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

Chapter 215 Preparing for War
"Your Majesty King Roland, I come with the sincerity of the dwarves, hoping you still remember our original agreement," Balin said to Roland, his snow-white beard trembling.

“Welcome, my friend Balin! The Lagranges never forget their promises to their friends, including myself.” Roland nodded affirmatively.

"Oh! By Turin! Thank God we finally have some confidence. If it weren't for your help, I really can't imagine whether we could have taken Moria. The orcs there are as numerous as rats in a cellar!" Balin exclaimed.

“It’s not that bad! Trust me, Balin! Even without our help, the brave and fearless dwarven warriors can still take back your old capital!” Roland said solemnly.

“However, although you can take it, you cannot hold onto it…” Roland thought to himself. Knowing the plot well, he knew that the Balin in front of him would become the future King of Moria, one of the few dwarves who could be kings. However, due to Ironfoot Dayin’s caution, Moria, with few soldiers and generals and isolated and helpless, was eventually destroyed after Balin was assassinated.

“Thank you for your praise, but I am aware of our strength… To be honest, I only have 500 dwarven warriors for this expedition to Moria… and I was only able to recruit these soldiers with Thorin’s help.” Balin sighed, his voice filled with helplessness and pessimism.

God, what are you saying? By the Dragon God! If you could only lead a few dozen armed dwarves on an expedition in the original story, that would be truly tragic. Compared to the staid King Dain, Thorin giving him 500 dwarf warriors is already considered a generous treatment.

“500? Not bad, much higher than I expected.” Roland nodded in satisfaction. Thorin truly proved to be a reliable friend. With the war situation shrouded in mystery and the power dynamics of Middle-earth still unclear, Thorin had actually given Balin 500 dwarven warriors! This exceeded Roland's expectations; those were 500 battle-hardened dwarven professionals, not peasants who had just put down their pitchforks and hoes! Dwarven warriors in battle formation could even withstand a counter-charge from a dire wolf rider force several times their size!

"Huh?" Balin was dumbfounded. He was planning to organize his thoughts to explain to Roland, but he never expected Roland to react this way. He was afraid that Roland would misunderstand and think that the dwarves wanted to use them as meat shields and cannon fodder and would refuse to fight.

"It's nothing, I have some dragons here who need to vent their anger on the orcs..." Roland shrugged. Roland was already looking forward to the scene of that poor fire demon Moria being ganged up on by wind dragons and elf dragons.

“Dragon Knight? Thank you so much! You know, we dwarves really have no way to deal with that Balrog for the time being... If you can really get rid of this thorn in our side, we are willing to pay more wealth.”

"Okay, no problem. Leave the Flame Demon to us!"

“Lord Osbayar Dragon Knight… watch out! No Balrog will have a chance to run rampant in Middle-earth again!” Roland clenched his fists, the image of that majestic figure unleashing that unparalleled attack still etched in his mind.

"Do you have any arrangements for the route? After all, this time we're deploying thousands of troops. The slightest mistake could lead to annihilation!" Roland was extremely cautious; he didn't want his home to be raided before Moria even arrived.

“Of course! Our plan is to go down the Swift River to your Lulong Fortress, then turn into the Old Forest Road, go straight to the Anduin River, go downstream, and finally reach Lorien… and finally head north to Mirror Lake to attack from the east gate.” Balin unfolded an ancient parchment map, on which were clearly marked various clues, place names, and products collected by the dwarven ancestors over the centuries.

"An old object? It's a good thing!" Roland stroked the map, praising it highly. "Yes, it's a map passed down from the older generation; it belongs to my grandfather!" Balin said proudly.

"By the way, I recommend that you lead the heavy troops in this attack. The terrain in Moria is really not friendly to lightly armed units..." Balin suddenly suggested to Roland as if he remembered something.

"Of course, thank you for reminding me, friend!" Roland smiled amicably, but inwardly he was cursing. No way! No way! Would anyone really send lightly armed infantry into the Moria mines to "clear mines"? That's not "mine clearing," that's murder!

"When will we set off?" Bahrain raised his head and looked up at Roland, staring intently into Roland's eyes, hoping that Roland would give him the answer he most wanted to hear.

"About a week from now! I need to use this time to arrange defenses to fill the gap left by the transfer of this expeditionary force, and the soldiers also need to be mobilized!" Roland carefully counted on his fingers. The troops did indeed need to be mobilized. This time it wasn't about recovering lost territory or defending the country, but about fighting for money, so the soldiers still needed encouragement and mobilization.

"Huh? That dwarf left?" Not long after Balin left in high spirits, Nyx gracefully walked over, lifting her skirt, and asked softly. As she spoke, Nyx also turned her gaze to the wide map on the wall.

"Yes, Balin is gone. Don't underestimate him; he was destined to be the King of Moria." Roland made a "prophecy" like a charlatan. As it turned out, Balin did indeed become the Lord of Moria as he wished, but he didn't even live past the third episode.

“Really? He can really inherit the throne of Moria?” Nyx asked incredulously.

"Of course, he was a dwarf with the aura of a king. He was destined for greatness!" Roland affirmed. This man was also a legend. Otherwise, if he hadn't been killed by the orcs, the dwarves might have actually been able to reclaim the Moria mines. However, this time, Balin was completely different from its past self. The confidence brought by 500 dwarf soldiers was not to be underestimated. As long as this force was pinned down on the Qazadoom Bridge, the orcs probably wouldn't have many chances to come over in their lifetime.

"So what are you taking this time?" Nyx asked in return, as she began to massage Roland's shoulders with her soft little hands.

“At least most of the Lagrange City guards will have to be taken away, and the Dovenian heavy swordsmen will have to come with me! Just imagine those muscular men wielding their heavy swords, I’m sure they’ll give the orcs an eternal nightmare in Moria!” Roland sneered.

As one of Roland's earliest unit types, this heavy infantry force has remained stagnant in number, a model of quiet obscurity within Stream City. Their constant presence alongside the city walls and gates is the first impression they evoke. Only a few know the true terror of these monstrous melee machines, and now, for the first time, they are about to unleash their own brilliance in this plane of existence! And that brilliance will surely illuminate the world!

“Well, I’ve already prayed for those orcs…” Nyx’s lips twitched. The two Dovenian heavy swordsmen in a row were enough to slaughter all the orcs they encountered in the small Moria mine. Unless the Ringwraiths appeared or the Balrog made a move, no orc of the same level could stop them.

(End of this chapter)