Everyone was afraid now. No one dared interrupt with jokes.
"Very good."
Daeren nodded slightly and decisively gave the order. "Do it!"
The Gold Cloaks following Elisha pounced like starving wolves, pinning down the highest-ranking City Gate captains.
"Prince, we've been wronged!"
"Spare me, I'll confess..."
"..."
Several City Gate captains were scared out of their wits, kneeling on the ground and desperately begging for mercy.
The remaining eight or nine mid-ranking officers trembled in fear, obediently standing aside without daring to make the slightest sound.
Anyone who was not an idiot could see that the City Guard was about to undergo a complete upheaval tonight.
Once those mid-ranking officers were dead, the army would belong to Prince Daeren without any obstacles.
"Everyone, I am not an unreasonable man."
Daeren's expression did not change as he said, "You City Gate captains have done far more than take bribes and embezzle funds. Behind the scenes, you have committed countless atrocities."
"Shall I list them one by one?"
The moment he finished speaking, the captains' pleas came to an abrupt stop.
They knew better than anyone what they had done.
Excessive taxes, human trafficking, violating young women, sheltering criminals...
As long as it made money, they would do anything.
A pack of scum!
Daeren snorted coldly. "Since I assist Lord Manly in managing the City Guard, I cannot ignore people using the royal banner to oppress the innocent."
"You outstanding examples will serve as warnings to all."
At that moment, the City Gate captains seemed to have had their bones removed, all of them turning limp and weak.
Daeren cast a sidelong glance.
The eight or nine patrol officers caught in his gaze felt chills run through their bodies, their minds racing as they recalled their own crimes.
"You lot have been more law-abiding than them."
Daeren studied them closely. "I will give you a chance to redeem yourselves through merit. Decide for yourselves who will resign tomorrow morning and who will be demoted but retained."
He did not intend to kill them all.
Strike one group and win over another; only then could he divide them completely.
The eight or nine patrol officers exchanged looks, each clearly harboring their own thoughts.
They secretly sighed in relief, believing the nightmare was about to end.
Unexpectedly, Daeren immediately continued, "However, some among you will face judgment, some will atone through merit, and one of you is guilty beyond redemption."
Who?
The eight or nine patrol officers shuddered, as though an invisible hand had seized their hearts.
"Ser Janos Slynt!"
Daeren's eyes gleamed. "You are also a City Gate captain. By rights, I should give you a chance to stand trial."
"Unfortunately, someone named you."
Janos Slynt had been hiding among the crowd, already trembling in terror. Now he collapsed straight onto the ground.
"Come out!"
Elisha reached out with one large hand and dragged him out.
Janos looked utterly ordinary. His balding head and potbelly gave him the greasy appearance of a middle-aged man, while his demeanor radiated cowardice and wretchedness.
"Prince, please, spare me."
Janos's face was deathly pale. If he had not been bracing himself against the floor with his hands, he would likely have collapsed into a puddle of mud from fright.
He knew all too well that his crimes were enough to have him beheaded a hundred times over.
"Don't worry. I will spare you."
A smile touched Daeren's lips.
Overjoyed, Janos hastily said, "Thank you, thank you, Prince."
His spineless appearance was truly unbearable to look at.
Daeren walked past the stunned Lord Manly, drew a dagger from his waist, and plunged it into the table with a clang.
"Each of you give him one stab. Let me witness your resolve to repent."
Janos's expression changed drastically.
"Prince, I..."
Squelch!
Before he could finish, a mid-ranking officer picked up the dagger and drove it into his back, straight through his heart.
Then came the successive sounds of blades piercing flesh.
Daeren did not look away, watching from beginning to end.
A moment later.
Janos was already lying in a pool of blood, his body riddled with holes.
Daeren said, "Poor Lord Janos. With so many holes in him, how could he still hold any Gold Dragons?"
Everyone fell silent.
Everyone knew that, beginning tonight, the City Guard had changed.
"Lock up the criminals and throw the bodies into Flea Bottom."
