To the Far East, past the bone mountains, the Golden Empire of YiTi as it was called was entering into a time of civil strife. The 17th Azure God-Emperor, Bu Gai had just fallen ill and is incapable of ruling the empire. As a result, his daughter, Zhenyi, was chosen by him to rule in his place. This angered a few of his son's who decided to betray the God-Emperor and side with the other claimants to the throne.
Sitting within her office in the capital of the Golden Empire, Zhenyi was approached with a report by the Foreign Minister, Zhugé Zhī Shēng. "Your Highness, we have just received word that Pol Qo, the man claiming to be the 69th Yellow emperor has garnered a lot of support in the Border region and have started attacking Imperial traders passing through the region. If this problem persists, then the Imperials will send a delegation asking what's going on."
Zhenyi sighed at this report and closed her eyes for a few seconds. This was a serious problem that was going on right now. Several so-called claimants to the throne have gained a lot of support in response to her being appointed to rule while her father was incapable at the moment. She didn't know what her father was thinking choosing her, but still she would carry out her duty as best as she could.
"Can we send our own delegation first and explain to them the situation?" she asked.
Minister Shēng shook his head. "We could try, but I think the delegation will mysteriously disappear near the border before they make it past the mountains. We would either have to wait for the Imperial delegation or assemble an army and march down there to deal with this claimant." While it sounded like an easy choice, the only problem was the amount of enemies that they currently had. If they moved West, then it would give their other enemies a chance to strike.
"If we send an army West, then we risk exposing the eastern provinces," Zhenyi finished, her voice filled with frustration. "And I suspect the Jade Coalition in the northeast would see that as an opportunity to test our strength."
Minister Shēng nodded. "Precisely. Lord Jiang, the Sorcerer Lord of the Eastern Shores has already begun reinforcing his fleet under the guise of 'coastal defense.' Our spies report large quantities of grain, steel, and other resources being funneled into its ports. He is waiting for a precise chance to strike."
Zhenyi stood up from her desk and looked across the map of Yi Ti on the wall. Each region was a chessboard, and each claimant a would-be king.
"How many loyal Armies remain under our command?" she asked without turning.
Shēng adjusted his sleeves and bowed. "Of the thirty Imperial Armies, eighteen remain fully loyal. The rest… are scattered in allegiance or uncertain."
"Then we need to make a decision," Zhenyi said.
The door slid open, and in stepped her younger sister, Princess Xueying, who had been commanding the Phoenix Guard, an elite force loyal to the God-Emperor alone. She wore red lamellar armor patterned like dragon scales and bore a curved guan dao, signifying her station.
"I have just returned from Saffron Vale," she said, saluting her sister. "The people are restless but still loyal to Father's decree. They are asking if we intend to act or continue to let these self-proclaimed Emperors spit on our family's name."
Zhenyi sighed as she quickly made a decision. "Then it's time we remind them whose name is carved on the Golden Throne."
She turned back to Minister Shēng. "Dispatch the Third and Fifth Armies. Have them move under the pretense of 'reinforcing trade routes through the borderlands. If Pol Qo attacks them, then we have cause to act decisively and start eliminating these claimants."
"And if he doesn't?" asked Xueying.
"Then we continue squeezing him economically and militarily until he does. Force his hand. He must be the one who strikes first if we are to avoid appearing as the aggressors."
Minister Shēng inclined his head. "A clever gambit, Your Highness. I will see to it immediately."
Zhenyi exhaled and crossed her arms. "And send word to the Emperor's Court. Any lords or magistrates who refuse to acknowledge my regency will be publicly stripped of their title and lands. Let the people know that we are still strong even without the God-Emperor."
Xueying narrowed her eyes. "That will provoke open rebellion."
"I am counting on it," Zhenyi replied. "Better to burn the rot out now than let it fester. And if the Imperials come knocking on our gates to ask questions, then we will be able to greet them with order restored and our enemies crushed."
A few days later and the Third and Fifth Armies marched towards the borderlands to start reinforcing trade routes. If all goes well, then they would be able to get rid of these claimants.
————
In Kingslanding, the Faith militant had begun to make a massive return against the crown's wishes. The new High Septon has dubbed the invasion of Westeros by the Imperial Union and their foreign religion to be an afront to the Faith. As a result, the Faith Militant was recreated despite the treaty by Jaehaerys I Targaryen which prevented them from doing so.
Instead of honoring the treaty, Joffrey praised the Faith for its decision and offered them to become sworn the crown and fight for him. Naturally, the new High Septon refused, and this began a skirmish between the Faith of the Seven and the crown.
As of the now this has been going on for a few months now and it has resulted in a lot of the poor joining the Faith Militants' side. The Small Council was doing their best to ease the situation, but the Faith had grown too strong for them to simply just walk over them.
Arriving within the port of Kingslanding, Lord Theon Valerion of the Imperial House Valerion had just arrived within the city as a delegation to discuss some terms with the crown and debt repayment to many of the noble houses of the Imperial Union. Before Robert died, many nobles of the Imperial Union had invested in and gave the Crown money in return for certain benefits such as allowing them to sale their goods in Kingslanding and allowing the construction of warehouses and storage of goods.
As Lord Theon made his way through the streets towards the Red Keep, he was surrounded by not just his guards, but by a few guards sent by Tyrion to escort the Imperial Lord to the Red Keep. Tyrion knew how volatile the situation was in the streets and if something was to happen, then they would be to blame. Varys on the other hand saw this situation and knew something was going to go wrong thanks to his little birds.
