Game of Thrones: Rise of the Supreme Dragon Queen

They couldn't keep calm anymore!

Some of them couldn't even sleep.

In the early hours before dawn, a group of esteemed lords and great masters scrambled out of their beds like startled chicks, rushing frantically toward the Grand Master's pyramid.

"How is this possible?! Just last night, we were discussing the ransom for the prisoners with her. Back then, her camp still had fifty thousand soldiers. Even if dragons can fly, even if—sigh!—from Yunkai to Meereen, it's 250 kilometers. Along the way, there are so many estates and merchants—did they all go blind? And in just three days, how could an army of fifty thousand march 250 kilometers? They had already forced-marched 600 kilometers before this."

The Grand Master slumped onto a wooden chair cushioned with a fur rug, his expression filled with despair. He scanned the assembled military officers, hoping that one of them—a man of wisdom—could unravel the questions plaguing his mind.

Among them were no shortage of seasoned veterans and renowned generals. The Tattered Prince had thirty years of military experience. Grazdan was a graduate of the prestigious "military academy" and had served as Yunkai's God of War for ten years. The Fleet Commander had sailed the seas and fought countless battles. Even the least experienced among them, Zidane, had served five years in the Braavosi legions—three of them as a cavalry battalion commander.

Yet none of them could figure out the simplest question:

How did we lose?

"Let's go over this again," Yazan, the strategist, finally spoke.

Yazan had once been the most intelligent man in Yunkai, a peer to the God of War, Grazdan. The two were known as the "Twin Pillars of Yunkai," shining brilliantly in their era.

But Grazdan had been lucky, following a stable and promising career path with boundless potential.

Yazan, on the other hand, had a more unconventional mind. His intelligence drove him to explore the unknown, searching for truths beyond this world. However, during an expedition to Sothoryos, the land across the sea from Essos, he contracted a strange disease. Once a young and talented prodigy, he was reduced to a paralyzed man, unable to control the lower half of his body.

Even so, he used his intellect to amass a vast fortune, becoming the wealthiest man in Yunkai.

"Last night, you said the Dragon Queen's camp still had fifty thousand soldiers?" Yazan looked at Zidane.

"Yes," Zidane nodded.

"You counted the smoke?" Yazan frowned.

"Not just the number of campfires. I also estimated using several methods: the number of tents within the camp's perimeter, the soldiers present, and the overall size of the camp. Every method led to the same conclusion—fifty thousand," Zidane explained.

Yazan turned to Danzō and asked, "Are you certain you saw the Dragon Queen herself?"

"How could that be faked? Silver hair, violet eyes, breathtakingly beautiful. More importantly, the aura—she looked exactly like a queen," Danzō frowned.

He was an old man, well-traveled and well-educated, even a poet. His judgment was rarely wrong.

Yazan muttered thoughtfully, "Perhaps the dragons could—"

"Wait a minute—"

Grazdan suddenly stepped forward, staring at Danzō in shock. "You saw the woman's face?"

"I'm not blind. Of course, I saw her face," Danzō replied, confused.

"She wasn't wearing a great helm?" Grazdan pressed further.

"What kind of nonsense is that? It was nighttime, in her own tent—why would she wear a great helm?" Danzō was even more baffled.

"Who was with her?"

"The red-haired Lyla from the Rose Company, a few Unsullied."

"Sigh… The last time she negotiated with us, she was fully armored, wearing a faceplate. The Kingsguard and Blood Riders were present. You may have met a very skilled actress," a Great Master from Meereen lamented.

He had been part of the ten-lord coalition last time, and like Grazdan, he was one of the lucky ones who managed to escape back to Yunkai.

"This…" Yazan, the paralyzed strategist, was stunned. "Such cunning from the Dragon Queen."

The Tattered Prince rubbed his temples wearily and asked, "Then what about the extra fifty thousand soldiers?"