Daeren demonstrated exactly what decisiveness meant. "You have one day. Get moving and sort out your subordinates. This time tomorrow, I want to see every Gold Cloak here."
After digging out the worms, he still had to clean up the shit hole that was King's Landing.
On the twenty-sixth day of spring, he would harvest the last batch of strawberries. After that, he needed to find a way to Dragonstone.
Before then, King's Landing had to be completely transformed.
"Yes, Prince!!"
The response was deafening.
The next day, after nightfall.
Cobbler's Square, the City Guard garrison.
Clusters of torches drove away the darkness, illuminating the garrison as brightly as day.
Daeren wore armor and a purple mantle over his right shoulder, standing amid wolves watching from all sides.
His gaze swept over them.
More than a thousand Gold Cloaks stood solemnly with their heads held high, wearing half-suits of chainmail, carrying finely crafted shortswords and clubs, and each draped in a long golden cloak.
They were the starving wolves.
A pack of starving wolves freed from the control of hyenas, howling for food.
Daeren had removed those parasites, placed his own men in officer positions, weeded out the useless cowards, and retained the backbone who still understood honor.
To win their hearts, he had also distributed money to each of them.
The Gold Cloaks, long exploited by their superiors, had seen the dawn again.
"Is everyone here?"
Daeren asked in a low voice.
"Yes, Prince."
Lord Manly stood to one side and said quietly, "Everyone is here, awaiting only your command."
Daeren looked around once more.
On both sides of the crowd, he saw Elisha's excited eyes, Jeremy Lake, a mid-ranking officer who had newly joined the City Guard...
And even more lowborn, skilled rank-and-file knights who shared their fate.
Before this, they had either lacked connections or looked down on the City Guard's corruption.
But now, they flocked to it.
There was only one reason.
"Commander arriving!"
Elisha's booming voice drowned out all other noise.
More than a thousand Gold Cloaks instantly fell silent, their gazes turning in unison toward him.
Daeren's expression remained unchanged as he walked forward beneath everyone's eyes.
The entire field was silent, waiting for the prince to speak.
Daeren waved a hand, and soldiers behind him carried over several large chests.
Creak!
The chests opened, revealing gleaming Silver Stags mixed with Gold Dragons and Copper Stars.
The breathing of the thousand-plus Gold Cloaks stalled, followed by heavy panting.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Without realizing it, the Gold Cloaks struck their chests with one hand, like the beating of war drums.
Daeren raised a hand.
The sound stopped at once.
Daeren's gaze was blazing as he spoke. "When I took office as Deputy Commander of the City Watch, you were still a pack of starving wild dogs, exploited and abused."
They remained silent.
Daeren lifted his chin slightly and raised his voice. "Now, you are a pack of hunting hounds, well fed, standing ready, armed and prepared to depart!"
"Awooo...!!"
Thinking of the wine and meat they had enjoyed that morning, and the heads of their exploiters being chopped off, the Gold Cloaks were flushed with excitement as they howled without hesitation.
A hundred and fifty years had passed.
The Gold Cloaks had gone from renowned and feared to increasingly infamous with every generation.
At last, another Targaryen prince had taken command of them, returning them to the protection of the True Dragon Bloodline.
Daeren walked forward step by step, his voice solemn. "My father's city has fallen beyond measure. All manner of evil breeds here and runs rampant."
"Those days are over."
"From tonight onward, King's Landing will fear gold once more."
Then he gave the order to depart.
Gold Cloaks:!!!
Amid deafening roars, more than a thousand Gold Cloaks surged out after the prince without the slightest hesitation.
"Remember, our purge covers Cobbler's Square and Silk Street."
"Thieves, chop off the hand they used to steal."
"Rapists, cut off the tool of their crime."
"Murderers, blood for blood!"
Order after order was issued, the punishments exceptionally brutal.
To avoid criticism, Daeren left them some room.
"Before execution, if anyone is willing to don black and go to The Wall, you are to ensure they arrive safely."
"We are not executioners. We are enforcers of the law!"
Before you continue