Chapter 161: The Dragonlord Makes Old Valyria and the Rhoyne River Great Again
Rhaegar looked at the vast sea of thin, poor, and fearful natives kneeling before him.
Human vitality was so tenacious. Even amidst these ruins, some people chose to live.
They would even occasionally see the brutal Dothraki people, these barbarians who killed for sport. The natives' lives were truly miserable.
"The water that overturns a boat is the tears of the common people," Rhaegar sighed.
Both prosperity and ruin bring suffering to the common people. If the Pentosi were willing to resist the Dothraki Khals, the Khals would not dare cross the Rhoyne, and the lives of these people would be much better. An incompetent general can wear out an entire army. It can only be said that the Free Cities and the people of Westeros have different ideologies; they prefer to rely on gold, not steel.
Sensing Rhaegar's thoughts, the Silver Dragon soared high in the sky, and after a while, it returned with a yellow wild sheep it had hunted in the Velvet Hills.
Amidst the aroma of roasted lamb, Rhaegar cut the lamb into small pieces. Using a Valyrian steel sword to carve the meat was indeed a bit wasteful, but a sharp sword cutting meat itself represented power and fairness. He distributed the roasted meat to the hungry natives.
"These poor, weak people are the beginning of my rebuilding towns and revitalizing the Rhoyne," Rhaegar thought. The living conditions of these people were too backward, not to mention their crafts and technology, completely unlike the prosperous days of the Rhoynar people.
The people began to bring Rhaegar their daily collections: cured meat and wild vegetables. Rhaegar was touched but refused these gifts. It was not easy for these poor people to even have one meal, so he declined.
After a while, the Dragon flew again, and Rhaegar stayed on the low Velvet Hills near the town.
"It would be very easy for me to ask Magister Illyrio Mopatis for this town. However, building a city from scratch here would make this town the first line of defense against the Dothraki Khals!" Rhaegar thought. The Pentosi would not feel bad about a piece of wasteland. And his own town would become the front line.
For such a good thing, the Pentosi would have to pay him some money. However, this matter still had some difficulty, because the Pentosi had always been cowardly and never dared to contend with the Dothraki Khals. Whether rebuilding a town now would provoke the Dothraki Khals was also a concern for the Pentosi magisters. Another issue was the attitude of the Braavosi; would Braavos think that a castle and an army would threaten it from the rear?
"I want to revitalize the Rhoyne, to make the Rhoyne great again. Mother Rhoyne, the water artery of the eastern continent, you will bless me, for I am not only a descendant of the Dragonlords, but also possess some Rhoynar blood." Rhaegar took out a map from his ring and marked the location of the huge sphinx statue and Qohor on it.
A thief never leaves empty-handed. Even if he couldn't take the town of Qohor, this Valyrian steel sphinx statue couldn't just stay in the Velvet Hills for nothing. It was better to take it himself, as it was genuinely ownerless and free of charge. The Dragonlord, unlike the Khals, didn't love zero-dollar shopping; he loved civilization.
Rhaegar looked at the flowing river. Qohor, situated on the banks of the Little Rhoyne in the Velvet Hills, was once a pearl of northern Essos, east of Pentos.
The Little Rhoyne was not small. Although it couldn't compare to the vastness of the downstream river, its location was also very important. Rebuilding a city here would mean controlling the upper reaches. Among the Rhoynar city-states distributed along the Rhoyne's extensive river network—Ar Noy, Ny Sar, Chroyane, Sar Mell, and Sarhoy—this city was the closest to the west coast and the furthest north. This was the upper reaches of the Rhoyne, formed by the confluence of its tributaries, flowing southeast of the Qohor ruins.
"The Rhoyne is like a long dragon, and this location is its head. The land is fertile, and it's currently ownerless, which is quite good. Moreover, there's the ancient Valyrian Road for passage, so building a city here would be smooth sailing, and supplies would be very easy to bring in. If possible, establishing a town here could threaten Volantis downstream. Going upstream, it could also attract the remnants of the Andals and threaten Braavos." Rhaegar had his own ideas for the dilapidated town.
The world is vast, and only power and strength can change the course of destiny.
