Chapter 13: After the Battle

From start to finish, excluding the time the Orcish spent marching, this battle actually only lasted about half an hour. The Orcish forces collapsed quite quickly, and over a thousand corpses were strewn from Allen's camp all the way to the edge of the forest on the other side of the river.

Allen's side also paid a heavy price; his men suffered heavy casualties as well. The number of wounded reached nearly a hundred, and twenty-three died. Eighteen of them were Rhodok Skilled Spearman who bore the brunt of the defense and faced the most frantic attacks. The other five were Rhodok Crossbowman and Skilled Crossbowman who were struck down by arrows while on the walls; there was no time to save them.

Of course, it was not without good news. The wounded soldiers would recover quickly under James's care. In his conversations with James, Allen learned that their rate of recovery far exceeded that of the real world. Allen once suspected that the party skills from the game—Surgery, First Aid, and Wound Treatment—were clearly manifested in his army. Allen could not delve into it too deeply; he believed this might be one of the cheats from his predecessor.

With such a disparity in military strength, achieving such a casualty ratio would be a cause for celebration in any world. Yet, Allen did not feel happy. At this moment, looking at the twenty-three young corpses neatly arranged on the ground, his heart felt incomparably heavy.

Allen felt that these people died for his sake. If he hadn't summoned them, they might have lived perfectly well in Serenmis instead of dying in another world, unable to even have their remains returned to their homeland.

Allen also understood the principle that a benevolent man should not command an army. This plan was originally developed by him and Fatis together. The crossbowmen needed enough space to fire, and before the heavy Cavalry charged or the enemy was burned, someone needed to attract the attention of the majority of the enemies and then gather them together.

Even without discussing that, if there hadn't been a decoy, it would have been impossible for Allen's force of less than two hundred to fully defend a wall nearly two hundred meters long but only 2 meters high. If the enemy had broken into the camp and opened the gates, and a large number of Orcish had swarmed in, the consequences would have been something Allen could not have borne.

Allen understood all the logic and knew that these people died for a worthy cause; without them, perhaps even more people would have died. But this could not stop the sorrow welling up in Allen's heart, much like how he knew his parents said they did things for his own good when he was in his twenties, yet he still felt very unhappy about it.

Allen just stood there in front of these twenty-three corpses, lost in thought. At this time, Yamila, who had been pursuing the enemy, returned to the camp. She recognized the dazed Allen from afar. After dismounting, she walked behind Allen and, without saying anything, gently hugged him from behind before leaving; she still had a lot of work to do that evening.

Karl, who had just finished arranging all the work, also came to Allen's side at this time. Experienced and shrewd, he saw Allen's state at a glance, but he was puzzled: why would this young leader, who seemed to be a veteran of war, be so saddened by these fallen warriors? This was extremely rare, or perhaps even unique, in his life.

"My Lord, we need to bury them. Where do you think would be appropriate?"

Karl knew that this matter should be decided by this grieving young leader.

Allen thought for a moment and said, "Bury them next to the plot of land where I plan to build the Lord's Longhouse. Erect a tombstone for them and carve their names on it—Yamila should have them—and then write..."

After pondering for a while, Allen continued, "Just write: They were loyal soldiers in life, brave warriors, and men who were willing to sacrifice their lives for their families. Their sacrifice is noble, far more sublime than the value of life itself. Future generations will forever remember them and honor them. Sign it with my name."

"Very well, my Lord. I understand. I will go and prepare it immediately."

Karl nodded and turned to leave.

"Karl."

Allen called out to Karl, who was about to leave.

Karl turned back and replied, "My Lord, is there anything else you need to instruct?"

Allen's voice was thick with nasal congestion at this moment: "Take good care of their families, if they have any."

"I know, my Lord. You do not need to worry about that."

Having said this, Karl performed a chest-salute to Allen and left.

Allen took a deep breath, then found a random spot, leaned against it, and fell asleep. He was too tired, both physically and mentally.

Allen was asleep, but the cleanup work in the camp continued for a long time. It wasn't until dawn that most of the work was completed. At this time, the camp had completely fallen into silence, occasionally broken by the painful groans of the wounded, but this did not affect everyone's rest.

