daenerys is pregnant, and the number will soon become five.

With such a small population, how could Master Aemon not have a myriad of thoughts in his mind?

Master Aemon has experienced too much and knows a lot of truths. He has seen many families rise and fall, and many influential figures become the dust of history. For example, the once prosperous Velaryon, after the Dance of the Dragons, his bloodline was actually cut off - the current Velaryon is actually a descendant of Alyn, and is no longer the pure-blooded he once was.

Aegon is undoubtedly of Targaryen blood, and a Targaryen who identifies himself as "Son of Rhaegar". He is a good boy, and placing him in the North will be beneficial to ruling the North. Whether it is political considerations or blood ties, Aemon believes that even someone as cruel as the "Duke of Bloodraven" would agree to recognize him.

Maester Aemon and Aegon embraced each other tightly. This was not just a show, but a true expression of their true feelings.

More than a decade has passed, and Aemon once thought that he was the only one left of the Targaryen bloodline, and the Dragon Family would become a thing of the past. It is true that he was a maester who swore to abandon his family name, but blood is thicker than water, and humans are not plants. How could a man like Master Aemon, who was willing to give up the throne for his family, not care about the Targaryen Family?
"Good boy, be good in the future." Master Aemon warned, "Listen to your uncle. Your uncle is a real king. Master of the family, you must remember that blood ties are more important than anything else."

"I will keep it in mind." Aegon answered seriously, "I will do my best to assist my uncle the king, restore the glory of the Targaryens, repel the White Walkers, and defeat the darkness. I will never let you and my uncle down!"

"Okay." Maester Aemon wiped his eyes. "Take the letter and go back to your room to read it yourself. Do you understand?"

The letter brought by the big raven contained three copies. The most conspicuous one was for Master Aemon, and the other two were for Aegon. Viserys specifically instructed Aegon to read the letters in secret.

"Well, great-great-grandfather, then, shall I go back and read the letter?"

"Don't bother calling me that in the future. Just call me Grandfather Aemon." A smile appeared on Aemon's face. "Go ahead."

"Hey."

Aegon then turned around, nodded to Clydas in the crow's nest, and handed the task of feeding the crows to Sam, then strode out of the crow's nest.

It was impossible not to be excited. After all, he had waited so long at the Great Wall just for the day when his identity would be confirmed. However, he still controlled his temper and took every step as steadily as possible as he walked back to the guard tower where he was temporarily staying.

At this moment, even the cold wind on the Great Wall became warm.

On the parade ground, Jon Snow was training new recruits and young soldiers brought from the wildlings in the inner city. On the city wall, the Night's Watch brothers were patrolling. The members of the Golden Company were riding horses out of boredom, and occasionally participated in judging the training on the parade ground.

The sound of a horn means that the ranger scouts who were out on this trip have returned. But no one knows whether they have found any trace of the White Walkers this time, or whether the rangers are being chased by the wights again.

However, without beating the special drum, I'm afraid the trap outside the city will not work this time.

Aegon mourned for Barristan and the Night's Watch, wondering when they would be able to catch a living White Walker.

By the way, Aegon remembered that he would have to send someone to invite Barristan and the others, and then ask Ser Jon Clinton to arrange a small banquet to formally announce the recognition of his grandfather Aemon and his uncle the king, and to return to his ancestral home.

With many thoughts in mind, Aegon returned to his bedroom and asked Haldon to take people to guard the door. Then he carefully and excitedly opened the two letters from his uncle the king.

One was written on stationery.

The letter acknowledged his identity, encouraged him, and expressed expectations for his plans to make a difference in the North.

Finally, Viserys also kindly analyzed the situation in the North for Aegon.

The North is now headed by Roose Bolton, the Warden of the North appointed by King's Landing. Roose Bolton is not a simple character, but the rule of the Bolton family does not rely entirely on the Northern hostages of the Frey family and Bolton's own military strength.

There are two major families in the North that Roose Bolton relies on, one is the Dustin family of Barrowton, and the other is the Lacewell family of the Brooklands. These two families have old grudges with the Stark family and are not on good terms with the Starks. When Robb went south, they only provided a symbolic amount of troops and horses, but their strength in the North was strong. In comparison, the Karstark family had a disagreement with the Starks and had to stand on the Bolton side, so they were not so relied on by Bolton.

Roose Bolton's last wife was the daughter of Rodrik Ryswell of the Ryswell family. It was because of this relationship that Ryswell stood on Roose Bolton's side. The Dustin family of Barrowton was actually extinct, and now it was ruled by the widow of the former head of the family, Countess Barbara Ryswell. In fact, Dustin and Ryswell were one.

But this relationship was clearly unreliable, as Roose Bolton had no children of Lacewell blood.

Today, Bolton, Dustin, and Lacewell are one in the North, and Karstark is just following suit, so if you want to plan for the North, you must pay attention to these three alliances.

Of course, the purpose of not being in the North is not to eliminate Roose Bolton, but to deal with the crisis at the Wall.

Therefore, Viserys gave some suggestions: First, put forward the slogan of unifying the front against the White Walkers in the North, and try to make the Boltons take the initiative to retreat, make way, put aside the dispute, and resolve the crisis in the North.
This first suggestion may seem reasonable, but it is actually impossible to do.

