Chapter 100: A New Crisis

"My lord, my kin tell me that in the east of the Redwater River, several tribes of Easterlings have stationed themselves there. Such a thing has not happened for hundreds of years, and they asked me to remind you to pay attention to this."

Upon receiving this news, Allen was somewhat surprised, and he immediately asked a crucial question.

"Fulei, did your kin mention how many people those Easterling tribes have?"

Fulei shook his head and said, "They cannot be certain either, because when they were passing by, there were still endless convoys of Easterlings coming from the east to join those camps. At that time, the number of Easterlings was already approaching ten thousand."

What!

Nearly ten thousand Easterlings?

Even Allen, who had made certain preparations, was caught off guard by Sauron's grand gesture. In his memory, it was only during the War of the Ring decades later that large numbers of Easterlings would set out from Rhun to invade Varonian.

Yet in the decades between, there were almost no records of Easterlings invading Rhovanion; the two regions had never experienced any large-scale conflicts worth noting.

The arrival of the Easterlings forced Allen to consider whether it was because the series of actions taken by Humans in the Battle of the Lonely Mountain had successfully attracted Sauron's attention, causing him to heighten his vigilance against a human town he had originally ignored.

Or perhaps, Sauron could not accept his utter failure at the Lonely Mountain and, in a fit of rage, launched this attack.

If that were the case, Allen felt that his name had likely already been noted by Sauron. With Allen's current strength, being targeted by a Dark Lord who wielded great power was absolutely an extremely terrible thing.

At this moment, compared to other human powers, Allen's strength was still very weak and could not withstand a single light blow from Sauron.

Moreover, in Allen's impression, Sauron was a Commander with long-term strategic vision and an extremely keen sense of smell. Most importantly, this guy's ability to act was top-tier; he did what he thought of, and what he did always brought him certain gains.

For instance, after being captured by the Numenoreans in the Second Age, Sauron was not discouraged; instead, he quickly grasped the weaknesses of Ar-Pharazon and, utilizing this King's pride and desire for immortality, successfully bewitched him, becoming the advisor to the Numenorean King in just three years.

If that were all, it would not be enough to illustrate Sauron's power. In the years that followed, the charismatic Sauron spent only forty-some years changing the faith of most Numenoreans, while successfully persuading Ar-Pharazon to hate the Valar and leading him to build an invincible fleet to attack Valinor.

The result was as one could imagine: Ar-Pharazon's invincible fleet was directly annihilated by the Valar, and all the Numenoreans who landed on Valinor were buried beneath towering peaks, awaiting the final judgment.

By spending less than fifty years, this Dark Lord eradicated enemies he could never have resisted otherwise. Although Sauron himself lost his physical form in that action, since then, it has been difficult for anyone in Middle-earth to resist him single-handedly.

It was not just this event; the Ring of Power incident orchestrated by Sauron spanned the Second Age and the Third Age, causing the three races of Humans, Elves, and Dwarves to suffer certain blows, and these Rings brought Sauron extremely excellent minions: the nine Nazgul.

Especially the leader of the Nazgul, the Witch-king of Angmar, who in the Third Age, following Sauron's orders, established the Kingdom of Angmar in Eriador, destroyed the Kingdom of Arnor established by the Numenoreans, and dealt a heavy blow to the power of Humans.

Although the Kingdom of Angmar was destroyed by the joint efforts of Humans and Elves, the remnants of its forces remained active in the Angmar Mountains, including the Trolls entrenched in the Ettenmoors, who would occasionally emerge from their lairs to attack civilians living in Eriador.

At the same time, Sauron also ordered his remaining servants to accumulate great strength in Mordor, and established alliances with the Easterlings and the Haradrim, severely limiting the development of Gondor for over a thousand years.

As for Sauron himself, long ago, he established Dol Guldur at the southern end of Mirkwood and hid there, not only successfully striking the Woodland Realm but also monitoring the Elves of Lothlorien and his most powerful opponent in Middle-earth, Lady Galadriel.

All the above events prove Sauron's excellence. If one sets aside his identity, why is the story of what this Maia did not an extremely inspirational one? It is a pity that he is a Dark Lord who threatens many races.

