Return of the King
Royal Capital!
After a night of fierce fighting, the defenders did not see the light they longed for. Dark clouds stretched for dozens of kilometers, covering the Pelennor Fields completely.
The war drums thundered, the bugle calls sounded, and the Orcs army split into four square formations, slowly marching forward.
With overwhelming numbers, the Orcs army, under the command of the Witch-king of Angmar, attacked the city in formation after formation, giving the defenders no time to rest.
The seemingly foolish piecemeal tactic is extremely effective on the current battlefield, not only depleting the number of the capital's garrison but also continuously supplying fear and despair.
If you can block it once, or even twice, how can you block it a third or fourth time?
"Waaaaahh..."
The earth trembled and shook as dozens of enormous creatures stepped onto the battlefield at the edge of the Pelennor Fields.
The Haradrim's Elephant Corps!
These prehistoric behemoths put immense pressure on the capital's garrison. Even though the Elephant Corps was unsuitable for siege warfare and wouldn't participate in the siege, their appearance still struck the capital's garrison like a heavy hammer.
Gondor received no reinforcements, while Mordor's forces continued to pour in, leaving even the most optimistic defenders with only deep despair.
Gandalf, panting heavily, leaned against the city wall, his beloved white robes stained grey by gunpowder, his hair and beard a disheveled mess. He had been glowing all night to dispel the fear spread by the Winged Dragon, and was almost completely drained.
The dragon was deliberately released by the Witch-king of Angmar to avoid direct confrontation with Gandalf, instead howling and roaring incessantly over the capital, forcing Gandalf to expend a great deal of energy.
The tactics were a success; Gandalf was dejected, his gaunt face looking emaciated.
However, considering that he is a mature Maiar, capable of handling both dramatic and action scenes with ease, it's hard to say whether his withered appearance is genuine or not. Perhaps he will blossom again in the next second and enjoy a second spring.
Seeing the wavering resolve of the defenders below, Gandalf picked up his water bag and drank it all in one gulp, then mounted his white horse and continued to shine, radiate warmth, and offer comfort.
Sure enough, this old geezer squeezed him dry, and even after two or three rounds, there was no problem at all.
In the Orcs army, dozens of catapults hurled fireballs at the capital, not aiming to shatter the city walls, but simply to unleash a barrage of ammunition.
The Witch-king of Angmar was one of the most outstanding kings among mankind. Knowing that it was unrealistic to take Minas Tirith in a short time, he chose a psychological strategy to gradually wear down the will of the defenders.
The Ogres pushed the siege towers toward the city wall. The towers were roughly the same height as the city wall, simply assembled from wood and covered with a layer of Ironhide, which could effectively defend against arrows and were a nightmare for the defenders.
Boom!
A huge rock crashed down, and the siege tower collapsed. Dozens of Orcs screamed as they fell to the ground, then continued to scream.
On the stepped walls of the capital, catapults used for defense constantly retaliated. When the powerful spherical stones were exhausted, they dismantled buildings and walls, using a sturdy corner of the city as ammunition.
The capital Minas Tirith was a thousand-year-old fortress and a strategic location, so it should have had plenty of stone projectiles. However, Denethor II was unwilling to fight, which led to the fact that when the great war began, all that could be done was destroy the city.
Command of the capital's garrison was in the hands of the brothers Boromir and Faramir, while Gandalf had a more demanding job, running back and forth on the city walls with his staff held high.
Wherever the Illumination Spell passed, the fear of the soldiers and civilians defending the city vanished instantly, and an inexhaustible force surged within them, causing them to hurl logs and falling rocks from the city walls downwards.
Gandalf had no way to express his bitterness. He could have jumped off the city wall and fought his way in and out of thousands of troops, but the task assigned to him by his leader was to be a spiritual mentor, guiding the rise of mankind, rather than acting as an external aid and leading mankind to crush all sides with his invincible power.
On the city walls, militiamen moved logs down, and soldiers drew their bows and unleashed a continuous rain of arrows, pinning the Orcs to the ground. The corpses piled up like mountains, momentarily halting the Orcs army that surged forward like waves.
The Witch-king of Angmar rode a dragon to survey the battlefield, his black robes overlaid with a layer of armor, his scarlet eyes looking down.
Seeing the white-robed man busy at work, he snorted and swooped down on his dragon, smashing two catapults along the way. When he got close to Gandalf, he drew his magic sword and unleashed a roaring pillar of fire.
Bite!
The Illumination Spell ignited, Gandalf waved his staff to block the pillar of fire. He glanced at the dashing Witch-king of Angmar, then immediately smoothed his disheveled long hair, making his drab white robes gleam and appear brand new.
"Old man, your end is nigh!"
"Many people say that..." Gandalf smiled slightly, and then they all died.
Across from the capital city, from the port of the Anduin River on the Pelennor Fields, 50 pirate ships slowly sailed in.
Along the harbor, the Orcs chieftain stationed there was taken aback. The pirates arrived at the battlefield on time, which was a bit unexpected. He had thought that this band of robbers would kill, burn, and plunder all the way until the war was over before they arrived.
Russell, draped in a black robe, stood atop the mast, gazing at the distant battlefield. He frowned, pulled on the rope, and slid down, saying to Aragorn, "This is a bit of a problem. It seems we've arrived too early."
"You're early! What do you mean?"
Aragorn gripped the Holy Sword as a brutal siege raged in Gondor, where warriors were falling every second. Had Russell not held him back, he would have already led the southern reinforcements across the plains.
"Don't get agitated; a small act of impatience can ruin a great plan."
Russell shook his head slightly. "The Rohan cavalry haven't arrived yet, and the Orcs legions are in perfect formation. Do you see the Haradrim's Elephant Corps? If we charge in with our small force, it's just suicide."
The 50 pirate ships were filled with reinforcements summoned by Aragorn, totaling 1,000 men, including rescued slaves, garrison troops and militia from coastal towns, plus 30 Dunedain Warrior. Their fighting strength was so-so.
However, the Orcs gathered on the Pelennor Fields stretched as far as the eye could see, and the starting bid was at least 50,000. Even after removing the Orcs legions, the number of Haradrim exceeded 10,000.
These 1,000 men were infantry; if they were to launch a charge, they would be wiped out by the Haradrim before they even encountered the Orcs.
"Are we just going to wait for the Rohan Cavalry like this?"
Aragorn gritted his teeth. If he charged now, all 1,000 men would be wiped out immediately. But waiting and watching the royal guards perish was not as good as killing them with a single blow.
"Don't worry, this play is about the emperor returning to the palace... cough cough, it's about the Return of the King. How could I let you be a coward?" Russell patted Aragorn: "Leave the rest to me, I'll show you what's going on!"
With that, Russell strode forward, flipped over and jumped from the ship's side onto the water, took out his trident and tucked it behind his back.
"Russell, what are you trying to do?" Aragorn hurriedly chased after him to the side of the ship.
"I'm going to put on a bigger show for you, so we can't let the other kings outdo us. And... don't forget about the careless elves!"