Throughout history, both in China and abroad, there have been rules against killing prisoners of war.
It is just that not all commanders abide by those rules.
For example, the God of War Bai Qi buried alive four hundred thousand surrendered soldiers of Zhao.
So among those four hundred thousand Zhao people, how many were nobles?
It is said that after the Battle of Changping, from high ministers down to common folk, nearly every household wore mourning white, and everyone donned funeral clothes.
This shows that a killing god is a killing god. Whether noble or commoner, most likely all of them were thrown into the pits alike.
But in Westeros, if Bai Qi dared to do such a thing, his reputation would stink worse than the Rat Cook's. He might even be kicked into the pit by his own men and buried before it was finished.
The reason is simple. Those who command armies are nobles, and war always produces both winners and losers. If today you can kill another man's nobles, tomorrow others can kill your vassals.
The Seven Kingdoms have only nine dukes and a few hundred counts. Kill them back and forth for a few rounds, and they would all be gone.
Once all the noble lords are dead, are the smallfolk supposed to rule the Seven Kingdoms?
In fact, if Qin had not had its twenty-rank military merit system, incidents of burying surrendered generals alive likely would not have happened either.
Without a merit-based rank system, lower officers would have no path of advancement. The generals commanding troops would all come from great noble families. If they won, they kept the same title; if they lost, they naturally wanted to preserve their original rank and status. Thus, rules for ransoming prisoners were necessary.
And so it circles back to the old Westerosi way.
For instance, when Greatjon fought alongside Robb, whether he won or lost, whether his son lived or died, he remained the Lord of Last Hearth. His title and lands did not change.
Since that was the case, why not behave a bit more like gentlemen?
In the age when lords still personally rode into battle on chariots, great importance was placed on battlefield etiquette. Not only was killing prisoners forbidden, even dangerous schemes and dirty tricks were disallowed.
Troops fought troops, generals fought generals. Formations were set, clashes were direct, orderly, and rhythmic. For noble commanders, this was the safest approach.
If tactics were employed, even something as simple as attacking an enemy mid-crossing, once chaos broke out, who could still tell whether you were a noble, a countryman, or a savage?
Therefore, although Aegon had fallen into Stannis's hands, according to tradition he was safe and still had a chance to regain his freedom.
Just like Daenerys. From when she first captured Euron, through a series of later wars, even the Lannisters she caught on Dragonstone were not all put to the sword. Their families were allowed to pay to ransom them.
Living prisoners could be redeemed; the dead were returned free of charge.
It was only that on Dragonstone, Daenerys set the price too high. The Lannisters were unwilling to be taken for fools and redeemed only the count, leaving the rest behind to mine on Dragonstone.
This time, with Aunt Daenerys backing her, Sansa decided that even if Stannis demanded an unprecedented one million gold dragons, she would redeem her husband immediately.
At normal rates, even Jaime Lannister would be worth only three to five hundred gold dragons, at most a thousand.
Stannis did not violate tradition either. He first allowed Jon, acting as Sansa's representative, to visit Aegon in the luxurious cell converted from a guest room. Aegon's legs were wrapped in bandages. After that, Stannis would discuss the ransom with Sansa.
"Both legs were crushed, but he's alive. When I went in, he was still conscious. He asked me to tell you not to worry and not to harm your health."
Hearing this, Sansa's eyes reddened again. She wiped away her tears and asked, "How serious are the injuries to his legs?"
"Somewhat serious. The left leg has a fractured bone, but the right knee was crushed."
"Ah!" Sansa cried out. Two strings of tears rolled from her large eyes, leaving wet trails on her pale cheeks. She looked utterly pitiful.
Jon said gently, "Don't worry."
Sansa covered her face and sobbed, "How can I not worry? His knee is shattered. He is the bravest warrior in the Seven Kingdoms. Is he going to end up like Willas?"
"Willas? Who's that?" Jon asked blankly.
"Willas Tyrell. His knee was shattered while jousting with Prince Oberyn of Dorne. Back then, Lady Olenna even planned to have Queen Sansa marry Ser Willas," Brienne explained.
Well, Brienne was free now. Since Aunt Mel was not dead, the so-called murderer was naturally innocent.
Sansa shot the clueless White Knight a glare. "You didn't need to explain it in that much detail."
Jon thought to himself with a strange expression that he never expected Sansa to have dated so many men during her trip south.
Her first love with Emperor Joe, a secret crush on the Knight of Flowers as Jeyne Poole claimed, rumors with Willas that Sansa herself greatly anticipated, marrying the Imp, and even dating the heir Harry.
Pushing those stray thoughts aside, Jon comforted her. "Aegon told you not to worry. He said his aunt told him that Daenerys could heal his injuries."
"That's right. Times are different now. There are the Seven, and there's Daenerys. Would that work? Or should we go to King's Landing and invite the High Sparrow?"
"Let's ransom Aegon back first!"
"I don't need money," Stannis said flatly, rejecting her outright.
The negotiations were held on the training grounds, in full public view. Neither side's soldiers could hear what was being said, but they could clearly watch the process unfold.
Jon had lost most of his credibility with Stannis, so he would no longer go to the great hall of Winterfell. Sansa was likewise unwilling to risk going to Stannis's Stone Castle, even though the castle was once her home.
Nevertheless, Jon still served as the intermediary.
Stannis and Sansa each brought a few knights and sat facing one another.
"What do you want?" Sansa mocked. "The Iron Throne?"
"Why not?" Stannis replied solemnly. "I am Robert's only legitimate heir. By the laws of the Seven Kingdoms, the Iron Throne rightfully belongs to me."
