After several rounds of detailed discussion and deliberation, the Reach lords first reached the consensus that they could not win by exchanging fire with firearms. At the same time, the majority agreed that cavalry units capable of launching swift charges could effectively restrain, or at least greatly offset, the seemingly world-destroying but actually more bark than bite power of gunpowder weapons. On this basis, a complete set of countermeasures against Daenerys's Western Expeditionary Army was born, summarized as follows.
First, mobilize the entire Reach to collect saltpeter and sulfur and produce gunpowder. This point goes without saying.
Second, on the premise of preparing for an all-out war, further push the limits in cavalry assembly and mobilization. The Reach is vast in land and not lacking in population. It has large areas of excellent horse farms and has always maintained a stable advantage in the number of horses and cavalry over the other Six Kingdoms. Coupled with its relatively southern location, even after enduring the baptism of winter, it can still muster a considerable number of warhorses. It is estimated that, if all goes well, approximately twenty thousand cavalry can be assembled. This is more than half the strength of the main force of the Western Expeditionary Army led by Aegor. If so many cavalrymen and horses can remain unfazed by thunder and undisturbed by cannon fire, they will absolutely be a great force capable of deciding the outcome of the war.
Third, the above preparations require a significant amount of time. After the lords of the Reach voted, the minority yielded to the majority, forcibly reaching "unanimity": trade space for time. Apart from leaving some mobile units to harass the enemy and prevent their rapid advance, the Reach forces in the path of Daenerys's western expedition, specifically the Reachmen within the area along the Rose Road, are to be evacuated. The propertied class who can flee should take their valuables and retreat westward and to the rear, resolutely giving the enemy no chance to take hostages. Castles, unable to withstand bombardment anyway, should simply be left empty with their gates closed and guarded by a steward. Villagers who cannot flee should also try to clear the fields and strengthen their defenses, staying as far away from the main roads as possible, striving not to aid the enemy while preserving their lives.
Any initial property losses caused by this policy of non-resistance will be borne by the entire Reach. The specific method is as follows: after the war, the lords of House Hightower in Oldtown, who refused to answer the call to arms, will be liquidated first. If there is still a shortfall after confiscating their property to compensate the lords on the eastern front, the remaining portion will be jointly borne by all the lords of the Reach.
The above are the finalized plans, and the following are supplementary points proposed by individuals and deemed valuable suggestions after discussion by everyone.
Fourth, Highgarden, as the theoretical capital of the Reach, absolutely cannot be abandoned as the price of buying time. Otherwise, if the "strategic retreat" continues without end, it is highly likely to lead to a collapse of morale that cannot be reversed. Therefore, if conditions permit, the location for the decisive battle should be chosen in the area from Highgarden to Cider Hall, fighting with the political center of the Reach at their backs, succeeding or dying in the attempt.
Fifth, the Field of Fire is a painful memory and humiliating history for all Reachmen. Contemporary scholars believe that if that battle had not taken place on a clear autumn day, in a dry field of ripe crops, the power of dragonflame, though great, would not have routed the allied army of more than fifty thousand. Even if the King of the Reach still would have been defeated, his lineage absolutely would not have been extinguished. Even if Aegon's conquest would still have been completed, it absolutely would have been delayed by more than half a year.
Although they now have anti-air weapons like the Dragon-Hunting Ballista, and it is spring, with no dry fields or ripe crops to ignite, they should still learn from past failures. Since the enemy possesses an absolute advantage in gunpowder weapons, the decisive battle should not only be controlled geographically but also, ideally, controlled temporally. If they can arrange for the great decisive battle to take place during or after a spring rain, the moisture from the rain will not only slightly offset the potential damage from dragonflame, but the dampness will also greatly reduce the power and reliability of gunpowder weapons, truly suppressing the enemy's advantage to a minimum.
...
The Reachmen confidently formulated their counterstrategy and enthusiastically began their final mobilization. Meanwhile, thousands of miles away to the northeast, in a room on the second floor of the Iron Bank headquarters in Braavos across the Narrow Sea, another discussion related to Daenerys's regime was taking place.
