Redd is a little lucky now. He followed Douglas's suggestion and let the Demon Dragon army deal with Dothraki, leaving half of the Demon Dragon in Volantis.
At that time, he just felt that what Douglas said made some sense - Volantis was the core hub of Free Cities and the transfer station connecting Valyrian Peninsula and Westeros. Sufficient military forces were stationed here to ensure the safety of the route and the stability of logistics.
But he didn't think too deeply. He considered it more from a military perspective.
Now he discovered that that decision was equally important politically. Otherwise the Red God church would not be so honest.
Just compare Westeros with Faith of the Seven.
The divine power of Faith of the Seven is superior to the imperial power. Faith Militant dares to openly confront the empire, incite people's emotions, and resist the laws of the empire. It has always been in a transcendent position.
When the monks and nuns in robes were preaching on the streets of King's Landing, not even Kingsguard dared to step forward to stop them.
The kings of House Targaryen are always cautious when facing Faith of the Seven, for fear of touching the bottom line of the church.
Because the church controls the beliefs of the vast majority of Westeros civilians, once the king is excommunicated, his throne will be crumbling in the people's rejection.
Redd has always had a contemptuous attitude towards Faith of the Seven. He felt that those kings were too weak to allow a religious institution to have such great power in their own territory.
Redd knows very well that all nine Free Citiess were conquered with the powerful force of Demon Dragon.
Each has its own cultural characteristics and beliefs, and there are many churches that believe in different gods.
If this is not because he is strong in force and has killed enough people, he never cares whether the people support him or not.
If you pay taxes on time, you are Free Folk. If you don't pay taxes on time, you are a slave.
These two articles, whether you are a commoner, a beggar, a noble, or a clergyman, you must abide by.
In the ruling logic of Redd, there are no exceptions, no privileges, and no exemption from obligations because of belief.
He does not need the people to love him, nor does he need the church to pray for him.
He only needs them to obey, pay taxes on time, complete the assigned labor on time, and then live or die under his rule, it is up to him.
He did not expect that the Red God church would revive so quickly, develop again so quickly, and even have an armed force.
If Demon Dragon hadn't been left in Volantis, a rebellion would have probably started against him.
Redd paced back and forth in the study room of the castle, sorting out Mesalia's information and Douglas's investigation results over and over in his mind.
The Red God church expanded faster than he expected in Free Cities. Those Red Priest couples and witches took advantage of the suffering of the lower class people and their desire for the afterlife to quickly attract a large number of believers.
They established prayer places in every corner of City-States, preached to passers-by in markets and docks, and used prophecies about "Lord of Light" to attract followers.
Those who live at the bottom, those who are struggling under the taxes and labor of Redd, those who cannot see hope, find some kind of comfort and sustenance in the teachings of Red God.
Red God The church also promises that believers will enter the eternal kingdom of light after death. This promise has great appeal to people living in pain.
Redd realized that although his high-pressure rule suppressed resistance on the physical level, it provided the most fertile soil for the spread of the Red God church on the spiritual level.
Those people who have been squeezed to the limit need an outlet, and Red God faith provides exactly that outlet.
On the third day after Douglas set off, Redd received his first briefing from Volantis.
The briefing mentioned that he had transferred fifty Demon Dragons from the underground Dragonpits. After the formation was completed, they were flying northwest along the predetermined route.
He himself took a transport ship to Pentos by sea and expected to arrive early the next morning.
Redd did not reply after reading the briefing. He just folded the piece of paper and put it in the drawer.
Douglas's first stop is Pentos.
After Laena passed through the Narrow Sea, her first stop was Pentos, and the one who received her was the governor of Pentos.
Therefore, the investigation must of course start with the governor of Pentos. Following his line, we might be able to uncover some of the deep-hidden people in Red God's church.
After all, what is obvious is easy to catch, but what is hidden is difficult to deal with.
Those governors and nobles who are loyal to Redd on the surface but secretly collude with the Red God church are the real hidden dangers.
Before Douglas set off, he had obtained preliminary information about Governor Pentos through Mesalia's intelligence network. He knew that this person was obedient to Redd on the surface, but had had many contacts with the senior leaders of the Red God church in private.
After arriving at Pentos, he planned to enter the Governor's Mansion in the name of wiping out the Red God church, control the governor, and then use him to find out the Red God believers hiding in the dark.
Douglas obviously underestimated the Red God church. In addition, the governor did not intend to surrender, so the two sides joined forces and directly taught Douglas a lesson.
When Douglas arrived at Pentos, the governor personally went to the port to greet him.
His attitude was very respectful and his words were sincere, saying that he was willing to fully cooperate with the Douglas campaign to eliminate the Red God church.
He invited Douglas to the city for detailed discussions, saying that there was some information about the Red God church stronghold in the city that needed to be handed over in person.
Although Douglas was wary, he believed that Pentos was City-States under the rule of Redd. Even if the governor had other intentions, he would not dare to attack him in the city.
He entered the city with a hundred personal guards and headed for the Governor's Palace.
As the team passed through the streets of Pentos, he noticed that there were far fewer pedestrians on the streets than usual, and those who should have been busy in the markets and docks were nowhere to be seen.
The windows of some buildings were closed, and someone seemed to be peeking behind the curtains. He didn't think much about it at the time, thinking it was just a normal curfew effect.
The two sides joined forces to set up an ambush in the Governor's Mansion. When Douglas entered the chamber, the Governor suddenly retreated behind the side door. The door was locked from the outside. Hundreds of armed men poured out from the hidden passage and surrounded Douglas and his personal guards in the chamber.
Among those armed personnel were armed believers of the Red God church, as well as the governor's private guards.
Douglas understood at that moment that he had been betrayed.
He drew his sword and led his guards to break through desperately. The narrow space of the meeting hall made it impossible for him to form a formation. The guards could only use their bodies to block in front of him, and were stabbed down layer by layer by the opponent's swords and spears.
He killed at least twenty people, the blade of his sword was stained with blood, and his clothes were torn in several places.
But he had too few people and the opponent had too many, so he could only retreat towards the nearest exit.