The Glory of the Seven Gods of Ice and Fire

Chapter 179 A Dilemma
After confirming that the attack was over, Hugo quickly launched a series of deployments. On the one hand, he sent scouts to search for the traces of the sudden attackers, and on the other hand, he sent people to check the situation of the troops hidden by the fallen stone pillars.

Fortunately, the troops behind the stone pillar were in good condition. Although the sudden collapse of the stone pillar brought panic and disorder to the team, the enemy did not launch an attack but only harassed the troops with rain of arrows. This was why Snow was able to bring people to support quickly.

The searching scouts soon returned, and the information they brought cleared the fog of mystery surrounding the attackers. It turned out that they had dug many large, hidden pits in the stone forest. These pits had been well concealed before, blending seamlessly with the surrounding Gobi Desert. No traces could be seen and no abnormalities could be discovered until they were uncovered.

After figuring out the situation, Hugo arranged the defense network more carefully and sent out more scouts for alert. Hugo also ordered the entire army to use the geographical advantages of the stone forest to build a defense line when setting up camp. Then he sent messengers in all directions and released a series of crows carrying urgent messages, hoping to obtain the latest news from the surrounding areas.

The ordinary soldiers cheered for the news. They had been marching all the time for a while, and now they finally had time to rest and enjoy peace and relaxation.

However, some devout soldiers did not think so. These people were indignant about Hugo's attack, which they saw as a provocation to the faith of the Seven Gods.

In any case, this army under the banner of the seven-pointed star finally got some news for a while, and after waiting, Hugo was able to get the information he wanted.

"This is not a good situation."

Hugo said as he looked at the news brought by the riders.

First of all, Darry's rebellion was completely confirmed. Darry blocked the roads leading to other territories and gathered all the troops that could be assembled in the territories. However, due to this limitation, the troops sent by Hugo failed to obtain enough information from this direction.

However, it was different for those heading towards Andas. They brought the news from Pentos that Hugo wanted most from the Velvet Hills. The borderlands in southern Andas also reported the intelligence they had obtained, but there was too much information and the sources were too complicated, mixed with all kinds of exaggerated rumors, so Hugo had to personally identify it.

However, Hugo and his servants completed the task quickly, and what happened in Pentos was also presented in front of them. What was in front of them made Hugo quite embarrassed, so he convened a meeting to hear the opinions of his subordinates.

As the meeting bell rang, the lords and captains of the knights in the army gathered together and looked at the one favored by God, and Hugo raised his hand, indicating that everyone could speak.

"Lord Hugo, I don't think there is any need to worry about Pentos. Even if Lord Aenys is not in Pentos, that strong city is enough to resist the useless mercenaries from Braavos, and the heir of Bolton in Red Port can also come to Pentos to help."

The one who spoke was Old Sparrow. This fanatical believer of the Seven Gods has become more docile over the years, but his devout heart has never been extinguished, and the flame can burn again at any time. "So, let's not change the established plan and go to Myr. The most important thing is to wipe out the rebels there. Eliminating the evil Targaryen descendants is also our most pious gift to the Seven Gods."

"In my opinion, it is more important to deal with the rebels in Pentos and then drive out the Braavos. We must protect the security of our territory before we can talk about other things. My lords, a storm is coming. A bloody coup has taken place in King's Landing. I don't know how long the alliance between Lannister and Stark can last. If we want to stand firm in the coming storm, we must use iron-fisted means to maintain the security of the rear and turn it into a solid fortress."

Hugo looked at this cunning mountain lord. The prosperity in recent years made Belishi look a lot gentler, but Hugo was not the kind of person who would be fooled by appearances. This person was still the same as always, always putting interests first.

It's no secret that Behrish wants to get the land outside the mountain, so he is so active in sending troops this time. Hugo also thought of the reason why he is now advocating to deal with Darry, that is, after Darry is dealt with, the territory of that family will definitely be divided up, and he wants to get a piece of it - after all, the flat land is right next to the Velvet Hills.

"Lord Hugo, I also think it is necessary to help the flat land. When I was young, I herded sheep for the Pentos people, and I know the situation on the coast very well. Except for some scattered hills, those places are basically flat, and the small rivers in between can't even stop the sheep, let alone the war horses of the Braavosi people? If we are facing centaurs or those former Pentos eunuchs this time, the local small villages and fortresses can probably continue to fight for a long time, but the troops and horses that landed in Braavos this time are said to be no less than the army that you led to land in the past, and their quality is no less than that of the local defenders. If we don't turn around to help our friendly forces, I'm afraid they will soon meet up at the gates of Pentos. Moreover, these people may attack to the north. Whether it is besieging the Holy War Port or attacking Andas from the Pilgrimage Road, it will be very disadvantageous to us. The situation of a scorched earth in the river valley cannot be repeated!"

