The Emperor's Personal Expedition

Outside the muddy gate, all was desolate.

The place that was once crowded with shacks is now only filled with gray-black embers and charred bones.

But the homeless people started to slowly erect crooked tents on it and sell their catch by the roadside using wooden buckets and carts.

fish.

Joffrey hasn't eaten a single fish lately, and everyone knows perfectly well what's been floating in the river.

"Are these people idiots?" the little devil complained as he rode the horse his brother had given him.

"They just burned it down once, and now they've rebuilt it. The war isn't over yet."

Bronn replied casually, "If you'd like me to bring a few dozen men with me."

"I mean, if the king would like to."

"I can kill them all and I guarantee they'll never come back." This guy was promoted to a squad leader in the Golden Robe due to his outstanding performance.

"Come on," the little devil rolled his eyes. "I don't want my reputation to get any worse."

"I don't dare to go out without a few people with me these days."

"Just take some men and drag their doghouse down."

The hunting dog's ears twitched when it heard someone call its name.

He glanced at the little devil, then continued chatting with the people around him.

This man has a broad chest, a sturdy build, thick eyebrows, large eyes, a broad face, and a heavy chin; he looks like a loyal and brave knight.

It's a pity he has a large burn scar on his right cheek, but when he rides alongside the hunting dogs, they look quite harmonious.

Sir Baron Swann, the one rumored to be dead.

His experiences were not particularly moving or inspiring.

During the siege of Mugu Town, they were trapped deep in the forest, and fire was burning from all directions. Most of them tried to break out, but they fell on the way.

He and a dozen other survivors found a muddy swamp, dug a hole with their swords and hands, and buried themselves in it as much as possible.

In the end, only a handful of people survived; the rest perished in the intense heat and thick smoke, forever buried in the graves they had dug themselves.

The fire burned for an entire day before it was finally extinguished.

It took him another day to climb out of the forest, then he found someone to ask for help and rested outside for a while.

He then encountered Robb's troops and followed them south to participate in the Battle of North City, where he forged a deep friendship with the Hound during the battle.

Or rather, they found common ground.

Baron now also suffers from flammophobia.

"Shall we conclude our inspection here for today?" the little devil asked.

Joffrey nodded: "Tomorrow, convene all the unions and bring the masters to discuss the port's reconstruction plan."

King's Landing's port is second only to Oldtown in size, and most of its revenue comes from trade.

The blockade of Blackwater Bay has ended, and merchant ships are being allowed to pass one after another. All they need to do is pay a tax to the "Governor of Blackwater Bay" named Salado when they pass through.

The nobles of the Riverlands and Valleys responded three to four times faster after the Battle of Mudgate.

Even the Frey family sent two thousand spearmen south to help them.

With these men stationed outside the city, Stannis would never be able to conquer King's Landing again.

But his fleet is still there, and Joffrey has no means to attack Dragonstone for the time being.

It will still take time.

I need money.

Speaking of money, people from the Braavos Iron Vault came by a few days ago, supposedly to check on investment returns.

The Prime Minister and the little devil brushed them off.

I don't know if it was because Jia Kun was on duty that day.

After mysteriously disappearing for a while, this guy returned to the Red Keep and began subtly asking Joffrey if there was any way to get him to Dragonstone.

Haha.

No.

Joffrey became increasingly certain that the knowledge Jaqen sought at the Red Keep was related to dragons.

He's going to the Iron Islands, most likely to kill Baron.

The Baron with the surname Greyjoy is not the Baron who was talking to the Hound about burn care.

The Faceless Ones don't appear without a reason; there are very few people who can afford to hire them.

The price for assassinating an ordinary merchant is enough to hire an entire mercenary army; the price for assassinating a king or a duke is unimaginable.

But one person certainly has that ability.

"Croweye," Euron Greyjoy, Baron's younger brother, captain of the Serenity.

His crew members all had their tongues cut out, hence the name of the ship.

Sometimes Joffrey also thought about pulling out a few tongues to bring a little more peace to his life.

These four people can create the noise of four hundred people.

Euron has quite a few good things on him: dragon eggs, the Dragon Horn, and a set of Valyrian steel armor that is extremely rare in the world, all of which he dug out of the Valyrian ruins.

Euron most likely used a dragon egg to hire Jaqen to kill Balon.

Then Jaqen would do some side jobs along the way, such as looking for information about dragons.

After all, the Faceless Men and the Valyrian Freehold are mortal enemies, and now that there is an opportunity to study the enemy's ultimate weapon, of course we will not miss it.

Varys also recently reported that a little Targaryen girl had hatched three dragons.

Dragon.

The dragon has three heads.

Pirates, White Walkers, dragons.

How come three waves of neutral monsters spawned immediately after I just drove away one Stannis?

Is the next step a global spiritual revival? The red comet brought a magical wind, and a large whirlpool appeared in Blackwater Bay.

Then a portal appeared at the North Pole beyond the Great Wall, and a bunch of demons poured out of it?

A headache struck Joffrey, who asked if there was any news of Melisandre. She couldn't just be taken down by a few crossbow bolts so easily.

His "Stargazing" skill was still cooling down, and he didn't want to waste it on it.

Varis said there was no news.

It's a real shame that Soros went to sea with Robert, otherwise a red monk could have stayed in the palace to ask for information about the Lord of Light.

We need to manage both magic and the military.

The situation at Castle Black will need to be delayed for a while. Joffrey had Pycelle send out several ravens in a saturation-style barrage of messages, warning them not to launch an attack without authorization.

Robb will be there soon.

That's right, this unfortunate kid stayed in King's Landing for a few days and then started heading back.

But most of the infantry remained here, preparing for the decisive battle that would come soon.

Tywin Lannister had previously engaged in over fifty small-scale battles with Randyll in the Golden Tree City area, with neither side gaining the upper hand.

Then the Duke of Casterly Rock relapsed into his old habit and started sending his rabid dogs around causing chaos.

Venturing deep into enemy territory not only dispersed our forces but also alienated the people.

Lando seized the opportunity and forcibly tied up the main force.

Renly traveled day and night along the Golden Road and intercepted his path back to the Westerlands.

Tywin's life or death...

Tywin fled, and seeing the situation was dire, he forcibly crossed the river and retreated to the Rocky Hall.

The Western Frontier Army lost 15,000 to 16,000 men in the Bend of the River.

The Lannisters are indeed a family; the one who gives the biggest gift is the old man.

Therefore, Joffrey currently has more than 80,000 allied troops.

They consist of 10,000 from the royal territory, 15,000 from the northern border, 30,000 from the Riverlands, 25,000 from the Valley, and various mercenaries.

The enemy forces consisted of nearly 20,000 from Stormlands and 40,000 from Reach, totaling less than 60,000.

Eddard advised him to stay in King's Landing.

He doesn't intend to accept it.

This battle will determine the history of the next five hundred years and the final ownership of the Iron Throne.

Life and death, fortune and misfortune, honor and disgrace, dynasties and the world.

The outcome will be decided in this battle.

Joffrey is going to lead the army in person.