On the outskirts of Myr, Gendry saw endless skies and clouds, and rolling hills and forests vibrant with autumn colors.
Battle flags of various colors danced in the wind like tireless beasts.
The envoys from Qohor and Norvos arrived together. During the Century of Blood, when Volantis tried to conquer other Free Cities, Qohor and Norvos formed an Alliance of the Twin Cities that has lasted to this day.
"Welcome," Gendry greeted the envoys from the two Free Cities warmly. Both Free Cities were mysterious and strange. One worshipped the black goat, and the other was a sect of mysterious Bearded Priests.
"Evil distant Free Cities," Qyburn thought, standing in the center of the welcoming crowd, carefully observing the delegations from the two Free Cities. The envoys did not smell of the black goat, so it seemed like a normal delegation.
The veiled priests of Qohor would offer live cattle and horses, and also sacrifice criminals with daggers. In special times, the high nobles of the Free City would offer their own children. The worship of the lord of light, r'hllor, had some followers in Qohor. There were also those strange and evil things; Westeros people called Qohor the "City of Sorcerers," hinting at the popular divination, blood magic, and necromancy there.
"The message has reached the East, so the West must also light its flames. Khal Drogo considers Khal Jhaqo's death a great humiliation," the Qohor envoy said. Behind the Qohor envoy was a forest of Unsullied, wearing bronze spiked helmets, holding long spears, and carrying shields.
"Drogo plans a large-scale invasion?" Gendry looked at the Qohor person. The Qohor envoy also brought five hundred Unsullied guards.
"I think so, Lord Gendry," the Bearded Priest envoy from Norvos said. "Drogo wants to restore the prestige of the horse people, to make us fear the Khal again. The best way to intimidate us is to directly destroy one or two Free Cities."
The sacred guard of the Norvos envoy looked very terrifying; the soldiers had the mark of a long axe branded on their chests, and at sixteen, they underwent a religious ceremony to "marry" their warhammer. They could not marry, owing allegiance to the Bearded Priests. The soldiers wore heavy horsehair capes and iron-studded leather armor, equipped with iron half-helmets with sharp spikes, and held long axes with six-foot handles, looking very formidable.
Gendry watched the Qohor and Norvos taxi soldiers with great interest. The sacred guard of Norvos took a fierce approach, similar to his own style of wielding a warhammer. The Unsullied used by Qohor were still the classic light spearmen. The more forces he could win over, the more he could form a united army.
"Lord Gendry, this is a moment of crisis. You must defeat Drogo. Otherwise, no one can withstand Drogo's wrath," the Qohor envoy said gravely. Qohor and Norvos were closer to the Dothraki Sea, and they were deeply worried. Khal Drogo was young and powerful; Myr alone probably could not satisfy his anger. This was not about gold, but about dignity.
Especially Qohor; Qohor was almost completely destroyed by the Dothraki many years ago. Qohor was built along the Qin River, a tributary of the Rhoyne River, situated at the edge of the vast Qohor Forest, east of Norvos and north of Volantis.
"How prepared is Drogo?" Gendry asked.
"Drogo will first visit the Dosh Khaleen, and then raise an army," the Qohor envoy said.
"The Dosh Khaleen is an organization of old women located in Vaes Dothrak. They are all former Khaleesis, wives of all deceased Khals. They are permanent residents of Vaes Dothrak. Among the dothraki, they enjoy supreme honor and status, serving as seers to predict the future and interpret omens for the dothraki. They are served by eunuchs," Ser Jorah whispered. He had once mingled among the dothraki and understood their horse people culture well.
"We cannot just wait for the Screaming Warriors to cross the Rhoyne River; we should act," the Norvos envoy said.
Gendry heard the panic in the envoy's voice. Drogo led the largest Khalasar tribe in the Dothraki Sea, with over forty thousand warriors, invincible in battle. If they all came west, the destructive power would be astonishing.
The Norvos and Qohor envoys saw Gendry's silence and couldn't help but frown.