"Say that to Cersei," Sansa said calmly. "I cannot give you something we do not have."
The corners of Stannis's mouth lifted into a very faint, very light smile. "You have two armies, one departing from the Vale and one from Storm's End. Twenty thousand mixed infantry and cavalry, mainly from the Vale, are already approaching Duskendale. The Golden Company, together with Dorne and the Stormlands, twenty-five thousand troops in all, are even pressing toward King's Landing.
"I need command of those two armies. We take King's Landing. You swear fealty to me, and I will release Aegon."
Jon was horrified. "You already—"
That was not right. Even he, the Lord of the North, did not know these details. How did Stannis learn of them? Before making contact with Sansa, he had not even known of Aegon's existence.
Before Jon could voice his doubts, Sansa's pretty face twisted with fury as she shouted, "Have you gone mad thinking about the Iron Throne? You want us to help you seize it and then submit to you? How could there be such a good deal?"
"Your false king is my prisoner, and this is my condition," Stannis said indifferently.
Royce pointed at Stannis, shocked and furious. "He even knows the latest movements of our armies. He must have planned this long ago. Or perhaps that clash that day was his scheme! We fell into his trap!"
Stannis's gaze turned cold as he sneered. "When you plotted against me, you should have been prepared for today's outcome."
Sansa's pupils contracted. He had known all along that they were plotting against him? And he had played along, captured Aegon, and then reaped the benefits himself?Who had leaked the information?Sansa felt a powerful urge to sweep her suspicious gaze over those close to her, even Jon, but she knew she could not do that.
She suppressed the impulse and buried her doubts deep inside.
"Tell me," she asked softly, with a faint trace of sarcasm at her lips, "what happens after we help you take the Iron Throne?"
Stannis seemed to have already made up his mind. Without the slightest hesitation, he said flatly, "Aegon has muddled his bloodline. There is no place for him left in the Seven Kingdoms. He must swear to leave Westeros forever."
"Stannis, you've gone too far!" Lady Maege shouted angrily, clenching her fists.
A vein throbbed on Sansa's forehead, the anger and resentment on her face barely concealed.
Jon glanced around, wanting to speak but stopping himself.
The Onion Knight frowned, leaned close to Stannis's ear, and urged in a low voice, "Your Grace, perhaps we can say that Littlefinger died at Storm's End, and grant Harrenhal to him."
Stannis seriously considered his Hand's suggestion, recalling the terms of surrender the Imp had once offered him. They did seem more generous than his own.
"I will grant Aegon the title of Duke of Harrenhal, but he must be exiled. His eldest son may return to the Seven Kingdoms to inherit the title and lands."
Seeing the reluctant look on Stannis's face, Sansa's tightly drawn posture suddenly relaxed. She smiled and asked, "And how do you intend to deal with Dragonstone?"
Stannis's eyes sharpened as he replied coldly, "That has nothing to do with today's discussion."
Dragonstone was occupied by Daenerys, but under the Baratheon dynasty, Stannis was the rightful Lord of Dragonstone.
The smile on Sansa's face became a little more sincere as she asked again, "What about Dorne, the Vale, the Riverlands, and the Stormlands? What arrangements do you have for them?This is not unrelated to me. If you do not make yourself clear, why would the lords of the True Dragon Alliance fight to the death for you?"
The muscles along Stannis's jaw bulged as he said in a low voice, "I will exercise the king's authority according to the law. Their rights and obligations will likewise be protected by the law."
"Very well, I agree," Sansa nodded.
"What?" Everyone around them, including Stannis himself, stared in shock.
Sansa nodded again, confirming, "That's right. I accept your terms. On behalf of my husband, I promise that the military command of the True Dragon Alliance will be handed to Stannis. After Aegon gains his freedom, the two of us will voluntarily go into exile in a foreign land."
"Your Grace?"
Mormont, Galbart, Royce, and the others were stunned and incredulous.
"Sansa, you…" Jon's eyes were full of worry. "You can go back and rest for a day. Negotiations don't have to be finished in a single day."
"No need," Sansa said, turning to sweep her gaze over her trusted ministers, her expression solemn. "The foundation of the True Dragon Alliance lies with Aegon. If we do not accept the other side's terms, he will not gain his freedom, and the alliance will naturally collapse.
"So, my apologies for betraying the trust of all the lords, but we truly have no other choice."
"This is unreasonable. No one has ever ransomed an entire kingdom for a captured king," Ser Royce shouted at Stannis, his face flushed.
Davos looked at his liege with concern, his lips moving. "Your Grace…"
He forced out a single word, then could say no more.
What could he say?Trading a king for a kingdom was utterly absurd. The people would not accept it, the subjects would resent it. You can stop dreaming.Could he really say that?
"Does Aegon even have a kingdom?" Stannis swept his gaze over the opposing knights and demanded through clenched teeth. "Does Storm's End not belong to the Baratheons? Or is he sitting on the Iron Throne right now?He has nothing but a loosely founded alliance. How does that make him a king?From the moment I captured him, the so-called True Dragon Alliance was destined to be eliminated entirely.
"As for the lords of the alliance, you have already raised the banner of righteousness against the Lannisters. Now you have only two choices: retreat and wait for the Iron Throne to settle accounts with you one by one, or join me and continue the unfinished campaign of conquest."
"Even if King Aegon's foundation is weak, with our support he is still a hundred times stronger than you. The Lannisters are hateful, but if it truly comes down to only you and Cersei, we would rather choose Cersei!" Ser Royce could not help saying.
"Crunch, crunch."
(End of chapter)
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