Dragonstone has a famous Round Table Hall. The map table in the room was built by Aegon the Conqueror and shows the entire Westeros, a symbol of kingship and conquest.
Gendry also has a map hall in Wolf's Den, but it doesn't have a map table. Instead, the walls are adorned with grand maps of the known world. Gendry couldn't help but marvel at the Myrish people being the world's finest craftsmen; the map tapestries woven by Myrish artisans were exquisite.
On the maps, not only were the various regions of Westeros depicted with great realism, but also the castles and sigils of the different Houses.
Inside the map hall, there is an oval round table, and those seated at it are the high-ranking officials of the Two Cities. Gendry designed a very complete and well-organized framework, as he had many talented people under his command. The map hall was filled with people for the meeting.
The Handsome Man is the financial steward, Qyburn manages intelligence, the old Arrow Maker serves as an advisor, Longspear, Steel Fist, and Black Billy command the Wolf Pack Company, Gray Wolf and the former commander of the Spear Company lead the Free Army, while Brown Ben and Jorah manage the Second Sons Legion. Gray Wolf is also the head of the Kingsguard. Harris and Moros oversee the Stepstones Fleet and the Two Cities Fleet. As for the dothraki light cavalry, although they are also overseen by Brown Ben, they prefer to follow Gendry's orders.
"The King has gone to Winterfell, and he will certainly bring Lord Eddard south," Maester Qyburn, with his white hair, said.
"Lord Eddard hasn't traveled south in nine years," The Handsome Man said. "This time, at the King's request, he has no choice but to leave Winterfell."
Jorah still felt a bit uncomfortable hearing that name. Back then, when the scandal of him selling poachers into slavery came to light, Eddard traveled all the way to Bear Island to find him and sentence Jorah to death. Seeing the situation was dire, Jorah fled with his Hightower wife.
"If anyone has the most contact with Lord Eddard, it's Jorah," Qyburn prompted Jorah to speak.
"Frankly, Lord Eddard is not as burly or handsome as his brother Brandon. He always has a serious expression, and outsiders sometimes find Lord Eddard cold. But Lord Eddard is still much beloved in the North. His unwavering adherence to honor and his fair and strict way of doing things have earned him the respect and love of many Northern Houses. However, if Lord Eddard goes south, it's not necessarily a good thing," Jorah said. Although Jorah fled, he still respected Eddard.
Jorah's words made the atmosphere somewhat stagnant, and everyone waited for Jorah's insights.
"Northerners should live in the North. If they go south, there will likely be some conflicts, especially since King's Landing is the most chaotic place. Moreover, at the beginning of the war, Lord Eddard already disdained the Lannister family's schemes and betrayal," Jorah said with a sad expression. The clash between the North and the South was like his own bitter love.
"No matter what, the King going to ask Lord Eddard to come out of retirement could also be in preparation for a war against us," The Handsome Man said.
"The King's authority is still intact. Lord Eddard will help the King coordinate a vast army from the North to The Reach," Longspear analyzed.
"A vast army? I heard the King has gotten so fat he's like a different person from his youth," Steel Fist's mouth twitched. "Can he still lead an army himself?"
"Even so, the King is still deeply loved by warriors and wandering Knights. The King just doesn't like to manage state affairs," Jorah defended King Robert. When it came to familiarity with Westeros' high society, Jorah was the only one. "If he raises his arm, people will naturally fight for the King."
Robert's enthusiasm for various Tourneys and hunting excursions certainly consumed too many gold dragons, but the King's generosity and magnanimity indeed captured the hearts of many warriors. Moreover, King Robert in his youth possessed unparalleled bravery, like the mad storm reborn.
"If King Robert and Hand Eddard intend to wage war, then the Stark and Stormlands will naturally be involved. Lord Tywin, to support his son-in-law's cause and the throne, will certainly send troops and gold dragons. And the Riverlands and the Vale, one is Lord Eddard's wife's family, and Robert Arryn is Lord Eddard's nephew. As for The Reach, they will certainly hastily send grain. Only Dorne remains, and Dorne is sparsely populated, so whether they send troops or not won't affect the war," Qyburn narrated the current situation to everyone.
