Chapter 197: Pelargir

Pelargir, bathed in the morning light, gradually awakened; the people here had constructed an extremely vast harbor near the riverbank.

A large number of small sailboats sped across the wide river channel, their white sails, puffed up by the wind, shining brilliantly under the sunlight.

Inside the harbor, however, twenty or thirty large ships were docked, and some sailors were busy in the morning light, either scrubbing the decks or repairing the sails.

A long wooden bridge extended from the urban area of Pelargir, crossing the wide river surface all the way to the opposite bank of the Anduin River.

This bridge was the key point connecting the North-South Road to the Harad Road, and it had always been tightly held in the hands of Gondor.

Previously, to prevent enemy attacks, the middle section of this bridge had been hoisted high; while facilitating the passage of ships, it also shattered the hopes of the enemy on the opposite bank of crossing the river.

At this moment, Allen, who had not long woken up, stared blankly at the bridge before him.

A bold and crazy idea lingered in his mind.

"Perhaps there is no need to rely on ships at all; as long as we pass through here and then ride for a day, we can directly launch an attack on the Haradrim stationed at Osgiliath."

However, this idea still had many immature aspects; for instance, Allen was not clear about the situation on the opposite bank, and Cress's companions were very resistant to approaching the Emyn Arnen shrouded in dark clouds.

For Allen, this was a very thorny problem; now, to obtain intelligence on Ithilien, it was necessary to dispatch an elite intelligence squad.

But Allen also thought of another method; he had just dispatched a messenger squad to Minas Tirith, hoping that the Steward of Gondor could send him an Ithilien Rangers unit as soon as possible.

The Rangers were a special force that fought guerrilla warfare in Emyn Arnen, and they should be very familiar with the terrain.

And his own plan to raid Osgiliath would certainly make use of this unit.

Another problem that worried Allen was whether Minas Mogu'er still had sufficient troops to send an army to intercept his and Cirdan's forces.

After all, leading cavalry to run on the land of Ithilien was in no way as sudden as relying on ships.

If they were entangled by the enemy under the dark clouds, it would by no means be a good thing for Allen and Cirdan.

Just as Allen was thinking about the next step of the plan.

Young Adrahil arrived nearby; he was representing his father to invite Allen to attend the post-war meeting in Pelargir.

Yes, Allen, who had returned to Pelargir last night, had immediately treated Prince Angalimir, who had been wounded by Angmar.

The Prince, already over eighty years old, had been wounded by Angmar for a full day, which had caused the old man's Black Shadow Disease to become critical.

Although Allen was able to save him from the darkness, it was not an easy task.

After all, he did not have Athelas on hand, nor did he know how to use this herb.

As for young Aragorn, he had not yet learned the knowledge in this regard.

Therefore, after saving Angalimir, Allen was also exhausted to the point of collapse.

Ignoring Adrahil's profuse thanks, Allen, led by an Attendant, soon fell asleep in a guest room next to the harbor.

And this morning, Allen was actually woken up by the chirping of birds; opening his eyes, he was immediately attracted by the scenery outside the window, and subsequently came to the riverbank.

Aragorn's room was actually not far from Allen's, and upon seeing Allen come out, he stood guard to one side.

At this time, he reached out to stop Adrahil and said softly, "Lord Allen is thinking; if there is anything, you can wait a while before speaking."

This voice naturally startled Allen, who had keen senses; he turned around to look at the two young men before him and said with a smile, "Is there something the matter?"

Facing Allen's inquiry, Adrahil hurriedly replied respectfully:

"Good morning, respected Lord Allen; once again, thank you for extending a helping hand to my father. He has woken up and invites you to attend this post-war meeting."

Hearing this news, Allen nodded, though he could not help but think in his heart.

"This old gentleman, who is already over eighty, has just been freed from pain and is immediately going to convene a post-war meeting; this style of doing things is truly too swift and decisive."

However, these words certainly could not be spoken out loud; after all, commenting on his father in front of Adrahil was a very impolite act.

But appropriate praise should be acceptable.

"His Highness the Prince is so dutiful; he is worthy of being called an excellent general. I have noted the meeting; after I prepare myself, I can set off."

As he spoke, Allen returned to his room; he was only wearing pajamas when he came out, so he could not go to the meeting like this, could he?

Before long, Allen, having changed into suitable clothing, came out and, accompanied by Adrahil and bringing Aragorn along, walked toward the City Lord's Mansion of Pelargir.

Walking on the wide road paved with stone slabs, Allen casually observed the situation of this town.

Compared to the streets of Minas Tirith that wound upward layer upon layer, the style of Pelargir was closer to that of an ordinary town.

A semicircular stone city wall enclosed most of the urban area, and wide streets divided the urban area into blocks.

Most of the buildings in the urban area were no more than two stories high; they were built of irregular stones or fired bricks, and the surfaces of the walls were generally coated with a layer of white paint.

The architectural style of the Númenóreans seemed to be very fond of white.

The wooden windows opened in the walls were mostly inlaid with colorful glass; the transparent glass that was relatively popular in the Shire was not often seen.

As for the pointed roofs, they were covered with pieces of red tiles, which emitted a dazzling light under the sunlight.

