The road was chaotic, with the Bandit Mercenaries of the Brave Companions leading the charge, followed by the troops organized by the Myr people. Horses neighed and panted, while the Free Mercenaries cursed at each other, enjoying their quarrels and making a lot of noise.
Qobo didn't trust slaves, nor did he trust the Brave Companions' bandits much. He feared the Myr slaves would rebel, as the Butter-King's slogans had stirred up their hearts. Qobo's most trusted assets were the thirty Unsullied and four Meereen Gladiators, the greatest wealth his uncle had left him. The troops Qobo led were a collection of Free Mercenaries and adventurers, but they were too undisciplined.
"How much longer do we have!" Qobo accelerated to the front, asking Goat Varg, the company commander who enjoyed chopping off limbs and was wearing a Goat helmet.
"About... about two days," Varg's speech was still slurred, but Commander Qobo maintained a polite demeanor.
"I think we should wait a bit longer. I believe it would be more secure if we coordinated with the fleet to attack from the west and with the Bandit Mercenaries from Crown Town to attack from the south, with all three armies attacking together!" Commander Qobo thought for a moment, suppressing his inner tension and fear. Rumor had it that the Butter-King was a devil of war, skilled in horsemanship and weapons, capable of smashing Meereen Gladiators and Unsullied to pieces in an instant. Of course, the safest option would be to hire the Golden Company, but the Golden Company's price was truly expensive, and Governor Joey didn't want to pay for it.
"What for three armies? To... to have more people to... to share the money with us?" Goat Varg grunted in displeasure. "It's just a collection of Bandit Mercenaries and escaped slaves, what... what's there to be afraid of!"
Shagwell the Clown cut off the heads of two escaped slaves, swung them over, and made them perform a dialogue. "How did you die?" one head asked. "I supported the Butter-King!" the other replied.
Commander Qobo felt a bit nauseated by the bloody scene, but he held it in. "The Wolf Pack Company's cubs are not that weak, and there are those utterly loyal escaped slaves. Otherwise, so many Mercenaries wouldn't have held out; this task is no easy pie."
"Any abnormalities ahead!" Qobo asked.
"None, Commander Qobo. It's calm and peaceful. The estate owners are afraid of the wolf cubs' attacks, so the estates are sealed and locked, and travelers are rare on the roads. We can't get any intelligence. Except for two slave cubs I found on the road who had escaped from an estate and wanted to join the Butter-King!" the Clown replied.
"I always feel it's too calm!" Qobo looked at the vast expanse of land, plains, small rivers, and estates. The green Disputed Lands had many forests, and he felt a strong sense of danger, as if enemies lurked in every tree. Qobo always felt his uncle was too optimistic. Perhaps waiting until the three-pronged attack would be better.
"This area is full of estates. Instead of letting the Butter-King benefit, why don't we raid them first!" the Clown suggested.
"No! Absolutely not, these are the governors' properties, we cannot act recklessly," Qobo quickly and urgently advised. They were here to encircle and suppress the Wolf Pack Company, not to create new enemies.
"That's too lonely!" the Clown sighed. "Still want to get some gold and silver to spend. But the Wolf Pack Company's cubs have six or seven estates and the surrounding land, so they should have money, and also those gunpowder herbs."
"That's my uncle's and other Myr nobles' wealth, and you've already been paid your military wages!" Qobo said angrily, feeling a sudden dizziness. Cheap goods are never good; there's a reason why no one uses such notorious mercenary companies.
"Look how angry you are, Lord Qobo, we were just joking!" the Clown laughed heartily.
"Accelerate forward!" Goat Varg commanded. "We'll set up camp once we find a safe place!"
...the black goat banner fluttered high in the sky. They found a main road and a small hill.
"It's the wolf cubs and those lowly escaped slaves!" Commander-in-Chief Qobo saw them, seeing the shield wall defense already organized on the main road, with oak shields or large pieces of wood for protection. On the small hill to the left, the Longbowmen and Crossbowmen were also eager to fight.
"Toot toot!" A sharp horn sounded, followed by the beating of war drums.
"Go! Hurry!" Qobo shouted loudly.
"Shut... shut your mouth, commander. To survive, you need brothers, brothers to charge! Most of these people are escaped slaves, they haven't seen blood." Goat looked at the dense crowd, seeing the Free Army behind them, whose equipment and armor were noticeably weaker, chainmail, leather armor, all dilapidated and outdated.
"Good!" Qobo gritted his teeth. "We'll charge once, and I'll give you twenty Unsullied!"
commander Varg's eyes were vicious. Varg personally led some of his subordinates, twenty Unsullied, and Knights from the Free Mercenaries, charging forward together. There was a chance; the elite of the Wolf Pack Company were only a few. As long as they could break through the shield formation, those estate slaves who only knew how to farm and grow gunpowder herb would scatter, leading to a complete victory.
"Whoosh!" "Whoosh!" The Longbowmen and Crossbowmen launched their attack, shooting at those who dared to charge with Varg. But the Unsullied were well-equipped, and the crossbow's range was not as good as the longbow's. Amidst the hurried movements of many Crossbowmen, and in the intervals between arrows, the Brave Companions still gained some opportunities.
"Watch out for the Longbowmen! We can only win by breaking through their formation!" Goat shouted loudly, noticing many people around him being shot dead; he barely dodged. There were Marksmen in the enemy's ranks, but he had no other choice.
"Bang!" "Bang!" The Unsullied formation, armed with spears and short swords, and other Mercenaries with battle axes, charged the shield wall, hoping to create a breach. But the reserves of the Free Army seemed endless, continuously maintaining the line.
"Infantry forward! Infantry forward!" Qobo saw the line loosening, and the shield wall seemed on the verge of collapsing. The infantry also pressed forward, and Qobo sent the Free Knights forward. He let out a sigh of relief. The so-called Wolf Pack Company was nothing special; he was already thinking of the sweet taste of victory. He would inherit the family's wealth and would later be elected as governor.
But shouts and screams followed. From the woods on the right, fifty to sixty heavily armored Knights charged out. Leading them was a black Knight, with a black helmet, a crude iron mask, wearing black scale armor, and wielding a mace. The Knights came like a flood, charging towards the Brave Companions and the Unsullied.
"Bang!" Gendry's mace came crashing down, directly flattening the face of a Free Mercenary, blood gushing out.
"Long live the Wolf Pack!" "Long live the Wolf Pack!" The Wolf Pack cavalry cheered as they joined the battle, their meteor hammers, great axes, and Longspears creating a terrifying bloody mist mixed with flesh, bone, and brain matter.
Qobo's vision went black. Honor and glory no longer existed; at that moment, he felt that only defeat awaited him.