In the waterway adjacent to an abandoned dock on the Lower Upper Rhoyne River, a Loynan boatman, single-handedly poling his boat, the 'Golden Harp', was maneuvering it upstream.
Viserys put on a wide-brimmed straw hat, the boatman's favorite attire, and his gaze swept across the river and the wilderness.
The scent of rum still lingered on the boat; many boatmen were fond of it.
Besides this single-pole boat Viserys was on, there were several other boats, big and small, all operated by the Loynans.
The small boats, with their wide beams and shallow drafts, were suitable for navigating narrow streams and sandbanks.
All the boats on the waterway flew small triangular flags with a black background and a red dragon, a symbol of two distinct cultures coming together.
There were also soldiers in light armor on the boats, tasked with protecting Viserys, some holding spears, others carrying shields and swords, without distinction between andals and Loynans.
Nowadays, river pirates, stone men, slave catchers, and runaway slaves are scattered across the great Rhoyne River, making it far more dangerous than before.
"Your Majesty, the scenery from the river is completely different from seeing it on horseback," the boatman told Viserys.
This boat didn't even reach Qohor before it began taking Viserys back.
"Indeed," Viserys Targaryen stood on the deck, looking at the leisurely waters of the Upper Rhoyne River and the abandoned dock.
Viserys even saw some turtles on the beach; the turtles here weren't that large, the biggest one was called Bonebreaker.
Half of the dock was already submerged, almost buried by tall, brown wild grass.
The Upper Rhoyne River was not too small, but not too large either.
It is said that The Little Rhoyne River was similar; the smallest of the three tributaries of Trident River was twice as wide, and each flowed faster than it.
The Upper Rhoyne River and The Little Rhoyne River were considered the weaker two among the Rhoyne River's tributaries.
If Dothraki needed to cross the river, both the Upper Rhoyne River and The Little Rhoyne River were suitable areas.
The lower reaches of the Rhoyne River were the true Rhoyne River; it was too wide there for dothraki horsemen to cross directly.
Viserys was taking a break from his busy schedule; he had recently been along the eastern hills of the Upper Rhoyne River, eliminating various bandits and gaining attributes, but he hadn't forgotten to inspect the waterway by boat.
Although the andals on the border also used riverboats, the Loynans were the best at it.
These Rhoyne River boats were different from Dornish boats; many pole boats plying the rivers of Dorne were almost all brightly painted and intricately carved, while many of these boats were painted an earthy gray.
Viserys understood this was for discretion; in the chaotic Rhoyne River basin, beautiful boats easily drew the covetous eyes of dothraki horsemen and river pirates.
"Small boats also have their flexibility," Viserys said, watching the boatman skillfully maneuver the boat; the boat had to be fast.
The shallow draft allowed the boat to pass through tiny tributaries of the Rhoyne River and cross sandbanks where larger boats would surely run aground; and with the sails raised, aided by the current, it could move swiftly and lightly.
"Sailing speed can determine life or death, Your Majesty. Especially in lawless areas," the boatman replied, "For a thousand years, the Sorrowful Lands have been the most chaotic."
"Are all these docks abandoned?" Viserys asked again.
"All abandoned, Your Majesty. Not just here, but even in the large cities downstream of the Rhoyne River, like Nashira and Chroyane," the boatman answered.
Without a unified Loynan civilization to manage the waterways, the environment of the Rhoyne River was now terrible.
Qohor, Norvos, Volantis, none of them would love the great river as the Loynans did.
Speaking of which, these were all dark jokes; it was the Valyrian Dragonlords who destroyed the Loynan city-states, but in recent centuries, the Loynans have been more often oppressed by various city-state powers and the Dothraki.
Viserys also saw many floating logs and hidden reefs in the river, many enough to destroy boats, which was also why this area was more suitable for shallow-draft small boats.
"These floating logs and obstacles must also be dealt with," Viserys thought, "otherwise the waterway will be fraught with danger, and rowing at night would be akin to suicide."
