The Glory of the Seven Gods of Ice and Fire

Chapter 121 Dorne is forced into the game

Sunspear is the family castle of Nameros Martell and the capital of Dorne.

Before the Rhoynar escaped the Dragon King and came to Westeros under the leadership of Queen Nymeria, it was just one of the many small kingdoms of Dorne, but after Nymeria arrived, it became one of the many small kingdoms of Dorne. The capital of En.

Not far from Sunspear, there is the Greenblood River in Dorne. This is a very shallow river with a slow flow. The name comes from the muddy green water. The famous Plank Town is located where it flows into Summer. The mouth of the sea.

Batten Town is larger and more populous than Sunspear's town Shadow City. It is the closest place to a real city in Dorne Territory. Batten Town is completely built on the water. The streets of this town are wooden boards. The halls, residences and shops are all kinds of merchant ships, yachts and punting boats.

Now, Banzhi Town is in a state of busyness, which can only be compared to the construction of this river town when it was first completed, and the reason for their busyness is to go to the East and return to their homeland.

Plank Town is the home of the orphans of the Greenblood River. They are descendants of some of the Rhoynar who followed Nymeria across thousands of ships to Dorne. These people refused to integrate into Dorne and still cherished the great mother river of Lorne, so They wandered on the river.

When news of the Iron Throne's continuous victories in the east came, these Greenblood River orphans, who still adhered to traditions and customs from generation to generation, became fanatical. They have been wandering on ships thousands of miles away from their hometown for generations, just to return. Hometown, living again in the embrace of the mother river of Lorne.

Previously, many anxious Green Blood River orphans had gone to the East. They successfully established a line with the rulers of Andas and Pentos and obtained a guarantee to assist the Green Blood River orphans to return home. However, at that time , there are still many doubts about orphan protection, but as Robert conquered the Kingdom of the Three Daughters, the Greenblood River orphans also put aside those doubts.

Just like Nymeria's thousands of boats sailing westward, the Green Blood River Orphans decided to return to the East. The orphans scattered on the long Green Blood River continued to gather, and Slatted Town also began to "disintegrate" - after all, this is a A city made of ships and planks.

Sunspear City, this castle is built of brown soil and straw. It is located at the eastern end of a small sandstone peninsula, surrounded by the sea on three sides and adjacent to the Shadow City to the west. A triple meandering wall surrounds the castle and winds its way through the Shadow City. The three gates arranged in sequence provide easy access to the inner city. Visitors can reach the Palazzo Vecchio directly through the triple curved wall without having to walk several miles and wind around the maze-like town.

The Spear Tower and the Sun Tower stand from the Old Palace, symbolizing Martell's Spear and Rhoynar's Sun respectively. The dark brown Sand Ship Castle was originally the Martell family's castle before Nymeria landed in Dorne. It became part of Sunspear, and its shape resembles a large sailing ship that was washed ashore and turned into stone.

In the study of the Old Palace, the ruler of House Martell is deciding the future of Dorne.

"It's really ridiculous." said the famous Red Viper. He was sitting by the window, in stark contrast to Doran, who was sitting upright. "What position do the princes have to accuse us... However, Lord Yronwood is polite, and there are still people who treat me It is suggested that they may even send troops on their own, but I am not an ignorant young man, so I will not be filled with righteous indignation."

In the end, it was Oberyn who spoke. Speaking these words made the Red Viper's expression distorted, and he was extremely reluctant, but he still said the words.

Doran poured himself glass after glass of Dornish red wine, the expression on his face seemed to indicate how bitter the wine was, but how could the things on the prince's table be so bad?

"This is really... a headache, Oberyn, this time we have been completely manipulated by the Iron Throne." Doran Nameros Martell, Lord of Sunspear, Prince of Dorne said with a bitter look on his face, " Lord Yronwood wrote to me before. His tone was not sharp, but he described the show off of his northern neighbors. Lord Yronwood has deep resentment, and there are also those not far from us. Planktown, where the orphans are impatient, Jon Arryn has issued an edict not to stop the Crusaders, and Robert has sent Greyjoy's sea monster to the westernmost tip of the Stepstones... …Trouble comes one after another.”

