In Westeros, there is a consensus that when the king's banner appears, everyone from peddlers and beggars to nobles, lords, and regional princes must obediently give way.
So when the sails of the stags, depicting fiery red hearts, appeared in the sight of people at Stannis, the merchants on Blackwater Rush moved their ships far away to the shore to make enough room for the king's fleet.
Just then, an inconspicuous small boat approached Stannis's fleet.
This caused the captain to quickly slow down, so much so that the nobles on board were unsteady on their feet due to the turbulence. Upon learning of the situation, they immediately sent men to intercept the ship.
Unfortunately, this was all a consequence of the Battle of Blackwater Rush. They discovered that the ship had been sent by Jon, and brought Mondl from the ship to Stannis.
"Why aren't you welcoming Your Majesty at the River Gate? What are you doing on Your Majesty's ship?" Alliser, who had been temporarily reinstated, asked Dao with a frown. In his opinion, Jon was really out of his mind, daring to send people to stop the king's ship.
" Your Majesty, Lord Jon has sent me to propose to Your Majesty that Your Majesty may enter King's Landing through the Iron Gate— "
Before he could finish speaking, Alliser's brother Yassel interrupted, " Does Your Majesty need a bastard to interfere with where he enters King's Landing?"
Yassel's words clearly displeased Stannis, who now harbored little goodwill towards anyone in House Florent. He merely stopped Yassel, then asked Dao, "Why? Why did Jon make me do this?"
Mond recalled Jon's instructions and said, " Your Majesty, the people of King's Landing have been greatly affected by the war. Many of them are struggling to make ends meet. The magistrate said that it would be best if Your Majesty's fleet could go to a port near Iron Gate. This would minimize the impact on the lives of the civilians and prevent them from working. Otherwise, many of them will not be able to finish their work by nightfall, and if they don't finish their work, they will not have food. They are now Your Majesty's subjects. If Your Majesty can enter the city through Iron Gate, the civilians will surely thank you for your kindness."
Listening to Mond's explanation, Stannis nodded almost imperceptibly, his deep blue eyes revealing approval.
He felt less suspicion and more goodwill towards Jon, a young man who dared to speak frankly and offer advice.
The lords of Westeros wear their emotions on their sleeves, so they can't find any decent actors. Even a lousy guy like Petyr can throw a tantrum.
Jon's advanced political performance was a complete disaster for these guys who only knew how to fawn over their superiors.
Moreover, his starting point was indeed good. Ultimately, Stannis ordered the fleet to proceed to the port near Iron Gate, as Jon had suggested.
Jon was already preparing to meet Stannis near Iron Gate.
He specifically used Stark's grey Direwolf flag and Stannis's fiery red heart stag flag.
Many people came to greet him, including court officials such as Varys and Pycelle. Jon, considering Pycelle's age, even had someone find him a stool to sit on and rest.
Although this guy is no good, the Grand Maester is a position that lasts a lifetime, so it's worth it to exchange this small favor for him to say some good things about me to Stannis.
Moreover, the "Old Imperial Advisor" is still vigorous despite his advanced age. Even though he is over eighty, he still has the stamina to visit prostitutes and can probably continue for several more years.
Besides the two of them, there are also Stevron and Rhaegar from the Frey Family.
The two old men arrived at King's Landing two days ago and flattered Jon upon meeting him. Rhaegar Frey even brought along his son, Robb Frey, who had been promised to be Jon's servant.
The official excuse was that Jon left in such a hurry after stopping Robb from becoming king that day that he left Robb Frey behind.
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In short, the two of them practically clung to Jon to show the Frey Family's unwavering stance of standing firmly with Stannis.
Although Stannis's current army, even including the previous prisoners, may not number ten thousand, he can mobilize a great deal of resources thanks to the king's name.
Although people refer to Westeros as "Seven Kingdoms," it should actually be called "Seven Kingdoms," which comprises nine major powers.
The two extra ones are naturally the Crownlands and the Iron Islands.
Jon has installed Stannis as king, and Stannis can directly control the Crownlands and Stormlands. With some effort, he can easily muster an army of 30,000 to 50,000 men.
