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Chapter 297: The Golden Company's Loyalty

The year 292 AC brought with it the celebration of the New Year.

"Your Grace."

"Your command is the direction of the Golden Company's banner."

In the palace atop the Nine Towers, Myles Toyne, the current commander of the Golden Company, knelt in the center of the grand hall, expressing his allegiance to King Viserys.

The Golden Company's banner was made from the skulls of its past commanders, boiled clean of flesh and gilded.

These golden skulls hung beneath the banner, always at the forefront of battle. Wherever the golden banner pointed, the warriors of the Golden Company bravely led the charge.

In fact, the Golden Company had made contact with Jon Connington and Viserys through Illyrio's connections half a year ago, before the Dothraki had attacked Pentos.

The Golden Company wished to pledge allegiance to House Targaryen, transforming from a mercenary group into a regular army of the Targaryen family.

The Golden Company, with over ten thousand soldiers, naturally had conditions for pledging allegiance to House Targaryen. They asked Illyrio and Jon Connington to negotiate these conditions.

Many of the Golden Company's commanders were descendants of the survivors of the 'Blackfyre Rebellion' during the Targaryen dynasty.

Among them, many were 'distant relatives' of Viserys, as Blackfyre itself was a branch of House Targaryen, a problem left by the legitimization of King Aegon IV's bastards.

However, they indeed had Targaryen blood, albeit very diluted.

The rest were descendants of nobles and knights who had sided with Daemon Blackfyre.

Their lands, titles, and wealth in Westeros had long been confiscated, forcing them to flee to Essos, unable to return home generation after generation.

The Golden Company initially asked Viserys to restore these nobles' lands and titles in return for their loyalty to House Targaryen and their help in retaking the Iron Throne.

However, this condition was firmly rejected by Viserys.

Although the loyalty of the Golden Company's ten thousand warriors was tempting, Viserys did not lack soldiers. He was not solely reliant on the Golden Company.

Under the new political system, everyone had a fresh start and the opportunity to become a noble and climb to a high position.

Easily granting high positions to the commanders of the Golden Company would discourage the soldiers who had been following Viserys in his campaigns.

Moreover, it would pose an obstacle to those nobles who wanted to surrender during the future attack on Westeros.

After Viserys rejected the Golden Company's condition, some time passed.

The war in which over eighty thousand Dothraki besieged Pentos ended in failure. The arrogant Dothraki rode away in defeat, like dogs with their tails between their legs.

After escaping from Pentos, the fleeing Dothraki turned their horses around and launched a sudden attack, brutally sacking Myr. The Golden Company, who had signed a contract with Myr, saw the situation was dire and for the first time broke their contract and fled to Volantis.

The Golden Company's flight from battle indirectly led to Myr's defenseless massacre by the Dothraki.

Not long after this incident, a messenger from the Golden Company arrived in Pentos again.

This time they did not mention the previous conditions and were much more humble.

The Golden Company only asked Viserys to issue a written decree pardoning the descendants of the families involved in the 'Blackfyre Rebellion'.

They wanted to participate in the promotion system fairly and regain their ancestral titles and lands through military merit.

Viserys did not hesitate long to agree to the Golden Company's new condition.

If the people of the Golden Company were descendants of 'rebels', then the Westerosi nobles who now swore allegiance to the usurpers and caused House Targaryen to lose the Iron Throne were also 'rebels'.

If Viserys could forgive them, why couldn't he accept the Golden Company?

Moreover, the 'Blackfyre Rebellion' that had occurred didn't really have much to do with him.

Because he wasn't a true 'Targaryen', a fact known only to him.

And the nation he wanted to build was not a continuation of the Targaryen dynasty.

It was more like the relationship between the Western Han and Eastern Han dynasties, with little connection beyond the name.

In the future history, it wouldn't be the great Targaryen dynasty that experienced ten years of rebellion and turmoil, with the Iron Throne briefly stolen by usurpers, and then the great King Viserys III raising an army across the Narrow Sea to retake the Iron Throne.

Viserys had established a completely different system in Andalos and Pentos.

He wasn't the real 'Viserys', nor was he from this world, which was his biggest secret.

He had been fortunate to receive a good education, growing up in a peaceful and comfortable environment, without war, hunger, or poverty.

That's why Viserys, as an adult just arriving in this world, seemed so helpless and fearful.

Even killing a person, which seemed commonplace to the people of this world, required a great deal of courage.

Viserys knew what a more advanced political system looked like in the future, with the people in charge, but he couldn't simply copy it.

Because things too far ahead of their time, if forced, would only cause bigger problems.

That's why Viserys spent a long time contemplating, starting from when Andalos was first established.

After several years of learning and understanding, he patched up the existing political and noble system of this world, adding some useful patches from his perspective.

For example, curbing the power of the landed nobility, strengthening centralization, separating military and political affairs, and enhancing the system of promotion through military merit.

Because of these policies, the Targaryen army maintained its high combat effectiveness.

This wasn't just achieved through training.

For these reasons, Viserys could say that the nation he wanted to build was not a continuation of the Targaryen dynasty, and Oberyn could consider Viserys a very special person.

'History is a wheel, rolling forward, starting from one point, turning a full circle, and returning to the original point, repeating itself.'

Oberyn believed that Viserys would break this repeating wheel, allowing the era to transform and bring about different changes.

Viserys agreed to the Golden Company's condition, accepting these descendants of once guilty nobles and knights.

He personally wrote a decree, pardoning their crimes in the name of King Viserys III.

In fact, Viserys could understand these descendants of criminals.

Having a decree gave the commanders of the Golden Company peace of mind, so they wouldn't worry that Viserys would suddenly turn against them one day.

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