The Iron Islands' Predicament

On the desk, several sheepskin parchments brought by messenger ravens lay scattered, displaying messages from King's Landing written in the neat hand of a maester. Some were from years ago, others more recent. Yulon slowly organized the intelligence from the ravens according to the timeline.

The Rebellion of the Vale: Aerys II imprisoned, Ser Barristan Selmy single-handedly saves his liege. The King is freed, but his mind is severely damaged.

Follow-up: The Mad King (a term euphemistically phrased in the maester's reports as "His Majesty's troubled disposition") harbors serious doubts about Duke Tywin Lannister's loyalty, believing his deliberate slowness in rescue was a sign of ill intent. The rift between them has begun.

Addendum: The letters also mentioned that, to counter "ubiquitous plots and betrayals," His Majesty Aerys II recruited a eunuch named Varys from across the Narrow Sea in Lys, appointing him Master of Whisperers. This individual, known for his secretive methods and dubbed the "Eight-Eyed Spider," has begun weaving a vast intelligence network covering the court and even the Seven Kingdoms, earning the Mad King's deep trust.

Latest: The Mad King rejected Duke Tywin's proposal for a marriage alliance between Prince Rhaegar and Miss Cersei Lannister, instead announcing the Prince's betrothal to Princess Elia Martell of Dorne. Simultaneously, the Mad King repeatedly and publicly mocked Tywin in court as a "Servant King," indulging in extreme humiliation.

"History... hasn't changed, that's good news!" Yulon muttered silently, his fingertip tracing the name "Aerys II" on the parchment. The shadow of the 273 AC rebellion in the Vale had already fallen upon this Dragon King, and the 275 AC rejection of the marriage proposal arrived as expected. Tywin Lannister, the Warden of the West whose sigil was the Golden Lion and whose authority was immense, must have had his heart filled with cold venom at this moment.

270 AC: Yulon Greyjoy is born.

273 AC: Rebellion in the Vale. The Mad King is imprisoned, rescued by Barristan. The Mad King suspects Tywin; a rift forms.

275 AC: The Mad King rejects the proposal for marriage between Prince Rhaegar and Miss Cersei Lannister, announcing the Prince's betrothal to Princess Elia Martell of Dorne instead. Mocks Tywin as "Servant King." The rift deepens.

281 AC: The Mad King forces Jaime into the Kingsguard. Deprives Tywin of his heir. The rift becomes irreparable.

282 AC: Rhaegar "abducts" Lyanna Stark. The Mad King brutally murders Rickard and Brandon Stark. The War of the Usurper begins!

283 AC: Battle of the Trident (Rhaegar dies). The Mad King plans to burn King's Landing with Wildfire. Jaime the Kingslayer kills the King. Robert is crowned King.

Yulon wrote the information on the parchment in Chinese, his finger tapping lightly on "283 AC." Lysa, standing behind him, watched the unfamiliar characters Yulon wrote with a curious expression.

"275 AC - 283 AC, eight years... still eight years..." Yulon murmured softly, his young chest filled with the anxiety and excitement of a seasoned schemer. The War of the Usurper! Westeros would be plunged into unprecedented chaos and bloodshed! This would be a heaven-sent opportunity for the Iron Islands to break free from their chains of poverty and make the Drowned God's name resound throughout the Seven Kingdoms! But the prerequisite was that the Iron Islands must possess enough strength to seize this opportunity, rather than capsize in the storm.

His current problem was: How to utilize the eight golden years from 275 AC to 282 AC to maximize the strength of the Iron Islands?

Charles Kettering once said: "Problems clearly stated are half solved." Yulon sighed, analyzing the current situation of the Iron Islands, listing these problems one by one on the parchment.

What the Iron Islands possess: A powerful naval tradition and culture—worship of the Drowned God, the "Old Way" spirit: a culture of raiding deeply ingrained, warriors (Ironborn) known for their bravery, ruthlessness, and fearlessness of death. The faith of the Drowned God imbues raiding with sacredness; the Ironborn's exquisite seafaring skills: generations have lived by the sea, possessing the best sailors and navigators (familiar with the Narrow Sea, the Sunset Sea), skilled in sailing in harsh conditions. Longship fleet: possess a large number of longships suitable for raiding, fast, shallow-draft, and highly maneuverable, able to venture into shallow waters and rivers.

