latelenovela #188 - Chapter 34: Courting Death (IV)
#188 - Chapter 34: Courting Death (IV)
Janos Slynt was very unpopular among the Gold Cloaks ever since he took office as Commander of the City Watch, following the death of his predecessor, Commander Manly Stokeworth. He had been the captain of the Iron Gate, but was promoted to the position by the Hand of the King, Jon Arryn.
During Janos's tenure as Commander of the City Watch, he was best known for openly buying and selling positions and accepting bribes. Before Jon Arryn's death, almost all the soldiers and more than half the officers had to hand over a portion of their pay to him. Some Gold Cloaks couldn't bear it any longer and were willing to testify against him before Jon Arryn, but these two individuals died mysteriously shortly thereafter.
Although Jon Arryn wanted to dismiss Slynt, King Robert said, "The guy has some ability. It’s better for him to openly line his pockets than for others to do it secretly. What if the next one is even worse?" As a result, Slynt's position remained secure until both of them died.
According to rumors, Stannis had expressed that if he ever became king, Slynt would pay the price for his actions, and it would be more than just losing his position.
Yet, Eddard Stark actually considered winning him over to depose Cersei and welcome Stannis back as king. Unless Slynt was insane, he knew which side he should be on. He agreed to Eddard's offer of six thousand gold dragons, then immediately betrayed Eddard to Cersei with the help of Petyr Baelish, because Cersei offered an even higher price: twelve thousand gold dragons, plus being granted a landed lordship. When Varys told Eddard about this treachery, Eddard was so angry that he repeatedly slapped himself.
After Slynt was ennobled, everyone knew he wouldn't remain as Commander of the City Watch for long. Slynt himself understood that his status had changed. His purpose this time was to select men, a tacit agreement he had reached with the Queen Mother. He took his most trusted confidants to Harrenhal, leaving behind a relatively clean City Watch for Cersei to fill with her own people.
He quickly selected eight hundred men, most of whom were his loyal followers. They usually followed Slynt in bullying others, paying less tribute than their colleagues, and causing trouble in King's Landing. However, these men were not weak in combat. When they learned they were going to raid the homes of nobles with their leader, they were extremely excited.
Janos Slynt waved his hand, and eight hundred Gold Cloaks marched out of the Dragon Gate barracks in formation. He himself proudly rode his warhorse, followed by his two adult sons, enjoying the attention of the people of King's Landing.
In reality, the City Watch previously had a total strength of nearly five thousand two hundred men. When Janos Slynt negotiated with Eddard, he claimed to have two thousand men absolutely under his command.
Among these eight hundred men, over a hundred had participated in the coup in the throne room. They were the most trusted of his confidants, best equipped, and wore thick wool robes woven and dyed gold. Their armor, boots, and gauntlets were gold, and the officers wore gold breastplates decorated with the sigil of the realm.
They were usually used as guards, generally equipped with short swords and black iron spears, and sometimes with iron hammers and shields.
Several captains of the City Watch watched from the sidelines, their eyes revealing ambiguous expressions.
Ser Jacelyn Bywater, the captain of the River Gate, known as "Ironhand," was the man who lost his right hand in the siege of Pyke. He had been knighted alongside Lewyn Martell and Jorah Mormont. After the war, he returned to King's Landing with the King and has since served in the City Watch. He lost to Slynt in the last election for Commander, and has been suppressed by Slynt ever since. Despite this, he is very experienced and has always controlled the most important River Gate out of the seven gates.
Jacelyn stroked his iron hand, pondered for a long time, and whispered to his confidant, "Find the jewels I've treasured and find the most beautiful jewelry box in the Street of Steel. I'm going to visit the Queen Mother." This was a good opportunity. He didn't think Slynt could easily defeat Liu Yuan, because he had seen that guy command troops on the battlefield.
Out of envy, he had secretly inquired about him. That elite heavy infantry was personally trained by Liu Yuan. After becoming independent, he would definitely take them away. There were over four hundred of them. These wastes in the City Watch are probably no match for them.
So his opportunity had come. Regardless of whether Slynt succeeded or not, as long as he pledged allegiance to the Queen Mother in advance, the position of Commander of the City Watch would definitely be his.
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Liu Yuan was somewhat dumbfounded after receiving the information. "Damn it, I've transferred another five thousand reinforcements over here, and Cersei only sent eight hundred people. Who are they looking down on? Bick, I'll leave these Gold Cloaks to you. Kill everyone who came this time. Use Joffrey's suggestion and fill both sides of the Kingsroad with their heads."
He really wasn't in the mood to deal with these people. Ever since his strength broke through the False Core Realm, he found that his personality seemed to be affected by the crystal core in his head. He couldn't muster any interest in many things. He knew this was because he lacked a worthy opponent and couldn't vent through combat. After his state of mind stabilized for a while, he would return to normal.
Rickon was still very smart. Ever since Liu Yuan started being strict with him, his strength had improved rapidly, and his understanding of the Jagged Sword Style was quite profound. Rickon's other talent had also been discovered. Now he had a large number of skinchangers under his command. Under their guidance, Rickon could already connect his mind with Shaggydog. Shaggydog's growth had also become faster, and his size had clearly surpassed Nymeria and Lady. What exactly was the principle behind this? Liu Yuan hadn't figured it out yet.
This time, Rickon actively requested to watch the battle, and Liu Yuan didn't refuse him. "Alright! I agree. Grig, Rickon's safety is in your hands. As long as he's not injured, he can do whatever he wants."
Janos Slynt led his army, marching mightily on the avenue. The passersby and caravans all avoided them from afar, clearing the road. The Gold Cloaks had a mission and had no interest in extorting them.
The lords who passed by closed their castles one after another, coldly watching these uninvited guests from the towers. From the Sow's Horn tower, Ser Roger Hogg sighed as he watched the Gold Cloaks gradually disappear into the distance, "Another group of people coming to die. Don't the adults in the Red Keep know to send someone to understand the situation first?" He had visited Highgarden. The garrison of such a large city would definitely not be less than four thousand. Looking back at his dozen or so subordinates, he silently shed tears in his heart.
Leaving the Kingsroad, Janos felt that something was wrong, because the originally inconspicuous path had gradually turned into a flat, wide, grayish-white hard surface. The horses' hooves made a stone-like sound on it! Tall trees were neatly planted on both sides of the road, stretching straight into the distance. Looking far ahead, there was a shadow at the end of the road.