Game of Thrones: The Black Dragon King

The simplest and most direct way to motivate an individual or a group of people is through incentives.

The principle is simple, but it is difficult to put into practice because most people cannot afford that "carrot".

If a mule gets to eat a carrot every time it pulls the millstone, it will cause sparks to fly from the millstone, but the value it generates from pulling the millstone is far less than the loss of the carrot provided by its owner.

However, Reed didn't care. It was incredibly satisfying to use other people's money to eliminate potential threats, win people's hearts, and at the same time, the food and wealth would rot in his newly established pot in another form. It was a win-win-win situation.

Just after Reid announced to the public that each of the three leaders would be rewarded with fifty fine horses and that all the food and supplies found would be at the disposal of the participants.

In half a day, the small town of Hersi, with a population of less than 20,000, was almost completely deserted. Men, women, and children who could move around spontaneously joined the patrol team, eagerly searching for the money and grain hidden by the temple priests and secular leaders.

As night fell, Reed sat on a small stool atop Hersey's wooden tower, watching the torchlight flicker like fireflies on Mount Kaiser in the distance. He crossed his legs and took a smug swig of wine. No wonder the older generation always emphasized that you have to mobilize the masses in everything you do.

His posture was too arrogant, and without any support behind him, his body swayed violently. He gripped the rough wooden beam at the edge of the tower with one hand, and most of the wine in the pot spilled out, landing on his clothes. The arrogance he had shown just moments before vanished in the instant he almost lost his balance and fell.

"Damn it, we should get a recliner!"

The Kaisai Mountains were bustling with activity, a lively scene of people carrying torches, hoes, and machetes, moving in groups through the forests. Grain, cloth, gold, and silver coins, originally hidden in the deep caves and cellar walls, were dragged out in sacks and baskets. Every time a hidden supply was unearthed, a deafening cheer would erupt from the mountains.

No one remembered the divine authority of the temple priests of the past, nor did anyone fear the power and intimidation of the secular leaders. The once docile sheep people now had eyes that gleamed with the light of silver coins.

In just half a day, the upper-level authorities who firmly held the livelihoods and beliefs of the people were completely shattered by piles of grain, cloth, and money.

Self-interest is the most straightforward and fair thing. It doesn't need reasoning; it tells everyone who is worth following through tangible benefits.

A mounted archer galloped at breakneck speed to the city walls, then hurriedly and excitedly climbed the wooden tower steps, covered in dust and sweat, but his eyes brimming with undisguised excitement. "Your Majesty, we've caught him!"

Reed pointed to the spearhead stuck in the city gate and ordered, "Then replace it."

Sunlight filtered through the sparse clouds, illuminating the earth and casting a warm glow on the distant Kaisai Mountains. The forests, which had been bustling all night, quieted down, and the torchlight that had roamed the mountains and fields for most of the night transformed into a stream of people carrying their harvest, converging on the Hesi village below.

Leading the way was the army: one hundred horse archers, two hundred hammer-wielding soldiers, and one hundred crossbowmen—these were the escorts. Their pockets were bulging; without a doubt, these guys had taken the most valuable spoils of war.

Next came the spontaneously assembled crowd from the entire city of Hershey, including the old, the weak, the strong, men, women, and children. With their shoulders laden with spoils, they marched with the imposing air of a triumphant army, their faces beaming with undisguised excitement and joy.

Everyone carried heavy loads, and no one returned empty-handed.

The able-bodied men were the main force of the team, each carrying heavy loads on their shoulders: earthenware jars stuffed full of dried grain, bolts of thick linen, and bundles of tanned leather, their backs bent under the weight. Every few steps, someone would lift a hand to help them up, and heavy breathing filled the air, yet no one complained.

The women were equally capable. If they lacked strength, they paired up and used a thick wooden lever to carry the grain bins and bags of dried fruit steadily forward. Their woolen clothes were covered in mud, and their hair was disheveled, yet they all moved with light steps, occasionally bending down to rub their harvest, an irrepressible smile always on their lips.

The elderly man walked in the middle of the group, his steps slow but steady. He tightly clutched the wrapped fur and a small silver ingot in his arms, protecting them with his hands. His aged eyes were full of relief and peace.

The most vibrant were the teenagers running along the way. They were physically weak and couldn't carry heavy loads, but they refused to fall behind empty-handed. Some carried baskets of dried fruit, while others clutched copperware and iron tools they had collected. They skipped and hopped through the gaps in the crowd, their cheerful laughter echoing through the footsteps of the entire group.

Ordinary people don't understand power struggles or the game of human nature.

