Chapter 106: Response

"Boom—"

A bolt of lightning tore through the ink-black clouds in the sky, and a gale drove the torrential rain, which lashed against the glass windows of the Lord's house in Red River Town, where four people inside were conversing.

It was the anxious Malherbe, who was recounting everything he had seen to his father and younger brothers, and at the end, he offered his own suggestion.

"Father, give the order for everyone to prepare; let us use the heavy rain to buy us a little time, otherwise, it will be too late!"

"

As the Lord who had governed Red River Town for decades, Herbert was somewhat hesitant at this moment; his eldest son, who had just returned home, had suddenly come to tell him that the Easterlings were about to launch a major attack on Red River Town.

Yet Baal, who had left just a few days ago, had told Herbert to live here with peace of mind, promising that as long as Red River Town continued to pay tribute every year, he could guarantee the safety of the town.

These two completely different pieces of information plunged the nearly fifty-year-old Lord into deep thought, but he soon chose to trust his son; the agreement he had made with Baal years ago was merely to ensure a stable living environment for the residents of Red River Town, which did not mean he trusted an Easterling very much, nor did it mean he had any intention of defecting to the Easterlings.

【The book-chasing app recommended to me by a friend of ten years, Wild Fruit Reading! It's really damn good; I rely on its text-to-speech function to kill time while driving or before bed. You can download it here: wildfruitreading】

It was just that abandoning the existing family foundation and moving the entire clan to live on land hundreds of kilometers away was truly difficult to decide, especially since that land already had its own masters.

At this moment, Malherbe had not yet explicitly explained to his father that they were going to defect to Allen, only saying that there was a powerful Lord there and they could try to seek his protection.

Herbert, meanwhile, was considering the safety of the residents of Red River Town more; he could not let everyone take risks with him just because he was reluctant to give up temporary comfort or rely on a one-in-ten-thousand chance, as the Easterlings had a long-standing tradition of enslaving Northern Men.

In fact, a few days ago, Herbert had also intended to investigate the actual situation regarding Baal; otherwise, he would not have allowed his son to follow some strangers to track the Easterling caravan.

"Alright, I will arrange for Theodore to organize the villagers' migration, and Malherbe, you go and help too. That is all, you may all go out; I have some things to do."

"Yes, Father, I will do my utmost."

Hearing that his father had adopted his suggestion, Malherbe was overjoyed, but as he spoke, he did not forget to observe his two younger brothers.

The expressions on their faces were natural; upon hearing about the Easterlings, they also showed anxiety and tension, and when they heard Herbert adopt Malherbe's advice, they also showed expressions of relief, though there was also a trace of jealousy.

This reaction made Malherbe mutter to himself: "Could it be that I am overthinking it? Were they in contact with Baal merely to continue dealing with the Easterlings in the future? If that is the case, then that would be great!"

In Middle-earth, although there were some Humans who would extinguish their humanity and turn against their own brothers for power or wealth, this did not include Malherbe; as long as he could let the people of Red River Town survive this catastrophe, he did not mind competing fairly with his two brothers in a new environment.

It was just that there were some things he had to guard against.

After Malherbe walked out of his father's room, he happened to run into Theodore, a middle-aged man who was Malherbe's uncle; after failing to compete for the position of Lord, he had been wholeheartedly assisting Herbert in managing Red River Town for decades.

"Malherbe, you're back? Any news?" Theodore greeted his nephew with a smile.

Malherbe, who had not returned for five years, had felt since his return that his uncle had changed somewhat, seeming no longer as amiable as before.

Malherbe shook his head and replied: "Yes, there is some bad news. Mr. Theodore, are you here to see Father?"

"Yes, I am here to discuss something with your father."

"Then I won't delay you; I have some urgent business, see you later."

After saying this, Malherbe bowed and prepared to leave, while a trace of an unnatural look appeared on Theodore's face because Malherbe had not answered his question, but he did not pay too much attention to it and nodded, saying: "Hmm, go ahead."

With that, Theodore walked toward Herbert's door.

Malherbe, having walked two steps away, suddenly stopped, looked back at Theodore, who was about to open the door, pondered for a moment, and then left.

Afterward, he immediately found Holimion.

"My Lord, I have successfully persuaded my father, and the residents of Red River Town will soon prepare for migration, but there are still some things that require your help."

"Speak."

"My Lord, I hope you can block anyone who wants to head east on the only road from Red River Town to the Redwater River; I am very worried that someone will leak the news of Red River Town's planned migration to the Easterlings."

