Even if the Dragon Queen returned to the camp at dusk with a large number of prey, the three messengers representing the Wind Blowing Group could not see her immediately.
But Meris and Danzo were not in a hurry, because the silver-haired queen had said last night that she would meet the messengers of the Wind Blowing Group during the night's rest time.
Zidane, the leader of the "New Second Sons Regiment" who was disguised as a messenger of the Wind Blowing Group, was not in a hurry either. He pretended to look around as if nothing had happened and muttered to himself.
"Haha, she claims to have an army of 200,000, but in reality, there are only 52,000 people. That woman really knows how to brag." He said to his two companions proudly as he drank the carrot oatmeal.
Well, the guards did not starve them. There was enough carrot oatmeal, and each person was given half a pound of roasted boar meat.
"Hmph, you don't need to count the smoke from the bonfire. The Mother Of Dragons did not intend to hide her strength at all. The merchants in Astapor have already told the slave masters about her military strength. "Danzo mocked.
"You don't understand." Zidane shook his head and said with a smile, "Of course, I also know about her military strength, but her troops didn't suffer any major losses after a six-hundred-mile raid in ten days. Doesn't this mean something?"
"What does it mean? No matter how many losses her troops have suffered, with just three dragons, it is impossible for us to go out of the city and raid. Did you forget the lesson yesterday? "Danzo shook his head.
"Haha, who are we?" Zidane sneered.
Danzo was stunned and did not understand what he was trying to say.
"We are mercenaries, not Gith people, nor are we virtuous or great lords. Is the Wind Blowing Group really planning to die for Yuan Kai? "
"Are you going to rely on the Mother Of Dragons?" Meris, who had been silent all this time, was also shocked.
"Of course …" Zidane dragged his words and said with a smile, "… No! No matter how many times the Mother Of Dragons wins, she will lose in the end.
But seeing that her army of 50,000 is still so neat after a long raid, I am afraid that Yuan Kai will not be the last battle of her life.
Since that is the case, we have to prepare a backup plan … "
"Let's work together and secretly control a few large ships. If the situation is not right, hehehe …"
This time, the two members of the Windblown Mercenary Group didn't refute Zidane's words. Instead, they seemed to be deep in thought.
It was almost a tradition for mercenary groups to run away if they couldn't win, so it wasn't embarrassing to say it out loud.
Around ten o 'clock at night, the entire campsite was quiet. The ground was covered with flickering bonfires, like a starry night hanging upside down.
Under the guidance of the Unsullied, Meryl and Danzo saw the silver-haired queen leaning on a wooden chair with her right hand supporting her chin.
She was still wearing her grayish-black full-body armor. Only her helmet was removed. Under her silky hair was a delicate and small face. Her silver hair flickered under the light of the torch.
The Mother Of Dragons was really young, and she was as beautiful as the rumors said. Her eyes were clear and bright, without any fanaticism, but there was an obvious tiredness in them.
The moment Danzo entered the wooden palace, he began sizing up the Queen.
Considering that Lara knew the general situation of the Blowing Wind Group, the people of Braavos could not pretend to be officers of the mercenary group, and if they were not officers, they would not be qualified to meet Danny.
He stayed outside the tent.
Seeing the flute at the old man's waist and the wooden guitar on his back, Danny sat up straight and said in surprise, "Oh, this old swordsman is also a bard?"
Danzo bowed and said gently, "Your Majesty, I am Danzo Dehan, the deputy commander of the Blowing Wind Group, representing the Ragged Prince to negotiate with you. As you can see, I am indeed a poet, a warrior poet! "
The old man's appearance was coarse, and his armor was old and tattered, but he gave Danny a feeling of elegance like a spring breeze.
"Flute in the left hand, sword in the right. What a warrior poet!" Danny smiled and patted him, saying, "I've been learning the harp from a musician recently. If there's a chance, let's exchange ideas."
This wasn't a lie. After becoming the Queen, Danny had arranged for herself cultural classes, etiquette classes, and other noble classes in addition to swordsmanship.
As a transmigrator, she indeed lacked the basic etiquette of a different world.
Like she said, etiquette was never used to ask others how to behave, but to regulate her own behavior.
She couldn't be like a silly chuunibyou and shout, "I'm coarse, I'm proud, you all have to listen to me, learn from me," right?
"If the Blowing Wind Group is willing to pledge allegiance to Your Majesty, how many chances are there?" the red-haired Lara said with a smile.
"It's not impossible." Danzo said something that shocked Danny and the others.
Not to mention Danny, if Zidane was present, his jaw would probably drop. Previously, this old man had an unyielding and proud look, but now …
Under normal circumstances, almost no mercenary group would stab their employer in the back. Otherwise, who would hire you?
For example, Mero's Second Sons had a long history and were powerful, but the reputation of "Titan's Illegitimate Sons" was too bad, and they had not received any missions for several years.
Therefore, once they received the Gith's invitation, they immediately traveled thousands of miles from Braavos to Meereen.
The reason Danny acted like she was thirsty for talents in the Blowing Wind Group and driving a wedge between the Blowing Wind Group and the Virtuous Lord was only a secondary goal. Her main goal was to send a few "Jiang Gan" to the "Cao Camp" on the other side without leaving a trace.
"Is the Prince of Ragged Clothes really willing to renounce the darkness and pledge allegiance to the light?" Danny stared.
'Renounce the darkness and pledge allegiance to the light?
