Chapitre 166: All or Nothing I
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third person pov seventh moon 286 AC
The conflict over the disputed lands had reached its peak, where the three free cities that had fought for years for control of the territory were preparing with all they had to emerge victorious in the final confrontation, recruiting their citizens to fight. This was something that hadn't happened in decades, as it had always been mercenaries who died in the conflict, not the sons of the free cities.
But the new dictator of Tyrosh had completely changed the playing field. With his military reforms, his authoritarian government that crushed all the rights of Tyrosh's citizens and their cities, and his skill as a commander, he had become the greatest threat in the region, where, slowly but steadily, he defeated mercenary companies and forced cities to open their gates to avoid suffering the same fate as a large city that had already fallen.
This turned the tables: Tyrosh, which had seemed on the verge of defeat, now had Myr and Lys on the ropes. They were doing everything possible to keep recruiting mercenaries, who were decimated just weeks after entering service, or the numerous war slaves they purchased. Nothing seemed to stop the veteran general, who continued his advance by land, stripping all support from his enemies.
Never before in the history of Essos had an army so disciplined been seen, one that feared its commanders more than its enemies, executing complex and daring maneuvers requiring the full cooperation of hundreds of men, who swept away any army that dared stand in their path.
This situation led to an unexpected event: the conscription of their citizens to try and finally defeat the Prussian warlord, who moved with total freedom through the disputed lands, attacking supply caravans and harassing forces still struggling to maintain their positions.
The leaders of Myr and Lys knew they couldn't defeat the dictator of Tyrosh on their own. Myr was fighting tooth and nail to stop a massive Dothraki invasion, where they had been defeated the previous year, and Lys didn't have the resources to decisively engage the Tyrosh army in battle, even with the thousands of Unsullied that had recently filled their ranks.
This led the sister cities to sign a temporary peace to unite and eliminate the threat posed by the Tyrosh dictator, either by defeating him or preventing the changes that could arise if a foreign noble managed to gain power in the area, considering that across the sea there were hundreds of nobles who might also try their luck in becoming warlords.
Both cities agreed on a date and location where their armies would meet to confront the Prussian warlord.
The army of Lys was the first to arrive at the rendezvous point, where several thousand mercenaries, recruited citizens, and Unsullied set up a camp and prepared to march in search of a decisive battle against the Tyrosh army, which was moving through the area and laying siege to several cities. But sooner rather than later, the area was filled with Tyrosh patrols, and due to the large number of soldiers and supplies moving through the area, it didn't take long for the first skirmishes to erupt around the Lys camp.
For days, skirmishes were fought daily between scouts from both sides, who sought to inflict as much damage as possible in these small battles.
This provoked the Tyrosh army, attracted by the clamor of battle, to begin mobilizing to engage the Lys army.
To the dismay of the Lys general, the Tyrosh army began arriving and setting up their own camp. It only took a few hours to become clear that they were outnumbered. Fortunately, the Tyrosh army did not attack immediately, as they focused on sending scouts everywhere, as the Lys army camping on flat terrain with little cavalry seemed too good to be true.
Fortunately, Lothar, the fearsome dictator, was not leading his army as he was participating in the assault on the walls of a nearby city, and for this reason, the officers in command preferred to wait for the return of the invincible knight or for the scouts to confirm that there were no nearby forces.
The next day, the Myr army arrived and joined the Lys forces, bringing with them thousands of mercenaries, including the formidable Golden Company and their elephants, several thousand of their recruited citizens, and several contingents from other free cities that wanted to finally deal with the threat of the Prussian dictator, who could bring Western feudalism to Essos.
"You certainly took your time getting here… You were supposed to be here two weeks ago," said a Lys captain to Tybero.
"Lysaro… I thought you had been executed… when you were captured, and then one of the cities you were supposed to protect was burned," Tybero replied without much emotion.
"No… let's say I managed to get along with some of my enemies while I was captured by that monster from the west, and by helping with my cousin's trial, I saved my neck… again. Why did it take you so long? We've been suffering attacks from Tyrosh patrols since the first day we arrived. Our general is not pleased; we lost several hundred men while we waited," replied Captain Lysaro.