Wood, a former shepherd and one of the eastern leaders under Hugo, also expressed his views. He was not as greedy and cunning as Berich, but his background in the plains undoubtedly influenced his views - after all, many of his relatives and fellow villagers were in the plains and coastal areas, and they were inevitably at risk of being hit by war. However, the reason why he was worried about Andas could not be ignored. The expeditionary army's previous battles had proved that it was not difficult to march from the plains to the heart of Andas, which was why Pentos was able to firmly control the Andas Valley, not to mention that there was already a prosperous pilgrimage road in the area. Now that the enemy was at hand, the enemies in the East were besieging the remaining seven new countries on all sides. If the valley was hit by war again, the consequences would be disastrous.

"Your Highness, the situation south of the borderland cannot be ignored. Maron Manderly has already accepted a number of Dornishmen who have evacuated from the lower reaches of the Rhoyne River. It seems that our old rival, General Milo, has taken this opportunity to completely break through the fortress defense line near Nasa Star and is heading upstream to join the Darry rebels. I'm afraid that the Upper Rhoyne Territory is now completely surrounded by the enemy."

Compared to others, the shrewd Gletscher was more concerned about the corrupt situation in the east. "The Dornish are now trapped near their city. The Lannister territory is also a vast plain that is easy to attack but difficult to defend. In the past, relying on the wide Rhoyne River and abundant reinforcements from all over, they could still stop a large number of Confederate troops and centaurs. But now they are attacked from all sides... Although we have sent them a lot of reinforcements before, with enemies on all sides, I don't think how long we can stop the enemy's main force in Rhoyne..."

"Right now, we should restore contact with the Lannisters as soon as possible and help them stabilize the borders of the New Seven Kingdoms. Once the enemy's main force breaks through them and advances into our hinterland along Darry's territory, everything will be over. Moreover, Lord Tywin cares so much about this new land of the Lion. If we help him save the situation, he will definitely give us a generous reward. You know, any resources transported across the Narrow Sea are extremely important now."

Hugo was also thinking in his mind, weighing the pros and cons of going east, west or south. All three options could allow him to solve some of the current problems, but would also worsen the situation in other directions. If the problem in Pentos was not solved, it would become a major concern for Andas, and the connection with Westeros might even be cut off.

The situation in Upper Lorne is equally grim. This large frontier territory has been completely surrounded by Confederate troops, centaurs, and speculators loyal to the Targaryens. If timely assistance is not provided, it may become the next region to fall, and the negative impact it will bring will be immeasurable.

But if the Myr problem is left unchecked, who knows what that Targaryen will do one day. The Iron Throne is on the brink of civil strife, and some royal family members have already raised an army to claim the throne. There's no telling when fighting will break out in King's Landing again.

Hugo was thinking so intently that his ears automatically ignored other sounds - after listening for a while, he found that there was no point in listening, as he knew the pros and cons of what they said. He had listened to them just to make sure he had missed something.

Because of this, parties with different opinions also began to argue. At first, they expressed their views in a relatively mild manner, but soon they turned into shouting at each other, as if the louder the voice, the more their views would prevail.

"Okay, shut up." Hugo said this, and everyone on the field fell silent. "I have made a decision."

"I decided to lead the main force south. At present, the power of the remnant of the dragon is the weakest. As long as we defeat him, those guys who choose to sit on the fence in the chaos will jump back, and then we can contact Shangluoen again."

Hugo observed the emotions of everyone present, and as expected, he saw that Belich was depressed. "But, the rebels in Pentos must also be monitored. Belich, can Swan Hill do this?"

"Seven Gods, Lord Hugo, Swan Hill can certainly handle this matter. We will ensure that the rebels will not be able to obtain an inch of Andas land!"

Behrich's voice was very loud, and the emotional changes brought about by his sudden return from the trough to the peak were intense, even for a cunning man like him.

"In the name of the Seven Gods, let's do it quickly." Hugo continued, "Everyone else should get ready. The troops will set out after today. We have been delayed, so we must speed up. Send people to the front to set up military stations and prepare for the reception. We are going to have a long race next."

Hugo decided to solve the problem of Myr first. The threat posed by that Targaryen was too great, and he had to ensure that this threat was nipped in the bud. As for Pentos, he could only entrust everything to the nobles of Pentos and this guy Behrish.

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Standing on the highest observation deck of Myr Governor's House, Viserys stepped on the green-inlaid bricks and stones under his feet and felt the city beneath his feet. Viserys felt a sense of dream. Even now, when the exiled Targaryen prince recalled the journey to take the city, it felt like a dream.

