Game of Thrones: The Black Dragon King

Meereen, at the foot of the Great Pyramid, teeming with people.

"Bring up the prisoners Pimr Daznaq, Akham Karal, and Ptolemy Kantak!" The Caliph's sinister yet imposing voice echoed through the public trial. Immediately, two soldiers dragged the prisoners onto the trial platform.

"Do the criminals still recognize these collars?"

One hundred and sixty-three collars, noticeably smaller than the others, were held high by four assistants and displayed to the prisoners and the crowd of onlookers.

A commotion immediately broke out in the crowd.

"Ah, my child!"

"Hang them! Hang these beasts! Hang these slave owners!"

Pointing to the evidence displayed by his assistant, the Caliph declared emphatically: "These collars came from the children who were crucified as road signs. Because you needed to provoke my great monarch with such filthy and blasphemous means, you ordered 163 innocent children to be cruelly crucified. This is a sin that even God cannot tolerate!..."

"Hang them!"

"Hang them!"

Pimler Daznak kept his head down and remained silent, while the gaunt-faced Arkham Karal stared blankly at a Meereen woman wearing a toka robe who was embracing a slave. Ptolemy Kantak, meanwhile, stared blankly at the Great Pyramid behind the judgment seat and remained silent.

On the Great Pyramid, hundreds of slaves, under the watchful eyes of soldiers, are working together to dismantle the colossal harpy statue. Below, in a room, a group of former Great Lords, wearing conspicuous red feathered hats, are watching the judgment seat.

The Caliph controlled the pace perfectly; the victims' stories brought tears to people's eyes, the revelation of evil deeds aroused righteous indignation, and the pronouncement of justice stirred people's blood; thunderous applause and cheers rose and fell.

"Your crimes include illegal slave trading, slave ownership and exploitation, torture, sodomy, child molestation, blasphemy... In the name of Reid Seris, the liberator of slaves, the conqueror of Meereen, the Black Dragon King, you are sentenced to death by hanging!"

"The Great Black Dragon King!"

"The Liberators of Meereen!"

"The savior of slaves!"

"Father! Father!"

As the Caliph delivered his impassioned verdict, the crowd's emotions reached a fever pitch. They waved their arms and shouted praises and reverence for the Black Dragon King, Reid Seris.

"Take the criminal to the execution ground and execute him by hanging immediately!" The Caliph waved his hand and gave the final order.

The soldiers responded immediately, escorting the three criminals away from the judge's bench and toward the execution ground.

A deafening roar of cheers erupted from the crowd, making even Reed, who was signing documents inside the Great Pyramid, somewhat unsettled.

"Go and tell the Caliph that it's enough, don't go overboard. This is not a trial that seeks absolute justice, but a show to make the people think that justice has been served, so that they will be willing to believe in and abide by our laws and accept our rule."

Reid put down his quill, rubbed his temples, and was clearly annoyed by the sheer scale of the public trial. His attendant immediately obeyed, quickly leaving the Great Pyramid and heading towards the Caliph, who was delivering a passionate speech from the trial platform.

Those who went to the trial were mostly overseers, minor leaders, and members of collateral branches of the nobility—there were very few true slave owners. After all, aside from the perverted, few wealthy upper-class individuals would personally wield the whip. Of course, to make the effect seem less contrived, some incompetent and abandoned members of the major powerful families, who had already been disposed of, were also brought out. Red even found the name of his old acquaintance, Pardara, among them and, out of friendship, singled him out.

After repelling the Dothraki cavalry, Rhed's army did not rush into the city to annihilate the enemy. Instead, they quickly occupied the city walls and blocked all entrances and exits of Meereen, including the city gates, docks, waterways, and the holes blasted out by catapults.

Inside the city, a fierce melee erupted between rioting slaves and panicked lords. The slaves fought for freedom and to vent their hatred, while the lords fought to protect their lives and their families' status. Though poorly equipped, the slaves burned with rage; the lords, on the other hand, relied on the formidable defenses of their pyramids, superior weaponry, and a number of Unsullied to fight.

From the day the city fell until the following morning, fierce fighting raged on, resulting in heavy casualties. However, the battle strangely subsided the next day. On one hand, the slaves, driven by hatred and lacking discipline and organization, were formidable in number but fought without any strategy, making it difficult to break through their masters' defenses; on the other hand, some of the slaves who had plundered wealth through the rebellion were no longer willing to fight to the death.

When some slaves, carrying their plundered wealth, attempted to leave Meereen through a secluded exit, they were stopped and subdued by Reid's soldiers. It was then that everyone realized that the red banner with a black dragon fluttering on the city walls was the true new ruler of this city.