In the future, Littlefinger will definitely try to curry favor with the royal power, and with his influence, the Vale will likely also pledge allegiance to Stannis.
In this way, Stannis has obtained nearly half of Westeros.
Dorne, located in the far south, can serve as a check on The Reach even without direct oaths of allegiance. The Reach will soon have to openly side with Stannis.
Perhaps King Stannis's authority was far less than Robert's, but a king is a king, and that cannot be faked. The Frey Family chose to come to King's Landing precisely because of this, hoping to make a name for themselves in front of Stannis.
Then there were Sansa and Arya standing not far from Jon, and also Jenny Poor Jon, the daughter of Winterfell's former head steward.
She's in Petyr's brothel, still a virgin. Petyr is clearly still training her, perhaps so he can sell her for a good price later.
In the original timeline, Jenny Poor impersonated Arya and married Ramsay Bolton, but Jon believed that Petyr's plans couldn't be that far-reaching, and that he would often take things one step at a time.
His explanation to Jon was to protect her.
Jon naturally wouldn't believe a word Petyr said. If he hadn't been representing House Tyrell in negotiations with Stannis, Jon would have killed him with a single sword stroke.
" As expected of the Seven Kingdoms trader," his agility is undeniable. However, I heard that he had his hand chopped off by Stannis at Dragonstone, which he certainly deserved.
In addition, Dondarrion and Thoros were naturally in the team, after all, the two had contributed a lot to the siege, and Stannis would probably not be stingy with rewards later.
At this moment, Varys quietly approached Jon, a hint of interest flashing in her pale purple eyes. The others, however, generally knew... The Spider played a significant role in the siege, and they all wisely made room for the two to talk.
Jon has written to Stannis about the entire siege, naturally mentioning Varys ' help, thus fulfilling his promise.
Varys now estimates that he has new intelligence to share with Jon, which is a gesture of goodwill to strengthen cooperation.
" Jon, I've learned some news about Dragonstone that I think you might be interested in." Varys tilted his head slightly toward Jon, his lips trembling very slightly. To onlookers, he appeared to be just one of the many ministers waiting for the king in the distance.
Varys told Jon almost everything that happened in Dragonstone, such as the initial suggestion that Jon become the Lord of Harrenhal, and Littlefinger. Petyr suddenly reappears and, after his hand is cut off, proposes to crown Jon as Lord of Casterly Rock.
Varys explained things in great detail, which made Jon marvel at the guy's impressive intelligence capabilities.
" Jon, with your achievements, you're not quite worthy of the title of Lord of Harrenhal, but you're also not quite worthy of the title of Lord of Casterly Rock. However, if you fight for the opportunity to send troops, conquer the western border, take Casterly Rock, and then become the Lord of Casterly Rock, I think that should be enough." Varys analyzed the current situation for Jon.
"In my opinion, there are two main difficulties for you in obtaining the title of Lord of Casterly Rock. First, there is the difficulty of conquering the Westerlands. I think you know about Casterly Rock. Casterly Rock has never fallen, and indeed it has never fallen. Second, if you ask for it, we will probably be suspicious of His Majesty Stannis. Even if you succeed and take control of the vast Westerlands, there will inevitably be people around you to keep an eye on you in the future. At least with my poor brain, I really don't know what the Lord should do."
Just as Varys was speaking, Jon saw a cavalry unit bearing the flag of Stannis slowly approaching.
" Jon, although you've been claiming you want to return to the Wall, I don't know if Dao is telling the truth. If you are, then you are practically the greatest Saint in thousands of years, even more sacred than Baelor Targaryen in some ways. But if you really want to play this game of thrones, then you are a much better player than Lord Eddard. Well, that's all I have to say. You may leave now."
After saying that, Varys quietly left Jon's side, helped Pycelle up, and soon someone removed his stool.
Jon glanced at Varys's bald head, which gleamed in the sunlight. He truly lived up to his reputation as a spy and intelligence master who had been lurking for over a decade. His ability to gather and analyze intelligence was top-notch.
Indeed, Varys' analysis was spot on. The most difficult part was figuring out how to reach an agreement with Stannis that "if I conquer Casterly Rock, Casterly Rock will reward me, and you can't interfere."