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

Chapter 853 Irony
"Your Majesty, the Gondorian army has arrived!" Just as Roland was pondering how to face Aragorn, Adolf Heinrich approached and whispered to him.

“Gondor? What are they doing here? Trading? If they want to trade, they should go to Ruhr in Stream City! Do you think I can conjure up goods for them or something?” Roland sniffed, somewhat puzzled.

"You really have a bad memory..." Adolf Heinrich smiled awkwardly.

“Denesor…” Adolf Heinrich reminded him politely but with a touch of embarrassment.

“…Oh no, he forgot!” Even Roland, who was known for his thick skin, blushed. After all, almost a year had passed, and Roland had long forgotten the little move he had made back then.

"How many people came?" Roland quickly composed himself and asked calmly.

“3000 people!” Adolf Heinrich announced a number.

"Wow! Quite a few people! How's the quality?" Roland leaned back in his chair, looking quite relaxed. Although somewhat surprised, 3000 people wasn't excessive for Denetor II's status and family background!
"The quality is alright, at least they are all robust young men! The only group with military training is a 300-man squad!" Adolf Heinrich said.

"Wow! Does that mean Denethor II has also brought over an army of professionals?" Roland's eyes widened. This is really going all out! You have to know that the coverage rate of human professionals in Middle-earth is not high. Not everyone is a cheat king like Roland. It is indeed not easy for a human lord to assemble an army of professionals.

"It seems he intends to make these professionals into officer squad leaders?" Roland then realized that three thousand men would make exactly three hundred squads. Three hundred soldiers leading other ordinary soldiers could indeed maximize combat effectiveness. After all, whether the frontline officers are professionals or ordinary people has a significant impact!

Professional officers can generally survive until all their soldiers are killed, which plays an extremely important role in stabilizing the formation and maintaining morale. After all, you can't expect those young men who have just put down their farm tools to have high fighting morale.

“That should be the case…” Adolf Heinrich nodded. They didn’t understand Gondor, but they understood themselves. The Lagrange Empire didn’t dare to send the newly formed Swift Infantry to the border to launch a war of expansion (except for the Patriotic War). The heavy casualties of the battles were enough to break the will of every new soldier. Therefore, it was the right way for a strong team of veterans to lead the new soldiers. A resilient team of officers is the soul of a tenacious army!

"Then let Maple Forest Orchid train these teams! Guards, summon Lord Maple Forest Orchid!" Roland thought for a moment and realized he didn't have any high-level warrior professionals on his side, so he might as well let Maple Forest Orchid take the lead! Anyway, he wasn't exactly a normal dragon rider commander, so teaching ordinary soldiers was a piece of cake!
……

"What? You're really sending me to train troops? Won't that ruin that little prince of Gondor?" Maple Forest Orchid exclaimed in shock. He had thought it was a joke before, but now he's really sending a dragon knight to lead infantry? Aren't you afraid I'll lead them astray?
"What difficulties could a bunch of strong men who have just put down their hoes and a few hundred low-ranking warriors possibly have? You, a high-ranking Imperial Dragon Knight Commander, surely can't even lead three thousand soldiers?" Roland looked at Maple Forest Orchid with an expression of disbelief regarding the McDougal family's abilities. "Bang!" Maple Forest Orchid understood the meaning in Roland's eyes and immediately stood up, slamming her hand on the table.

"Who said that? You can't question my abilities, just as you can't question my character!" Maple Forest Orchid exploded instantly.

“Okay, it’s up to you!” Roland said calmly, spreading his hands.

"...Is it alright if we mess up the training?" Looking at the calm Roland, Maple Forest Orchid suddenly felt a little guilty. After all, if it were the kingdom's own soldiers, it would be fine. If they were messed up, others would just laugh at them and make them train again. The problem is that this is training soldiers for Gondor. We can't afford to lose face abroad!

"How bad can it be? An army that hasn't experienced war is useless! All you need to do is make them look good on the surface. Whether they're elite or not is up to Denethor to test in the war!" Roland said nonchalantly. Surely no one is foolish enough to think that a strong army can be assembled without the baptism of war? Being able to obey orders without question is already the highest level a new army can achieve!
"Okay! I understand!" Maple Forest Orchid did not refuse this time. Knowing the bottom line, he relaxed instead.

"By the way, is there still no news from Aragorn?" Roland turned to look at Adolf Heinrich. After all, Aragorn and Lagrange were not far apart. The upper reaches of the Anduin River were inhabited not only by the Beorn but also by the Dúnedan nomads. Aragorn was active in this area, and according to historical records, he should have reached Romanian. It was just unknown when Aragorn and Legolas got together. According to the movie, Legolas went to find Aragorn after the Battle of the Lonely Mountain under Thranduil's guidance, while in the original book, they should have met when Aragorn traveled to the Romanian region.

Although this incident doesn't significantly impact the overall situation, it doesn't stop Roland from enjoying the spectacle. After all, Denesor II has already received an epic buff; there's no reason for him to become the clown he was in the original story, right? Despair destroyed his confidence? Come on! Look behind you, my friend! You have Lagrang's overwhelming dragon riders! You have Lagrang's knightly order that can conquer mountains and rivers! What isolation, what overwhelming odds? None of that matters!
“No… Is there anything special about this person?” Adolf Heinrich shook his head, looking at Roland with a puzzled expression. He didn’t understand who this person was, or why Roland was so interested in him.
“Nothing.” Roland shook his head. He couldn’t very well tell Adolf Heinrich that this guy would be the rightful heir to the throne of Gondor, could he? He wasn’t a prophet, so why would he try to predict the future?
"But keep a close eye on him, he has a great impact on the future development of our kingdom!" Roland said. For Lagrange, Aragorn's ascension to the throne was not a good thing, so Roland, the dragon-slaying youth, had finally become the very thing he hated most. If he really did affect the development of the Kingdom of Lagrange, Roland wouldn't mind helping Sauron get rid of him first. After all, Gondor was doing quite well under the rule of Denethor II! Gondor wouldn't collapse without Aragorn, and Denethor II could completely replace Aragorn in leading Gondor to resist the advance of Mordor.

“Alright!” Seeing Roland’s serious expression, Adolf Heinrich also took the matter to heart. After all, past experiences had proven that anything Roland cared about was no small matter! Adolf Heinrich never questioned Roland’s strategic vision, even though the king’s tactical shortcomings were appalling…

"Don't put too much effort into it. If he comes, just keep an eye on him. There's no need to search the whole world for him. We don't have that much energy or need to!" Roland reassured him. Roland was concerned about Aragorn mainly because he was afraid that his arrival would cause a butterfly effect and make Aragorn run wild in his kingdom.

"Sigh... In the end, I've become the very thing I hate most!" Roland looked at the white clouds outside the window and laughed ironically.

So busy... I give up! Please, bosses, give me a tip!