Chapter 420 The Rage of the Sea Serpent

King's Landing.

Parliament Hall.

In the solemnly decorated parliament hall, the royal ministers sat around the long table.

Just now, Grand Maester Orwell received a series of raven messages from the Stormlands.

After confirmation by the intelligence chief Tormund, it was undoubtedly bad news.

The royal ministers kept silent, and the atmosphere was indescribably depressing.

Viserys sat in the main seat, his face slightly pale, and he moved his buttocks like sitting on pins and needles.

The Stormlands, which seemed to be in a good situation, actually received the worst result.

Slightly sideways, he glanced at the sea snake Corliss sitting opposite the long table, and was quickly scared back by his gloomy and terrifying face.

Corliss crossed his hands, lowered his head with a dark face, and his eyes were like a deep pool.

He did not consider the feelings of the people present at all, and released the breathtaking spirit of the nine voyages.

Viserys turned his head to look at the other ministers, knowing that he could not remain silent any longer, he coughed twice and said: "Everyone, let's talk about the situation in the Stormlands."

After speaking, he tapped the table with his knuckles, pulling everyone back from the surprise.

Looking up at Corliss opposite him, he lowered his voice and looked solemn: "Lord Corliss, I don't want to advise you to mourn, I hope the Seven Gods will bless Sir Lannino."

According to the news, Lannino disappeared for no reason, and no one saw him alive or dead.

The giant dragon Haiyan went crazy and attacked the residents of the Stormlands indiscriminately, causing a large number of casualties in the Mist Forest City.

It is obvious that Lannino was murdered.

Hearing this, Corliss raised his head stiffly, his eyes seemed to hide a huge anger, and said in a very suppressed voice: "Thank you, Your Majesty. I believe my child can turn danger into safety, just like I did when I was young."

Over fifty years old, this sea snake has rich experience that can be published in a book.

Even if he knew that his child had survived a narrow escape, he still maintained a rationality of never giving up.

"My sincere blessing."

Viserys comforted him, turned to face the ministers, and said solemnly: "The Dornish occupied Stonehelm, Ser Lannino is missing, and only Crow's Nest and Rainforest are left on the three fronts. Do we need to send more reinforcements?"

Speaking of which, the third-party front of Mistwood blocked the Dornish attack, but could not escape an out-of-control dragon.

Otto was the first to respond: "Your Majesty, the royal reinforcements set out not long ago, and it is not appropriate to withdraw more troops for the time being."

Lyonor followed up with a speech: "After the Narrow Sea War, many troops were mobilized from all over the country. Recruiting more troops may cause opposition from lords from all over the country."

The Vale made great efforts to break through Myr.

To break through Lys, the Reach, the Westerlands, and the Riverlands all sent several troops.

Even Tyrosh, which was occupied by Daemon, was mixed with a large number of soldiers from the Royal Territory, the Riverlands, and the Northern Alliance.

Lin Man stared with his old eyes, and said anxiously: "The Three Kingdoms of Women have invested too many troops, and the Dorne rebellion is following closely. Our situation is very critical."

"Lord Lin Man, we have conquered the Three Kingdoms of Women. The situation is not as exaggerated as you said."

Jasper raised his eyebrows and said seriously: "The Reach, the Westerlands, and the Vale should be able to draw a lot of troops."

Westeros is very big, and you can always squeeze in troops.

Otto was silent for a moment, and refuted his ally bluntly, retorting: "The Westerlands are stationed to guard against the Iron Race, and the Reach is stationed at Prince's Pass. These are all critical places."

Since the second Battle of the Stepstones, the Iron Race has been very restless and has been harassing Lannister Port and the Seafront City in the Riverlands.

When Dorne invades, Prince's Pass and Bone Road are always the first choice, and the Reach has to allocate a large number of garrisons every time.

Unless it is absolutely necessary, you cannot adopt a militaristic strategy.

Jasper was choked and shut up.

"What should we do?"

Viserys looked around, trying to get a satisfactory answer.

Lyonor and Otto looked at each other.

They were both smart people and quickly understood each other's meaning.

Lyonor said with a straight face: "Your Majesty, with the reinforcements from the crown, Stormland has enough troops to deal with the Dornish invaders. It is best for us to remain unchanged in the face of all changes."

"That's right." Otto took over the conversation and added: "Stormland lost a controllable dragon, but there is another one that is enough to deal with it."

The two of them talked back and forth, staggering many issues.

For example, the interruption of the war rhythm, Aemond's disobedience, Lannino's former lover hidden in the army, and the current lover disappeared together...

Without a qualified commander, the command of the Stormland coalition was full of mistakes.

Viserys felt relieved and suddenly mentioned: "Sea Smoke is out of control, causing many casualties. He may be looking for a driver."

The voice was full of emotion and disappointment.

A dragon went crazy, and no one could stop it.

Not only would it affect the war situation, but it would also ruin the reputation of Targaryen.

The most critical point.

Viserys was worried that someone would hate dragons and secretly kill the defenseless Sea Smoke.

Any dragon is a valuable treasure that cannot be replicated.

At this point, the parliament began to lean towards peace.

Advise the king not to worry and let Stormland handle it.

However, some people are not satisfied.

Bang!

Corliss's already dark complexion was terribly dark, and he could no longer suppress his anger. He slammed the table and angrily said: "Still standing by and watching. Stormland has no decent commander at all. If we delay, the situation will only get worse!"

He is a truly battle-hardened brave general.

Based on the few words in the letter, he has analyzed Royce Cullen's mediocrity and incompetence, and Aemond's willfulness.

These problems are not serious on weekdays, but they are very deadly on the battlefield.