All this was as good as a dream. Touching the bricks and stones of the watchtower in front of him, Viserys thought that a month ago, he was still worried about feeding his mercenaries, but now he was sitting in a big city, sitting on the stone throne of the new capital of the Seven Kingdoms, which was like a mirror image of Westeros.

A month ago, he borrowed the Great Khair's ceremonial guard and a small army of 500 centaurs from his brother-in-law Drogo, and then Viserys began his adventure.

He had the leader of the little band of centaurs dress up as Drogo, posing as the great khal, and he spread as much news as possible about the great khal's coming.

Viserys's mercenaries also entered Myr as the vanguard of the Great Khal. He met with the eastern lords and city representatives. Relying on this so-called "Great Khal" and a series of intimidation and promises, Viserys successfully made the eastern lords on the border of Myr defect one after another. Then he led these lords to force those lords and cities that had not yet taken action to join. If they did not join, they would only face destruction.

After successfully involving the lords of the East in the army, Viserys led his army into the Disputed Lands. The war lords who had not seen the rabbit had been ready to move because of the news from the East. Here, Viserys used the same trick again, intimidating and promising at the same time, to win over some of the lords of the Disputed Lands, and then led this force to force the neutrals to join the team and also wiped out the opponents. In this way, when Viserys came out of the Disputed Lands, the army behind him had reached 20,000 people. These 20,000 people were all obtained by his rhetoric and superficial ceremonies. In addition, in farther places, there were also speculators who turned to him, and these people directly fought with the local loyalists.

The two territories of Mill and Rees fell into chaos. The situation on Lisbon Island was better, as River Bay had stationed many forces here, and the local Governor's Council could also control the archipelago, so the place quickly stabilized after a brief panic.

However, the situation is different in Mill, where all the essence has returned to the west. The confrontation and fighting among the local citizens have become more and more intense.

As for Tyrosh, Stannis's forces firmly controlled the area, and all those who took advantage of the chaos to cause rebellion had their heads hung on spears by the Duke of Dragonstone. However, Stannis did not march to Myr to clean up the rebellious army there. He just held on to his territory and continued to recruit soldiers to expand his strength.

Stannis's inaction put Viserys at ease. In his plan, capturing Myr was the most important step, and the biggest obstacle was the usurper's stubborn second brother. Since he was inaction, he had nothing to worry about.

Viserys' army rushed towards Myr. In order to increase his momentum, Viserys captured all the able-bodied men he saw along the way and also robbed the residents of their food to feed the army. Soon, his forces arrived under the green walls of Myr.

At this time, because the centaur army that Viserys had mentioned had not yet appeared, many eastern lords and city representatives had begun to doubt whether the centaur khal mentioned by the exiled prince had really come. But Viserys was not afraid of their doubts at this moment - they had already come to this point, could they still go back on their word?

However, considering that the lords who emerged from the mountains of corpses and seas of blood in the disputed lands are more unscrupulous than each other, Viserys urgently needs to take over Myr and use the wealth of the new capital of the Seven Kingdoms to feed these greedy wolves.

Fortunately, everything went smoothly. When Viserys' army, which was full of complaints and doubts, arrived at the gates of Myr, the anti-Iron Throne citizens directly opened the city gates for them.

There is nothing much to say about what happened next. The supporters of the Iron Throne were already at a disadvantage in the city street fighting, and now with a large number of foreign troops pouring in, the situation was even worse.

In order to make those deceived lords board his pirate ship, Viserys ordered them to plunder at will. Thus began a catastrophe in Myr. This was the capital of the New Seven Kingdoms, where the richest people of the New Seven Kingdoms gathered, as well as the largest middle class in the New Seven Kingdoms. Now all of this became the spoils of those ferocious lords.

Robbery, killing and rape quickly filled every corner of Myr. Every citizen who stood to defend the Iron Throne or remained neutral was ruthlessly plundered. Soldiers broke into their homes rudely, took away all valuables, and molested the women. Anyone who dared to resist was killed by the soldiers with swords. At this moment, the soldiers with weapons were like their king.

When Viserys thought of what happened that day, he felt a nauseous feeling in his heart, followed by disgust for himself, but then a wave of anger arose - what did those killings and rapes have to do with him? Why should he feel guilty about it? He only let those people plunder, not kill people - although he thought so, Viserys knew better than anyone in his heart that it was all his fault.

Back then in Pentos, he was also caught in such a predicament, but at that time he was the one being robbed and killed. In order to save his own life and his sister's life, he knelt down and took out his mother's jewelry in exchange for the sympathy of the murderer - what a terrible experience it was for him to be really in such a chaotic situation.

That has nothing to do with me. Although he knew it in his heart, Viserys still told himself that he was a young man and had too little experience. He couldn't let these guilt overwhelm him and dominate his thinking. Viserys, these people are just the usurper's running dogs, they all deserve to die! Didn't the usurper treat Targaryen's loyal supporters in the same way?

