Chapter 201: The Dragon Prince's Fame Shakes the Seas
The seas were a scene of fire and blood, with dragons dancing above and shipwrecks burning like candles on the water. The corpses of dead sailors were everywhere. It was a pity that Rhaegar Targaryen's three dragons did not care for the taste of corpses, or they could have had a feast today.
The victory at Bloodstone today was one that no Dragon Prince had achieved before. The war had brought sorrow and suffering to the Triarchy, but it had brought glory and triumph to Rhaegar. The war's conclusion left the pirates of the Stepstones trembling in fear, the mercenary sailors of Myr and Lys dared not act rashly, and the thieves and smugglers were utterly dispirited. The Dragon Prince's fame shook the seas.
On the glory of bloodstone, the painter had only sketched a rough draft. The central perspective was a contrast between Prince Rhaegar and Commander Salazar, highlighting the difference in their expressions. The painter strove to make the characters' expressions realistic and shocking: the spirited victor Prince Rhaegar, the arrogant Lords and knights behind him, and the dejected, deathly pale Commander Salazar and his followers. There were also the knights berating the defeated generals, and the liberated slaves. The painter had temporarily marked the coordinates and positioning of the people, along with the broad orientation and sequence of the entire scene. However, it would certainly take a long time to fully color the painting. After all, the subject matter was truly epic—the Triarchy's Commander Salazar and a group of captured generals kneeling before the haughty Young Dragon Prince on the deck of the glory of bloodstone, a scene that was like a legend and epic brought to life. The painter exerted all his strength, striving for perfection to ensure he could make a name for himself in Westeros. This was a chance provided by the Prince, and he could not miss it.
"Not bad! Not bad! You have the potential to become a great painter!" Rhaegar praised the artist.
The artist was instantly flattered, "It is my honor and duty as a Westerosi to commemorate the great victory achieved by the Prince. I guarantee that I will depict the Prince and all the Lords and knights vividly, ensuring this moment lives forever on canvas."
Rhaegar was very satisfied. It was not just about killing, but also about breaking their spirits. If glory could remain on canvas and in architecture, it would surely endure for generations. In truth, Rhaegar also had a talent for art, but with the battlefield stretching before him, he had no time to pick up a brush. This moment was indeed worth commemorating, and having someone else paint it for him was not a bad idea. Rhaegar felt it was necessary to establish an academy in King's Landing to recruit talent and transform the capital. Whether academic or artistic, a true capital of kings should possess these things.
"What is your name?" Rhaegar asked the slave leader who had defected. Many of the defecting slaves still had confusion in their eyes; having gained freedom, they were indeed somewhat bewildered. His complexion looked as dark as eternal night; he seemed to be from the Summer Isles.
"Jakuba, Prince. I come from the beautiful Summer Isles. I loved adventure and travel, until I was wickedly schemed against and sold to a certain Archon of Lys in the city-state of Lys. Later, after this Archon went bankrupt, I was sold to the Lysene navy," Jakuba replied humbly. Looking closely, Jakuba's complexion was pitch black, with black hair and black eyes, his skin brown like teak wood or dark like polished ink jade.
"Now you are completely free. I wonder what plans you have for the future!" Rhaegar asked. He was indeed a black brother from the Summer Isles; it hadn't been easy for him to travel all the way from the Summer Isles to Lys. Slave traders quite liked slaves from the Summer Isles, but currently, the Summer Isles had united and strictly prohibited the slave trade. Thus, Jakuba had been quite unlucky to miserably become a slave during his travels.
Rhaegar was quite interested in the Summer Isles. Although they were far from Westeros, they were still within an acceptable range. The timber, agriculture, and gemstones of the Summer Isles were quite famous; they were rich in gemstones, such as emeralds, rubies, sapphires, and various pearls. Goldenheart bows were a specialty of the Summer Isles and had always been banned from export. Moreover, the people of the Summer Isles were excellent archers and sailors, famous on both sides of the Narrow Sea.
"Great Prince, I will forever be grateful for your mercy. I wish to pledge my loyalty to you!" Jakuba said.
