"Boom!"
The walls shook, the doors and windows shook, and the hearts of the Riverlands lords shook as well. They finally understood why Loras had emphasized standing and sitting properly. If not for the prior warning, a large number of people would surely have leapt to their feet by now, shouting, "The Night's Watch is attacking!" Chaos would have broken out, with everyone scrambling to flee the room in panic.
Even with mental preparation, the nearly identical loud bang instantly dragged many eyewitnesses back to the Blackwater Rush a month ago, forcing them to relive the fear of being bombarded by an unknown weapon. Shock and terror rippled through the crowd before finally settling under the restraint of reason. Amid lingering fear and hushed discussion, Aegon, the host of the next phase of the meeting, calmly rose to the stage as agreed and began his opening remarks in a confident, steady tone.
"This sound is proof enough that we have indeed mastered gunpowder technology, so I assume no further explanation is needed. But besides this, there is also good news that is not entirely good news. The Pentoshi diplomatic envoy was violently stopped and searched by Daenerys's City Watch at the River Gate in King's Landing and fought back bravely until his death."
The only two people in the world who knew the truth were dead. Aegon would never know his true relationship with Illyrio. However, not knowing his own parentage was one matter, while the fact that "Illyrio had secretly been helping his friend all along" was another, and he had already heard that much from Jon Connington.
The loss of an old friend and hidden ally should have been cause for sorrow, but as a king whose great cause remained unfinished, even grief was a luxury. At this moment, he could only swallow his sadness and reluctance, grit his teeth, and try to draw whatever positive value Illyrio's death might still bring him.
"Killing a foreign diplomat in the street, regardless of the reason, will inevitably bring enormous negative consequences to Daenerys and her so-called royal government, while winning greater legitimacy and support for us internationally." Aegon sighed. "This means that so long as we can endure this round of Daenerys's victorious pursuit, neither the stance of the lords at home nor the international situation will support her in launching another round of war. With gunpowder technology already in hand, once we are given a chance to catch our breath, the Riverlands' advantages in manpower, technology, and organization will open up infinite possibilities!"
"However, though I said 'so long as,' the reality before us is 'only if.' Distant water cannot put out a nearby fire. Even if the Free Cities across the narrow sea are willing to support and recognize me, to pressure Daenerys on my behalf, or even send troops to tie down her forces in the east, we must first withstand the aggressive invasion of her number one supporter, Aegor West, before we can speak of the future."
Aegon straightened his face, trying to force majesty into his youthful features.
"The purpose of this meeting is to discuss methods of resisting the enemy. Under this main agenda, there are two remaining topics for us to discuss."
"First, the raw materials for the previous gunpowder experiment were personally sourced and supervised by my dear queen around Highgarden. Now that the research has made a breakthrough, the burden of gathering raw materials on a larger scale should naturally be shared by everyone. The details are too complicated to explain here. If none of you lords object, please have your maesters, or other trustworthy subordinates who can read and count, report to Ser Loras after the meeting."
"Second, although we have initially grasped the key to mixing and producing gunpowder, we still lack sufficient means of projection. Whether it is round bombs that explode when lit and thrown, or cannons that roar and fire iron balls for miles, we still lack mature production techniques and plans. This is like holding a large bundle of Valyrian steel arrows without a bowstring, which is extremely dangerous. We must pool everyone's wisdom to solve this problem, not only to discuss ways to use gunpowder, but also to prepare to fight even if we ultimately cannot find a suitable method!"
"That isn't right," a voice cut in the moment Aegon's words fell silent. "As far as I know, haven't our friends in King's Landing already stolen the Night's Watch's secret blueprints? If so, can't we just make them according to the drawings? If something can be solved by copying, then we should copy it openly and honestly. Why be coy and take the long road, trying to come up with new methods through discussion?"
The speaker was Randyll Tarly. Since his defeat two years ago in the Stormlands, when Robb, still loyal to Stannis at the time, led the northern army in a surprise attack and left him wounded by an arrow in the back, he had withdrawn to the second line and no longer led troops personally as often. But not leading troops did not mean that anyone could question the judgment and experience of an old general. His sharp and direct words immediately drew much agreement.