Second, if the Boltons refuse to give in, then try to contact the Ironmen of Deepwood Motte. Those Ironmen are now under the leadership of Asha Greyjoy. They don't know that the Iron Islands are now empty, and Euron and Victarion have lost in the South and are now missing in the Sunset Sea. So you can use this as a condition to make a move on the western frontier of the North, such as Bear Island, Deepwood Motte, and the Stone Coast. Try to unite with Asha Greyjoy, follow the old path of Victarion, and open up the Moat Cailin for Arya Stark in the south by water. As for the Greyjoy and Stark matters, don't try to make the decision, just provide them with the opportunity to negotiate as a middleman.

Third, the Amber family and the Manderly family are all possible targets, but the prerequisite is that they can have Stark's endorsement.
Fourth, Viserys can give him some start-up capital and provide him with supplies through the supply line of Braavos.

Finally, Viserys said that the situation in the North was complicated, with the Ironborn, the Northern Guardians of King's Landing, the threat of the White Walkers, and the Starks. If he felt that he was not strong enough, he might as well take a boat from Eastwatch and return south. Viserys could arrange other things for him in the south.
In addition, there is a copy of the "Neon Genesis Evangelion Handbook", which is a set of magic practice methods summarized by Viserys after in-depth study in the Citadel. This is real magic and power. Viserys asked him to practice diligently every day and not waste time.

The law should not be passed lightly.

Viserys warned Aegon that he should only study by himself and remember to burn the manual after memorizing it so that it would not fall into the hands of outsiders.

After reading this long letter, Aegon took a deep breath and felt the heavy responsibility on his shoulders. He thought to himself, Uncle King is indeed a good king who cares about the world and values ​​family affection. Uncle King values ​​him so much and assigns him such an important task and gives him such a heavy burden. How can he give up?

In fact, no matter what Viserys thought in his heart, what he gave was just a sugar-coated bullet full of family love and care for Aegon. Even Jon Connington would be confused if he saw it, thinking that the king was intentionally cultivating Aegon to make great achievements in the North.

Judging by deeds rather than intentions, it would be hard to find fault with Viserys' support for Aegon, even if historians were to record it.

Aegon was still young after all, and Viserys' letter immediately aroused his great ambition. After reading the letter, the young boy was overwhelmed with emotion and was already making bold plans for the map of the North in his mind.

After opening the window and letting in the cool breeze for a long time, Aegon finally opened the Manual and looked at the secret method Viserys had given him.

At this sight, Aegon was drawn in.

Rumors of magic abound these days, especially after seeing Stannis's men able to create fire from their swords, the entire Wall is shocked. And Stannis's glowing sword leaves no doubt that he has magical powers.

So after Commander Jeor Mormont was brought back by Sam but was seriously injured and unable to exercise command, after the Night's Watch meeting where all the rulers and stewards of Eastwatch, the Shadow Tower, and Castle Black gathered not long ago, Stannis was elected as acting commander and took over command of the Wall.

Although privately, Eastwatch and the Shadow Tower still left room for maneuver, hoping that after Commander Jeor Mormont recovered, he might be able to become the representative of the original garrison and confront the powerful Stannis. There was no way, the Seven Gods followers under Stannis were fine, but the Red God followers were too radical and strong at the Wall. Everyone was worried that the Wall would sooner or later become a situation where the Red God followers dominated alone. Although the Red God showed his strength, the strong doctrine and sense of invasion were still unacceptable to many people.

Now, after reading the Manual, Aegon realized that the reason why his uncle the King was not afraid of the followers of the Red God who had magical powers was because the King also had enough power and knowledge to allow ordinary people to learn magic and become powerful wizards or "practitioners".

Seeing that he could possess the "power of wind and thunder" and greatly increase his speed and strength after learning, Aegon couldn't help but fantasize. He imagined that one day in the future, he would be surrounded by his own fans like Stannis was now - called a "hero".

Aegon felt that Viserys had opened up a smooth road for him, and he was extremely grateful and excited. He secretly vowed: "Uncle Viserys, I will never let you down and make a career for you in the North!"

Just like that, seeing that it was still early, Aegon silently memorized the contents of the manual, and tried to use the meditation method in the manual to train his mental strength and strange pronunciation. He had a good memory and the ability to remember everything he saw - he had shown off to Tyrion in the original world line, so he quickly memorized the contents, threw the manual into the fire, and burned it.

The time was about the same, and Jon Connington's men, who had recently been observing the terrain in the newly added area, had returned to the Wall. Aegon then asked the guards to gather several of his most trusted people to announce this great news to them.

Their wait was not in vain. Aegon looked toward the fields to the south, and then toward the sky above the Wall. He felt heroic.

-

Water Gardens, Sunspear.

He realized that he had a mystical connection with Aegon, and only with Aegon, and he also felt that the "Manual" that was specially added with ingredients and could be spied on with a glass candle through mental power was burned.

Viserys nodded in satisfaction.

At least this prince Aegon, who had the red dragon's approval, did not pretend to obey him. This was a good start. Viserys thought secretly: I hope I didn't choose the wrong person, otherwise, in order to cover up his mistakes, he would have to use the power of the believers that he had accumulated with great difficulty to call on the power of the song and punish him remotely.

Although there are still many things to do in Westeros, time waits for no one, and Viserys looks east. The water garden can see the sea, where the sun is shining, seabirds fly high, and the wind is gentle, but who knows how many undercurrents and dangers are hidden under the calm sea?
His gaze gradually became distant, and he sighed: Everything depends on human efforts!

(End of this chapter)