Chapter 516 Imperial Meeting
After nightfall, the streets of King's Landing were deserted.
Since the news of the collapse of the Great Wall of Despair came, panic and riots began to spread in the city.
After discussion, the Royal Council issued a curfew order. Anyone who remained on the street after the dusk clock struck would be punished by death.
This move has alleviated the chaos in King's Landing to a certain extent, but it has also cast a lingering haze in the hearts of the people in the city.
If the previous rumors about the collapse of the Great Wall were still true and false, then the tough measures taken by the Imperial Council are equivalent to the official self-defeating.
Fortunately, King's Landing has experienced a zombie siege before, and under the leadership of King Caesar, the resurrected monsters have been successfully reburied. Therefore, although the people in the city are worried about the coming White Walkers, they are not worried about it. Too fearful.
The expected escape did not happen. Instead, residents from surrounding villages and towns continued to flock to King's Landing. Perhaps they felt that this city protected by dragons felt safer.
Through the quiet streets, Tyrion Lannister returned to his residence.
“Sir, you are back.” Xue Yi smiled as soon as she saw him, the kind of smile that could make people forget the fatigue of the whole day.
Tyrion nodded reluctantly, but his mood did not feel much better.
Xue Yi stepped forward considerately, helped him change his coat, and asked:
“Sir, is there any news from His Majesty?”
Tyrion nodded and said:
“Your Majesty is on his way back. We have also received orders to establish a new line of defense in the Neck.”
"Neck Ze?" Xue Yi opened her mouth in surprise, "Doesn't that mean that the entire northern border has been abandoned?"
“Your Majesty has ordered all the Northerners to move south.” Tyrion explained.
But his face was still solemn.
Such a huge migration plan is bound to bring extremely terrible impacts and casualties.
But the king still issued such an order without hesitation.
It can be seen that the situation is much worse than imagined.
However, what Tyrion was thinking more about at this time was not the Northerners who had to brave the wind and snow to trek south, but his brother Jaime.
Even his sister Cersei who has always been his enemy.
One of them works as a guard at the Great Wall, and the other works as a... technician in Mole Village.
Now that the White Walkers are invading, they must be the first to bear the brunt.
I don’t know if they are still alive...
“Your Majesty, can’t you keep the White Walkers out of the Great Wall?” Shae lit an incense candle, knelt down and helped him take off his shoes.
“Your Majesty is not a god.” Tyrion felt his lover’s soft palms massaging his soles and closed his eyes comfortably.
“In the hearts of the people of Junlin, His Majesty is no different from an omnipotent god.”
Tyrion shook his head and laughed, making no comment on such childish remarks.
At the core of the power of the Seven Kingdoms, although he is marginalized, Tyrion's grasp of the current situation is naturally not comparable to that of ordinary people.
He knew very well that although Caesar now had unparalleled prestige and had strong intimidation and control over the nobles of the Seven Kingdoms, all this was based on his invincible and terrifying reputation.
This invasion of the White Walkers is a huge challenge for Caesar.
If he can continue to lead people to victory, then Caesar's name will surpass all kings in the history of Westeros.
But if he fails, he will definitely face an extremely terrifying backlash.
Although the Royal Council agreed to the decision to move the northern border to the south, the nobles of the seven countries, including the northern nobles who stayed in King's Landing, did not dare to object.
But this does not mean that everyone agrees with Caesar's decision.
The people of the Seven Kingdoms have placed great expectations on this king, and the blessings of the Seven Gods have also shrouded him in divine glory. Of course, there are also Caesar's past legendary experiences. These are added together to create the most dominant figure in the history of the Seven Kingdoms. The king of strength.
But now, when the king ordered to abandon the northern territory and retreat to the Neck, his aura of invincibility had already faded in people's hearts.
If the neck defense line also collapses, then...
For a moment, Tyrion was a little ready to make a move, but soon his thoughts were suppressed by a strong sense of guilt.
But at this moment, there was a knock on the door.
"Come in."
The door opened and the housekeeper said:
“Sir, Ser Stevron Frey wishes to see you.”
Tyrion rolled his eyes, seeming to realize something.
“Ask him to come in.”
Shae helped him put on his boots again and asked:
“Ser Stevron is Lord Walder Frey’s eldest son, right?”
