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

Chapter 346 The Knights of Gondor
Autumn of the Third Era, 2942...

Historically, the year 2941 of the Third Age should have been as follows: Thorin II, Phili, and Kili died in battle; Dain II, leader of the Iron Hills dwarves, became king of the hills; Sauron was banished from Dolgodor…

Now… well! History has been altered beyond recognition. Thorin, Chiri, and Fili are all still alive, Dain failed to become King of the Mountain, Sauron's power still entrenched in Dolgodor, and Moria, which was originally not to be reclaimed by Balin until the Third Age 2989, was reclaimed in 2942…

In this year, the two most powerful human kingdoms in Middle-earth were ruled by King Vanjar of Rohan and Regent Tergán of Gondor. Although neither of them achieved anything particularly remarkable during their reigns, neither did they make any major mistakes. (Wait... Rohan's territory was constantly being infiltrated by orcs.)
Overall, the people of Middle-earth are thriving... thriving my foot! The people of the North have long been decimated, darkness is seeping into the Shire, the small kingdoms of the Lonely Mountains are banding together for survival, Mordor's military might constantly threatens Gondor, Rohan is constantly under attack from orcs, and the pirates of the South are also restless... The most frightening thing is that Saruman, this great "biologist" of Middle-earth, is about to turn evil and betray the Alliance...

Middle-earth was in turmoil. Not only was humanity weak, but they were also embroiled in internal strife... The nobles were having a great time fighting for power, completely oblivious to whether Mordor's army would appear at the gates of the White King's city...

"Tsk! I wonder what the situation is like in the South now... It's already 2942..." Roland murmured after seeing the dwarf off.

"Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. I suggest you worry about yourself." Yun Feng rolled her eyes. Roland, a mere country king, was worrying about the whole of the Central Plains all day long.

"There's nothing we can do right now!" Roland spread his hands listlessly. Roland was living a very comfortable life. During the day, he was a loafer in Swiftstream City, and at night he would have heart-to-heart talks with Nyx. He was enjoying his life to the fullest and seemed to have forgotten all about home.

"I suggest you get some proper training and hone your skills. You don't want to be unable to hold a lance steady when you're on horseback in the future, do you?" Yun Feng glanced at Roland and said calmly.

……

"Giddy up!" A troop of imposing knights galloped through the dense forest, their elegant silver full armor gleaming in the dappled sunlight filtering through the trees, their blue cloaks billowing in the wind...

"Your Highness, is this the right road?" the leading knight asked.

“This is the road… Maybe we should avoid this route; the Dark Forest is too dangerous! Perhaps we should take a detour!” a short figure murmured.

“That would be a very long detour…” came the knight’s voice.

"Then let's take a detour! I'm scared here..." the short figure said fearfully.

"Ah...as you wish!" The lead knight pulled on the reins, and the horse's head was instantly turned around. The entire group followed him, drawing an arc through the jungle and galloping towards the eastern wasteland.

"Clang!" A sound of metal clashing rang out.

"Damn it! An ambush! Charge out!" The lead knight swung his lance, instantly deflecting the incoming spear.

"die!"

"kill!"

The knights behind them were not to be outdone, and they charged forward, unleashing their skills with their spears. Instantly, various battle auras erupted in the jungle, and the dazzling spear light carved a bloody path through the air...

……

"Huff, huff, huff! Captain, we've gotten rid of them!" one of the knights said, stopping to catch his breath.

"Damn it! How come orcs are here? This is southeastern Rovanian, not within Dolgodo's territory!" A knight's eyes were filled with rage.

"Enough! It seems the Dark Forest has fallen... It has completely merged into the darkness!" The leading knight sighed, flicking his lance, his eyes filled with sorrow.

"Perhaps the small city-state you mentioned has already been destroyed..." the leading knight said reluctantly. Although he was unwilling to discourage his distinguished guest, his professional ethics compelled him to state his opinion.

"How could this be! They are very powerful! Their cavalry is invincible..." The short figure said, lowering his head. He clearly understood that the area might indeed have fallen to the orcs. After all, half a year had passed... Several major battles had broken out in the south, and it was said that a large orc army had marched north... The area had just fought a major battle with the orcs, and whether it could withstand the next orc attack was still unknown...

"Let's hope so! We can't stay here any longer, we have to leave quickly..." a knight said, leaning on his lance.

"Hmm! Fortunately, the eastern wasteland is flat... it's unlikely we'll be ambushed again!" The captain glanced at the forest behind him. "It's a pity the journey is so long..." several knights said with some regret.

"Alright! Stop complaining, once we get past this forest, it's flat as a pancake! Cheer up! Our south is Mordor!" The captain shook his head.

"Yes!" all the knights replied immediately.

"Let's go! Destination: Lonely Mountain!" The knight captain snapped on his visor and raised the square flag.

In the bleak wind, a banner bearing the image of a white sacred tree fluttered in the breeze. They... came from the most powerful kingdom on this continent—Gondor!
……

“God…” Roland shook his head, looking helpless.

"That shouldn't be the case!" Yun Feng rubbed his chin, deep in thought, his face full of confusion.

"Where did it come from?" Caslo's expression changed.

"Oh! By the Dragon God!" Curious Nyx peeked out with her cute head and glanced at it, only to be instantly startled and scream.

"Alright, the girl is alright now!" Roland quickly walked over and picked her up.

"Who delivered it?" Yunfeng looked up and around.

"Me!" Badr's imposing figure squeezed in, thankfully the castle gates were large enough...

"Where did Lord Bader and his men come from?" Yun Feng pointed to several corpses below, their bodies covered in strange totems.

“They came from the East! And they were on horseback, they looked like a reconnaissance team!” Badr recalled.

“Eastern barbarians!” Roland narrowed his eyes.

"Damn it! Where are they? I'll go kill them!" Ravian angrily drew his longsword.

"Calm down!" Caslo snapped his sword back and then scolded him in a low voice.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, I lost my composure!" Ravian quickly apologized, realizing his mistake.

“It’s alright!” Roland waved his hand. He knew that the Crusaders had almost been wiped out by the Eastern Barbarians’ chariots, and it was normal for Ravian to hate them so much, after all, most of his men had died there.

"The reconnaissance team has arrived, so how far can the main army be?" Roland scoffed.

"It seems Your Highness, we're in for a lot of work..." Yun Feng sighed helplessly.

"Whatever! Let them come! The pride of the Lagrange Knights has not been extinguished! Where is this? This is Swiftstream City! The birthplace of the Swiftstream Infantry! This was once an important town of the Empire! We will wait for them here!" Roland felt the beauty in his arms trembling and roared with a ferocious expression.

"Notify Lulong Fortress..." Yun Feng sighed and whispered to the guard.

"Prepare for battle! Assemble all our cavalry! Be ready for combat at any time!" Roland commanded.

"Yes, sir!" the group exchanged glances and quickly replied.

(End of this chapter)