Casterly Rock and Harrenhal

There is a consensus in Westeros that when the King's banner is raised, everyone from peddlers and beggars to nobles, lords, and regional chieftains must obediently give way.

So when Stannis's stag-shaped sails, adorned with fiery red hearts, came into view, merchants on the Blackwater moved their ships far to the shore to make room for the king's fleet.

Just then, an inconspicuous small boat approached Stannis's fleet.

This caused the captain to immediately slow down, so much so that the nobles on board were unsteady on their feet due to the turbulence. Upon learning of the situation, they immediately sent men to intercept the ship.

Unfortunately, this was all a consequence of the Battle of the Blackwater. They discovered the ship was actually sent by Jon, and brought Monde on board before Stannis.

"Why aren't you welcoming His Majesty at the River Gate? What are you doing on His Majesty's ship?" Alester, who had been temporarily reinstated, asked with a frown. In his opinion, Jon was really out of his mind, daring to send men to block the king's ship.

"Your Majesty, Lord Jon Snow has sent me to propose that Your Majesty enter King's Landing through the Iron Gate— "

Before he could finish speaking, Alester's brother Axell, interrupted, "Where His Majesty enters King's King's Landing is a matter for a bastard to concern himself with?"

Stannis was clearly displeased by Axell's words; in fact, he now harbored little goodwill towards the entire House Florent. He merely stopped Asel, then asked, "Why? Why did Jon ask me to do this?"

Monde, recalling Jon's instructions, said, "Your Majesty, the people of King's Landing have been greatly affected by the war. Many of them are destitute. The lord said that it would be best if Your Majesty's fleet could go to a port near the Iron Gate. This would minimize the impact on the lives of the common people and prevent them from working. Otherwise, many of them will not finish their work by nightfall, and if they don't finish their work, they will not have food. They are all Your Majesty's subjects now. If Your Majesty can enter the city through the Iron Gate, the common people will surely thank you for your kindness."

Listening to Monde's explanation, Stannis nodded almost imperceptibly, his deep blue eyes revealing approval.

He felt less suspicion and more goodwill towards Jon, a young man who dared to speak his mind.

The lords of Westeros wear their emotions on their sleeves, so it's impossible to find a suitable actor for them. Even a scoundrel like Petyr can throw a tantrum.

Jon's sophisticated political performance was a complete disaster for these guys who only knew how to fawn over their superiors.

Moreover, his intentions were indeed good. In the end, Stannis ordered, following Jon's advice, that the fleet proceed to the port near the Iron Gate.

Jon was already near the Iron Gate, ready to meet Stannis's arrival.

He specifically used the Stark banner with its grey Direwolf background and Stannis's Fiery Heart Stag Banner.

Many people came to greet him, including court officials such as Varys and Pycelle. Jon, considering Pycelle's age, even had a stool found for him to sit and rest.

Although this guy is no good, the position of Grand Maester is a lifelong one, so it's worth it to exchange this small favor for him to say some good things about me to Stannis.

Moreover, the old national advisor is still vigorous despite his advanced age; even though he is over eighty, he still has the stamina to visit prostitutes and can probably continue for several more years.

Besides the two of them, there were also Stevron Len and Rhaegar of the House Frey.

The two old men arrived in King's Landing two days ago and flattered Jon Snow after meeting Jon. Rhaegar Frey even brought his son Robert Frey, whom he had promised to be Jon's squire.

The official excuse was that Jon had left too hastily after stopping Robb from becoming king, leaving Robert Frey behind.

In short, the two of them practically clung to Jon to demonstrate the House Frey's unwavering stance of standing firmly with Stannis.

Although Stannis's current army, even including the previous prisoners, may not exceed ten thousand, the resources he can mobilize are enormous due to his status as king.

Although Westeros is often referred to as the "Seven Kingdoms," it should actually be considered as Seven Kingdoms and nine major powers.

The two extra ones are naturally the Crownlands and the Iron Islands.

Jon crowned Stannis King, and Stannis directly controlled the Crownlands and Stormlands. With some effort, he could easily muster an army of 30,000 to 50,000 men.

