Game of Thrones: The Bronze and Fire Lord.

Chapter 340 The Difficulty of Fighting a War
No one dared to disobey the king's orders.

After a brief discussion, a strategic plan was formulated.

Viserys abruptly stood up, his eyes fixed on Aemon and the Sea Serpent, and solemnly said, "This battle concerns the honor of the Iron Throne. Aemon will be the general, and Lord Corliss will be the commander-in-chief. I hope you will work together to help us."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Corliss rose and bowed calmly.

Looking across the entire Seven Kingdoms, there are very few noble lords who can serve as generals, and those who can serve as commanders of a country can be counted on one hand.

There are only four and a half.

Imon could barely be considered half.

Dragon riders are always at the forefront of the battle, so they naturally don't have much energy left and can't adjust their strategies all the time.

In addition, Imon's maximum troop capacity is only tens of thousands.

In the past, battlefield victories were mostly achieved by utilizing the immense power of dragons to lead small numbers of soldiers in blitzkrieg tactics.

This is an advantage and a strength that needs no change, but it also limits military capabilities and prevents further development.

The remaining four are Prince Coollen of Dorne, Duke Bomond of Storm's End, the Sea Serpent, and Daemon.

Cole and Bomond were collectively referred to as the old, weak, sick, and disabled.

Damon was a free spirit and disobedient.

The only truly capable commander was Corliss the Sea Serpent, who attended the Royal Council meetings.

"I have no opinion."

Imon accepted reality and had no objection to his uncle's arrangements.

The sea serpent is now a trustworthy ally, unlike the ambitious vassal it was a decade ago.

With him in command, Imon's job will be much easier.

Viserys nodded slightly, then looked at the other ministers.

The first to be affected was Thailand, which startled the finance minister and made him somewhat uneasy.

"Lord Tyran, you are the Minister of Finance. You must ensure the logistical supply of the army without any delay."

Viserys was good at using people and deliberately intimidated the timid Tyran.

Tailan dared not refuse and nodded like a chick pecking at rice.

Subsequently, the Minister of the Navy, Bartimos, the Minister of Justice, Thaddeus, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Otto…

"Lord Bartimus, the Setiga family has always been a loyal ally of the Targaryens and the Valerian Empire, and they are warriors of the sea. You will serve as Lord Corliss's second-in-command."

"Lord Thaddeus, the tournament is not over yet, but the security situation in King's Landing is very worrying. You must deal with this seriously and not be negligent in the slightest."

“Otto, with the Iron Throne at war with Corhol, the rebels in Dorne are likely to take advantage of the situation and cause trouble. You need to contact Lord Leonor more often and try to appease Prince Coollen.”

Viserys assigned tasks one by one, his meticulous and dignified demeanor truly befitting a king.

The appointment of each minister was also quite cunning.

Knowing his great nephew Iveserys, he knew that Aemon would surely ride a dragon into battle, abandoning his army and leaving it to the sea serpents to command.

Aemon and the Sea Serpent are father-in-law and son-in-law, and in a sense, they are also related by marriage.

Despite his past experiences, Viserys never trusted the sea serpents.

Barthes outwardly professed friendship with the sea serpents and praised them highly in front of noble lords, but in reality, he was a royalist who sat on the fence.

He will serve as the sea serpent's adjutant, monitoring its every move.

The instructions given to Thaddeus were to prevent anyone from taking advantage of the chaos and to serve as a warning to him.

Whether Aegon and Aymond succeeded in their plot to put a sack over the envoy of Corholl, he, as the Minister of Justice, would be held responsible.

It's no wonder Viserys was angry. Thaddeus was indeed a man of both literary and military talent, extremely obsessed with power, but also prone to enjoying a life of ease.

They belong to the type who need the king to frequently give them a light whipping.

The orders given to Otto are not surprising; what is interesting is the way he is addressed.

Viserys addressed him affectionately as "Otto," instead of "Lord Otto" as other ministers did.

Details suggest that, in his heart, Otto, who has served him since the early days of his rule, still holds a more important position.

There were no assignments or extra orders; they were simply kept by his side as a backup.

