The Lord of the Rings: Lords of Middle-earth.

Chapter 176 Withdrawal
“…This is…” Peter Groh, who was riding on the dragon’s back, suddenly froze. In his sight, a surging black tide was rushing wildly northward from the southern woodlands.

"Damn it... the orc reinforcements are here!" Skye's dragon eyes narrowed slightly, the movements of the orc army clearly visible in the depths of his eyes.

"Thranduil! Orc reinforcements have arrived!" Peter Grow roared in Elvish towards Thranduil, who was fighting a bloody battle in front of the former Hall of the Elven Kings.

"Retreat! Thranduil! Get them out of here!" Peter Groh roared madly. He knew very well that the allied forces, which had only occupied half of the city, could not withstand the attack from both sides. Moreover, if he did not expect it, the allied forces' advantage of sixth-tier combat power would soon disappear. Peter Groh did not believe that there were no sixth-tier combat power members in this orc reinforcement from the south.

"Roar!" A torrent of dragon breath crashed down, blocking the path of the orcs as they tried to charge.

“…Bastards! These scum!” Thranduil glanced at the royal court hall so close by, his eyes filled with despair.

"The rear guard becomes the front guard! Withdraw from Dolgodo!" Thranduil roared hoarsely, but no one could hear the grief and helplessness hidden in his roar.

"Get out of here! Thranduil! I'm going to meet the others!" Peter Gross anxiously piloted the Star Dragon away from their skies.

……

"Peter! Dragon's Breath support!" Iovia exclaimed excitedly as she watched Peter Groe appear on the horizon riding a dragon.

"Your Highness! The orc reinforcements have arrived, we need to retreat!" Peter Gro said to Iovia after manipulating Sky to unleash dragon breath and block the orcs' advance.

"So fast..." Iovia sighed helplessly, his face immediately darkening.

“Tell Thranduil and the others to retreat…” Iovia sighed.

“In fact, I am doing just that… I have just informed His Highness Thranduil, and now I must inform King Roland and Verway.” Peter Gros nodded.

"Be careful!" Iovia glanced at the royal hall not far away and couldn't help but sigh.

“Yes, Your Highness, please withdraw as soon as possible and join Prince Thranduil in guarding the bridgehead. Don’t get trapped in the city!” Peter Gro said solemnly.

"Okay!" Iovia couldn't help but shudder. He didn't want to experience being stuck on the bridge again, unable to move forward or backward.

……

"Peter Gross is here?" Roland asked Omsk, looking at the giant dragon flying in from the sky.

"It seems the pressure isn't as great elsewhere as it is here?" Omske joked.

"Haha, it would be great if we could reclaim this city. At least we could firmly control the surrounding hundreds of miles." Roland smiled.

“King Roland! It’s a pleasure to meet you again, but now is not the time for words. Quickly organize the soldiers to retreat. His Highness Thranduil and my king are waiting for you at the bridge,” Peter Grove said quickly. “The orc reinforcements are coming from the south. We are outnumbered, and the current allied forces are no match for the orcs’ two-pronged attack. Therefore, retreat is the best option.” Fearing that Roland and the others might not understand, Peter Grove explained again.

“…I #*——” Roland uttered a string of profanities, producing a beautifully pixelated scene.

"Omske! Assemble the soldiers! We're retreating!" Roland shouted. Since it wasn't a city of Lagrange, Roland didn't need to risk his life for the elves. Now that they had decided to retreat, Roland had no reason to stay here and fight the orcs to the death.

"Front line, rear line! Knights, prepare to charge!" Roland said after glancing at the orc soldiers who were being held back outside the shield wall by the Royal Guard and Elnino Rangers.

"Place your lances flat!"

"Prepare to charge!"

The shouts of the Lagrange Knights rose and fell. After freeing themselves from the orcs' entanglement, they quickly began to line up and regroup. The outermost two Lagrange Knights raised their thick lances and pointed them forward, while the knights behind them put away their lances and drew their knightly swords, ready to kill any who slipped through the net of the lance knights.

"Forward!" Roland mounted his warhorse and joined the knights, drawing his Dragon Slayer Sword and pointing it toward the exit of Dolgodo.

"Clatter, clatter, clatter~" The crisp sound of horses' hooves echoed through the cobblestone streets of Dolgodo. At first, the sound was slow and clear, but as the warhorses accelerated, the crisp hoofbeats gradually turned into a powerful roar...

"Boom! Boom!" A steel torrent composed of knights, under Roland's command, poured down madly onto the orc army below.

"Soldiers! Move to the sides! Avoid the knights' charge!" Omske, bringing up the rear, shouted, clearly conveying his voice to the royal guards who were blocking the orcs.

Upon hearing this, the Royal Guard immediately opened a gap, clearing the path in the middle, while also allowing the Orcs to pour into their defensive line. As the Royal Guard's formation recoiled, they formed two semi-circular defensive formations using the buildings as cover.

"Knights!" The lead orc suddenly spotted the knightly order at the end of the street in horror... What could be more tragic than being stuck in a narrow city, blocking the path of a knightly order? That is, this knightly order is charging...

The moment the two armies clashed, the Lagrange Knights plunged straight into the orc army like a hot knife through butter. The poor orcs were utterly unable to hinder them. Even their much-vaunted numerical advantage was completely neutralized in such a narrow area. The knights swept through and destroyed all obstacles in their path like a torrent. Nothing, no matter what, could stop this knights charging in their prime, except death!
"Infantrymen, keep up! We can't stop and wait for you!" Omsk, who was trailing behind, arrived at the side of the Royal Guards and Elnino Rangers and found them hacking down the stragglers left behind after the Knights' charge. He hurriedly urged them to retreat.

Omske turned to look at the still peaceful street behind him and followed the infantry. Fortunately, the orcs were not well-coordinated. If an orc army had come out to hold off the infantry, they would have been in big trouble. However, the orcs, who were not very intelligent, did not try to stop them. The only group of orcs that tried to stop them had been thoroughly scattered by the knights.

"Don't linger! Don't get caught up in the fighting, and don't bother with those stragglers around us! There will be plenty of orcs for you to kill later, so forget about them, we need to get home!" Omske shouted, ordering the infantry to speed up and not be distracted by the scattered orcs around them. After all, their most important thing now was to get home safely!

……

"Cease the charge!" Roland pulled on the reins and began to slow the horse down. There were no more orcs ahead, and the elven banners fluttered gently in the wind at the stone bridge not far away...

(End of this chapter)