The forces from Dorne and The Reach proceeded smoothly, and after passing through Vance City, Prison Gate Fort, and Skyreach City, they officially entered Prince's Pass.
Although Prince's Pass is also a canyon, the wide separation between the mountains on both sides makes the bottom of the canyon extremely broad, allowing not only thousands of people but even tens of thousands to pass through with ease.
Because this is the main land trade route between The Reach and Dorne, countless merchant caravans travel south and north, and they consciously maintain the roads here to make passage smoother, which also benefited Velas and Red Viper's contingent.
It is also because of the concentration of merchant caravans here that many bandits have taken up residence in the mountains on both sides of Prince's Pass, and some noble lords even disguise themselves as bandits to rob caravans.
However, the merchant caravans heading north to The Reach this time were fortunate; after encountering Velas and Red Viper's forces, they followed closely behind, safely passing through the most dangerous section of Prince's Pass under the intimidating presence of nearly ten thousand people, arriving within the territory of Nightingale City in the Stormlands to the north.
Although Velas had previously informed the Karen family of Nightingale City that his party visiting Dorne needed to pass through their territory, the Karen family was immediately alarmed when they saw the mention of a party visiting Dorne in Velas's letter.
Nearly ten thousand soldiers, including logistics, advanced menacingly towards Nightingale City, and there were many Dornish banners among the troops, which made the Karen family of Nightingale City instinctively believe that this was an invasion by Dornish forces, so they immediately closed the city gates and prepared ravens to send news of the Dornish army's invasion to the Iron Throne.
Fortunately, the envoy sent by Velas arrived at the gates of Nightingale City in time to explain the situation, preventing things from spiraling out of control.
To avoid unnecessary misunderstandings, Velas did not linger in Nightingale City's territory, traveling through the night to leave Nightingale City's domain and officially enter The Reach.
Afterward, the contingent moved along the edge of the Red Mountains, heading directly towards Highgarden, which also dispatched a welcoming party.
A few days later, they met with the welcoming party on the border of the Peake family's territory in Starshuttle City, and after a few more days, the contingent successfully returned to Highgarden.
Upon returning to Highgarden, Linde sought out Gals Tyrell, the Steward of Highgarden, to resign from his position as Captain of the Guard, and then went to the manor arranged for him outside the city to pack his belongings, preparing to return to Tengshi Town along the Rose Road tomorrow with the men he had gathered.
This trip to Dorne was very fruitful for Linde; not only did he acquire the Wild Horse King and his herd, but he also gained a significant amount of gold dragons and recruited many talents, such as Moroya Hightower.
In addition, besides the knight Rossos, there were also some knights who were not doing well in Dorne, as well as some warriors from Essos, who actively sought out Linde, hoping to serve under him.
Although these individuals were few in number, they possessed extraordinary strength, which should be sufficient for them to serve as squad leaders in the cavalry.
While Linde was packing, Velas suddenly arrived at Linde's manor with Arianne Martell and her companions.
"Is there something you need, Lord Velas?" Linde looked at them and asked.
"Arianne, you tell him!" Velas stepped aside and said to Princess Arianne.
Princess Arianne said very directly: "I heard you are returning to Tengshi Town tomorrow, and I want to go to Tengshi Town with you to see it."
From Dorne to Highgarden, Linde, as Velas's guard, had always stood beside Velas, and he had met Arianne many times, but they had never conversed.
Instead, Arianne's companion, Red Viper's bastard daughter, Theresa Sand, had conversed with him a few times.
However, once she met Moroya, she practically became Moroya's follower, asking Moroya for all sorts of knowledge related to poisons.
Upon hearing Princess Arianne's request, Linde immediately understood what she wanted to do, and so he said very directly: "Nameria is not interested in Prince Lemony's inheritance, otherwise she would have gone to Dorne with Prince Oberyn months ago; you don't need to look for her at all."
Princess Arianne was somewhat petite, and facing Linde, she had to look up, saying: "I just want to see my cousin, there's no other meaning."
Linde looked down at Princess Arianne and said: "What good would seeing her do? Are you going to talk to her looking up like this? She's much taller than me."
