Chapter 283: Bolton War Council - I
Dreadfort, Bolton Lands
POV of Domeric Bolton
The next day.
After learning of Tywin Lannister's plan, Domeric quickly ordered a council of war to be convened the next day.
He could have convened the council that same day, but the attendees included Domeric's generals, sworn shields, and settlement administrators. And he needed to give them time to sort out their affairs and briefly delegate responsibility to their subordinates.
Therefore, Domeric had made it a habit to allow a day or two for preparation in such unplanned councils, unless there was an emergency.
When the war council gathered, Domeric told them about Tywin Lannister's plan.
"My father doesn't usually act this impulsively," Tyrion said once Domeric told him about the plans of Tywin Lannister to form an alliance with Myr, Tyrosh, and Ibben, buy Unsullied soldiers, and attack his settlements.
"When the Mad King insulted him, he waited for almost a decade, stewing in anger in Casterly Rock, before he finally got his chance. Then he sacked King's Landing and killed all the Targaryens."
"Seems like you've made quite a foe in Tywin Lannister, my lord," Karsi said, and he scoffed.
"Not really. Bowing to a King, however humiliating, is considered normal by many. However, being defeated by another lord, especially by a House Tywin considers inferior to him, seems unacceptable to him." He said, "But if I want to do so, then I could kill Tywin or Kevan at any moment and end this whole farce. But veterans are only formed on a battlefield. For all that I've trained my legions the best I could, they've still not participated in a real battle. This will be a good opportunity for them to show their mettle."
"Against the Unsullied?" Tyrion asked, "Forgive me, my lord, but I've seen your men. And while they are indeed the best in Westeros by a huge margin… the things I've heard about the Unsullied…"
"They're not fabrications." He said, "I've seen the Unsullied with my own eyes. I've even freed quite a few of them and brought them back with me. In fact, you might not know, but when I first started forming a standing army, I used these same Unsullied as their commanders."
"Huh… I did not know that." Tyrion admitted.
"The core of my army is made up of Unsullied, ex-mercenaries, gladiators, and older and more experienced men who had participated in war before. My recruits are green indeed, but their commanders are not."
Tyrion nodded at his words, "That still won't help us against the Unsullied. We might win, thanks to our walls and ships, but we'll also lose a lot of men."
"Unsullied are good." Mocqo said from his seat, "Very good."
"Don't worry, we won't be losing any men that way." He replied, "I don't plan on fighting the Unsullied."
"You aren't…" Tyrion looked confused. "What are… oh!"
"Yes. An army like Unsullied would be wasted in the hands of the Lannisters." He said, "And I want every advantage I could get in this upcoming war."
Tyrion nodded, "I have a feeling that I should have seen this coming." He said, "I know that you're rich. But do you really have enough gold to buy the whole Unsullied army?"
"Wait? We're buying slave soldiers now?" Karsi asked, horrified by the mere thought of it.
"I don't know how I feel about this, either, my lord," Varko said, and Walton nodded as well.
"I'm not buying slave soldiers." He explained to them, "I'm… liberating them."
"Liberating?" Karsi asked.
"Yes. I'll buy them, true. But once they arrive on my shores, I'll free them. At that point, if they want to leave, then they'll be free to do so. But if they stay and join my army, then I'll give each one of them a house and decent pay. It is the least of what they deserve."
"It seems a little manipulative." Tyrion said, "The only thing they've ever known is battle. And they don't have anywhere to go, either, aside from doing what they've been doing and joining you."
He shrugged, "I know it's manipulative. And I don't like it either. But our other choices are to let them be bought by the Lannisters, in which case I'll sink their ships before they ever reach my shores. Or be bought by the magisters in the other cities, where they'll spend their whole lives as slaves before eventually dying of a wound or old age." He said, "If you have any better idea, then I'm listening."
His generals and other commanders remained silent, and he nodded.
"How are we going to bring them here?" Tyrion asked, "In case we've forgotten, Astapor is quite far from here. It might take us 3-4 months to just get there on the ship. Not to mention the pirates and the bad weather."
"Muron will go." He said.
"I will?" Muron asked with some surprise, "Who will protect your ships and chase away the pirates then?"
"After your last culling of the pirates near Sisterton, I don't think they'll harass our ships for a year or two. Of course, some pirates might get bold and attack in your absence, but this is a risk I'm willing to take."
Muron frowned at that. "How many ships will I take with me?"
"Hundred." He replied, "50 war galleys, your flagship Kraken, and 50 for transporting food and bringing back the Unsullied."
"How many Unsullied are there?" Karsi asked.
"Not sure about the exact numbers." He said, "But it should be somewhere between 5,000 and 10,000."
"That many," Walton said, his eyes a little wide in surprise. "That many won't fit in the only 50 galleys." Muron pointed out.
"You can buy, borrow, or steal the ships from the merchants, sell sails or slavers." He said with a negligent wave of his arm, "Do whatever it is that you want. I want that Unsullied army in my lands before the end of the year."
"It will be done," Muron said with a bow, and he nodded.
---------------
Hey folks.
You can get a 50% discount on all my Patreon memberships with the code END2025 until January 2nd.
---------------
Author's Note: You folks can also read up to +65 chapters on my P@treon Page as an early access privilege.
You can also read "+3 Free Chapter" and see some pictures as aFree Member.
www.patreon.com/vanguard_v
P@treon Page Name: V For Vanguard
Next Chapters' Name:
Ch.284: Bolton War Council - II
Ch.285: Performing the Dragonlord Ritual
Ch.286: Something Went Wrong with the Ritual