It was just last year that the Battle of the Lonely Mountain, led by Sauron, suffered a miserable defeat. In the original trajectory, even though Sauron failed, this battle dealt a heavy blow to the Elves of the Woodland Realm and the Dwarves of Durin's Folk, with Durin's Folk even paying the price of a royal bloodline being severed.

Now, with Allen's participation, although the Dwarves and Elves also lost some of their kin, compared to Sauron losing control of the entire North, the losses of their two races were not particularly large; at the very least, they were not crippled.

The King of the Woodland Realm, Thranduil, retrieved the family jewel he had been longing for, and at the same time obtained one-thirtieth of the wealth of the Lonely Mountain; it could be said he did not lose out.

The Dwarves of Durin's Folk recovered their royal city and found a home again for their kin wandering outside; it was an absolute windfall, making them the biggest winners in this battle.

And Allen also obtained most of the things he wanted in this battle, including fame, wealth, and deeper friendships with his allies.

It could be said that the three races of Humans, Elves, and Dwarves, through this failure of Sauron, accomplished a three-win feat.

Sauron, of course, would not swallow the bitter fruit of failure so obediently, but Allen did not expect this Dark Lord's reaction to be so swift, which far exceeded his expectations. One must know that Rhovanion had only been stable for less than half a year.

Now, nearly ten thousand Easterlings were stationed east of the Redwater River, and the pressure was entirely on the Dwarves of the Lonely Mountain, the Elves of Mirkwood, and the Humans living in the east of Rhovanion; the threat of war was laid right before the three races.

Especially for the Humans; Allen could foresee that the Northern Men living in the east of Rhovanion would absolutely never have a peaceful life again.

The arrival of these Easterlings also interrupted Allen's plan to develop in peace. His previous vision for the east of Rhovanion was to use his influence to slowly attract the Humans living there over these few decades, letting them join him for a better life, and finally completing his control over the entirety of Rhovanion.

But now, the enemy was stationed at his doorstep, and war could break out at any time. The nearly ten thousand Easterlings also brought immense pressure to Allen; one must know that these Dark Men from Rhun were extremely savage and warlike, and even young women and elderly people possessed considerable combat power.

Allen would absolutely not underestimate them. At this very moment, he urgently wanted to reach an alliance with the Elves and Dwarves to do his utmost to deal with this enemy that had suddenly appeared before them.

However, before that, Allen still needed to complete one thing. He dismounted and took two pack horses carrying Honey Mead from the subjects behind him, handing them to the Dwarf Fulei.

"Fulei, I need to trouble you with one thing. Please take these two pack horses and the Honey Mead on their backs to your kin, as my help for the information they provided."

Allen had to thank these Dwarves from the Far East for providing him with such important information, allowing him to make certain preparations in advance to guard against a potential surprise attack by the Easterlings.

Upon hearing Allen's words, Fulei did not say much, nodded, and led the pack horses toward his kin.

Allen, meanwhile, waved his hand and summoned Cress over, saying to the young girl with an extremely grave expression: "Cress, I need you and Grim to take half of the Cavalry, ride down along the Running River, and reach Alayen to have him prepare for battle. At the same time, you need to send someone to notify Fatis to have him prepare to conscript all soldiers."

According to Allen's understanding of these Easterlings, if they really wanted to launch a surprise attack on Wilderness Town, the Mirkwood Road would definitely be their top priority. Skilled at driving War Chariots, they needed the flat roads there to complete their march.

And Allen had just happened to be on the verge of clearing that road recently; this had to be said to be an extremely ironic thing. Given the existing conditions, the best place to defend against the Easterlings was the position where Alayen was stationed.

It was just a pity that the defensive stronghold Tier was building had only just begun construction. Allen could not force this Dwarf of Durin's Folk to give up attending his King's coronation ceremony and go back immediately to build the stronghold; such a thing would be too disheartening for a subordinate.

Allen decided that when he returned this time, he would take Artimenner back with him to preside over the construction of the defenses there.

