Chapter 87 Stannis’s Strategy
Countless giant dragons carved from black stone were showing off their power all around the castle, either raising their wings and preparing to rush into the sky, or baring their fangs and spitting fire from their mouths, or shrinking their wings and holding the dragon's breath and squatting in front of them. The last one was like a castle guard. He straightened his body and glared angrily.
These are the four towers of Dragonstone Castle, but they are carved to look like dragons.
Stannis stood in front of the battlements. The battlements were shaped like gargoyles of different shapes, which were particularly special among the many castles in the Seven Kingdoms.
He looked at the raging waves outside the castle with a tense face, and his dark blue eyes were like a black ocean, as if they were in a mural, without any fluctuations.
"We have a choice to make," said Davos Seaworth, gently adjusting the leather bag containing his knuckles around his neck, where his Lord had been for a long time.
"Celine," Stannis finally said, "my daughter, where is she?"
When Stannis mentioned Celine, Davos smiled tenderly, "The lady is studying in the room. I really envy her reading and writing skills."
"She is teaching you." Stannis turned his head and looked at Davos, ""Blood and Fire"?"
"The History of the Targaryen Dynasty," Davos nodded. He couldn't read the history book at all, which Celine called "a relatively simple one." "Yes, I tried to learn Braille, but it was very difficult. Difficult, cough cough.”
Stannis did not respond to Davos's self-deprecation. Davos knew this very well. His lord was taciturn and even dull, but it was undeniable that his lord had the qualities that a ruler should have. Temperament, the justice and severity of a king, at least in Davos' view, this is particularly important.
"Do you know anything about King's Landing?" Stannis asked.
"The stakes are very high and the Seven Kingdoms are in shock. Should we remove Maester Cressen and Maester Pyros?" Davos felt that his identity was not qualified to discuss these matters. He only hoped to implement Stannis's correct decision.
"I am asking for your opinion, Ser Davos," Stannis said.
Davos took a deep breath, "King Robert died, Joffrey ascended the throne, and Eddard Stark launched a coup. This sounds strange no matter how you sound."
"Cersei Lannister's clumsy plot, Davos," Stannis said, "Joffrey and two other bastards are Cersei's illegitimate children. They are not orthodox. The seven kingdoms should regard me as their king. ”
Davos expressed no objection. Stannis had told him these words when he first arrived at Dragonstone, even before Maester Cressen.
"Renly united the lords of the south in Highgarden and raised an army; Tywin in the west divided his forces into two groups. The Kingslayer led fifteen thousand men to confront Blackfish's twenty thousand Riverrun army at Riverrun. The Old Lion himself led a full twenty thousand The army marched towards King's Landing and approached Harrenhal, which is controlled by the Vale. I guess he will split his troops on the Golden Road and go straight to King's Landing; Robb Stark also summoned his vassals and is almost approaching the Bay of Cailin," Stannis murmured. .
"And me?" Stannis sneered, "Dragonstone is sparsely populated. I have fifteen hundred soldiers who have been with me since the beginning of the Stormlands. Even if I recruit all the soldiers of Velaryon and the vassals, I can't even get six thousand." Army.”
"You still have your wife, the Florentine family," Davos reminded, "What's more, we have a naval fleet that is difficult to match among the seven countries."
"Far water cannot save fire near," Stannis said. He took off his thick gloves and put his hands on the battlements. "King's Landing is a place of melee. It is difficult to intervene if you are not very sure." "Cavalry of the Vale, the army of the West. , the king's army, the capital's garrison, and the Winterfell soldiers brought by Ed Stark from the north." Davos thought about it carefully, "We need allies."
"Not allies," said Stannis, "but loyal vassals."
Davos nodded, lowering his head slightly, "Of course, my king."
Stannis let out a long breath, "Edd Stark," he turned to look at Davos, "I don't like this wolf in the north. He is Robert's friend, not mine." Stannis leaned on the battlement, "But Eddard Stark values honor, and he will never support the Lannister if he knows about the Lion's conspiracy."
"At the very least, even if he does not support the only legitimate king of the Seven Kingdoms, if he knows the truth about incest and has the evidence, he will not be my enemy, let alone support Renly," Stannis said, "But Robb Boy, you can’t summon the princes in the north, and you are no match for Tywin’s old lion in terms of military command. The unstable northern army would rather give up.”
"However," Davos recalled the map of Westeros carefully, "the Starks will definitely form an alliance with the Tully family. If Robb leads his troops south, he will first join forces with the Blackfish in Riverrun. Jaime Lannister may He can defeat Robb, a boy under the age of sixteen, but if the North and Tully join forces, the Kingslayer will not be a match, and the West will be exposed to the Wolf-Fish Alliance."
"The Wolf-Hawk alliance is a sure thing, and we need the support of one of them," Stannis said.
"You communicated with Attis Arryn. His father was investigating Cersei's incest case and was most likely killed by a lion. The Arryn family may support us," Davos said.
"But it seems that the young so-called 'Valley Eagle' doesn't want to know the truth about his father's murder." Stannis gritted his teeth, seeming to be gritting his teeth. "After I sent him the letter, he didn't give me any reply. There was no reply." Said, I don’t know what this young man is thinking.”
"The valley now guards two strategic arteries," Davos said. "Even if he has a conflict with Tully now, if the Wolf family wants to cross the Green Fork, he will definitely let the bridge of the Twins pass, Lannis. The route to King's Landing is also blocked by the Vale. If we do not ally with the Vale, it will be very disadvantageous for us if the Vale turns elsewhere."
"Robb must cross the Green Fork," Stannis said, "to contain the army of the west, we can form a practical alliance with the Vale in King's Landing, and rescue Eddard Stark. As long as we do this, we and Wolfhawk The alliance can be decided.”
"As for the Western Territory, they have no chance of winning under the attack of the three wolves, ospreys, and eagles. After that, we can liquidate Renly," Stannis said.
"The West may form an alliance with Renly, if we succeed." Davos frowned.
"When that happens," Stannis said, "it will be a battle between two Westeros, the true king and the false king." He didn't take the bastard seriously at all.
"Fleet, set sail!"
shouted the helmsman!
At the military port of Dragonstone, dozens of ships set sail and prepared to sail away to King's Landing.
Davos Seaworth stood on the bow of the ship, looking toward the west, toward King's Landing, with bright eyes.
(End of chapter)