boyutpedia Chapter 89: Please, sir, save me!
Chapter 89: Please, sir, save me!
"I have heard that the Cat Band is the most powerful mercenary group in Essos, renowned for its martial prowess among the trading city-states."
"Upon seeing it today, it turns out it was just the bard's nonsense."
Jiang Gan still held his head high, not even deigning to glance at the stiff-faced, blood-bearded man.
"Currently, I, the Targaryen, Braavos, and your three thousand Cat Legion infantry form a three-way balance of power. However, among us, one is strong and two are weak. I wonder if you wish to join forces with the two weaker ones to resist my Heavenly Kingdom's army, or to submit to the true dragon and retain your wealth and honor?"
Jiang Gan paced back and forth in the tent, and with each step he took, the faces of everyone inside darkened.
"May I ask, sir, where is the way out for my three thousand brothers?" Bloodbeard's face was bitter. He was a ruthless killer who had just recently tried to intimidate the visitor, but now he was being led by the nose by the visitor.
It's simply that he had fewer troops, while Visser had more.
"Your Excellency has three thousand warriors. Warriors risk their lives for wealth, fight for glory, and draw their swords to win a beautiful woman's smile, but they will never die alongside a dying man or a destroyed nation," Jiang Gan said with a smile.
"These past few days, I've been troubled by this every night."
The Braavos Council of Five's cobbled-together self-defense force consisted of no more than three thousand ragtag men; the citizens were driven by self-interest and feared death, with no one willing to fight to the death for the city-state.
How could my three thousand brothers in the Cat Clan possibly sacrifice their lives for a pile of gold and silver that they can't spend?
"You should know, envoy, that although my Cat Legion answered Braavos's call, from beginning to end, my soldiers have never fought a single battle against your army! For this sake, envoy, please speak frankly: where does our way out lie?"
Bloodbeard strode forward and stood before Jiang Qianmian, asking earnestly.
"I, King Viser, am a descendant of the true dragon, the rightful monarch of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, and the sole heir to the Iron Throne. With tens of thousands of troops under my command and the aid of the warriors of Loras, I will annihilate city-states and sweep away lords in an instant. Can such a hero be called a conqueror?"
Jiang Gan gestured behind him, as if inviting Viserys.
"Such a hero naturally deserves the name of conqueror," Bloodbeard replied instinctively.
"Such a hero, can he be the leader of the three thousand warriors of the Cat Clan?" Jiang Gan pressed.
"This... my original intention was to implore Your Majesty to clear the way and allow my Cat Clan to leave, so that we may never again be enemies of the Targaryens, and Your Majesty's army may then march straight into Braavos." Bloodbeard replied with a somewhat evasive gaze.
"Why are you still dreaming? Our army can annihilate the nation in an instant. Three thousand more or less of you makes no difference. I have come to save your three thousand men. If you do not listen, when our army arrives, not a blade of grass will remain!"
After Jiang Gan finished speaking, he turned to leave.
Without Bloodbeard even needing to give an order, the core members of the Cat Clan who had been listening for a while stepped forward to stop Jiang Gan, their faces ashen.
"Envoy, please wait! To be honest, I have an unresolved blood feud with the ragged prince of the Wind Blowing Legion. I fear that if I submit to the true dragon, I will be framed by villains, which will implicate my three thousand men," the blood-bearded man said, his face flushed.
"That's not right. Prince Raggedy is a legion commander under my King Visser. What right does he have to interfere and harm others? Besides, what grudge or resentment can't be resolved?"
Jiang Gan turned around reluctantly and looked at Bloodbeard, saying:
"If you listen to me and submit to the true dragon, kick this dilapidated house in Braavos, you could become a legion commander, and it's not impossible that you'll be ennobled and rewarded with land in the future. Are you really only willing to be a mercenary for the rest of your life?"
"I have a deep-seated hatred for Prince Ragnarok, and I once sided with Braavos against His Majesty. Will His Majesty truly grant me a title?"
Jiang Gan's words struck a chord with Bloodbeard; a noble title was something he had always dreamed of.
He had risked his life for half his life, and his wealth was more than enough for him. The only things that could still attract him now, besides stunningly beautiful women, were his status as a knight.
"Look at me, I was just a commoner not long ago. But because I was able to act as an advocate and persuade the warriors of Loras to help me, His Majesty appointed me as the Minister of Foreign Affairs. It's not like I'm untouchable as the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the future."
"I am already capable of shouldering great responsibilities. You have three thousand brave warriors. If you achieve further merit, do you still fear that I, King Visser, will not reward you and give you an important position?"
Jiang Qian's confident tone made the Bloodbeard turn his back and fall into deep thought.
Seeing this, Jiang Gan didn't disturb the other party. He just stood there with his hands behind his back, looking like he had everything under control.
After a long pause, Bloodbeard made up his mind. Damn it, all grudges are nothing compared to status. As long as I can become a nobleman, I'll pay any price!
Having made up his mind, Bloodbeard suddenly turned around and looked at Jiang Gan, saying:
"Your Excellency, my mind is made up! I will lead the Cat Clan to submit to the True Dragon!"
After speaking, Bloodbeard turned his gaze to the group of key members inside the tent:
"My mind is made up; I will pledge my allegiance to His Majesty Viserys! You have all crawled out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, and you have already amassed enough gold and silver. Now, an opportunity to gain status and become noble lords is presented before you. Are you willing to follow me? Just say the word!"
"Boss, just tell us what to do! We'll do whatever you say!"
"There's no time to lose. We should have surrendered to His Majesty long ago. If we continue to stick with this lousy ship, Braavos, we're all doomed!"
"Damn it, I'll risk it all! If I could be a nobleman for even a few days in this life, I'd gladly give up ten years of my life!"
The core members of the Cat Clan inside the tent had already been swayed by Jiang Qian's words and were starting to have their own ideas.
To put it bluntly, if Bloodbeard hadn't figured things out today, or if he was still thinking of sitting back and watching the fight, all his men would have swarmed him and killed him, then joined forces with Jiang Gan to defect to Viserys.
"Alright, you all know how to seize the moment. I, Wang Weisai, will absolutely not treat you unfairly. Wealth, status, beautiful women, honor—everything is laid out before you, within your grasp. All you have to do is put in a little effort!"
Having successfully fooled people again, Jiang Gan secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but maintained a respectable demeanor on the surface, continuing to paint a rosy picture for Bloodbeard and the others.
"Envoy, although the few thousand self-defense troops in Braavos are a rabble, the Sea King's Palace still has several hundred elite guards."
"And in the city, besides my Cat Legion, there's also Gillo Reha's Long Spear Legion and Dario Naharis's Raven Legion." Bloodbeard pulled Jiang Gan to a corner and whispered.
"Oh? How many of them are there?" Jiang Gan asked.
"The Long Spear Regiment recently clashed with our unit, suffering heavy casualties. Originally eight hundred men, only six or seven hundred remained after a fierce battle."
But their reputation still stands, and in the past few days they've absorbed several small mercenary groups, now numbering around a thousand. As for Dario's Raven Legion, originally two hundred wounded soldiers, they've relied on their old name, taken gold from the Iron Treasury to recruit more men, and absorbed several more small groups, now boasting four or five hundred men.
Bloodbeard thought for a moment and said.