Chapter 104: Actions of All Parties

"Actually, I am not entirely certain I can successfully persuade my father to abandon the land of Red River Town. If things do not go smoothly, I will need to borrow your formidable martial strength at a critical moment; I hope you will not refuse when the time comes. Additionally, in recent years, some people in Red River Town have been getting very close to a leader of the Easterlings named Baal. I can understand why they would do this, but I am very worried they might ruin things. If such a situation truly arises, I also hope you can step in to clear them out."

Although Malherbe had only returned to Red River Town for a few short days, several people who had once supported him still gave him a detailed account of the situation in the town.

Among this information, Malherbe learned that both of his brothers had connections of varying depth with Baal, and that the lord of Red River Town—Malherbe's own father—was fully aware of all this.

Upon first hearing this news, Malherbe simply could not believe it. Their ancestors had migrated to this place precisely to escape the ravages of the Easterlings, and now, as their descendants, they were actually going to take the initiative to contact the Easterlings; this was simply an absurd anomaly.

However, after learning more information, Malherbe could instead understand the actions of his father and brothers. Red River Town, having enjoyed long-term peace, had been discovered by the Easterlings and suffered heavy losses during the siege at the time; a large number of townspeople had already begun to panic. In fact, over these past few years, some courageous residents had already migrated to other human settlements to live.

In order to preserve this territory, and also to put the residents of the territory and those who held some power at ease, it was not surprising that they made the choice to deal with the Easterlings with duplicity. One must know that when Malherbe was captured, he also did not do few things against his will.

But the situation now was different. Malherbe did not believe that such a large-scale invasion by the Easterlings could be satisfied merely by obtaining some supplies. If he did not do something, then only two paths lay before Red River Town: submission or enslavement.

Malherbe did not want to choose either of these two paths. He did not have enough confidence to lead those Red River Town residents, who only knew how to farm, to carve out a path of survival in the Easterlings' environment of the law of the jungle.

He could not do it, and he did not believe his father and two brothers could do it either.

So, after careful consideration, Malherbe took it upon himself to choose a third path for his father: migration.

And with no help around him at this moment, if he wanted to accomplish this, he had to seek the help of Holimion to deal with any trouble that might arise.

After Holimion heard Malherbe's request, he began to recall whether Red River Town had any powerful martial force that could stop his party, and subsequently, he confidently concluded: there was none.

"I can help with this. After we go back, we will stay by your side. If you have a need, just say the word."

Just as Holimion agreed to Malherbe's request, a slight coughing sound startled the two. It turned out to be Brendon, whose wounds were being bandaged, waking up from his coma once again.

After waking up, the battered youth did not speak, but nervously looked around at the surrounding environment. Upon seeing Holimion, who had saved him, his nervous expression finally relaxed.

Subsequently, Brendon opened his pale lips and said softly: "May I have some water?"

Upon hearing this, Holimion opened his water flask and handed it to Brendon. After the youth carefully drank two sips, he barely managed to recover some spirit, and he continued to speak: "Thank you for saving me. I have nowhere to go; can you take me in?"

When saying the last sentence, Brendon looked straight at Holimion. It was clear that this youth hoped his savior would keep him.

The silver figure he saw before falling into a coma had captivated the youth. He hoped that after growing up, he could also become that powerful, and one day, he could kill Ashur with his own hands to avenge his father.

Suddenly hearing such a request, Holimion was a bit unaccustomed to it. Past experiences made this Elf not particularly fond of interacting with Humans, but in this year or so, the environment of Wilderness Town had changed Holimion a lot.

At this moment, the youth before him was alone and miserable; Holimion felt that taking him in would not be a problem.

"Very well. Can you ride a horse? Never mind, you had better ride with me."

After Holimion finished answering the youth, he turned to Malherbe and said: "Malherbe, let's set off. We can discuss other matters when we return to Red River Town."

"Wait, are you talking about Red River Town?"

Brendon, who had barely managed to stand up, raised his voice an octave upon hearing the name Red River Town.

"Hm? Do you know some news?"

This time it was Malherbe's turn to be suspicious and nervous. How could this young slave know this name?

