126 To greener pastures
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POV of Lothar von Ruppin third moon 285 AC
In Essos, circumstances had changed drastically with the arrival of the Prussians, who waged one of the most destructive forms of war for the Free Cities. Lys suffered from Prussian tactics, costing the lives of thousands of its mercenaries and dozens of illustrious citizens.
Towns were left completely empty as the Prussians enslaved anyone they found in their path. Merchants were afraid to move along the roads, as the Prussians spared no one, considering anyone traveling the roads of the city of Lys as their enemy and attacking ruthlessly.
One of the most important cities in the theater of war was severely plundered, although the Prussians couldn't assault the administrative center, the population paid the price. Thousands of artisans were taken as slaves to be sold in the slave markets of Tyrosh. Simultaneously, they stole several ships from the port, unable to escape the Prussian surprise attack, resulting in the burning of the port and the destruction of an important logistical center for their campaigns.
The arrival of the Prussians was known to all, and they understood how lethal and dangerous these mercenaries could be. Reactions varied from curses and fear to interest. Since the Prussians withdrew, the status quo had returned to the disputed lands, with only small skirmishes, as the Prussians began to organize their new inventory for their next contract, waiting for its deadline to expire.
"Damn it, Lothar, hundreds of merchants killed, and not satisfied with that, you left them impaled on crosses and hanging from trees. What the hell was going through your head when you decided to do such a stupid thing?" shouted the Tyrosh general, furious.
"They were military priorities. They transported supplies to the garrisons: food, swords, armor, animals. Seriously, stupid? You can't deny such supplies to your enemy," I replied without much interest.
"No, Lothar, you can't do that, damn it. Merchants are off-limits, unless the city orders it. Now we risk that Lys may do the same to us or Myr, since you didn't distinguish anyone. You attacked like a rabid dog," said the general, banging the table in fury.
"I received orders to break Lys's legs, and that's what I did. In fact, I even broke its spine because, as a good strategist, I dedicated myself to understanding my enemy and discovering its weaknesses. I made it fall into my traps, dancing on the palm of my hand all the time, knowing how it would act even before it took action. If I had more men, I would have caused the fall of Lys," I said while eating some olives from the general's table.
"But that's not the way. Conquering Lys with only ashes left serves us nothing. There was no need to burn the port. What happens now if we manage to advance enough to take that city without the port, and the plundered city has no value?" the general continued growling.
"Can you fix it? Building a port may take a month if you organize it well. It's not the end of the world. Besides, all the prisoners were handed over to you as requested. We didn't massacre the population, as with the other towns. All of them were handed over. But you still haven't paid me the value of those slaves," I said sarcastically, changing to a serious tone.
"How the hell do you expect us to pay for more than a hundred thousand slaves that you brought in a couple of months? Do you think gold grows on trees or what? You brought in more slaves than the city of Tyrosh captures in a year in just months. Don't ask me for the impossible, Lothar," said the general quite nervously when I emphasized that they still haven't fully paid me for the slaves.
"Well, hurry up and get my payment because there are only a few days left until my contract expires, and we'll have to negotiate a renewal because I suppose you still need my services," I said while taking a bottle of wine and pouring myself some.
"You're asking for something that is not my responsibility. It is the Archon who must gather the payment. But if we still need your services, your cavalry would come in handy. We'll pay you twenty percent more than before," said the general defensively.
"Are you joking? Only twenty percent. I've doubled my numbers since the last time we negotiated, and you expect only a twenty percent increase in payment," I said in a mocking tone.
"You increased your numbers with slave children who have no training. It's not the first time that a mercenary company tries this trick to increase their payment. But so far, no one has been as brazen as you," replied the general.
"These children are free and have been receiving Prussian military training for several months now. They have participated in fights. They are more competent than other men from other mercenary companies. Well, you'll be pleased to know that I have offers for my services. Lys sent me a contract offering triple the amount for my services when my contract with Tyrosh expires," I said to the general, looking at him seriously.
"And you boast of being so clever? It's clear that Lys offers you that to go as the idiot you are to their lands, get captured, and be killed for everything you've done," said the general, putting on a smile with arrogance.
"Oh, please. Clearly, it was negotiated that I don't have to go to Lys to accept the deal. I just have to stay on the border and receive orders, either to attack the forces of Tyrosh or Myr. And speaking of Myr, the city sent me not only one but two contracts for my company."
"I was offered, like Lys, three times more than Tyrosh to serve jointly with their armies, or eight times more to serve in the forces of Myr against the Dothraki that ravage their lands," I said, showing the messages from the Free Cities.