He figured this was the perfect time to get out of Kingslanding. He secretly left the Red Keep several hours before the arrival of Lord Theon and waited at a discreet location until he arrived. So, as Lord Theon was walking through the streets, Varys appeared with a hood over his head. The guards escorting Lord Theon had stepped in front and halted Varys.
"Move out of the way, Peasant," one of the guards yelled.
In response Varys removed his hood, revealing his face. "My name is Varys, my Lord, I'm sure you know who I am."
Lord Theon held his hand up, "Let him pass, and let's keep moving," he ordered. The guards moved out of the way, and they continued walking with Varys at his side. "Sorry for my sudden appearance my Lord, but my little birds have told me that the Faith Militant knows about your arrival, and considering their aggressive nature right now, I wanted to personally inform you."
Looking at Varys, Theon knew that there was something else that he wanted. He had been in this situation numerous times and knew that there was always something more. "And what do you want in exchange for sharing this information.?"
Varys smiled a little, "I just want to offer my services to the Imperial Union. The current King is not worth serving and even I can see what the future holds for the Seven Kingdoms."
Theon nodded. Varys was indeed a person of interest considering his connections and his ability. If he brought him to the emperor, then he might be rewarded or something. "Alright Varys lets head back to my ship then. I don't want to walk right into a trap if I can avoid it."
But as he said this, numerous people wearing black robes and wielding weapons had blocked the path in front of them. The group then turned around, only to see more, blocking the path behind them. The people around them had already cleared the area leaving the group to fend for themselves.
One of the Faith Militant stepped forward, "All Heathens will be arrested, surrender now and you might still be able to repent for your sins."
Theon didn't reply, but had unsheathed his sword, "Cut every single one of them down." he ordered. The guards complied as they formed two separate lines facing the front and the back. The Faith Militant were the first to charge in, causing the first few to get cut down by the guards. But the number of Faith Militant were too many and the guards were soon overwhelmed.
Theon had cur down 5 Faith Militant before he was struck in his leg causing him to fall to one knee. Catching him off guard, the Faith Militant swarmed him and disarmed him. Varys was also taken prisoner despite his status as a member of the small council.
From the shadows, the few Shadowhand agents who were stationed in Kingslanding appeared to assist Lord Theon. But just like Theon and his guards, they were getting overwhelmed by the number of enemies. Eventually, they had to retreat, unable to save Lord Theon.
As a result of this, Lord Theon and Varys were taken to the Sept and would be thrown in dungeons. Within a day, Faraday, the Master of Shadows was informed of this situation. He knew that this situation was something that would finally push the Imperial Union over the edge, so he went to inform Maximus directly.
Using his teleportation ability, he appeared within the halls of Storm's End and approached the room where Maximus resided. The Imperial Guards standing at the door recognized Faraday and moved to the side to allow him through. Walking into the room, Faraday saw Maximus laying across Lyra's lap. Her fleet had arrived at the Port the week prior, and she had used this time to stay with Maximus.
Without opening his eyes, Maximus greeted his old friend. "Faraday, how's the wife?" he asked.
"Doing well," he answered. "She's having her 3rd child in a few months, so I'll have another little parasite running around soon." They both chuckled as even now, Maximus was taking a break from his newborn children. He didn't know how people delt with this so naturally without going crazy. Still no matter how hard it got, he always found himself crawling right back to their rooms.
"I actually came today because of a major incident that has happened in Kingslanding." Hearing Kingslanding, Maximus sat up while Lyra stopped messaging his head.
"Lord Theon of House Valerion from Volantis travelled to Kingslanding to seek another agreement with many of our nobles and the crown which included buying land, the storage of goods, debt repayment, and other services in return for them investing into the crown. However, as of yesterday, Lord Theon was captured by the Faith Militant. The Shadowhand agents stationed within the city appeared to help, but they were outnumbered by the Faith Militants with a few suffering injuries and had to retreat." Faraday explained.
"So, what your saying is, that because of the Faith Militant and the inability of the crown to do anything about their rising threat, that a Lord of the Imperial Union was captured?" Faraday could feel the atmosphere of the room getting tense as Maximus summed up what happened.
"Yes," he replied.
Maximus let out a sort of maniacal laugh at what he has allowed to transpire. "For too long have I neglected to allow the Imperial Union to reach its full potential because of how much I wanted to do things in a justified way. It is also because of my previous life that I allowed this little Game of Thrones to continue. But I see now what I should have done from the start."
"Faraday," he said walking up to him until he was right in front of him. "I want letters sent across the continent. As of this moment, the Lords of the Westerlands, Crownlands, the Riverlords, and the Iron Islands have 1 Month to submit to me. Any refusal will see Casterly Rock, Kingslanding, the Pyke, and any other major house castle or city burned to the ground along with the people. In addition to that, I want the Vale, Dorne, and the Reach to gather their armies and prepare to march alongside the Imperial Legions to end this war between petty Kings, Lords, and Great Houses."
"I will have Shadowhand agents personally deliver these letters." replied Faraday.
Lyra pulled him back down and laid his head on her lap. "There was no way you could know this would have happened." she tried to explain. "You decided to do things the way you felt was right. There was nobody who could tell you otherwise, so to blame yourself because of a decision you made is unhealthy. Instead, you should just accept the consequences and move on knowing that ruling an empire is not easy." she placed her hands on both sides of his head and started to message his temple.
Maximus knew what she was saying was right. He just overestimated himself because of his previous life's knowledge. While it may seem like it was just the capture of an Imperial Lord that got him made, that was only a part of it.