"Yes, before I fell into a coma, I vaguely heard Ashur personally order Baal and Akad to... to attack Red River Town."

As he spoke, Brendon's breathing began to quicken again. After stabilizing slightly, the youth continued: "Ashur is the supreme leader of the Bartra people, and Baal and Akad are Warlords under Ashur. According to their mobilization capability, they can at least gather an army of one thousand to two thousand men."

"What?!"

This news truly gave Malherbe a great fright. He was still considering how to persuade his father to migrate, while the Easterlings had already begun mobilizing to attack them.

This was because Malherbe did not know the Easterlings well enough. After Ashur left his original homeland, he had no land to harvest grain from; even if he brought most of his slaves, that land would still need to be reclaimed.

Before leaving, Sauron had rationed a considerable amount of grain to Ashur, but it was limited after all. Therefore, after the troops were mostly assembled, Ashur immediately launched his first attack, preparing to seize Red River Town as his first territory in Rhovanion.

"Let's go, Malherbe. I think your plan needs to be moved up."

As he spoke, Holimion had already mounted his horse and extended his right hand toward Brendon. He was also very surprised by this news, and at the same time, he was eager to rush back to Wilderness Town to report these matters to Allen.

And Allen, at this moment, had just come out of Bard's meeting room and returned to the guest room. Lying on the bed, he began to recall everything that had happened today.

Before the meeting ended, Thorin finally, under his persuasion, abandoned the idea of a head-on decisive battle with the Easterlings and agreed to a strategy of defensive counterattack.

This was because of the two lines Allen had drawn later: one pointed from Mordor to Dol Guldur, and the other followed Mirkwood all the way north, pointing directly at the Lonely Mountain.

Allen told Thorin that if the Humans, Elves, and Dwarves concentrated all their strength and chose to launch a decisive battle with the Easterlings in the area east of the Running River, then Sauron would certainly dispatch Orcish to raid the homes of the three races.

Moreover, Thranduil of the Woodland Realm would absolutely not agree to Thorin's proposal, and Thorin had his own concerns; he needed to ensure that his kin in the Iron Hills could safely reach the Lonely Mountain.

Thorin stated that if Allen did not help, he would also take the Dwarf army to station in the Iron Hills, so as to avoid his kin left there being ravaged by the Easterlings.

Facing this situation, how could Allen not help? He suggested to Thorin that the Dwarves could choose some rugged mountain paths to come to the Lonely Mountain, and he himself would, upon returning, immediately dispatch two hundred Cavalry and five hundred horses to the Lonely Mountain to assist the Dwarves in completing the migration as soon as possible.

After thinking for a long time, Thorin agreed to Allen's proposal. After all, relying on over a thousand Dwarf warriors, they indeed could not confront the vast number of Easterlings head-on, and he was not at ease letting his kin in the Iron Hills resist the siege of the Easterlings alone.

After the discussion was finished, Allen declined Thorin's invitation to attend the banquet and returned directly to Lake-town, informing Bard of the current situation.

This lord, who was dedicated to restoring his ancestral property, was also very surprised upon hearing this news. After all, the Easterlings had not invaded Rhovanion with such great fanfare for hundreds of years.

But he soon regained his composure, stating that he could assemble fifty professional soldiers and three hundred militia to respond to Allen's call.

Looking at Bard's stance, Allen felt gratified inside; this Vassal was not taken in vain.

However, Allen did not ask Bard to send troops to support Mirkwood Road. After all, the restoration work of Lake-town was less than a quarter complete, and most of the required supplies were purchased from other human settlements; a war at this time would certainly affect Bard.

Therefore, Allen's advice to Bard was to reclaim land as soon as possible and achieve self-sufficiency. The eastern part of Mirkwood was about to fall into the flames of war, and the human settlements there would find it difficult to even protect themselves in the short term; it would be impossible for them to sell grain to him in the days to come.

Bard clearly understood Allen's meaning and solemnly thanked Allen, stating that as soon as Allen's order arrived, he would immediately assemble troops to respond to the call.

Subsequently, the two had a simple dinner in the meeting room and then parted ways. Bard was busy, and Allen also needed to review the events of today.