"You are all free. You are free to come and go here. The old and new gods of Westeros all hate slavery, and all gentlemen and ladies despise it. Those of you who are willing to stay may stay. For those who are not, I can sponsor your travel expenses home." Rhaegar looked at the liberated slaves. In fact, he wanted to keep these slaves; many of them were skilled sailors and of high value. Cultivating them from scratch now would be very difficult for the navy. It was better to acquire them for free now and take the opportunity to keep a batch of sailors.
"The Liberator!"
"The Liberator!"
"The Breaker of Chains!" The slaves shouted excitedly, dozens of people, dozens of voices merging into one.
"Noble Prince Rhaegar, we are willing to fight for you, to fight for the great cause of the Prince and the House Targaryen!" Jakuba, the black man from the Summer Isles, knelt on one knee and said to Rhaegar.
Rhaegar was also very happy and helped Jakuba up. This could be said to be another strong army, especially reinforcing his own naval strength. As for plotting against the Summer Isles, Rhaegar felt that was too distant a matter; it was more realistic to ruthlessly ravage the Triarchy.
"Jakuba, from now on you are a free man. I appoint you as the leader of the freedmen!" Rhaegar arranged a new position for Jakuba. These slaves would be his free army in the future, although Rhaegar did not plan to arrange them into the formal army for the time being, so as not to anger more slave owners. Slavery was an even more dangerous opponent.
Rhaegar first settled the matters of Jakuba and the freed slaves, then began to talk about peace negotiations with the Triarchy.
"Gentlemen!" Rhaegar said to the Lords and knights surrounding him, full of spirit. Most of them were jubilant; the victory in the war not only brought honor, but everyone could also make a fortune. "Commander Salazar is dead, and now the Triarchy is in jeopardy. We only need to wait on Bloodstone for their shameful plea for peace as they bow and scrape!"
"Ser Brynden, open up a few more basements on Bloodstone for the Triarchy captives. We still need to sell these people back to the Triarchy at a high price." Rhaegar looked at Brynden Tully and gave the order. The nobles of the Triarchy would not easily yield, and he had no intention of keeping them; with so many warships and freedmen, these nobles were nothing more than bargaining chips.
"As you command!" Brynden said.
"Ser Lucerys, take charge of looking after those warships. These are my treasures; every single warship is incredibly precious!" Rhaegar said to Ser Lucerys again.
"As you command, Prince!"
"Gentlemen, now we can wait for peace to arrive!" After giving these two orders, Rhaegar was in a good mood. In fact, he already had a good psychological expectation for the negotiations. First, to abolish and restrict the armed forces of the Triarchy; second, to demand large economic reparations; and third, the ransoms for the nobles of the Triarchy.
"Long live King's Landing!" "Long live the House Targaryen!" The Lords and knights shouted excitedly. It had only taken them one day to achieve an unimaginably huge victory, a swift and great victory; everything felt like a dream.
The victory of the Bloodstone War made Rhaegar's authority and voice on the ocean unrivaled. From this day on, he was the sole ruler of the Narrow Sea, something that could no longer be questioned. The brilliant battle results Rhaegar had created had already surpassed the Young Dragon. The fourteen-year-old Young Dragon had gone to conquer Dorne back then, and on the surface, the battle record looked good. But it was later proven to be a war of continuous bloodshed, and the Young Dragon himself died under the assassination of the Dornishmen. People of insight considered it a war with uncertain outcomes, not to mention that the Oakfist navy showed more important roles in the war. Rhaegar also knew the story of the Young Dragon. In fact, when comparing himself to the Young Dragon, the only thing the Young Dragon lacked was magic and the dragon's torrent—Rhaegar simply had more cheats.
After the naval battle of Bloodstone, the Silver Dragon's fame spread across both sides of the Narrow Sea.
Many clients from the Triarchy, Pentos, Tyrosh, and even the Summer Isles requested to visit Prince Rhaegar on Bloodstone. Many wealthy merchants used gold to pave the way, arriving even faster than the envoys of the Triarchy.
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