Finally, Viserys's gaze lingered on his daughter Rhaenyra and the chief intelligence officer Johanna. After a moment's hesitation, he said, "Rhaenyra will temporarily assume Lord Corliss's duties as prime minister. As for Johanna..."

I looked at the beautiful woman wearing a black gauze skirt, her head slightly lowered, keeping a very low profile.

Viserys felt both unfamiliar and awkward.

From Raniella's perspective, he disliked Johanna, but from Imon's perspective, Johanna was a capable minister.

Managing Mill, establishing the Black Rose Estate, and even the daily meals in the Red Fort's kitchen all depended on her supervision and protection.

Aemon was terrified of death and was extremely cautious about what he put in his mouth.

As a result, the entire royal family began to pay attention to their diet, no longer daring to overeat and put anything into their mouths regardless of its origin as they had before.

It was this complex feeling of liking but not being able to like that that kept Viserys' feelings for Johanna distant.

Aside from imperial meetings, I basically never consulted this intelligence chief.

"Mrs. Johanna, you will stay in the Red Keep and assist the intelligence missions at the front."

Viserys, having reigned for nearly twenty years, quickly found a reasonable and appropriate explanation.

After saying this, he offered a few words of encouragement to his ministers, then rose to take his leave.

Grand Secretary Orville silently rose and followed the King away, together with Sir Harold, Commander of the Iron Guard.

"what?"

Imon let out a soft exclamation and glanced at it with particular interest.

Well done, Ovel, with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, you've quietly boarded the king's ship and become a trusted advisor.

Immediately, Imon shook his head and chuckled.

It seems that Orville's medical skills are indeed quite good, which is why he is highly favored by his uncle.

……

Two days later, at the Ninth Hall in Climax City.

Aemon fiddled with the various spoils of war in the hall, completely ignoring Corliss on the driftwood throne.

"Kid, have you thought about where we're going to send our troops?"

After reading an intelligence letter, Corliss saw Imon strolling leisurely and immediately frowned.

They treated my Ninth Airport like a marketplace, pointing and commenting on my decades-long collection of spoils.

"mean."

Aemon pursed his lips, but when it came to serious matters, he was never ambiguous. He said solemnly, "I plan to send troops from Seagull Town, recruit riders from the Valley and the Royal Territory, and also recruit some Three Rivers Knights from the Riverlands, to cross the Fjord and enter Myr."

"Based in Myre, and in conjunction with the Second Sons of Lake-town, we will march eastward to the Velvet Hills, and from there into the Golden Plains." Westeros and Corhoal are simply too far apart.

There are only two paths to take.

You can either travel by sea to Valantis and then go upstream along the Lorne River, or you can transit through Myr, cross the Controversial Lands and the Great Plains, and take the old route through the Velvet Hills.

Comparing the two paths, the latter is clearly more reliable.

With the Iron Throne attacking Kohor, Valantis has not only refused passage but has likely already amassed its forces, preparing to deliver a severe retaliation against the Iron Throne.

Transiting through Milwaukee is not easy either, as it requires a long journey and a stopover in Pentos.

Putting yourself in his shoes, if Aemon were Prince Reggio, he would also tremble before the army of the Iron Throne.

Who knows whether they're going to attack Kohor or take the opportunity to destroy Pentos?

This requires Foreign Minister Otto to go to Pentos as an envoy and, incidentally, also act as a hostage.

I believe his dual role as both a Grand Minister and the Queen's father is more than enough.

If all else fails, send his son Garwin as well; the king's brother-in-law is a formidable figure.

What if something goes wrong and the father and son are killed...?
All I can say is that the Hightoar family is truly a family of loyal martyrs.

"Recruit all riders?"

Kolis hesitated for a moment, then praised, "Good idea. Riders can greatly shorten the journey. With your dragons, conquering cities and territories will be a piece of cake. Riders are very suitable."

He couldn't think of a better idea, even if he didn't listen to Imon's suggestion.

The Andalus Mountains run north to south, dividing the eastern part of the continent of Essos in two.

Unless a path can be carved out of the mountains in the disputed territory, the only way to travel on land is through the Velvet Hills.

Of course, there are also more extreme methods.

