Chapter 107: Half a Year

"So... does Your Grace have an answer to the question just now?"

The maester fell silent for a moment, watching the corpse of the prisoner who had attacked Viserys being dragged away by the guards, then raised his head.

Viserys was speechless for a moment, then nodded. He understood the maester's meaning.

The steps of conquest are quite similar; first comes the use of force, followed by a carrot-and-stick policy.

The area radiating around Andalos and along both banks of the Lhoren River is the territory Viserys is expanding.

The land here is flat and fertile, suitable for growing crops, but unfortunately, there are no mineral resources and can only rely on basic agricultural economy.

Moreover, this place is a mix of ethnicities - Andals, Rhoynars, and even Dothraki occasionally come here to graze and plunder.

For these reasons, the three Free Cities surrounding this area have not taken any action.

For the merchants and Magisters, the benefits that can be obtained here are not significant and may arouse the vigilance of other Free Cities.

"I understand."

...

Autumn passed, winter arrived, and spring quietly came again.

In the year 290 AC.

Since the Iron Islands rebellion broke out across the Narrow Sea, with Balon Greyjoy being crowned king, he first set fire to Lannisport and then met with setbacks at Seagard, losing his heir, Rodrik.

Following that, the Iron Throne gathered a large army, and the newly invested royal fleet also joined the war.

In the Battle of the Fair Isle, Stannis Baratheon led the royal fleet against the once-invincible Iron Fleet on the Sunset Sea.

A fierce naval battle erupted between the two sides, and Stannis eventually defeated the renowned Iron Fleet by setting up an ambush, giving Balon's younger brother, Victarion, his first taste of failure.

Balon's youngest brother, Euron Greyjoy, also fell into the sea during the battle and was subsequently captured and imprisoned in Casterly Rock until the end of the rebellion.

The Iron Fleet was defeated, and the situation for the Iron Islands was precarious.

Stannis, as the Master of Ships, conquered Great Wyk in the name of his royal brother, and the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, Barristan Selmy, known as "the Bold," took Old Wyk.

In the final battle, King Robert and Lord Eddard Stark personally commanded the fight, with Pyke Castle and Lordsport on Pyke Island being destroyed by fire.

The trebuchets bombarded Pyke Castle incessantly, eventually shattering the main watchtower and a part of the south wall. Balon's second son, Maron Greyjoy, was killed in action during the castle's fall.

The Red Priest, Thoros of Myr, who followed the Lord of Light, reignited his flaming sword and was the first to enter the castle, followed by Jorah Mormont.

The royal army then occupied Pyke Castle, and Balon Greyjoy, who had been crowned king, had to remove his crown after less than a year and submit to King Robert.

His only son, nine-year-old Theon Greyjoy, was taken as a hostage and became the ward of Lord Eddard Stark.

The Iron Islands rebellion finally came to an end.

While Westeros was bustling with activity, Andalos on the continent of Essos was not idle either.

...

This was the most precious opportunity for growth. While the Iron Throne was preoccupied and not paying attention, they seized the chance and swiftly swept the settlements of the Rhoynar on both banks of the upper Rhoyne.

Viserys personally led the troops on the campaign, and at their easternmost point, they reached Norvos by the Noyne River, even startling the Norvoshi warrior monks.

The bearded priests in the temples seemed surprised to see the Andals suddenly appear. They hesitated, holding their axes as they confronted the Andal army for a few days before both sides withdrew, deciding not to interfere with each other.

The Andals pushed westward, eventually reaching the Velvet Hills along the upper Rhoyne.

The merchant caravans along the ancient Valyrian road that stretched from Pentos to Norvos and then to Qohor were alarmed, thinking they had encountered misfortune. However, the Andal army withdrew without causing any harm.

"Your Grace."

"Once, this was a Rhoynar city, a beautiful place, a city made up of greenery, flowers, canals, and fountains."

Viserys still rode his white warhorse.

Riding beside him was a Rhoynar guide named Evan, with olive-colored skin and messy black hair.

He was one of the first Rhoynar to surrender, having witnessed the assassination six months ago. At that time, Evan thought he was done for, but he never expected the king to spare them all.

Evan later charged at the frontlines in battle and was eventually knighted personally by Viserys.

Such an honor was rare; Viserys had knighted only a few people so far, including his personal guard Ser Bessie. Evan was therefore forever grateful to Viserys.

"Really?"

Sitting on horseback, Viserys turned his head slightly, surveying the surrounding environment.

Clip-clop, clip-clop...

The horses' hooves made sounds as they stepped on the cobblestone road, and soldiers bustled around them.

However, Viserys could see only ruins and broken walls around him, thick with the colors of history but bearing no resemblance to their former selves.

It had been more than half a year since the Andals had begun to expand their territory. They had almost completely restored the borders of the ancient Kingdom of Andals.

Except for the area south of the Velvet Hills, which was now controlled by the Pentoshi and called the 'Flatlands,' once the southern border of the ancient Kingdom of Andals, they had not yet conquered it.

Now, Viserys led the Andals on expeditions to claim these unclaimed lands, not only for the Andals who had migrated to Andalos but also for those who hadn't. Those Andal villages were now completely swallowed up by Viserys, along with a large number of Rhoynar settlements.

"Over here…"

"Hurry up! Don't fall behind!"

The weary troops marched through the ancient, abandoned Rhoynar city-state, inspecting everything within the city.

Now, the Targaryen soldiers were no longer composed solely of Andals. Over the course of this six-month expansion campaign, they had reclaimed a large number of Rhoynar.

Many of the Rhoynar had joined the Targaryen banner, and their numbers had not dwindled after half a year of campaigning. Instead, they had grown like a snowball rolling downhill, becoming larger and larger.

At this moment, a horse came galloping from the distance.

A Rhoynar warrior sat on the horse, his body covered in patches of dried blood and a few arrows lodged in him.

He then wobbled and fell from his horse.