The Glory of the Seven Gods of Ice and Fire

Chapter 209: Returning Home
Looking at the King's Landing, which was familiar in his memory but now slightly different, Gillian Lannister felt a lot of emotions.

In order to return to King's Landing, he experienced too many twists and turns along the way. As the ship gradually approached the port, Gillian couldn't help but recall his experience as a commander in the southern continent.

In the Basilisk Islands, Gillian founded many businesses. He worked closely with Euron to wipe out the pirates in the islands and established colonies on the islands and the mainland.

Afterwards, the two commanders planned trade routes with the Far East and the Summer Islands, and went deep inland to explore Sothoryos, which was full of various monsters. Not only did they bring out treasures that had never been seen in Westeros from the dangerous forest, they also gradually subdued some natives who were willing to obey the Iron Throne or the commander's power, creating an unprecedented career overseas.

From spontaneous adventure to kingdom intervention, from a disorderly place to an important overseas port, in the ups and downs of more than ten years, the Basilisk Islands gradually changed from a notorious pirate den to a prosperous and orderly place.

Every once in a while, Hand Arryn sends a group of immigrants to the south, following the paths of the Ghis, Valyrians, and Rhoynar thousands of years ago, and carving out new homes on the islands and the continent.

These settlements are scattered across the archipelago and the mainland. Villages are established in areas with smaller populations, and towns are established in areas with larger populations. In the core of the settlements, officials from the Iron Throne lead immigrants to build simple castles as administrative centers. Outside the settlements are lands reclaimed by immigrants. If it is located on the mainland, it is usually surrounded by villages of affiliated tribes.

Gillian managed this territory carefully. He established his own base on the former Claw Island, now Pingkou Island, and built the once notorious trading beach into the kingdom's southern hub, Tunchang Port. It is not only the base of the Southern Fleet, but also the core port connecting the entire South Land territory.

Through ships sailing on rivers and seas, the Commander of the South Continent was able to establish contact with scattered immigrants and garrisons, and dispatch officials and staff to manage them. Those chieftains who chose to submit to the Iron Throne also wore seals and emblems issued by the Commander, and nominally perhaps served as heads of a village or manor, traveling between villages and government offices. Many of their tribes were also counted by officials and recognized by the Iron Throne. Between the various settlements, merchants engaged in trade and adventurers eager for wealth came and went in an endless stream... The Southern Continent had never been so prosperous, nor so orderly.

In this way, the barbarian land was transformed into a civilized land. Thinking of the efforts made to open up this land and the achievements made in the construction over the years, Gillian felt that he had achieved something no less than Tywin and Tigait, and was worthy of the family business. The anxiety and distress he had when he was young about having great ambitions but no time limit were gone.

However, Gillian will not be complacent with his temporary achievements. In his mind, the current development of the southern territory is far from enough. He has planned to apply for more troops, resources and immigrants after the king's new expedition, and strive to make the kingdom take root along the Yi River in the next term of office and complete the great cause that the Rhoyna people have not been able to achieve.

As fate would have it, at this moment, the civil war for the Iron Throne broke out.

At the beginning of the civil war, the Southland Territory was too remote to know the bad news immediately, and was still preparing for the king's new expedition: Euron set sail for the east early, while Gillian stayed in Tunchang Port and managed all the affairs in the rear; it was not until a new batch of ocean-going merchant ships arrived that the local immigrants and garrisons knew what had happened in the north. This was undoubtedly a bolt from the blue.

As the commander of the Iron Throne and a member of the Lannister family, Gillian immediately began to prepare for war upon receiving the news. He gathered the patrolling Southern Fleet, sent messengers to inform the scattered fortresses and settlements, and planned with his staff to fight northward. But at this moment, Euron Greyjoy suddenly returned with the Tranquility Fleet, catching the entire Southland off guard.

After years of cooperation, Gillian knew that Euron was a dangerous man and was also aware that he was full of oriental witchcraft. However, the sea monster's quick return still caught him by surprise. This crazy guy did not transfer supplies in Goros, nor did he sail west along the coast of Essos. His fleet seemed to be assisted by God and returned at a speed far beyond the norm, as if it had directly crossed the Summer Sea and suddenly appeared in the waters northeast of Axe Island. This was something the entire territory had never expected.

Then, Euron rampaged between the islands and the mainland. He raided every settlement and port where his fleet passed, broke into every warehouse and cargo station, took away all the ships and supplies, and left only desperate immigrants wandering helplessly on the beach - perhaps he thought being trapped on an isolated island was more painful than killing.

At the same time, the sea monster seemed to be looking for something. He broke into the local government several times just to find some information from the archives recorded by officials. His large-scale exploration of Gogothos even triggered a terrible plague. The breath of the stranger spread from the Island of Tears to many surrounding islands and coasts. Many settlements suffered heavy losses, and some even had all their inhabitants die of the disease.