This Dragon Queen sure knows how to talk. '
Danzo complained in his heart, but on the surface, he smiled warmly and nodded. "The Prince of Ragged Clothes has admired Your Majesty for a long time. As long as you satisfy his insignificant request, he will lead two thousand of his brothers to pledge loyalty to Your Majesty."
"What does he want?" Danny asked curiously.
"Pentos," Danzo said seriously.
"What?" Danny suspected that she had heard wrongly.
"If Your Majesty agrees to give Pentos to our leader in the future, the Blowing Wind Group will be yours." Danzo clearly stated his condition.
"I remember that the Prince of Ragged Clothes once rejected the position of Prince of Pentos. Why is he regretting it now?" Danny was puzzled.
There were two reasons why the leader of the Blowing Wind Group was called the "Prince of Ragged Clothes." First, he was born in a noble family of Pentos and was elected as Prince of Pentos thirty years ago. Second, he wore a tattered cloak that looked like a tattered bedsheet. The members of the Blowing Wind Group affectionately called him the "Tattered King."
"Your Majesty, don't you know the customs of Pentos?" Danzo frowned.
"Sir, I stayed in Pentos for a long time, but I was too young at that time. The most I knew was that Black Jack's grilled herring was the cheapest on Bear Street. One copper coin was enough to fill one's belly." Danny chuckled.
Danzo's expression was strange. He nodded and said, "I've been to Black Jack's barbecue shop. One copper coin and two taels of sour wine."
"Your Majesty, do you know about the situation of the royal family of Kors?" he asked again.
Danny immediately understood. She said in disbelief, "When I was in Pentos, I often saw the prince patrolling the streets. In a long line, three ceremonial officials in gorgeous clothes walked in front. They were holding a golden scale, an iron sword, and a silver whip.
It was said that these three things symbolized the prince's control over trade, war, and justice in Pentos. Every New Year's Day, the prince even … "
Speaking of this, Danny's cheeks turned red. Every New Year's Day, Pentos would offer a beautiful virgin to the two gods in charge of the land and the sea. Then, the prince would represent the gods to lust for the two virgins …
When Viserys told his sister about this, his face was full of envy and jealousy. He even said, "If only the Westeros had such a custom. Then, Legar would not have caused such a big commotion when he snatched Leanna Stark."
After a few light coughs, Danny was puzzled. "Pentos doesn't look like the royal power has been lost."
"It's all on the surface!" Sighing, Danzo slowly explained, "Pentos is the same as Dragonstone Island where you were born. It was a trading outpost built by Valleglia. It was ruled by the nobles of Valleglia. The prince was chosen from forty noble families. Nominally, he was equivalent to the king of Pentos.
But after the fall of Valleglia, the foundation of the city's power changed. From absolute power — Valleglia's Megalosaurus — to pure wealth.
But in terms of wealth, how could the prince compare to the great sea merchants? And so, after a few hundred years, the prince gradually became a symbol, even a sacrifice. "
"Sacrifice?" Danny was stunned.
"Every time Pentos loses a war, or the year is not good, resulting in crop failure, the Pentos people will slit the prince's throat and sacrifice him to the gods to appease the gods' anger."
F * ck!
What kind of weird custom was this?
The seasons in this world were not fixed. Everything was fine in summer, but winter would always come.
What kind of year would there be in winter that lasted for several years?
Wouldn't the prince be beheaded every time winter came?
Danzo continued, "When the previous prince was beheaded, the commander was elected as the new prince. But how could he want such a prince?"
"I haven't even conquered Yuankai. Who knows if I'll have a chance to go to Pentos in this life?" Danny refused.
The Ragged Prince must be crazy. How could the Windblown Group be worth her running tens of thousands of miles to conquer a trading city for him?
"You don't need to lead an army to attack Pentos." Danzo seemed to have guessed her thoughts and explained, "Pentos' situation is very special.
In the slave war a hundred years ago, Pentos sacrificed four princes in a year, but they were still no match for Braavos.
The governors of Pentos could only choose to negotiate. While promising to give up the slavery system, they were also forced to sign an agreement to reduce their military power.
First, Pentos could not have more than 20 warships. Second, Pentos could not hire mercenaries and could not sign a contract to defend the city with free mercenaries. Third, other than a limited number of city guards, Pentos could not have an army.
Therefore, Pentos was as weak as a delicate girl. Your Majesty only needed to send three dragons to accompany them, and the Windblown Group could easily take Pentos. "
Looking at Danzo's eager eyes, Danny touched her chin and said something out of the topic.
"Did Braavos really start the war for slaves? I remember that there were many servants wearing slave collars in Governor Illyrio's mansion. "
"Your Majesty is smart. The Ragged Prince once said that the abolition of slavery was just an excuse for Braavos to expand their power.
In name, Pentos did not have a single slave, but in reality, it was just a change of name. Slaves were changed to 'debt slaves.' No matter how hard they worked, the money they earned could never satisfy their daily needs. Buying a house, getting married, eating, raising children …
Therefore, those free slaves could only borrow from wealthy merchants. In order to pay off the loans, they could only do the work arranged by the wealthy and work harder to earn money to pay off the debt that could never be paid off. "
Speaking of this, Danzo's gaze towards Danny changed. It was full of awe and worship. "Your Majesty is completely different from the Braavos people.
Your Majesty provides every new free person with enough living necessities, land that will always belong to them, interest-free and long-term Queen's loans …
The slaves themselves may not understand how much protection the 'Code' you set up is for ordinary people.
A perfect system and law allows every new free person to live a truly free and prosperous life. You are the real liberator of slaves! "
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