By the time Allen woke up again, it was already the afternoon of the next day. He stretched his body significantly, easing the soreness caused by sleeping in armor. He felt much better mentally, and he even had the heart to mock himself, muttering: I really am just an ordinary person who cannot see through life and death; how will I lead these people to survive in the future? Then he touched his stomach—yes, he was hungry.

Just as Allen had finished washing up and was wandering around looking for something to eat to fill his stomach, Duosili brought a strange man. His name was Aota, and he was said to be the leader of the Woodland Resident living nearby. They brought gifts and said they had something they wanted to request an audience with Allen for.

Allen was a bit unfamiliar with the term "request an audience," but then he smiled in realization. He should count as someone with a bit of status now; after all, even the Eagle King had acknowledged his status as a leader.

Allen, who hadn't found any food, readily agreed to Aota's request, found a random place to sit down, and waited for the meeting with Aota.

In fact, last night's battle did not just attract the attention of the Great Eagle. The large-scale gathering of Orcish and the commotion they caused in the forest would inevitably alert the nearby Woodland Resident.

Nearly two thousand Orcish—even if these Woodland Resident joined forces, it would be enough to bring them disaster. They watched in fear as large groups of Orcish passed by their hidden living areas toward Allen's position.

Many villages sent their best hunters to track the footprints of the Orcish to see what they were actually going to do. Aota was one of them; he was both the leader of his village and the best hunter in their village.

Last night, Aota and the hunters from other villages witnessed this tragic battle with their own eyes. They watched Allen's subordinates rout nearly two thousand Orcish and pursue them all the way to the edge of the forest. They also saw with their own eyes the Great Eagle flying down from the Misty Mountains to help Allen and his men. They realized that a more impressive fellow had finally arrived in this area, and this fellow was a Human.

Aota did not come for anything else this time; he just wanted to find out what was going on with this new neighbor, whether he would pose a threat to their survival, whether they could establish diplomatic relations, or even whether he was willing to protect them.

Residents like Aota living in the Misty Mountains mostly settled on the east side of the Misty Mountains after the Battle of Moria. At that time, the Dwarf's fury burned out the Orcish from Gundabad to the Gladden Fields. They captured cities and strongholds, forcing the Orcish all the way to the gates of Moria in Dimrill Dale. The war ended with a pyrrhic victory for the Dwarf, and few Orcish remained in the Misty Mountains. At that time, many well-equipped and fierce-fighting Humans came here to settle and established many villages on the east side of the Misty Mountains.

But now, the pressure of survival in the Misty Mountains is increasing. It is not that there are not enough resources in the forest for them to survive, but that the range of Orcish activities is getting larger and larger. News often reaches them that a certain Woodland Resident village has been found and destroyed by Orcish. The dead become rations for them and their Warg, and the living are enslaved by them, living miserable lives. Such tragedies have been happening constantly in recent years. Many residents spend their days in fear, thinking of leaving here and going to Mirkwood or the east side of Mirkwood to make a living. It is said that the area around the Running River there still maintains a certain order under the protection of the Elf.

However, if you want to leave here and go to the east side of Mirkwood, there are only two roads. One is to pass through the Old Forest Road in Mirkwood. This road was originally opened by the Dwarf during their prosperous period. After the decline of the Dwarf, it was patrolled and protected by the Elf. In recent years, the Elf have been constantly shrinking their defensive range, and the Old Forest Road is already in a semi-abandoned state. It is said that Orcish Wolf Rider are often active there.

The other road is to keep going north along Mirkwood, then pass through the River Valley, which is actually ruled by the evil dragon Smaug, and go to Long Lake Town to live. This is equally dangerous; being exposed in the Wilderness for a long time, no one knows when it will attract the attention of dark forces. Neither of these two roads is a good choice.

Of course, many people choose to cross the Anduin River and enter Mirkwood to live, but it is said that giant spiders have recently begun to appear there, constantly harassing Humans, so it is not safe there either.

Allen's arrival and this head-on confrontation with the Orcish gave these Woodland Resident another choice, which was to request Allen's protection like Duosili and the others. A powerful leader is enough to lead these scattered residents to live a stable life.

Before meeting Allen, Aota was nervous. He was not sure if this leader with great power would be willing to meet him. After receiving permission, he was surprised by Allen's young face. This was just a young man, sitting casually on a pile of wood, wearing a suit of armor that had not yet been cleaned. That armor, stained with black blood, told of the tragic battle its owner had experienced yesterday.

