Daeron left.
He was going to gather his men to discuss a perfect plan for plundering the Dragon Eggs.
It might contradict the existing plan, but it would certainly be perfect.
Rhaegar remained where he was, feeling the salty sea breeze.
He had rejected Father Aerys's unreasonable demand to requisition ten thousand Dornish spearmen, dedicating himself instead to dragging out the war.
The tactic of "stalling" was the method Prince Doran had devised.
His younger brother Daeron was too strong; with dragons and an army, putting down a rebellion was trivial for him.
But Prince Doran was also an investor, seeing through the potential conflicts between Daeron and the Lannister and Tyrell families.
Daeron did not want to be constrained by those two houses; he wanted to maximize his own influence before the war ended.
Rhaegar and House Martell shared a similar conflict.
Before the Tourney at Harrenhal, Rhaegar had the chance to break free from House Martell's control and sideline Father Aerys through a Great Council, taking substantive control of the kingdom.
Lyanna's appearance disrupted the original plan.
Rhaegar failed to gain the support of the seven kingdoms lords and could only continue to rely on the power of House Martell.
Prince Doran saw the brothers' situation and gave Rhaegar a good suggestion.
Given the King's stingy nature, he wouldn't let Daeron stay in the limelight forever.
He would certainly interfere.
If Daeron sent troops to fight, Rhaegar would send troops to fight.
No matter how the credit was divided, Rhaegar, as the eldest son, could reclaim some of his prestige.
If Daeron didn't send troops, Rhaegar wouldn't either.
Rhaegar held the advantage of primogeniture; by dragging the time out, a Crown Prince with many offspring would always be an insurmountable mountain in the eyes of the seven kingdoms lords according to the laws of succession.
At the Great Council of 101 AC, The Old King and the seven kingdoms lords chose the older male heir, the future "Young King" Viserys.
At that point in time, the "Young King" Viserys's dragon, the aged "Black Dread" Balerion, had already passed away.
And the "Rogue Prince" Daemon Targaryen did not yet have a dragon, possessing only the reputation of a wandering knight abroad.
But their competitor was Rhaenys Targaryen, the "Queen Who Never Was," who had mounted a dragon early on.
Rhaenys was a woman and was unpopular with the seven kingdoms lords.
But a female Dragonrider on dragonback was no worse than an adult male heir without a dragon.
Excluding the seven kingdoms lords' exclusion of House Velaryon...
Male heirs taking precedence over female heirs, and older male heirs over younger ones, was the fundamental requirement of the law.
"Stall for time, stall until little Aegon is born, stall until the Dragon Eggs are found."
Rhaegar's pride made him despise this approach, but he had to admit that dragging it out benefited him.
As long as the Dragon Eggs were found and hatched, he had a chance to overtake from behind.
Half a month later.
A raven from Dragonstone flew to King's Landing, notifying Daeron to be prepared; Dorne was going to create an opportunity to attack Pentos. Maester Aemon received the letter, his face turning grave.
But he had no way to stop it, just as he had no way to notify Daeron.
Because by this time, Daeron had already led his people toward Gulltown.
...
Gulltown.
The high cliffs on both sides of the harbor formed an inverted triangular bay, making Gulltown an ice-free port.
At this moment, dozens of longships were gathered within the bay.
On the leading vessels, the banners of the seahorse, the red crab, the burning tower, and the golden kraken were displayed respectively.
"Charge! Reclaim Gulltown!!"
Victarion Greyjoy, clad in heavy armor, stood on the deck of the Iron Victory, being the first to reach the shore and charge onto the docks.
After more than half a year of reconstruction, the Iron Fleet had recovered to over thirty longships.
Upon receiving Prince Daeron's message, they immediately set sail, passing through the pirate-infested Stepstones to arrive at Gulltown for battle.
"This will be the first battle of the Iron Islands' restoration! I will win the Prince's favor and restore the glory of the Iron Fleet!"
Victarion was full of energy, like an iron tower, rampaging across the docks.
Gulltown had no walls, and its defenses were relatively thin.
This fleet arrived suddenly, instantly breaking through the bay's blockade and reaching the heart of Gulltown.
Clang, clang, clang!
The town bells rang, and residents closed their doors and windows.
"Charge! Stop the lackeys of the Iron Throne!"
The Vale garrison left behind by Lord Arryn rushed out to resist the landing Royalists army.
Screech—!
A streak of searing red cut through the sky as fierce Dragonfire struck the docks, turning the Vale defenders into clusters of human torches.
Daeron's eyes were like lightning as he quickly locked onto the Gulltown City Watch barracks, riding Caraxes to launch a surprise attack.
"Screech!"
"Screech————"
Tessarion and Toothless followed one after the other, tracing the movements of their father and elder brother, subjecting the hesitant Vale defenders to a new round of Dragonfire baptism.
