Jon was walking ahead of an army of a few thousand men. Behind him a massive contingent of men was walking in an orderly and disciplined manner. After two weeks of rest the men were rejuvenated and fresh. And now the battle seemed just in sight, their excitement was high and adrenaline was pumping through their bodies. For those who had been recruited into the army after the capture of Yunkai and Meereen, it was going to be their first full fledged battle. And the feeling they were feeling right now could not be described.
The main army had been divided into three parts.
The first and the largest of the three consisted of fifteen thousand men, and this group was headed towards Myr. The assault on Myr was purely going to be a ground assault, and thus the largest portion of the army had been diverted in this direction.
Jon himself was travelling along with this group, though he was not leading them. The leader of this group and in charge of the entire battle plan was Commander Tiliot. Tiliot would be the one leading the strategies and all the war planes. Jon was just like an independent entity associated with them. Though his mere presence boosted the confidence of the men behind him that they felt as if they could trample down entire Essos.
The second group consisted of eight thousand men, and they were marching towards Tyrosh. The attack on Tyrosh was going to be a mix of naval and infantry attack.
The eight thousand men would travel up to the shore of the mainland, the point closest to the city of Tyrosh and at the coast, they would wait for the second phase of the plan to start. This group was being led by Commander Asmund, and he was in charge of the attack.
The Navy Battalion under Commander Spendex was also in its position and as soon as the second phase of the plan of the attack would begin they would make their move. They too like the main army would have to be divided, in two parts. One for Tyrosh and one for Lys.
Melisandre too was travelling with this second group. Just like Jon, she too was acting as an independent entity and it was Asmund who had all the powers in his hands. But neither her presence nor Jon's presence was actually unwarranted. In fact, if need arose, they had to play a very important role during the assault.
The attack on the three cities was a very important and strategic event. And though Jon was confident in his exemplary plan and the abilities of his men, he was not willing to take a risk. He could not afford to lose in this campaign. The three cities had to be captured in one full go and there was no other option.
And that is why Melisandre had been sent with that group. If there was something that might have a chance to fail his plan, Melisandre might have the abilities to deal with that trouble. She surely could not use her mystical abilities out in the open, but there were certainly a lot of things she could do secretly. The same went for him for travelling with the first group. Jon was there to deal with any obstacle.
And then the final group consisted of seven thousand men and was marching towards Lys. This group was being led by General Slyvia herself, with Vothack as her assistant.
Like the second group, this group too would reach the shore of the mainland closest to Lys and wait for the second phase of the plan.
Here, Slyvia was the one who had a double responsibility. Being the one who not only had to lead the attack but also the one who would have to serve as the all-powerful presence to deal with any obstacle. Though, given that she had Commander Vothack and also Jelerion as her assistants, they would be able to take a lot of the load off her shoulders.
The entire Essos was making calculations for forty thousand men, but in reality, there were only thirty thousand men, and that is why Jon could not allow the outside world to know the true number of his men, at least, not before the actual attack. And thanks to his, Melisandre's, and Slyvia's warging powers, the perimeter they had created around their respective armies was foolproof till now. No spy had been able to infiltrate the perimeter and reach close enough to estimate anything about their strategy.
Jon was riding on his horse almost a hundred feet away from the first man in the army formation behind him. The Supreme Shadows were in a protective formation around him, with Grey Worm himself riding not far behind. There was the sound of horse hooves striking the ground as he felt a familiar presence creep near him.
Commander Tiliot was a battle hardened, middle aged man. A former Unsullied, the man was a warrior deserving of all respect. And the position of Commander showed the respect he had earned.
"Lord Aeos," Tiliot said as soon as his horse was parallel to Jon's horse.
"Commander Tiliot," Jon responded. "What news do you bring?"
"It is from Tyrosh," Tiliot replied.
"What is it?" Jon questioned.
"The city has been placed under a full fledged lockdown," Tiliot replied. "No one is allowed to enter or exit the city. Neither is anyone allowed to even step out from their houses. Every resident is to remain locked within their house."
"Anyone violating the rules would be instantly executed," he continued. "A small list of merchants has been prepared who are responsible for the distribution of food items to the houses."
"But," he sighed, "since the smallfolk are not able to do any work, they would not have the coin to actually purchase anything."
Jon nodded. "And anything from Lys? Myr?"
"No, not so far," Tiliot replied with a shake of his head. "But I believe that we could expect similar news from these two cities also."
Jon nodded.
"They are trying to play smart," he said. "They think that by forcing the smallfolk into their houses, they would be able to avoid the situation that happened in Yunkai and Meereen. But they are fools."
"The more they repress the smallfolk, the more they will erupt like a fiery volcano at the very first chance," he added, and Tiliot nodded.
"Do we send the messages?" he questioned after a moment of silence.
Jon nodded. "Yes. It is time for our message to be delivered to the three cities."
Tiliot nodded as his horse took a turn and he returned back towards the marching army where the birds would be sent with the instructions.
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