Chapter 192: On the Road

The Pelennor Fields surrounding Minas Tirith have a main road connecting most of the fiefdoms of the Kingdom of Gondor, which the surrounding inhabitants call the South Road.

Its surface is very wide and paved with thick stone slabs, which can greatly increase the travel speed of passersby and armies.

On the eastern side of the road, there is a stretch of emerald green grass running parallel to it; this is a place for horses and cavalry to gallop quickly.

Even with the protection of horseshoes, even if horses gallop wildly on the stone road, that is not a good thing for either the horses or the road.

Many small paths crisscross the entire plain, connecting numerous farms, orchards, and fields to the South Road.

It is currently the transition between spring and summer, and a large number of Gondor residents are farming on both sides of the road; there are also some merchants or farm owners driving carriages to transport stored grain to surrounding markets for sale.

The furthest point the South Road can reach is the Hill of Erech, further west of Lamedon.

On the top of that hill, a huge spherical black stone is half-buried, known as the Stone of Erech, which is the black stone that served as a witness when the King of the Mountains swore allegiance to Isildur.

After the South Road passes through the beautiful and fertile valley of Lossarnach, it arrives at the river closest to the north in the Lebennin region, the Erui.

This is the shortest river within Gondor, and also the one with the fastest current, and it has also witnessed the moment of the decline of the Kingdom of Gondor.

Because that bloody civil war that swept across the entire territory of Gondor came to an end at the shallows of this river.

At this moment, an army mixed with Humans, Elves, and Dwarves is resting briefly near this place.

This is naturally the reinforcements led by Allen and Cirdan.

The river water flowing down from the White Mountains can replenish the moisture consumed by the troops.

And there is a large plain with lush water and grass nearby, which is just right for the horses in the team to have a full meal.

Not far from the road, there are even some orchards and farms, and the orchards even come with wine cellars.

This is a very suitable place for an army to rest briefly.

Although the result of the discussion at the meeting in the Gondor Royal City was to wait for the fleet from the Grey Havens, that was only to slow down the plan to attack the enemy.

This does not mean that this reinforcement from the north has to stay in Minas Tirith for a long time.

For the current war, this is a very wasteful act.

This cavalry unit of several thousand people rested in Minas Tirith for only one night and set off from the majestic White City on the morning of the second day.

Allen does not know how Cirdan obtained the news, but the Elven troops will head to Belfalas to rendezvous with the Elven fleet that has already arrived there.

And Allen decided to take his cavalry to Lebennin to cooperate with the Elven fleet to drive away the pirates ravaging there.

As for those drifting on the sea, he would leave it to the fleet under Cirdan, and for those who had already stepped onto the shore, Allen decided to do it himself.

At this time, the Dúnedain, because Aragorn was serving by Allen's side, had also all fallen under Allen's command.

This allowed the strength Allen could command to be greatly increased.

And this place where the team is resting is about eighty kilometers away from Minas Tirith, and the time has already reached noon that day.

In fact, after resting here for a while, Allen and Cirdan were prepared to lead the team to leave here, cross the shallows in front of them, and find a suitable place to camp and rest before nightfall.

Because more than a hundred kilometers further ahead is Pelargir, one of the battlefields where the fighting between Mordor and Gondor is most intense.

In the surrounding area, there are also reconnaissance forces of the White City responsible for collecting intelligence nearby.

And after crossing this river, it might not be as safe as it is now.

For this reason, Allen and Cirdan also need their soldiers to maintain a fairly good mental state at all times to deal with crises that may come at any time.

After all, on the battlefield, the situation changes in an instant; no one knows what will happen in the next moment, so being cautious is always good.

At this moment, Allen is solemnly telling the children around him about the kin-strife that once happened here.

He feels that such a tragic thing is worth being vigilant about for any force.

And Cirdan is standing on the bank of the Erui, seemingly listening to something, the expression on his face gradually becoming grave.

