Game of Thrones: The Bronze and Fire Lord.

Chapter 333 The Hein Family of Ries

The Foreign Secretary's diplomacy failed, but the Targaryens' diplomacy was a great success.

Out of respect for the dragon, Prince Reggio warmly entertained Aemon and Lannino, and ordered his wife and ministers to attend the banquet with him.

This infuriated Otto, who sat alone in a corner, sulking with a long face.

It's unclear when exactly, but his dignity was severely damaged, and he was no longer so proud.

It's hard to imagine that his grandchildren are so disappointing, inheriting Viserys's weakness.

Despite having the right and power to inherit the Iron Throne, he doesn't think about protecting his rights and willingly serves as someone else's servant.

Aegon and Aemond, those two boys, are almost tamed by the regent at the dinner table.

"Hahaha, Prince Reggio, your belly has grown bigger again."

Aemon laughed heartily, teasing Prince Reggio about his bulky figure.

Prince Reggio was not offended by this half-joking banter. He patted his belly and laughed heartily, "Thanks to the Targaryen family for guarding the Fjord, Pentos was spared from war, and I was able to live a life of luxury and grow into this body."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone at the table burst into laughter.

Prince Reggio was still not satisfied. He slammed his fist on the table, then raised his glass: "To the Targaryen Dragon King!!"

"Homage to the Dragon King!..."

The men of Pentos raised their cups, expressing without hesitation their deep affection for the Targaryens.

"Homage to the Dragon King."

Amon's smile faded, replaced by a more serious expression, and he raised his glass in a perfunctory gesture.

He deliberately tested Pentos's attitude toward his family.

Privately, they don't talk about it; on the surface, Pentos is primarily friendly.

That's enough when compared to the current global situation.

boom!
Imon put down his glass, his voice neither too loud nor too soft, just enough to draw the attention of everyone present.

Prince Reggio's eyes flashed, and he put down his wine glass, leaning forward and craning his neck, waiting for the Regent Prince to finish his sentence.

Otto arrived at Pentos as a rest stop after crossing the fjord.

Imon, riding a dragon, doesn't need to rest; he deliberately stopped.

"Prince Reggio, thank you for your hospitality. You are a true friend of the Targaryens."

Imon spoke earnestly, first expressing goodwill and encouragement.

Prince Reggio smiled, which, combined with his full beard, made him look rather comical.

But anyone who treats him like a jester is the real idiot.

Imon revealed part of the plan, saying, "You may have heard that our journey to Pentos is to cross the Velvet Hills, pass through Gödöhne, and meet the visiting Consul Mor Aignon La of Cohort."

"Oh?"

Prince Reggio's expression changed slightly as he picked up his glass and took a sip.

This is not good news!
Of the nine free trade city-states, the Three Women's Kingdom has changed hands, causing all the major city-states to lose control of the lower half of the Fjord.

To pass through, one must pay a toll.

Of the remaining six city-states, the poorest, Loras, was weak and unfit to contend with.

So, only five city-states remain.

Braavos advocates independence, but has a long-standing feud with Pentos, and in earlier years they even fought a major war and plundered Pentos' lands.

Therefore, this city-state cannot be relied upon either.

Of the three city-states—Valantis, Corhol, and Norfos—only these three are truly independent and neutral, and could serve as potential allies of Pentos.

What's the point of being allies?

Of course, it was to guard against the Targaryens, who were just across the sea.

Despite Prince Reggio's numerous alliances with Aemon, Damon, and the Sea Serpent, and the fact that he still maintains friendly relations with them to this day.

However, it is an undeniable fact that the Iron Throne annexed the Three Kingdoms of Women and broke the unspoken rules of the nine free trade city-states.

Who dares to gamble that if they lick the Iron Throne today, they won't be swallowed up tomorrow?

But now, Kohol has actually taken the initiative to make overtures to the Targaryens.

"What, what's the problem?"

Imon stared intently at him.

"No! How could that be?"

Prince Reggio suddenly realized what was happening and quickly explained, "I only heard about the civil war in Kohol, and I knew nothing about what you're talking about, so I was just a little surprised."

"That is indeed surprising."

Aemon withdrew his gaze and chuckled, “It is an honor for the Targaryens that Lord Mor has faith in the Iron Throne, but rest assured, Pentos will always hold a place in the hearts of my uncle and me.”

After saying this, he raised his wine glass and said, "Respect your relatives as if they were one family."

"Respect your relatives as if they were family!"

Pentos's subjects raised their cups in a perfunctory toast, but their shouts were less loud than before.

Prince Reggio's face twitched. Having no other choice, he raised his glass and shouted, "Treat your relatives like family!"

A weak nation has no diplomacy.

Given Pentos's geographical location, it didn't even have the right to refuse.

If the Iron Throne were to send troops to conquer, it would only take three days to cross the fjord and one day to set the dragons ablaze, at which point Pentos would change its allegiance.