Upon hearing Linde's words, Princess Arianne's expression immediately turned extremely displeased; she said nothing more, turned, and walked out of the manor, followed by Theresa Sand and the others.
Velas immediately ordered his personal guards to assign some men to follow Princess Arianne to prevent any accidents, while he did not leave, but instead motioned to Linde to go for a walk outside.
The two arrived at the farmland outside the manor and walked along the path between the fields.
"You shouldn't mock a lady's height so unkindly," Velas suddenly said, blaming Linde.
Linde looked at Velas and said: "It seems you really like Princess Arianne."
"She is a very special woman." A smile appeared on Velas's face, but it was quickly replaced by a worried expression, and he sighed, saying: "It's a pity I probably won't be able to marry her."
Linde asked: "Did something change?"
Velas smiled bitterly: "I was scolded, not only by Father and Mother, but even Grandmother scolded me for being too rash." Saying that, he looked at Linde and asked: "What about you? Linde, do you also think I was too rash in agreeing to Doran Martell's proposal and deciding to marry into House Martell?"
Linde was silent for a moment, then said: "I think Duke and Duchess and Olenna said you were rash, probably not referring to your agreement to Doran Martell's marriage proposal, but that you shouldn't have agreed to Prince Oberyn and Princess Arianne returning to Highgarden with you. By doing so, you've left no room for maneuver, giving the Duke only two choices: one is to agree to the marriage alliance, making The Reach and Dorne allies; the other is to refuse the marriage, making relations between the two regions even worse."
Velas was silent for a moment, then calmly said: "If I told you I had already considered this consequence beforehand, would you believe me?"
Linde was stunned, and couldn't help but ask in confusion: "Since you already foresaw such a result, then with your wisdom, you shouldn't… unless," he suddenly stopped, as if he had thought of something, and looked at Velas with slight surprise, saying: "Lord Velas, did you truly go to Dorne only to improve relations between The Reach and Dorne and sign a peace agreement?"
"Lord Linde, I told you you shouldn't just be a knight." Velas did not directly answer Linde's question, then he somewhat deviated from the general topic, saying: "Lord Linde, do you know? Our nobles of The Reach are the oldest nobles in all of Westeros. Any noble lord's family lineage has a history of over a thousand years. Any great noble can be traced back to the ancient First Men era. Most of the myths and stories circulating in the Seven Kingdoms are adaptations of our ancestors' stories. The civilization and religion of the Seven Kingdoms today also spread from The Reach to other kingdoms. Therefore, the Lord of The Reach should be the most noble and respected lord in the Seven Kingdoms."
Listening to Velas's words, Linde could vaguely sense a hidden fire of anger within Velas's heart.
"But, my father, the Lord of Highgarden, Warden of the South, and Supreme Commander of The Reach, was treated like a clown in King's Landing for over a year. What right does Robert Baratheon have to humiliate our House Tyrell like that? Is it just because of their House Baratheon? A small family established over three hundred years ago, even House Frey of the Riverlands has more heritage and history than them. What right does he have to humiliate my father like that?"
Velas unleashed his long-suppressed anger without reservation, his eyes openly hostile towards the current Iron Throne.
Linde had not expected Velas to be so enraged by Duke Mace's treatment in King's Landing, but upon careful thought, it was not surprising, as Velas's love and protection for his family and friends were evident to all; his emphasis on kinship surpassed all other emotions.
Linde turned to look at Velas's personal guards following behind them; clearly, Velas's words just now absolutely could not be spread, otherwise, there would truly be no turning back for The Reach and the Iron Throne.
Velas regained his composure and said: "Don't worry, they are all my most trusted people, just like you, Lord Linde."
Linde sighed, not at all pleased by Velas's trust, and asked very directly: "Since Lord Velas trusts me, can you tell me the true purpose of doing this? War, or something else?"
"War? Lord Linde, why would you think I want war?" Velas couldn't help but smile, saying: "Actually, you don't need to overthink it. I'm just trying to make the Iron Throne uncomfortable, so that in the future, whatever the Iron Throne does, they will have to consider our Highgarden's attitude, instead of treating us like clowns."
