Chapter 12: The Dothraki

"The horse lords often come, bearing gifts, and then they will leave."

This phrase epitomizes the Free Cities' attitude towards the Dothraki.

The Dothraki are a typical nomadic people of the cold weapons era, without a unified government. They are divided into groups called "khalasars," each led by the bravest warrior—the "khal."

Their khalasars have a permanent city, Vaes Dothrak, which is their capital. However, they do not stay in the capital for long. Most of the time, they migrate with their tents, chasing water and grass.

Their economy relies heavily on raiding neighboring countries for sustenance, and for survival, the tribes also attack each other.

Several Dothraki khalasars, both new and old, pass through Pentos each year.

In a khalasar, when a khal dies, a new khal takes over; or the subordinate "khals" disperse and form several new khalasars, with the former "khals" (leaders under the king) becoming new khals; or the tribes merge with each other.

Whenever the Dothraki migrate through, the nobles of Pentos voluntarily offer gold and gifts, providing supplies to encourage them to raid elsewhere.

The people of Pentos even built magnificent palaces by the bay for the horse lords to rest in when their tribes passed by.

The nobles of the Free Cities are very satisfied with this solution. By spending money, they can avoid bloodshed and even seize the opportunity to amass wealth.

Viserys considered this to be a tribute.

However, the people of the Free Cities do not have a sense of nationality or territorial loyalty, as the actual rulers of these city-states are alliances of merchant governors/magisters.

As long as they ensure the trade routes remain open and don't hinder making money, they don't consider anything else.

What Illyrio wanted to show Viserys was a Dothraki khalasar that happened to be passing through in the past few days, reportedly numbering ten thousand strong.

Illyrio, being a merchant and a schemer who understands human nature, naturally wouldn't immediately introduce Viserys to the khalasar of the real "Khal Drogo."

He wanted Viserys to first be impressed by the Dothraki's military strength and then inform him that this was not the strongest khalasar. There was now an even more powerful khalasar, a rising power on the plains, for which he could make introductions.

Upon learning that the khalasar leader was not named Drogo, Viserys understood this point.

He also realized this was Illyrio's response to his previous reluctance.

It seemed they were quite invested in this plan to connect the last Targaryen with the Dothraki horse lord.

Viserys had already formulated a plan in his mind.

That night, he slept without dreams.

Early the next morning, Viserys got up, had a simple breakfast, and changed into the attendant clothes provided by Illyrio. Then, he left with Illyrio and his attendants.

Illyrio rode in a luxurious carriage, with two servants driving and over a dozen attendants on horseback accompanying.

Interestingly, Viserys could ride a horse. Before the fall of the Targaryen dynasty, he had spent eight years as a legitimate prince in King's Landing. The Targaryen family valued martial prowess, and Crown Prince Rhaegar, in particular, was renowned for his bravery.

Originally not in line for the throne, Viserys was being groomed to support Rhaegar as a prince. He learned martial arts from a young age (which he stopped practicing after fleeing), and naturally, he also learned to ride.

After fleeing to the Free Cities, he didn't abandon his horsemanship.

Many of the nobles who sheltered him valued martial prowess, and accompanying them on horseback outings was a way to curry favor.

Just like now, when Illyrio invited him to see the Dothraki, how could he refuse?

However, this wasn't necessarily a good thing. If his original self hadn't known how to ride, learning it could have bought him more time in critical situations.

Today was Viserys' first time walking the streets of Pentos since his arrival, and he had to admit, his impression was terrible.

There was no noticeable difference when they first left the courtyard, but once they were out of the residential area, the overwhelming stench hit him.

The morning streets were mostly empty, but the muddy roads, animal dung, and all kinds of garbage were everywhere. The mix of urine, feces, and fish smells made breathing difficult.

Despite having the original memories and being somewhat prepared for this, Viserys had still underestimated the severity of the environmental conditions in a medieval-like coastal trading city.

Fortunately, they were riding horses, and soon they crossed the streets and exited the city's massive walls, reaching the outskirts.

Although the gathering area outside the city wasn't much better, the open view and fresh air were a relief.

But this brief respite didn't last long. Soon, they arrived at a medium-sized encampment a few hundred meters outside the city. This encampment was on a small plain on the eastern outskirts, far from the shantytown built along the moat, by the Valyrian-built road.

The encampment was surrounded by simple wooden stakes, clearly a temporary setup.

Despite its simplicity, a large contingent of troops was stationed there for protection, and the camp gates were heavily guarded. When Illyrio's party arrived, they had to confirm their identity before being allowed entry.

