The Crown Princess Faked Her Death and Married the Mercenary King novel · Chapter 5 of 24

Chapter 5: The Gatehouse

The Governor of Namju held his parley in a red tent on the river flats, under a flag of truce.

He was a fat, glossy man of fifty in a silk robe too fine for a war.

He did not stand when Ha-rin walked in.

Do-gyeom stood behind her left shoulder with his hand on his sword.

Twelve of the Governor's guards stood along the tent walls.

"So you are the little widow," the Governor said.

He looked her up and down.

"Give me the fortress and the sorcerer's whore who plans your wars," he said to Do-gyeom, "and I'll let you march your thieves out with their boots on."

Ha-rin sat down uninvited on the cushion across from him.

"Governor," she said. "You've lost fourteen men and a ram."

"Your cavalry has no feed, because you camped on a riverbank that floods in three days."

His smile slipped.

"Your east camp's latrines drain into your well. Half your men have been sick since Tuesday."

"You came with twelve guards because you're afraid to bring more."

She leaned forward.

"You want to talk about boots?"

The tent was silent.

The Governor's face went the color of old liver.

Do-gyeom made a very small sound behind her that might have been a laugh.

"Leave," the Governor said.

"With pleasure," said Ha-rin.

They walked out through the guards with their backs straight.

They were two hundred paces from the ford when she heard the hooves.

"Ma'am," a Company rider said, white-faced. "Behind us."

Forty Namju cavalry came out of the willows at a gallop, swords out.

Do-gyeom pulled her up in front of him on his stallion without breaking stride.

"Hold on," he said in her ear.

"Left," said Ha-rin. "To the ford. The water."

"It's flooding."

"Not here. I checked the marks on the rocks this morning. It's knee-deep at the gravel bar, and there's mud on the Namju side."

He did not argue.

He turned the stallion into the river.

The Company's riders followed in a line, and the Namju horses plunged in behind them.

Beyond the gravel bar the ground dropped to a drowned bog.

The forty cavalry horses sank to their bellies in black mud.

By the time they fought free, Gwang-ho's archers had come out of the reeds.

Not a rider reached the other bank.

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