风突然起,驱散了朦胧的雾气,像苍白的月光投下淡淡的光芒,花草的芬芳在微风中轻轻漩涡,在空气中轻轻飘荡.在长老奥尔夫的眼中,火光闪烁,他饱经风霜,布满皱纹的脸上露出热切兴奋的表情,他说道:"是的,暗流河.它发源于科霍尔的西北部,从诺福斯山,流入钦河.对于任何沿着瓦雷利亚公路从科霍尔到潘托斯的人来说,这都是必不可少的通道.这是最后的机会.暗流河之外只有丘陵和山脉,骑兵无法冲锋.听到这话,蒙戈垂下了头,陷入了沉思.然而,维斯卡多洛克废墟不断变化的地形让奥尔夫微微动摇,他的声音不确定地补充道,"四年前,当我经过这里时,地形开阔平坦,骑兵可以从东向西冲下坡.但现在..."在奥尔夫说完之前,蒙戈握紧了拳头,果断地挥动着,宣布道:"我们继续前进.寇霍尔人不能把整个世界变成森林.让我们先到达暗流河,侦察地形.多斯拉克部落都有自己的指定领土,但广阔的多斯拉克海和对厄索斯城市的不断袭击意味着错过这个机会将使很难再次找到 Jomokao 部落.蒙戈和奥尔夫骑上马,在星空下,沿着瓦雷利亚之路迅速返回部落营地.营地外,一个矮小,结实的多斯拉克男人站在那里等待.浓眉大眼,半张脸藏在浓密的胡须后面,眼睛里闪耀着锐利的光芒.虽然他的身材略矮,但他的身体却充满了敏捷和爆发力.听到战马的嘶吼声,看到从黑暗中出现的身影,他的目光中闪过一丝狂热.蒙戈缰住马,停了下来,看到眼前这个活生生的人,脸上露出了灿烂的笑容.男人恭敬地鞠了一躬,说道:"Kao,你现在需要重新约会,忠于你的可汗.蒙戈下马向前迈了一步,微微弯下腰拍了拍男人的肩膀——毕竟,他现在的身高已经达到了八英尺,没有魔法缰绳,任何战马都无法带着他上战场."寇索罗,我最勇敢,最忠诚的部落成员,我会奖励你.我特此任命你为新的哈尔.蒙戈随后向站在附近的奥尔夫做了个手势,"这位是奥尔夫,我的智者,他对厄索斯的地理和历史了如指掌.科索罗对这个宣布没有表现出任何情绪.他认识到自己缺乏成为可汗的领导能力,更愿意担任蒙戈的血誓卫队,毫无疑问地忠实地服从他的命令.科索罗拥有强大的力量,但他无法表达情感.由于太虚弱,他一出生就被遗弃了,他的生存和过去的许多方面仍然未知.面对奥尔夫的温暖时,他露出了牙齿作为回应,因为蒙戈曾经说过,露出牙齿是一种恰当的微笑.见他们可以和平共处,蒙戈心中舒了一口气,立即带头向帐篷走去,招手示意两人跟上.帐篷内,蒙戈急于让火势更加明亮,他把手伸进火盆里搅动了火焰.在奥尔夫阻止他之前,长老的脸色因震惊而变得苍白.蒙戈的手似乎像一个神奇的咒语一样在火焰中跳舞.Kosoro had long grown accustomed to Mungo's actions, and in his eyes, there gleamed a fanatic belief—he was convinced that Mungo had been blessed by the Horse God.Mungo, having already considered his plans for battle, slowly wiped his hands clean of soot and spoke with focus, "Olf, I appoint you as the khan's quartermaster. When the sun rises, you will take stock of the supplies for six thousand warriors—each with two horses and provisions to last for seven days. At dawn, these warriors will leave the tribe and travel north along the Saen River, avoiding the patrols of Jomokao's cavalry. Then, we will turn west, pass through the Kohor forest, and make our way to the Darkflow River. Kosoro, you are now a khan's bloodsworn guard. I want you to lead your Khalasar and the remaining warriors to guard the camp, and continue heading toward Kohor. However, do not approach the city until I give further orders."Kosoro did not object to Mungo's orders, but Olf pondered before speaking up."Khan, forgive me for speaking bluntly.""Go ahead," Mungo said, placing a hand on Kosoro's arm to stop him from drawing his weapon, offering a slight smile. "Olf is my quartermaster. The bloodsworn guards are charged with protecting the khan, while the Khal leads his Khalasar. The quartermaster's role is to offer wise counsel and assist the khan in managing the tribe."Kosoro opened his mouth a few times but held back, and Mungo, with a calm demeanor, shook his head and spoke plainly, "Rather than lose a shred of authority by yielding to others' opinions, I crave victory—by any means necessary. A khan who cannot lead his warriors to victory is no true khan. I accept that this may create misunderstandings within the tribe, but if anyone dares question me, I will sever their head to eliminate the doubt."Turning to Olf, Mungo raised his hand. "Time is of the essence, please continue."Olf, seeing that Kosoro had no intention of intervening, breathed a quiet sigh of relief and spoke softly. "Khan, according to your plan, the supplies for seven days should suffice for the march. But if Jomokao's tribe stays near the outskirts of Kohor, seven days' worth of provisions may not be enough."Mungo raised an