GOT/ASOIAF: Ruler Beyond The Ice

Chapter 640 642: Weeding Plan (Part 2)

Well now!

The people present gradually realized, no wonder Aegor had made it clear from the start how difficult it would be to fight in the Riverlands. It turned out he was using the strategy of striking first to gain the upper hand. By saying what others would say and leaving them speechless, by preemptively presenting all the arguments the anti-war faction could use and publicly dismantling them, he could effectively silence them.

However, while most people were speechless, there were still many clear-headed individuals present who vaguely realized that beneath the seemingly flawless, self-consistent, and well-rounded appearance of the Weeding Plan, there were still loopholes. Namely, it was entirely based on an idealized premise that Daenerys' army would win every battle.

How could that be? Even Aegon the Conqueror did not win every single battle.

Instinct told everyone this was hard to achieve, but Aegor's brilliant record of complete victories was right there, making it impossible to argue. Those who could think at this level were either his defeated opponents, unqualified to question his ability, or staunch supporters of war, who would not speak even if they thought of it, for fear of inviting bad luck. By a strange twist of fate, everyone accepted this reality by default.

"A good plan, Lord Hand," Princess Arianne had not thought that far. She was shaken by the plan's strong, relentless momentum and ruthless ferocity. She squeezed her legs together and rubbed them a few times to stop the itch, using great willpower to suppress the burning desire within her that felt scorching. "But at this marching speed, even if everything goes smoothly, we can probably only cross Bitterbridge and reach the area around New Barrel Town and Cider Hall in a month, not even getting close to Highgarden. By this calculation, taking the entire Riverlands would take more than two months. However, winter has passed, and fighting for another three months will inevitably delay spring planting in the Riverlands, the Stormlands, and even Dorne, thus affecting the first harvest of grain in the Seven Kingdoms in summer. If that leads to famine, it could also become a major problem. How do you plan to solve this?"

Dorne had always been at odds with the Riverlands. If this battle could be fought, Princess Arianne would even be willing to donate her private wealth. From her standpoint, she did not want to make things difficult for Aegor. Yet for some reason, a premonition, or perhaps a projection of her own expectations, arose in her heart, that nothing could stop the man before her. Eager to prove this was not just an illusion, she deliberately asked, wanting to see if he already had a plan to deal with the real problems placed before him.

Facing dozens of curious gazes, Aegor smiled.

If the war in the Riverlands really dragged into the third month, let alone affecting spring planting, the Gift army's Powder would run short first.

But how do you define sufficient? It did not mean that it only counted if every castle gate in the Riverlands was blasted open. Living people were not mindless beasts, they could not ignore the bigger picture and fight to the last man. A certain island nation once had dozens of provinces and nearly a hundred million people, yet it surrendered after only suffering two mushroom blasts.

Winning a war did not require occupying all of the enemy's land or eliminating all of their troops. Breaking their will was enough.

And to achieve this, the existing Powder and one month should suffice.

"This is indeed a problem," Aegor said without hesitation, not even pausing for a moment. "But Princess Arianne, do not forget, delaying spring planting troubles us, but it troubles the enemy even more. The millions of farmers affected by the war may ultimately be subjects of Daenerys, but in the eyes of the Riverlands lords, they are first and foremost their property. On the matter of not wanting a prolonged war, both sides are equal. Of course, this does not mean we intend to use hunger as a weapon. To prevent the war from dragging on and affecting the Seven Kingdoms' recovery, leading to mutual destruction, the Weeding Plan has auxiliary lines in addition to its main line, or rather, covert arrangements."

"Four thousand men from House Bolton and House Frey will guard Harrenhal. Your Grace will command more than ten thousand of your personal troops in King's Landing and the Crownlands. I will lead the Gift army, half of the Unsullied, and the main forces of Dorne and the Westerlands, totaling over thirty thousand, into the Riverlands, advancing straight toward Highgarden and Oldtown. This is the main line."