Littlefinger will definitely try to curry favor with the monarchy in the future, and with his influence, the Vale will likely also pledge allegiance to Stannis.

This gives Stannis nearly half of Westeros.

Dorne is located in the most remote south, and even without direct oaths of allegiance, it can still serve as a check on the Reach. The Reach will soon have to openly side with Stannis.

Stannis may not have the same authority as Robert, but a king is a king, and that cannot be faked. The House Frey chose to come to King's Landing precisely because of this, hoping to make a name for themselves in front of Stannis.

Then Sansa and Arya were standing not far from Jon, and Jeyne Poor Jon, the daughter of the former Grand Master of Winterfell, was also found.

She was in Petyr's brothel, still undeflowered. Petyr was clearly training her, perhaps so that she could fetch a good price later.

In the original timeline, Jeyne Poole impersonated Arya and married Ramsay, but Jon believed that Petyr's plans couldn't be that far-reaching, and that they should take things one step at a time.

His explanation to Jon was to protect her.

Jon didn't believe a word Petyr said. If he hadn't been representing House Tyrell in negotiations with Stannis, Jon would have killed him long ago.

"As expected of the mastermind behind the Seven Kingdoms," his agility is truly remarkable. However, I heard that he had his hand cut off by Stannis on Dragonstone, which he certainly deserved.

In addition, Beric Dondarrion and Thoros were naturally in the team, after all, the two had contributed a lot to the siege, and Stannis would probably reward them handsomely later.

At this moment, Varys quietly approached Jon, a hint of interest in his pale purple eyes. The others generally knew that the Spider had played a significant role in the siege, so they all wisely gave the two of them space to talk.

Jon has written to Stannis about the entire siege, naturally mentioning Varys's help, thus fulfilling his promise.

Varys now suspects he has new intelligence to share with Jon, which he uses to demonstrate goodwill and strengthen cooperation.

"Jon, I've learned some news from Dragonstone that I think you might find interesting." Varys tilted his head slightly toward Jon, his lips trembling barely; to onlookers, he appeared to be just one of the many courtiers gazing into the distance, awaiting the king.

Varys told Jon almost everything that happened on Dragonstone, such as the initial suggestion that Jon become the Lord of Harrenhal, and Littlefinger Petyr's sudden appearance after his hand was cut off, suggesting that Jon be made the Lord of Casterly Rock.

Varys explained in great detail, which made Jon marvel at the man's formidable intelligence capabilities.

"Jon, with your achievements, you are not quite worthy of the Lord of Casterly Rock Lord of Harrenhal, but you are not quite worthy of the title of Duke of Casterly Rock either. However, if you fight for the opportunity to send troops, conquer the Westerlands, take Casterly Rock, and then become the Lord of Casterly Rock, I think that should be enough." Varys analyzed the current situation for Jon.

"In my opinion, there are two main difficulties for you in obtaining the title of Lord of Casterly Rock. First, there's the difficulty of conquering the Casterly Rock Westerlands. As you know, Casterly Rock has never fallen, and indeed Casterly Rock has never fallen. Second, if you were to request it, we'd likely arouse suspicion from His Majesty Stannis. Even if you succeeded and gained control of the vast Westerlands, you'd undoubtedly be under constant surveillance. At least with my limited intellect, I honestly don't know what to do."

Just as Varys was speaking, Jon saw a cavalry unit bearing Stannis's banner slowly approaching.

"Jon, although you've been proclaiming your intention to return to the Wall, I don't know if it's true or not. If it is, then you're practically the greatest saint in thousands of years, even more divine than Baelor Targaryen in some respects. But if you're truly going to play this Game of Thrones, then you're a far more skillful player than Lord Eddard. Well, that's all I have to say. You may leave now."

After saying this, Varys quietly left Jon's side, helped Pycelle up, and soon his stool was removed.

Jon glanced at Varys's bald head, which gleamed in the sunlight. He truly lived up to his reputation as a spy and intelligence master who had been lurking for over a decade; his abilities in both gathering and analyzing intelligence were first-rate.

Indeed, Varys' analysis was spot on. The most difficult part was figuring out how to reach an agreement with Stannis that if he conquered Casterly Rock, he would be granted the Casterly Rock would not interfere.