Myr was near the sea, and Tyrosh was even on the sea. If the Alliance of the Twin Cities had to cut off an arm to survive, they could still escape to the sea, but they were landlocked Free Cities. Qohor and Norvos were willing to pay, just as they flattered the Khal, they would flatter a military force that could oppose the horse people.
"To deal with the Khal, we are willing to support you with five hundred Unsullied. In addition, there is gold, weapons, tapestries, quality timber, wood carvings, furs, silver, tin, and amber," the Qohor envoy said.
"Norvos is also willing to support two hundred long-axe slave soldiers," the Bearded Priest from Norvos added. "Gold, and also textiles, tapestries, and quality oak."
War was one of the quickest ways to extract wealth. With the Dothraki about to attack, it would be a shame not to seize the opportunity to squeeze more gold from the Free Cities.
"I think we can discuss this in detail," Gendry was very satisfied with the envoys from the two Free Cities, as they were willing to provide considerable gold.
In the map room, Gendry explained the potential future war to the Qohor and Braavos envoys, which was also a kind of simulation.
"This is the Rhoyne River, this is the ancient Valyrian Road, and this is the Dothraki Sea," Gendry said, pointing to locations on the map tapestry. "Drogo will pray in the sacred city, then gather the Screaming Warriors who obey him, attacking other Khalasars along the way. Finally, there could be fifty to sixty thousand Screaming Warriors attacking us, just like many years ago."
The faces of the Qohor and Norvos people instantly turned very grim; they were gripped by fear. Many years ago, the Dothraki rose in the East, sweeping all before them, destroying the Ghiscari person empire, only to fall short at the walls of Qohor, where their momentum was checked. But now, Khal Drogo was enraged by Khal Jhezkahn's defeat and wanted to destroy civilization.
"The Dothraki have a prophecy, perhaps you have all heard of it," Ser Jorah said in a deep voice. "The Stallion Who Mounts the World; Drogo might believe it applies to himself or his son."
The Qohor people shuddered; they had naturally heard this legend.
The Khal's horse was swift as the wind, and the Khalasar behind him covered the entire land, countless in number, their arakh sharp as razor grass. The Khal would be mighty as a storm, his enemies would writhe before him, their wives would weep tears of blood, grieving beyond measure. The bells in his hair sang of his coming, and the 'milk men' who lived in stone tents feared his name. The Khal rode his horse, and he would become the Stallion Who Mounts the World!
"Alright, everyone. The dothraki once cooperated because of one Khal in past years, and now Drogo also has the ambition to swallow the dothraki. Think about it, we are all citizens of civilized society; Drogo will destroy our civilization," Gendry emphasized.
"Indeed."
"Indeed." The envoys from both Free Cities nodded.
"Let's sign a short-term contract!" Qohor reminded, "As an alliance, if one is invaded by the Dothraki, the other Free Cities have an obligation to assist."
"No need to rush for now. We are not an evil alliance, but civilized heroes resisting a barbarian world," Gendry said.
"But, if Drogo brings fifty or sixty thousand Screaming Warriors, Your Highness, how will you respond?" the Qohor envoy asked.
"The Dothraki ravaging the Disputed Lands, or plundering Free Cities, without engaging our main force, is their best strategy. If the Dothraki, full of rage, want to fight a decisive battle at the walls of Myr, that is their worst strategy. Then I will make him lose even more miserably than he did at the walls of Qohor," Gendry said.
"Myr's walls are indeed strong, but sixty thousand Screaming Warriors are still difficult to contend with," the Norvos envoy said. "I wonder how many troops Your Highness can currently deploy."
"I have three Legions: the Wolf Pack, the Free Legion, and the Second Sons Legion, plus the subordinate Dothraki Screamers," Gendry said.
"Your Highness, this number of people is probably not enough. For safety considerations, we suggest you urgently import a batch of Unsullied from Slaver's Bay. You have the wealth and the need," Qohor proposed. "If your gold is not enough, we can also pay a portion for you."
"Without using Unsullied, my soldiers are still enough to contend with the Dothraki," Gendry said mysteriously.
The Qohor and Norvos people, however, felt that young men were always too arrogant, as they only believed in the Unsullied.
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