"The waters here are all minor; when we reach Nashira, where the Naath River flows into the Rhoyne River, none of the rivers in the Seven Kingdoms are half as wide as the Rhoyne River, not to mention that later the Rhoyne River will converge with the Qoyne River, the Larulu River, and three other great rivers," the boatman added proudly.
"There will be time to see it; I also want to experience the feeling of boating on a great river," Viserys said, looking at the sparkling river surface; for now, he could only look at the small river and imagine the great one.
"I hope that day comes, when I can continue to pole the boat for Your Majesty," the boatman said hopefully.
"If I sail south downstream, I will still take your boat," Viserys promised.
"That would be my supreme honor. Perhaps Your Majesty might even see the Old Man of the River, but for now, the waterway is still very dangerous. River pirates mainly gather between Ar Noy and the Sorrowful Lands. The waterway above Ar Noy belongs to the Qartheen, while below the Sorrowful Lands is Volantis' sphere of influence, but the area in between is a no-man's-land, where river pirates frequent the unclaimed territories between the two great city-states. The Dagger Lake is full of small islands, and the river pirates hide in secret caves and fortresses on these islands, specifically preying on good people."
The Old Man of the River was a giant turtle, and also one of the river gods.
Viserys had already understood that Norvos controlled the Naath River tributary, and Qohor controlled the Qoyne River tributary.
And his combined forces of Andals and the remaining rhoynar could only control the distance from the Upper Rhoyne River and The Little Rhoyne River to Nashira for now.
These waterways had low current speeds and were slightly narrower, but they were better than nothing.
The most troublesome aspect was perhaps the occasional Dothraki passing through these waterways, which could lead to a skirmish.
"If I were to call this my navy, people would surely laugh their heads off. But as an inland river fleet, it seems acceptable," Viserys looked around at the large and small boats following him; these were barely the initial strength of his Rhoyne River fleet.
Viserys had long planned that his future navy would be divided into two types: the first being the Rhoyne River fleet, and the second, the ocean-going fleet.
Small boats from Andal villages, primarily those offered by surrendered Loynan villages, and some larger boats, formed a makeshift navy.
Although it looked shabby, these boats were fast and had shallow drafts, suitable for riverine warfare, and were of great help to Viserys' activities in the Upper Rhoyne River region.
The Loynans once lived by the great river and had countless ships; their shipbuilding technology was also good, with the largest ships capable of traversing great rivers and the sea, but now most of that knowledge is lost, and they rely on small boats for their daily lives.
These boats merely roamed the river; going into the open sea now would essentially be suicide.
Everything is difficult at the beginning, and a navy is more troublesome than cavalry, but fortunately, he still had good sailors like the Loynans, which saved a lot of trouble.
"First, stabilize the situation," Viserys thought, "The Rhoyne River fleet is my foundation. These small boats are the starting point of my enterprise."
If an ocean fleet were needed, the cost would only be greater.
If he wanted to cut corners, he could contact the pirates and smugglers of Triarchy, but these people were not very reliable and demanded exorbitant prices.
Viserys also knew about smugglers; the top ones were Onion Knight and his circle of cronies, the Lysene pirate king Salladhor Saan, and Myrish mercenary fleet commander Moro Sargon.
Onion Knight had landed with Stannis and was unlikely to switch sides, but the other two were opportunists, and perhaps could be contacted.
Viserys also needed these smugglers, either to smuggle weapons for him, or because Viserys wanted to ask these smuggling merchants if they would go to the North.
As Viserys was pondering his future strategy, fiery red steeds and wild riders appeared on the shore, facing Viserys across the river.
The horses neighed, carrying their masters across the reeds.
Viserys looked at the wild-looking rider; a pale red silk robe fluttered on his shoulder, and his shirt was adorned with layers of copper plates, which seemed to glow like a thousand bright new copper coins as he galloped.
The Red Viper arrived, without an announcement!
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