In Allen's view, today's events were relatively smooth. After all, Thorin had drafted the Contract quite readily and indicated that he would dispatch Balin to go with Allen to the Woodland Realm tomorrow morning to discuss the alliance.

When he heard that Balin would act with him, Allen's mood suddenly relaxed a lot. Balin's personality was much gentler, and he could consider the gains and losses from the overall interests of the Dwarf race, which could make things go much more smoothly.

"Hoo~"

Allen, who had been busy all day, let out a light breath on the bed, and then opened the Simulator that had finished cooling down.

Since Allen needed to spend some time accepting memories after each simulation, he often needed a safe environment. At this moment, the surrounding environment was very safe, and he could conduct the simulation with peace of mind.

【By the way, the best app for reading and listening to books currently is Wild Fruit Reading; install the latest version.】

As for the matters after tomorrow, most of them involved traveling, so even if Allen's mental state was a bit worse after the simulation, it was acceptable.

【Simulator starting】

【Welcome to the continent of Calradia】

【100 Reputation points consumed, identity related to nobility acquired】

【Time: Unknown】

【Location: Plains south of Veluca】

【As the second son of Count Delinard, you have no right to inherit the family title and property, but your father made plans for you long ago, not only hiring skilled instructors to put you through rigorous training in your youth.】

【He also used his connections after you came of age to send you to the Lion Cavalry Regiment under King Harlaus, along with a full set of standard equipment for a Swadian Knight.】

【This included a set of Sleeveless Plate Armor, a Hunter Horse, an Armored Warhorse, a Giant Lance, two Knight Shields, a Knightly Longsword, and a Mace.】

【Furthermore, before you left, Count Delinard took out a bag of Dinar, telling you that this was the family's final investment in you and that you would have to walk your own path from now on.】

【In your first week of joining the Lion Cavalry Regiment, King Harlaus declared war on the Rhodok, taking you and your five hundred comrades along; poor you, you hadn't even received a single cent of pay before you had to set off for the battlefield.】

【Having descended here, you had just sorted out your memories; after opening your eyes, you found your vision obstructed, and rumbling sounds immediately reached your ears, a situation that made you quickly observe your surroundings.】

【This was a mass charge launched in battle; you were surrounded by well-equipped Swadian Knights, and being in the midst of it, you couldn't even see the edges of this red and black wave.】

【Not far from you was King Harlaus in bright Plate Armor; although he wore a Great Helm, that set of equipment was unique on the continent of Calradia.】

【Galloping at high speed, you subconsciously leveled the Giant Lance in your hand according to orders, and a vast expanse of spearheads glinting with cold light pointed directly at the target ahead.】

【That was a row of Rhodok Sergeant in Chainmail Hauberk, standing in formation in a hurry, while squads of Rhodok Veteran Spearman holding spears were rushing toward this direction from the other side of the battlefield.】

【However, time did not favor the Rhodok Kingdom; before the Veteran Spearman could arrive, you and your comrades slammed into the formation set up by the Rhodok Sergeant.】

【Before contact, you aimed your lance at the edge of the enemy's Broad Shield, and with the powerful impact force brought by the warhorse's charge, you caused the enemy blocking your path to lose their balance, after which they were knocked flying by the warhorse wearing Iron Armor.】

【After crashing through that thin layer of the enemy's shield wall, you finally understood the environment you were in: this was a great war between the Kingdom of Swadia and the Rhodok Kingdom, and this battle would likely directly affect the ownership of the town of Veluca.】

【Understanding everything, you did not slow down in the slightest, but continued to follow your comrades, charging toward the enemies not far away.】

【A large number of Rhodok soldiers were piled up there, like a green ocean washing against a red boulder formed by Swadian soldiers; it was clear that the Rhodok soldiers were attempting to break out.】

【And you Heavy Cavalry, who had just broken through a shield wall, were launching a rear charge against the breaking-out Rhodok soldiers, when a silver-white figure passed by you and charged to the very front of the formation once more.】

【And you faintly heard an aged roar.】

【"For the Kingdom of Swadia, charge!"】