Relying on some subconscious thinking that was like hypnosis, Viserys successfully came out of his depressed mood.

After looting Myr, all the lords and city representatives made a fortune and had a good time, and they also seized a large amount of industry and real estate through plunder. They also tacitly stopped talking about the authenticity of the Great Kao, as it was no longer an important matter.

However, Viserys was not in the same good mood as them. Although he had made some mental preparations after seeing the governor who went to Westeros took away so many people, when he really saw the empty vault, he still found it difficult to suppress his emotions.

Fortunately, he doesn't have many direct descendants, and he can still feed his subordinates by searching carefully in the city of Mil.

"Your Highness Viserys." Jon Connington came up behind the exiled prince without him noticing. "The abbey still says they remain neutral and will not provide us with any services."

The news brought by Clinton made Viserys feel annoyed. These guys in the abbey were so tough.

After Viserys entered the city, the academy adopted a neutral attitude and closed the gates of their campus. It then accepted many supporters of the Iron Throne who were avoiding looting, making it like an Iron Throne fortress in Myr.

Viserys wanted to negotiate nicely at first, but the academy asked him to respect its privileges. So the exiled prince decided to destroy the university with fire as a warning to others, and asked his subordinates to secretly set a fire, but the teachers and students of the academy desperately put out the fire. The fire burned many buildings around the academy, which instantly opened up the area around the academy and made it look more like a fortress.

The troops that went to attack the academy basically returned in defeat. However, this was mainly because the attacking troops did not put in enough effort and were unwilling to fight to the death to destroy the academy.

But he only had so many direct descendants, and they could not afford to die. Viserys was left with no choice but to acquiesce in their neutrality and take a gentler approach in the hope of making the abbey surrender.

But the teaching garden didn't give any face at all.

However, just when Viserys was about to explode, Clinton's words were like a bowl of cold water, extinguishing Viserys's anger, "But, Headmaster Melis also said that the academy is willing to submit to you."

That's all. Viserys thought that the abbey was a much tougher opponent than he had expected, and it would be enough to make them surrender. His own troops had to be used in more important places.

However, Viserys was hesitant and had been struggling with where to use it.

If Viserys marched west into Tyrosh, he would have no confidence of victory. Stannis was a battle-tested general. To be honest, even with Connington, Viserys would not have the confidence of beating him, not to mention that Stannis could completely hold the city.

If Viserys went east to the Rhoyne River, he could join the main force of the Confederate Army, where his brother-in-law was also. This would not only increase the momentum of the army, but also significantly stabilize the morale of the people below. However, the Lannisters had been operating in Rhoyne for more than a decade, and had built countless fortresses. It was difficult for Viserys to judge how long it would take to capture them. If they were delayed in Rhoyne for too long, Darry's rebel army and the landing army of Braavos would find it difficult to hold on, and Myr might also change, which would have a counterproductive effect.

As for heading north, although the loyal Darry family, who had been lurking for a long time, had already launched an army and Braavos had also sent a large number of mercenaries to Pentos, Viserys subconsciously felt fear at the thought of facing Hugo.

Among the lords of the East, Hugo Tollett was undoubtedly the one who needed the most respect and caution. It was he who started the craze called the Expedition, and he himself was transformed from a wandering knight declared a rebel by the Iron Throne to a great noble in the Seven Kingdoms of the East.

Over the past decade, he has been guarding the border of Andas for the Iron Throne and facing the threat of the Confederation Army. For the people who have lived in the Confederation over the years, he is an old rival and an opponent that should not be underestimated.

Being in the north, Viserys and his loyalists had experienced almost every major battle between the two sides in these years. He was very clear about Hugo's ability. If he were in his situation, he would definitely not be able to achieve such exaggerated achievements. Not to mention that this old rival now has a group of extremely powerful forces in his hands:

In the past ten years of immigration and fighting, Andas has trained a large number of experienced warriors. At the same time, those knights who took faith as their banner have gradually been conquered by Hugo. Relying on these two forces, Duke Hugo can mobilize an army far beyond the expectations of outsiders in a short period of time, not to mention that the large-scale counterattack in the East will inevitably stimulate all Westeros people to unite...

Therefore, even in the most optimistic scenario for the coalition forces, the siege of Andas requires careful decision-making. And Viserys has to be even more cautious at the moment - Hugo may go south at any time, and no matter which direction he chooses to march, he must consider the variables.

At this moment, Jon Connington's words dispelled Viserys's hesitation, "Your Highness Viserys, there is news from the north that Hugo Tollett has led an army south and is heading towards Myr."

(End of this chapter)