Hearing such a somewhat childish answer, Linde didn't know what to say. Although the answer sounded like it wasn't real, just made up on the spot, Linde could feel that this was Velas's true intention.
It's not hard to understand when you think about it; no matter how mature and wise Velas appears, he is still just a thirteen or fourteen-year-old boy, and it's normal for him to act impulsively and have some naive ideas. It's people like Linde himself, who look fifteen or sixteen but are old men on the inside, who are the real monsters.
However, this time, Velas acted a bit too impulsively due to Duke of Highgarden's humiliation in King's Landing, and Linde did not believe that things, having developed to this point, were still within Velas's control.
Linde asked very directly: "Lord Velas, have you considered that doing this could make things completely spiral out of control?"
"Of course I have. I have already made arrangements, but those arrangements may not necessarily be effective," Velas nodded, looking at Linde and saying: "However, now that I have you, Bear Hunter Linde, you should be able to fill the gaps in my plan and ensure that my arrangements can ultimately take effect."
"What do you want me to do?" Linde asked, puzzled.
"Still carry out your original plan to suppress bandits in Tengshi Town." Velas's expression became serious as he said: "When you return to Tengshi Town this time, Highgarden will send an appointment to Countess Na Melilia Fudeli of Tengshi Town, appointing her as Warden of the Mander River, expanding her authority, and also providing her with some support for the expansion of Tengshi Town, so that her castle and town can be built as quickly as possible."
Linde frowned and said: "Nameria will not allow outside forces into Tengshi Town, not even Highgarden."
Velas dispelled Linde's concerns, saying: "Don't worry, Highgarden will not interfere in the affairs of Tengshi Town. The so-called support is only financial, material, and administrative support, all of which will be converted into gold dragons, interest-free loans, and no time limit. As long as the Countess of Tengshi Town has sufficient funds, she can repay the principal herself."
"Are you sure?" Linde looked at Velas with some disbelief, and said in a deep voice: "Are you just saying this casually, or has the Duke already decided?"
Velas smiled, without explicitly stating, and continued: "In addition, you will also be appointed Commander of Bandit Suppression in the South. Although you will actually only be responsible for bandit suppression missions in the area north of Bitterbridge, your scope of authority will cover the entire The Reach. This way, you can legitimately expand your military strength. The military expansion authority we give you is ten thousand men. As for how these ten thousand men are combined, whether all infantry or all cavalry, it's all up to you. Of course, Highgarden can only provide a portion of the military expenses; the vast majority you will still have to resolve yourself. Furthermore, you will also be permitted to build a fortress on the upper Mander River or the south bank of the Blackwater River, but this fortress will be under the name of Tengshi Town. I think with your relationship with Countess Nameria, it doesn't matter whether this fortress belongs to her or to you."
Linde thought for a moment, then asked: "So, does the bandit suppression mission still need to be carried out?"
"Of course it needs to be carried out, but the result is not as important anymore. If Tengshi Town is built, Tengshi Town should regularly clear out surrounding bandits." Velas looked at Linde, who was frowning, and said: "You don't need to worry about the final reward for the bandit suppression mission either. You don't necessarily have to complete the bandit suppression mission; you just need to build the fortress and be stationed there for three years, and it will count as completing the bandit suppression mission, though the reward given upon completion might change somewhat?"
"What has it changed to? Gold dragons?" Linde asked with some concern.
"No, it's a territory." Velas gave a surprising answer, saying: "It's not a manor or a village, but a real, tangible territory."
Linde's breathing became a little heavier upon hearing this, then he suppressed his somewhat excited emotions, and looked at Velas with a hint of doubt, asking: "If I'm not mistaken, that territory isn't very good, is it?"
Velas answered: "Indeed, it's not very good, in fact, it's quite bad, because it's an exclave, located on the Dorne Sea, opposite Weil City."
Linde could not immediately recall the location of that territory, so he carefully re-examined the map in his mind, and asked in surprise: "Isn't that a territory of the Stormlands? How did it become a territory of Highgarden?"
-------------------------------
I've already posted the newest chapters on Patreon!
If you enjoy this story, come check them out and support me there too.
Here's the link: [patreon.com/TripleCrown07]
Thank you so much for your continued support!