Chapter 195: Strife Among Nations
The assassination attempt at Rosby was merely a catalyst, the perfect opportunity for Rhaegar Targaryen to fish in troubled waters.
Rhaegar Targaryen stood before a map, sunlight streaming onto his silver hair; at this moment, he seemed like a True Dragon chosen by the sun—radiant, handsome, and robust.
Rhaegar's silver hair and violet eyes shimmered in the sunlight, and he wore his usual round-necked, short-sleeved shirt, with Orphan-Maker strapped at his waist.
With a longsword in hand, he could command the heavens.
The storms of the Narrow Sea were stirred by Rhaegar Targaryen, yet they could not cloud his judgment.
Times create heroes, but heroes also drive the changes of the times.
Beautiful flames danced in Rhaegar's long, elegant palms as Rhaegar Targaryen toyed with the black fire, which coalesced into the shape of a crown, dancing in his hands.
The Crown of Fire represented Rhaegar's attainments and progress in fire magic, though because he had absorbed a significant amount of the Hammer Rune—which represented strength—this runic fire was currently the most vigorous.
The massive absorption session at House Crabb's Whisperwind Keep had yielded a considerable amount of runic power.
The black warhammer fire was the most immense force, temporarily surpassing his other flames; what had once been azure was now black.
Only power, ever-greater power, could bring him a sense of security and relaxation.
Even if enemies surround me by the thousands, I remain as unmoved as a mountain.
The Crown of Fire shifted, transforming into a mirror-like flame that displayed images, projecting scenes from around Dragonstone, though the images grew blurrier with distance.
"It is a pity that I cannot use Fire Sight to observe King's Landing or the Stepstones, and it is very difficult to see a specific person! Furthermore, every time I use Fire Sight, it comes at the cost of my life force and energy.
Were it not for the Rune of the Tree that preserves my youth, an ordinary person would not dare to use it more than a few times.
This Fire Sight still has its shortcomings!" Rhaegar thought.
Fire Sight is limited, firstly, by youth; much like the shadows of R'hllor, it requires the consumption of the life flame.
Secondly, it is limited by distance, not in the way of glass candles, but rather that the places the fire illuminates must be within a certain range to be effective.
Thirdly, it may also be limited by blood; it is not omnipotent.
During the Dance of the Dragons, at the time of the decisive battle at the Gods Eye, Aemond One-Eye boasted to the Rogue Prince Daemon that his busty mistress, Alys Rivers, could see Daemon from within dark storm clouds, from mountain ravines at dusk, and from dinner campfires.
However, both uncle and nephew were in the Riverlands at the time, not far from each other, and they shared a direct bloodline; Alys Rivers could easily have used Aemond's blood as a sacrifice.
Rhaegar put away the Crown of Fire and stopped thinking about that pair of wild lovers, Alys and Aemond.
That busty witch claimed back then to be carrying Aemond's child, though no one knows if that was true or false.
Rhaegar focused on reviewing his various achievements; if the war for the Stepstones were to break out again, there should be a new round of reinforcements.
[Attributes: Dragonlord's Bearing, Dance of Water and Fire, God of Love and Beauty, Heart of a Sword and Soul of a Harp, Awakening Dragon, Dragon Dreamer.]
[Achievements: Fate Changer, Crown Breaker, Game of Thrones (Master Player), Commander, Lucky One, Explorer, Collector, Language Mastery, Weapon Mastery, Precision Strike.]
[Magic Achievements: Crown of Fire, Dragon Pact, Blood and Fire Chain, Dragonrider, Dragon Dreamer, Fire Sight.]
[Collection: Rhaegar Targaryen's Dragon King Ring, Ancient Rhoynar Water Staff, Heart of Fire Dragon Nest, Fire Sight Magic Stone, Cursed Fire of the Iron Throne, Cursed Eye of Harrenhal.]
Rhaegar was currently considering a grand plan: to draw the snake out of its hole, luring the joint fleets of Lys and Myr out of their respective cities to engage him in open battle on the Narrow Sea, thereby crushing Lys and Myr in one stroke and resolving the threat from the southeast.
In open naval battles, with the added firepower of himself and his dragon, fighting on exterior lines would be less difficult than running to the cities of Lys and Myr to engage in a war of attrition.
Victory in this war could guarantee decades of peace; it would not only deter the various powers of the Free Cities and intimidate the lords of Westeros, but also allow for better administration of Ghoyan Drohe.
Rhaegar Targaryen had employed many measures; his overt strategy was to lie dormant on Dragonstone, feigning severe illness and poisoning.
