"The heart of it is his magnificent pre-battle diplomacy. Closing of his enemy's support and preparing contingency plans for any unforeseen situation. This can be seen through the actions of the Ironborn. Generally, the Ironborn have always stuck to reaving and pillaging, never have their actions resembled anything remotely akin to a strategy like what they are showing now. Attacking multiple targets at the same time through stealth, and taking away valuable resources needed by the Rebellion for war purposes is a masterstroke, whose effects cannot be denied. By using the Ironborn in such a way, he has kept the Rebellion distracted. Due to the possibility of the reavers attacking anytime, already Tywin Lannister and Hoster Tully have sent back the bulk of their forces to their homelands, thereby drastically reducing the overall strength of Robert Baratheon's forces. Second, due to the reaving of the Ironborn, all seaborne trade has slowed down to a trickle, which makes the Rebellion depend upon land routes to resupply and replenish their armies. It forces an unbearable strain on their forces when they have to cart tons of supplies over hundreds of leagues in hard terrain, which is not feasible over long-term. Already, there are rumors of shortages of food around the Crownlands. In this scenario, it is very easy to slip in a team of raiders to sabotage the supply trains. And finally, by taking direct action, he is forcing Robert Baratheon to come and meet him in these unfavorable situations. If Robert Baratheon dallies anymore, his men's morale will drop, and the lack of supplies will make them near mutinous. To avoid this, Robert Baratheon will be forced to march into a desert with a depleted army that is ill-supplied and ill-prepared to face a superior foe. That is the overall gist of the situation at hand, My Lord," Randyll finished his observations while everyone looked at him in no small degree of awe, for the succinct and precise way in which he had summarized the whole situation.
Dorne's Great Heaven
Book&Literature · Hyuga_Tobirama
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