"While the main force advances along the Rose Road, Lord Robb and Lord Edmure will lead ten thousand lightly armed North-Riverlands allied forces south into the Stormlands, while consolidating the surrendered former vassals of House Baratheon. They will advance toward Nightsong along the border and seize opportunities to cross into the Riverlands, pressing toward the area around Horn Hill behind Highgarden. At the same time, I have learned there is a garrison of about ten thousand men remaining in Lannisport in the Westerlands, so I must ask Lord Tyrion to write back and mobilize this force south, stationing troops around Old Oak. They do not need to attack or besiege, only act as a deterrent."

"The Riverlands have many soldiers and capable commanders. A conventional multi-pronged advance would only give them the chance to defeat us one by one. Therefore, it must be emphasized that these two forces are not advancing in parallel with the main force or supporting it directly. Instead, they will act in coordination, one primary and the others secondary, echoing from a distance. Their foremost task is to avoid penetrating deep into enemy territory, remain ready to retreat or relocate at any time, and avoid any large-scale frontal engagements. While preserving themselves, they should spread Daenerys' tax policies along the periphery, create unrest and pressure, and disrupt military and logistical support from the northern and southern Riverlands to the core area. This ensures production cannot fully resume even in regions beyond the reach of our main force, preventing the enemy from comfortably supporting the front line."

"If only one army invaded and advanced steadily, the Riverlands lords might still respond calmly, hold their ground, deploy their forces, and trade space for time to activate their full war machine. But facing simultaneous incursions from the east, south, and north will place immense pressure on their command, disrupt their thinking, and cause division within their ranks. They will not know whether to advance or retreat. With the northern and southern forces harassing them flexibly and avoiding direct confrontation, the enemy will have only one choice if they wish to break the stalemate, gamble everything, seek out the main force I command, and try to win. In short, the two auxiliary lines, like sheepdogs herding sheep, will force the enemy into a decisive battle while preventing them from gathering their full strength even in desperation."

"Marching from King's Landing to Highgarden indeed takes more than a month, but as long as our forces coordinate properly, I am confident the war can be declared over before our army reaches the Riverlands capital."

…

With the strategy already finalized by Daenerys and her Hand, what room was left for the newly joined nobles, who had yet to achieve merit, to object or question?

Thus, the arrangements for the Riverlands campaign were decided. What Aegor did not say was that the two harassing forces were not arranged purely for tactical reasons. The Westerlands army at Lannisport was already far away and difficult to mobilize, so letting them act from the west was out of necessity. As for sending the North-Riverlands forces led by Robb and Edmure south, it was more about keeping them away.

Because of the Great King's Landing Plan, after leading the main force into the Riverlands, he would likely need to take actions that violated the unspoken rules of noble warfare, actions that would make the lords of the North and Riverlands uncomfortable. Rather than allowing disputes or conflict to arise later, it was better to separate early. This would allow them to complete certain necessary tasks while ensuring peace and quiet.

The high-level meeting, nominally a war council but in truth a session to assign tasks, ended. Everyone returned home with their own thoughts. Aegor politely declined Princess Arianne's renewed invitation for further discussion and accompanied Tyrion to the temporary Master of Coin's office. After arranging his old friend's accommodations and meals and discussing the future of the Seven Kingdoms over dinner, he returned to the temporary residence of the Hand under guard, satisfied.

Just as he entered, Myrcella informed him that Nina was waiting in the study. The moment he saw her expression, he knew something was wrong. He removed his coat, hung it up, and calmly sat down.

"What is it? You look like the sky is about to fall."

The head of the Night's Watch industry stood in the center of the room, unusually flustered. "This afternoon, a letter was delivered to the industrial park, specifically marked to be forwarded to you personally. This is unusual, so I followed your earlier instructions and opened it first."

"Mm." Aegor had indeed said that. But now that he was Hand, letters should be sent to his residence. Why were they still going to the industrial park? No wonder Nina found it strange. "What does it say?"

He believed he acted openly and honestly. Unless the secret of poisoning the two top officials was exposed, there was nothing fatal he feared others discovering.

"The letter says the Riverlands have learned the secret of the Powder formula. If you insist on leading troops to invade, they will arm their entire army with it and make it public."

(To be continued.)

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