How would you handle the Sons of the Harpy-situation?

[Brightstar_]

During my latest reread I have once again landed at aDWD and while reading Dany's first chapter, it struck me that she really is in a diffcult position. I know that she owes the whole situation to herself, but still it got me thinking how I would try to resolve the whole Sons of the Harpy situation, while still staying (or rather becoming) the respected King (Queen in Dany's case obviously) of Meereen. Is she being too soft? Is she being too hard? Should she do as the Shavepate suggests and kill the sons of rich families whenever one of her freedmen is killed by the Sons of the Harpy? If she does this it might provoke an even bigger, more open rebellion, if she does nothing, she proves herself weak.

What would you do to try and resolve the situation at this point?

Edit: I should add that just leaving Meereen as will probably be suggested should not be considered an option, as it doesn't really fix the problem, it just runs from it.

[Arthur Dayne's Honor Alt]

Execute Hizdahr and the Green Grace.

Make threats that I actually follow through with.

[MasterJack]

Seriously, all while investigating, I would start killing the hostages, painlessly at first, then if this isnt enough. painfully enough for the harpy the hear them cry all across the city. That might sound harsh but until I know who is the enemy, this is my best card to avoid future killing on my side.

Right now Dany is loosing men and respect, and when you start loosing respect you start loosing more men since all the bugs start thinking they can do it too.

And all while doing it, i would be generous to everyone else in the city; food, shelters, shows, clothing, etc. The smallfolk need to start seeing me as someone who loves everyone who isnt an enemy.

[Brightstar_]

Execute Hizdahr and the Green Grace.

Make threats that I actually follow through with.

You shouldn't make use of knowledge from the later parts of the book, or this forum. While it's a pretty common theory around here ( and fairly accepted) that the Green Grace is the Harpy, Dany at this point in time doesn't know this, nor does she have any reason to think so. Executing her would help her nothing ( in her eyes) and only provoke yet another part of the city into opposing her. Same goes for Hizdahr.

[Ferocious Veldt Roarer]

"Hizdahr, my good friend, you're offering to give me thirty days of peace in the city. How, pray, will you accomplish this exactly? With details and no evasion, please. Or we'll be very displeased."

[Blutraven]

Start following threats through, offer huge rewards for info on the SotH or The Harpy, go full on Maegor the Cruel to those who are proven to be SoTH.

[Brightstar_]

Seriously, all while investigating, I would start killing the hostages, painlessly at first, then if this isnt enough. painfully enough for the harpy the hear them cry all across the city. That might sound harsh but until I know who is the enemy, this is my best card to avoid future killing on my side.

Right now Dany is loosing men and respect, and when you start loosing respect you start loosing more men since all the bugs start thinking they can do it too.

And all while doing it, i would be generous to everyone else in the city; food, shelters, shows, clothing, etc. The smallfolk need to start seeing me as someone who loves everyone who isnt an enemy.

I felt like a bad person, but in my opinion Dany was too soft too. It's like Ryman Frey threatening to hang Edmure and then not doing it. As soon as you utter idle threats, your enemies lose their fear and/or respect for you.

[Wmarshal]

Dude it is clear as hell GG and a Hizdahr are with the Harpy.

[Arthur Dayne's Honor Alt]

Dude it is clear as hell GG and a Hizdahr are with the Harpy.

:agree:

I also wouldn't threaten to execute children knowing that I would never follow through with the threat. Hell, I probably couldn't follow through with executing adults in her place, I'm a nice guy so I wouldn't even be conquering cities. But, it's pretty damn stupid to make threats to people who want to kill you, and then not follow through.

[LordToo-Fat-to-Sit-a-Horse]

Killing leaders of terrorist organizations just doesn´t work to disintegrate their factions in asymmetric warfare.

Neither will executing hostages. Cruelty will probably fuel more hatred..

The solution is exactly what dany did, giving the nobles of Old Meereen a place at the table. Making sure they have some power in new meereen.

There is of course another solution, but it depends on whether she is up to some Human rights crimes. Genocidal policy or ethnic cleansing (expelling everyone from the city)

[George W. Lannister]

Shower the small folk with support, while at the same time setting up the Sons of the Dragon (secret police). Start covertly killing nobles and putting the Harpy's calling card on them to cause confusion amongst the enemies. Wait and watch how the suspects react.