"Our general decided to wait for the reinforcements sent by the cities of Qohor, Pentos, and Norvos to help us in this battle. We need their cavalry; it's the only thing in which Lothar's forces outmatch us," Tybero replied.
"That could have been discussed beforehand. We could have recruited a couple thousand more for this battle, but as we tried to arrive on time, we left many who could fight behind… Besides, is it true what they say, that you served alongside that monster?" asked the Lys captain.
"Yes, Lothar is very dangerous. Pray to your god that you're not in his path, because he will destroy everything. Also, he's a very experienced commander, unlike some generals, and our men are not crazed Dothraki, who are the only ones Lothar respects," Tybero said as he walked towards the center of the camp.
"How's the morale of your men?" asked the Lys captain.
"High, though they've already been defeated by Lothar's forces, they're motivated, especially by our upcoming victory against the Dothraki," Tybero replied, a bit nervously.
"You're a terrible liar. I've heard that your defenses against the Dothraki are failing because you withdrew several mercenary companies to fight Tyrosh... I suppose your leaders are as nervous as ours. If we're defeated today... do you think that's possible?" the Lys captain said with a mocking smile, which quickly turned serious.
"It's hard to say. The general of our city is quite competent, but our lack of cavalry is alarming, especially since the Prussian cavalry charges are lethal. And now that Lothar has a Dothraki retinue with him, he has everything he needs to shred our flanks. His infantry is well-trained... I've seen their drills, and those armored men are as lethal as any veteran mercenary. We're relying entirely on the Golden Company's elephants to break their formations so we can penetrate the pike wall," Tybero responded, showing concern.
"And how many elephants does the Golden Company have? If they're so vital to our victory, I hope we can form a line against Tyrosh's infantry," the Lys captain asked.
"Thirty... Yes, I know, it's not enough, but they'll have to do the job of distracting Tyrosh's men long enough to engage in close combat and prevent them from closing their formations," Tybero said.
The Lys captain sighed, and a messenger called Tybero to the generals' tent to prepare for whatever Lothar might throw at them.
Faced with an army that outnumbered them two to one, the Prussian officers decided to withdraw from their camp to fight at another time, under different circumstances.
The two generals of the free cities began arguing with the envoys from the other free cities' contingents about what they should do to face the forces of the foreign invader, considering that they had decided to attack exactly when their enemies' forces were occupied with several sieges at once.
The general of Lys wanted to pursue them immediately to take advantage of their numerical superiority, while the general of Myr needed time for his men to rest. After several hours, the allied army began to break camp to pursue the Tyrosh forces, which had not long escaped.
Only to find the path littered with traps: pits filled with stakes covered in animal dung were everywhere, slowly beginning to wear down the forces of Myr and Lys.
Additionally, they began receiving constant hit-and-run attacks from Tyrosh's Dothraki cavalry, which frequently harassed them, targeting the supplies needed to keep their formidable force fed.
Between the traps and the frequent attacks they received day and night, their forces began to lose speed considerably, preventing them from catching up to the Tyrosh army, which was moving through the area, avoiding their pursuers.
This pattern repeated itself for several days, with the number of attacks by Tyrosh cavalry units only increasing as hundreds of Prussian hussars and Finnish riders joined the assaults. Due to their lack of cavalry, they found it difficult to respond to these attacks, which were directed with lethal precision at the weakest points of their marching columns.
The Tyrosh army constantly slipped out of their grasp while simultaneously ensuring that no opportunity to exploit local resources was left, burning crop fields and poisoning wells, forcing them to rely on their logistical chain for supplies as they pushed deeper into the disputed lands.
This cat-and-mouse game lasted nearly a week, during which the armies of Lys and Myr endured infernal attrition as they tried to force the Tyrosh army into battle.
Finally, after exhausting days of pursuit, they found the Tyrosh camp, fortified with walls and palisades stretching across a wide plain.
The pursuers set up their camp, desperately needing rest before the impending battle.
In the following days, skirmishes continued as both forces prepared and coordinated for the fight that would determine the fate of the disputed lands.
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