He would be bound like a pig by forty nobles in the city, stabbed in the belly of his intestines, and thrown into the sea as a sacrifice to atone for his sins.

Immon smiled, finally showing interest in tasting the locally brewed horse urine from Pentos.

Prince Reggio is intelligent, but sometimes his cleverness backfires, making him prone to making wrong decisions.

This must be corrected promptly to avoid a tragedy that neither side wants to see.

……

The next day.

Eamon and Lannino set off on their dragons, soaring across the vast plains and crossing the Velvet Hills before nightfall.

Kohol and King's Landing are more than ten thousand miles apart.

Moor set out from Corhol and wanted to get to King's Landing, which could be done by land or sea.

A river flows south along the Serchen River, crosses the turbulent Lohn River, and enters Valantis, the southernmost city on the continent of Essos.

Once you arrive in Valantis, rent a boat and cross the Summer Sea to enter the Fjord from the Arm of Dorne, then turn into the Throat.

The other route starts from Kohol, heads northwest to Norfos, then west to the ruins of Gödoho, continues over the Velvet Hills, crosses the dry plains, and arrives at Pentos.

We chartered a boat from Pentos, crossed the fjord, and went straight into the throat.

It can be said that neither path is easy, and both are fraught with difficulties.

For an average person to complete the entire journey, it would probably take at least half a year of travel.

In other words, Ethan Lannister was bold and meticulous, traversing the Fjords out of the Arm of Dorne, crossing the Summer Sea into Volantis, following the rapids of the Lorne River upstream, and entering the Thurn River to quickly reach Corhol.

It's fast, but the risks are also high.

The entire route, including the fjords, the summer sea, and the Lorne River, is almost entirely by water, fraught with immense risks.

On the way back, Ethan was no longer in a hurry, and the credit was safely pocketed.

However, being middle-aged, Moore chose the more secure land route due to its importance.

Imon's actions served two purposes: first, to warn Pentos, and second, to preemptively kidnap... him.

If Moore regrets his decision halfway through, or is intercepted or assassinated by someone with ulterior motives, then things will really get complicated.

To avoid any unforeseen complications, it's necessary to take this opportunity.

After several days of soaring through the air on dragons, Imon crossed the Velvet Hills and encountered Lisandro Rogal and his small caravan near the ruins of Gödöh.

"Your Highness." As soon as the two giant dragons landed, Lisangzhuo immediately came forward to greet them.

Imon brushed aside his wind-blown silver-gold hair, glanced suspiciously at the newcomers, and asked, "Steward Lisandro, what are you doing here...?"

“Prince Diamond sent us.”

Lisandro readily admitted it and continued, "The consul of Kohol is cunning, and Prince Damon is not at ease with him, so he specially sent me to find you."

He paused, then continued, "Prince Damon has not seen my brother for a long time and has instructed me to return to King's Landing with you to meet His Majesty Viserys and express my apologies."

This is not something Damon would say!
Aemon's teeth ached from listening to it; he didn't believe a single word except for the first sentence, which stated that Damon had sent them.

Perhaps Damon feared that Moore would side with his uncle and thus lose the opportunity to capture Cohol, so he sent people to gather intelligence and cause trouble.

"Aren't you worried that he'll be left without anyone to use after you leave Damon's side?"

Imon frowned, clearly disgusted by the other person.

Lisandro, a man of great cunning, had his own explanation: "I also feel that Corhol needs me more. If you don't mind, I will send two capable subordinates to accompany you to witness the leader of Corhol's visit to King's Landing and to apologize to His Majesty Viserys on my and Prince Damon's behalf."

He made it very clear that he wanted to see if the Iron Throne could subdue Mor.

This will determine Dimon's subsequent strategy.

Immon smiled and, not afraid of his probing, told him to call the person over to take a look.

"Prince!"

"Your Highness..."

The first thing that catches the eye is a burly Dothraki man, none other than Harold the "White Bear" from whom we parted last time.

Upon seeing Imon, Harold's fierce face hardened with solemnity, and he knelt down on one knee in sincere submission.

"Get up, you white bear."

Imon quite liked this honest and loyal big guy, and patted him on the shoulder.

Seeing this, Lisangzhuo said, "Since the prince values ​​him, why not keep Haro by your side as a guard for you or the young princes?"

"What do you think?"

Amon looked at Harlow.

Harlow placed his right hand on his chest, abandoning his awkward Common tongue, and solemnly declared in Dothraki: "You are my Khal, and where the blade points, even saltwater cannot stop my warhorse."

"Haha, get up quickly."

Aemon grabbed his fur-lined sleeve and pulled him up.

Harold stumbled, then smiled, admiring the prince's godlike strength.

The first one was someone I knew, the second one was a complete stranger.

"This is?"

Aemon looked at the man and realized he was a silver-haired, blue-eyed Valerian. Could he be a member of the Rogar family?