A commander who can't command his subordinates is worse than a pile of dog shit.

A dragon rider who doesn't obey orders is worse than drowning in the sea.

Viserys was startled and stared at Corliss in a daze.

The mood that was comforted by the two ministers in the letter suddenly wavered.

Corliss walked out of his seat quickly, took out the map prepared in his sleeve, and said sharply: "Dorne dared to challenge the authority of the Iron Throne, all thanks to the support of Braavos and the remnants of the Three Kingdoms. Control of the sea is the key!"

"The navy is backlogged in the three city-states, always beware of foreign enemies."

Viserys spoke in a deep voice.

He knew the movements of the Three Kingdoms very well.

There were rebels with ill intentions hidden in the city-states, and the two allies of Pentos and Volantis were also ambitious.

Not only should they guard against Braavos, which was clearly hostile, but also against the seemingly kind friendly forces.

This is human nature.

They couldn't join the war together. The Targaryens occupied the three city-states, and Pentos and Volantis were content with just some port taxes.

It was only because of the tough attitude of the eldest son and the dragon that they dared not act rashly.

Viserys had reason to suspect that the shadows of Prince Pentos and Governor Volantis were indispensable among the people who transported supplies to Dorne.

Ancient Valyria was too powerful, leaving a deep shadow on Essos.

If Westeros did not have some accidents, it would have an impact on the Targaryen rule.

How could Pentos and Volantis, a series of free trade cities, sleep well?

Corliss glanced at him, pointed at the Stepstones on the map, and answered in a preaching manner: "Rhaenys and others stayed in the city-state, Prince Aegon could go out, and it would be easy to dispatch a navy of 2,000 people."

Among the ministers of the country, only he was proficient in war.

As early as receiving the news of Laenor's murder, he had planned a strategy in his mind.

Hearing this, Viserys stared at the map and fell silent for a while.

He knew nothing about war, but he also knew the importance of Aegon guarding the Stepstones, maintaining the transit of the lower half of the Narrow Sea, and preventing other free trade cities from entering the disputed land directly from the sea.

Corliss knocked on the table with his hand and urged: "Your Majesty, why are you still hesitating? The Dornish are coming with great force. This is no longer a trivial matter a few days ago."

Without Viserys speaking, Otto immediately frowned and warned: "Lord Corliss, I deeply sympathize with your experience, but please have basic respect for the king. You are just a minister!"

He is a selfish person, but he knows better that he must maintain the king's dignity at critical moments.

Whether it is Daemon or the Velaryon family, those who do not abide by the rules of power are regarded as enemies by him.

Corliss instantly glared at Otto with a gloomy face.

For this selfish and cautious second son of Hightower, he only had contempt and disgust.

Seeing the two men at loggerheads, Viserys looked back and forth and habitually persuaded them to reconcile: "Otto, Lord Corliss was anxious for a moment, all for the service of the country."

"I just want him to understand the etiquette between the monarch and his subjects."

Otto said lightly.

"Hmph!"

Corliss snorted disdainfully, turned his spearhead to Viserys, and said bluntly: "Your Majesty, I seriously doubt Lord Royce's ability to lead the army. I apply to lead the troops to fight!"

As soon as the voice fell, the conference hall fell silent.

The ministers in front of the king stared at him, with deep thought in their eyes.

Corliss did not give them the opportunity to question, and explained the general strategy: "Dorne invaded the Stormlands, and the landing point was only Stonehelm. Given Dorne's national conditions, 20,000 regular troops were almost drawn from the entire country, and the garrison in the country must be relaxed."

Viserys was refreshed and interested.

Corliss glanced at Otto with contempt, and his finger moved from the Stepstones on the map to Sunspear, his voice full of hatred; "Prince Aegon led the Stepstones Navy to go out, under my full command, and directly destroyed Martell's nest!"

The pain of losing his son appeared, and Corliss's hatred reached its peak.

The step-by-step planning of the tight strategy is too complicated, controlling the sea power is unrealistic, and preventing someone from secretly supporting Dorne is even more difficult.

Therefore, the method with the highest risk and the greatest reward was chosen.

Go straight to Sunspear and chop off all the Martell heads.

Viserys listened carefully and said with a little excitement: "It's a very clever plan, but it contains great dangers."

Killing Martell will not bring Dorne into the territory.

Corliss' eyes were as sharp as those of a hawk, and he said firmly: "Dorne is not rich, so we can just withdraw Prince Aemond's dragons. Two dragons will definitely be able to break through Sunspear."

No matter how strong the castle is, it is just a decoration in front of the dragon.

Sunspear is not a dangerous place like the Eyrie or Casterly Rock. The mud and stone walls and open terrain are enough for the dragon to sweep through.

Lyonor and Otto heard the crazy plan and joined the discussion.

After a debate, Viserys suddenly asked: "Should we recall Rhaegar?"

Corliss's face paused, and his tone softened slightly: "The prince is still in Myr, and he should come back after hearing the news."

Viserys nodded, becoming more and more satisfied.

With his eldest son by his side, he has the confidence to fight foreign wars.

Just as the king and his ministers were discussing enthusiastically, Tormund, who had been silent all the time, stood up and whispered: "Your Majesty, I have a piece of information that you should know more about."

Viserys was stunned and turned to look at him.

The other ministers also cast their eyes over.

Tormund felt the pressure in vain, took out a letter from his sleeve and handed it over, saying solemnly: "Dorne's grain production has been reduced since the beginning of the year, and a large number of refugees have flocked to the Vulture Mountains. There are at least tens of thousands of people, including old and young, and there are signs of invading Prince's Pass and Bone Road."