The three-day purge resulted in the deaths of over five thousand people in the riots. Daenerys finally ordered the purge to end. There were certainly more than a few who escaped. But equally, there were undoubtedly innocent victims. For the first time, she experienced the cruelty of being queen.
Stopping the purge was no longer of any consequence. The three consecutive days of riots had completely dismantled the core structure of the Harpy's Children. The few remaining survivors huddled in corners, trembling with fear, terrified of being exposed and dragged out and hung in the square. They had no will to organize and hunt down the Unsullied.
Several difficult problems were easily solved by Lu Xuan. The city of Astapo finally returned to normal. Various commercial activities gradually resumed, and the citizens who had been freed from slavery gradually adapted to their new lives.
Some continued their previous work, now receiving a salary. Others were selected and entered the Queen's newly recruited army for training.
Lu Xuan selected five thousand of the strongest and healthiest men from among the slaves and began preliminary training. This was to compensate for the lack of adaptability among the Unsullied. There was no other way; these soldiers were purely fighting machines. They were fine for battle, but maintaining order within the city was simply too much of a burden for them, and somewhat of a waste of their talents.
In addition to these five thousand people, Lu Xuan also advocated and promoted an educational reform. All children in the city who were of suitable age were forced to receive education.
At the same time, a portion of them will be selected for military training. The soldiers trained from slaves, due to their age, will ultimately achieve limited success. Lu Xuan plans to train them from a young age, creating an army where everyone can read and write, or rather, receive political education. They will gradually replace the Unblemished.
Lu Xuan had done this more than once before, so he was quite adept at it.
While helping Daenerys rule the city, Lu Xuan naturally didn't neglect his main tasks. For one thing, after conquering the city, he acquired four Valyrian steel swords (there are thousands of Valyrian steel swords on the continent of Essos, but most are in Volantis. They are the Valyrian heirs).
Three of them ended up in Lu Xuan's hands, and the other was given to Jorah. Lu Xuan is now searching for people to reforge these Valyrian steel swords and create a set of equipment of his own.
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Chapter 256 Barristan Enters Astapo
In the port of Astapo, a ship docked. Large quantities of grain were unloaded from the pier. A passenger who had traveled on the ship also disembarked.
This was a tall, imposing warrior who appeared to be quite old. He wore a cloak of greyish-white armor, most of which was concealed within a large cloak. However, a strand of white hair peeked out from under the hood. Despite his age, he still looked strong and elegant. In particular, his pair of blue eyes, which exuded a melancholy air, added to his charm.
This is none other than Barristan, the legendary knight of Westeros. Once the leader of the Kingsguard, he is the most legendary warrior on the continent.
Whether in the eyes of enemies or friends, Ser Barristan was an impeccable knight. He was hailed as the most deserving knight of all time to bear the title of Kingsguard.
Unfortunately, Emperor Joffrey had a different opinion. Upon ascending the throne, he immediately dismissed his most trusted bodyguard. Lu Xuan could only say, truly worthy of being called one of the greatest emperors of all time...
Sir Barristan looked around, feeling somewhat intrigued.
As soon as the boat docked, a group of shirtless men rushed over, shouting things like, "Five copper coins, four copper coins."
The cargo owner casually picked five or six people and had them board the ship to unload the goods. The others returned to the shade with disappointed expressions, waiting for the next ship.
Dozens of ships were docked at the entire pier. This scene repeated itself at almost every dock. The pier, teeming with thousands, was chaotic, bustling, and prosperous. Even King's Landing, the most prosperous of the Seven Kingdoms, did not boast such a thriving commercial scene.
Not far away, a squad of soldiers clad in light armor, wielding shields and spears, was stationed around the harbor. Motionless and unwavering, they were clearly an elite force. Compared to them, the golden-robed soldiers of King's Landing were nothing but a bunch of useless trash.
Emerging from the chaotic yet prosperous port, Sir Barristan discovered that the entire harbor was surrounded by makeshift fences. To leave, one had to pass through specific exits. And at those exits, someone was registering the information of everyone entering or leaving.
Barristan's sword and dagger drew even more attention to him. He even saw four soldiers wielding spears approaching him.
The other party asked him a few questions, such as who he was and what he was doing in Astapo. Barristan replied that he was a mercenary who had come to the city hoping to find work to earn a living.
