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

Chapter 857 The Swift River Route

"Get up! Get up!" Urged by the officer, the bewildered Gondor soldiers and militiamen were dragged out of their beds. They stood there shivering in the autumn wind, looking completely lost and helpless.

"What time is it and you're still sleeping? Aren't you training?" Just as bewildered as them were the knights who were their instructors. This morning, the knights waited for them on the training ground all morning but didn't see them. Thinking something had happened, the knights rushed to their camp to check. What they saw almost made them explode with anger. The Gondorians were lying sprawled on their beds, snoring loudly. The knights almost sent them to their deaths on the spot.

"Is today a day off?" Assef muttered after calculating the time.

"Soldiers don't get days off. How can you sleep with them like that?" the knight, grabbing a Gondor soldier, asked with a gloomy expression. Assef, after looking at his comrades standing crookedly, shut his mouth.

……

"Your foundation is really bad!" Maple Forest Orchid complained to Roland.

“There’s nothing you can do. You have to accept these Gondor farmers who have put away their weapons and let their horses graze freely… After all, they’ve enjoyed peace for too long!” Roland shrugged. He had nothing to say about Gondor’s performance. Valor and skill in battle were hardly the words to describe Gondor now. The corrupt nobles were leading the country into the abyss!
"Sigh, their quality is shockingly poor. They even need to be taught basic formations countless times! Can you believe these soldiers can't even tell left from right!" Fenglin Youlan was exasperated. Are people who can't even tell left from right going to the battlefield and causing trouble for their teammates?

“You’ll have to overcome all of these things, after all, I’m entrusting these people to you! You won’t tarnish the reputation of the McDougal family, will you?” Roland looked at Maple Forest Orchid with amusement.

"Bang!" Maple Forest Orchid slammed its hand on the table.

"You can question my abilities, but you cannot question my honor!" Maple Forest Orchid said with a dark face.

"Then I'll wait and see!" Roland nodded in satisfaction. Whether it succeeded or not, he wouldn't lose out! A win-win situation meant winning twice over!

……

"Plop!" Baron Ismir put down the mud in his hand and wiped the sweat from his face with the back of his hand.

“My lord, would you like to take a rest?” Ymir, who was carrying a boulder and a log, put down his items and turned to Ismir.

"No rush, let's get this built first!" Ismir politely declined Ymir's suggestion to rest, and instead scooped up another clump of mud from the bucket and began filling the cracks! Looking further ahead, a dock located outside Windhelm was quietly taking shape! Although it was just a simple wooden and stone dock, a rudimentary dock made by filling the gaps with mud, it was still a remarkable achievement!

"Your Excellency Baron!" Just as Ismir was engrossed in his work, a call came from the swift-flowing river. Upon hearing this, Ismir immediately looked up.

"Is this dock ready for use? I need to unload my cargo!" Several galleons were floating on the river, and the one docked on the ship was Ruhr, the leader of the Lagrange caravan.

“Lord Ruhr welcomes you! Of course you can use it!” Ismir nodded, rubbing his hands together happily.

“Okay! Here’s a shopping list, take a look and see if there are any problems!” Ruhr took out a piece of paper and handed it to Ismir, which detailed Ismir’s needs.

“Okay! Let me see!” Ismir took the list and began to read it. This list contained his life and fortune! Compared to Roland’s promise of a dragon knight that seemed to have no end in sight, the supplies purchased with these bounties were what he needed most at this stage. After some time, he finally had the manpower to build a stable port. Perhaps this port would develop into the largest port on the West Coast. But now, he could finally take advantage of this convenient water transport to handle large quantities of goods!

As baskets of weapons, armor, and provisions were unloaded from the ships, everyone wore happy smiles. At least they could have a prosperous winter! This meant that Ismir, a territory with over a thousand inhabitants, could enjoy a comfortable winter!
"All of these? So many?" Ismir looked curiously at the endless line of porters behind Ruhr. He had bought quite a few odds and ends, but surely not this many? A whole ship full?
"Where would we get so much? A lot of it is for His Majesty!" Ruhr said with a wry smile. Ismir's territory is so vast! Can it afford to consume all this stuff? Besides, Roland isn't stupid; why would he leave the Swift River and the fleet unused? Some of these supplies are from the North Crossing Fortress settlement, and some are provisions for the workers constructing in Pingnan City! The rest are living supplies for Lagrange City! Compared to dragon knights using spatial equipment to transport supplies by dragon, this not only frees up high-end combat power but also reduces costs!

"Oh!" Ismir nodded in understanding. So this fleet was delivering supplies to King Roland. Then there was no problem!
"Alright, everything's ready! Check it out, I'm leaving with my men soon!" Ruhr nodded. "Okay!" Ismir and Ymir immediately started checking the list.

……

"No problem! Have a safe journey!" Ismir said to Ruhr with a slight pat on his chest.

"Thank you for your kind words, the Dragon God will protect us!" Ruhr nodded solemnly.

Under Ismir's watchful eye, Ruhr led his fleet south toward Lagrange, leaving behind only the excited citizens of Windhelm, who gazed upon the goods scattered across the land.

"Put the supplies into the warehouse and tally them!" Ismir commanded with a wave of his hand.

……

"Can this thing really hold up?" Roland asked the servants behind him with some concern, stepping on the creaking dock planks.

"It shouldn't be that bad, right? We built this thing ourselves!" Darian Nightblade chimed in, considering the situation.

"Is it possible that I'm scared precisely because we built it ourselves?!" Roland knew everyone's craftsmanship all too well! It's a miracle this thing hasn't fallen apart yet!

After all, you can't expect these brutes to do embroidery work. They drive in wooden stakes and tie on planks, and that's considered building a complete dock. Their hands-on skills are top-notch, but walking on it is a bit worrying because it's shaky.

"I see the fleet!" Caslo landed beside Roland on his dragon.

“There’s nothing strange following us. The dragon’s might drove away most of the aquatic monsters, and they all seem to be in good condition!” Caslo stated his assessment.

……

"Your Majesty~" Ruhr looked at Roland, tears streaming down his face, and without caring about anything else, he picked up a bundle of supplies wrapped in linen and rushed over. According to the script, it should have been a scene of the monarch recognizing his subject, but Ruhr chose to lose face rather than risk his life...

"Click~"

"Go back!" Roland's ears twitched, and he pulled his raised foot back.

"Thump!" Ruhr's Vanishing Technique was activated! In an instant, Ruhr disappeared from the dock, with only the broken, slightly swaying wooden planks proving that someone had just stood there.

"Help!" Seeing Ruhr fall into the water, Roland rushed forward.

……

"So this route is open?" Roland asked Ruhr curiously. He knew that the water conditions of the Swift River were not simple, and it would take a lot of work to survey them, not to mention that it would also be necessary to clear out the magical beasts along the way!