Braavos, as the most powerful and most unique of the Free Cities, also has a political system distinctly different from any other. The "Sealord," elected through a set of mysterious and complex rituals, is in charge of administration and the military and serves as the nominal supreme ruler of Braavos. The "Grand Council," which only some citizens can attend, controls legislation, while the "Grand Court" is responsible for justice, overall presenting a top-heavy separation of powers.
But what most people would never know is that above this seemingly reasonable and stable triangular structure, there is a mysterious organization subtly towering over it, hidden like a shadow: the House of Keyholders.
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[The Iron Bank has twenty-three founders, each possessing a key to open the bank's vast underground vault, jointly managing and sharing the Iron Bank's enormous wealth, known as Keyholders. Their descendants are the Keyholder families.]
This is the information about "Keyholders" that anyone in the known world can learn from official channels.
However, the Iron Bank's underground vault has long since been reinforced and renovated and is no longer controlled by those twenty-three keys. The "Keyholder" has also gradually evolved from a position and title into a legend with the changes of the world. Today, if you encounter a person on the street wearing a plain grayish-brown coat and claiming to be a Keyholder, there is a fifty percent chance you have met a swindler trying to sell you some so-called "ancestral key," and the other fifty percent means that person possesses the bloodline of one of the Iron Bank's founders.
But it should be noted that even in the latter case, it does not necessarily mean anything. There are thousands of direct descendants of the Keyholder families, and countless more distant relatives. Likewise, among those whose ancestors were wealthy, some Keyholder descendants may now hold positions in institutions like the Iron Bank, the Sealord's Palace, or the Palace of Truth. Such people are unlikely to be wandering the streets. Others who have not fared well may merely belong to ordinary families, be common folk, or even worse off.
But the "House of Keyholders" is an entirely different kind of existence.
Initially, as the name suggests, the House of Keyholders was a meeting convened by those twenty-three Keyholders. But as the Iron Bank gradually developed and grew into Braavos's core industry and economic pillar, the rulers of the city-state hoped to bring the lifeblood of the nation under control, and for this purpose engaged in a period of open and covert struggle with the Keyholders. This struggle ultimately ended with the Iron Bank holding a slight advantage, but with both sides taking a step back to reach a compromise. The first generation of Keyholders finally decided to turn their internal meetings into an organization, a club, and to absorb leading figures from other industries in Braavos. At the cost of promising that "the Iron Bank's activities will prioritize the overall interests of Braavos," they exchanged some shares and decision-making power in the Iron Bank for becoming part of the ruling class themselves.
This organization was the prototype of the "House of Keyholders," a club formed by the true ruling class to define the decision-making circle, a tool used to ensure the proper distribution of interests and avoid internal conflict that could give external enemies an opportunity.
After completing this magnificent transformation, the members of the House of Keyholders, the smartest people in Braavos, quickly realized that it was foolish to have the de facto ruling body of a city-state named after a bank. They decisively began to hide their visible presence, gradually retreating behind the scenes, leaving only their invisible power to remotely control the Grand Council and the Grand Court, and conducting mild internal contests during each election of the "Sealord" to determine the final candidate. Through this person, who could be called a "representative" or perhaps a "puppet," they ruled the entire city-state, eventually perfecting it into the mature version seen today, a shadow government that appears not to exist but is in fact omnipresent.
---
And today, the "House of Keyholders," this super club that secretly manipulates the entire Free Cities and arguably even the financial system of the entire known world, is engaged in a heated debate over two topics.
First, whether to accept the repayment plan proposed by Lord Tyrion Lannister, Daenerys's Master of Coin, and accept "Targaryen Bonds" as a hereditary means of repayment for the debts owed by the usurper.
Second, if the answer to the first question is no, whether to accept the invitation to join the "City-State Coalition" and become a member of the anti-Dragon Queen alliance.
(To be continued.)