Chapter 148
Even though the Dragon Queen returned to camp with her large prey at dusk, the three envoys representing Windblown were not able to see her immediately.
But Meris and Denzo were not anxious, because the Queen said last night that she would take time off to meet the Windblown messengers during the rest of the night.
Zidan, the leader of "New Second Sons" disguised as a Windblown messenger, is not in a hurry, he is looking around with mutter.
"They claim to have 200,000 troops, but there are actually only 52,000 people. That woman can really brag." He said proudly to his two companions while drinking porridge.
The guards didn't starve them either. Light porridge was enough, and each per person was given some wild boar.
"hmph, you don't need to count the bonfire smoke. The Mother of Dragons didn't plan to hide her strength at all, the merchants of Astapor already told the slave masters of her strength." Denzo taunted.
"You don't understand," Zidan shook his head and said with a smile, "Of course, I also know her strength, but within ten days, her troops did not suffer any major casualties. Can't you explain some problems?"
"What? No matter how much her troops lost, only three Dragons will cut off the possibility of our raiding out of the city. Did you forget yesterday's lesson?" Denzo shook his head.
"Ha, who are we?" Zidan jeered.
Denzo was stunned, not knowing what he was trying to say.
"We are sellswords, not Ghis people, let alone Wise Masters or Great Masters. Could it be that Windblown really intends to die for Yunkai?"
"Are you going to take refuge with the Mother of Dragons?" Meris, who had been silent for a while, was also shocked.
"Of course…" Zidan dragged his tone, and finally frivolous: "…not! The Mother of Dragons will lose no matter how many times she wins.
It's just that after seeing her army's long-distance attack, her army is still so neat and her resolve is so high, I'm afraid that Yunkai will not be the last battle of her life.
In this case, we have to prepare…"
"Let's cooperate with the two regiments, secretly control a few great ships if the situation is not right…"
This time the two Windblown officials did not refute Zidan's words, but both showed thoughtful expressions.
——It's almost a tradition to hire Legions to run away if you can't defeat your opponent, and it's nothing that is shamed.
About ten o'clock in the evening, the whole camp was already very quiet, and the ground was covered with bonfires that could be bright and extinguished, like a night with bright stars hanging upside down.
Led by the Unsullied, Meris, and Denzo meet the Silver Queen with her right hand propped up and leaning on a wooden chair.
Still wearing gray black full body armor, only her helmet is taken off, and a delicate face is under silky silver hair that flashes a little red glow under the torch.
The Mother of Dragons is really young and beautiful as rumored, with strong eyes, not fanatical, but with obvious tiredness.
Denzo looked at the Queen opposite as soon as he entered the wooden palace.
Considering that Lyra knows the general situation of Windblown, the Braavos people can't pretend to be the sellsword group cadres, the cadres are not qualified to meet Dany.
He stayed outside the tent.
Seeing the flute on the old man's waist and the acoustic guitar on the back, Dany sat up straight and said in surprise: "Oh, is this old swordsman a Bard?"
Denzo bowed and said regally: "Your Majesty, my name is Denzo D'han, Windblown's deputy commander, negotiating with you on behalf of the Tattered Prince. As you can see, I am indeed a poet!"
The old man's appearance is rough and his clothes are worn out, but he gives Dany a sense of elegance.
"Left-hand flute, right-hand sword, a Warrior Bard!" Dany smiled and patted to support, and said, "I'm also learning the harp with a musician recently, and we have the opportunity to communicate with each other."
This is not a lie, after becoming Queen, Dany not only practiced swords but also arranged aristocratic courses such as cultural courses and etiquette training.
She is a transmigrator, and she really lacks the education in the basic behavior and etiquette of this world.
As she said, etiquette is never used to ask others how to behave but to regulate one's own behavior.
You can't shout "I'm vulgar, I'm proud, you all have to listen to me and learn from me" like a stupid middle schooler?
"If Windblown is willing to take refuge with Your Majesty, how many chances are there?" the red-haired Lyra laughed.
"It's not impossible," Denzo said something that got Dany and the others startled.
Don't talk about Dany, if Zidan is present, it is estimated that he will startle as well: before this old guy still looked unyielding, but now…
Under normal circumstances, almost no sellsword group will backstab their employer, otherwise, who will hire you?
Mero's Second Sons, for example, have a long history and are powerful, but "Titan's Bastard" has a bad reputation and hasn't received a job offer for several years.
So as soon as he got the invitation letter from the Ghis people, he immediately traveled thousands of miles from Braavos to Meereen.
There is a reason why Dany is thirsty for Windblown. Alienating the relationship between Windblown and the Wise Masters is only a secondary purpose, the main purpose is to send a few spies indiscriminately.
"Is the Tattered Prince really willing to renounce their promise to the Wise Masters of Yunkai?" Dany said while staring.
Denzo sighed in his heart, but with a warm smile on his face, nodded and said: "The Tattered Prince has admired Your Majesty for a long time, and he will lead two thousand comrades to Your Majesty as long as you promise an insignificant little request."
"What does he want?" Dany said curiously.
"Pentos," Denzo said resolutely.