At the same time, on the continent of Sothoryos, those settlements far inland from the coast were also attacked. The local indigenous tribes that had not yet surrendered swarmed out of the rainforest and continuously attacked the settlements of the Iron Throne immigrants. Even some tribes that had already surrendered suddenly launched attacks. Some settlements fell as a result, while others were cut off from communication and had to fight on their own.

As for the most daring tribes in the rebellion, they learned a lot from the rule of the Iron Throne. When the territory was in chaos, they put on iron armor, manned their homemade ships and set sail, plundering along the Basilisk Islands.

To make matters worse, when Gillian was overwhelmed by the chaos everywhere, his opponents were far more than those on the surface.

On Pincruise, a group of nobles and immigrants who supported Stannis decided to overthrow the rule of Lannister. They planned an assassination that almost succeeded, and then occupied many settlements in the islands.

In the north, the navies of the city-states also took advantage of the situation and constantly harassed the southern route between Lys and the Basilisk Islands. As a result, the connection between the large territories and the Iron Throne was severed several times.

Gillian did not want to see the cause he had fought for so long destroyed. Because of this series of chaos, he spent a lot of time suppressing the rebellious natives. He also had to execute or exile many of his former comrades, and fought frequently with Euron and the city-state navy.

In the end, with Euron leaving as suddenly as he came, Gillian finally managed to hold on to this large territory, and at this time, the civil war on the Iron Throne in the North had come to an end.

However, although the war has come to an end, the enemies of the Iron Throne still exist, especially Stannis. His fleet still threatens the communication between the two sides of the Narrow Sea and even threatens every coast of the Iron Throne. At the same time, the bitter battles that broke out in the large territories during this period have also made the sailors and soldiers stationed in the south miserable.

For more than a decade, the Iron Throne has been sending immigrants and building strongholds overseas, but these armies and fleets stationed overseas often do not recruit manpower from the local area, but from Westeros itself; the reason for this arrangement is that Prime Minister Arryn at the time was very worried that these colonies far away from the mainland would break away from control, become independent, and in turn endanger one side. When the resistance forces in the East continued to rise and fall, this worry intensified.

Therefore, Prime Minister Arryn finally made up his mind to replace the Iron Throne's overseas garrisons with reliable local populations as much as possible. In this way, even if the commander or some personnel of the garrison had ill intentions, the remaining people would not remain indifferent. Even if the rebellion could not be stopped, the Iron Throne would have a greater chance of obtaining relevant information.

Soon, this concept was implemented in all places, and Sothoryos was no exception. It was the most remote territory and also the most difficult one. Fortunately, trade was prosperous here, and it was also the starting point for looting in the East. Soldiers earned more money than in other places, and it was easier to get promoted than in most areas, so everyone had generally been able to tolerate it over the years.

But now, the situation is different. After experiencing Euron's looting and city-state attacks, the ravages of the plague and the invasion of barbarians, too many people feel tired and frightened. No matter what their homeland is like, they all want to return to their hometown.

Therefore, after arranging for those who volunteered to stay, Gillian led the Southern Fleet and the immigrants from the large territories on the journey home.

Thanks to the easing of the war, the southern fleet arrived in Lys smoothly. Since the royal fleet in Stannis's hands was still powerful, in order to prevent the drag and unnecessary losses of civilian ships, Gillian evacuated the civilians of the large territory on the spot and handed them over to the Lys people for management, and only led the fleet and garrison to continue northward.

Then, in order to avoid the blockade of the royal fleet, Gillian led the fleet to venture across the Stepstones on the eve of the storm. Although the storm caused some damage to the fleet, compared to being bitten by Stannis, this price was nothing.

During the rest of the voyage, the Southern Fleet encountered no challengers of sufficient weight, except for some patrol fleets under Stannis and pirates who wanted to take advantage of the situation. If these ships were not fast enough, they would be surrounded by the Southern Fleet, and the result would be either capture or sinking.

According to Gillian's experience along the way, Stannis's blockade focus is undoubtedly the Stepstones, which can not only block the royal fleet intending to go north, but also serve as his supply line to the rear, so he attaches great importance to it; and in the north of the Stepstones, although the force Stannis has invested here cannot be said to be weak, it is still far less than that in the direction of the islands. However, when passing Dragonstone, Gillian still played a twelve-thousand-point alert. No matter what, Dragonstone is Stannis's fiefdom and a branch port of the royal fleet. If the fleet here attacks, the Southern Fleet will inevitably have a big battle. Gillian is not afraid of fighting, but now he just wants to bring the Southern Fleet intact to King's Landing and preserve a part of the power for the kingdom and the family.

Fortunately, Dragonstone did not respond when the Southern Fleet passed by, and Gillian was able to pass through this enemy port close to Blackwater Bay smoothly while being vigilant. The enemy port was like a sword at the throat of the Iron Throne.

Gillian received a warm welcome at the New Harbor in King's Landing. At a time when the Arbor Fleet and the Lys Fleet had not yet arrived, the return of the Southern Fleet was like a shot of strength for King's Landing. At least there was no need to worry about Stannis's fleet forcing its way into Blackwater Bay.

