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

Chapter 418 The King's Will

"..." Roland stared at Apophis Breo in silence for a moment.

"Who do you think you're fighting? It's the greatest calamity in Middle-earth! It's an army of orcs swarming across the mountains and plains! Do you really think your soldiers can stop the orcs like a flood?" Roland questioned. He had witnessed some of the most devastating battles in the North and knew that the orcs were not as weak as they seemed. If the orcs were truly hopeless, Roland would have already marched south to breach Dolgoth or north to shatter the fortress of Gombada!

"..." Apophis Breo didn't speak, but just stared stubbornly at Roland, his resolute eyes full of determination and pride. Roland could even see the madness hidden in his eyes.

"Alas... the kingdom can't ultimately protect all wanderers. If you've truly decided on your future path, then leave your fate to the Dragon God to decide!" Roland shook his head. He understood that Apophis Breo was as determined as a mule. Men of King's Landing have always been like this: resolute, courageous, proud, and willing to sacrifice!
"Thank you for your kindness! I believe the Dragon God will not abandon his followers!" Apophis Breo gratefully pounded his chest in a gesture of respect.

“I don’t know if the Dragon God will give up, but I know the Dragon Knights of the Kingdom will not! Apophis, I want you to remember that you are a man of the King’s Landing family, and the first noble to venture out since the Kingdom’s restoration! Don’t disappoint me, and don’t tarnish the emblem of the King’s Landing Lion!” Roland instructed.

“Of course! There are no cowards in the House of King’s Landing! Either I will return in glory, or I will bring back my broken sword!” Apophis Breo’s eyes flashed with a sharp light. He respectfully pounded his chest and gave Roland a knight’s salute before turning to leave.

"Are you crazy?" Roland understood the implication in his words. This bastard wouldn't be going out to explore in the dead of winter, would he? That orc would be laughing all the way to the edge of the wasteland.

"Hmm?" Apophis Breo stopped in his tracks.

"Where are you going in the dead of winter? Are you going to let your men starve?" Roland couldn't help but rub his temples.

"And where do you plan to go?"

"Are your supplies ready?"

"Have you gathered any people who are willing to go out and explore with you?"

Do you have an advance camp?

Roland looked at Apophis Breo's bewildered face and couldn't help but laugh at himself. So this was another hot-blooded idiot, huh? Aside from theoretical knowledge, he had absolutely no practical experience…

"Let's talk about it next spring! This winter I need to prepare for my wedding with Nyx, and you also need to gather some people to come with you. You can't expect your soldiers to handle the construction of the camp and the transportation of supplies, can you?" Roland rubbed his temples, feeling them throbbing. Was this guy planning to use the army as a transport team?
"Oh! Okay!" Apophis Breo nodded repeatedly. After all, he couldn't possibly disrespect King Roland. In this situation, nobles who showed disrespect to the king usually didn't live more than two chapters. Fortunately, Roland, this newly established kingdom, didn't have anyone with such a brainless mind.

"I also have a complete imperial outpost here. You should understand what it means! Do a good job! If your territory develops to my approval, I will grant it to you!" Roland had begun to understand the trick of giving a big stick and then a sweet treat. Although it was clumsy, it never failed him!

No pioneering noble would refuse a fully-fledged imperial outpost! That would mean that, unless the lord is completely incompetent, he could at least secure a powerful position or a border baronship!
"Then how many people can I take with me, Your Highness?" Apophis Breo asked humbly.

“Well, I allow you to recruit a thousand men to your frontier, but I have two conditions!” Roland tapped his finger on the table, making a clicking sound. “Please speak!” Apophis Breo said urgently.

"Don't worry, I won't deliberately make things difficult for you! First, all recruitment of civilians must be done on a family basis! Second, I will personally designate your settlement!" Roland said slowly.

Upon hearing the first request, Apophis Breo subconsciously nodded. After all, this was to prevent him from only recruiting able-bodied young men; any lord would do the same, it was a standard request among lords. However, the second request caused Apophis Breo's expression to change slightly. After all, it wasn't a good thing for the king to personally interfere in the expansion of territory. What if Roland gave him a tough challenge and made him back down? That would be troublesome…

"Can I know the exact location?" Apophis Breo asked somewhat nervously.

"Of course!" Roland spread out the map, searched carefully for a few moments, and found his destination—Old Pass!
“This is it! Old Pass! I need you to take control of this place for me! This is the shortest route from the Western World to the North! It used to be occupied by orcs and goblins, but now... I want to plant the dragon banner on that mountain peak!” Roland stared at Apophis Breo.

"Phew... Of course! Your Highness! You will get what you want!" Apophis Breo secretly clenched his fist, thank goodness! Roland not only didn't make things difficult for him, but even chose a good territory for him as his fief, and the pass, if managed well, is a golden goose!

“I hope so!” Roland nodded in satisfaction.

……

"How was it?" Nyx asked, looking at Roland, who seemed to be in good spirits. She had seen Apophis Breo and Roland go off to conduct a power transaction between nobles, but it looked like Roland hadn't suffered any losses.

"We had a very pleasant conversation!" Roland gave a no-questions-asked gesture.

"really?"

“Of course! He got the fief he wanted, and I got a loyal frontier vassal! Isn’t that a win-win situation? It’s just a pity that we may never see the King’s Landing lion’s banner on the Wall again!” Roland said with some emotion. He had sent the King’s Landing family to guard the Misty Mountains in the west, so the future King’s Landing would certainly not be guarded by the Grand Duke of King’s Landing.

"That's good!" Nyx patted her chest, causing a surge of emotion. She was afraid that Roland, young and impetuous, wouldn't back down an inch, and that the heir to House King's Landing was also a hot-blooded young man. If they started fighting in the castle, the Lagrange nobles would lose face in Mordor... But Nyx was still relieved by the outcome. She was really afraid that Roland would continue to exploit the nobles, like those ambitious emperors of the Empire before him, strengthening central authority and suppressing the rights of the nobles. It's not that those methods were wrong, but clearly, in the current environment, infighting was not beneficial at all. Making appropriate concessions would help the nobles unite more closely around the king.

"Don't say anymore, it still hurts! More than a thousand people were gone with a wave of my hand..." Roland said with a frown and heartache.

"Pfft!" Nyx was amused by Roland's stingy appearance.

(End of this chapter)