Chapter 172: The Heavenly Empire County Magistrate Who Dominates Foreign Heroes

An hour later, Dany applied a layer of "antiseptic ointment" to the sutured wound and asked the nearby physicians, "Have you all understood?"

"Our eyes have seen it, and our minds have memorized it, but... our hands just can't do it!" an old black man said with a bitter smile.

"Yes, yes, it's an extremely intricate skill. Although we've seen you do it many times, we only dare to handle ordinary knife wounds for now," another person chimed in.

"Sigh, help him wrap the gauze," Dany said while washing her hands. "Remember to change his dressing in the evening."

After capturing Meereen and coming into contact with high-ranking physicians, Dany was surprised to discover that this world actually had antiseptics!

A salve made from mustard seeds, nettles, and bread yeast.

Dany speculated that this ointment contained a small amount of penicillin—an unrefined, primitive version, much like the "mustard brine" or moldy tofu developed in the ancient Heavenly Empire.

"How is he?" Barristan asked with concern as Dany pushed open the door and left.

"If nothing unexpected happens, he should survive."

Dany beckoned to Missandei's brother, Missand, and as they walked toward the upper palace, she asked, "Where's Cleon?"

After Dany seized Meereen's Great Pyramid in a surprise attack, she took up residence there. Even after Butcher Cleon arrived in Meereen to serve as acting city lord, Dany retained ownership of the Great Pyramid.

No one dared to live in the rooms where the Queen had once stayed.

Following the precedent set in Astapor, the upper levels of the pyramid were reserved for Dany, the lower levels were converted into a courthouse for handling disputes, the ground floors became government offices, and the middle floors served as storage rooms. Unsullied and city guards could live beneath the Queen's chambers.

As the city lord of Meereen, Cleon should also be working from the Great Pyramid.

"After news of Commander Bolton's assassination spread last night, Count Breaker immediately had a maester send you a message. He personally took several hundred soldiers to search for the assassin overnight and hasn't returned yet," Missand replied.

Dany nodded, satisfied with Cleon's initiative. "What's going on with Jon? He's the commander of the city guard and the banner lord of the Red Dragon Banner. Even though I left the infantry regiment of the Royal Guard at Yunkai for farming, he still has four thousand cavalry and five thousand newly recruited militia."

Meereen had five hundred Unsullied stationed there, primarily responsible for guarding the Queen's Great Pyramid and protecting her when she was in the city.

In addition to Jon's nine thousand infantry and cavalry, Cleon had five hundred cavalry and five hundred gladiator infantry.

Jon's army belonged to Dany, tasked with maintaining Meereen's stability, while Cleon's thousand-strong force was his private army.

As a count with real power, Cleon had fiefs and the responsibility of guarding the borders for the Queen—having no army was out of the question.

Of course, this calculation didn't include Ghiscari prisoners of war and convicts, who could also be converted into soldiers if necessary.

"Well..." Missand looked embarrassed and stammered, "Last night, the Ser and several colleagues went to the XC district to find pleasure women... and didn't take many guards."

"Ugh, Jon and Lyra both... Sigh, it seems I made poor arrangements. I need to find an opportunity to transfer Lyra to Meereen."

Bruce Wayne and Lyra Umber were infantry captains in the Rose Company. After the Royal Guard was reorganized, they both continued to command the infantry.

During the northern campaign, cavalry commander Jon Bolton participated in the Meereen raid alongside Dany and had remained there ever since, while the Red Banner Army's infantry was stationed at Yunkai for farming.

"Your Grace, Count Breaker is here!" Not long after returning to the upper palace, an Unsullied guard at the door came in to report.

"Let him in."

Cleon entered, clad in knight's armor—a gilded, polished full set that shone like a golden man under the sunlight streaming through the skylight.

On both shoulders were wild boar heads with long tusks, their jaws clenching palm-sized gold rings that fixed a floor-length golden silk cloak to his armor. The cloak looked extremely heavy, sticking closely to the Butcher Count's back without billowing as he strode forward.

Embroidered on the cloak with black thread was a roaring giant holding an axe, surrounded by shattered chains—Cleon's family crest as the Count Breaker.

Cleon removed his helmet and tucked it under his arm. The scent of blood lingered as he approached the Queen's throne. From this distance, Dany could see her own reflection in the polished breastplate of his armor.

So shiny... isn't he afraid of death?

The corners of her mouth twitched as she internally mocked. Even she, the Queen, wouldn't dare wear such a flashy golden armor. On the battlefield, he'd be a giant glowing target—who knew if he'd survive even two episodes.

However, Dany didn't say anything. Whether it was golden armor or diamond armor, as long as Cleon's wealth was obtained through legitimate means, she had no right to interfere.

And Cleon was indeed rich.

Dany never shortchanged her subordinates. After conquering Slaver's Bay, nearly all high-ranking officers became wealthy men.

As the only count under the Dragon Queen's command, Cleon was rolling in wealth.

After paying his respects, Cleon declared in a loud voice, "Your Grace, do not worry! I have already captured that group of Harpy's Sons—every single one of them! Not one escaped!"

"Every single one..." Dany rubbed her forehead.

"Hmph, those Ghiscari bastards—all of them harbor disloyalty. Catching a few extra isn't unjust," the Butcher snarled through gritted teeth.

"Ahem, Cleon, the Code of Law clearly states that under my rule, people have different statuses, but their beliefs and races are equal. Please refrain from using the term 'bastards' again."

