Chapter 411

Unexpectedly to Aegor, the expressions of bitterness and anger on the queen's face flickered only for a moment before vanishing into the void. Daenerys quickly composed herself again.

For a brief instant, Daenerys had indeed succumbed to mild emotional instability. However, with the higher mission and ideal of "breaking the wheel of history" placed before her, and seated across the table from her was the first person in the world who truly seemed to understand her—and who might even help her achieve that goal—she was determined not to lose her composure.

"I understand now. The Reach cannot become a loyal and reliable support for me. Their decision to voluntarily pledge allegiance is only a ploy to get me to quickly help them deal with Stannis, and then restore the previous status quo where no one could control them, and everyone had to buy grain from them." She nodded, articulating the point Aegor wanted to make. "But at least, on the surface, they haven’t completely severed ties with House Targaryen. They have soldiers and food. Why shouldn’t I play along for now, use their power to unify the Seven Kingdoms, and then take some time to recuperate before finding a way to counter them and diminish their strength?"

Daenerys's reasoning was correct—it was the same path countless rulers had taken throughout history: seize the throne first and deal with the meritocrats later.

After all, no matter how advanced one’s governing philosophies or how grand one’s reform blueprints, they need a platform to be implemented. If the war itself couldn't be won, wouldn’t it all become mere armchair theorizing, a laughingstock for the ages?

With her former temperament, Daenerys likely wouldn’t have even bothered considering the issue so carefully—after all, she had three dragons. She could simply burn her way through.

But after landing in Westeros, the defensive system in King’s Landing crafted by Stannis and the appearance of scorpion bolt throwers had greatly tempered her excessive pride and confidence. It made her realize one simple fact: the age of dragons being unstoppable was over. Following the old path of her “Conqueror” ancestor was no longer viable.

Logically, this was a good thing—who wouldn’t want the monarch they served to be a little more rational and calm?

Yet, in truth, Aegor was somewhat troubled. While Daenerys’s plan was sound, it wasn’t the path most aligned with his interests. Armed with the ultimate trump card of gunpowder weapons, he was confident in achieving overwhelming success on the battlefield, breaking through by force and avoiding all the twists and turns.

However, while modern weaponry could crush medieval cold steel, his brain wasn’t anatomically different from the "ancient people" of Westeros. He didn’t delude himself into thinking that just because he had studied Marxist philosophy, ideological ethics, and a few popular psychology and sociology books, he, a new player born as an engineer, could toy with the world’s old aristocrats at will.

Political struggles were far more complex than chemical reactions.

Recruiting allies first and settling scores later might sound simple, but its execution required extraordinary finesse—a skill Aegor did not excel at. Open attacks were easy to avoid, but hidden daggers were not. Instead of building an alliance packed with various factions only to deal with internal strife after securing victory, he preferred to plan things from the outset, assembling fewer interest groups so that he alone could claim the ultimate credit and rewards.

Unfortunately, modern weaponry was his ace in the hole, and he had no intention of revealing it prematurely—not even to Daenerys. As much as he wanted to assure her, "Don’t worry, I have a weapon called cannon that can flatten the Seven Kingdoms for you, and I’ll give it to you if you sleep with me," Aegor suppressed the urge. Everything would proceed according to plan.

Now, without exposing his trump card, how could he use reasoning and persuasion to turn Daenerys’s otherwise correct approach into something seemingly flawed?

"Your Majesty's plan has merit, but it’s not the optimal strategy. The reasons can be analyzed from both objective and subjective perspectives. To summarize before elaborating: first, strike when the enemy is weak; second, avoid multiple waves of harm."

"Go on, I’m listening." Daenerys nodded—she enjoyed hearing Aegor’s novel concepts. Whether it was Littlefinger or Varys, their approach to assisting her was always more about "getting things done" and "telling her what to do" rather than "explaining the rationale." The Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, however, was helping her become a better ruler through the simplest and most understandable reasoning.

"The first point is straightforward. The Reach, which Your Majesty faces now, has recently endured four significant conflicts: ‘following Robert’s campaign against the Vale,’ ‘supporting Renly’s bid for the throne,’ ‘resisting Stannis’s retaliation,’ and ‘backing Young Aegon against the Crownlands and northern forces.’ While their casualty rate is lower than the other six kingdoms, their resources have been significantly depleted. Objectively, they are in the weakest state they’ve been in for centuries. Your Majesty’s idea of letting them recover and striking later is well-intentioned but overlooks one fact: the Reach holds the most fertile and densely populated plains in the Seven Kingdoms. Allowing them even a moment to catch their breath will let them recover strength far beyond what you can achieve by consolidating the Crownlands, Riverlands, and Stormlands combined."

"The second principle is more complex, mainly involving subjective factors: people’s tolerance for repeated harm has its limits. Your Majesty’s campaign to reclaim Westeros and restore the true dragon dynasty, whether supported or opposed, is generally seen as justifiable. Even if your war causes countless homes to be destroyed and families torn apart, people would only sigh and say, ‘This is war; casualties are inevitable.’" Aegor glanced at Daenerys, confirming she was paying attention before continuing, "But if, after painstakingly uniting the Seven Kingdoms and resting for two years, you then provoke another war by trying to annex the Reach into the Crownlands, how do you think the people of Westeros would react? Would they see the Reach’s rebellion as treacherous, or would they complain that you are capricious and ungrateful, grumbling, ‘Why won’t this damn queen let us have a moment’s peace?’"

"The essence of the ‘one-time harm principle’ lies here: during the conquest of the Seven Kingdoms, the people and nobles already expect a certain degree of damage to their interests. No matter how severe, they will perceive Your Majesty as powerful and unstoppable, accepting the harm with a degree of resignation and little desire for revenge. However, if after uniting the kingdoms, you attempt another centralization, and after that, yet another sweeping reform… even the most docile individuals will eventually revolt. At that point, the people of Westeros will stop looking forward to the better world you promised to build after breaking the wheel. Instead, they will rise in rebellion against the new ‘Mad Queen.’"

Daenerys pondered Aegor’s words seriously, and eventually, she nodded in agreement. "Very well. I won’t ally with the Reach, not even temporarily. However, the envoys they’ve sent are likely already waiting in my camp outside King’s Landing. I can’t very well march up to them and say, ‘I plan to annex the Reach into the Crownlands, so don’t bother helping me—just go home and wait for death.’ My Unsullied and Free Folk armies are strong, but even they can’t handle being attacked from both the front and the rear."

"This is precisely why I advised you not to reveal this plan to anyone," Aegor replied. "While Lord Baelish and Lord Varys harbor no ill will toward you, they ultimately represent the interests of the old nobility. If you discuss ‘breaking the wheel’ with them, their opposition and ridicule are secondary. The real danger is leaking the plan, which might prompt the Reach to turn against you prematurely. My suggestion is to conceal your true intentions for now and propose harsh conditions instead—restricting noble privileges, increasing taxes, and the like. Strike a balance: neither rejecting their alliance outright nor pushing them to desperation. Once the Night’s Watch has dealt with the White Walkers and Your Majesty has reclaimed the throne, you can reveal your true plans and decisively sweep these old nobles into the dustbin of history."

"I assure you, Your Majesty, you need not concern yourself with winning the war. Leave that to me!"