"We have passed the Dingril Valley! Going further ahead is Lórien!" Kaslo spread out the map and said to Roland.
"Oh my God...why would I end up in the Golden Forest?" Roland covered his face with his hands, feeling extremely ashamed.
"We have to go north! To the Graton area!" Omsk, wearing a helmet, spoke in a muffled voice.
"What's the situation in the Graton area? We don't know!" Roland shrugged.
"It doesn't matter! They are not under the rule of the empire anyway!" Ajax spread his hands with a helpless look on his face.
"One day we will take back our territory!" Roland stared at the map.
"We can actually consider taking the water route!" Roland suggested. After all, they can directly enter the Anduin River from the Silver River, and then take the water route to the Old Pass.
"Crossing the elves' territory is already ridiculous! Going upstream is a bit unrealistic!" Ajax didn't care about King Roland at all and said directly.
"Let's go along the eastern foot of the Misty Mountains to the Graton area! At least it's more open here and not as easy to be ambushed!" Omsk rubbed his eyebrows and said a little tiredly.
"Damn it! What a pity we didn't bring the Knights with us!" Roland lamented.
"It's a waste of talent. Knights are not needed to deal with scattered orcs! The heavy infantry is already giving them face."
"Graton area? Wait! Our people have been here before!" Roland suddenly slapped his head. When he sent Baron Lance to send the goblin prince Jesse Ava to each other, they passed by here. Roland still kept the map they drew in his space.
"Baron Lance!" Caslo also understood.
"I remember there are human settlements in Graton!" Caslo and Roland searched the map drawn by Lance and compared it with their own maps.
"Here! The Gladden Plains! To get there we have to cross the Anduin River first!" Kaslo scratched his head.
"It's better to go there! After all, we have to keep in touch with the human settlements. Although they have broken away from our rule, they will still be citizens of the empire in the future!" Omsk suggested.
"It doesn't matter, but Lance said that the people here are still very ignorant! Our city's little magician Nina Bonn came from this settlement. She was almost killed, and it was Master Lance who saved her!" Roland blinked mischievously.
Everyone burst into laughter in understanding. It has to be said that the scene of the hero saving the beauty is always interesting to watch.
"It's like this..." Caslo looked at Ajax, who was confused, and immediately pulled her over and told her the story of this settlement.
"Bastard! We should destroy it! Bring it under the rule of the empire!" Ajax waved her fists angrily. It was obvious that she was very angry with these fools and those fat-headed lords.
"Calm down, most of the humans in Middle-earth are like this now! Can you kill them all?" Roland glanced at Ajax, who was as angry as a mother dragon.
"Oh! I'm a soldier! It's my duty and mission to fight violence and protect the people!" Ajax pouted and said dissatisfiedly.
"Silly girl... Alas." Roland looked at Ajax lovingly and sighed.
"You idiot, war is the continuation of politics! But soldiers are not pawns of politicians! Fools like you are more likely to be deceived by those ambitious people!" Roland shook his head. Fortunately, he did not have such a strong desire for expansion. If it were another warmongering person, he might have been fooled by this girl.
What Roland didn't know was that in this unknown place he said something that shocked later historians and made countless people worship him!
"War is the continuation of politics, and soldiers are not pawns of politicians!" - "The Chronicles of Roland the Great"
"We are not warmongers. We only want to protect the people under our rule. As for the ignorant majority... we are powerless to stop them!" Roland shook his head. He was not a warlike person by nature. The stability of the farming nation meant that they were never keen on war!
"What's wrong? It's strange, isn't it? A king isn't keen on expanding his territory?" Roland smiled mysteriously at the stunned Kaslo and Omsk.
Looking at Omsk and Kaslo nodding frantically, Roland couldn't help but twitch his lips...
His dream had always been to live the extravagant life of a king, enjoying delicacies from land and sea every day, enjoying a life without the 996 blessing, enjoying the service of beautiful and eye-catching maids, marrying a beautiful queen, and having a few children...
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned! I was born in this fucked-up Third Age! Elves and Dwarves were still a lean camel bigger than a horse, and humans still lived under the protection of the two tribes. Moreover, the darkness had not yet left Middle-earth, and the years of war had left me in despair!
"Actually, I just want to live a stable life..." Roland sighed.
If it weren't for the money, he wouldn't have joined the Lonely Mountain Expedition. If it weren't for Renault's insistence and the commission, he wouldn't have participated in the Battle of Five Armies. If it weren't for the truncated relationship between the lips and the teeth, he wouldn't have gone to Dol Guldur to cause trouble for the Nazgul. Now, due to the pressure of the war in the north, he can only go to Moria to get a dragon rider and some gold coins.
"Alas... Life is so unpredictable!" Roland sighed. He didn't know where the future lay, and he wasn't sure if he'd ever see that day. But when he thought of Nyx's smile... Roland clenched his fists. "You want to disturb me? I'll kill even a god to show you!"
"Let's go! Let's get to the Graton area first, and then find a way to cross the river!" Roland shook his head, throwing away those messy thoughts.
"Watch out for the orcs here!" Roland ordered.
"I understand!" everyone answered.
…
Lulong Fortress.
"What's going on?" Renault stood on the top of the city wall in military uniform, with a look of surprise on his face. The orcs of Dol Guldur were actually causing trouble again?
"I don't know, General! The spies said that an army of orcs is moving towards us!" Apophis Breo stood in front of Renault, lowered his head and clasped his fists.
"Damn it! It has to be this bad time! His Highness is not here... Go! Send someone on horseback to Rapid City to report the news! Tell them to gather the people and prepare for the invasion of orcs! Tell His Majesty Yun Feng that the safety of Rapid City and the Grand Duke is in his hands! I will live and die with Lulong Fortress!" Renault looked at Dol Guldur in the distance with a murderous look on his face.
"I understand. There are not many soldiers in General Renault's city. Do we need support..." Apophis Breo, a descendant of the Grand Duke of King's Landing, asked with a frown.
"Hmm?" Renault raised his eyebrows.
"There are only 400 Badanian archers, 100 Crusader spearmen, 16 King's Knights and 3 priests left in the fortress. Should we ask for help from the City of Rapids..." Apophis Breo frowned.
"What? Are you scared?" Renault frowned.
"Afraid? Would a man from the Junlin family be afraid? You are insulting the honor of the Junlin Lion family!" Apophis Breo jumped up like a cat with its fur standing on end when he heard this.
"I'm just afraid that you can't defend this place! There is no barrier in the south of the kingdom anymore!" Apophis Breo frowned coldly.
"It takes time and manpower to gather the people. How many people can make it if we ask for help? Those Knights of the Cross Bauhinia? Or those heavy cavalry? Or the Holy Glory Knights? Do you want the City of Rapids? Those are the guarantees of the City of Rapids! Are you planning to count on the support of those Rapids Infantry or those recruited light infantry?" Renault snorted disdainfully.
"When they come, they will either collect the bodies of the orcs! Or they will collect our bodies! If things go wrong, they will lose their lives! We'd rather not have it!" Renault held the sword domineeringly.
"Today! I! The Kingdom of Lagran! Renault, the defender of Lulong Fortress, is standing here! Tell those bastards in the depths of the dark forest!" Renault took a deep breath.
"Lulong ahead, no travel in darkness!"