His covert strategy involved having King Jaehaerys II cooperate with his performance, having the Rat Catcher Roken spread false information in Flea Bottom, having Ser Barristan Selmy maintain control over the Kingsguard in King's Landing, and having Ser Brynden control the situation in the Narrow Sea, adopting a tough stance to deal with the Lyseni and Myrish people, which would further stimulate the competitive spirit of the two enemy nations.
Those false rumors that Prince Rhaegar had been poisoned, fallen ill, and was on the verge of death had been circulating for so long that they were bound to have some effect.
"A great net of four standard and one surprise maneuver; this could even involve sending troops along five routes." Rhaegar had already finalized the key points of his battle plan.
The two nets in the rear were Tyrosh and Volantis, while the two in the front were the Narrow Sea Fleet and a portion of the Royal Fleet.
The Royal Fleet could not be fully deployed, as he still needed to guard against pressure from Braavos.
At Crackclaw Point, Rhaegar had already conceived of a source for his surprise forces; the Crackclaw men were brave and skilled in battle, and loyal to the Dragonlord family to the death, making them perfect to accompany him as a strategic reserve force.
If Lys and Myr attacked the Narrow Sea, then Tyrosh could pin down the Myrish fleet.
The Volantenes could naturally pin down the Lyseni fleet; Volantis was currently in a trade war with Myr, and if tempted with heavy profits, there was a possibility that the Volantene fleet would mobilize.
Volantis was currently like a lean camel that is still bigger than a horse; its army was massive, but its naval power was also not to be underestimated.
As long as all forces acted in concert, this encirclement could be fully realized, surpassing any past glorious achievements.
"I must win, and win beautifully; it cannot be like the Battle of the Gullet, which was a Pyrrhic victory!"
Rhaegar admitted that his plan was somewhat bold; it was a golden opportunity to crush two city-states in a single battle, and he could not let it pass.
The origins of grand wars usually stemmed from such small matters, depending on step-by-step reasoning and planning.
The bloodiest large-scale naval battle the Dragonlord family had previously faced was the Battle of the Gullet between the Targaryen Blacks and the Three Daughters; it was a war that brought more loss than gain, with both sides practically suffering total defeat.
The Three Daughters had sixty-two of their ninety warships destroyed, with the remaining twenty-eight limping back in tatters, causing their alliance to fall apart.
Meanwhile, despite deploying dragons, the Blacks still lost their heir, Prince Jacaerys, the young dragon Vermax, and a third of the Velaryon fleet, while the Sea Snake's stronghold was also thoroughly looted.
The attrition for both sides in that war was immense, but the Three Daughters had launched a surprise attack, and the Blacks had been caught off guard and lacked pre-war planning; however, Rhaegar was planning in advance, and he possessed the intelligence and confidence to secure a beautiful victory.
Rhaegar's philosophy was that sharpening the axe would not delay the woodcutting; he possessed magic and Valyrian technologies such as fire magic, the Valyrian Black Wall, and the Valyrian Road, and as long as he went out to "farm gold" and continue collecting runes, he could fully elevate his fire magic to a super level.
With these technologies, Rhaegar would not be afraid even if he had to drag out a war of attrition with Lys and Myr.
It was Lys and Myr who should be more anxious now; if he could crush them in a single large-scale open battle, that would naturally be best.
Even if he couldn't crush them, he could pick out a few wavering fools in his own camp to make an example of; in any case, nothing would be delayed.
"Prince, the fish has taken the bait!" The Castellan of Dragonstone hurried into the Stone Drum and reported the latest developments to Rhaegar.
"Prince, merchants from Lys and Myr have begun using their merchant ships to block the entrance to the Stepstones and are refusing to pay customs duties to the Bloodstone Customs.
They claim that the Iron Throne collecting taxes in the Stepstones is unfair to Lys and Myr, and they are demanding that the Iron Throne cease collecting taxes."
A smile curled at the corners of Rhaegar's mouth; it seemed they had really arrived. It appeared Lys and Myr still could not keep their composure; there was always someone eager to jump out.
Rhaegar's fish, it seemed, was about to take the bait.
"No need to panic, just keep waiting for news!" Rhaegar told the Castellan of Dragonstone.
Rhaegar had already told Ser Brynden the key points; he was to resolve this matter with thunderous means, and he did not need further guidance.
Sure enough, news came a few days later that Ser Brynden had ordered the Narrow Sea Fleet to sortie, imposing severe sanctions on the troublemaking merchants from Lys and Myr, detaining the people and seizing the ships.
The tough stance of the Commander of the Narrow Sea further incited opposition from Lys and Myr, who began to question and express dissatisfaction with the entire peace treaty.
The situation on the Narrow Sea began to enter a state of tension once again.
Centered around the Stepstones, strife among nations rose once again.
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