If the Dragon Queen's military tactics were this brilliant—if she had even conquered Meereen in one fell swoop—it seemed inevitable that she would soon rule all of Slaver's Bay.

It was unlikely he would ever get his long-awaited golden cloak.

To claim Pentos, he would have to deal with the cunning Illyrio. But how could he persuade that fat spice merchant?

What a headache!

Instead of answering the Tattered Prince's question, Yazan flipped through the letters from Meereen one by one.

Everyone remained silent, their expressions grave, waiting for the strategist's analysis. The palace grew eerily quiet, save for the sound of Yazan turning pages and the occasional—pfft—gurgle—from his seat.

"Forty-five Great Masters, seventy-eight high nobles and merchants, all swore that the Dragon Queen brought fifty thousand elite soldiers into Meereen—certainly not disguised slaves," Yazan finally said, setting the letters down. His thick fingers absently stroked the thigh of his courtesan, who blushed but remained silent.

"At dusk, when the Dragon Queen's army entered the city, many people counted the torches one by one—forty-five thousand soldiers entered the Great Pyramid.

Yes, the Dragon Queen personally led her three dragons and stormed the Great Pyramid of Meereen, seizing vast amounts of grain, gold, and silver."

Following the traditions of Old Ghis, the three great cities—Meereen, Yunkai, and Astapor—each had a massive central pyramid known as the "Great Pyramid," serving as the city's administrative and military hub.

For example, Muriniyo held the title of Grand Master because the Daznak family controlled Yunkai's Great Pyramid.

In terms of wealth alone, Muriniyo Daznak wasn't even in the top three. He wasn't as rich as Grazdan, the God of War.

"If Meereen truly has at least forty-five thousand soldiers, then what about our forces outside the city…?"

Grazdan's gaunt face suddenly flushed red, as if he had suffered the greatest humiliation. He roared,

"This is outrageous! There are barely any men left outside our city—the camp is empty!"

"What was that dense crowd of people the scout saw?" Zidane asked in confusion.

"The camp is fake, the Mother of Dragons is fake, and naturally, the soldiers inside could also be fake. This is a brilliantly executed deception."

A sharp gleam flashed in Yazan's eyes as if he had unraveled the entire mystery. With absolute certainty, he said, "I am sure that among the three camps—the front, middle, and rear—only the rear camp, 13 kilometers away, is real. It likely holds siege weapons crafted by conscripted laborers and is guarded by thousands of soldiers."

"Why do you think so?" Grazdan asked, puzzled.

"Do you really think the Mother of Dragons is satisfied with just taking Meereen?" Yazan said coolly.

A collective gasp ran through the room.

Grazdan gritted his teeth so hard they made a grinding sound. He spat bitterly, "So, she knew that after taking Meereen, we would receive messages from the great masters and quickly realize the truth about her camp.

Knowing the ruse couldn't last, she simply consolidated her forces, moving all her troops and siege engines to the rear camp.

Even if we discovered the deception, attacking the rear camp would take time, and by then, that woman would have already transported food from Meereen, sealing Yunkai's fate."

"What do we do now? That woman is terrifying—she has predicted everything." A plump young master, on the verge of tears, lamented, "She has three dragons, more soldiers than us, and yet she refuses to engage us in a traditional, glorious siege battle!

She's stronger than us and smarter than us—it's just not fair! How are we supposed to fight this?"

"Sigh… Once word spreads about the battles in Slaver's Bay this past month, Daenerys will be remembered as a legend. And we… we will be the fools who made her a legend.

When tales of the Dragon Queen are told for generations, some of us will be ridiculed by children listening to old nursemaids' stories for a thousand, ten thousand years!" Yazan said dejectedly.

"Bang!"

Grazdan, one of the soon-to-be ridiculed fools, slammed the table and roared with a twisted expression, "No! I refuse to be remembered as a laughingstock for eternity! We have to do something."

