Chapter 149: Defeat and Retreat

Viserys returned after the first month of his campaign.

Andaros held a rare grand celebration, commemorating the conquest of a vast territory and villages in the Two Rivers region, almost restoring the borders of the ancient Andaros Kingdom.

At the same time, it was a ceremony to reward the many knights who had accompanied the army on the campaign.

After the awards, a grand tournament was held.

Viserys and Oberyn, due to their status, did not participate. In the end, Sir Evin Pass, a Loyna general who had once led the heavy cavalry in the great battle, won the championship.

As one of the first nobles to rise under the banner of the Targaryen Three-Headed Dragon, Sir Evin naturally remained loyal to Viserys.

Once, they were nothing but mud under the feet of others, plundered by the Dothraki, dependent on the trade city-states. They couldn't compete with the shrewd merchants, and their only option was to become mercenaries, not knowing which day they would die in a foreign land.

But since the arrival of the Targaryens, these villages were united, becoming a formidable force that could not be ignored.

The plundering Dothraki left behind corpses everywhere as they fled in haste, and even their Khal was burned to death.

The merchant caravans passing through the villages became more respectful, no longer exploiting the villagers out of greed as they did before.

After all, if they offended the caravan, they would never come back, and the villagers would have to travel thousands of miles to buy and sell goods.

But now, caravans came and went more frequently, primarily heading towards the emerging city-state of Andaros.

In this vast plain, Andaros had become a sacred synonym.

It rose rapidly and was blessed with a mysterious religious aura, eventually becoming the holy land for countless Andal people.

However, the newly joined Loyna people did not see this place as their homeland; they were more eager for the king to rebuild Ghis Doha.

They even hoped to advance further down the Mother River and restore the ancient Loyna capital, Na Sa Star City.

The ambition of the Andals stopped there, but the Loyna people who had joined the Targaryen forces were even more enthusiastic.

At a glance, the scene was thriving.

In the latest map published by Braavos, the entire Andaros Plain, along with the Velvet Hills, the banks of the Upper Rhoyne River in Ghis Doha, and some mountains in the Norvos range, were all marked in Targaryen red, represented by a shallow three-headed dragon emblem.

…

However, as everything gradually calmed down.

On the distant surface of the Narrow Sea.

A sudden naval battle broke out.

The royal fleet, which had made great achievements in quelling the Iron Islands rebellion, appeared near Dragonstone Island's waters one morning after returning to Storm's End for several months of rest.

Along with them were the Targaryen family's distant relatives, Count Monford Velaryon of Tidewater Island and his warships, and the Dragonstone Island fleet that had defected to the enemy during a routine patrol.

It was evident that this was a long-planned conspiracy.

Sir Joffrey, the commander-in-chief of the Dragonstone Island fleet stationed on the island, was forced to organize a counterattack.

The two sides engaged in a fierce battle on the sea. In the end, the outnumbered forces suffered defeat, and the elderly knight was even shot in the chest with an arrow before being protected by the guards and retreating in a hurry.

After suffering a significant defeat, the Dragonstone Island fleet retreated back to the port of Andaros, causing an uproar and agitated emotions among the people.

The elderly knight had been shot in the chest, but fortunately, his heart was not hit; otherwise, he would have died on the spot. However, even though his heart was not injured, the chest was still a vital area. Coupled with the knight's advanced age, chaos ensued upon his return to the castle.

...

Dragonstone Island was finally lost.

However, it was not Viserys who had hoped to lose this island of extraordinary significance to the Targaryens, but he had long felt that since it couldn't be defended, there was no point in guarding it. Apart from its strategically important position, like a sword that could directly threaten King's Landing, it had no other purpose.

Even its production couldn't achieve self-sufficiency, and it still required Andaros to allocate a large amount of resources every month to maintain a strategic deterrent against King's Landing.

But in Viserys' view, this deterrent had no meaning. What could it do other than keeping King Robert from forgetting about him, causing him to lose his appetite for food and drink?

Could they attack now?

Relying on Andaros' current army of ten thousand or so and three little dragons to conquer the Seven Kingdoms?

Viserys couldn't afford to lose, and he wouldn't act recklessly without absolute certainty.

This cautious attitude had always been a part of Viserys' actions.

What's more, he now had dragons. All he needed to do was wait patiently for the dragons to grow up, and he could re-enact the story of Aegon's conquest of Westeros.

The one who should be anxious now was the fat man sitting on the Iron Throne. Perhaps he felt the spikes on that iron monstrosity were becoming more uncomfortable to sit on. They had nothing to worry about.

However, Ser Joffrey didn't think so.

The old man, as commander of the fleet and second in command of the Targaryen forces, held great power.

During his time in Andaros, even Viserys had to respect his opinions.

Ser Joffrey had assured him that he could defend Dragonstone, and at worst, they could retreat if they couldn't win.

But now, due to carelessness and not noticing the betrayal of his subordinates, they had suffered a significant defeat, and he was even severely wounded and barely clinging to life.

Viserys didn't blame him for losing the battle and Dragonstone, but he blamed him for not cherishing his own body, suffering such a disaster at his age.

Now, in the sickroom.

The old knight lay on the bed, pale and weak, still giving instructions with his last breath.

Losing Dragonstone was a minor matter.

However, whether or not the Iron Throne would take advantage of this situation and cross the Narrow Sea to re-enact the War of the Ninepenny Kings and eliminate the threat in its infancy was what Viserys should consider next.

When Robert Baratheon first ascended the Iron Throne, he didn't immediately launch an all-out attack on Dragonstone because he lacked naval forces.

However, the royal fleet, built at great expense, was utterly destroyed by the old knight's fire.

In the subsequent events, the Targaryens arrived on the continent of Essos and established a foothold, but King Robert remained powerless because the endless wars in recent years had severely damaged the economy of the Seven Kingdoms, leaving them unable to launch a long-distance, overseas campaign.

He could only watch helplessly as the Targaryens gradually developed on another continent.

And now, the opportunity had finally ripened.

...