Six of the Seven Kingdoms would send troops under the banner of the crowned stag; their strength was not to be underestimated.
"There's no need to be overly afraid," Gendry calmly replied. "King's Landing has more internal troubles than we imagine. The army might not even cross the Narrow Sea before internal strife breaks out. A Direwolf and a lion dancing together is destined to be difficult."
King's Landing is full of powder kegs: Littlefinger poisoning Lord Jon, the perennial animosity between the Stark and Lannister, the truth about the King's legitimate children. These powder kegs, individually, are already terrifying, but even more terrifying is that they are all about to explode together, and these flames will drag all Seven Kingdoms into the quagmire of war.
"Even so, we must be prepared," Gendry couldn't explain the sudden shift in the situation to everyone, but it was bound to happen. There were too many Lannister around the King, and King's Landing was now a fiery pit.
"First, soldiers. Soldier training must be strengthened. The Wolf Pack Legion is currently our main force, with unmatched combat effectiveness. But other armies, the Free Legion and the Second Sons Legion, must not slack off," Gendry looked at everyone. This was also something he was currently focused on: morale must go up, not down. Before the war, the army's morale must be properly roused.
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
"Second, equipment. I want the best, most robust weapons," Gendry said. "The craftsmen of Myr and the blacksmiths of Tyrosh are now in our hands. Those beautiful armors, warships, scorpion ballistas, and triple-shot crossbows are all greatly needed."
"According to your orders, the military factories in Myr and Tyrosh are now operating at full capacity, and the craftsmen are also developing newer, stronger crossbows and ballistas," The Handsome Man replied.
The Myrish have a strong artisan spirit, and the Tyroshi's blacksmithing skills are also quite good. The war potential of both cities must be fully exploited. The city's craftsmen design gilded helmets and gold and silver armor. Helmets can be made in the shape of birds and animals and inlaid with precious metals.
"Magistrate, there's one more thing," Brown Ben suddenly said. "The Dothraki always refuse to wear armor. The horse people say armor is a sign of cowardice."
"Let the horse people be for now; customs are hard to change," Gendry replied helplessly. The horse people are excellent riders, skilled at ambushes, charges, and breaking formations, but these horse people are incredibly stubborn and absolutely refuse to wear armor. Treating dothraki Knights as disposable consumables is a bit wasteful, but the horse people willingly choose this. It seems we can only train the younger dothraki half-grown children.
"There's also the matter of our landing point," Maester Qyburn said. "At the Magistrate's request, the generals and I have come up with some ideas."
Qyburn looked at the locations on the map and began to explain them one by one. "If Westeros falls into chaos, our fleet must land first."
"Currently, there are two castles we must choose between. One is Storm's End, and the other is Dragonstone," Qyburn slowly said.
"Storm's End, that's an impregnable castle. Lord Mace besieged it for so long without success. Dragonstone isn't much better; it still smells of Valyrian sorcery and is equally difficult to conquer. Why don't we bypass these places and directly attack King's Landing…" Longspear proposed a bold plan.
"My Lord, your courage is commendable, but naval warfare isn't that easy. It's better for us to seize a piece of land first to use as our base. If we head straight for King's Landing, we might get trapped at sea," Moros of Myr emphasized. When it came to naval capability, the Onion Knight, the Pirate King of Lys, and Moros of Myr were almost equally skilled.
"We won't take King's Landing for now," Gendry made an even bolder suggestion. Gendry pointed above King's Landing, to a long, narrow, and barren peninsula. "The third option is for us to go north to the Claw Peninsula, incite the half-wild people of the Claw Peninsula to rise, then emerge from the peninsula, occupy Harrenhal, and pressure King's Landing. This way, we won't need to commit too many troops to defense, as there are no famous cities or large towns on the peninsula."
Even with this power, Gendry felt that King's Landing should be taken slowly. King's Landing has many mouths to feed, and a large, volatile populace. A steady approach is better. As for King's Landing, it's best to wait until all those powder kegs there have exploded. For now, he would consolidate his lines and await the chaos in Westeros.
"That might work," Jorah's eyes lit up. The crabfeeder's men have always been fierce and loyal to the Targaryen family. If these people could truly come out in full force, they would certainly cause immense trouble for King's Landing.
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