"What can we do now? Just wait for the Dragon Queen's hundred thousand troops to surround the city. With her influence, recruiting fifty thousand slave soldiers in Meereen is as easy as breathing." Yazan said in despair.

"I need to vent my anger. I'll take it out on the thousands of soldiers in her rear camp. I'll uproot the nails she left in Yunkai." Grazdan declared, standing up and heading toward the exit.

"Wait! It's too late now. Don't fall into her ambush." The Great Master shouted.

Grazdan turned back and swept his gaze over the fearful faces of the gathered masters, great lords, and mercenaries. He said flatly, "If there's an ambush, then I'll die in it."

"You—"

Grazdan raised his hand, cutting off the Great Master's words. "I will only take my own House Erraz riders out of the city."

With that, he strode away, head held high.

The Ragged Prince watched his straightened back and murmured, "That is a warrior."

"No, he is Yunkai's God of War." The Great Master said sorrowfully.

"...A God of War whose fate is cursed, for he encountered the world-shaking Dragon Queen." Yazan murmured.

He couldn't help but think of himself. Once, the "Twin Heroes of Yunkai" had been glorious, invincible. Now, one was a cripple who could not control his own bowels, and the other, a general who lost battle after battle.

Tragic. Truly tragic.

Was this the work of the gods, jealous of talent?

Yazan wallowed in self-pity.

No one felt like going home to sleep anymore. They remained in the Great Master's palace, prepared to send off Grazdan on his final journey.

"Report—!"

About three hours later, around two in the morning, a blood-soaked soldier in a yellow silk cloak stumbled into the hall, panting heavily, his emotions running high. "Report! Great Master, General Grazdan, he…"

"Sigh, no need to say more. I understand." Mourinho, seated at the oval table, waved his hand, interrupting the messenger. "Prepare the general's body. I will pay my respects to him at dawn."

"Uh…" The soldier in yellow silk raised his head, stunned. "Great Master, what are you talking about?"

"What?" The Great Master was taken aback.

"Grazdan led 500 cavalry and utterly crushed the enemy, setting fire to over ten miles of their camps, slaughtering countless foes, and burning down vast supplies of food and equipment. He also rescued 500 prisoners! Great Master, we achieved a great victory!"

"…"

"…"

Everyone was dumbstruck, as if they had seen a ghost.

After a long silence, the Ragged Prince finally found his voice and asked, "The enemy didn't set an ambush?"

"Oh, they didn't have enough troops to do so. According to Miss Meris, the Dragon Queen deliberately used an 'Empty Fort Strategy' to scare us." The soldier grinned.

"Meris was rescued too?" Danzo asked in surprise.

"The captives had their mouths gagged and were tied up in the front camp to serve as 'decoy soldiers' for the Empty Fort Strategy. Not only were the mercenaries saved, but several hundred of our lost brothers were among them."

"Empty Fort Strategy? What a brilliant trick! We had tens of thousands of troops and were bluffed into inaction for three whole days! Three deadly days!" Yazan laughed bitterly.

Though he still couldn't understand how the enemy had managed to march a weary 50,000-strong army 250 kilometers in just three days, he had at least figured out how they had lost this war.

"How did Meris figure out the Mother of Dragons' strategy?" The Ragged Prince asked in confusion.

"That knight, Lyla, under the Dragon Queen's command, told her. They saw no reason to keep it secret from prisoners. They knew the Dragon Queen was destined to win. In fact, more than a dozen mercenaries immediately switched sides to join her."

"I see." The Great Master nodded, understanding the nature of mercenaries—they always sided with the victor.

The Dragon Queen was indeed clever to use such methods to turn prisoners into allies.

"Did Meris say anything else?" Danzo inquired.

The soldier smirked and said, "Miss Meris said the Empty Fort Strategy was brilliantly executed. If we were smart, we would definitely fall for it, too afraid to act rashly. But… 'Empty Fort Strategies' don't work on brutes and idiots."

The Great Master. The Ragged Prince. Yazan.

(End of Chapter)

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