Chapter 67: The Fork of the Loen River

The next day, which was the day after Mungo met the messenger of Ofer asking for help, they returned to the source of the Valanna River and began to move westward along the north bank of the river. They advanced openly but still very cautiously.

The scouts on horseback would first explore the situation ahead, and the intact warriors were evenly dispersed on both sides, especially on the northern flank, because that direction was the town of Seheru in Volantis.

Mungo certainly would not sit idly by and watch the people trapped in the ruins of Sa Mel die, but no one knew what they would encounter before they reached their goal, and he could not lead the 20,000 cavalry behind him blindly into the enemy's trap.

His mood at this time was just like the current weather, very bad.

The wind was still raging, the heavy rain was in a line, the rain columns were flying all over the sky, the dark sky seemed to be about to collapse, and the Valanna River was also swollen.

In any case, as they marched in this muddy and windy weather, the morale of the entire army was gradually declining, and as their bodies became more and more wet and cold, the situation became more and more serious.

Mungo had no choice but to order a rest on the spot. There were no tents to shelter from the wind and rain, and no dry fuel to build a bonfire. The warriors drove the horses together, hid under the horses' bellies to keep warm, and chewed the hard meat to restore their strength.

At dawn the next day after leaving the Valanna River, they encountered the enemy for the first time, a rather weak force composed of free knights and slave sailors.

In fact, these so-called free knights were hired swordsmen equipped with horses. Most of them served as scouts or light cavalry in the mercenary group, a group of degenerate lawless lunatics.

These people rowed two famous rowing boats hard to move upstream in the river, trying to explore a remnant of war that was accidentally discovered, and that place happened to be the place where Mungo attacked Bono's troops.

As soon as they landed, their whereabouts were discovered by scouts under Mongol. A team of Dothraki cavalry bypassed the mound and attacked the enemy from the flank. In order to survive, this weak army lost its composure and scrambled to escape back to the rowing boats.

Therefore, this exploration operation, which was very difficult in itself and no one wanted to participate in, ended up as a farce. Some enemies were eliminated, and the rest surrendered. Even the two rowing boats and slave sailors were captured together. Unfortunately, this brief victory could not boost the morale of the whole army.

Mongol did not order the cavalry to slaughter the captives for sacrifice. Malachor Megya, the governor of the Volantis Tiger Party, stationed his troops in the town of Veronthus on the west bank of the Rhoyne River. If the enemy did not attack or retreat in time, the Dothraki would have no warships to cross the river, which would make him feel powerless because he could not see or fight.

Now that he had these two rowing boats and slave sailors, although he didn't know where they would be used in the future, at least he wouldn't be unable to fight back. At the right time, he would give the enemy a heavy blow.

This difficult march continued. On the third day after leaving the source of the Valanna River and the fourth day after setting out from the battlefield of the Sleeping Land, they finally stepped on the muddy land and came to the confluence of the Valanna River and the Rhoyne River. Several days of storms caused some people in the army to fall ill and couldn't even ride their horses.

Mongol looked at them. At this time, there was only guilt in his eyes, no anger. These people were all brave Dothraki warriors. They should have followed him back to his hometown to enjoy the glory and wealth after the victory. Now, they had to face this dangerous weather and fight the Volantis to death.

After a long time, the scattered scouts on horseback slowly ran back. They surrounded Mongol and reported the situation they had explored.

"Kao, the Valyrian Road from Volantis to the ruins of Sa-Mel is unobstructed and in very good condition. The long bridge across the Valanna River is not flooded by the river and is unguarded. It may be that the storm is too strong, and even the enemy fleet is not patrolling around."

"Kao, I saw that those rowing warships are all docked in the port of Veronthus Town. The ruins of Sa-Mel should not be besieged by the enemy at this time."

Rowing warships are larger and more heavily loaded than rowing boats. They are often equipped with siege weapons such as ballistas and catapults. If the enemy besieges Sa-Mel, these cannot be used as aid and are only docked at the port as decoration.

Could it be the storm? Mungo was very confused.

What confused him even more was why the Volantis did not destroy or heavily guard the long bridge. This was like a sheep in an open sheepfold, waiting to be devoured by wolves without any defense.

Thinking of this, the figures of the free knights emerged in his mind. Did Volantis hire more mercenaries with sufficient manpower and set traps to prepare for battle? Or was he preparing to attack halfway across the river like him?

Mungo did not act rashly. He ordered the troops to gather and set up camp, avoiding the invasion of wind and rain as much as possible, and sent more scouts to investigate in the direction of Sa Meier and Volantis.

Bachelor Bas Porter once said that Malachor Megaya was worthy of the name of a tiger, and the opponent's attack was just a simple garrison, which just hit his weak spot. This kind of sophisticated ability made him very alert. He firmly believed that this Tiger Party governor was more difficult to deal with than the enemies he had encountered before.

Time passed slowly, and the scouts who went to explore far away never returned. However, the wind that was peeping, galloping, and howling like a wolf stopped silently, and the rainstorm became smaller and smaller, and gradually disappeared. The air seemed to condense. Although the sky was still gray and lightless, the temperature rose.

Soon, the air began to flow again, but this time the wind came from the north, bringing a dry breath. The gray sky seemed to be washed by the breeze, slowly becoming clear and bright, the wind and clouds changed, and dawn came.

The sound of horse hooves stepping on the mud sounded, and Mungo rode on his horse and looked south, witnessing the actions of the scout cavalry. They brought back a familiar Volantis man, with a tall body and a dark face, who looked like the red monk Maqiro.

Today is much better. I went to work during the day and got home at six o'clock. I have been typing, but don't wait for me. I haven't eaten yet, so I will post it later.