eyebrow, waiting for Olf to elaborate."The people of Kohor do not fear Dothraki Khals. The walls of Kohor are thick, and more than four hundred years ago, three thousand Unsullied held off an attack from a tribe led by Temokao, which numbered at least fifty thousand. After the battle, more than twelve thousand Dothraki lay dead, including Temokao and his Khalasar, as well as all the bloodsworn guards. The remaining Dothraki cut off their braids and laid them at the feet of the six hundred surviving Unsullied warriors. These Unsullied are known as the Kohor Three Thousand."After a brief pause, Olf continued, "Since then, the Kohor garrison has been composed entirely of Unsullied. Each soldier wields a spear adorned with Dothraki braids. The number of the garrison now exceeds three thousand, and Kohor also possesses its own fleet. Jomokao's tribe, numbering just over forty thousand, poses no real threat to the city. The Kohorans would only give him gold to send him on his way when they grow tired of him. This will not take long, but it won't be too brief either."Jomokao could not afford to assault Kohor, and the Kohorans, lacking cavalry, would never venture outside the city for battle.Finally, Olf, based on his past experiences, believed the standoff between Kohor and Jomokao would not last more than three days, as it would disrupt Kohor's trade.Mungo resolved to bring ten days' worth of provisions to the Darkflow River. War was inherently unpredictable, and they could only prepare for what they could control.The full moon hung high, and there was still quite some time before dawn. After Olf and Kosoro left, Mungo did not immediately rest but remained deep in thought.He knew the reputation of the Unsullied well—they were light infantry armed with spears, shields, and short swords, akin to the ancient Greek phalanx.The title of "Unsullied" represented their status as castrated slave soldiers, conditioned to obey their masters unconditionally and face battle without fear.The origin of their name came from the brutal selection and training process. Slave owners selected young male slaves based on their size, speed, and strength, beginning their training at the age of five. The training was rigorous, lasting from dawn to dusk, teaching them how to fight. They were regularly fed "courage wine," which dulled their sense of pain, and the training aimed to erase all individuality, emotion, and selfhood.Any slave who failed even one part of the training was executed. Only one-third survived to become Unsullied.Until now, Mungo had known little of Kohor's military capabilities. He had found the Dothraki tribes' tradition of regularly collecting tribute from Kohor perplexing. While this approach might seem slow and steady, the ruins around the Dothraki Sea made him realize that such intelligence was beyond the Dothraki.Now, he understood that the tribute was a reflection of Kohor's own strength. The Khals had to rely on harassment tactics to collect tribute because the Unsullied, though formidable, could not match the speed of Dothraki cavalry.But four hundred years ago, what had Temokao been thinking when he led light cavalry to charge against the Unsullied's spear formation?Similarly, Mungo found Kohor's logic puzzling.