They were riderless and could not distinguish friend from foe.
Daeron had specifically trained them: whoever Caraxes burned, they would follow suit.
"Hahaha! Before dragons, the men of the Vale are vulnerable."
Victarion's laughter was heroic, completely forgetting his own wretched state when he was the one being burned.
Going to war with dragons was truly exhilarating!
Lucerys and Adrian, the two counts, also stepped onto the docks, leading their troops to clear out the rabble and take control of Gulltown's port.
When they received Prince Daeron's invitation, they were ecstatic.
Driftmark, Crab Island, and Gulltown had formed the Defenders of the Throat alliance to defend against pirates.
When the rebellion broke out, Robert was the first to capture Gulltown, making the Defenders of the Throat exist in name only.
Fortunately, Lord Grafton was unharmed.
Now that Prince Daeron was counterattacking Gulltown, the three houses could form an alliance again and directly join the Prince's banner.
The future looked promising!
Daeron: "Dragonfire, Caraxes!"
The Red Dragon circled above Gulltown, targeting the Vale defenders within the town and treating them to a harsh dose of Dragonfire.
Lord Jon Arryn was also an old fool.
For a major town like Gulltown, he had only sent a thousand men to guard it.
"Is he afraid that if he allocates too many troops, the Vale coalition on the front lines will be short-handed?"
Daeron mulled it over, seeing that the Vale was also full of factions and not entirely under Jon Arryn's control.
He wanted to retake Gulltown and reorganize the Defenders of the Throat.
As early as the conquest of the Iron Islands, he had discovered that Dragonriders and navies were a perfect match.
Unfortunately, the Royal Fleet was in Rhaegar's hands, and the Redwyne Fleet and the Shield Islands fleet were loyal to Tyrell of Highgarden.
The only naval force he could muster was the rebuilt Iron Fleet.
This wouldn't do!
"To attack Pentos, I need at least a hundred ships."
After parting with Rhaegar, Daeron had no intention of honoring their verbal agreement.
Rhaegar provides troops, he provides dragons, and they split the eggs after winning?
If I provide both troops and dragons myself, the Dragon Eggs are all mine.
Rhaegar only needed to create a legitimate excuse to attack Pentos.
"Once I'm done with Pentos, your Royal Fleet can stay and gather dust."
Daeron disliked being constrained more than anything; it made everything unpleasant.
"Screech—!"
Caraxes sensed his rider's emotions, and the Dragonfire spewed even more fiercely, causing the Vale defenders to drop their armor and flee.
A short while later, Gulltown changed hands.
Lord Lucerys reported the results: "Prince, of the twelve hundred Vale defenders, six hundred and fifty are casualties, and over four hundred have been captured."
Some had also fallen into the sea, impossible to recover.
Daeron nodded slightly and said, "Calculate the losses of House Grafton and how much wealth remains."
After Robert captured Gulltown, Lord Jon Arryn took over and unceremoniously looted House Grafton's vaults.
.
Fortunately, he had warned Lord Grafton in advance to move most of the wealth away, rather than leaving it for the enemy.
Before long, Lord Grafton came running over, covered in tears and snot, thanking him incessantly.
"My Lord, you are loyal to the House Targaryen; how could the House Targaryen abandon you?"
Daeron helped him up and said solemnly, "From now on, you are the Lord of Gulltown once again."
"Thank you, thank you, Prince."
Lord Grafton was moved to tears, and looking at the war-torn Gulltown, his bit of misery turned into hatred.
Damn Jon Arryn, taking advantage of the fact that House Grafton's blades were not sharp enough.
When the war is over, I'll see to it that the entire Arryn family is wiped out.
Daeron didn't like dawdling and said directly, "My Lord, I need a powerful naval force, and I cannot do without the support of House Grafton."
"Rest assured, Prince, I will see to it immediately," Grafton stated.
Although Gulltown focused on maritime trade and lacked a strong military force, it didn't mean they were easy to provoke.
His ancestors had managed Gulltown for generations and knew many captains; he could purchase a batch of ships in a short time to use as a fleet.
Daeron was not polite and accepted it all.
He had already ordered Davos to gather the stormlords and assemble an army of three thousand five hundred men.
They only waited for the ships from Gulltown to be in place before they could launch a surprise attack on Pentos.
Sunspear.
Prince Doran admired the sunset, quietly calculating in his mind.
Pentos having a clutch of Dragon Eggs was truly wonderful news.
Even if that clutch of eggs had lost its vitality, they were still Dragon Eggs.
What if they could be hatched?
"The fleet from Plankytown has set out. Once they leave Pentos, they will encounter pirate raids."
A flash of pain for the cost flickered in Prince Doran's eyes, but he suppressed it.
