After the massive amount of plot holes from the final season, I desperately tried to make sense of the strange conclusion to the story that had engrossed me for years. One major plot hole that I couldn't understand was the troop numbers at the battle for Kings Landing and the subsequent burning of the city. I believe that I have created a solid bit of lore friendly head Canon that I will hope turns out true and I wanna share.
After the Battle of the Long Night, we saw Dany get absolutely decimated as far as her armies were concerned. The Dothraki took the worst beating, and we don't see them again that episode after their lights go out. The Unsullied also suffered heavy losses. However, after that episode, they have a strategy meeting where they say that they have half of each force as far as manpower goes. How is that possible? One answer: The Iron Bank.
After Cercei pays off her debt to the bank and hires the Golden Company, the viewer is led to believe that the bank is backing her claim to the throne. There is an issue though. With the old debts payed off, the bank will not have as much power over the crown that it once did. Also, they would be putting all their eggs in one basket against the Breaker of Chains, who brought Slavers Bay to heel. If Dany won, what would stop her from sacking Braavos next? Any shrewd banker knows that you have to hedge your bets.
How do you keep the Targaryen girl in line? You put her in debt.
What she really needs are boots on the ground, and she seems to like using the Unsullied and Dothraki. There are far more Unsullied than what Dany liberated. They have been bought and sold for over 3000 years. All the major cities of Slavers Bay have their own Unsullied troups. It wouldnt be so hard for the Bank to aquire a fair sized chunk of them and ship em over the sea. Then comes the Dothraki. Did you know there are already Dothraki in the Seven Kigdoms prior to Dany & company? There are some that ride with the Bloody Mummers as well as other groups. These men would gladly ride for anyone for the right price, so acquireing them is fairly straightforward. There was also a strong Northern presence at the battle. There were several houses that did not heed Jon's call when he tried to reinforce winterfell from the incoming Night King. I'm sure these houses had some northern men that the Iron Bank could lean on them to donate. This Also explains why the one northern soldier during the battle Attacked Jon and how they did not listen to him. There was no real loyalty there.
So we got the army, what do they ask of Dany? Please burn the city to the ground. Rebuilding a city would cost an extraordinary amount of gold. Who better to help finance the rebuilding than the Bank? It would ensure the crowns debt and it's subservience for the next 100 years. Plus, if she doesn't do it, just have the new troops turn on her closest friends. Dany was forced to do this, as it was the only way for her to win.
So, the Golden Company. Why did they perform so awful? Even Euron Grejoy remarked on how pitiful they were after he easily murdered two of these 'top notch' mercs on the ride over. They brought no elephants, and seemed only practiced in marching formation. I believe that this was a token army, not the actual Golden Company. The Golden Company has an awesome track record, and is the favorite force of the Iron Bank to use when it needs military muscle. Why would they let Cercei have such an asset for such a risky proposition? What Cercei got, was a gaggle of slaves in shiny armor.
In the end, the bank always wins. If Dany wins, then they can say 'look how helpful I am and btw you owe me'. If Cercei got lucky? 'we knew we'd back the rightful queen... How are you planning on rebuilding the Lannister army?'.
I hope the books or subsequent shows somehow confirm this, as it is the only way I can see this making sense. Thanks for reading.
TLDR: The Iron Bank approached Dany and offered her fresh Unsullied troops and Dothraki mercanaries for the siege on Kings Landing.
Submitted October 08, 2019 at 07:41PM by Reilluminated https://ift.tt/2IAhOyM
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