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

Chapter 197 "The People" Approach the City
Finally, two days after Roland triggered the incident, the soldiers on the outermost perimeter finally discovered the surging army of refugees.

"Your Highness, a signal flare has been raised from the northeast!" a soldier reported as he entered.

"Northeast? What a coincidence, perfectly bypassing the centaur territory..." Roland chuckled, turning the hilt of his sword. The system is truly "understanding"! This wave of refugees coming right at us, is it even possible?

"Let's notify our men! Otherwise, we'll be in trouble if we get caught in the crossfire! After all, the Tuput Forest is less than 20 miles away from us," said Grandpa Radil from the side.

"Yes, go and inform them. In case a fight breaks out, they'll both suffer heavy losses. Let's try to avoid these unnecessary setbacks." Roland nodded. He didn't want his men and refugees clashing head-on; that scene... was just too much to bear!

"Prepare for war! Prepare for war!" Marcus shouted from the city wall not far away, directing his soldiers to move various defensive supplies. Although no one wanted to use them, they absolutely could not do without them.

“Really…does it have to be this way? They are our people too…” Nyx looked at the busy guards on the city wall with guilt, as if it were all her fault.

“This is not your fault, my dear… We have no choice. I am responsible for the people in the city. We have no right to sacrifice these already happy people in order to save these suffering people. They have done nothing wrong! But… I am the king! I need to prepare for the worst… I'm sorry… my Grand Duke.” Roland gently kissed Nyx, then tightened his cloak and walked towards the city wall.

Nix stood quietly below the city walls, gazing at the man standing atop them, looking into the distance. She could feel the pressure he carried; he bore the hopes of a nation, and he had to shoulder the weight of this land with his not-so-broad spine.

"I must shoulder this half of the country, I must protect this city wall..." Roland sighed, gently stroking the wall bricks covered with magic patterns, and looked towards the northeast.

"God! Retreat! Get out of here!" The retreating soldiers called out to everyone they encountered behind them. When they saw an old man carrying a basket to pick mushrooms, one of the knights accompanying them looked shocked.

"Old man, the refugees are coming! It's too dangerous to stay here! I'll take you away!" The knight galloped over, grabbed the old man, and put him on the horse's back without waiting for the old man to react.

……

"Have all the people outside the city been evacuated?" Renault paced anxiously on the city wall, his hand on his sword.

"Sir, we are gathering the crowd! They should be here soon!" a soldier came out.

"Almost there? It would be a miracle if the refugees destroyed it! Throw out everyone in the city who can ride a horse! Make sure to bring back every single person working or patrolling outside!" Renault roared, slamming his fist on the city wall.

"Yes..." The soldiers nodded obsequiously and quickly left.

“Your Highness!” Renault noticed Roland behind him and quickly bowed.

“Don’t worry about it. How is the situation? Are the residents safe?” Roland asked immediately.

“Some residents are still working outside, and I have dispatched all available mobile forces to pick them up,” Renault said, forcing himself to speak.

"And another thing! What are they all doing running so far away?" Roland's mentality instantly exploded. Did they have nothing better to do than measure the distance?
"By the way, the reconnaissance team discovered at least five thousand refugees! They are poorly clothed and fed, and emaciated, but there are some Imperial soldiers mixed in among them. It is reported that their armor is tattered and their weapons are broken... they must have been used for many years." Renault continued to share the intelligence.

"There really are soldiers?" Roland was instantly dumbfounded. He could actually encounter such a huge "Easter egg"... He should go ask if there are any lotteries in Middle-earth and quickly place two bets.

“Yes! Quite a few Swift Infantry! There should be other types of troops as well, but our men can only distinguish the Swift Infantry soldiers because their distinctive chainmail is too easy to spot.” Renault sighed and told Roland the truth.

"Damn it..." Roland immediately swore, implying that there might be an even bigger surprise waiting for him later?
"Are there any knights...?" Roland suddenly blurted out.

"..." Renault and Roland stared at each other for a long time without saying a word.

Finally, Renault couldn't hold back any longer. He awkwardly said to Roland, "Your Highness, I think as a knight you should have some confidence in your profession... What kind of knight would stoop to begging and wandering with refugees..." Seeing Renault's increasingly strange expression, Roland quickly explained, "I was just saying, in case... in case their family falls on hard times..."

Roland actually hoped some knights would mingle among them, which would mean he could get some more knights for free. Since Swiftstream City lacked a proper knight training camp, it couldn't replenish Roland's knightly ranks. Apart from Rohan and Gondor, which had knight training camps to replenish their own knightly orders, there were currently no well-organized knightly orders in Middle-earth. Roland's current knightly system was distorted and unreasonable, completely lacking any capacity for replenishment. He could only wait for God to have a change of heart and awaken knights from ordinary people, or for the system to open its eyes and grant him some through daily check-ins. As for the system shop… looking at those round, plump wealth points, Roland decisively closed the page and left.

"Open the city gate! Open the city gate now! Let us in!" Dust billowed as a hurried procession rushed toward the city gate, crashing through the road.

"Open the city gates! It's our knights!" Renault shouted down as he saw the knights arrive before they did.

"It's like they're being chased by earth dragons," Roland said with a pout, looking helplessly at the clearly frightened group.

……

"Boom!" The city gate slammed shut, the thick, heavy bolts firmly wedged against it.

“There’s no one left! We’re the last… wave! The refugees are just behind us! God! They’re insane!” The knight, panting, came up and bowed to the group to report.

"Alright, go and rest!" Roland waved to the panting, sweating knight, indicating that he could rest.

……

“Stay alert, they’re up to no good! Although they are our people, we cannot let our guard down! If they breach the city… we will all be sinners against Lagrang!” Roland said solemnly, his serious gaze sweeping over everyone present.

"Don't worry, everything will be alright. After all, they are our people, and we can't be too aggressive," Renault comforted him.

"I hope so..." Roland said sadly.

……

"They're here..." someone suddenly shouted.

A black "tide" surged rapidly across the horizon, a truly magnificent sight with a deafening roar! The "crowd" that instantly blanketed the land startled everyone.

"My God!" Roland exclaimed.

"Dragon God!" Radil involuntarily gripped his staff tightly.

"My God..." Caslo, who opened his dragon eyes in an instant, saw more clearly than anyone else. In front of him was actually a row of... Swift Infantry?
"Crouch down! Defend! They're armed!" Caslo waved his hand and suddenly hid behind the breastwork.

Although the tattered linen robes no longer revealed their original green color, the tattered chainmail and equally worn leather armor still identified them as former Swift Infantry!

"Why didn't they raise our flag..." a soldier murmured.

“They may no longer be the people we know…” Renault paused for a moment, then said slowly.

Another day of anticipation for the seventh day after Abe's death.

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(End of this chapter)