"Renly! But Renly wouldn't have a bastard this old!" On the bow of the ship, Margaery Tyrell thought of the image in her memory: a handsome young man with a seemingly carefree attitude.
Lord Renly had slender limbs, broad shoulders, smooth, straight charcoal-black hair, azure eyes, and that warm, gentle smile.
"People say Renly is as handsome as the King was in his youth, which is why so many Lords flock to him!" Garlan reminded his sister.
"We can't see the liberator's face. His hair, eyes, and build are very similar to Lord Renly's, but he's much sturdier and stronger than Renly. Lord Renly is elegant and slender, while the liberator is robust and powerful. If he were the King's son, everything would make sense!" The Little Rose's eyes lit up.
The bloodline is strong; most of House Baratheon are tall and robust, like the mad storm. This is also similar to the blood of the direwolf of House Stark, and the silver hair and violet eyes of House Targaryen.
"His temperament is also completely different from Renly's; he's a fierce and formidable warrior. Renly grooms himself, wears perfume, and jokes with Littlefinger during court sessions, but he's certainly not an excellent warrior. Renly wastes his time on too many useless things. The Wolf King behind the iron mask, like the King in his youth, is inseparable from blood and warhammer." Garlan thought about it; Garlan was intelligent and perceptive, and didn't have the same Rose-tinted view of Renly as his younger brother.
"How could the King have a bastard this old?" Margaery felt it was somewhat absurd. Having a bastard was a crude act, and for great nobles, it was an offense to the marriage alliance. Especially one born before marriage, which was an even greater offense to the betrothal.
Lord Eddard's deceased brother, Wild Wolf Brandon, was very wise; he liked to dally with maidens and was known as the Bloody longsword, yet the Wild Wolf left no bastards, still pursuing Catelyn Tully for duty. Like most noble scions, the Wild Wolf clearly separated lust from duty.
"The King has always been that kind of person, doing as he pleases, indulging in his desires. Before he was married, when he and Lord Eddard were foster children in the Vale, he had a bastard daughter with a serving girl," Garlan explained. "Even after marriage, the King's philandering didn't diminish at all; he fathered Edric Storm on his brother's marriage bed. I've heard the Queen has constantly been cleaning up the King's messes, murdering those poor bastards in their cradles."
"Things are getting interesting; a new player will soon join the game at the table in King's Landing!" Garlan smiled. "The Butter-King is older than Joffrey and stronger than Renly, and Across the Narrow Sea, a large number of people are loyal to him and willing to die for him. He will certainly get involved in the game!"
"What about us!"
"The court in King's Landing has never had a place for the Rose. The family's intention was originally to strongly support Lord Renly. But now, we need a position that is more beneficial to House Tyrell. It doesn't matter who becomes King; what matters is that you become Queen!" Garlan mused. "Father dreams of his grandson becoming King, but he needs to calm down and not put all his eggs in one basket."
House Tyrell envisioned playing the role of House Lannister, no matter which king's queen she became. In the current court of King's Landing, House Lannister exerted enormous influence. With House Tyrell's financial and human resources, they too should seize more say.
"But the King is still alive! And a bastard..." Margaery hesitated. Lord Renly's ambition was already unconventional; could there be an even greater ambitious person?
"Times have changed, sister! Without dragons, armies, warhorses, and grain determine the throne," Garlan consoled. "King Robert's throne came from war, marriage, and a warhammer, and that bit of dragon blood—does that bit of dragon blood compare to the Beggar King's? Robert's throne is not as sacred as House Targaryen's!"
"Even a bastard, if he possesses great power, can harbor ambitions for the throne. Just like Daemon Blackfyre back then."
"Your Highness, House Tyrell's wealth is renowned throughout the Seven Kingdoms." Inside the room, Maester Qyburn also asked, "Perhaps you can gain more from them."