Two days ago, the information Brendon brought to Malherbe was that the Easterlings were already preparing to attack Red River Town, but based on Malherbe's understanding of the Easterlings, he guessed that to prepare for such a large-scale attack, the two Warlords, Baal and Akad, would inevitably move their camps to the west of the Redwater River first, and then organize their armies to attack Red River Town.

They could not safely leave their slaves, the elderly, and the young next to tigers and wolves; if they were lost or missing, no one would help them recover them.

Coupled with the fact that Holimion had previously destroyed the bridge the Easterlings used to cross the river, it had invisibly helped Red River Town buy a few more days, which was enough for the residents to complete their migration preparations.

Now, what Malherbe was worried about was that if someone betrayed them and informed the Easterlings of the news about Red River Town, and the Easterlings then sent a vanguard army to entangle them, then it would be troublesome.

That was why he asked Holimion to do his best to intercept everyone who wanted to cross the Redwater River.

Holimion looked at the storm outside and then at Brendon, who was sleeping on the bed, and said: "No problem, I will set off immediately."

After saying this, Holimion turned and left without the slightest hesitation; he also hoped that this matter could be completed as soon as possible, as he had been away from his post as Captain of the Personal Guard for Allen for too long.

With Holimion's departure, Red River Town became lively in a short time; some residents who could not believe it gathered in the rain in front of the gate of the Lord's house in Red River Town, hoping that their Lord would come out personally to explain the matter, while other villagers immediately began preparations for migration.

For a time, the cries of children, the arguments of adults, the neighing of livestock, and the clashing of utensils filled the entire town, seemingly drowning out the sound of the heavy rain.

Amidst this bustle, five fast horses carrying riders charged out of the town, galloping westward along the forest road; they were messengers sent by Herbert to notify other human settlements, hoping they could prepare in advance, whether to unite to resist or leave this dangerous area like Red River Town, they could all gain some time to prepare.

As time passed, the dim sky gradually turned dark; at this time, the clouds were still shedding a light drizzle, and at a wall overgrown with weeds in Red River Town, a small, inconspicuous door was opened.

Two ugly-looking fellows poked their heads out and looked left and right; finding no movement around, they led their horses out from inside, then nodded toward the door, mounted their horses, and hurried toward the west.

At this moment, a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky again, illuminating a person in a raincoat inside the door.

A few days later, in the banquet hall of the King of the Woodland Realm, Allen and Balin were discussing the issue of an alliance with Thranduil.

Even knowing that Sauron had arranged for his minions to come to the vicinity of Mirkwood again to stir up trouble, Thranduil's mood was still quite good at this time; after all, he could not decide when Sauron would launch an attack on him, and at the same time, he had great confidence in defeating opponents like the Easterlings in the forest.

In these hundreds of years, the stubborn Dwarf had actually taken the initiative to bow his head to him, making Thranduil feel that the grievances he had suffered from the Dwarves in the past had been somewhat eliminated.

Regarding the alliance, Thranduil had no objections; after all, he had an agreement with Allen long ago, but he directly rejected the active attack proposed by Balin.

According to current intelligence, the combined strength of Humans, Dwarves, and Elves could indeed launch a decisive battle against the Easterlings attacking Rhovanion, but Thranduil, who had just suffered a loss a year ago, was unwilling to do so; why take the great risk of actively attacking the enemy when he could easily repel them in the forest?

As for the Dwarves isolated and waiting for reinforcements in the Iron Hills, as an ally, Thranduil would certainly not stand idly by; he would arrange for Legolas to lead one hundred mounted Elves to assist the Dwarves in completing the relocation together with Allen's human Cavalry.

The environment of the Woodland Realm did not produce horses, nor was it suitable for the deployment of Cavalry, but Thranduil would still purchase some horses from human settlements from time to time, whether for daily horseback riding and hunting, or for sending messengers to other forces, they were all needed.

Now, as troops for cover, reconnaissance, and harassment, they were put to use.

Balin had never thought of being able to get Thranduil to send a large-scale army out of Mirkwood to fight this decisive battle; at this moment, being able to obtain the support of one hundred Elf Cavalry, he was already satisfied.

Since all three had decided to use defense as the main strategy for this war, in order to cope with the enemy's attack, which could start at any time, they naturally had to discuss their respective defensive areas.

