Cold sweat dripped down Maysin Visery's forehead. He had been a mercenary for twenty years, and it was not difficult for him to see that they had been cut off from retreat and were now trapped in a place of certain death.
But before he could make the decision to break out in a desperate charge in one direction, the mysterious torch-bearing group that had emerged from the darkness at the southern end stopped about a hundred meters away. A tall, thin figure in a Red Priest's robe stepped out from the crowd, ignoring the dozens of crossbow bolts gleaming coldly in the night and aimed at him, and walked toward the mercenaries' defensive line.
"Lower your crossbows," Maysin ordered in a low voice to the soldiers slightly behind him, while pushing down the weapons raised by the confidants beside him. Familiar with the regulations of the Red God's faith, he had already identified the man's status from the style of his Red Priest's robe: a priest, and a high-ranking one.
Several mercenary groups similar to his own "Thunder God" group were blocking every entrance and exit of the Great Red Temple to prevent anyone from leaving, yet this high-ranking Red Priest before him had managed to slip away from their surveillance and go to other parts of the city.
How many such fish had slipped through the net?
What had they done in the city?
And what was going on with that large group of people carrying torches that he had brought back from outside?
Countless questions popped into the commander's mind, but he realized this was not the time to be curious about them. The current situation was this: if the other party wanted to harm his mercenary group, they only needed to order a pincer attack, and they would win easily without suspense. Yet he had chosen to come alone to negotiate. Whether he was fearless or not was beside the point. As the commander of the mercenary group, Maysin could never give up the chance to find a way out for himself and his men.
"Priest, the Council of Magisters has ordered a citywide curfew and martial law in Volantis. Why are you violating the order and walking the streets with a large number of unidentified people?"
The words were a stern interrogation, but the tone was relaxed and easy, like a greeting. Maysin was implicitly conveying: let's talk, do not start fighting.
The unknown Red Priest evidently received this signal. He bowed slightly to the commander and responded in a quite friendly manner.
"As you all can see, the Great Red Temple has decided to stand up and fight for the Prince That Was Promised, to overthrow the corrupt slave-owning class pressing down on the people of Volantis." He spread his arms slightly, as if embracing the void, and also as if displaying the military force behind him. "Many of my colleagues and I left the Great Red Temple before martial law and nightfall, then went to various places in the city. We have now gathered thousands of slaves who have broken their chains to fight for freedom. You now have two choices before you: either be caught in a pincer attack by the angry freedmen I have brought and the Fiery Hand behind you, and be buried in this street, or surrender to me and fight for the Prince That Was Promised and R'hllor. If I remember correctly... Commander Maysin, please give me your answer immediately."
Under normal circumstances, a local mercenary group like the "Thunder God" group, known for its elite and high-quality personnel and relying on reputation and repeat customers, would not casually surrender to an enemy.
But when facing a special situation with no chance of victory and no escape route, this principle could actually be flexible.
Maysin had already made his decision in an instant, but surrendering immediately after the enemy issued an ultimatum would make him appear too cowardly. To preserve some dignity and to understand the situation clearly, he still pretended to be neither humble nor arrogant and asked in a loud voice, "Then allow me to ask, Priest, if I order a surrender, how will you handle my group, and what are your plans next?"
"The Great Red Temple will immediately rehire your group at a price no lower than the market rate, solely to borrow my lord's face for a task that is difficult to accomplish by force alone," the Red Priest answered patiently and gently, since this explanation would have to be given sooner or later. "The soldiers of your group, excluding my lord and the senior officers, need to disarm. My people will take your armor and weapons, disguise themselves as your group's soldiers, and proceed to the Black Wall entrance under the leadership of my lord and your senior officers, entering by falsely claiming to have received orders to reinforce the inner city. As for what happens next... my lord need not worry."
So the reason Daenerys's fleet had delayed launching a landing operation was to wait for the right moment to take the entire city-state in one fell swoop!
Maysin suddenly understood.
The urban structure of Volantis was divided into inner and outer cities. The so-called inner city was actually the part enclosed by the Black Wall, commonly known as Old Volantis. It was the military outpost of the same name built there by the Valyrians when they advanced their borders to the present location of Volantis, while the outer city, or New Volantis, was the commercial and residential area built around this fortress.
Unlike the imitation built by Aegor outside King's Landing, which painted its walls the color of the Night's Watch and called itself "Blackwall Keep," the Black Wall of Volantis was two hundred feet high and thick enough for six four-horse chariots to travel abreast. Said to be built from black stone melted by the dragonlords with Dragonflame, it naturally possessed strong Valyrian characteristics: tall, magnificent, and incredibly sturdy.
Although Daenerys's fleet had brought "cannons," they would still seem underpowered against a Valyrian legacy like the Black Wall. As long as the slave owners successfully retreated into this inner city and made adequate anti-dragon arrangements, they could definitely hold out until reinforcements from towns like Volon Therys, Volarys, and Sarhorys arrived, dragging the invading enemy into a prolonged war of attrition.
Therefore, the Great Red Temple, having defected to Daenerys, needed to use his "face" to sneak into the Black Wall and seize its entrances and exits before they closed.
As one of the mercenary groups most frequently hired by Volantis, Maysin and most of the senior officers in his group were already familiar with the city-state's garrison generals, some even having close personal ties. With these familiar faces and a suitable excuse, they could easily approach the Black Wall's entrances and exits to a distance where they could catch the garrison off guard. Once the signal for the uprising army to seize the Black Wall gate was sent out, Daenerys's fleet would land in force, and overnight, the Anti-Dragon Mother Alliance would be successfully decapitated.
...
Surrendering on the eve of battle was fatal to the reputation of a small to medium-sized mercenary group, but if the former employer was completely annihilated and one stood under the banner of the winning side, that was an entirely different matter.
"Priest, can you swear in the name of R'hllor to guarantee our safety after we surrender?"
The Red Priest smiled. He was very pleased that the other party had made the wisest choice. "In the name of the Lord of Light, I guarantee it."
"Very good." Maysin turned to face his men. "Lads, officers above captain stay where you are. Everyone else, take off your equipment on the spot and hand it over to the Great Red Temple!"
(To be continued.)
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