"The Rose's wealth and grain are indeed abundant, and they have always been excluded from the court, no wonder they harbor such messy thoughts!" House Tyrell was aiming for the ecological niche of House Lannister. House Lannister was rampant in King's Landing by virtue of marriage ties; it's hard to say House Tyrell wasn't thinking the same.
"House Tyrell is strong and greedy, let's let them stew for a while," Gendry mused. "We'll still proceed with our original plan to sweep through the Stepstones."
...Beneath the azure sky, gray and white Wolf Pack banners fluttered, and the Wolf Pack Fleet cruised over the Narrow Sea.
The Wolf Pack Fleet's ships were very diverse, mostly riverboats and black ships offered by escaped slaves, and some were merchant ships carrying cargo. The ships were not as tall as typical warships, but these sailors all had rich sailing experience. In the narrow waterways of the Stepstones, among the wind-eroded pillars, these ships sailed smoothly with the wind.
"Join the liberator!" "Join the kingdom without slaves!" On small islands in the vast sea, and in the ruins of the Rhoyne River, many escaped slaves had become pirates or river pirates. When the liberator's reputation spread, many escaped slaves came with their ships to join him.
The Myrish watched anxiously as catapults were erected outside Myr, living in constant dread.
However, the Wolf Pack Fleet's fast ships and warships suddenly launched a surprise attack on the pirates on the Stepstones, creating a diversion. Ordinary pirates were no match for a regular army, especially with the Wolf Pack Fleet's advantage in ships and manpower. All the nameless small islands had been conquered, and the Wolf Pack Fleet cleared out the pirate lairs, killing the unruly pirates. The only two tough nuts to crack were two large islands, Bloodstone and the Stepstones.
"Bloodstone and Gray Gallows Island truly live up to their names!" Gendry watched the smoking Bloodstone from the ship. The Wolf Pack Fleet had raided the pirate's outer docks on Bloodstone, plundering their shipyards and seizing their ships, leaving the pirates on Bloodstone and Gray Gallows Island to fend for themselves; hunger would be the pirates' only companion.
"Your tactics are brilliant, Your Highness! Bloodstone and the Stepstones are based on rocky mountains, with complex fortifications, and the pirates are entrenched in those deep, dark caves and tunnels. Earth and stone fortifications are relatively difficult to conquer; even Prince Daemon, riding a dragon, took a considerable amount of time," Maester Qyburn said.
"And the external environment," Gendry said. "The Three Daughters have collapsed, and the Ironborn haven't recovered from the Greyjoy Rebellion. The Dornish are low-key and steady, so these pirates don't have much external help. Without such assistance, lacking fresh water and grain, the pirates will starve to death."
"Bring my spoils of war!" As Gendry finished speaking, Unsullied guards brought in the captives. The captives were from the pirate crews on the island, adventurers from various city-states. There were Tyroshi with purplish-red hair, pale Lyseni, olive-skinned Myrish, and even black people from the Summer Isles. The captives' arms were tightly bound with hemp rope, in some places, blood had seeped through.
"I want warships and sailors, but I don't want to pay!" Gendry said to the captured pirates.
"bastard, the drowned god will punish you!" A gray-haired, high-nosed pirate cursed incessantly, most likely an Ironborn who had fled from the Iron Islands to become a pirate on the Stepstones.
"Say hello to the drowned god for me!" Gendry looked at the Ironborn. Two Unsullied stepped forward and punched the Ironborn in the face. The Unsullied first cut off the Ironborn's tongue, then nailed him alive to the bow of the ship.
Gendry always appreciated those with craftsmanship, but some stubborn pirates truly had little value for recruitment.
"These ships, this island, are all mine now. You have two choices: the first is to submit and obey my commands. The second is death, like this Ironborn, to meet the drowned god!"
The Unsullied made the pirates stand in formation, and Crossbowmen stood nearby, beginning to load their crossbows.
"king of the narrow sea!" A quick-witted pirate was the first to kneel, then shouted loudly.
"king of the narrow sea!" The pirates immediately shouted loudly, as if grasping at their last straw of life.
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