Balin stated that the Durin Dwarves would naturally make defending the Lonely Mountain their top priority, but after all the Dwarves from the Iron Hills returned to the Lonely Mountain, he would suggest that Thorin send a portion of the Dwarves to the location of Long Lake Town to establish a temporary camp.

On one hand, it was because there was a river leading directly to the Lonely Mountain there, which the Dwarves had to guard against; after all, the Dwarves did not engage in production, and at this time, most of the daily necessities still needed to be transported from there to the Lonely Mountain, and the same was true for Dale; this situation would last for at least a few years, until Dale recovered its former prosperity.

On the other hand, during this period, more and more Durin Dwarves were returning to the Lonely Mountain from all over Middle-earth; if the enemy broke through here, it would definitely pose a threat to those scattered returning Dwarf squads, which also made Balin have to consider this point.

What Balin did not mention was that if the Dwarves could establish a camp here, they could effectively reduce the pressure on the Woodland Elves and Humans, even if it was just as a return for the Humans and Elves assisting the Dwarves in their relocation.

Thranduil clearly understood this point; as the strongest of the three parties, the King of the Woodland Realm stated he would immediately arrange for one thousand Elf soldiers to be stationed in the Mirkwood Mountains.

In the past, Thranduil had led his people to live there for a period of time, but due to the arrival of Sauron, the dark power in Mirkwood grew increasingly rampant, and spiders as well as Orcish often haunted the vicinity of the mountains.

Forced by necessity, the Woodland Elves had to relocate to their current position; now that Sauron has fled to Mordor and the evil creatures in Mirkwood have all gone into hiding, Thranduil decided to reclaim his former home, or at the very least, utilize its terrain once again in this battle.

That mountain range leads directly to the Running River; if ships are utilized, the Elf troops can quickly provide support to the Dwarf of Long Lake Town, as well as the Humans guarding Mirkwood Road.

As for Allen, his pressure was also immense; on one hand, he had to face the Easterlings invading the eastern region of Rhovanion, and on the other, he had to guard against the Orcish armies that might come from Mordor; additionally, thousands of Orcish were lurking in Gundabad, which he also needed to guard against, so it could be said that the military pressure he faced was extreme.

Moreover, there were very few positions he could choose to defend, with only the eastern end of Mirkwood Road being a very suitable location; there, he could rely on the river to defend the eastern region, the dense vegetation of Mirkwood could prevent large enemy forces from launching surprise encirclements, and Allen also intended to have Cress establish an intelligence center there, relying on birds flying in the sky to monitor large-scale movements in the forest.

Besides this, before leaving the Lonely Mountain, Thorin spoke with Allen privately, hoping that Allen could help him purchase some supplies from Eriador; after all, given the current situation in Rhovanion, it was feared that soon no merchants would risk their lives to come to the Lonely Mountain to sell supplies, and Thorin needed to consider his future survival.

As for grain, a batch could be temporarily borrowed from Dale; Bard had already begun arranging for a large number of his subjects to engage in farming work, and there would be no problem with the food they had stored lasting until the autumn harvest.

It was just that other items, such as lamp oil, candles, medicine, alcohol, seasonings, cloth, and so on, were basic supplies that still required Allen's help to procure.

As it happened, Allen had just opened up the High Pass after the new year; although commerce in the Rhovanion region had been ruined, one could pay a higher price to purchase from Eriador, and Thorin was not short on gold; he hoped Allen could do him this favor.

Allen would not refuse this; in fact, he himself also needed to purchase more grain from Eriador to continue maintaining his cooperation with those three villages, though these Northern Men would have to transition from the status of construction workers to that of mercenaries.

In truth, at this moment, the warehouses in Wilderness Town were piled with a large amount of grain, but Allen did not know how long this war would last, or rather, whether the Northern Men living in the eastern region of Rhovanion would be able to return to their pre-war state after the Easterlings had finished their rampage; Allen had no confidence, so he had to make more preparations.

Allen even predicted that once the Easterlings launched their full-scale offensive, a large number of Northern Men would certainly flee to the western part of Mirkwood for refuge, as the descendants of the former Kingdom of Rhovanion had done in the past.

By then, Allen would also need a large amount of grain to settle them.

In fact, Red River Town was already prepared for migration at this time, and ships and carriages had begun to depart one after another, heading along the Running River in the direction of Mirkwood Road.

Holimion, meanwhile, had returned a day ago, bringing with him two fellows with ugly appearances.