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

Chapter 727 Beginner City
“It’s much easier now. I can even consider pushing the front line a bit eastward!” Roland stared intently at the map, his eyes filled with longing for land. After all, as a people whose genes for farming are ingrained in their bones, they feel restless without land. Although the kingdom now has so much land that no one is cultivating it, it doesn’t stop Roland from showing a greedy expression towards that land.

"Are you serious?" Nyx asked Roland in surprise. Even in this situation, Roland still didn't forget about the Eastern Expedition. Was he a stubborn fool?
"Do you know what will happen once we recapture Lagrange?" Roland chuckled.

“Hmm~” Nyx shook his head somewhat blankly.

As if amused by Nyx's silly expression, Roland affectionately patted her head, pulled her into his arms, and pointed to the sand table, saying...

"That means the vast Lagrange Plain will be completely under the kingdom's control! This was once the true heart of the empire!"

Roland's voice, tinged with a hint of nostalgia, made Nyx dizzy. She hadn't expected Roland to take such a big leap, attempting to control the entire Lagrange Plain with only a few towns!

Once the heart of the empire! The vast Lagrange Plains were nothing like the desolate wasteland of Middle-earth today. Here, villages dotted the landscape, towns connected one after another! Endless wheat fields fed the entire Wall in the North! Stretching from West River City in the west to Redwater Keep in the east, from the Imperial Capital in the south to Iron Hills in the north! This land had virtually no noble territories, as it was directly governed by the royal family! Until the empire's fall, the iron hooves of orcs from the north trampled this prosperous land… and shattered the last vestiges of hope held by the King's Landing families!

“The Empire…” Nyx murmured, gently reaching out from Roland’s arms and grasping at the air.

“Yes, the Empire!” Roland whispered, gently nudging Nyx’s head with his chin.

“If I am unable to ascend the throne that belongs to the Human Emperor in my lifetime… I will pave the way for my children to reach that position!” Roland said calmly, but his voice was devoid of any warmth.

“Those minions of Sauron…” Nyx said worriedly.

"Not just his henchmen, I'll wipe out Sauron too!" Roland tightened his grip on Nyx's hand. Roland's sudden renewed interest in the Eastern Expedition stemmed from a fantastic find in the system shop! A basic city, obtained by spending all his honor points! This ability to create a city out of thin air stirred Roland's previously calm heart. Their original plan was to build towns along the Swift River to push the front line forward. While slow, this was a safer approach; Roland couldn't possibly lead thousands of troops to the ruins of the Lagrange capital in the northwest winds. But now, with this basic city, Roland had a thorn in his side in the wasteland! With the city's defenses, the chariots and cavalry of the civilians were rendered useless! Come and attack, then!
Like most nomadic peoples, the Chariot People's siege technology is abysmal. This is evident from the massive Chariot army that drew away the Northern forces during the War of the Ring. Tens of thousands of troops attacked the small, sparsely populated Vale and Ilub, yet the Vale people managed to retreat successfully to Ilub… How terrible must their siege skills be! Orcs could easily breach their cities, forcing the Elves and Bard to engage in street fighting. And yet the Chariot People managed to get the Vale people to retreat to the Lonely Mountain… Azog would probably be furious if he saw this.

With a real city as a base, Roland didn't bother with the charioteers at all. Their sieges were utterly disastrous, and as for a siege? Heh! Judging by the charioteers' supply lines, they might collapse even before the Lagrang Kingdom. Ignoring the teleportation technology that Yunfeng was likely to unlock, the Lagrang Kingdom's air knights alone would be enough to overwhelm them. A siege would be pointless if they couldn't even stop it. The Lagrang Kingdom had no shortage of spatial equipment; they could even send them enough food to last for dozens of days! After all, there was no time flow in spatial equipment, and the food wouldn't spoil… Great! Now they could even save on firewood and water! In this situation, Roland could only ask, "Are you besieging your mother?" It was more like you were keeping watch for Lagrang City than besieging it.

It was for these reasons that Roland turned his attention to the East; otherwise, he would be huddled up, waiting to get through 2944.

However, the timing is not quite right yet. Roland is facing too many things, a whole host of matters are holding him back. He is currently very busy with all sorts of complicated matters, and a lot of things are waiting for him to make decisions!

Moreover, mobilizing the army takes time, and the kingdom's army is currently scattered in various places, making regrouping and distribution a major problem. What's even more chilling is that if Roland really wants to set up an enclave in Lagrange City, it will inevitably disperse a large number of troops. Although Roland's troops are considered militaristic for the current size of the kingdom, they are not many in the Central Plains. Roland, facing enemies in both the north and south, naturally dares not leave his defenses undefended, otherwise the orc army will show him what cruelty is!

……

"The kingdom's relief supplies have arrived?" Lord Ismir asked with a beaming smile, hands on his hips, as he looked at Ymir's mountain-like figure.

"Yes, the king said he was afraid you would starve to death! He sent someone to bring us some food!" Ymir relayed the message from the food delivery team.

"Tsk tsk tsk! The King still cares about us!" Ismir, without any blushing or heart palpitations, smacked his lips happily. He knew that raising ten goblin knights had given Ismir a headache. While the goblin knights' mounts, the boars, could forage for themselves, the goblin knights, who considered them companions, wouldn't let their mounts forage for themselves every day. So they would share their food with their companions. Ismir, naturally, couldn't let his only cavalry force go hungry, so he had to use some of his own grain to feed the boars…

Pigs can eat! Even if they're just mixed with grass, they can eat a lot! After a while, the grain reserves, which were originally on the safe side, started to fluctuate wildly like an electrocardiogram. This was the first time the young lord had experienced the king's anxieties. He realized that a lack of food could really drive a lord to despair!
So this grain can be considered a lifesaver for Ismir. These two carts of grain are enough for them to last for several months. Once they have saved up some money from hunting, they can go to Swiftstream City to sell the grain and exchange it for more money to buy more food!