Of course, life wasn't easy for the new ruler either. Having shattered the old system of governance, a new one had to be established, leaving Reid entangled in political affairs. Building something anew was no easy task. He had to manage the vengeful sentiments of the slaves, leave room for the former masters, redistribute wealth and means of production rationally, rebuild war-torn cities, restore economic order, and ensure a stable supply of food and resources. He not only had to contend with a complex internal political situation but also remain vigilant against the covetousness of external powers; every step required careful consideration.

Reed put down his pen, which ached from writing, stretched his wrist, strolled to the window, and casually asked, "Do you have any objections to me confiscating your property?"

"You are the victor, the ruler, and we obey your judgment," Sizdala replied, his face slightly embarrassed. On the day Reid's army entered the city, many prominent members of the Great Lord's family all wore red hats.

At this moment, a slave is being tried on the trial platform for robbery, murder, and rape. In stark contrast to the thunderous cheers that erupted when his former slave owner was tried, the surrounding slaves bared their teeth and hissed with hostility and discontent.

Therefore, the Unsullied, now under new masters, had to hold their spears horizontally to stop the restless crowd.

"In return, I invite you to return to the ruling class."

Swiss made a startling remark, and Sizidala looked shocked. The representatives of the great ruler behind him quickly whispered among themselves in shock.

Their eyes held both disbelief and a glimmer of hope.

To get these former rulers to willingly accept the new order, they must be given sufficient respect and incentives. Reid smiled slightly and continued, "Of course, it's impossible to give you high positions from the start. Everyone will start from the bottom as clerks, tax collectors, city guards, small merchants, and workshop managers."

"What's the difference between this and starting all over again..." a former leader asked irritably, immediately drawing the hostility of everyone. He voiced everyone's thoughts, but in doing so, he put everyone in danger.

"Pardala, my old friend, do you think you're worthless without your wealth? Or do you simply lack the courage to start over?"

"I..." Pardara was too nervous to speak. Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and his eyes flickered as he tried to find an answer that would save face and be in line with the times.

Seeing this, Reed stopped beating around the bush and spoke in a gentler yet firmer tone: "When we first met, your business negotiation skills were impressive. You were very knowledgeable about everything happening in Meereen. You even had a wide range of interests in history, humanities, and politics, and you had your own profound insights. You were good at math, and your handwriting was quite beautiful. Your upbringing from a large family gave you broad knowledge, you were considerate in your dealings with others, and you were confident and assertive..."

Hearing Reed's words, Kratz Daznak fell into doubt: Is this my good-for-nothing nephew?

"And now, you've lost your wealth, your family's status has plummeted, but your wisdom, insight, and abilities haven't disappeared, have they?" Reed's gaze was sharp yet warm, as if he could see into people's hearts.

Pardara was stunned. He had never imagined that Reid would mention his current situation so bluntly, let alone give him such high praise. He lowered his head, his voice trembling slightly: "Reid...no! Your Majesty! I..."

"A blacksmith who has been forging iron for ten years might at best become a small workshop owner; but my friend, even if you start from scratch, in ten years, with your experience and knowledge, you've probably already earned back most of your previous fortune, haven't you?"

"I······"

"Excuse my intrusion, but I still want to know, why?" Sizdala interrupted the conversation without regard for his uncle's expression.

"Because what I want is to rule!" Reed looked at his most favored piece, paused, and pointed out the window, saying, "This is a great city. Although your slave system is infamous, in an era of such low productivity, building such a large and magnificent city is a great thing in itself. This city has 300,000 people inside the city alone, and three to four times that number outside the city."

"To govern a city like this, I need at least a thousand basic officials who are literate, can do arithmetic, can understand government decrees, and can extend my rule to the villages and workshops at the very bottom; I need many, many merchants who know trade routes, have rich business experience, and can convert Meereen's surplus output into wealth and other things we need through commerce; I need many farmers and factory owners who know how to rationally allocate production to ensure the city's supply and trade needs; I need... In short, I need a large number of talented people. And the people below cannot give me all of this."

"Their background and life experiences have shaped their identity as the ruled. They are not lacking in skilled craftsmen and hardworking farmers, but they lack the managers I need. Although many of them have the potential, this is not something that can be achieved overnight. They need time and more opportunities to learn and grow. But education is a luxury. Even if I put in a lot of effort, it will be ten years before the first batch of enough talents are trained. I don't have that much patience to wait. I need it now."

"On the other hand, you are not my original shares, so I won't have as many concerns about using you. I will reward those who have made contributions without hesitation, and I can punish those who have made mistakes without any scruples. Under this background, you will be very useful."

"So, this is your chance..."

Cold yet logical words strike the heart like an awl.

The former false leaders looked at each other, whispering amongst themselves, their eyes filled with both hesitation and anticipation. Finally, they all nodded in agreement.

Reid smiled slightly. Although these former rulers were unwilling, under the lure of the new order, they would eventually become the cornerstone of his stable rule.

"Very good. Now, take your new identities and go downstairs to find Saladin. He will assign you jobs."