GOT/ASOIAF: Ruler Beyond The Ice

Chapter 647 - 649: A Deadly Battle (Part 2)

"This matter was mishandled by me," Aegor said, drawing everyone's attention with a cough. He held his head high and began to explain slowly and steadily. "I had already sent riders with carriages and horses to report the situation to Your Grace and seek her opinion on how to handle it. However, Magister Illyrio's departure was too sudden, and the secrets stolen from the arsenal were simply too important. In my tension and panic, I overlooked his diplomatic status and rashly sent men to the River Gate to intercept him. At the time, I thought, 'No matter what, we must stop the blueprints first, and then discuss how to deal with it later.' But I did not expect that this Lord Magister would act so violently and decisively... Thinking back on it now, it would have been more appropriate to let him leave the city first, then order the royal fleet to pursue him and deal with it secretly in the deserted waters of Blackwater Bay."

No one liked taking responsibility, but this time the nature of the matter was extraordinary. Although the heavy burden of "a decision-making error leading to a diplomatic incident" was serious, as Hand, he could bear it. On the contrary, the grave charge of "falsely conveying the Hand's verbal order and unilaterally mobilizing the King's Landing garrison at the River Gate" was something his captain of the guards absolutely could not bear.

Since there was no avoiding it, it was better to be straightforward and take full responsibility.

"Your Grace has traveled widely and seen much of the world, so your experience must be extraordinary. You should know that a seemingly identical, colorless, transparent wine cup could be crystal or glass. Even if it is glass, because of differences in quality, transparency, and workmanship, its value can range from a few silver stags to hundreds of silver stags. Scraps and flawed goods may sometimes sell for copper coins, while master-crafted works can even rival crystal in value." Everyone was holding their breath, waiting for the Hand's next words, but he suddenly used an unrelated subject to disrupt the tense and solemn atmosphere in the hall. "Where I come from, there is a type of fraud that takes advantage of a layman's ignorance of this range of values. The swindler walks down the street holding high-quality imitations made by small workshops, specifically targeting passersby on foot or horseback who are not paying attention. The moment they are brushed against, the item in the swindler's hand immediately falls and shatters. Then they righteously demand compensation at the price of crystal. As long as the unlucky target is afraid of trouble or pressed for time, they usually have no choice but to submit and be fleeced."

Everyone had been discussing how to resolve the death of Magister Illyrio, yet he was suddenly lecturing them on fraud. What was this about?

In this room, even the lowest-ranking gate guards, assistants, or clerks were people within the circle of power around Daenerys. On the street, what blind fool would dare commit fraud against them? Murmurs rose through the hall, buzzing like a swarm of mosquitoes. However, everyone was intimidated by Aegor's authority and prestige, fearful of his formidable military achievements as Lord Commander of the army, and also mindful that Daenerys had not yet spoken. That was why no one dared interrupt him.

"This kind of fraud is called a staged collision. You may not have heard the term, but you have definitely heard of similar tactics." Under the puzzled and confused gazes of the crowd, Aegor slowly and naturally connected the two subjects. "Today, Magister Illyrio's illogical act of deliberately seeking death, was that not also a kind of staged collision? It is only because the thing he sacrificed was not a fragile object but his own life that the whole matter seems so unbelievable. Let me make a bold guess. He may have owed a huge debt or favor, then contracted a terminal illness or found himself in a desperate situation with no way out, and was secretly instigated and pressured by enemy forces. Only then would he disregard old ties and be willing to use his life to frame us, making you appear tyrannical and unjust!"

No one would believe him if he directly claimed Illyrio was the mastermind, so Aegor used an explanation that was easier to accept. A dead enemy was the best enemy, and Aegor had never been afraid to grant a dead enemy, one who was no longer a threat, a little face or "tolerance."

"So the question now is this, in a staged collision, who is more despicable, the swindler or the victim?" Aegor spread his hands, looked around at everyone present, and asked loudly, "I think everyone already has the answer in their hearts."

"It is certainly improper not to watch where you are going. Whether you step into a pit, slip and fall, or walk into a wall, you deserve the bad luck. But no one has the right to intervene actively and deliver private punishment, to 'teach him a lesson,' much less for the purpose of extorting money. The swindler's actions exceed their proper place in terms of reason and violate the king's law. Every one of us has to walk the streets, and no one can guarantee that they will watch the road and every passerby at every moment. Of course, we must all stand on the side of the victim."