"That is true, but according to reports from the craftsmen, the gunpowder formula in the blueprints was deliberately misleading, and the method for making explosive projectiles is of little value as a reference. As for the process of casting cannons, I regret to announce related news. According to reliable intelligence, our 'friends' inside the Night's Watch industry have been discovered and thrown into the dungeons. The entire leak appears to have been the enemy's own deliberate cleanup, clearly a trap. Given that, our expectations for the remaining contents of this 'intelligence' must be lowered accordingly."
As he explained, Aegon nodded approvingly at Randyll Tarly. Though the old general spoke bluntly, he was at least sincerely engaging with the matter at hand. Once such a positive atmosphere was established, today's meeting was likely to produce fruitful results.
As expected, encouraged by Randyll's example, the lords present began speaking enthusiastically, offering suggestions on the matter. Amid the lively atmosphere, the commander of the Golden Company, Strickland, raised his hand again and asked to speak on his own.
"It is indeed bad news that we may still be unable to produce usable gunpowder weapons by the time Daenerys's Western Expeditionary Army reaches us," he said, standing so that his voice could carry over the unending discussion among the lords. "But this bad news has actually cleared my old head. I suddenly thought of two things."
"First, even if we copy the blueprints and produce gunpowder weapons, their quality and performance will still be firmly inferior to the enemy's, and our experience in using them cannot possibly catch up. To engage in a direct gunpowder-against-gunpowder confrontation is to attack the enemy's strength with our weakness, and the chances of victory are slim. The Riverlands has many soldiers and horses, and the number of cavalry alone is no less than that of the enemy's main Western Expeditionary Army, while the enemy is at an absolute disadvantage in this regard, nearly nonexistent. Making use of our advantage in cavalry numbers is the right way to break this deadlock!"
Aegon gave a thoughtful hum and waved his hand, and the noise in the room subsided somewhat.
"The second is a question. Was it really the explosive power of gunpowder that defeated us?" The commander of the Golden Company spread his hands and asked in return. "When that loud bang sounded outside the window just now, there was indeed a moment of tension and panic in this room. But those present here are either veteran mercenary lords of the Golden Company or the foremost hereditary lords of the Riverlands, whose knowledge, experience, and courage are far above those of ordinary people. If even we show such discomposure when suddenly faced with an explosion, then how can we expect the remaining ordinary soldiers, whose quality is inferior to ours in every way, the peasants holding spears and wooden staves to fill out the ranks, or even the beasts that are not human at all, to remain calm?"
"In the battle at the Blackwater Rush..." He paused, remembering that the king had ordered this battle not to be mentioned again. But what he wanted to say could not be separated from that defeat, so he could only steel himself and continue. "Among the losses suffered by my Golden Company, very few were killed by explosive shells or bombarded by gunpowder. Most were injured or killed in stampedes caused by frightened war elephants, trampled in the collapse of our formations, or ambushed by the Dornish army during our disorderly retreat and slaughtered in pursuit. The ratio between the two was close to one to a hundred. Only a few dozen were killed by gunpowder, while the total casualties caused by the rout reached several thousand!"
"If you ask me to make a judgment based on my own experience, I believe the potential of gunpowder weapons goes far beyond this. But at present, my view is this: at least at this stage, its greatest power lies not in killing, but in deterrence and intimidation! The shock wave produced by the explosion alone is enough to make soldiers' legs go weak and cause horses and war elephants to lose control! It is enough to render cavalry units useless and force an army of fifty thousand to retreat in haste when facing a thousand Gift soldiers!"
"So long as we can make our troops adapt to those thunderous explosions, so that they do not falter when charging the enemy, then even without infantry, relying only on cavalry to charge head-on, commanding with our eyes closed, and fighting blindly, we will never again suffer a crushing defeat!" His voice rose, filled with passion and excitement, and he grew somewhat heated himself. "So I believe the first priority before us is not how to throw gunpowder at the enemy's heads, but how to use it on ourselves first!"
"Gather the army east of Highgarden, surround the gunpowder mixing site and the testing grounds. Do nothing else. Be decisive. Use half of the gunpowder we produce simply to let the whole army hear the sound and grow accustomed to it. There is absolutely no reason for us to be defeated again in this battle!"
(To be continued.)
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