In terms of manpower and resources, most of the Rhoyne region has the potential for revitalization. Agriculturally, in terms of water resources and transportation, this land is fertile, rivers flow, and relying on the Valyrian Road, it is also very smooth, no less than the Reach, and there are almost no high mountains, making it very suitable for farming. In terms of manpower, he can also recruit some pioneer settlers from Westeros—landless lords, even second sons and poor people, as well as the Greenblood orphans of Dorne. Compared to the Sorrows, this place is a paradise, and people will be willing to come and clear land.
Rhaegar wanted to rebuild Qohor, which would require coordination from several forces: Pentos, Braavos, and even the Dothraki Khals. Otherwise, when the Sealord of Braavos and the Khals woke up to find a new castle on the road to Pentos, they would go completely mad.
But this isn't particularly difficult, Rhaegar thought. Isn't strategizing and maneuvering my strong suit? It's just a matter of using various methods. "Seize the opportunity!" Only then can his town on the Little Rhoyne be re-established.
Rhaegar had no good feelings for the Dothraki Khals, as they were indeed crude barbarians who intimidated the world with bloodshed and destroyed civilization. However, the Dothraki Khals posed less of a threat; the khalasar attrition rate was too high, and they were cruel to outsiders and equally cruel to their own people. The greatest threat was Braavos, which had a powerful fleet that could blockade the Gullet. King's Landing, being a port city, was actually difficult to defend. During the Dance of the Dragons, Corlys Velaryon's fleet controlled the sea, starving King's Landing to the point of unrest, with food and supplies all in short supply, and the populace rioting. The Braavosi would not be unaware of the power of this famine tactic of cutting off supply lines. Even more troublesome were the Faceless Men, Rhaegar thought; their true strength was terrifying.
The Khals are not opponents; they are too barbaric and backward. The Sealord of Braavos and the Faceless Men are more troublesome. Rhaegar thought; he already had a considerable intelligence network. He still needed everyone to constantly report information to him to understand the specific situation.
The Braavosi would not imagine his distrust, but this was not malice, but a sense of vigilance. All those who are kings will always be accompanied by fear; he dislikes any power beyond his grasp. Similarly, Rhaegar could feel the Braavosi's faint vigilance toward him, which was also a fear of unknown power. The Dragonlords of the past did not awaken magic, but now the Dragonlord family has appeared with those who can awaken magic, which is very frightening.
From King's Landing in Westeros, to Planky Town in Dorne, then to the Two-Faced guard Revos of Tyrosh, the High Septon, Great Lord Serry, Quickfinger Lysandro of Lys, Triarch Marajo of Volantis, Magister Illyrio Mopatis of Pentos, and Miro, the King of Bandits. A vast net had been cast, an iron curtain where intelligence could be as precious as gold. Rhaegar entrusted Sersha the Swordsman with the command of this secret network, managed by his most trusted person, with many messages even going directly to him.
"It's easy for me to recruit people; the difficult part is getting them to stay. Trade is still needed. If I have this town and dredge the river, it would be equivalent to opening a new shipping route. Now that the Stepstones route is in my hands, plus a Rhoyne route, that would be perfect. As long as there's money, everyone will flock here." Rhaegar looked at the town ruins, his heart once again filled with ambition.
(Mandate of Heaven Claim (Intermediate): The aspiring city-builder on the banks of the Rhoyne, the Son of the Great River, bearing the mission of the Rhoyne's great revival!)
Rhaegar came to an uninhabited green river. He summoned the river water, and the water gathered, surging into a water wall three or four zhang high. The river water here even obeyed his summons, using very little effort. Rhaegar waved his hand, and the river fell back down again.
Rhaegar's eyes lit up. Returning to the Rhoyne was natural; Water Magic was dancing with joy, improving, and the Rhoyne was blessing him. If Water Magic roared again, it could even flood Braavos.
"Since that's the case, then at least the Rhoyne's perimeter should be the boundary of the New Valyrian city-states, swallowing all the Free Cities."
The Sealord might think his appetite is great, but they wouldn't imagine it's great enough to swallow the entire area west of the Rhoyne River.
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