Game of Thrones: Oath of Iron and Fire-Chapter 35: The Game of Thrones in the Disputed Land

In the manor's council chamber, the walls were adorned with beautiful Myrish tapestries depicting scenes of the manor's bountiful harvest.

Gendry, Qyburn, and Handsome were in this council chamber, with a map of the Disputed Lands spread out on the long table. Victory was sweet, but the more victories they achieved, the greater the fear of the Myrish. Eventually, at a certain point, the three daughters of the Free Cities might unite out of fear.

"After capturing the manor, we'll still distribute it as we originally planned. Divide the land and daily necessities among the freed slaves, and allocate precious metals, handicrafts, medicines, and so on to the inner treasury, just like before!" Gendry said.

After all, these were the private properties of the Myrish magistrates and wealthy merchants; he didn't feel any pain parting with them. Precious metals, valuable handicrafts, medicines, and so on were considered military pay, with a dedicated inner treasury.

"Already registered, and it will be redistributed later," Qyburn said.

"The Gunpowder Grass Manor, the Broom Manor, the Wolf's Tail Manor..." Handsome added. "The more manors we capture, the more panicked the Myrish become."

"These manors mostly belong to the Myrish magistrates or wealthy merchants, primarily Magister Joy," Qyburn said. "It won't be long before the Myrish hire mercenaries or adventurers to attack us!"

The former captain of the Wolf Pack and their allies had all perished at the hands of Joy and the Navigator's Guild, and the enmity between them ran deep. Whether considering the practical need to seize territory or to avenge their former captain, they had to fight to the end with Magister Joy and his ilk.

"The best news is that the Myrish are not united. Just like the Free Cities," Gendry said. "The High Council has a dozen or so magistrates, like a dozen horses running in different directions!"

The fragmentation of the Free Cities was an old tradition. Back in the days of the Triarchy, the High Council of the Three Cities was composed of thirty-three magistrates, with eleven each from Lys, Myr, and Tyrosh.

Each magistrate wanted to showcase their vision and high status, all eager to secure benefits for their own city-state. Any issue had to go through an incredibly lengthy discussion.

"Perhaps many Myrish magistrates should thank us!" Handsome said. "Because we control a lot of gunpowder grass, the merchants in Myr who hoard it are also reaping huge profits. They hope we'll keep stirring things up for a while longer!"

"Let the Myrish be in chaos, and we'll seize the moment," Gendry said.

"The Myrish have only orchestrated small-scale assassinations and killings, all of which we've eliminated! Next, they might hire bandit mercenaries!" Qyburn, in addition to being responsible for medicine, also handled intelligence and espionage.

"We need to solidify control over the Gunpowder Grass Manor and the surrounding manors, and then open up the coastline."

"Besides the land forces, perhaps we also need a navy. To seize the Disputed Lands, we have to consider the Stepstones; otherwise, we'll be surrounded," Handsome analyzed.

"The ideal territory is for us to capture the Disputed Cape and then control a few nearby islands!"

"Are there any other forces contacting us besides the underground smugglers of the Free Cities?" Gendry interjected.

"Yes!" Qyburn said. "According to my informants in the taverns, some Dornish and Reachmen are also very interested in our gunpowder grass!"

"Dornish! Reachmen! That's interesting."

Dorne was barren, and the Reach was fertile; the only thing Dornish and Reachmen had in common was being excluded from the core of the Baratheon dynasty, the outsiders in the distribution of power.

On a luxurious yacht in the Myrish harbor, the High Council of Myr was in full swing. The slender magistrates with olive skin represented different interest groups: the Navigator's Guild, the Artisans' Guild, the Gunpowder Grass Guild, and so on.

The magistrates were in an uproar because the storm stirred up by the Gunpowder King, who had been rampant in the Disputed Lands, was growing larger and larger. Even within the Myrish city-state, stories of the Gunpowder King were spreading. "Divide the land, give it to the common people, everyone is born free!"

"Magister Joy, it's because of your foolish decision that we're in this predicament now! The price of gunpowder grass keeps rising, the price of firewine is also going up, the citizens are complaining, and the slaves are full of resentment," one magistrate fired the first shot at Magister Joy.

"Me! The ravages of the Wolf Pack can't all be blamed on me!" Magister Joy's face turned red.

"I know some magistrates have connections with the Gunpowder King because the more chaotic the situation in the Disputed Lands, the more you can profit from the stockpiled gunpowder grass and firewine!"

"It's your folly. It's normal for one magistrate to fall. But because of your incompetence, those mad wolf cubs have started to wreak havoc in the Disputed Lands. Without slaves, how can we make firewine and mead, how can we make those exquisite tapestries!" the magistrate of the Artisans' Guild complained.

"That's slander!" The magistrates started arguing, and before the battle, they began to tear each other apart internally.

"Enough! Enough! Be quiet!" An olive-skinned, white-haired, dark-eyed old magistrate stood up. Magister Revold of the Artisans' Guild, one of the powerful and respected magistrates of Myr.

"The Disputed Lands are fertile and beautiful, and slaves are the foundation of our Myrish prosperity; neither can be abandoned. We can't allow these bandit mercenaries and slaves to continue their mischief!" Revold said.

"So what's your suggestion? To appease or to exterminate?"

"The propaganda of the wolf cubs has already stirred up the ambitions of the slaves. All these people must be completely wiped out. Just like in the Slavers' Bay, we must be equally ruthless!"

"This task falls to you, Magister Joy. You've profited the most this time, and it's time to make some contributions to Myr!"

"I..." Magister Joy hung his head, but had no better ideas. Looking at the intentions of the majority of the magistrates, he realized he would have to foot the bill. Hiring adventurers and mercenaries was a huge sum of money.

"But many mercenary companies won't accept such a crazy mission. That kid has some skills in warfare and is good at manipulating people. The slaves believe in him!" Magister Joy still tried to struggle a bit.

"There are plenty of bandit mercenaries in the Disputed Lands; there will always be some willing to take the lead. As far as I know, two crazy mercenary companies are willing to send troops right now."

"Which two?"

"The Brave Companions and the Second Sons!"

"Their reputations are quite notorious!" Magister Joy gasped.

"Notorious mercenaries are still mercenaries. In this situation, do you have the money to hire the Golden Company?"

The Brave Companions, a mercenary company with a rather bad reputation. Its members were mainly criminals and exiles from various places.

The Second Sons were even older. One of the oldest mercenary companies in the history of the eastern continent, they were established during the Century of Blood.

Unlike the Golden Company, which had a well-known reputation, they also had an impressive track record.

In recent years, under the leadership of Mero, their reputation had deteriorated to the point where they could hardly find contracts in the Free Cities.

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