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

Chapter 288 The General's Battle Robe Was Stained with the Blood of Soldiers!
“Here… block them!” Renault’s eyes flashed with a cold light. He had promised Roland that he would protect this place, and keeping his promise was the way of a knight!
"Order the soldiers! Abandon the outer wall! The middle wall! We'll defend the inner wall!" Renault said grimly.

“Alright!” Apophis Breo frowned, but he did not intend to contradict his commander’s opinion.

The Lulong Fortress has three layers of walls, each with a drop of 50 meters! Eight Dragon Towers are set up on the inner wall, which is 150 meters high! Due to a shortage of manpower, Renault had to abandon the outer and middle walls. As long as the Dragon-Slaying Stones in the passage are placed, even a sixth-tier warrior would not be able to break through the passage and enter the fortress! After all, the Dragon-Slaying Stones in the Lulong Fortress are made of pure mithril, and the several tons of mithril are engraved with defensive and anti-magic arrays. Even a sixth-tier warrior would have to cry and go back!

"Want to take this place? You'll have to pay with lives!" Renault sat on the city wall, gazing into the distance, completely unconcerned.

……

"What happened?" Nyx, hearing the commotion, ran out, lifting her skirt.

"Your Highness, the south has been invaded by orcs! They are almost at Lulong Fortress!" Yun Feng turned to look at Nyx, bowed with his hand on his chest, and said. What he didn't mention was that this news had come half a day ago.

“This? The soldiers at Lulong Fortress are insufficient! Lavian! You must immediately lead the Knights and heavy cavalry to provide support!” Nyx’s tone left no room for argument.

"Wait! Your Highness! These soldiers are meant to protect Jiliu City! Sending them is inappropriate!" Yun Feng immediately refused upon hearing this.

“I didn’t consult you! With Roland gone, I am the mistress of the country! In the name of Grand Duke Nyx and Queen Lagrange, I command you to send troops to support us! The battlefield for knights is the open field, not the city walls!” Nyx’s face turned red with anger.

"Your Highness...it's too late! The news is from half a day ago! We can only trust General Renault now!" Yun Feng explained with a wry smile.

“Even if reinforcements arrive late, it’s better than being isolated and helpless!” Nyx remained unmoved.

"But we need cavalry to rally the scattered people! We cannot abandon the kingdom's citizens!" Yun Feng said through gritted teeth. No matter what, the kingdom's only two remaining organized cavalry units could not be moved! Even if things were hopeless, he would use these two cavalry units to open a path to survival for everyone.

"Hmph! Damn it!" Nyx slammed his fist on the table, and it took him a while to catch his breath.

"Go! Inform the White Wing King in Los Sannier, Akvia! Tell them to be on guard against the enemy!"

"Also, light the beacon fires! Request aid from both Gushan and the other two kingdoms!"

"Lavian, listen to my command! Command all the cavalry in the city! Take them and bring our people back!"

"Holin! Go tell the men that the orcs are coming! If they don't want to die, they should seek refuge in Stream City! Their forest can't stop the orc army!" Nyx commanded.

Yun Feng watched the seemingly powerful Grand Duchess thoughtfully from the side. Judging from the slight trembling of her hands, Nyx was only putting on a brave front; her calm and strong demeanor was merely a means to reassure people.

Yun Feng inwardly praised, "As expected of a high-ranking noble of the empire, it's quite remarkable that she can quickly stabilize people's hearts in a crisis! At least when the king is not present, it's not easy for a woman to do this."

"Ahem! Marcus! Let's set up the city defenses. We can't rule out the possibility that those orcs will bypass Lulong Fortress and attack us." Yun Feng coughed lightly, filling in the most important part that Nyx had missed.

"Don't worry, Your Highness! I will give the King a complete city! Everyone will be safe and sound!" Marcus saw the fear and panic in Nyx's eyes and bowed to his chest to assure him.