They only understand one thing: whoever feeds me, I'll work for them.

A tide of people slowly surged into the city gates. The money and grain that the tribal leaders had plundered and hoarded over the years flowed into thousands of households like water, and the satisfaction of their harvest permeated the entire city of Hesi. Cheers, laughter, and footsteps mingled together in the city, echoing through the sky.

Although the money ultimately comes from the people, and the harvest that brings them this joy is actually not much—just enough to sustain the Lazarin people for two or three months while they flee south to plunder by the Dothraki—freebies always bring happiness.

Standing atop the city wall, Rhett looked at the simple, honest inhabitants of the walled city, who seemed to have just returned laden with riches from Huang Silang's house, and felt the same joy in his heart. These people accepted his rule and felt safe, after all, they had begun to move their wealth into their homes.

……

Once he was sure he had made a good start, Reed handed over the remaining tasks to Dark.

Three things: First, continue attacking Lazarus and Koslak; second, make them cultivate more land and graze fewer sheep; third, build a city.

Lazari and Koslak were already established military targets, and were also important towns that radiated and controlled the core area of ​​Lazarin, so they had to be captured.

The policy of cultivating more land and grazing fewer sheep is driven by population pressure and the need for future expansion.

The land along the Skazadan River in the Lazarin region is so fertile it could be squeezed for oil. But the Lazarin people's production method, which is half farming and mostly nomadic, is seen as a huge waste by Reid, who comes from an agricultural civilization.

Within the same timeframe, one acre of land used for farming can support one person. However, if used for grazing, it can only support 0.1 to 0.05 people. The food acquisition efficiency of agriculture is 10 to 20 times that of nomadic herding.

The people of Lazarin are wealthy not because they herd sheep, but because they are skilled farmers. Their efficient acquisition of food allows them ample time to spin wool and cashmere fabrics, make pottery, and engage in commerce. This is how they accumulated their enviable wealth.

Furthermore, the grain won't lose weight due to lack of fodder, won't produce large amounts of feces daily, won't get sick, and won't require much effort to manage and feed. After threshing and drying, the grain stored in the warehouse becomes real, storable wealth.

The shift to an agricultural mode of production not only allows more people to be fed with less land, but also rapidly increases population density, attracts more people, forms large settlements or cities, significantly reduces the security costs of frontier defense, and reduces the difficulty of governance.

However, the aforementioned measures raise another issue: the natural, typical, and enduring contradiction and antagonism between agrarian and nomadic civilizations.

The two ways of life are fundamentally opposed to each other, and their demands for resources are naturally conflicting.

Agricultural societies rely on land, food, and settled life, seeking stability and abhorring war and plunder. Nomadic societies, on the other hand, depend on livestock, pastures, and migration for survival, making their existence inherently fraught with instability. More importantly, nomadic societies cannot produce their own food, cloth, salt, or iron in the grasslands, which are precisely the basic resources of agricultural regions. Therefore, nomadic societies are prone to plunder.

Horse people are poor but domineering; sheep people are rich but submissive.

Robbing wealthy sheep-men villages and cities is an innate instinct for every horseman khalasar.

If a safe environment cannot be guaranteed, the wealthier this place is, the more calamities it will suffer. Therefore, the sheepfold fence must be repaired properly. These Lazarin people are extremely adept at producing wealth, and Reid must protect this hen that lays the eggs no matter what.

Even if it consumes a lot of money, food and resources, and even delays the speed of immigration and land reclamation to some extent, it still has to be done, it has to be done, there is no other way.

So, in summary, we arrive at a set of standardized procedures.

Conquer a colony, settle immigrants, cultivate land, and build walls. Once the army is well-trained, supplies are plentiful, and the walls are strong, with a stable logistical base and forward base, continue to expand forward and conquer new colonies. Then, the cycle of immigrants, settlers, and wall construction continues until the land ahead is no longer suitable for farming.

This is also a method that has proven effective in dealing with nomadic peoples by countless agricultural civilizations.

Therefore, it was necessary to build city walls.

Cities are the sharpest weapons of expansion. Every city built adds a recruitment station and supply depot to support the army's outward advance; every city built establishes a ruling order on the land, bringing the surrounding areas into the same system and promoting colonization and assimilation; every city built adds an economic hub and resource transfer point, efficiently concentrating and mobilizing the manpower and resources of a place to drive the war machine.