Allen looked with a smile at this first Woodland Resident to come to him. He knew that Humans lived in the surrounding area, and his head-on battle with the Orcish was also to tell the surrounding residents: I am very strong; if you want a stable life, you can choose to come and join me.

Aota and Allen, these two men with their own agendas, could be said to be moving toward each other, but in this process, they were both cautious. One was afraid that if he asked for protection right away, the other party would not accept; the other was afraid that if he said "I can protect you, come live here" right away, he would scare the other party off. So, this meeting was, in "my" view, very interesting.

Aota walked cautiously to Allen, first bowed and saluted, and then said, "Greetings, my Lord. I am Aota, who lives in a nearby village. Please forgive my intrusion. This is a small gift; it is not much, but please accept it."

As he spoke, he handed over a small jar of Honey. This was the only gift their village could offer.

Allen sat casually on the woodpile, signaled for Duosili to take the gift, smiled, pointed to the toolbox opposite him, and said, "Don't be so formal, sit down. What can I do for you?"

Aota thought for a moment before sitting on the toolbox opposite Allen, deliberating as he said, "My Lord, you must have just migrated here, right? I wonder if there is anything we can help with? Although our village does not have many people, we can still help with some things."

Aota did not dare to mention the battle last night. If he did, and the other party questioned, "Why didn't you help when you saw it?", it would be impossible to resolve. He also did not want to say right away, "My Lord, can you protect us?", because he did not understand the thoughts of the young man opposite him.

Allen's thoughts turned, and he understood Aota's meaning. He smiled and said, "Indeed, we have only recently migrated here. I have to say, this place is not very safe. On the first day we arrived, we wiped out a large group of Wolf Rider and saved Duosili and the others. We hadn't even had two days of peace when a large number of Orcish took advantage of the night to attack us. Fortunately, we still have some strength and managed to beat them back. Now, many places need to be built. If you could come and help, that would be great. However..."

At this point, Allen changed the subject, "As far as I know, the Orcish in the Misty Mountains are becoming more and more active. For the sake of safety, have you ever thought about moving to another place to live, for example, this River Valley? It would be more convenient for everyone to live together."

Allen's words were as good as a clear hint, and Aota clearly understood. He really did not expect things to go so smoothly.

Aota stood up with joy and said excitedly, "Yes, yes! My Lord is absolutely right. It would definitely be safer to live together. I will go back and discuss it with everyone immediately. It will be very soon, my Lord. I will take my leave now."

Having said that, he couldn't wait to leave.

"Wait a moment."

Allen called out to Aota and turned to Duosili, saying, "How can there be no return gift when a friend comes to visit? Go and prepare a few barrels of beer for Aota to take back."

After receiving the gift, Aota expressed his gratitude to Allen and left eagerly with his people. He had a lot of work waiting for him when he got back; there was just too much to do when moving.

Watching Aota leave, Allen knew that his plan had begun to take effect. More and more people would be willing to come and join him later. His mood gradually became cheerful, and he hummed a song as he got up to continue looking for food.

The people from Aota's village did not arrive at Allen's place until near dusk. There were more than twenty households, with over thirty young and strong men—all of them hunters who knew how to use bows and arrows—as well as their families, over seventy old and young. To show his welcome, Allen went to the vicinity of Carrock to meet them in person.

In the evening, Allen bought a large amount of wine and food and held a banquet that could be called luxurious to celebrate the victory of the previous night and to welcome the arrival of the hundred or so people from Aota's village.

Everyone attended. Allen even prepared a clean space on Carrock and left a lot of fresh beef and mutton to entertain the Great Eagle. Allen did not know if they would come, but he felt that the banquet should not be without them. The banquet lasted until the second half of the night, when many Great Eagle landed on Carrock to enjoy the gifts Allen had prepared for them. Everyone had a great time at the banquet, which even temporarily diluted the sorrow brought to everyone by the war.

And the Great Eagle who came to the banquet also brought news from the Misty Mountains: there was no large-scale gathering of Orcish in the mountains, and there was even a phenomenon of infighting among the Orcish. Allen felt this was good news; at the very least, there would be no threat of war in the short term.