"Even if the city really falls... I will still take you to a safe place! This is the mission he left me," Yun Feng said silently in his heart, clenching his fist.

……

"Ha~ Can anyone tell me! Where did these orcs come from? Are the orcs of Dolgoth like rats? They can't be killed off?" Renault gave a dry laugh as he looked at the orc army that numbered over ten thousand.

"What a damn mess!" Renault tossed aside the foxtail grass he was chewing and turned away indifferently.

"Order all arrow towers to prepare for attack! We'll fight them to the death here!" A voice as if from the depths of hell rang out from Renault's throat.

"For our homeland! For our kingdom! For our glory!" Apophis Breo roared, raising his longsword, instantly stirring the emotions of everyone present.

"Swish!" "Swish!"

Sparse yet precise arrows rained down from the fortress, instantly erasing the dense orc army as if being wiped clean by an invisible eraser. Large numbers of orcs fell to the ground, making the dense square formation appear somewhat chaotic.

"Raise your shields!" the orc leader roared, and countless wooden shields were raised in a flurry.

“The lethality isn’t very good!” Apophis Breo frowned.

"Maintain firing rate! Be careful to clear siege equipment!" Renault coldly ordered.

“Okay!” Apophis Breo nodded. After all, his combat experience was not as rich as Renault's, and he still needed to learn from Renault.

……

"Crackling~" The burning charcoal in the brazier emitted a warm glow, dispelling the last trace of coolness in the summer night.

"Well? I'm asking about casualties!" Renault sat silently in a corner away from the brazier.

“They’re all fine. The wounded soldiers have been treated by the priests and are all alright now! They can fight again tomorrow!” Apophis Breo said.

“Hmm…” Renault looked up at the open fields of Qihe River and fell silent.

"General, why are you wearing a blue cloak?" Apophis Breo could only try to break the awkward atmosphere between the two by trying to find something to talk about.

"Hmm?" Renault turned his head to look at Apophis Breo's shoulder. The red cloak accentuated his heroic and extraordinary appearance, and the aura of a noble officer was written all over his face.

"Hmph~" Renault chuckled.

"A general's robe is stained with the blood of soldiers! I wear blue, for the sake of cleanliness!" After saying this, Renault turned his head and looked at the night without saying another word.

“Alas… One general’s success is built on the bones of ten thousand. I know the story of the war to restore the nation. I don’t blame you for not saving them!” Apophis Breo sighed and comforted him.

“They joined the battle at my call, and to be honest… I overstepped my bounds! Those Swift Infantry shouldn’t have died!” Renault looked up at the starry sky and sighed.

“Back then, we were very poor…homeless, wandering the world! Your Highness wants to take us back to our homeland…” Renault’s voice was deep and resonant, as if from time immemorial.

"We've made a pact with the dwarves, and we need that money!"

"Then... war broke out! An epic battle! Tens of thousands clashed together, and at that moment... His Highness hesitated. He didn't want us to become sacrifices, but I knew we couldn't leave. The loss of our allies, the lost glory, our knightly faith, and the commission that would have been enough to restore our kingdom! These constantly reminded me—it was time to join the war! I raised my arms and shouted, urging His Highness on..."

"We joined the war! And we won! But the infantry never saw the moment when Swiftstream City stood tall..."

"Do you regret it?" Apophis Breo suddenly asked.

"Regret? Why? The moment we took up arms, the final outcome was already decided! For this country, nothing is not worth sacrificing! Including you, me, and everyone here!" Renault's voice was terrifyingly cold. No one knew what this young knight had gone through to become so heartless.

"Get some rest! The orcs won't give us much time!" Renault said before turning and leaving.

A blue cloak fluttered in the night wind, like a sun that stung one's eyes and brows.

Let's fill in the gap about Renault disobeying Roland's orders during the Battle of the Five Armies, otherwise there will always be trolls saying things like he disobeyed orders, but he had his reasons.

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(End of this chapter)