A breeze swept across the gently green Velvet Hills, and the black and red three-headed dragon banner fluttered in the wind.
Some time had passed since the war, and Westeros Fort, situated on the hills to the right of the Upper Rhoyne River, was being constructed at an accelerated pace.
These hills had also been given a new name: Vaesyris Hills.
"Still short on money," Viserys said, looking at the bustling construction site.
Construction required money, and he needed money to support the newly surrendered people and soldiers.
It seemed that besides the loans from Braavos, Viserys himself needed new sources of income.
Currently, the inner walls of Westeros Fort were built layer by layer with grey-brown stones mixed with earth and gravel, then heightened. The inner walls also featured guard towers, lookout holes, and murder holes.
As for the outer walls of Westeros Fort, foundations were first laid in a circle around the inner walls.
Viserys had also considered a giant stone array in the Velvet Hills, a circle of standing stones. In the future, when there were enough hands, the stones could be taken to build the fort.
And the remaining valyrian steel giant statue, the dothraki took it, and Viserys could take it too.
The double-layered walls were an inspiration Viserys drew from Winterfell. Westeros Fort did not have the innate advantages of Casterly Rock; building a fort on hills required more artificial obstacles and the construction of a three-dimensional defense network.
Beyond the inner and outer walls of Westeros Fort, there were also wooden palisades made of sharpened logs, forming the outermost defense.
In addition to the double walls and palisades, a stone staircase for climbing the hill was also being built.
"Well done, lads!" Syrio said to the workers next to the wooden palisade.
Syrio was leading the way, carrying logs.
Stones were not rare for Braavosis, but seeing the vast green fields and trees was a different experience.
Correspondingly, Viserys Targaryen and Ser Roland Lake were conducting sword-and-shield training on a temporary drill ground outside the walls, with many new recruits watching.
Viserys, clad in grey leather armor, wielded a blunt sword, its heavy, blunt blade emanating a cold, dim glow.
Viserys would spin, slash, or thrust an attack, while Ser Roland manipulated an oak shield to block.
After a few probing rounds, Viserys's movements became increasingly swift, with feints, Feint, and quick changes of hand leaving Ser Roland unable to defend himself.
"Crunch! Crunch!" Viserys increased his attack speed, and the oak shield slowly began to shatter.
The blunt swords whistled as they clashed, and Ser Roland hastily dropped the remains of his shield.
Ser Roland wielded his blunt sword defensively, but Viserys's offensive stuck to him, making it impossible to break free.
Viserys's sword strikes grew more powerful, like overlapping waves on the sea, a sword technique he had refined while at sea.
Finally, Ser Roland was forced into a corner, and with a "bang," the blunt sword was knocked from his hand.
There wasn't much suspense in this duel; the key lay in the time and force Viserys expended.
"I lost, I lost," Ser Roland said, grimacing and waving his hand. His muscles ached all over; clashing with Viserys was no simple feat.
"Warrior Westeros!"
"Warrior Westeros!" the surrounding soldiers shouted excitedly, whether they were Westeros soldiers or Andal soldiers.
"You all need to intensify your training to become true knights," Roland said to the other cheering soldiers while sitting on a bench.
Viserys, standing, also put down his blunt sword, crystal beads of sweat still on his forehead. "Now it's your turn. Sword and shield combat is a fundamental training for warriors."
"Begin," Viserys commanded. The soldiers, who had been watching the spectacle, began to engage in combat in turn. Sword and shield combat, or spear combat, and mounted spear combat were the most common types.
In addition, there were weightlifting, long jump, javelin throwing, longbow training, and long and short-distance running events.
Viserys intensified these basic training categories. The soldiers needed to maintain a certain training volume and execute the tactical movements commanded by their officers.
Being both loyal and capable in combat was not easy.
Viserys had once considered hiring mercenaries, but apart from the Unsullied and the Golden Company, other mercenaries could only serve as auxiliary troops.
Mercenaries were not regular soldiers after all; they only loved gold, and mercenaries never fought uphill battles.
"I've counted again. After the last war, of the four hundred seventy Andal soldiers who besieged us, besides the half we killed, the remaining ones—excluding the injured and disabled soldiers who went to work as craftsmen—one hundred eighty combat-ready soldiers have been organized into two centurion units," Ser Roland Lake supplemented, introducing to Viserys.
The centurion unit was the basic structure established by Viserys. Besides the soldiers he brought from Braavos forming one centurion unit, after the battle, two Andal centurion units were reorganized.
Now, Viserys had a fortress, Westeros Fort, and soldiers organized into three centurion units, though the quality of the soldiers varied.
"A beautiful victory. Besides the dozens of my men who died on the battlefield, there were also one or two dozen injured," Viserys said with emotion. "Some people used to laugh and talk with me, but now they are spirits in a foreign land."
"This is a warrior's fate, Your Majesty," Ser Roland consoled him.
Viserys nodded. "That is so. Victory is the best care for soldiers."
Viserys was not a tyrant who disregarded soldier casualties to achieve war objectives.
On the contrary, Viserys believed that only a combination of strictness and leniency could completely transform these soldiers into his workhorses.
Losses in war were inevitable, and the temporary summer of this era was destined to be replaced by winter and slaughter.
Today's harsh training was for tomorrow's even harsher war.
To develop in the Velvet Hills, the first centurion unit was just the foundation; he would need more centurion units in the future.
"What do you think of the quality of the Andal soldiers, Ser Roland?" Viserys asked.
"Their basic conditions are decent; they are tall. But they are no longer the knightly army that swept across Westeros back then. Knights are few, their iron armor is not new, plate armor is almost nonexistent, and their combat quality is low," Ser Roland whispered, looking at the Andals, who were mostly infantry.
Viserys watched the Andals meticulously performing tactical training. They could complete basic movements, but that was all.
They had not mastered more advanced military formations or knightly charges. They showed none of the prowess of the Andals who once swept across Westeros.
After a massive population loss, civilization rapidly declined. The Andals were in this state, and it seemed the Rhoynar were not much better off.
Viserys looked at the Andal soldiers: there were half-grown children and older ones, clumsy but training diligently.
"The beginning is tough, but persistence is key," Viserys thought, looking at the soldiers. "Moreover, the Andals still believe in the Seven Gods. We just need to reignite their passion and help them re-embrace a higher civilization."
"You are right, Your Majesty. Only a well-trained standing army can achieve victory," Roland nodded. "Even the armies of the Seven Kingdoms are a core of knights supplemented by temporary forces."
Ser Roland didn't know what a profound term 'civilization' was, but he felt it was apt. His Majesty Viserys was a cultured man.
"In the name of the Warrior!"
"In the name of the Warrior!"
"Glory for the Andals!"
The soldiers shouted battle slogans, seemingly mustering some spirited momentum.
"It's still not enough, but at least it's a start."
It was known that in ancient times, the Andals first swept through the Vale with fire and sword, beginning their conquest of Westeros.
Their iron weapons and armor completely outmatched the bronze weapons still used by the First Men, and many First Men perished on the battlefield.
But now, after the Andals took over Westeros, the indigenous civilization preserved by their impoverished brethren continued to decline.
The Andals of the Velvet Hills had no towns or castles; apart from their faith in the Seven Gods, they seemed to have nothing.
Even the iron forging and knight training, which the Andals were most proud of, were almost completely forgotten.
After all, knight training required a great deal of money, and the scattered Andal villages of today completely lacked such material conditions.
"This is a brand new army. They are children, exiles, the downtrodden, but they are also my hope," Viserys thought.
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