And just at this moment, Legolas's voice came from a nearby hill: "Someone is coming from the south, there are five cavalrymen, their state is very poor, their armor is incomplete, the horses are tired and the men are weary. No, there are Wargs behind them!?"

The vision of Elves is really much stronger than that of Humans.

Not only can they see clearly in dim environments, but they can also see the situation more than ten kilometers away from a high place.

And among the Elves, Legolas's eyesight is particularly outstanding.

And hearing the Elf's shout, Aragorn blew his whistle at the first moment, called his mount, mounted his horse, and followed the departing Legolas.

This young man's performance all the way here has already made Allen recognize his ability; at the very least, when facing small-scale enemies, Aragorn is fully capable of protecting himself.

Following the two in action is a small team composed of dozens of Dúnedain and Woodland Elves; they bear the responsibility of protection on their shoulders.

Naturally, they cannot watch their chieftain and Prince rush toward danger in the distance as a pair.

Besides this, also following along were Cress and Grim, who left quickly with Allen's tacit approval.

Since the incident of being hunted down, the performance of the two has been quite good; without orders, they almost never leave Allen's side.

Since the enemy's figure has appeared ahead, letting Cress go to scout is also fine.

Originally, Allen himself also wanted to go see what happened, but Cirdan stopped him.

The voice of this Elven King rang in Allen's brain, telling Allen some urgent news.

The team's short rest ended here, and everyone began to prepare for a long journey.

After all, the distance from here to Pelargir is at least one hundred and twenty kilometers; if they are fast enough, perhaps they can arrive there before the city falls.

The one who passed the news to Cirdan was actually his friend of over ten thousand years, the Maia Uinen.

This is a female Ainur who serves the Lord of the Waters, the Master of All Waters, and has an excellent relationship with the Teleri among the Elven race, especially the Falathrim who reached Valinor and the people of the Falas who live by the sea.

Due to the command of the Valar, the Maia Uinen cannot directly participate in the war in Middle-earth, but those who sailed south this time were all the Falathrim she loved, so she followed all the way and witnessed the tragedy that happened near Pelargir with her own eyes.

It is a pity that she cannot take action and cannot make any attacks on Angmar, who is running rampant on the water; she could only inform Cirdan, who brought troops here, of the specific news through the singing transmitted in the water flow.

From another perspective, Uinen was also glad that it was she herself who came here.

If it were her husband Ossë, that Maia with a grumpy temper would very likely stir up a storm to sanction those enemies full of evil, but that would undoubtedly arouse the dissatisfaction of the Valar, which is an unwise act.

The news Allen received was naturally also the news that Pelargir had been besieged, and the news was not just that.

Because the troops stationed outside the city by the Prince of Dol Amroth sacrificed at least more than half of their strength when breaking out of the encirclement.

And the most elite cavalry unit also followed Aradhir north, preparing to go to Minas Tirith to seek reinforcements.

This left the Humans forces that had retreated into Pelargir with no remaining strength to sally out of the city and fight the enemy.

With no one to check them, the Orcish army immediately began a cruel and vicious looting of the Gondor residents living in the surrounding area, not only seizing supplies but also enslaving innocent residents to serve them and build those siege engines used for attacking the city.

If nothing unexpected happens, the Orcish army's attack on Pelargir will likely begin in the latter half of tonight or tomorrow evening.

Facing this sudden, drastic change, Allen naturally could not stand by and watch Pelargir be seized by the enemy, as that would allow the pirate Ships to drive straight along the Anduin River and enter Osgiliath.

Then, with the help of a large number of vessels, the Harad people there would naturally be able to fully exert their numerical advantage.

Allen did not want to fight a defense of the White City against the enemy on the Pelennor Fields; that would be far too passive.

Soon, the troops once again set foot on the wide South Road, rushing all the way toward Pelargir.

It was just that their pace of travel felt a few degrees more hurried than before.

After walking for several miles, Allen saw the group returning safe and sound.

Judging by the blood on their weapons, the Warg that had been chasing its prey should have already died by the side of the road.