The geographical location of the Iron Islands is isolated: Situated in the sea west of the mainland of Westeros, surrounded by treacherous waters, it is difficult to attack and easy to defend. The cost of invasion is extremely high, and apart from stone and salt, nothing can be gained from invasion. Historically, there have been no external invasions of the Iron Islands. Secondly, the Iron Islands are surrounded by dense reefs: the islands are dotted with submerged rocks, forming a natural defense line, and those unfamiliar with the routes are prone to wrecking.

The natural resources of the Iron Islands: Only three—iron ore, salt, and fish. Iron ore: especially on Great Wyk, rich iron ore resources are the basis for weapons, tools, and some trade. Salt: salt production is an important industry and trade commodity (though less valuable than gold). Fisheries: provide basic food sources (fish, seaweed).

The warriors of the Iron Islands are martial: Males generally receive combat training, the folk are fierce, and possess great combat effectiveness in boarding and melee combat. Furthermore, warriors have a fearlessness in battle that the other six kingdoms lack: their faith in the Drowned God makes them less afraid of death than mainland soldiers.

But at the same time, what the Iron Islands lack is even more, causing Yulon a wave of distress.

Scarce arable land: The land is barren and rocky, with a harsh climate, unsuitable for large-scale agriculture. 90% of grain relies on imports or raiding. So—no food, what to eat?

Insufficient forest resources: Lack of quality timber restricts the development of shipbuilding. Shipbuilding timber relies heavily on imports or raiding. So—no wood, how to build ships?

Possess iron ore, but—no blacksmiths to turn iron ore into equipment and weapons.

Limited population size: The total population of the islands is far less than any major kingdom on the mainland. Limited troop source, unable to support large-scale land wars or long-term occupation—with a small population base, it's even less capable of fighting protracted wars.

Internally fragmented: The major islands (Pike Island, Great Wyk, Old Wick Island, Harlaw, etc.) are ruled by different families (Greyjoy, Driftwood, Stonehouse, Harlaw, etc.). Although nominally subservient to the "King of the Sea Stones" (Greyjoy), there is competition and internal strife. The "Old Way" emphasizes individual prowess and raiding, resulting in too little cohesion—disunited!

Lack of administrative management: The seven islands are loosely distributed, thus lacking efficient systems for taxation, logistics, intelligence, and other bureaucratic functions—disorganized.

Remote geographical location: Weak ability to proactively obtain core intelligence from the mainland (court politics, large-scale troop movements), easily overlooked by mainland powers or with delayed information—lagging intelligence, unable to seize the initiative.

The flames in the fireplace crackled, reflecting in Yulon Greyjoy's pensive, heterochromatic eyes. Lastly, and most importantly, all subsequent matters would require the King of the Iron Islands, his father, to take the lead. How to persuade his father was the biggest hurdle.

His father, Corlys Greyjoy, the ruler of the Iron Islands, had a blueprint in his heart that was not without reason. The Iron Islands needed to change, to escape the poverty and isolation that clung to them like a persistent maggot. His goal—to integrate into the Seven Kingdoms, end the bloody "Old Way," and embrace peace and prosperity—sounded so bright and correct.

However, the problem was that his father wanted to leap to the destination in one go.

"Liberate all slaves on the island?" Yulon sighed silently, his fingertips unconsciously tapping on the cold stone table. The thought itself was filled with a benevolent glow, but reality was a cruel reef. The iron ore of Pike Island, the volcanic mines of Great Wyk, the salt pans of Saltcliffe... these toils that supported the fragile lifeline of the Iron Islands, now largely rested on the shoulders of slaves. If they were liberated, who would wield the heavy mining picks? Who would toil under the scorching sun in the salt fields? Did his father expect those Ironborn lords accustomed to "paying the iron price" and commanding longships to immediately roll up their sleeves and go mining or salt harvesting? The economy would collapse instantly, more thoroughly than any storm could destroy it.