Cress, having received the order, looked at Allen's serious face and knew this matter was extremely important. She quickly and simply repeated Allen's order before him.

"Boss, have Alayen prepare for battle, and have Fatis prepare to conscript all soldiers, is that right?"

"Yes."

Allen nodded to show his agreement.

Then Cress shouted loudly to Grim: "Big guy, let's go, we have new work."

The two, having gathered together, quickly counted off half of the Knights and, carrying the corresponding supplies, headed toward the direction of the Mirkwood Road.

Yamila, who had watched Cress leave, said gently beside Allen: "Lord Allen, I should go back immediately too. If all soldiers are to be conscripted, then much of the work in Wilderness Town will need to be adjusted. Relying solely on Bandak and James and the others might not be enough to handle this matter."

Just as Yamila's words fell, Allen fell into thought. Indeed, to deal with the current situation, the sooner Yamila went back, the better. If it weren't for the fact that the Lonely Mountain was already right before his eyes and Allen had to go talk to Thorin about the alliance, he himself would have been ready to turn around and leave.

And just now, to ensure the safety of Cress and Grim so they could successfully reach the camp where Alayen was stationed, Allen had already split off half of his Cavalry. If Yamila were to return now, Allen would have to split off a portion of the remaining fifty Cavalry to have them protect Yamila on her return to Wilderness Town.

This was actually somewhat dangerous. Although the Easterlings were more skilled at driving War Chariots, they also had a small number of Cavalry, and no one knew if small groups of enemies had already infiltrated to the west of Mirkwood.

Not to mention that in the Misty Mountains at this time, there were still a considerable number of Wargs entrenched there; heaven knows if Sauron had let these Wargs cooperate with the Easterlings in battle.

Letting Yamila go back alone now was a bit too dangerous; Allen could not let his Hand of the King bear such a risk.

Allen, who had already mounted his horse, shook his head and said, "No need. We won't be able to stay at the Lonely Mountain for too long. Tomorrow, or at the latest the day after, we will also set off to return to Wilderness Town."

Upon hearing this, Yamila nodded submissively and did not say anything more.

Gandalf, who had been listening to everything from the side, had his originally relaxed and comfortable expression turn serious. This Grey Wizard had always had a resistance toward the East and had never traveled there.

But Gandalf was no stranger to the Easterlings; he had heard a little about the wars that had occurred between the Easterlings, the North Kingdom, and the Kingdom of Gondor.

Gandalf rode his horse to Allen's side and said with a grave expression, "Allen, I believe that behind this matter, there must be the shadow of a great enemy; you need to make plans early."

Allen, who was bowing his head in deep thought, was startled awake by Gandalf's words; he had been pondering whether Sauron would have other maneuvers to coordinate with this attack by the Easterlings.

After all, Allen was facing the insidious and cunning Sauron at this moment, which filled his heart with vigilance; given this Dark Lord's strategic level, it was impossible for him to launch such a simple attack.

The key problem was that this war had deviated from its original trajectory, and Allen was completely unfamiliar with it; the feeling of being in a thick fog made him somewhat uncomfortable.

But Allen quickly composed himself; being the leader of tens of thousands was not for nothing. After years of effort, Allen's temperament had become much stronger, and in this region of Rhovanion, the power Allen could leverage was not insignificant. Could the Elves of the Woodland Realm and the Dwarves of the Kingdom of Erebor really just watch as Wilderness Town was destroyed by the Easterlings?

With the help of these allies, in this confrontation with the Easterlings, Allen was not necessarily at a disadvantage.

In this short time, Allen had figured everything out. So what if Sauron had come? Just fight. Worry and fear were of no help at all; only strategy and courage were the only ways to resolve the enemy.

Looking at the worried Gandalf, the composed Allen smiled and said, "Yes, Gandalf, I believe the Shadow lurking in Mordor has played a rather dishonorable role behind this matter. However, we do not need to be overly worried about this. Facing the arrival of wolves and tigers, we naturally have sharp swords. It is just that I have one thing that requires your help, Gandalf."

"Oh? What is it?"