"right."
“What does he want from you at this time?”
“What else can a weasel do?” Tyrion snorted, jumped off the chair, and headed out.
Xue Yi took his arm and followed him:
“I will accompany you to meet the guests.”
Tyrion glanced at her, but did not refuse.
He knew Xue Yi's little thoughts. This woman was not willing to just be his lover, so she always tried her best to integrate into the aristocratic social circle.
Tyrion had no objection to this.
Because he felt a little guilty about Shae. Now as the Duke of Casterly Rock, it was no longer possible for him to marry a woman of Shae's status.
So, I want to make some compensation in other aspects.
The two met the guests in the living room.
Like the rest of House Frey, Ser Stevron looks like a weasel.
After some polite remarks, Tyrion asked directly:
“Sir, why did you come to see me so late?”
Sir Steveron took the tea from Shae, thanked him, and then said:
"Your Majesty, if I remember correctly, you are not engaged yet, are you?"
Tyrion chuckled and said:
"My father made me engaged to Miss Sansa, who is from the Stark family. Unfortunately, it seems to be a fake, and the Stark family obviously does not intend to recognize this marriage. There is no way, who made me a fake Where’s the dwarf?”
Sir Steveron laughed:
"That's because they have no vision. Your wisdom is so radiant, but a few physical defects are nothing."
"It would be great if everyone in the world were as discerning as you." Tyrion echoed casually, "Ser Stevron, you came here so late, didn't you just want to compliment me?"
Sir Steveron shook his head with a smile and said:
"Of course not. Your Majesty, since you are not engaged, I have a suitable candidate to recommend to you."
The smile on Tyrion’s face became brighter and he asked:
"who?"
"My granddaughter, Walda Frey. She is sixteen years old and pretty." At this point, Sir Steveron glanced at Shae, "No worse than your lover. If you are willing, the Frey family I am willing to marry into the Lannister family." "We have been in-laws for a long time." Tyrion said with a smile, "My aunt Gina married your brother, do you remember?"
"Of course I remember," Sir Steveron said, "so I want to kiss you more."
“Sir Steveron, I appreciate your kindness. But now that the White Walkers are moving south and the war is about to begin, I’m afraid it’s not a good time to get married.”
“That doesn’t matter. You can get engaged first.”
Tyrion had no choice but to resort to delaying tactics:
“Let me think about it.”
"Okay." Sir Steveron couldn't force himself. After chatting for a while, he stood up and left.
As soon as he walked away, Xue Yi said sourly:
"The eldest granddaughter of Marquis Frey is worthy of your status, sir, and she is as beautiful as a flower. Why refuse?"
Tyrion said with a smile:
“As beautiful as the weasel’s granddaughter can be, it’s enough for me to have you.”
Speaking, he went to hug his lover.
Xue Yi dodged lightly and spat:
"He will coax me. But to be honest, this marriage is really good. Although the Frey family is lower than the Lannister family. But the Lannister family is at a low point now. If you want to marry the right one, I’m afraid it will be difficult for the duke’s daughter who is waiting.”
Tyrion also suppressed his smile and said seriously:
“Do you know why I rejected the weasel?”
"Why?"
“Because they have bad intentions.”
“Have bad intentions?” Xue Yi was confused, “How bad?”
Tyrion chuckled and said:
“You also know that the Lannister family is at a low point. Although I can still attend the royal meeting, it is because Caesar needs me to balance the overly powerful southern princes.
In fact, I have long been a person that everyone avoids. Frey took the initiative to send his granddaughter up at this time, what kind of kindness could he have?
Don’t forget, this weasel also has a daughter married to Roose Bolton.
Recently, Countess Anya Waywood of the Valley always brings her adopted son to visit the Frey family. Hehe, guess what they are planning. "
Shae is already very smart, and she has been following Tyrion for a long time. Naturally, she is not a political idiot. She immediately reacted when she heard this:
“Walder Frey wants to imitate Lord Hoster Tully and replicate a ‘Fish, Wolf, Deer and Eagle’ alliance through marriage?”
Tyrion whistled and said jokingly:
“Although Walder Frey has many daughters and granddaughters, he is not as good as Hoster Tully when it comes to his mind. And the Caesar of today is not the Mad King of the past. He is really asking for his own death.”