"That might disappoint you. Her Majesty the Queen doesn't like using mercenaries. She has enough Unsullied warriors. And a brand new army is being trained. You undisciplined mercenaries have never been on her radar. Haven't you noticed that there aren't any mercenaries at the docks?"
Barristan then realized the problem the other person had mentioned. The docks were supposed to be a melting pot of mercenaries. But along the way, he hadn't seen a single mercenary like himself carrying a sword. No wonder the guards were so wary of him.
"But I don't have any other skills besides swordsmanship. I wonder if there's anywhere here where someone like me can get a meal?"
Because there weren't many people entering the city at this time. There was no one in line behind Barristan, but he didn't seem annoyed; instead, he asked...
How's your swordsmanship?
"To put it simply, when I was young, I once won the championship of a martial arts tournament across the sea."
"Sounds alright." The statistician's words nearly made Barristan lose his composure. What did he mean by "alright"? This was the champion of the martial arts tournament!
"If that's the case, then I recommend you try the military camp. Lord Lu is currently recruiting some experienced swordsmen or knights to serve as junior instructors for the army. If you are confident in your swordsmanship, you can give it a try. The training camp is located in the northeast corner of the city, it's very conspicuous, you'll see it as soon as you get there."
"Thank you for your help." Barristan thanked the statistician. He had finally truly entered the city.
It was completely different, that was Barristan's first impression. A feeling entirely different from King's Landing. Everyone here was full of energy. Most of them weren't wealthy, at least their clothes were rather plain. But they were all excited, and everyone was working.
The dockworkers, the shops, the stalls, and the plantations were all bustling with activity. Before arriving, Barristan had heard that Daenerys had freed the city's slaves. He admired the reforms but was concerned about the brutality of the methods. He had expected to see a chaotic city. But instead, he found it orderly and thriving, completely different from his expectations. He could only conclude that the young girl had done a far better job than he had anticipated.
And then there was that Sir Luther King Jr. He'd heard of him, this knight with the strange name. Not only was he currently the commander of the Dragon Queen's army, but he was also the Chief Archmage of the Court, the Queen's magical advisor. Born in Westeros, Barristan was quite averse to magic. He'd even once thought that Sir Luther King Jr. had somehow bewitched Daenerys. However, he knew he couldn't meet Daenerys directly, so he decided to go to the military camp first.
Military camps are not places to be visited casually. Even training camps are military strongholds. Barristan was immediately surrounded by more than a dozen Unsullied as he approached. Feeling the impenetrable coldness of these soldiers, Barristan decisively abandoned his plan to test the waters.
"I'm here to apply for an instructor position." The Unsullied soldier remained completely focused until an officer approached.
Blue Bug (The Unsullied are named after various insects. Gray Bug, Blue Bug, Red Bug, etc.) is the second-in-command of the Unsullied after Gray Bug. He is also Lu Xuan's second-in-command in the training camp.
He walked over, looked Barristan up and down a few times, and then said.
"Come with me."
Barristan finally entered the military camp. He had already heard various shouts and calls from inside while he was still outside. Only after entering did he truly see the scene inside.
On the vast and spacious open space, two thousand teenagers, divided into more than a dozen groups, were engaged in various training exercises. Some were in neat formations, running around the training field, constantly chanting in unison, "One, two!" Most importantly, their steps were astonishingly synchronized. Every lift of their leg and landing was perfectly synchronized, as if they were a single entity.
If placed in the modern world, the level of neat running during university military training would leave Barristan speechless.
As for the other teams, some were bouncing around on the flat ground like frogs. Others were lying on the ground, hands on the ground, constantly rising and falling. Still others were lying on their backs, using their waist strength to keep going. Barristan was dazzled by all the strange and unusual exercises. But he didn't see any real, realistic training.
It's all physical training. There's no other way; most of these children were bought into slavery. Their physical condition can't be very good. Some have even been castrated in preparation for Unsullied training.
Lu Xuan's first task was to improve their basic physical fitness. The sight of two thousand teenagers training with such enthusiasm was exhilarating even for Barristan.
Westeros is a feudal system. When war breaks out, the lords gather their vassals, and together they form an army to fight. When have you ever seen such a large-scale, centralized training exercise?