Daenerys had never heard such toxic motivational talk before, and was immediately fired up by Lu Xuan's words, feeling like she was the only one worthy of respect. Pai Ya, on the other hand, left with a complicated expression.
Lu Xuan did not attend tonight's banquet; Daenerys needs to learn to handle these situations on her own. Besides, Lu Xuan also has his own tasks to complete.
After everyone had left for the banquet, Lu Xuan changed into some light black clothing and left the manor.
He was going to explore the city. Before even arriving, they had already established a basic strategy. The three cities of Slaver's Bay were Daenerys's targets.
As for buying an army and fighting back in Westeros, that's impossible for now. You see, Westeros is currently at war, but the moment Daenerys returns, everyone will immediately turn their guns on her.
The Iron Throne isn't something you can secure simply by agreeing to war. The unique political system of the Seven Kingdoms means that the person on the Iron Throne can never truly hold their position. The Targaryen dynasty, with its dragons, was able to rule Westeros for three hundred years. Lu Xuan has always been puzzled: with the support of absolute military power, how come they didn't manage to destroy the Seven Kingdoms' absurd system for three hundred years...?
This stems from limitations in political vision, internal strife and checks and balances, and perhaps other reasons as well. However, if Daenerys were to one day truly reclaim Westeros, Lu Xuan would absolutely not accept her continuing to rule the so-called Seven Kingdoms. There can only be one nation.
Lu Xuan treated Daenerys as his disciple, so his goal for her was to accumulate resources and wait for the right opportunity. Sounds a bit vague, doesn't it? Okay, let's use a more familiar and understandable way of putting it: 'Build high walls, store up grain, and delay declaring yourself king.'
First, a solid foundation must be established in Essos. The three cities of Slaver's Bay are Lu Xuan's target.
After that, it was time to accumulate resources and train the army. Under no circumstances would Lu Xuan allow Daenerys to lead a group of Unsullied into battle against mercenaries. He couldn't afford the embarrassment. Therefore, he planned to train a completely new army, especially a cavalry force.
All of this requires a significant amount of time and money to prepare. It is estimated to take five years or even longer. During this time, Slaver's Bay will also have to face the backlash from the nine surrounding Free Cities. There are countless things to deal with, and when he first explained it to Daenerys, Ser Jorah nearly fainted.
However, after that, he respected Lu Xuan even more. Daenerys also regarded Lu Xuan as her teacher, consulting him on everything. Why did so many 'experts' and 'professors' in her past life always speak so eloquently? The more complex their descriptions of emotions, the more convincing they were.
Moreover, Lu Xuan hadn't even mentioned some details. Putting aside everything else, just consider their desire to rule these three slave trading cities. This necessitates the emancipation of slaves. Only then can they gain the support of the majority of the city's inhabitants. Because those benevolent lords would absolutely never accept Daenerys's rule.
After the slaves are freed, the city will be filled with a massive influx of free citizens. Before, as slaves, they received no pay. But as free citizens, they will be responsible for their own work and livelihood. These people, suddenly freed from slavery, will have no idea how to live. Believe it or not, this is certain. As slaves, there's no need for thought; you simply do the work your master demands. But as free citizens, you must think for yourself and learn to survive.
Then there's the abolition of slavery, which essentially means the transition from a slave-based society to a feudal one. Is that a simple matter? The United States has only completed this transition less than two hundred years ago.
In the darkness, Lu Xuan was meticulously refining a hand-drawn map. He was using his centuries of accumulated knowledge to study the city's military deployment, marking the addresses of the largest patrons. After all, societal shifts are always accompanied by bloodshed.
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Chapter 251 The Legion of the Immaculate
"I have spent about a month investigating the most powerful philanthropists in the city, their household arrangements, and the city's strategic plans."
Overall, Astapo's urban development is adequate. There are no obvious flaws. Even their sewage systems have been specifically designed with defenses, featuring numerous steel fences.
However, these measures have fallen into disrepair over the years; the steel railings are so rotten that they can be broken by hand.
As Lu Xuan spoke, he casually tossed an iron railing onto the table. It was indeed rotten beyond repair. Yet, even on the table, it still felt heavy. Sir Jorah, standing nearby, reached out to try and pry it off, but couldn't…
"I knew it..." Jorah thought to himself, but kept quiet. He had a feeling this thing might be harder than his skull.
"Furthermore, all the manors belonging to the benevolent families in the city are like fortresses. This is probably because the city faced war when it was first established. But the same problem is that while those manors look magnificent, most of their wartime defenses are in disrepair. They haven't experienced war in a long time. I've marked all of these things in detail on the map. Sir Jorah, pick a few trustworthy people and have them memorize the map."