Besides that, they had also rescued the five Cavalry who were fleeing for their lives, and on Aragorn's horse, he was even carrying a young man who had fallen unconscious.

His appearance was extremely haggard, and even in his unconscious state, the expression on his face revealed a sense of anxiety and unease.

Aragorn, who rode to Allen's side, told Allen everything he had seen, point by point.

It was nothing more than a small pack of ferocious Warg hunting down these five Knights who were exhausted to the extreme.

And as Legolas and Aragorn arrived with their subordinates, that pack of Warg either died under spears in their haste or died from the arrows of the Elf while fleeing.

The five men, who had been running for their lives, did not even have time to be surprised upon seeing the Elf; after shouting the news that "Pelargir is in danger," most of them passed out.

Only one person had a brief conversation with Aragorn after he dismounted.

As for the horses they were riding, due to the long-distance sprint, they had collapsed and died by the side of the road as soon as they stopped.

Although the distance from Pelargir to here was only a little over one hundred kilometers, under the entanglement of the Warg, this team of Knights could not have galloped all the way along the South Road.

After constant doubling back, fighting the enemy, and sending men to cover the rear, they finally managed to reach the vicinity of the Erui, and the distance they had run was impossible to calculate.

In Allen's view, this was within reason, because he had already received corresponding news from Cirdan that the Witch-king of Angmar was definitely not a person to be trifled with.

It was just that the elite Knights of the House of Dol Amroth were now reduced to only five, which made Allen sigh with emotion.

However, from Aragorn's final words, a piece of news was revealed that even surprised Allen: the young man being carried was actually the twenty-first Prince of Dol Amroth.

Allen certainly knew that Adrahil, who was not yet thirty years old, had not yet inherited the title of Prince at this time.

But it was very clear that Angalimir had entrusted the heavy responsibility of seeking aid to his own son, while also seeking a glimmer of survival for him; if the reinforcements were not successful, the defenders of Pelargir would all be on a path to death.

The seemingly dangerous mission of seeking aid was actually the most hopeful path to survival.

Allen did not provide medical treatment to the five unconscious men; they had only been running for the better part of a day and had fought several skirmishes with the enemies who had entangled them.

Their current unconsciousness was nothing more than exhaustion; after drinking some water and resting on horseback, they would recover soon.

Legolas, who had approached at this time, said to Allen: "That young Human seems to have the bloodline of the Elf."

Allen nodded and responded to Legolas's doubt: "Yes, because that young man is the direct heir of the House of Dol Amroth and the only son of Angalimir; his Elf bloodline comes from the companion of Nimrodel—yes, the very love story you told Aragorn about."

Legolas nodded with a look of realization, and at this moment, the unconscious Adrahil woke up.

According to the customs of the Numenoreans, Adrahil at this time was actually still an out-and-out young man; at thirty, he had actually just gotten married.

Realizing that he was restrained on horseback, Adrahil's reaction was somewhat intense; Aragorn, suddenly encountering this accident, had to calm the horse he was riding while also holding tight to the tall young man in front of him, and for a moment, he was actually somewhat flustered.

After all, he was only a fifteen-year-old child.

It was no wonder Adrahil was like this; he vaguely remembered that before he lost consciousness, there was a young man radiating Radiance who was taking care of him, listening to his request, and soothing his emotions.

At the same time, this young man told him that an elite Cavalry unit had already set foot on the road to Pelargir, and with his mind thus eased, Adrahil could no longer hold on and fell directly into unconsciousness.

"Young man, please calm down. The troop is currently on the move; if a disturbance arises because of you, it would not be a beautiful thing after all."

A voice full of majesty and a sense of security calmed Adrahil, making him stop struggling.

Soon, Allen arranged a sturdy gray horse for Adrahil, and after a brief self-introduction, Allen also learned some news about the enemy from this young man's mouth.

This made him communicate with Cirdan again and quicken the pace of the march.

The enemy's strength must have been increasing all along; the faster they arrived, the better.