“My name is Torero Hein, Your Highness.”

The robust and handsome silver-haired man bowed respectfully, his voice deep and resonant, his manners elegant.

"The Hein family?"

Immon thought for a moment, and some impressions came to mind.

Lisandra said, "The Hein family is a great noble family in Rhys, and one of the few Valerian families that can rival the Rogar family. After the Battle of Rhys, they swore allegiance to Prince Damon."

Upon hearing this, Imon exclaimed "Oh!" in realization.

I remembered.

After the fall of ancient Valyria, the nine free trade city-states, as colonies of the Free Fortress, each had varying numbers of Valyrians.

Among them, the Valyrians are the most numerous in the two free trading city-states of Valentis, known as the "eldest daughter of Valyria" and Rhys, which has the largest population and is used as a vacation spot for the dragon kings.

Conversely, there were also more Valerian nobles.

Among them, Ries had a more open atmosphere and more Valyrian nobles than the Valentis, which was plagued by the infighting between the Tiger and Elephant factions and internal feudal corruption.

The Rogaire and Hein family are world-renowned and prestigious Valerian noble families.

In terms of overall strength, they are no less than Setiga and the Valerian family before their nine voyages.

"You assigned him to me?"

Imon looked the young and promising Torero Hein up and down, wondering if Lisandro had taken the wrong medicine.

The Torero family is a level stronger than the Rogal family. After the Blood Dragon Dance and the internal strife of the third daughter, they took control of Ries first.

Torero Hein also served as the governor for life of Reece.

When Aegon the Younger, also known as Aegon III, ascended the throne and chose a wife, he sent one of his daughters, causing a sensation at the Red Keep.

A graceful young woman wearing only a light blue-green gauze skirt that matched her eye color, with only a sensual pearl necklace underneath, was practically running naked in the street.

He was stopped by the Imperial Guards at the entrance of Meige Tower and made to change into a more appropriate (not revealing) set of clothes before entering.

After the girl returned to Ries after failing to be selected, she and her entire Hein family, including her father Torero, mother, and siblings, were poisoned and killed.

The Rogal family naturally rose to power, and Lisandro became the next governor for life of Ries.

However, the course of the world changed, and Lisandro supported Damon, making him the more secure Steward of Reese ahead of schedule.

The Hein family had rebelled against Damon, but were subdued by Coraksh's dragonfire.

In recent years, he has been content to be a subordinate under the Luo Jiaer family.

Seeing the prince's doubts, Lisangzhuo smiled and said, "Please rest assured, Torero is a talented man and would never try to be clever."

"is it?"

Imon looked at Torero Hein with great interest.

Lisanzhuo said, "Last time you said that Lord Corliss was appointed Prime Minister and recommended Lord Batimos Setiga to be the Minister of the Navy."

The three Valyrian families who migrated to Westeros have once again banded together for mutual support.

Moreover, over the years, Aemon has relocated large numbers of Valyrians from Myr to King's Landing, Gulltown, and Vale under the guise of population migration.

With his keen political acumen, Lisanzhuo sensed an opportunity.

Since the fall of ancient Valyria, Valyrians have spread throughout the world, but their status has remained neither high nor low.

On the continent of Westeros, where the First Men, Andals, and Rhoynar lived together, the Valyrians consisted of only three families: the Targaryens, the Valerians, and the Setiga.

It was fine before.

In the early years of Viserys's reign, the royal family's rule remained unstable, with the Valerian family eyeing the throne from the outside and the Black and Green parties vying for succession from within.

Not to mention the wars and disturbances in places like the Kingdom of Three Women, the Stone Steps Islands, and Dorne.

It’s different in the past.

House Targaryen truly secured the Iron Throne, with Houses Valerian and Setiga submitting to them, and subsequently conquering the Stepstone Islands, the Three Women's Kingdom, and Dorne.

Emon's overwhelming power further shattered the entanglement between the Black and Green parties, solidifying the positions of Renilla and her son Jaeheris.

They have more than enough to defend the territory, and have already expanded their borders.

If things go as expected, the Targaryens will slowly and gradually absorb Valyrians, whether into the Royal Territories or the Vale, in order to strengthen the Valyrian character of Westeros.

When the population base of a race increases, a new aristocracy will inevitably emerge.

Lisandro realized this and thus sought to push the Valyrian nobles of Rhys into Westeros.

The Luo Jiaer family is no good.

Prince Damon, who is nominally loyal to Rhys, cannot side with the king on the Iron Throne.

But the Hein family can.

House Hein is incredibly powerful, even more so than most of the native nobles of Westeros.

By bringing them into the Targaryen fold, they could not only invest and profit early, but also subtly weaken the Hein family's influence in Rhys and consolidate the Lisandro family's absolute authority.

It can be said that it kills several birds with one stone.

(End of this chapter)