The orphans of the Greenblood River do not have much nostalgia for Dorne. They have always been the target of vigilance and concern for the rulers of Sunspear. They have no attachment to this hot land and only want to return to take care of them like mothers. of the River Lorne.

Prince Doran is a cautious and quiet man who never shows his emotions, while Oberyn has a fierce temper, a dissolute private life, a sharp wit and a poisonous tongue. The two brothers' personalities can be described as two extremes, but now, the two have a different understanding of the current situation. A consensus was reached.

The actions of the Orphans of the Green Blood River attracted many Dornish warriors to join, some of whom were hired. The Orphans of the Green Blood River controlled the largest settlement in Dorne and had a lot of wealth in their hands. Some came simply for wealth, and those from the East Wealth makes the Dornish people greedy.

Prince Doran looked completely exhausted. He had made a series of perfect plans for the future, but the problem now was that before the plans even started, the East was turned upside down by Robert's martial arts.

"Yeah, we made the wrong choice, and now we have to swallow this bitter drink. I can't help but think back on how easy it was between you and me when we were planning the counterattack. But now, just the aftermath of Operation Iron Throne has plunged us into In such a difficult situation, now I have to lick the boots of the Iron Throne.”

However, the nobles of Dorne are still waiting for orders from Sunspear, and the eyes of all Dorne are now looking at the Martell family.

After Oberyn said this, there was an awkward silence in the study. The two brothers were waiting for the other person to speak first, to tell the embarrassing thing and to admit the embarrassing fact.

"Doran, although I don't want to admit it, right now we can only bow to the Iron Throne... Moreover, we must also join this expedition, the expedition of the Orphans of the Green Blood River. We must participate and lead the expedition."

"The Iron Throne still plans to use us as cannon fodder. Damn it, Dorne's current situation is even more embarrassing than when we had to bow to that usurper." Oberyn said angrily, but not long after this resentment was raised, Just carried it down, Dorne made the wrong choice, so Dorne has to pay a blood debt - the Iron Throne almost said this directly.

If it were Dorne in normal times, he would not pay attention to the Iron Throne at all, and would even spit in the Iron Throne's face, but that's not possible now.

Doran had imagined many situations for the confrontation between Dorne and the Baratheon Dynasty, but Robert's war in the east forced Dorne to act according to the baton of the Iron Throne. This was the first time he encountered this situation. As a chess player, Doran felt aggrieved, very aggrieved. Robert had done nothing to Dorne, so Dorne had to surrender. What was even more insulting was that, with his knowledge of the Buck King, Robert certainly didn't realize this.

"Cannon fodder is cannon fodder, Oberyn. Being cannon fodder is better than turmoil. The Dornish people used to shout for revenge, but now they shout for wealth. They can be a boost to the rule, or they can destroy the rule."

Doran did not show an overly emotional reaction, but looking at the bulging veins on his forehead, you could tell that his emotions were fluctuating violently. Doran tried hard to suppress his emotions and prevent them from being revealed.

"Besides, all the restless guys have gone to the east. Isn't it a good thing for our family's rule? If those guys want to go back to the Lorne River, they can go back to the Lorne River. Anyway, it is impossible for us to return to that big river. So, speaking of this, Oberyn, what I am more worried about is, are you experienced enough? Are you confident in commanding an army?

The general chosen by the Martell family is naturally a member of the Martell family, and now the man suitable for the Martell family to lead the army is Oberyn Martell, the "Red Viper".

"I have fought in the Free Trade City for several years and have some experience in leading troops. As for the rest, they are all inherited skills from my family. I feel that there is no problem." As if to ensure his credibility, Ober Lun suddenly jumped down from the window, pulled out a scroll from somewhere and started waving it lightly.

Doran looked at his brother's waving, and his always bitter face finally showed a smile, and when the Red Viper finished dancing, his expression immediately returned to its original state.

