"Your Majesty, isn't it a bit too hasty for us to go to war right now?"
Old Crab disliked fighting wars. Wars not only failed to make money, they cost a fortune.
Oberyn also thought Viserys' decision to start the war came a little abruptly.
After all, the last time—even against mere bandits and mercenaries—Viserys had started preparing back on Dragonstone.
In Oberyn's view, they should at least stall a bit, draw things out, and buy more time to prepare.
Viserys glanced at the gathered ministers and explained:
"Don't worry. This won't be an all-out war. We're just going to carry out a quick blitz to let those Rhoynish know we're not soft foreigners they can push around. We'll strike fast, and then withdraw right after."
The total military strength of the Rhoynish was somewhere between ten and twenty thousand.
Because of their unique culture, their army had both men and women, which made it relatively large.
But those ten or twenty thousand troops were scattered along almost the entire length of the Upper Rhoyne.
As the attacker, Viserys could take advantage of timing.
More importantly, he could use this opportunity to test whether wildfire could neutralize the Rhoynish water magic.
If it couldn't, he would still have local superiority in numbers and could retreat in time to minimize losses.
Reconnaissance showed that Terno's forces numbered only about two thousand. Half of them usually worked for him as farmers or laborers.
The only real asset he could rely on was his water sorcerers.
If wildfire really could counter their thick fog, Viserys could start drafting a far bolder conquest plan.
He then added:
"Also, pass my order to every soldier: no harming or looting the ordinary Rhoynish. Anyone who disobeys—I'll personally take his head."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
He knew very well that what he sought to conquer was not just land, but hearts.
Before, by executing the bandit leaders, he had won the support of the Andals. Perhaps with the Rhoynish, he could follow the same formula.
Their so-called council of elders would make the perfect sacrificial offering.
From that recent negotiation, Viserys had seen right through the greed and cowardice at the core of the Rhoynish 'Elites'.
Even now, they were still trying to talk business.
He thought he could kill the chicken to scare the monkeys, forcing them to obediently build his walls.
Then, with hunger as his ally, he could conquer both banks of the Little Rhoyne before Braavos had time to respond.
In his plan, he might not be able to conquer Ghoyan Drohe within a year, but at least before the next planting season, he would make sure the land he controlled could be farmed in peace.
As long as they could feed themselves, they would have the conditions for a protracted war in Ghoyan Drohe.
Then time would truly be on his side.
But before marching, there was another matter to deal with—those Rhoynish laborers building his walls.
They were all able-bodied adults.
If handled poorly, they could cause trouble.
So they were sent to the northern mountains to haul stone.
That way, they would be far from the battlefield, and have no tools that could serve as weapons.
Even so, Viserys didn't have enough manpower—his total forces were under seven thousand.
This raid, he planned to take five thousand with him, enough to ensure that even if wildfire failed, they could still retreat safely.
While Viserys was busy assembling his troops, Ruchel had just arrived at Terno's elder manor.
Terno was having a maid wash his feet.
When he heard that Viserys had rejected his price, he kicked over the wooden basin in a rage.
Water splashed onto the maid's clothes, making her drop to her knees in fear, not daring to say a word.
"Hmph! That Targaryen is just a cur driven from his den, scrounging a living in Ghoyan Drohe. And now he dares refuse my terms?
Does he think the Rhoynish are like those Andals he can push around?"
Barefoot, Terno bellowed.
Viserys' refusal meant a huge loss of profit—something he could never tolerate.
"Elder, should we call those farmers back now?"
Ruchel was seething at the thought of the young king embarrassing him. Seeing Terno's fury, he stepped forward and stoked the flames.
"Yes! Call them back! Right now! Tell everyone—if anyone dares keep building that Targaryen's walls, I'll hang him!"
In Terno's view, golden coins should never be wasted on the poor—nor should the poor be allowed to earn them.
As for fields lying fallow and farmers having no money or grain to pay taxes—that was not his concern.
Still unsatisfied, he added another order:
"I don't care about the other elders' people, but anyone from my lands who has worked on the Targaryen's walls will be fined!"
"How much, Elder?"
Ruchel's pig-like eyes gleamed—there was more money to be made.
"They've worked for about two months, haven't they? Fine them half their wages—one hundred Braavosi square coins each."
Although Viserys had begun hiring two months earlier, most Rhoynish laborers had worked just over a month. A fine of one hundred coins meant many would end up owing money.
This only added to the misery of people already crushed under Terno's exploitation.
Soon, nearly every Rhoynish household under his rule received a "fine notice."
Building walls was heavy work, and most who stayed home were the old and weak.
Ruchel led his thugs through these humble homes, rummaging through boxes and cupboards to collect the fines—of course keeping a share for himself.
"One hundred and fifty coins isn't too much! Think carefully—maybe your family is just too lazy!
"And if you hadn't gone to work for that Targaryen king, Elder Terno wouldn't have had to delay buying more weapons.
"Like it or not, it's all your fault for ignoring the greater good!"
Terno said these words with righteous indignation against a backdrop of ransacked homes.
From this little operation, he stood to gain more than ten thousand square coins.
Some elderly Rhoynish, staring at their emptied homes, could only wait for their able-bodied kin to return.
But no matter how long they waited, their family didn't come back.
Instead, news arrived that they would be staying with the Targaryen king.
And while Terno sent men to collect fines, he also sent envoys to demand the return of the wall-builders from Viserys.
But the laborers did not return.
What came instead was the Targaryen army.
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