Not wanting his friend to fall into awkward silence, Tyrion boldly spoke up in support. As he spoke, he somewhat guessed how Aegor intended to smooth over the matter.

Daenerys was confused. "What are you trying to say?"

"I want to say, Your Grace, you are the queen of the true dragon dynasty, the ruler of Westeros, and the head of this great family, the Small Council of Daenerys Targaryen the First. We are all members of your household, all your children. And now, your child has been framed by an outsider!" Aegor deliberately used a slightly exaggerated tone. "That is right. As a parent, you have the right to ask us to walk with more awareness and caution, but your first priority should be to find a way to reduce the overall losses of our family, then investigate and hold the one who framed us accountable for motive and responsibility, and only then scold us for being careless and tell us to learn from the lesson and be more careful in the future. How can you neglect the first two and instead relentlessly blame your own child? Is that not putting the cart before the horse?"

(Good heavens, just because I am childless, does that mean I cannot find the person responsible? I am a young, unmarried queen in my early twenties, and all of you have suddenly become my children. If I do not get to the bottom of how this happened, how am I supposed to calm myself enough to think of ways to stop the losses?)

Daenerys was both bewildered by this unheard-of method of flattery and displeased at being accused of "putting the cart before the horse." Mixed with the anger brought on by the sudden disaster, she felt a tangled knot of emotions in her stomach. A large mouthful of "displeasure" was stuck in her throat, and she did not know where to begin in rebuking him. But after thinking for a moment, her mind suddenly cleared, and she understood that Aegor was indirectly protecting his subordinate. Given his current status and position, even if he had forcefully and openly defended his subordinate, she could not have relentlessly pressed the matter when she still owed him a great number of merits for which she had not yet rewarded him. Now, for him to use a roundabout story so that both sides could save face was already a considerate approach. She should go along with it.

Her chest rose and fell a few times, and Daenerys reluctantly made a concession.

"Enough. I will send someone else to investigate exactly what happened later." Daenerys did not hide her indignation. "But Magister Illyrio was a friend of House Targaryen. He arranged for me to marry Khal Drogo and gave me dragon eggs as a gift. Even Bevoros, Groleo, and Petyr, who helped me return to House Targaryen, were sent to me by him. I cannot repay kindness with enmity. Even if he was coerced by certain forces into sneaking into King's Landing and stealing information because of some mistake, I still cannot accept the outcome of him dying in the street within my domain, under my protection. I want this matter handled quickly. On this matter, what is your esteemed opinion, my Hand?"

It was true that Illyrio had once shown kindness by taking in and sheltering Daenerys and her brother, but that favor had largely been offset by his "selling" her to Khal Drogo. Daenerys acknowledged him as a former benefactor, but she was certainly not deeply grateful. There was another subtle point, one that perhaps even Daenerys herself did not realize. Although she claimed she absolutely could not repay kindness with enmity, what she was already thinking in her subconscious was that she absolutely could not bear the label and bad reputation of repaying kindness with enmity. The remaining goodwill and closeness she felt toward Illyrio had long since been eroded by the suspicions and associations Aegor had planted in her mind through repeated whispers and the steady flow of information. Once he produced evidence that Illyrio was suspected of stealing the arsenal's secrets, it all vanished completely, leaving not a trace.

She mockingly tossed the trouble back to Aegor, her meaning clear. You want to protect your subordinate, I will tolerate it, but you must also clean up this mess.

Aegor took the burden thrown back at him and sighed. "This matter arose from my lack of foresight. The responsibility for the accident should naturally be borne by me alone. But the dead cannot be brought back to life. Even if I can bear responsibility for this matter, I cannot share the immense impact and negative consequences that this tragedy will place on Your Grace or on the Kingdom of Westeros in which we all live. Therefore, the first question we should discuss now is this: how do we mend this hole, reduce the unfavorable impact of this matter on our dynasty, and bring the situation back onto the right track?"

"According to common international practice, diplomatic personnel should enjoy a certain degree of immunity from jurisdiction, litigation, and enforcement. Although no written treaty has been signed, it is still unwise to become the first to break this unwritten rule and the villain who opens that door. In this matter, it was only because the secrets of gunpowder and cannon were far more important than the relationship between Pentos and Daenerys that I hardened my heart and ordered the interception. But no matter how one puts it, Magister Illyrio undoubtedly died in the street within King's Landing, and that cannot be denied. Since that is the case, we should decisively abandon the position we cannot hold, retreat in order to advance, and fall back to a defensible line before stopping to consolidate our position."

