GOT/ASOIAF: Ruler Beyond The Ice

Chapter 626 628: State Machine (Part 1)

To deal with a ruthless man, one must be even more ruthless than he is.

If Tywin had kept the Lannister gold inside the natural fortress of Casterly Rock, which even dragonfire could not melt and where large cannons had not yet appeared, Daenerys might truly have been unable to do anything to him. Unfortunately, after misjudging the situation, the old lion chose to cross mountains and rivers and deliver himself thousands of miles away to the open plains before Aegor, effectively abandoning the final protection provided by distance.

It was true that he valued the honor of his house above all else.

But above honor, there remained something even more important, the continuation of the family.

The Slayer of the White Walkers and the queen he supported had just killed two kings and were still in a bloodthirsty state. They did not lack blood to spill, even that of a great lord. In contrast to that murderous momentum, Tywin's eldest son was at the Wall and his youngest son had already turned against him. His confidence and bargaining power were minimal.

Fighting to the death like Stannis would have been tragic and heroic, but Stannis had done so knowing the Baratheon line had no future. House Lannister still had a path forward. If they took a wrong step and lost these twenty thousand elite soldiers, not only would their position among the greatest houses of the Seven Kingdoms collapse, even their control over the Westerlands might be shaken.

Tywin Lannister, the proud lord who had held his head high for nearly seventy years, finally chose to bow to the times and lower his noble head under the circling dragons and the thunder of cannon fire.

Escorted by twenty thousand elite troops, personally received by the Lord Commander, and publicly sworn into the Night's Watch. Since the founding of the order, if Tywin Lannister ranked second in terms of the grandeur of his joining, no one would dare claim first place.

The explosive news that took place outside King's Landing, together with the naval battles on the Blackwater and the fall of the capital, quickly spread across the Seven Kingdoms because of the large number of witnesses. While common folk treated it as gossip, perceptive lords recognized the political signal.

The Dragon Queen did not accept neutrality.

The Vale, the Reach, the Stormlands. Countless houses that were still undecided began to react. Some prepared for war, some sent envoys to negotiate, and others hurried to seek protection. While everyone waited anxiously for Daenerys's next move, she did not immediately pursue the Reach. Instead she remained in King's Landing.

Aegor persuaded her to be patient.

With the legitimacy gained by occupying King's Landing, it was the enemy who should feel anxious. Surrounded by attention from every corner of the known world, their side needed time to stabilize, digest their victories, and turn them into lasting strength.

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Besides appointing Aegor as Hand of the Queen, Daenerys issued many other rewards and punishments.

The Unsullied and the Free Folk army that had followed her from Meereen naturally received rewards. As her direct troops, their loyalty made them her most reliable force. Grey Worm was appointed Supreme Commander of the Targaryen army and Lord Commander of the City Watch of King's Landing. Soldiers and officers received promotions and large grants of fertile land around the capital. In the future, those who chose to settle in Westeros would retire on these lands while also defending the realm in a system similar to military farming, replacing the Gold Cloaks who had once been filled with men from various Crownlands families.

Among the three great battles around King's Landing, the man with the second greatest merit after Aegor was someone few had heard of before. Victarion Greyjoy's former deputy, the Ironborn warrior known as Barber Nute.

After Victarion died in dragonfire, Nute took command of the small Iron Fleet that had gone to Meereen to rescue Daenerys. In the recent naval battle in Blackwater Bay, he led the vanguard of the Queen's fleet to engage Stannis's royal fleet in desperate battle, buying time for the Meereen fleet to execute their plan. This allowed the cannons to force Euron Greyjoy into battle and finally destroy the Crow's Eye.

Daenerys generously granted him the title Lord of the Iron Islands to show her favor. However, since the Iron Islands had not yet surrendered, the title was only honorary for the moment.

Asha had killed her uncle in the name of justice. Daenerys pardoned her and released her from the Night's Watch oath, formally recognizing her as Lady Greyjoy and head of her house. Only a week had passed between her taking the black and being released from it. At first glance the oath seemed meaningless, but in fact it had been necessary. Before taking the black, Asha had been a prisoner captured after invading the North. Neither Aegor nor Daenerys had the authority to pardon her crimes on behalf of House Stark. Only by first joining the Night's Watch and severing ties with her past crimes could she later fight for the queen and clear her name through her achievements.

This arrangement left the Stark family with no grounds to object.

