novelraw Chapter 570 572: Priority and Order
Chapter 570 572: Priority and Order
"Your goal is to unify the Seven Kingdoms and establish a new order to break the wheel of history," Aegor said, not waiting for Daenerys to respond. "Therefore, the main contradiction you currently face is the one between yourself, who seeks to establish a new order, and the enemies who seek to prevent you from doing so."
Is he lecturing me again?
Daenerys shifted her shoulders uncomfortably, suppressing the irritation rising within her. She admired Aegor's deep understanding of the Seven Kingdoms' affairs and respected the boldness and ambition of his Great King's Landing Plan, but that didn't mean she believed he was always right. Still, the man before her had long since built the image of a 'teacher', which made it hard not to listen. She even felt some faint anticipation at the thought of learning something from him. After thinking it over briefly, she decided to argue within his framework.
"Poisoning and murdering my Hand, isn't that an attempt to stop me from establishing a new order? Doesn't that make the person behind it my main enemy? And isn't dealing with that person the most pressing matter?"
She had indeed thought this through.
Aegor silently gave thanks to his past self—for not spending all his time in political science class playing with his phone. At least he remembered some theories and rhetoric from those great minds. Without them, he wouldn't have been able to answer Daenerys's pointed question.
"Your Grace's question is not without merit, but what you said actually supports this theory in detail. That is, the main contradiction and secondary contradictions are interdependent." Aegor extended a hand and began counting on his fingers. "Think of it like a hand. Without a palm, there are no fingers. Without fingers, the palm is useless. Poisoning and killing your Hand is a method of stopping you from building a new order, and stopping you is the enemy's goal. It is precisely because the main contradiction exists that the secondary one arose, and the secondary contradiction further highlights the importance of the main one. Do you understand their relationship?"
What's there not to understand?
"So?" Daenerys shrugged, raising her chin slightly as she met his gaze without flinching. "Are you trying to convince me that because the poisoning is a secondary contradiction, I don't need to investigate it?"
"No, just the opposite. The one who ordered the attack on the two Lords is undoubtedly your main enemy, and dealing with them is very important work. But the more critical the moment, the clearer our thinking must be. It's not 'because they murdered your Lord Hand, they became your enemy,' but rather 'they were already your enemy, which is why they murdered your Hand.' Once the cause-and-effect is clear, so is the distinction between primary and secondary. And once our minds are clear, what needs to be done becomes obvious. We must strike the enemy, but not because of the murders. It's because they are enemies."
"Once we understand that, we can ask the real question: How do we fight the enemy? Is it by uncovering the truth and accusing them of murder? No. Words are the weapons of the weak when force fails. But our strength is not lacking. Therefore, what we should do next is to do what truly makes the enemy afraid."
Aegor emphasized that final sentence, then looked directly into Daenerys's eyes. "And there is only one thing that truly frightens them, which is: we put the poisoning case aside for now and focus entirely on the southern campaign."
A rough breath suddenly came from the side. Rhaegal, curled up in his nest, seemed very interested in the idea of marching south. Upon hearing those words, he huffed hot air from his nostrils and lifted his head, bringing it close to the two of them.
"Focus entirely on the southern campaign?" Daenerys repeated, patting Rhaegal's large head. Aegor's words were a bit roundabout, but the logic was clear and the conclusion straightforward. It made sense. But even so, the burning fury in her chest could not be extinguished by mere reason.
"True, if the culprit is that false king Stannis, whether I find out or not, I'll still be at odds with him. It makes little difference. But what if it's someone else? The Iron Bank, perhaps, trying to pressure me into repaying the usurper's debts. Or Prince Aegor, who once sought to marry me and form an alliance... If one of these parties is behind it, and I remain unaware, still treating them as neutral or even potential allies, wouldn't I be in grave danger?"
Excellent. That's exactly what I hoped you'd think. Far more effective than me accusing others—self-doubt plants deeper seeds.
"Again, keep in mind the distinction between primary and secondary. Unifying the Seven Kingdoms is primary. Everything else is secondary. And what is the purpose of this distinction? It's to guide our actions—to decide what should come first, and what can wait. Tell me, Your Grace, if the true culprit were the Iron Bank or Aegon, would you ignore the false king still sitting on the Iron Throne and instead launch an immediate war across the Narrow Sea, or against the Golden Company in the Reach?"
"If we had enough manpower, time, and resources, of course I'd prefer to both campaign south and investigate the poisoning. But we don't. And if I pour all my energy into the investigation, who will deal with the Northern lords? Who will lead the southern campaign? Lady Missandei? Black Shell? They are loyal and reliable, but forgive me, they can't bear such a heavy burden. Every day we delay, morale wanes, supplies dwindle, and we waste the initiative. It weakens us and emboldens our enemies."
Rhaegal nudged Daenerys's side, then turned and nuzzled Aegor. Unsure of how to respond, Aegor followed her example, patting the dragon's head and scratching its chin. The beast seemed satisfied and returned to its nest to sleep again.
This sight left Daenerys stunned. Her dragons rarely showed affection toward anyone but her, and those who received such treatment typically had Valyrian blood.
Did Aegor have Valyrian ancestry? Or was it because she had shed blood to save him, letting him carry her scent?
"The dragons must be uncomfortable in the North's cold climate."
Without warning, Aegor brought up an unrelated topic.
Daenerys agreed with that, at least. The dragons' injuries had mostly healed, but they stayed curled up all day in the nest, rarely moving, and eating less than usual. But wait... that off-topic comment made her forget what they had just been arguing about.
Oh right, primary, secondary, and priorities.
The reasoning was novel. She was nearly convinced... but not quite.
Before she could speak, Aegor once again took the lead.
"Your Grace, I am just as angry as you are. I too want justice for the two Lords. But I beg you, don't let emotions cloud your judgment. You've tasked me with uncovering the truth, and I will keep that in mind and carry it out. I swear, no matter the method, no matter the cost or the time it takes. But only after I have reclaimed the Iron Throne for you. Only then can I devote what strength I have to this task. I believe that even if Lord Petyr and Lord Varys are watching from the heavens, they would agree with this."
"Besides, once we take King's Landing and establish a proper intelligence network, we'll be able to investigate with the full resources of the realm. That will be far easier than stumbling through the dark from this Northern castle."
Daenerys didn't speak. She turned her head to look at Rhaegal in his nest, her chest rising and falling. She was furious that Aegor had defied her orders. Yet looking at him now, so devoted and unwavering, she couldn't bring herself to show her anger. Her thoughts were tangled. For a long time, she couldn't come up with any rebuttal or question.
Thousands of words became a single sentence.
"Report any progress to me."
"As you command, Your Grace." Aegor let out a quiet breath of relief, understanding that he had pushed her. Seeing her finally compromise, he softened his tone to ease the tension. "So, when do you plan to summon the Northern lords and begin the southern campaign?"
"In a couple of days." Daenerys turned and walked toward Drogon's nest, no longer side by side with him. "Give me a little time to prepare. Let me catch my breath."
"Catching your breath, preparing, of course." Aegor quickly followed. "But Your Grace, every day we delay, the Gift and the Northern army burn through supplies and patience. Every day we wait, my investigation is delayed, and the risks faced by the troops already in the South increase. The enemy won't stop to wait for us to get ready. I believe there's no time like the present. Send someone now to summon the Northern lords camped south of the city. They can arrive after lunch, swear fealty before dark, and after dinner, we begin planning the campaign. Speed is the essence of war. And we've already wasted too much time here."
With his longer stride, Aegor just managed to catch up beside her.
"Of course, this is merely a suggestion. Whether to act on it is up to Your Grace."
(To be continued.)
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