Aegor raised one finger. "Our top priority right now is to speak first, explain clearly, and seize the high ground of public opinion in time. This incident took place at the River Gate, where there is a heavy flow of people. I hear the scene was quite bloody and tragic, and it must already have stirred rumors and all kinds of speculation in King's Landing. Rumors running wild have always been the greatest enemy of stability. I will immediately order the intelligence and propaganda departments to prepare an official release, carefully choose the wording, and publish the details of the incident as transparently and comprehensively as possible, while omitting details unfavorable to us. First, we acknowledge that the incident occurred, then we strike back by accusing the other party of betraying Daenerys's trust and goodwill, and of using diplomatic status as cover for espionage that harmed our national interests and security."

"After ensuring that public opinion does not spin out of control, the second thing is to take advantage of the situation and guide it in a direction favorable to me. Coincidentally, the Night's Watch industry has been rooted in King's Landing for many years and has already completely controlled the city's newspaper and magazine trade. After publishing the news of the incident, we will immediately use our deep control over the media to focus on promoting Daenerys's insistence that 'all men are born free,' her hatred of slavery, and the resentment and hostility of those slavers across the Narrow Sea toward her, thereby stirring up the people's anger and their sense of sharing a common enemy."

"Once these two things are done, the attention of the people of the Seven Kingdoms will be shifted away from the embarrassing perspective of 'the King's Landing garrison failed to properly handle a diplomatic incident, leading to a bloody tragedy in the street,' and redirected toward the confrontation and struggle between two systems, two classes, and two ideologies on opposite sides of the narrow sea. Once people begin to take sides, their way of thinking will change. So long as this confrontation is successfully created, our foundation in the Seven Kingdoms will be as stable as Aegon's High Hill and can no longer be shaken." As the solution became clearer step by step, the expressions of the listeners in the hall gradually changed. "But that is not victory. At most, it is only placing ourselves in an unassailable position. The international consequences caused by the killing of the Pentoshi envoy in the street of the capital of the Seven Kingdoms are by no means something our domestic, or even Crownlands, ability to guide public opinion can influence. After first stabilizing our home base, we must find ways to reduce the hostility and threat posed by overseas forces. First, let us be clear. We must not go to war with the entire Nine Free Cities before the war in the Riverlands is over. Not only would that make the outcome of the Riverlands war uncertain, it would also unsettle the Vale, whose terms of surrender have not yet been settled, creating too many variables in the prospects and cost of unifying the Seven Kingdoms, and pushing the situation toward losing control."

"As for dealing with the outside world, we have two moves. First, divide and win over. The Nine Free Cities are not united as one. Not to mention Volantis, which is already openly hostile to Daenerys and once tried to swallow all of Valyria's legacy and wage war on half the world, making enemies everywhere. There is also Braavos, which has openly renounced and opposed slavery, and can in fact be won over. It may be difficult to show goodwill to the other slaveholding cities, but winning over Braavos is far too simple." Aegor revealed a mysterious smile. "We need only announce that we accept and inherit the usurper's debt to Braavos, and this financial center among the Free Cities can be made to abandon siding with the other slaveholders. Without the financial support and settlement services of the Iron Bank, even if the other eight cities wish to unite against Daenerys, they will certainly run into one trouble after another."

"Inherit the debt!?" Daenerys frowned. She had to admit that even this option, one she had once thought she would never accept, suddenly no longer seemed completely unacceptable when compared with grave consequences such as "becoming the enemy of the whole world" and "failing to conquer the Riverlands." "Where are we supposed to get the money to repay the debt? With bonds again? Issuing promissory notes is indeed a clever trick, but even leaving aside whether the other side will accept them, if we owe money here and owe money there, and in the end all debts are repaid by selling weapons, then the bonds will eventually flow into the hands of the Night's Watch industry. Must I, the queen, work for the shareholders of the Night's Watch industry for the rest of my life?"

Daenerys had not only just thought of this point now. She had already been holding it in her heart, waiting for a chance to ask. She also phrased it subtly enough. It was true that the Night's Watch industry had many shareholders, but the arsenal was entirely Aegor's private property. Once the cycle of bonds began, then she, Daenerys Targaryen, would be working for him, the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, for the rest of her life.

Coincidentally, Aegor had already thought of a way to dispel Daenerys's doubts and reservations. Although he had originally intended to present the answer as a surprise gift at the proper time, now that a great disaster had occurred and needed remedying, he could only bring it out in advance to calm her tension.