Jorah: "......"
"Should we act now? But we haven't bought the Unsullied yet."
"Of course not now, this is just preparation. Are you going to wait until war breaks out to gather this information? To win a war, you must first understand the enemy. Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated."
These concise proverbs from the Great Celestial Empire are incredibly effective at showing off in this ignorant alien world. Daenerys, Jorah, and several warlocks were easily fooled by Lu Xuan. Yet, in reality, even elementary school students could recite these phrases.
"Alright, now tell me about the banquet."
The banquet was boring. Or rather, in Lu Xuan's opinion, all banquets were boring. However, there was still a lot of useful information. For example, most of the benevolent lords were subtly hinting to Daenerys that the Unsullied were currently in short supply. If she wanted to buy some, she would have to hurry. Unfortunately, Daenerys didn't respond.
Another highlight was the much-anticipated courtship scene. More than one benevolent ruler expressed his affection for Daenerys. However, it's more accurate to say he was infatuated with her dragons than with Daenerys herself. One wonders if they would be willing to marry a dragon.
"It seems they're getting impatient. I've been investigating the Unsullied army camps of the Good Lord these past few days. In fact, the Unsullied are not only not in short supply, but are actually stockpiling at their peak. So far, the number of qualified soldiers in several Unsullied training camps has reached twelve thousand."
The benevolent patrons certainly don't want to support these Unsullied for nothing, so they must sell them as soon as possible. We can wait a little longer, but not too long. After all, Qarth is currently engaged in civil war, and there's a good chance they'll buy the Unsullied. We must acquire these twelve thousand Unsullied. Delay for ten more days, then we'll lay our cards on the table.”
Daenerys's current decision-making body consists of herself, Jorah Mormont, and Lu Xuan. While the warlocks are knowledgeable and experienced, they aren't highly trusted and therefore have little say. Essentially, it's Lu Xuan's personal fiefdom. Lu Xuan has noticed this problem. Frankly, this isn't normal. But at the same time, he's also helpless, because expecting a bunch of centaurs and mercenaries to enter the decision-making process is even more abnormal.
Judging by the timeline, Emperor Joffrey should be dismissing Barristan soon. If all goes as expected, the old man will likely return to Daenerys in a few months to swear allegiance. Based on the original books, the old man's military skills should be quite good, and the situation should improve significantly then.
A rumor began to circulate in Astapor: the Dragon Queen from the Dothraki plains had no slaves. She had many subjects, but all of them received payment from her because they were free people, the Dragon Queen's subjects, not slaves.
At first, this news was met with skepticism by most people. How could that be? How could a nobleman not have slaves and even give them money?
Whether they believed it or not, the rumors spread rapidly. However, most of these rumors circulated only among the lower classes. The benevolent rulers also heard about them, but they too scoffed. This was because Daenerys had recently begun to soften her stance, preparing to purchase their Unsullied. She had even already bought four hundred to test the waters. However, four hundred was far from their expected twelve thousand. And the Unsullied were the pinnacle of the slave trade. Twelve thousand Unsullied were simply beyond Daenerys' means.
Even if she managed to scrape together the necessary supplies, the subsequent equipment costs would be astronomical. She simply couldn't afford it, so selling the dragon was inevitable.
………………
Punishment Square, one of the largest squares in Astapor. A dozen former good lords who ran the Unsullied, along with Daenerys and others, gathered together.
"Daenerys, we have assessed all your possessions and are pleased that you have enough money to buy all the Unsullied. However, we regret that you cannot sustain their needs. Taking these people out of the city, you will all starve to death on the journey in three days. You will not be able to return to Westeros, much less reclaim the Iron Throne. Of course, if you ask, we can help."
Twelve thousand Unsullied soldiers, plus an extra set of weapons and equipment. Enough consumables for a year. All of this for a very small price to pay.
"Let me guess, my dragon?" Daenerys said with a sneer.
"Hehe, don't worry. We don't need all the dragons. You have three, we only need two."
"One more, and I also need more weapons, armor, and food."
Lu Xuan could see a flicker of excitement on the faces of those benevolent buyers. Clearly, their target was only one animal. They were simply asking for an exorbitant price and then trying to haggle.
"Deal. This is the whip that controls the Unsullied. As long as you possess it, you will be able to command all the Unsullied before you."
Daenerys took the riding crop inlaid with countless jewels, and then handed the chain in her hand to the benevolent master.
The other end of the chain belonged to Drogon, one of the three dragons. At that moment, it was struggling violently, and it took four or five soldiers to barely hold it back.