In truth it was difficult to say whether Asha or Nute deserved greater credit. The difference was that one belonged to Aegor's faction while the other belonged to Daenerys directly. Naturally each side took care of its own supporters. Thus for the first time rule of the Iron Islands temporarily passed outside the Greyjoy family. As for how Aegor would reward Asha for presenting the Dragonsteel armor, that remained an internal matter for his faction.

Daenerys also granted House Tully the honorary title Lord of the Riverlands and House Martell the title Lord of the Reach. She reaffirmed House Stark as Warden of the North and House Lannister as Lord of the Westerlands. The nobles of the Crownlands who had served House Baratheon were pardoned and allowed to retain most of their lands and titles.

At the same time she carved out two territories, the Dreadfort and Riverrun, from the North and the Riverlands to become lands directly ruled by the crown, effectively expanding the Crownlands. She also settled the long disputed territory in the Dornish Marches in favor of Dorne, granting the Martells fertile farmland.

These promises had been made before the war and could not be withdrawn. Yet wherever people existed, conflicts of interest followed. Dorne was satisfied, and the Frey and Bolton families were relieved. But the North and the Riverlands protested the seizure of their lands. Meanwhile the nobles of the Westerlands and Crownlands secretly rejoiced that they had escaped punishment.

To balance this injustice, Daenerys introduced a new instrument. Targaryen national debt.

The Westerlands, which had remained neutral before, and the Crownlands nobles who had served the usurper were required to empty their treasuries to purchase national debt in order to atone and financially support the future conquests of the Targaryen dynasty. Meanwhile the North and the Riverlands nobles who had fought for Daenerys but received little reward would be granted large amounts of national debt as compensation.

In other words, Daenerys issued promises of future payment to soothe the dissatisfaction of those who had contributed without reward.

The financial situation of the new dynasty was obvious. Those who purchased national debt had to wait three years before redeeming it, and those who received it as reward also had to wait three years before exchanging it for gold.

Anyone with sharp eyes could see that this was clearly copied from the Night's Watch bonds under a different name. It relied entirely on political credit and the future rather than real assets. For a long time these certificates would be little more than paper.

To prevent rumors from damaging Daenerys's reputation and to ensure that loyal nobles did not lose faith in the new state credit, Aegor announced another major piece of news the same day.

The Night's Watch armory, currently being built day and night in the Industrial Park, would in the future sell cannons, explosive shells, and complete packages of training and maintenance services. Payment would not be accepted in gold or silver. Only points, meaning Targaryen national debt, could be used.

Of course Aegor was not foolish enough to give up his monopoly on firearms.

The key lay in interpretation.

First was delivery.

The armory was still under construction, and new weapons would naturally be prioritized for Daenerys's wars. Orders could be placed, but delivery would depend entirely on his schedule. Customers eager to buy cannons with national debt would discover that even if they ordered immediately, they might not receive the weapons for two or three years, nearly the same time required to redeem the debt.

Second was price.

Because the weapons were unique, he held complete pricing power. Explosive shells that cost silver stags to produce could be priced in golden dragons. Cannons that cost only dozens of coins to make could be sold for the price of a Valyrian steel sword. Add powder, training, and maintenance services, and the cost rose even higher. If someone found it expensive, they could simply continue fighting with swords.

Finally there was the product itself.

Aegor would never sell the newest weapons to potential enemies, not even the second newest. He had learned a strategy from powerful nations of his former world, always maintain a one generation advantage.

He currently used first generation cannons. The second generation had already been tested in the Gift and would soon be produced in the Industrial Park to fight the Reach. Only when a third generation was ready would the first generation be sold.

Even those old cannons could be further weakened if necessary.

Through this method, no matter where the weapons eventually appeared, he would always maintain a technological advantage. The knowledge in his mind, centuries ahead of this world, ensured that this advantage would last his entire lifetime.

With his reputation as a legendary hero and the terrifying power of gunpowder weapons as support, the fragile financial system of the newborn Second Targaryen Dynasty immediately stabilized.

Publicly, the plan to extend hegemony across the known world had quietly begun.

Privately, the Night's Watch industry had already trained countless skilled workers over the years. The patents for gunpowder weapons belonged to Aegor, he controlled the armory, and even the team managing the national debt were the same people who had once managed the Night's Watch bonds.

Through these methods he would hold unmatched influence in the future of Westeros.

Most seats on the small council were still empty. The newly appointed Master of Coin was still traveling from the Westerlands to King's Landing. Yet the machinery of the new dynasty had already begun to turn with eager momentum.

(To be continued.)