Luoshengnier City

After spending a few days in Erebor, Roland left contentedly with his newly equipped light infantry and tens of carts of supplies. Thorin, aware of the Orcs' movements, had generously given these to Roland, as Roland was the most crucial barrier south of Erebor. Thorin understood priorities; the last Great Battle of the Lonely Mountain had caused the two Orc leaders to flee. After a few days of lying low, they were stirring again.

"I hope nothing goes wrong in the north..." Roland looked worriedly towards River Valley City and Erebor. Although many of the wandering Dwarves from the Blue Mountains had returned, Erebor still had fewer than five thousand Dwarves. Winter prevented most Dwarves from returning home, but these numbers were still too few. The Orcs from Gundabad would surely come out in full force next time! Moreover, Azog, having learned from past mistakes, would definitely bring heavy crossbows, meaning Caslo wouldn't be able to slaughter Orcs with impunity... Roland didn't even want to think about the Wood Elves in Mirkwood. It would be a miracle if that old fool Thranduil willingly helped Humans and Dwarves! Didn't they see the Battle of River Valley City during the War of the Ring, where King Bard's grandson and King Dáin fought and died outside Erebor... Where were the Elves?

The Elves were unreliable. Thorin and Bard would be tied up in the north, leaving only Roland and the White Wing King in the south. Perhaps it was time to visit the White Wing King! Roland thought to himself.

Roland glanced back at his newly equipped Conscript Light Infantry, feeling a little more at ease. Even if things became impossible, Roland would hold the line with his soldiers to ensure the civilians reached west of the Misty Mountains. He would decisively abandon Flowing City, for a king's crown was bestowed by his subjects; without them, was he still a king? Looking at the young faces of the Conscript Light Infantry behind him, Roland felt a pang of regret. These armed civilians were young boys, not appearing to be older than seventeen or eighteen, and he would be leading them to their deaths... In that moment, Roland felt as though he saw the Swift River Infantry fighting against the current... At that moment, they must have wanted to live too...

"Caslo, go back and train them well. I don't expect them to charge forward bravely, but I hope they can defend themselves during a defense," Roland said softly to Caslo, sweeping his gaze over the young faces.

"Don't worry, my lord! They will grow!" Caslo promised.

"But there's no time for them to grow..." Roland lowered his head.

"Your Majesty, the White Wing King has invited you as a guest, saying he wishes to discuss matters crucial to the survival of both cities!" Roland was stopped by Reno as soon as he returned.

"Did they say what happened?" Roland asked curiously.

"They seemed to have fought with Orcs!" Reno replied after some thought.

"Good, prepare the boats. We'll cross the river!" Roland's spirits immediately lifted at the mention of Orcs.

Accompanied by Reno and the Erlino Rangers, Roland stepped onto the west bank. After a few minutes, he was captivated by the wooden and stone city wall in the distance.

"They're this fast?" Roland turned to Reno, exclaiming in surprise.

"Uh, Your Majesty, wooden and stone city walls are inherently convenient to build. With so many people, they can chop down trees quickly to erect them," Reno explained. After all, the walls here weren't technically advanced. In a world of Magic, city walls could be built by mages, unlike the rammed earth construction on Roland's Earth. Tall trees from Mirkwood could be felled, sharpened, and driven into the ground, then all the wooden stakes could be tied together with ropes. Finally, mud could be plastered on the outside and dried, forming the outer wall. Adding some wooden frames and planks would create the simplest wall.

"Oh! I see!" Roland immediately felt balanced when he thought of the sturdy walls of his Flowing City, built with Magic Rune Stone Bricks. The defensive strength was undeniable; it was worth being slow.

"Boom!" The guards standing at the city gate immediately pounded their chests and saluted upon seeing the royal banner fluttering in the wind behind Roland.

"Welcome, King Roland! Forgive me, Your Majesty, but I cannot personally greet you as I am occupied." A butler-like figure immediately stepped forward.

"I have kept you waiting," Roland bowed slightly.

"I am honored to serve you!" the welcoming butler bowed.

"Take me to see the White Wing King. I want to know what happened!" A hint of solemnity flashed in Roland's eyes. He had clearly smelled the scent of blood in the air just now... human blood! Such a strong smell could only come from a large number of casualties.

"Hello, King Roland. Forgive me, but I cannot entertain you at the moment!" White Wing said, his eyes catching sight of Roland approaching, but his hands did not stop moving.

"Dragon God above! What happened!" Reno's eyes widened. Under the wooden shed before them lay over a hundred wounded individuals of various kinds. White Wing, along with others, was changing their dressings and bandaging them, then carrying the treated wounded into tents or wooden houses.

"What happened?" Roland narrowed his eyes, a sense of unease surrounding him.

"Our cavalry scouting south was attacked! Thousands of Orcs ambushed them on a large scale! We lost over a hundred men!" White Wing gritted his teeth. His cavalry was already small, and now a significant portion of them were gone.

"Impossible! The Orcs of Dol Guldur are no longer capable of launching large-scale attacks!" Roland asserted. After all, during the Great Battle of the Lonely Mountain, the Orcs of Dol Guldur were the only army completely annihilated, with nearly twenty thousand killed on the battlefield. Roland didn't believe the Orcs could recover and attack so quickly, healing their wounds in just a few days?

"Your Majesty! You should see this!" Reno casually pulled over a piece of torn cloth covered in the Orcs' scribbled totems.

"This was brought back by my soldiers!" White Wing said casually after glancing at it.

"Is there a problem?" In Roland's eyes, all Orc banners looked the same.

"There's a big problem! No! It should be a big trouble!" Reno swallowed.

"These are not the totems of the Orcs from Dol Guldur! I haven't seen these markings before! They are from Orcs further south..."

"Mordor!" Reno and Roland looked up simultaneously, both shivering involuntarily.

"Is it too late to move now?" Roland asked weakly.

"Damn it! Why would Mordor care about this place! We are in the north!" Reno exclaimed in frustration.

"Damn it..." Roland cursed inwardly, feeling unlucky. The Orcs of Dol Guldur were Sauron's lackeys. They had disrupted Sauron's plans, so how could Sauron not react? These thousands of Orcs were likely reinforcements from Mordor, and there were probably more Orcs following behind.

"Have the southern Orcs extended their claws?" White Wing asked with a frosty expression.

"Yes, darkness is about to engulf the north, and we are the last defenders..." Roland took a deep breath.

"I will wait for them here! Right here! This is Luoshengnier City of the Kaden Tribe! This is our home! We will fight to the last moment!" White Wing roared angrily. If he left, his people would have nowhere to go. Migrating over the Misty Mountains in winter was either suicidal or idiotic. Carrying their supplies and the elderly and young, they wouldn't be able to travel far before being separated, surrounded, and devoured by Orcs.

"Then be careful! If I encounter any trouble, I will light the signal fires! My soldiers will come to support you. I need to go to the Lonely Mountain to find the Dwarves; I must inform them of this news!" Roland instructed White Wing before leaving Luoshengnier City. He now needed to quickly deliver the news to Bard, Thorin, Dáin, and Thranduil!

The entire north was in imminent danger!

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