The Magisters of Pentos each had their own schemes; they were all fools who would risk their lives for profit.
He learned through a reply from his brother Oberyn that a Magister in Pentos owed a massive debt and was about to lose his life.
After Rhaegar eloped with Lyanna, Oberyn had traveled to the Essos, joined a free mercenary company, and participated in the struggle for the Stepstones.
According to Oberyn, that Pentos Magister was in league with a Magister from Lys; the Lysene Magister kept a large number of pirates specifically for maritime robbery.
The Pentos Magister leaked information, the Lysene Magister sent people to plunder, and the two split the ill-gotten gains.
The fleet he sent out was to lure the two of them into the trap, providing a legitimate reason to start a war.
"I have bribed several nobles; even if the Prince of Pentos wants to seek accountability, no one will pay him any mind."
Prince Doran calculated everything comprehensively, leaving no hidden dangers.
In any case, for the nobles of Pentos, changing their Prince was as easy as drinking water.
Ten days later, at night.
Within the vast bay of Pentos, the lighthouses lit bonfires to guide the ships at sea.
Pentos's port defenses were meager, with only eighteen vessels and an army of fewer than a thousand men.
This was all thanks to Braavos's power.
After losing the war with Braavos, Pentos not only abolished slavery but also signed many unequal treaties.
For example, their defensive forces were not allowed to exceed twenty ships, and they were forbidden from signing contracts with any mercenaries or free companies, or maintaining any army beyond the City Watch.
Because of this, even though Pentos's wealth ranked among the top of the nine Free Cities, it was still considered the weakest city-state.
Boom—!
Under the dim night sky, a fierce wind blew, causing the bonfires on the lighthouses to flicker uncertainly.
"Eh, the wind's picking up. Is it going to rain?"
The lookout shivered and, by the light of the bonfire, looked up at the night sky.
But why did this wind smell of sulfur?
The firelight wavered, illuminating the pitch-black night sky.
A massive creature, entirely red, quietly appeared above the port, spreading a pair of enormous scarlet leathery wings that enveloped the entire lighthouse.
The lookout:!!
His body instantly froze, and his brain lost the ability to think.
Daeron rode on Caraxes's back, looking back at the two fleets in the bay, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly: "Dragonfire!"
"Screech—!"
Caraxes's molten-gold vertical pupils were filled with cruelty; he opened his dragon maw and spewed a breath of Dragonfire, instantly engulfing the entire lighthouse.
In an instant, fires broke out in Pentos's port, alarming the garrison soldiers.
"In the sky, look at the sky!"
By the light of the fires, the soldiers discovered the Red Dragon in the night sky and cried out in terror.
Boom—
Dragonfire descended from the sky, swallowing all the garrison soldiers.
Daeron's eyes were cold as he ordered in High Valyrian: "Enter the city, Caraxes!"
Caraxes let out a sharp screech, circling the port and igniting all the ships along the way, then flew over the massive city walls that Pentos relied so heavily upon.
Before a dragon, city walls were mere playthings.
Boom—!
Just as the two fleets were landing, the city gates beneath the massive walls shattered with a roar, and crimson Dragonfire billowed out.
Stannis, following the landing party, stood frozen on the spot, staring blankly at the Red Dragon behind the city gates, gaining a deeper understanding of dragons.
If he hadn't surrendered earlier, he estimated the gates of Storms End would have been broken through just like this.
Stannis suppressed his emotions and shouted: "Follow me, I know the location of Illyrio's manse!"
Clang, clang, clang!
Firelight soared at the port, and the city gates were violently breached.
All of Pentos fell into a panic; the towers in the city center rang their bells, alerting the city's nobles that an enemy army was attacking the city-state.
"Screech—!"
Caraxes spewed Dragonfire along the streets; any soldiers or slaves who dared to defend the city were buried in the sea of fire.
Under the dragon's brutal advance, the soldiers behind moved quickly, conducting a carpet search.
In a quarter of an hour, they locked onto Illyrio's manse.
"My sweet Dragon Eggs, your father is here."
Daeron flew over on Caraxes, focusing on a swift resolution.
Pentos, a certain Magister's residence.
Magister Odello woke up with a start from his dream and ran to the balcony; looking out, the western side of the city-state was ablaze, and panicked screams were endless.
"Damn it, I just sent word to Sunspear, and the Targaryen Dragon Prince has already attacked!?
"
This is way too fast.
Odello wiped his face and said in terror, "Dragonriders are truly extraordinary; I need to find a place to hide."
He was one of the Magisters bribed by Prince Doran.
That Dornish fleet had already been plundered, and the news had only been sent out before sunset.
As expected of a Dragonrider, he flew directly here to besiege the city.
Odello ran off with large strides: "Brother Illyrio, I wish you a safe journey."
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