"Can you repeat what you said?" Dany suspects that she heard wrong.
"If Your Majesty promises to give Pentos to our commander in the future, Windblown will be yours." Denzo articulates the conditions.
"I remember the Tattered Prince once turning down the Prince of Pentos position, why does he wish for it now?" Dany wondered.
The reason why the commander of Windblown is called the "Tattered Prince" is for two reasons: first, he was born into a noble family of Pentos and was elected Prince of Pentos thirty years ago; Wearing a rotten cloak like a ripped sheet, Windblown members also affectionately call him "The King of Ruin".
"Does Your Majesty know the customs of Pentos?" Denzo frowned.
"Bard, I stayed in Pentos for a long time, but I was too young at that time. Most of all, I knew that the grilled fish at Black Jyck's house on Bear Street was the cheapest, and a copper can give one a full meal." Dany laughed.
Denzo looked weird, and nodded: "I have also been to the black Jyck's barbecue restaurant, and if you add a copper, you can also get two-angle sour wines."
"Does Your Majesty know about the Qarth Pureborn?" he asked again.
Dany immediately understood and said incredulously: "When I was in Pentos, I often saw the Prince riding the streets. There was a long procession, and three splendidly serving officials walked in front, holding a golden scale, an Iron sword, and a silver whip.
It is said that these three things symbolize the Prince's control of Pentos' trade, war, and justice. Even every New Year's Day, the Prince also…"
Speaking of this, Dany's cheeks turned red, and every year on New Year's Day, Pentos will present a beautiful virgin to each of the two Gods in charge of the land and the sea, and then Prince will represent the God for the two virgins…
Viserys had a look of envy and hatred when he told his younger sister about it, and said: If only Westeros had this custom, Rhaegar wouldn't cause such a big disturbance if he fucked Lyanna Stark.
Coughing a few times, Dany wondered: "Pentos doesn't look like the Prince's power is falling to the wayside?"
"It's all appearances!" sighed, Denzo explained slowly: "Pentos, Like the Dragonstone you were born in, was a trade outpost established by the Valyrians, ruled by the nobles of Valyria, from among the forty nobles that the Prince chose, nominally equivalent to the Pentos King.
But after the fall of Valyria, the power of the city changed, from absolute power, the Valyria Dragons, to pure wealth.
In terms of wealth, how can the Prince be compared with the sea merchants? After hundreds of years, the Prince has gradually become a kind of symbol, even offering."
"Sacrifice?" Dany was stunned.
"Whenever Pentos loses a war, or bad times cause the crops to fail, the Pentos will slit the Prince's throat and sacrifice him to the Gods to appease their wrath."
Fuck!
What kind of weird custom is this?
You must know that the seasons of this world are not fixed, everything is naturally good in Summer, but winter will always come.
A winter that lasts for several years can there even be a Prince at that time?
Didn't that mean that the Prince would lose his head every time winter came?
Denzo continued: "The previous Prince had just been beheaded, and the commander was elected as the new Prince, but what kind of Prince did he want to be?"
"I haven't even beaten Yunkai now, who knows if I'll have a chance to go to Pentos in my life?" Dany refused.
The Tattered Prince has something wrong with his head, why is Windblown worth her running tens of thousands of miles to claim a Free City for him?
"You don't need to lead an army against Pentos," Denzo explained, seeming to guess what she was thinking, "the situation in Pentos is very special.
In the slave war a hundred years ago, Pentos sacrificed four Princes in a row in one year but is still not Braavos' opponent.
The Pentos Magisters can only choose peace talks. While promising to abandon the slave system, they are also forced to sign an agreement to reduce military power
First, the Pentos must not own more than 20 battleships; second, the Pentos may not employ sellswords, nor enter into contracts with free sellsword groups to defend the city; third, in addition to a limited number of city guards, An army that Pentos must not have.
So Pentos is as fragile as a delicate Maiden, Your Majesty only needs to send three Dragons with, and Windblown can easily take Pentos."
Watch With Denzo's wistful look, Dany touched her chin, saying something off-topic.
"Did Braavos really go to war for the slaves? I remember there were many servants with slave collars in Magister Illyrio's mansion."
"Your Majesty is smart, the Tattered Prince once said that the abolition of the slave system is just an excuse for the Braavos to expand.
Pentos does not have slaves in name, but in fact, it's just a changed name, slaves were replaced by 'debt slaves' – however hard they work, the money they earn can never satisfy their daily lives, buying a house, getting married, eating, raising children…
In this way, those free slaves can only send money to the rich Merchants take out loans, in order to pay off the loans, they can only do the work arranged by the rich, and make more money to pay off the debts that can never be repaid."
Speaking of this, Denzo looked towards Dany's eyes changed, full of awe and adoration, "Your Majesty is nothing like the Braavos.
Your Majesty provides each new commoner with enough means of subsistence, forever their land, no interest, and super long-term Loans…
The slaves may not understand how much protection the "legal code" you have formulated for ordinary people.
A perfect system and laws, so that each new peasant can live a truly free and prosperous life, you are the true slave liberator!"