Capture Valantis, control the Lorne River, and allow the Seagull Town navy and the Valerian fleet to sail upstream.

Thinking of this, Corliss shook his head.

This war was all caused by Mor claiming to be a descendant of the Dragon King, which thoroughly angered Viserys.

An unexpected attack on Valantis would lead to his impeachment by his colleagues in the Council of Kings.

“Kid, I’ll stay in Myr to manage your logistics and relieve you of the pressure in Valantis.”

Collis explained the strategy.

With the commander-in-chief stationed at the rear, there are no problems.

Kohol had two allies who were interdependent: Norfos and Valantis.

Norfoss is located in the Norfoss Hills inland, so he couldn't be of any help.

Valantis was built along the coast, controlled the Lorne River, and could provide excellent support to Kohol; someone had to step in to contain it.

To prevent the Valantis fleet from taking advantage of the situation to seize control of the Na'n River, the Dark Current River, Dagger Lake, and the Gyn River, which are tributaries of the Lorne River, thus dividing the entire Golden Fields into countless parts and disrupting the Iron Throne army fighting on foreign soil.

These river bandits moved freely on the river, and even the might of the dragon was not enough to defeat them.

Then we will be in a stalemate where we are in the open while the enemy is in the dark, just like when he and Damon attacked the Steppes.

The battle lines were stretched too thin, and the logistical costs were terrifying; the national treasury could not sustain a war that lasted for years.

Perhaps in a few years.

If Viserys fails to achieve any results within six months, he will back down and hastily end the war.

……

"We just met, and I have to leave again."

Aemon found Lannar and said goodbye with an apologetic expression.

Lana was several months pregnant, and her lower abdomen was showing a considerable curve.

Seeing Eamon's ashamed expression, how could the gentle older sister bear to scold him? She raised her hand to gently stroke her young husband's cheek and said with a soft laugh, "As long as you don't sell Father like you did to Otto, I'll be thankful."

"That won't happen."

Immon quickly shook his head, seemingly thinking of something amusing, and forced a smile.

The sea serpent is too cunning, much harder to deal with than the straightforward Otto.

Otherwise, I would have tricked him into going to fight Valantius long ago.

"Hmph~~"

Lana rolled her eyes coquettishly, as if to say, "I don't believe you."

Even after being exposed, Eamon shamelessly followed her posture of cupping her cheeks, gently putting one arm around her waist and stroking her lower abdomen beneath her white silk dress with the other.

"By the time I get back, the little one will probably already be born."

That's a sarcastic remark.

Lana'er's expression changed slightly, and she asked with concern, "Is it that serious?"

"You know."

Imon did not hide anything and said truthfully, "The battle lines are too long, and each battle results in huge losses. We must fight a major battle to lay the foundation for the future."

His plan was to capture at least one city in the Golden Fields as a base for the Iron Throne.

Once the army arrives, it will sweep across the eastern part of the continent of Essos, dealing with any disobedient individuals one by one.

I won't try to persuade you any further.

Lannar, unable to help, rested her head against Imon's chest and said softly, "Be careful, don't keep the children waiting too long."

Aemon did the right thing.

Dragons alone cannot solve the root cause of war.

Vomisol could easily burn Kohor to ruins, and even the nobles and commoners in the city would not be able to escape.

But that only repeated the atrocities of the ancient Valyrian dragon kings, making the Targaryens' reputation utterly tarnished.

No one will truly submit to violence; they will only lie in wait for revenge.

Therefore, a large army is needed to assist.

Seize territory, plunder property, ransom and release prisoners... standard war procedures.

This will both demonstrate the power of the Targaryens to the continent of Essos and teach them an unforgettable lesson.

It can also win over a group of people, achieving the effect of combining kindness and severity.

Once the new generation of Targaryens grows up, it will be easier to conquer them and gain the loyalty of the locals.

I'll bring you a gift when I come back.

Aemon loved Lannar's gentle nature the most, so he knelt down and gently kissed her belly, which was pregnant with new life.

Lana smiled and gently stroked Imon's smooth, silver-gold hair with her delicate hands, feeling as if she were handling a large, fluffy pet.

(End of this chapter)