"Actually, I have discussed this with the Master of Coin for a long time and already have a solution." Aegor looked up at Daenerys and slowly spoke with a smile. "We both agree that the tax exemption enjoyed by the Night's Watch industry was only a temporary expedient during the period when the Wall faced the threat of the White Walkers. It should not continue without reason in this new era. After careful calculation and consideration, we have come up with a preliminary reform plan. The ordinary part of the Night's Watch industry will resume paying taxes at the normal commercial tax rate, while military orders that accept only Targaryen national bonds as payment will be taxed at one-third of the face value of the bond payments received."

One-third?

This astonishing figure instantly caught everyone's attention, drawing exchanged glances and gasps throughout the hall. Even the Master of Coin, whom Aegor had named as having "participated in the discussion," and Daenerys, who sat expressionless at the front, felt their hearts jolt.

Daenerys had long wanted to discuss this matter with Aegor, but she had never found a suitable opportunity or gathered the will to say it aloud. In her heart, the acceptable range she had imagined was one-fourth to one-fifth. Unexpectedly, the figure Aegor offered was even higher than her best expectation, and it immediately dispersed much of her negative emotion. She nearly let surprise show on her face.

She only did not know whether this was the first fire lit by the newly appointed Lannister Master of Coin in his diligent performance of duty, or a benefit Aegor had voluntarily yielded out of long-term consideration.

Feeling the surprised or admiring looks of many people present, Aegor secretly sneered to himself. This was the crushing force of knowledge and perspective. These people had no concept of the scale and power of a financial machine, nor could they guess how terrifying the profits of the arms trade truly were. It was inevitable that they would be excessively shocked.

How much tax was appropriate for a money-printing machine?

To answer that question was to fall into a trap. The correct answer was that the money-printing machine should have been in one's own hands from the start, not controlled by others and only taxed afterward.

A one-third tax rate seemed astonishing, but compared with the profits from arms sales, it was nothing. After deducting 33.33... percent in tax, and then deducting at most ten percent in costs, more than half still remained. In other words, for every hundred gold dragons' worth of bonds Daenerys printed, Aegor could still earn more than fifty.

With income of this level as his foundation, even if Aegor were truly a just and selfless, incorruptible iron-blooded Hand who took only a single copper's worth of salary, he would quickly accumulate astonishing wealth and become richer than the queen who ruled the Seven Kingdoms, truly rich enough to rival a kingdom.

Money on such a scale would certainly attract jealousy, suspicion, and greed, but Aegor had already planned it out. This tax rate could be raised to one-half, two-thirds, three-fourths, all the way until the Night's Watch arsenal was fully nationalized into the Targaryen Royal Arsenal. Even if Daenerys did not press him, he would voluntarily request it at the proper time, and every increase in the tax rate or every step toward nationalization would naturally earn him a chance to "make a request of Daenerys," whether merely to please her and gain her favor, to seek rewards for himself or his subordinates, to ask for greater authority and deeper influence, or to request forgiveness and leniency for any mistakes made.

In this process, by constantly making concessions on the surface while gaining real benefits in secret, he could not only secure safety and long-term prosperity, but also leave behind a good name in history as someone who "understood righteousness deeply." Was that not wonderful?

How delightful it was to be a hidden rich man and a powerful figure in the shadows, only those who had experienced it would know.

He was getting sidetracked...

Besides the Gift army, the Night's Watch industry was Aegor's second greatest trump card. He had many plans and ideas for how to handle this stack of chips, but now was not the time to dwell on them.

"There is also a second move, which is delay. Even if sowing division and offering inducements fail, and the Nine Free Cities are determined to form an alliance against Daenerys, as long as our diplomats can push the matter into the stage of sitting down and negotiating face to face, that is already a victory. As long as we can delay the outbreak of war on the eastern front until after the war on the western front in the Riverlands is over, we will have achieved strategic victory!" Aegor brought his index fingers together, then slowly separated them, making a characteristic gesture from one of his absurd speeches. "And this move is divided into two parts. The first part is naturally diplomacy on the eastern front. This task is not only difficult, but after Illyrio's incident it has also become life-threatening. If Your Grace feels uncertain, you may seek Lord Tyrion's help for personnel and advice. The second part is naturally the western front. If we could originally afford to proceed at a measured pace, now, while not abandoning the strategy of steady advance, we must find a way to end the war quickly and free the royal government from the threat of fighting on two fronts!"

"And as for achieving the latter, I am duty-bound. I ask Your Grace and everyone present to trust me and wait and see!"

(To be continued.)