"Completely abandon the Old Way?" This was even more like cutting to the root. Yulon admitted that the Old Way was barbaric, unsustainable, and one of the roots of the Iron Islands' poverty. But his father seemed to forget, or perhaps underestimated, what "paying the iron price" meant to the vast majority of Ironborn families at present. It was not just a way of survival, but also a part of their "honor" and faith, ingrained in their blood. To sever this economic lifeline that had sustained them for thousands of years was equivalent to draining eighty percent of the Iron Islands' blood in an instant. Where would the anger and confusion of those captains and sailors who had lost their raiding targets and "legitimate" sources of income be directed? Probably not towards the Lannisters' gold mines, but towards Pike town itself.

"Invite the Faith of the Seven to the islands? Spread the faith of the Seven?" Yulon was a man without faith, or perhaps a man who believed in all gods. Whichever god could bring him benefits was a good god. The faith of the Drowned God had been rooted in this land soaked by saltwater for thousands of years! It had shaped the souls of the Ironborn, their mottos, their way of life, even their unique understanding of death. Did his father really think that a few robed priests holding the Seven-Pointed Star could make the Drowned Priests, who had baptized newborns with cold seawater, bow their heads with just a few prayers on the rocks? Could they make the Ironborn, accustomed to fighting in the waves and seeking glory in raids, turn to pray devoutly to the Father Above and the Mother Above? This was simply a fantasy! Moreover, even if the Ironborn truly changed their faith, what then? The deeply ingrained prejudices of Westeros would see it as a hypocritical performance, a clumsy disguise by a barbaric pirate den. Would the nobles of King's Landing, the knights of the Reach, the lords of the North, suddenly open their arms and regard the Ironborn as devout brothers just because the Iron Islands believed in the Seven? No, they would only mock, or become even more vigilant—vigilant about what new tricks these "Iron Sea monsters in sheep's clothing" were playing.

Opening the ports, this was indeed one of the few ideas in his father's plan that truly shone with wisdom. The Iron Islands needed contact with the outside world, needed the lifeblood of trade. However, prejudice was a mountain more towering and colder than Blacktyde Isle! On the mental maps of all merchants in the Seven Kingdoms, the words "Iron Islands" were always accompanied by "pirate nest," "dangerous waters," "no return." His father opened the ports and erected lighthouses, but which merchant ship laden with goods would dare gamble its entire fortune on the "goodwill" of the Ironborn? Who could guarantee their ship wouldn't be "paid the iron price" in the night? Who could believe that the sharp-eyed, scarred Ironborn on the docks wouldn't draw their axes the next moment? Without the foundation of trust, even the best ports would be empty berths, listening to the waves beat in vain.

His father was too hasty. He saw the alluring light at the destination but ignored the path beneath his feet, which was fraught with thorns and treacherous currents. He tried to smash the shackles of millennia with a heavy hammer, but he didn't consider that when the hammer fell, it might first shatter the reef upon which he stood. Reform required the patience of unraveling silk, the precision of surgery, and the wisdom of boiling a frog slowly.

Yulon's gaze turned to the gloomy sea outside the window. True change should be like the tide eroding the reef, slow and steady. Not overturning the entire ship at once, but quietly adjusting the angle of the sails, cautiously replacing rotten wood in the keel, and patiently carving out new tributaries on the shipping routes. It required time, strategy, and step-by-step proof that the new path could indeed bring richer "salt and iron" than the "Old Way," and that visible benefits and greater strength were needed to persuade, divide, and ultimately replace those stubborn reefs.

His father wanted to reach the destination directly, while Yulon saw a long journey that must be meticulously paved, step by step. The dilapidated ship of the Iron Islands needed not a disruptive storm, but a highly skilled navigator who understood how to utilize tides and wind direction, carefully guiding it away from the treacherous shoals named "Old Way."