After many years, Gillian was able to see his relatives at the port of King's Landing. Kevan was still the same as before, without any change. As for his niece, she still looked so beautiful, but Gillian could feel that she was much more anxious than before.

As for the royal family, His Majesty King Joffrey Baratheon looked radiant and his appearance was exactly what a young king should look like.

Likewise, the blood of the lion could be seen in the king: a stranger who happened to meet the king would probably have thought he was a Lannister.

However, Gillian was not happy to meet the current King. On the contrary, he was worried about the little king.

Gillian was overseas and had poor communications, but that didn't mean he couldn't receive news from Westeros. During the long correspondence, he had already learned from his two brothers that beneath the handsome appearance of the crown prince, the current king, was a heart filled with tyranny, impatience, and willfulness.

This is not a good sign, Gillian thought. A king must not only demonstrate his authority through force, but he must also learn to be kind to the people under his rule. If our new king cannot learn this, there will be big problems in the future.

Fortunately, the king is still a teenager and the rebels are about to be wiped out. Time is on our side after all. With the assistance of his ministers, he still has the opportunity to change slowly.

In her distress, Jillian could only comfort herself in this way.

Next to the little king, sitting on the queen's throne is Margaery Tyrell, the Rose of Highgarden and now the Queen of the Iron Throne.

When he saw this woman, Gillian's nerves couldn't help but tense up a little. He had traveled all over the country for more than ten years and had met more people than places he had been to. He had come into contact with many women like Margaery, but he would not despise this woman because of her harmless appearance, not to mention the powerful Tyrell family behind her.

Riverbend people, Riverbend people... After the royal procession, Gillian saw a large number of roses, and countless allies and in-laws, which made him sigh:

When I left King's Landing a few years ago, Rose was still excluded from the core of the Iron Throne. But now, after only a few years, Rose not only entered the core again, but also became the core of the kingdom, and was about to replace the officials in the capital. One can't help but sigh that the situation has changed.

However, looking at these groups of southerners, Gillian also had doubts about the proportion of truly capable people among them. After all, Mace Tyrell has always been a vain man, as can be seen from the fact that he recruited many soldiers to deal with the invasion of the centaurs.

In this regard, Gillian can only pray that there are more truly talented people among the crowd. After all, this is the Iron Throne, not the South. It is one thing for you to show off the prosperity and strength of your family, but if you are incompetent and mess things up, it will be the Iron Throne and the Lannisters who will suffer the losses.

After stepping down from the ship, Gillian first saluted the king and the queen. Joffrey's manners and behavior were quite good. Although Margaery set the pace throughout the ceremony and the little king had to ask the Grand Maester for secret reminders from time to time, he generally showed what a king should be like. Of course, Gillian's expectations and requirements for him were not high. He just had to follow the process and not embarrass himself.

Next, the little king announced the decree appointing him as the Minister of the Navy, which was also what Kevan had told him through the raven a long time ago. So Gillian calmly thanked the king and solemnly took the edict and seal, and the ceremony was over.

There are too many Tyrells in the Iron Throne, especially in the Small Council. The Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Lord Chancellor of Justice are both from the Reach. The Lannisters urgently need one of their own to balance the situation, and Gillian is undoubtedly the best candidate.

Gillian had no objection to this. This time he returned with the Southern Fleet, and his primary purpose was to fight against Stannis, the remaining traitor. If he wanted to defeat the late king's brother, naval battle was the top priority. His taking over the position of Lord High Admiral would allow him to command the navy and unite the country's fleet into one.

After the ceremony, Gillian thought for a moment about Tywin. If Tywin were still here, what would he do? What would he say? What plans would he make to restore the kingdom and the family to their original state?

But these questions will never be answered.

He also thought of Tyrion, the child suffering from deformity, the excluded teenager, the dissolute young man... Well, well, Tywin's bad attitude towards Tyrion eventually brought him bitter consequences. Gillian had long recognized this possibility, but this form... was what he had not expected.

The ceremony at the port did not last long. After all, it was just a welcome ceremony, a move to send out political signals. The real things had to be discussed behind closed doors. Soon, everyone returned to the Red Castle.

On the way back to the Red Keep, Gillian carefully observed the attitude of the citizens of King's Landing towards the Lannisters and the king.

As expected, dissatisfaction, indifference and resentment, these emotions continued to be revealed in the eyes of the people as they looked at the royal carriage. He was not surprised by this. Some things are easy to do, but it takes ten or a hundred times more effort to calm them down.

Watching these scenes, a sense of uneasiness surged into Gillian's heart. Although the Lannisters were still in an advantageous position at the moment, he understood that his family was ultimately on the edge of a cliff. Even if they were a little further away from the edge, they could still fall off the cliff at any time.

"The current situation is more dangerous than Sothoryos."

The commander of the Southern Fleet thought, "We can only work harder now, Gillian. Although Tywin has left us, the world will not stop because of one person's history, and the family can't either. Now, as Tywin's brother, I have to shoulder the responsibility."

(End of this chapter)