Inside the camp, there were many mule carts loaded with goods.

The flags in front of the camp bore the emblem of the Pentos City Guard.

Once inside, Viserys began to observe.

In his previous world, he had served as a centurion for a princess, so he had some knowledge of ancient military formations. From the layout of the temporary tents and the distribution of personnel, he easily deduced that the camp held a maximum of five hundred people.

Compared to the total number, there weren't many well-armored elites; most were responsible for vigilance and guard duties. Viserys estimated there were about fifty guards in sight.

The rest of the personnel were mostly auxiliary staff responsible for escorting goods for the various merchant magisters, dressed in plain clothes without carrying weapons.

Occasionally, there were attendants of the magisters dressed in leather armor and carrying swords.

Viserys himself was now dressed as an attendant, with a leather helmet covering his hair and most of his face.

Throughout their journey, a guide conversed with Illyrio about escort matters.

Upon reaching the central tent of the encampment, Illyrio instructed the guards to wait outside while he went inside to handle some affairs.

Illyrio had already instructed Viserys to approach the leader among the guards if he had any questions. This leader was someone Viserys had seen before—it was the same person who had accompanied Illyrio when he invited Viserys in Lys.

This individual was also likely a eunuch.

From this, Viserys deduced that Illyrio's personal guards were all "Unsullied."

In this situation, Viserys spoke very little and did not move around much.

His silence and composure pleased Illyrio.

Viserys didn't care what Illyrio thought; he just made sure to observe more and speak less.

About a quarter of an hour after arriving at the camp, more and more merchant governors arrived at the central tent, and one by one, messengers emerged. Soon, this temporary encampment began showing signs of breaking camp.

More and more governors' attendants gathered outside the tent, but no incidents occurred.

Viserys noticed that many of them were similar to Illyrio's Unsullied guards—silent and calm. It seemed that using Unsullied as guards in Pentos was quite common.

In reality, because Pentos had fought a war with Braavos and lost on the battlefield, the peace treaty stipulated that the Pentoshi could not hire mercenaries, contract with free companies, or maintain any military force beyond the city guard. As a result, the wealthy had to buy Unsullied to protect their property. Some external military affairs and internal management relied on the city guard funded by the magisters. Interestingly, the largest military force within the city was actually the armed monks of the Red Temple.

Unaware of this background, Viserys merely stood among the Unsullied guards, wondering if Illyrio's arrangement to have him pose as an attendant was disrespectful or perhaps done with some perverse sense of humor.

It wasn't until most of the mule carts had left the camp that Illyrio emerged from the tent with the other magisters.

The magisters' actions varied; some bid each other farewell and returned to the city directly, while others called for their attendants to ride and catch up with the departing mule convoys.

Illyrio waited until most others had left before signaling Viserys and the group to mount their horses and follow his luxurious carriage towards the direction the mule carts had taken.

They rode in silence along the Valyrian road across the vast plain, heading east for about five or six miles until they reached a river.

This was not the natural boundary river, the Rhoyne, of Pentos but a tributary. Illyrio's carriage did not continue following the mule convoy but instead turned in a different direction, stopping at a low hill.

Then the fat magister got off his carriage, mounted a prepared horse, and led Viserys and the group up the low hill.

The fat governor signaled Viserys to come closer, and the attendants wisely kept their distance.

He said apologetically, "Your Majesty, I apologize for any inconvenience."

Viserys pretended to be magnanimous and said, "It's nothing, Magister, no need to worry."

The fat magister simply expressed his concern and quickly changed the subject, saying, "This high ground is perfect for viewing the Dothraki's procession to receive their gifts. Please wait a moment, Your Majesty."

Viserys, playing along, replied, "I had thought we would visit the Dothraki camp."

He looked out across the landscape. On the other side of the river was a plain, heavily eroded by wind and sand, with low, rolling hills in the distance, covered in sparse green grass. A wide dirt road stretched into the horizon.

Illyrio responded, "Your Majesty, you may not know this, but the Dothraki camp is quite far. Traditionally, we send gifts, and both parties meet at this point. If they camped too close, it would make the city's people uneasy. It's not that we fear these barbarians; the red priests assure us that with the protection of the Lord of Light, even if a million Dothraki attacked, we would have nothing to fear..."

This matched Viserys's observations, and he ignored Illyrio's later comments.

The eastern part of Pentos is a vast plain, ideal for cavalry. If the Dothraki camped too close and made any sudden moves, the consequences would be disastrous.

"Then how do you assess the Dothraki's real strength?" Viserys asked casually. "Aren't you afraid they might deceive you, using decoy troops to trick you into giving more 'gifts'?"