Xue Yi nodded thoughtfully, but then asked in a low voice:
"Now that you understand all this, then...are you really not moved?"
Tyrion rolled his eyes and said angrily:
“I want to live a few more years.”
Xue Yi blinked:
“But now that the White Walkers are heading south, this may be an opportunity.”
The sarcasm on Tyrion's face became more intense:
“If Walder Frey really thinks this way, then he may not live to see the White Walkers.”
Xue Yi wrinkled her nose and stopped trying to persuade her.
She stepped forward and took the man’s hand, smiling sweetly and saying:
“Okay, let me compensate you for the loss of a bride.”
Tyrion suddenly became energetic, but just as he buried his head into his lover's warm chest, the door was knocked again.
“Who?” He said angrily, “Don’t come here to introduce me to marriage again.”
The butler’s voice sounded outside the door:
“Sir, your Majesty has just returned to King’s Landing and is about to convene a royal meeting.”
Tyrion exhaled a breath and said helplessly:
“Okay, prepare the carriage and I’ll come out.”
Xue Yi smiled and kissed his forehead and said:
“I’ll wait for you to come back.”
"Okay." Tyrion casually pinched the woman's butt, stood up and walked out the door.
We arrived at the Red Fort and entered the meeting hall. We saw that the place was brightly lit and all the cabinet ministers had arrived.
Tyrion stepped forward to greet everyone. He had just climbed onto the chair and before he could sit firmly, he saw the king walking into the hall accompanied by Ser Barristan.
"There's no need to get up." Samwell raised his hand to stop everyone, stepped forward and sat down at the front of the table, and said directly, "The matter is urgent, let's keep it short. The Great Wall collapsed and the White Walkers went south. There are many reasons for this. It's too complicated and doesn't really help the situation, so I won't say more.
What we can do now is to build a new line of defense. "
Having said this, his eyes slowly swept across everyone's faces and continued:
"After discussing with the Commander-in-Chief of the Night's Watch, Ed Stark, I decided to set up this defense line in the Neck. The specific deployment location, the setting of the defense line, the deployment of troops, etc. will all be based on the actual geographical conditions. Decide.
What are your opinions on this? "
Tyrion understood the meaning of the king's words, which was that the establishment of a new defense line in the Neck was a definite matter. The other party held a meeting to discuss and was only seeking opinions on how to deploy this defense line.
Although such a decision seems a bit overbearing, it has to be said that at such an urgent moment, as the king of the Seven Kingdoms, he should have such responsibility and courage, so as not to leave it to the nobles for discussion and another round of wrangling between the various forces.
A waste of time in vain.
Earl Landau spoke first, saying:
“There are currently 200,000 troops gathered in King’s Landing. If we want to deploy them along the Neck, these troops should be barely enough. The only thing we need to worry about is whether we can complete the construction of fortifications before the White Walkers arrive.”
"This is not a big problem." University Scholar Qoburn said, "Ghoulies are afraid of fire. I have prepared a lot of good things that can be used to deal with them."
Earl Landau asked thoughtfully:
"Is it the kind of thing you used against Dorne on Eagle's Beak Island?"
“Yes, some minor changes have been made.”
“How powerful is it?”
“It can have about 70% to 80% of the power of [wildfire], but the advantage is that the manufacturing cost is low.”
"Very good." Samwell nodded with satisfaction, "All the artillery has also been transported to the front line."
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Wights are afraid of fire, but White Walkers are not.” Samwell asked again, “How are the dragonglass weapons prepared?”
“Probably enough to arm an army of 70,000 people.”
"This is the only way to go," Samwell said. "Where's the food?"
Hearing this, Tyrion immediately replied:
"Your Majesty, if we set up defenses in Jingze, the logistical pressure will be much less. It is roughly estimated that the food will be enough to support the army for half a year."
Samwell nodded and said:
"That's enough for now. You send people to the other side of the Narrow Sea and tell the people of the Free Trade Cities that the White Walkers are the responsibility of all humans. If Westeros falls, Essos will be next. Let them provide food. Weapons, personnel support.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Okay, that’s it, the army will set off tomorrow.” Samwell said, “I will lead the army myself!”
(End of this chapter)