Watching Allen, who could return to normal in a short time when facing a crisis, Gandalf felt very gratified; he was indeed the human leader he admired.

"It is like this: after attending Thorin's coronation ceremony, I hope you can travel to Lothlorien for me to issue a warning to Lady Galadriel. I feel that the enemy might, under these circumstances, dispatch his evil minions to occupy Dol Guldur once again."

Gandalf raised an eyebrow and looked at Allen with slight surprise, because he had also thought of this in a short time and had already prepared in his heart to go to Lothlorien, and Gandalf had other plans as well.

"Rest assured, Allen, I will. Not only that, after going to Lothlorien, I will continue south to seek aid from Rohan and Gondor. King Fengel of Rohan and Steward Turgon of Gondor both have a good friendship with me. It is just that you need to arrange for some people to send Bilbo back to the Shire."

Bilbo Baggins, who was on the side, heard Gandalf mention him and hurriedly said, "Actually, I can stay and help too."

Although Bilbo Baggins missed his Bag End very much at this moment, in order to help his friend, he could bury this longing deep in his heart.

Gandalf quickly replied, "Bilbo, my dear Hobbit friend, your journey ends here. The things that follow are truly too dangerous; you cannot participate."

Gandalf said these words out of consideration for Bilbo's safety. That small Magic Ring could only help Bilbo slip into the Unseen World, yet in the eyes of the Nazgul, those who entered the Unseen World were far clearer than those in the physical world.

If Bilbo Baggins wanted to rely on that Magic Ring to do something in front of the Ringwraiths, that was simply wishful thinking. Gandalf would not watch Bilbo Baggins go to his death.

And Allen would even less agree to Bilbo's help. The Ringwraiths' sensing of the One Ring was truly too sensitive. If something went wrong, this battle could very likely evolve into a decisive battle between darkness and light, which was not a result Allen could accept.

Thinking of this, Allen said to Bilbo with a full smile, "Yes, Bilbo, you don't need to worry about me here. I think you should go home too. You've been out for so long, aren't you worried? I remember you told me that your cousin Sackville is very jealous of Bag End."

Allen's words reminded Bilbo Baggins. This Hobbit suddenly realized that he hadn't returned for so long and had very likely been presumed dead by his kin; by then, the family property passed down by his father and mother...

Thinking of this, Bilbo Baggins' heart was suddenly full of the desire to go home. He scratched his head and said embarrassedly, "Then... since that's the case, let's not delay any longer. Let's hurry and set off. I do indeed miss Bag End a bit."

Allen and Gandalf smiled at each other, and the group set off again, walking toward the Lonely Mountain. It was just that their pace seemed much more hurried, and before sunset, they finally arrived at Dale.

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Due to the deep friendship between Thorin II and Allen, this King of Durin dispatched more Dwarves to participate in Bard's work of restoring Dale.

The construction period that originally required three to four years could now be completed in less than two years under Thorin's special care.

Therefore, in less than half a year, a great part of Dale had been repaired. The houses, high towers, and clock towers that once covered the city area gradually recovered their original appearance through the joint efforts of Humans and Dwarves.

Upon learning that Allen was about to arrive, Bard, who had been busy, and Artimenner, who had just obtained the status of Scholar not long ago, put down their tasks and waited early at the gate of Dale, preparing to welcome the arrival of their lord.

However, all they waited for was Yamila, who led the Cavalry, while Allen took Gandalf, Bilbo Baggins, and several Dwarves to continue directly along the road to the Lonely Mountain, finding Thorin, who was handling government affairs, in the hall of Thror.

At this time, Thorin, sitting on the throne, was discussing matters regarding the coronation ceremony with his Dwarf subordinates. These Dwarves were almost all familiar faces to Allen: Dain, Balin, Dwalin, Gloin, and Oin, who was holding a hearing aid.

The group of Dwarves saw the arrival of Allen and the others, stopped what they were discussing, and nodded to Allen with a smile or waved to greet him. Thorin even walked down from the throne, opened his arms to the three of them, and said happily as he walked:

"My friends, welcome to the Lonely Mountain to attend my coronation ceremony."