Illyrio confidently replied, "We would know, Your Majesty."

Viserys detected Illyrio's confidence and internally mocked him, while vaguely replying, "It seems you have plenty of experience with such matters."

Illyrio caught the hint of sarcasm in Viserys's tone. He glanced at Viserys, but could only see the look of eager anticipation on his face, mostly obscured by the helmet, as if he was just waiting for the Dothraki to appear, with his previous words being nothing more than an idle comment.

Looking toward the direction in which the mule caravan was moving along the road, after a while, several columns of black smoke rose from the distant low hills.

As the smoke columns rose, from about three or four miles away, the low hills began to reveal dense crowds of people and horses. From that distance, they looked like ants, so numerous that it was impossible to count them.

The dark smoke on the plains gradually rose into the sky, appearing like giant ropes hanging from the clouds at the horizon. The tiny ant-like figures began to surge from the hills, then slowly advanced toward the moving mule caravan like a black tide.

Having commanded a centurion squad on the plains of Hyrule, Viserys quickly estimated the number of appearing cavalry to be around one thousand five hundred. Judging by the distance of the marching formations, it seemed to be three squads of five hundred each.

One must admit, the sight of these thousand five hundred horsemen suddenly emerging under the sky, then gradually becoming clearer as they moved down from the low hills onto the vast plain, indeed created a profoundly impressive and daunting spectacle.

On Earth, bombarded with information, many people can't truly imagine the awe-inspiring sight of a thousand cavalry charging on an ancient battlefield. They often rely on the grand scenes shown in TV dramas. But in reality, a formation of a thousand cavalry stretching out can span four or five hundred meters.

Especially with Dothraki cavalry, who don't wear armor and are a prairie army, it's rare to see them bunched together. They excel at skirmishing and cutting through battlefields in a hunting style.

The Dothraki clearly intended to show off their strength. According to Illyrio, the troops coming to meet them suddenly launched a charge towards the mule caravan when they were about a mile apart.

Of course, there was no actual clash. The Dothraki cavalry was just displaying their power.

After a brief uproar, the charge halted, the troops turned around, and the cavalry formations merged into two groups, flanking the "gifts" sent by Pentos and surrounding them.

Even from three or four miles away, standing on the low hill, one could easily feel the thunderous impact of the charging cavalry, the rolling dust, and the overwhelming sense of being swept away by a tide of horses and men.

The spectacle was grand, but not enough to shock Viserys.

After all, the Dothraki cavalry were still human. He had seen formations filled with bizarre monsters and had commanded a centurion squad to attempt dragon-slaying.

He even had the chance to transform into a dragon himself.

This reminded Viserys that if he were to use dragon fire against thousands of troops in the future, it would be best to catch them clustered together, and he'd need an army to finish the job.

A formation of fifteen hundred cavalry stretching out four or five hundred meters was formidable. If tens of thousands of troops spread out, even if they were infantry, dealing with them would be quite a challenge.

Drawing from his own experience, Viserys realized that if faced with a dragon, troops would scatter, making it difficult for even a magic-wielding giant dragon to easily annihilate the enemy single-handedly.

This was why the Targaryens, despite having dragons, couldn't conquer Dorne and needed the support of their armies and subjects.

Illyrio watched Viserys, noticing how the young prince was captivated by the Dothraki cavalry. Seeing Viserys's silent contemplation and changing expressions, Illyrio smugly asked, "Your Grace, what do you think of the Dothraki forces?"

Viserys easily detected the hint of pride in Illyrio's tone. He couldn't tell if it was genuine or part of a calculated performance.

"Hmm, I understand now." Viserys didn't give the reaction Illyrio hoped for. Instead, he looked at him seriously. "You are sincere. Unlike those fleetingly interested nobles, Magister Illyrio, I see your ambition, your commitment, and your effort to convince me with a seemingly viable plan."

Viserys reined in his horse, positioning himself in front of Illyrio with unprecedented solemnity. "Just for that, Illyrio, you need not do much more. Maintain this ambition in your service to me, and when I reclaim the Iron Throne, the position of Master of Coin shall be yours."

Illyrio hadn't expected this reaction, but he responded, masking his surprise. "Your Grace?"

Viserys didn't answer immediately. He urged his horse forward, putting some distance between them. Before Illyrio could react in a way that might undermine Viserys's current composed demeanor, Viserys reined in his horse again, looking back and signaling Illyrio to come closer for a private conversation.

Illyrio was hesitant. After hesitating for a moment, he rode closer with a puzzled look on his face.

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