[LordToo-Fat-to-Sit-a-Horse]

:agree:

I also wouldn't threaten to execute children knowing that I would never follow through with the threat. Hell, I probably couldn't follow through with executing adults in her place, I'm a nice guy so I wouldn't even be conquering cities. But, it's pretty damn stupid to make threats to people who want to kill you, and then not follow through.

Hostages are meant as deterrent against easily identifiable enemies.. Against that lord, or this lord.

The Son´s of the Harpy are not that kind of enemy. Killing children, will probably fuel conflict.

[MasterJack]

Hostages are meant as deterrent against easily identifiable enemies.. Against that lord, or this lord.

The Son´s of the Harpy are not that kind of enemy. Killing children, will probably fuel conflict.

I do not agree, if you have at least 2 children of most families and you kill 1 randomly every day (without killing 2 from the same at first);

The organisation will loose support really fast. Dany is loosing soldiers and they are loosing sons, guess who will loose morale first.

[Bronn Urgandy]

All you can do is gut it out and make your side the side to be on, while setting up the Sons of the Harpy as the people that will tear your city and lives apart, therefor dragging any support from them away from those stuck in the middle ground. I would consider pulling some dick moves, making it look like the Harpy look as awful as possible in the eyes of the neutral, while extending the hand of friendship and open rewards to any willing to stand against them.

Easier said than done. What with the battle lines already drawn, and a lot of the freed slaves engendered no sympathy for their own cause during the sack.

[Maester Pedant]

Edit: I should add that just leaving Meereen as will probably be suggested should not be considered an option, as it doesn't really fix the problem, it just runs from it.

I have to dispute this.

The problem was created by Danny's conquest and occupation of Meereen. She is the sole cause of the Sons of the Harpy uprising. If she left, there wouldn't be a problem. I understand she feels morally obligated to stay, and that she certainly cannot leave without the slaves she has freed, but leaving would end the uprising.

That being said, I agree she is too soft. But she is in a morally difficult situation. She started to wage war against the Slavers for humanitarian reasons, to end the obscene and morally repugnant practice of slavery. But, now, in order to achieve her goal, she has to commit and keep committing on a daily basis a whole host of atrocities herself. She tries to moderate that, because it is something that repulses her. But, on doing that, she is only creating the conditions for the uprising to worsen.

I don't see how this could end without either the complete destruction of the Slavers or a return to the status quo before her humanitarian intervention.

(A depressing thought: even if the Slavers are destroyed, I believe they will just be replaced by different slavers. Former slaves will take their place and keep doing the same, as they did in Astapor after she left.)

[Mourneblade]

There is nothing wrong with taking wards, but it would not be wise overplay this hand. You, as a leader, have to engage the old guard of leadership. She should have first stripped them of everything when she conquered them, then be generous to those who swore oaths of fealty. Give them back a way to enrich themselves, reward service and loyalty, open the fighting pits and allow free gladiators to perform their trade, and let the former loyal owners offer management deals.

The biggest thing of all though is you have to have a plan to replace the slave economy with something, this eases long term basic fears and you have to get buy in from the old establishment, this is much easier though if you had rooted them out when you first conquered the place and had them swear fealty from your position of strength.

Feed the rest to your dragons publicly as a symbol dragon>harpy now and always. And a good propaganda blitz to reinforce this.

[LordToo-Fat-to-Sit-a-Horse]

I do not agree, if you have at least 2 children of most families and you kill 1 randomly every day (without killing 2 from the same at first);

The organisation will loose support really fast. Dany is loosing soldiers and they are loosing sons, guess who will loose morale first.

How do you know the Sons are ruled by those powerful families? i guess we are misssing information on the demographics of Meereen.

But i imagine them to be more grassroots. The Hizdahr zo Loraqs of Meereen might not be invested in that organization at all. They could just be religious fanatics (Green grace)

Dany´s challenge is to rule a city where half or 1/3 of its population hates her. The solution i think is giving them a share of power.

[Fire and Blood!]

The same way Germans dealt with partisans. For every soldier of mine killed 10 Ghiscari will be publicly executed. I'll drown Meereen in blood if need be but within a month all resistance shall be quelled.

[E-Ro]

I would have do what my boy daario wanted. Have that dinner, and then just start killing motherfuckers. No mercy.

[Kienn]

Bait them out and catch them with trusted men rather than the local traitors that like to torture their own people.