The nightfall seemed like the finely woven tapestries produced by the people of Kohor, though tonight, there were no shimmering gems or starry rivers adorning it.
The relentless river wound through the dense shadows of the trees, with only the sound of leaves rustling in the wind drawing attention.
Under the cover of night, a few torches intermittently appeared along the banks of the Qien River. Under the watchful eyes of the Dothraki, armed with sharp blades, the prisoners worked silently and tirelessly, digging into the earth. Following the route where livestock-filled cages were brought, the endless convoy stretched, winding towards the foot of Kohor's walls.
Before the walls of Kohor, it was even darker and quieter, so much so that even from a short distance, nothing could be seen clearly.
A group of slightly stronger prisoners, their mouths clenching twigs, and their waists bound by ropes, moved forward silently, the ones with the sharpest eyesight leading the way, carrying the dirt toward the base of the wall.
"Warn the prisoners not to rush; slow down their pace, we must not alert the guards on the walls," Mungo commanded, personally overseeing the operation with the officials Ofer and Kasco—Kothoro, to prevent any unforeseen accidents and to be ready for quick action.
With the night deepening and silence reigning, the three dismounted their horses as the sound of hooves would attract too much attention.
Upon hearing Khao's orders, Kothoro turned to carry them out, while Ofer, gazing up at the faint glow from the wall, murmured softly, "Khao, compared to other cities with no natural defenses, Kohor is truly blessed. The Qien River blocks the way in front, and the only passage is this grand bridge; on the side, the Kohor Forest provides countless obstacles."
Mungo pointed to the bridge ahead with his whip, his face calm as he said, "When we were heading to the Darkflow River, we bypassed Kohor. At that time, I wondered how three thousand Unsullied could line up against the Dothraki cavalry at the city walls. Now, seeing the terrain, I understand. But it is precisely this natural advantage that led them to become complacent. They haven't even built basic defensive structures like moats or chevaux-de-frise in front of the walls."
Looking at the magnificently rebuilt bridge, Ofer seemed to recall something, unable to suppress a soft chuckle as he tried to smooth the creases on his face, regaining his composure before replying, "Kohor controls the trade routes to the east and west. The minds of the Kohorians are all fixated on commerce and gold. They wish they could fill the Qien River and turn it into a road for business. They wouldn't care about the other uses the Valyrian builders intended for this river, let alone any defense works you mentioned."
As time slowly passed, Mungo, with his extraordinary vision, could see the vague figures of the Unsullied guards patrolling the wall. Had the weather been clearer tonight, perhaps they would have noticed the growing mound of earth beneath the walls.
Through the flickering campfires on the walls, he saw a few drunken soldiers urinating and shouting insults down below.
In the eastern sky, the first light of dawn began to show, and Mungo knew that the attack on Kohor was already well underway.
As time continued to slip by, whether the noise of the ever-growing pile of earth attracted attention or whether the lightening sky allowed the defenders to spot the earth-moving convoy, the shout rang out, "Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
Since the Dothraki had first arrived from the Sea of Dothraki, Ofer had never had a proper rest. For a man of his age, it had become a burdensome fatigue.
With a weary face, pale and drained, he still asked, "Khao, should we halt the earth-filling operation?"
Mungo ignored the elder's question. Watching the panicked prisoners, his face emotionless, he barked without hesitation, "Continue the earth-filling. The discipline team moves forward. Any who retreat will be executed."
Then he swiftly mounted his horse and called out, "Wooden shield team, advance one hundred and fifty paces."
The wooden shield team, composed of dismounted Dothraki cavalry, carried large wooden shields, which they would raise as a wall to protect the prisoners from the arrows of the archers hidden behind the wall.
As the occasional arrow flew from the walls, some of the unarmed prisoners fell, blood staining the ground beneath them.
Terrified prisoners, in their panic, abandoned the earth they had been carrying and tried to flee. The ropes tied around their waists caused chaos, disrupting the entire formation.
Twigs clenched in their mouths fell to the ground as they spat, mingled with cries and screams.
Seeing the grim scene unfold, Mungo urged his horse forward and shouted, "Discipline team, move ahead, cut the prisoners' ropes. Any who retreat or run will be executed."
As the bodies fell one by one, the earth-filling operation could proceed smoothly.
Looking at the mounds of dirt, now piled high and ready to be placed at the base of the walls, Mungo shouted to the Dothraki cavalry behind him, "Hurry, bring the digging team from the riverbank back. They will join the earth-filling team and replenish their numbers."
The prisoners tasked with digging along the Qien River were elderly, weak, and women, yet they posed no danger, did not need to avoid enemy patrols, and even had livestock to assist them, making them remarkably efficient.
Now, the faster they could fill the earth up to five meters from the walls, the fewer would die.
"No rush, no rush," Mungo murmured as he gripped his whip tightly, struggling to suppress the urgent excitement rising within him.
Kohor likely did not possess advanced siege weapons such as crossbows or ballistae, a fact discovered by Ofer.
For the past nine days, the Dothraki had not been idle. Ofer had conducted a thorough survey of the ground outside the city and found no signs of tall grasses, trees, or distinctive rocks that could serve as markers for the trajectory of crossbow bolts.
The prisoners filling the earth served to clear the way for the army's assault and also to wear down the enemy's archers, testing the enemy's strength in siege weapons like crossbows and ballistae.
Sure enough, Mungo saw the arrows from the city walls but no sign of the more deadly weapons such as massive crossbow bolts or stone projectiles.
As the wooden shield team advanced to within one hundred and fifty paces and engaged in a standoff with the archers on the wall, there was no sign of the enemy using siege weapons like ballistae against the shields, confirming their relative vulnerability.
Mungo couldn't help but wonder to himself whether the enemy was simply holding back or if the defenders of Kohor were entirely unprepared, their usual duty limited to patrolling the streets and maintaining order rather than fortifying the city.
As time passed, the state of the defense left him sorely disappointed. The entire garrison seemed disorganized, as if they had just woken up, and the enemy had not even attempted to use fire arrows against the wooden shields. This operation had become a waste.
Was the enemy commander not even on the wall? A bold thought crept into Mungo's mind and refused to leave.
In truth, Commander Salo Kort was not on the wall. The normally cautious officer had, in fact, gotten drunk at a feast.
Only when the alarm sounded in the city did he crawl out of the bed of a woman.
Mungo's perception of the Unsullied was also somewhat skewed. While their individual combat prowess and discipline were flawless, they were still nothing more than instruments of war, like the curved blades, spears, and bows they carried—tools without thoughts, only obeying the commands of their masters.
The Free Cities purchased Unsullied, not only because they were utterly obedient and fearless in battle but because they could be relied upon as bodyguards or patrols for maintaining order. After all, Unsullied never robbed or assaulted.
Though the Unsullied were powerful, they had little autonomy. Their actions in battle were entirely determined by the commands of their masters.