Chapter 104: Battle of Seagate City

As Oberyn's words fell, everyone present understood.

Andalos currently did not have enough power to challenge the formidable alliance formed by the wolves, stags, fish, and falcons.

The Targaryens had lost the war with the support of a large number of nobles when they sat on the Iron Throne, let alone now.

The joint forces of the North, the Stormlands, the Riverlands, and the Vale had toppled Targaryen rule. Now, Robert Baratheon sat on the Iron Throne, and his strength was only greater than it had been six years ago.

The Targaryens, on the other hand, were far weaker than they had been at the beginning of the war.

For these reasons, everyone understood that their best option was to take advantage of the Iron Islands rebellion to cause some trouble for the usurper and make it more difficult for him to suppress the rebellion.

Subsequently, everyone's gaze turned to Viserys.

After everyone had expressed their opinions, it was up to Viserys to make the final decision on the matter.

The young king was no longer as cautious as he had once been, now holding most of the power in his hands.

"Bring me a map."

After some thought, Viserys instructed a guard to bring him a map, which he then spread out on the table.

His gaze fell on the Iron Islands and Lannisport, the first battle after the Iron Islands rebellion. Then his eyes moved to Seagate City, located in the Riverlands.

The Westerlands were rich, but they were full of strongholds and had a complex terrain of rolling mountains, making it unsuitable for the Ironborn to plunder.

Seagate City, located in the Ironman's Bay, had been built since ancient times as a castle and town to resist the Ironborn. Behind Seagate City was the fertile and flat land of the Riverlands.

Just as the former Iron Islands king, House Hoare's "Ironhand" Harwyn, had taken the Riverlands from the then Storm King, Alester Durrandon.

He had relied on bypassing Seagate City, landing forty miles south of the city, and then leading the Ironborn to carry their longships on foot to the Blue Fork before embarking on their river raids.

So, for the Iron Islands to quickly gain an advantage in this war and restore the territory of the Iron Kingdom, they must first capture Seagate City.

Once Seagate City was taken, everything else would become much smoother.

"The Ironborn's next target should be here."

"Once Seagate City is captured, the Iron Islands will have room to maneuver in this war."

"At that time, we will have the opportunity to directly intervene in the conflict."

Viserys, deep in thought and biting his finger, pointed to the location of Seagate City on the map.

Prince Oberyn, leaning back in his chair, looked at Viserys with surprise. He hadn't expected Viserys to think the same way he did.

"Enough."

In the end, after much consideration, Viserys dismissed the idea of immediately entering Westeros to challenge the Iron Throne.

"This is a war destined to fail; we don't need to get too deeply involved."

The people in the council chamber nodded slightly. Apart from Ser William, no one believed that Greyjoy's rebellion could succeed.

...

The soil of the Iron Islands is barren and rocky, and the ironborn have no oxen or horses for farming.

The only natural resource on the islands is cheap iron ore, which is not as abundant as in the Westerlands. As a result, the ironborn have traditionally relied on raiding for their livelihood.

Thus, with insufficient resources and supplies and not enough soldiers to spare, how could the Iron Islands ever hope to defeat the Iron Throne, which holds a far greater advantage in terms of supplies and soldier numbers?

While it's true that this is a good opportunity, with the Targaryen fleet getting involved to cause trouble for the usurpers, it's still not enough to seriously challenge Robert's rule.

At the same time, Viserys doesn't want to provoke this king too much, lest he goes mad and leads his knights to swim across the Narrow Sea just to beat him up.

After all, Viserys's current priority is to develop and accumulate his strength quietly. Although the chances are slim, it's best to make Robert Baratheon think that Viserys is content with his current situation and no longer craves the throne.

Based on the information collected by the maesters, Viserys learned that Prince Joffrey in the Red Keep has already celebrated his third nameday.

And Queen Cersei Lannister is now pregnant with her second child, who may be born next year.

With this ticking time bomb already planted beneath the Iron Throne's seat, Viserys just needs to wait patiently for it to explode, and then watch the Baratheon dynasty crumble.

So he's not eager to get involved in the Iron Islands rebellion, lest he loses soldiers and provokes King Robert too much, leading to the king feeling threatened and focusing on strengthening his rule.

Nevertheless, the Iron Islands rebellion is well-timed, as King Balon has drawn away much of King Robert's hatred, giving Viserys more breathing room.

"Then, let's seize the opportunity that Balon Greyjoy has created for us."

Viserys's gaze locks onto the map around Andalos, and his finger moves to trace the mountains east of the Mander and an ancient road leading to the Rosby Bay.

This area is the ancient dwelling place of the Rhoynar people.

...

The sudden outbreak of the Iron Islands rebellion took everyone by surprise.

But the Iron Throne responded quickly, and under the king's call, the knights began to assemble rapidly.

However, before they could finish assembling, the attacks from the Iron Islands came like a storm.

This series of assaults left the cunning and scheming Lord of Casterly Rock with his head spinning, as he never expected his maritime neighbors to be so dishonorable.

The fires of Lannisport were still smoldering when countless ironborn longships swarmed the coast, indiscriminately burning, killing, and plundering throughout the Westerlands, covering the land in smoke.

On the other hand.

The victory at Lannisport left the Ironborn with no rival naval forces in Ironman's Bay.

The Iron Fleet was now free to attack Seagard, the strategic port that serves as the only gateway from the Riverlands to the Sunset Sea and a necessary stop for the ironborn seeking to pillage the prosperous Riverlands.

As many, including Viserys, had anticipated, King Balon indeed sent his forces to attack Seagard, but this time, the defenders were prepared.

The ancient bronze bell atop the city walls rang out for the first time in three hundred years.

Balon Greyjoy's eldest son, Rodrik Greyjoy, led the ironborn in their assault on Seagard, while the well-prepared Jason Mallister, Count of Seagard, while the well-prepared Jason Mallister, Count of Seagard, personally led his forces in a tenacious defense.

Fierce fighting erupted beneath the city walls between the two sides.

In the end, the valiant Count Jason managed to slay the 'Prince' of the Iron Islands, Rodrik Greyjoy, during the chaotic battle.

The ironborn's formation crumbled, and they retreated in disarray back to the sea.

...