Chapter 781: Chapter 781: The Dothraki Invasion
For the people of the Golden Dynasty, their realm was the celestial empire of the Middle Kingdom. They paid little attention to the civilizations beyond their borders unless their territory was encroached upon or outsiders came knocking. When enemies arrived, they fought back; when friends visited, they welcomed them.
Many years ago, a vast nomadic tribe from the western world had made an arduous journey through the Steel Road, traversing the Bone Mountains to reach the eastern lands.
The Steel Road ran from the southern end of Qohor to Kayakayanaya, connecting the Dothraki holy site of Mother of Mountains with the major town of Shangmai, where the Golden Dynasty's great general Bo Xiong was stationed with his troops.
Thus, when the "Khal of Khals" and "rider of the world's finest horses" led over a hundred thousand Dothraki screamers through the Jogos Nhai plains to the borders of the Golden Dynasty, tensions immediately escalated, with the ominous clouds of war looming over the land.
This foreign army that had suddenly appeared at the border sent an eastern emissary, a woman wearing a red lacquered mask, her body shrouded in a black cloak that revealed nothing but her eyes.
This eastern envoy introduced herself as "the Basilisk Who Crosses the Shadows," speaking fluent Golden Tongue. "Crossing the Shadows" was a veiled term referring to those hailing from or near the Shadow Lands of Asshai.
This shadow binder from Asshai, representing the Dothraki, sought an audience with General Bo Xiong to negotiate. She requested that the general clear a path, allowing the horselords to cross through the Golden Dynasty's territory to reach the Shadow Lands.
She claimed this could save the fate of the entire world.
However, the Basilisk's request was met with a resolute refusal from General Bo Xiong.
Although he looked down upon the King of Yi Du, Bu Hai, for wanting to establish his own kingdom, Bo Xiong could not, under any circumstances, allow such a large foreign cavalry force to enter the dynasty's territory. Doing so would make him a notorious sinner for all eternity, regardless of whether this was a Jogos Nhai ploy.
Thus, the negotiations broke down, with the clouds of war looming over the land. The Basilisk had no choice but to return to the khalasar, urging the Khal of Khals to wage war against the Golden Dynasty.
The Dothraki had crossed the Bone Mountains via the Steel Road and continued along the edge of the Great Sand Sea. This route was devised by the Basilisk and her two fellow shadow binders.
This path allowed them to largely avoid crossing the Jogos Nhai plains by skirting along the periphery. The harsh environment and severe sandstorms near the Great Sand Sea meant that few Jogos Nhai tribes were encamped in the vicinity.
Although the Jogos Nhai were also nomads, appearing shorter and stouter than the Dothraki, they were equally fierce, notorious in the East for their cruelty and bellicosity.
They had warred with nearly all their neighbors. To the northeast, they had reduced the Nefer Kingdom to a single city. They had also battled the Jhogwin Principalities, the successor states of Kayakayanaya, and even Qohor.
The mighty Golden Dynasty had also clashed with the Jogos Nhai in the past. The young emperor Luo Bao had once led an army of 300,000 deep into the steppes, undeterred by Jogos Nhai tribute, hostages, or declarations of fealty, with the sole purpose of exterminating their race. Alas, he ultimately failed.
Thus, the Basilisk's route aimed to avoid conflict with the Jogos Nhai by circumventing their core territories. Fortunately, the Jogos Nhai chose not to clash with this passing Dothraki horde. Their jhattar opted to let this calamity pass onto the Golden Dynasty, allowing the vast Dothraki khalasar to reach the empire's borders.
However, upon reaching the frontier, the Dothraki could no longer avoid confrontation.
They had to cross through the Golden Dynasty's territory, traversing this great empire to reach the Shadow Lands.
The imperial border ran along the shores of the impassable Bleeding Sea. If the Dothraki could not pass through here, they would have to once again cross the Jogos Nhai plains and detour through the Nefer Kingdom.
The Nefer Kingdom, weakened by years of Jogos Nhai raids, was no longer a concern. But the road beyond Nefer was treacherous.
They would have to traverse the fabled Cannibal Sands and the vast Grey Waste.
These lands were forbidden zones, their very names evoking death. The Khal of Khals had unified all the khalasars, gathering over 100,000 Dothraki horselords. Yet the Asshai'i Basilisk knew that if they tried to force their way through the Cannibal Sands and Grey Waste, even all these warriors would not suffice, and few would emerge alive.
Thus, the route devised by the Basilisk and her fellow shadow binders was already the only theoretically viable path through the terror-filled "Eastern Hells".
Alas, they ultimately hit a snag with the Golden Dynasty's General Bo Xiong.
The indomitable Dothraki subsequently launched an attack on the Golden Dynasty's border, sparking a prolonged and fierce war.
Despite their ferocity, the Dothraki ultimately suffered a crushing defeat at the empire's frontier, with tens of thousands of corpses littering the land, providing days of feasting for the vultures. Dothraki blood dyed the earth red.
Beaten back by General Bo Xiong at the Golden Dynasty's border, the Dothraki were forced to flee, gradually retreating along their original path back to the Great Grass Sea.
This was the most intense clash between East and West in recent years, allowing many in the Golden Dynasty to learn about the people from the other side of the world.
"Valyria?" Xu Ying pondered for a moment, then nodded. "I've heard of it."
"Valyria was once a great nation that fell into ruin. I heard it was recently reestablished in the West."
The Golden Dynasty also had records of Valyria, roughly stating: "A realm akin to the Dynasty, rearing fire-breathing beasts that consume gold, revered by all nations as Hindustan, poised for great unification."
The fourth emperor of the Golden Dynasty, Chai Du, had even taken a Valyrian noblewoman as a concubine and kept a dragon in the palace.
"Mm, very good!" exclaimed General Jin Cheng, standing in the brothel clad only in a white undergarment. Hearing Xu Ying's words, he stroked his chin in satisfaction, especially pleased by the recitation of ancient texts about Valyria.
"Xu Ying, it just so happens that an imperial edict has arrived, requesting the dispatch of a military officer to Valyria as an envoy," Jin Cheng remarked. "I think you would be perfect for the role."
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