"Respected King Roland, I come here with the sincerity of the dwarves. I hope you still remember our original agreement." Balin said to Roland, shaking his snow-white beard.
"Welcome, my friend Balin! The Lagrang people never forget the promises they make with their friends, including me." Roland nodded affirmatively.
"Oh! Turin! Thank God we finally have some confidence. If you hadn't joined, I really can't imagine whether we can capture Moria. The orcs there are as numerous as rats in a cellar!" Balin sighed.
"It's not that bad! Believe me, Balin! Even without our help, the brave and fearless dwarf warriors can still capture your old capital!" Roland said seriously.
"But although you can capture it, you can't hold it..." Roland muttered to himself. Knowing the plot well, he knew that Balin in front of him would be the future King of Moria and one of the few dwarves who could be king. However, due to the caution of Dain Ironfoot, Moria, which was outnumbered and helpless, was eventually destroyed after Balin was assassinated.
"Thank you for your praise, but I am aware of our strength... To be honest, I only have 500 dwarf warriors for this expedition to Moria... It was only with Thorin's help that I was able to recruit these soldiers." Balin sighed, full of helplessness and pessimism.
God, what are you talking about? Dragon God! If in the original book, you could only take a few dozen armed dwarves on the expedition, that would be tragic. Compared to the old-fashioned King Dain, Thorin was already generous in giving him 500 dwarf warriors.
"500? Not bad, much higher than I expected." Roland nodded in satisfaction. Thorin really was a reliable friend. With the war situation already shrouded in uncertainty and the overall power structure of Middle-earth still uncertain, Thorin had actually been willing to give Balin 500 dwarf warriors! This had already exceeded Roland's expectations. Those were 500 battle-hardened dwarf professionals, not just peasants who had just put down their dung forks and hoes! Forming a battle formation, the dwarf warriors could even counterattack against a force of wolf riders several times their number!
"Huh?" Balin was dumbfounded. He was planning to organize some words to explain to Roland, but he never expected Roland to react like this. He was afraid that Roland would mistakenly think that the dwarves wanted to use them as human shields and cannon fodder and refuse to fight.
"Nothing, I just have some dragons here who need to vent their anger on the orcs..." Roland shrugged. He was already looking forward to the scene where the poor Balrog in Moria was beaten by the wind dragons and elven dragons.
"Dragon Knight? Thank you so much! You know, we dwarves really don't have a way to deal with that Balrog for now... If you can truly eliminate this great threat to us, we're willing to pay even more."
"Well, no problem. Leave the Flame Demon to us!"
"Sir Osbaiar Dragon Riders... just wait and see! No Balrog will have the chance to run wild in Middle-earth again!" Roland clenched his fists. The image of the majestic figure launching the ultimate attack was still engraved in his mind.
"Have you made any arrangements for the route? After all, we are sending out thousands of troops this time. Any mistake could lead to our utter destruction!" Roland was extremely cautious. He didn't want his house to be robbed before he even reached Moria.
"Of course! We plan to go down the Rapids River to your Lulong Fortress, then turn into the Old Forest Road, follow the Old Forest Road directly to the Anduin River, go downstream, and finally reach Lórien... and finally go north to the Mirror Lake and attack from the east gate." Balin spread out a roll of ancient sheepskin map, on which were clearly marked various clues, place names, products, etc. collected by the dwarf ancestors over the centuries.
"An old thing? It's a good thing!" Roland stroked the map and praised it highly.
"Well, it's a map passed down from the older generation. It belongs to my grandfather!" Balin said proudly.
"By the way, I recommend that you lead the heavy-armored troops in the attack this time. The terrain in Moria is not very friendly to light-armored units..." Balin suggested to Roland as if he suddenly remembered something.
"Of course, thank you for reminding me, my friend!" Roland smiled kindly, but he was already cursing in his heart. No way! No way! Would anyone really send light infantry into the Moria Mines to "clear mines"? That's not called "clearing mines," that's called murder!
"Then when are we going to set out?" Balin raised his head and looked up at Roland. He stared into Roland's eyes carefully, hoping that Roland would give him the answer he most wanted to hear.
"About a week later! I need to arrange defenses during this time to fill the gap left by the expeditionary force, and the soldiers also need to be mobilized!" Roland counted carefully on his fingers. The troops did need to be mobilized. This time, they were not fighting to recover "lost land" or defend the country, but for money, so the soldiers still needed encouragement and mobilization.
"Huh? That dwarf left?" Nyx walked over gracefully with her skirt lifted and asked softly shortly after Balin left happily. The talkative Nyx also cast her eyes on the wide map on the wall.
"Well, Balin is gone. Don't underestimate him, he is destined to be the King of Moria." Roland "predicted" like a charlatan. Facts proved that Balin did become the Lord of Moria as he wished, but he did not live for more than three episodes.
"Really? Can he really inherit the position of King of Moria?" Nyx said in disbelief.
"Of course, he is a dwarf with the aura of a king. He is destined to be great!" Roland affirmed. This man is also a legend. Otherwise, if he was attacked and killed by the orcs, maybe the dwarves could really recover the Mines of Moria. However, this time Balin is much more powerful than in history. The confidence brought by the 500 dwarf soldiers is not to be underestimated. As long as this army is pinned down on the Khazad-dûm Bridge, the orcs will probably have few chances to come over in their lifetime.
"So what are you going to take away this time?" Nyx asked, pinching Roland's shoulders with her soft little hands.
"At least most of the guards from Raglan City must be taken away, and the Dorwinion heavy swordsmen must go with me! Just think about the way those muscular men wield their heavy swords. I believe they will give the orcs an eternal nightmare in Moria!" Roland snorted coldly.
As one of Roland's earliest military units, this heavy infantry unit's numbers have neither increased nor decreased. They are a paragon of obscurity within the city of Rapids, their constant presence alongside the city walls and gates being everyone's first impression of them. Only a few understand the sheer terror of these terrifying melee mincers, and yet they are about to shine for the first time in this plane of Middle-earth! This light will surely radiate throughout the universe!
"Well, I've prayed for those orcs..." Nyx's mouth twitched. The Dorwinion heavy-armored swordsmen in a row of two were enough to slaughter all the orcs they met in the narrow mines of Moria. Unless the Ringwraiths showed up or the Balrog took action, there was really no orc of the same level who could stop them.
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