"By the way, Doran, since Robert's order only requires us to assist that Hugo to regain Ashenvale Chong, can you ask Melario to assist? If we can take that land without any blood, then all the power will be It can be used on the expedition south.”

Prince Doran's wife is Melario of Norvos, a noble lady from Norvos. Melario first met her future husband in Norvos, when the prince was traveling around for free trade. The city-state, she had become his wife when she returned to Dorne with Doran.

Facing his brother's question, Doran just shook his head in response. Seeing this, Oberyn could only shake his head and change the subject.

"What should we do now with our original plan? Do you need me to have as much contact as possible with Targaryen princes and princesses this time in the East?"

Dorn is a die-hard Targaryen supporter, and this has never changed. After the Targaryens were forced into exile, Dorn was trying to find ways to understand the situation of the Targaryens, and to fight with the Targaryens - or Said Targaryen "spokesman" to keep in touch.

"No need, the original contact network has been cut off with the replacement of Pentos. The mayor who has now become Pentos has sent a letter saying that he wants to get out of the plan, and also said that if If you want to continue, then contact Braavos, but... Braavos..."

Doran hesitated for a moment, thinking of the face-changing skills of the Faceless Men of Braavos, and was unwilling to let his brother come into contact with the people of Braavos. The Red Viper also saw Doran's hesitation, and he waved his hand to indicate that he didn't need to care. "Don't worry too much, Doran. If the face-changing in Braavos were really that powerful, they would have become the rulers of the world long ago. However, I will be careful. I will not risk meeting these guys."

"Okay, go ahead and prepare, brother. I will guard Dorne during your expedition, but you must first remember that the most important thing is to preserve yourself." With this sentence, Doran ended the conversation. .

When the news came that the Martell family announced that they would join the Eastern Expedition, the whole of Dorne was in a state of excitement. And the number of Dornish people joining the expedition was much more than the Dornish prince and nobles had expected.

There are two main reasons for this situation. The first is that Dorne is too poor. Although this land is located in the south, large areas are desert and Gobi. Only the Greenblood River Basin can be considered wealthy. , most of the population of Dorne is gathered here, but even so, many Dornish people are still struggling to survive.

In terms of population and strength, it is a question whether Dorne is as powerful as the North, which is known for its poverty in Westeros. Although Dorne is located in the south, it is too poor and the environment is compared to the North. The ice and snow are not much better.

The second reason is highly related to the first reason. It is precisely because of Dorne's poverty and harsh environment that even though the Rhoynar people have mixed with the local Andals, their culture has also been Westerosized. , the wealthy story about the mother river of Lorne is still widely circulated.

Despite the extreme Rhoynar customs such as the orphans of the Greenblood River, the story of the wealth of the Mother River of Lorne is still widely circulated among ordinary Dornish people. Mothers always use the wealth of the Mother River of Lorne to comfort their children.

The Martell family has always liked to use the unity of Dorne to flaunt their strength to the outside world, but the people of Dorne have never been puppets who act according to the aristocratic baton. They have strong autonomy, are good at activities and are willing to move, so Martell Although the Martell family is a noble, they never dare to go against public opinion, nor do they dare to exploit it too much - if they exploit it too much, the Martell family will lose their unique power.

Therefore, countless Dornish people dragged their families and lords' troops to the mouth of the Green Blood River. There were too many people who wanted to escape the desert and Gobi. In the end, even the Red Viper and Prince Doran took a breath. Cool numbers appeared.

Fifty thousand people, including civilians and soldiers. Taking into account the custom of Dornish women, old people and children to go into battle, what appeared here was a veritable "50,000 Dornish spears".

The rulers of Dorne have always liked to use "50,000 spears" to show off Dorne's unity and force. Now, 50,000 spears have really appeared in front of Oberyn. Therefore, whether it is Oberyn and Doran were both grateful for their choice.

When the Dornish fleet pulled anchor, many people said that this was another expedition of ten thousand ships, because Dorne had not had a fleet of this size for many, many years.

(End of this chapter)