"What do you plan to achieve with this? If you want to fight against the Dothraki, you would be the craziest person in history. Nothing has prepared you for that. Fighting against the Dothraki is madness; it has never ended well. Only the Unsullied had a victory against them, and it was only because they didn't apply even the slightest tactics in their attack," said the general, as if hearing nonsense.
"Pay me what is fair, match the payment, and everything will continue as usual. If you don't, I'm out, as I am responsible for the lives of my men, and I won't make them suffer for feeling secure with a long-term contract," I said, annoyed.
"Listen, Lothar. The Archon accepted the conditions of that stupid Prussian who thinks he can take advantage... hey... someone stop him... gods..." The general tried to say, but upon hearing an insult toward my king, I stood up, walked towards him, pushing aside his pathetic slave guards until I was in front of him.
"Listen to me well, damn idiot, and listen well because I'll only say it once. If I am exiled, I ruined it big time, but don't think I have any resentment toward my king. If I hear the slightest insult to his person again, I will kill you with blows, and not even your mother will be able to recognize you... Is that clear?" I said, destroying the chalice with which he was drinking, in front of him, with my hand.
"Eh... Lothar..." The general tried to say, but he only trembled.
"I said, is it clear, idiot?!" I shouted at the general.
The general nodded.
"The deal we had was that my king facilitates the use of Prussian mercenaries, not that I would serve you for life. So don't try to take advantage of that. Now pay me what you owe me, and I'll try my luck with another Free City, because I'm not an idiot to wait around with someone like you," I said as I walked around the general's chair.
"Tyrosh doesn't have the gold to pay you, Lothar. Not yet. We need time," said the general, regaining his composure.
"Time that you don't have... Well, I'll take some of the slaves that I consider valuable that I recently handed over to you to compensate for what you still haven't paid me, and I don't want any buts. As soon as my contract ends, I vanish," I said, leaving the tent.
Upon leaving, I quickly ordered my men to break camp and set it up far from the army of the Tyrosh general to avoid immediate retaliation. Keeping my word, I recovered some artisans that I had enslaved when I plundered the port city of Lys, mainly blacksmiths, cooks, and tailors, as with the increase in my soldiers, more hands are needed, and we can't teach them to do everything in such a short time.
After that, I returned to the camp to wait for the last days of my contract to pass and decide where to go.
"Ah... Lothar... you sure know how to ruin things, don't you?" said Antti in his chair when he learned of what happened with the general.
"What do you want me to do? It's the duty of nobility to defend the honor of their king. I wasn't going to allow that low-born scoundrel to insult our king, even though my exile ended that duty. I won't allow that pagan to speak ill of my king," I replied to the Finn.
"In my case, I would have stayed quiet and poisoned him in one of his meals, killed him at night. Temporarily, Tyrosh is out of the possibilities of hiring us again, and Lys, I have my doubts, although the contract seemed sincere. They could try to seek revenge at any moment, and we need more funds to continue recruiting and expanding our mission," said Antti, looking at the map.
"We only have Myr left. What contract do you recommend, the regular one or against the Dothraki?" I asked the Finn, who was considering the risks.
"The safest is the regular contract, but... we both know how to fight against the horse lords. We have repelled the Tatars on hundreds of occasions, and if they fight like the Dothraki, we would have the possibility to raise the fame of our mercenaries to an unprecedented level. If we achieve that and our fame expands at a good pace, and we keep minimal casualties, we could start charging for not joining one side or the other or accepting specific contracts against the Dothraki and demanding tribute in Valyrian steel," said Antti, pointing to the lands of the Dothraki.
"We have about twelve thousand men, two tercios trained by the men of Roon. The problem is that they have never fought in formation, only in small skirmishes, and their equipment is not what we commonly use since getting Gothic armor is impossible, let alone producing it. We have to rely on lower quality armor," I said to Antti.
"Look, I have good news about that. The king established his control in the Stepstones. Now, in the islands where the pirates ruled, there is a Prussian governor. If we can communicate with him, we could buy armor. The problem is that it may not be cheap, as one of the men who considers you a disgusting traitor may not even help us. So I'll send some letters with our wargs, and we'll see if we can coordinate an equipment purchase when we're in Myr," said Antti.
"Fine, we'll try our luck against Myr, check what we can do, and if we can have control over the Dothraki fight because if we just follow the orders of some idiot with power and hunger for more power, we'll all end up dead on the battlefield," I said to Antti, preparing my gear.
"Yes, I'll send some letters to our spies in Tyrosh and contact some Finnish governor to see the possibility of more reinforcements from the recruits of Skagos, as we'll i have to leave spies in Myr," said Antti, leaving the tent.
After that, we prepared everything, waited for the expiration of our contract, and marched towards Myr to check what we could obtain.
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