Cities are also defensive frameworks, security boundaries, and dividing lines of civilization. Cities themselves are fortresses, complete with walls, garrisons, and granaries, making them indispensable defensive nodes; continuous urban networks form the most robust defense system, constituting strategic defense lines, transportation arteries, and intelligence chains; cities are also barriers to civilization, delineating the boundary between order and barbarity, with law and peace within the city and danger and turmoil outside.

As the lyrics of "You Will Return Like Lightning" say: The city is a spear, the city is a shield, the city is the key to the Roman Empire.

After explaining the general strategy to Dark, Reed rode his dragon back to Meereen.

Judging by the time, the Valerian fleet should have arrived at Slaver's Bay by now. As the host, we should go and welcome them, and also provide escort, since the ships are carrying much-needed food for Mirkwood.

……

Meereen, the Great Pyramid.

Reed, who had just dismounted from the dragon's back, was having dinner with his leadership team. The main course was roast pigeon, brushed with honey and spices, roasted until golden and crispy, and each person was given two.

"During my absence, the Giscali coalition hasn't made any unusual moves, has it?" Reed started tearing at the pigeon meat; the little thing was struggling to eat, but it was indeed very delicious.

"I can suppress any unusual activity. With five thousand light cavalry on the vast plains, we fear no enemy in open field battles," Wolf said dismissively.

Reid nodded in satisfaction, then looked at Saladin. "The immigrants' jobs?"

"It's all arranged. The second batch of six thousand immigrants has already set off, with Bishop Martin accompanying them with five hundred armed priests," Saladin replied.

"What is he going to do?"

"Religion is an excellent lubricant. Clerks can soothe hearts and unite various groups within immigrant communities with their faith, and they can also serve as an important link for immigrants to integrate into their new environment. Moreover, they need to preach. You don't actually think that building a few churches will convert all the people into believers, do you?"

"Okay..." Reed turned to look at the Caliph. "Did you catch any fish?"

"To be honest, the results have been minimal," the Caliph shrugged. "When military strength is overwhelming enough to crush all opponents, intelligence work can hardly achieve anything remarkable. The value of intelligence lies in using the weak to fight the strong, ingenuity to break through, and turning the tide in a close and evenly matched contest. Absolute superiority will erase all information gaps, rendering ingenious schemes and infiltration useless. No matter how sophisticated the intelligence, it is nothing more than an insignificant embellishment in the face of a crushing army."

"So are you praising Wolff, or are you trying to excuse yourself?"

"I am boasting of your achievements, Your Majesty. Due to our military victory, their recent activities have begun to subside, with riots and destruction noticeably reduced, but espionage activities are becoming increasingly frequent. I have found a way to block the news, but our civil officials have stopped me." The Caliph looked meaningfully at Saladin.

"?"

"Yunkay and Astapor's spies use carrier pigeons to deliver messages. And your intelligence chief has ordered me to slaughter all the pigeons in Meereen." Saladin sighed.

"How is this related to our main course today?" Reed looked at the half-eaten roasted pigeon on the plate with some surprise.

"They used the homing pigeons to transmit intelligence. But there are no fewer than three thousand pigeon towers inside and outside Meereen. I can't manage them all, so I simply cut them off."

"But doing so will reduce next year's grain production by 30%."

"What kind of logic is that?"

"Pigeon droppings are an important fertilizer, Your Majesty. The Giscali people have been raising pigeons for over a thousand years. They build pigeon towers using clay pots and mud. Those round towers painted with white lime next to the farms are examples. Each tower can house at least a thousand pigeons. Their role in communication and feeding the pigeons is secondary; their main purpose is to provide fertilizer for the farmland. The pigeon droppings from one tower can fertilize more than fifty acres of farmland."

"So the pressure to make the decision is now on me, right?"

"When in doubt, shift the blame upwards." Saladin winked mischievously.

Reed tore off a pigeon leg, gargled it in his mouth, and pulled out a bone. "Keep it. We have the military advantage now, but food is scarce. Farming is the priority. Anything else you've got?"

"There was also an unexpected bonus: the blockade fleet cobbled together by Yunkai, Astabo, and the old Gissians is anchored on Yaros Island."

"I thought they would anchor at the port of Yunkai."

"That place is too close to Meereen; the ships docked there are sitting ducks for dragons."

"Even if they stop far away, as long as they stay in the port and don't move, they are still live targets."

"Their large oar-powered warships rarely sailed at night; instead, they would anchor overnight in the shallow bay of Alois Island."

Is the information accurate?

"A tip from the smugglers, because we're buying food at high prices. I had the sentries scout out at night, and there are indeed quite a few lights on Alois Island at night," the Khalifa laughed.

"Add more orders to that guy," Reed chuckled.