It is absolutely impossible for everyone to be equal in status and position, so we can only advocate for racial and religious equality.

"Your Majesty, I won't speak in public," Cleon shouted.

"Alright, tell me, what's going on?"

"Some Gis free citizens have secretly formed a society called the 'Sons of the Harpy.' The main purpose of this underground group is to oppose your great rule and restore the glory of the decayed slave empire.

The members of this society call themselves 'Sons of the Harpy' and wear Harpy masks. They have a three-step plan: first, they will secretly assassinate renowned new free citizens to establish the name of the 'Sons of the Harpy,' expand their influence, and recruit more members.

Next, they will start assassinating our soldiers, from patrol guards to lower-ranking officers, causing chaos in Meereen and gradually weakening our forces.

Finally, when their power surpasses ours, they will openly raise the banner of the Harpy, seize Meereen, and behead me."

Cleon gritted his teeth, his fleshy face twisting into a grotesque, demonic expression that even startled Dany a little.

"Have many people died? Why haven't I heard anything about this?" she asked, puzzled.

"Sigh, this is just their plan. They didn't even get a chance to act against the new free citizens before they ran into a drunken Ser Jorah," Cleon waved his hand dismissively.

"How do you know all this in such detail? Did they confess everything in just one morning?" Dany asked curiously.

"Heh, those cowards—cruel-hearted like demons but as spineless as slugs. Their methods are as weak as children's games," Cleon said with undisguised contempt.

Then, he flattered Dany, "Of course, the reason I was able to capture these rebels so quickly and extract their plans is all thanks to Your Majesty's 'Household Registration System' and the 'Ten Household Collective Responsibility Law.'"

Dany had no doubt about capturing the assassins. When Cleon said that they had completely wiped out all the Sons of the Harpy in just half a day and night, she wasn't surprised either.

In the original storyline, Daenerys was tormented by the Sons of the Harpy. Countless free citizens who supported her were slaughtered, Unsullied were killed in droves, and even Barristan Selmy was humiliatingly killed by Gis foot soldiers (though in the books, he survives).

She herself was eventually forced to flee on dragonback.

Even when Tyrion Lannister arrived in Meereen, he couldn't stop the escalating riots.

It can be said that Daenerys' rule in Meereen completely collapsed, and her mission to free the slaves utterly failed.

In the end, she could only flee Slaver's Bay with the Unsullied and the Dothraki, leaving behind a ruined city, countless corpses of new free citizens, and the numb, despairing gazes and curses of newly re-enslaved people.

One must remember that Daenerys' territory never included Astapor or Yunkai—she ruled only a single city, Meereen.

Perhaps the showrunners (or the author) placed some sort of intelligence-debuff on Daenerys and Tyrion, or maybe Tyrion deliberately held back.

In any dynasty of Imperial China, any competent county magistrate could have easily handled such a minor issue—yet it was enough to push Daenerys, despite having three dragons, to the brink of destruction.

And now, a butcher with no formal education and little experience, in the very first attack by the Sons of the Harpy, managed to capture all the assassins and uncover their core members in less than 12 hours.

Dany didn't even have to lift a finger—before she could act, the rebellion had already been quelled.

One can't help but admire the wisdom of ancient Chinese ancestors in governance, outpacing Westerners by hundreds of years.

The method was simple: first, the Household Registration System, which recorded every family and individual in detail; second, the Ten Household Collective Responsibility Law—if one person committed a crime, ten neighboring households would be implicated.

The Sons of the Harpy wore masks?

Ha! The crime scene was in a neighborhood of merely dozens or at most hundreds of households. You might be able to fool one or two, even ten or a hundred, but could you deceive everyone?

Yes, the Gis people resented the Dragon Queen, but if they were truly united, unwavering, and fearless of death, Daenerys would never have conquered Slaver's Bay in the first place.

So, to avoid collective punishment, and under the unbearable torture of the butcher, someone was bound to betray a Son of the Harpy.

From there, it was easy—as Cleon put it, the Gis people were ruthless to their slaves, yet personally as weak as slugs.

Anyone with a shred of courage had already joined the Yellow Cloaks. And all the Yellow Cloaks had been defeated, captured, or sent to labor camps outside the city by Queen Daenerys. The ones left were nothing but cowards and privileged aristocratic brats.

Cleon may have been uneducated and lacking in culture, but he was far from incompetent. When it came to dealing with the Gis people, he was a true expert.

In fact, at this moment, Meereen was very much like Xianyang in the early days of the Qin Dynasty's unification.

*(P.S.: In A Song of Ice and Fire, the Sons of the Harpy were far more outrageous than in the TV show.

They were so rampant that Daenerys didn't even dare to send the Unsullied out on patrol at night. Almost all the renowned new free citizens who were close to her were slaughtered.

Even though she knew some Gis noblemen were behind the scheme, she had no idea how to deal with them.

She completely lost the courage and intelligence she once had when she crossed the Red Waste, burned the Undying, and took the Unsullied from Astapor for free. She became a mere infatuated fool.

In the end, she even married a slaver—she, the so-called Liberator of Slaves!

That's why I never really liked book Daenerys, despite the author constantly emphasizing her kindness.

Honestly, my favorite characters in the books are Tyrion and Cersei.

Cersei may be foolish, but at least she's decisive, ambitious, and always knows what she wants—willing to risk everything for it.)*

(End of Chapter)

Want to read the chapters in Advance? Join my Patreon

https://patreon.com/Glimmer09