Although it had just experienced a war, there was not much of a sorrowful atmosphere on the streets; most of the residents were hurrying along, rushing to their places of work.

In the battle last night, the Orcish Catapult had caused serious damage to the southern district of Pelargir, not to mention that some evil and cruel Uruk had taken the opportunity to rush into the city.

The losses caused by that great fire were also immeasurable.

Therefore, under the call of the City Lord's Mansion, most of the residents' subsequent work would likely be related to repairing the urban area.

However, there were also some residents who made a living by selling goods who appeared early on both sides of the street, providing the residents in the city with the necessary supplies for life.

The stone-paved streets were wide enough that these peddlers pushing small carts or carrying shoulder poles did not take up too much space.

At this moment, smelling the aroma of food, Allen stopped in front of a steaming breakfast stall; he had just remembered that he seemed not to have eaten breakfast yet.

No, it should be said that since yesterday noon, Allen had not eaten anything.

It was not that the official responsible for entertaining the guests did not even prepare a sumptuous meal for Allen.

It was just that after the war, there were too many things for everyone to be responsible for, and they were too busy to attend to it.

And Allen himself had been busy all the time, and in the end, he was so tired that he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, not even managing to eat the midnight snack that had been prepared.

Now that he was hungry, this could not be blamed on others.

Now, located before Allen's eyes was a long wooden table, on which were arranged the food the owner had prepared in advance.

Such as sandwiches with various side dishes, pies with various fillings, and various breads spread with butter.

Beside them, on the stove, a pot of iron was warming, emitting white steam; inside, a thick, white fish soup was rolling.

Waves of fresh, savory aroma were constantly drilling into Allen's nostrils at this moment.

"Noble guest, what would you like to order?"

This vendor, with a face full of smiles, had been busy in the inner city all last night, so he did not recognize Allen's identity at this moment.

But this did not prevent him from seeing that Allen's status was extraordinary, because he still recognized Adrahil, who was leading the way ahead.

After a moment of internal struggle, Allen felt that filling his stomach was more important.

Forget about the king's face or the lord's etiquette for now.

Who knew how long the upcoming meeting would last? Was he supposed to stay hungry until noon?

Thinking of this, Allen casually picked up two sandwiches from the table in front of him and handed them to the two young men beside him.

"Here, take these."

After Aragorn and Adrahil blankly took the sandwiches, Allen took two more for himself.

Hmm, famished as he was, even two might not be enough.

Having done all this, Allen did not ask for the price; he tossed down a small silver coin and left with Aragorn and Adrahil.

In Bree, a sturdy pony only cost four silver coins; the silver coin Allen threw should have been more than enough to pay for four sandwiches.

As for the change the vendor offered, Allen waved his hand to indicate it wasn't necessary after taking a ravenous bite of the sandwich in his hand.

Just consider it a tip.

The guest room where Allen stayed was located in a relatively affluent area within the city.

Most residents with decent skills lived in this place, and they were considered relatively wealthy.

Due to the different clientele, the price of the sandwich prepared by the vendor was not cheap, but the ingredients were very substantial.

On the outside were two large slices of soft, slightly sweet white bread, and inside were fried eggs and bacon, along with large chunks of ham and shredded chicken.

So it was very satisfying to eat, and after swallowing it, it could immediately soothe a restless stomach.

Besides meat, there were several green leaves in the sandwich; their crisp texture was somewhat similar to lettuce, but the juices were much richer.

And the pickled gherkins also provided this sandwich with a flavor beyond the sauce.

This made Allen, who had been relying on dry rations and broth along the way, very satisfied.

At this time, Allen was already calculating in his heart to give his soldiers rotating leave, then distribute some money, and let them stroll around Pelargir to relax their moods.

As long as they didn't cause trouble, Allen didn't mind spending some money.

Moreover, the Elessian Commando that Allen needed would also take a few days to reach Pelargir, so there was still plenty of time.

Without a guide, Allen did not intend to take his soldiers to that dangerous area on the other side of the river.

"Clang," "Clang," "Clang".....

When the bell rang for the first time, the time had already reached eight o'clock in the morning, and the City Hall of Pelargir was already close at hand.

This was a building constructed entirely of white marble, with an arched bell tower on the roof, inside which hung a large bell made of brass.

All around were exquisitely sculpted stone pillars stabilizing the entire building, and between the stone pillars were statues of Humans.

Outside the main gate of the City Hall, an exquisite fountain was spraying water, and a faint rainbow was looming in the mist.

Under the guidance of Adrahil, Allen crossed the fountain, stepped onto the marble stairs, and entered the City Hall.

Some people were already seated in the conference room, such as the lords of Gondor from various places, as well as Cirdan and Lindir, who had arrived a step before Allen.

As for Legolas and Fili, they had been given leave by Allen to wander around the city of Humans more.

For the two who did not go out often, seeing more of the outside world was more beneficial than staying in the conference room.

With the arrival of the Prince of Dol Amroth, the meeting began.

Angalimir, who had just recovered from illness, did not look particularly good, but his eyes were very bright, and his voice was loud and full of majesty; one could say his mental state was very good.

And the initial topic actually had no great relation to Allen and Cirdan.

Angalimir hoped that the two units from the Ringlo Vale and the Blackroot Vale could remain in Pelargir to strengthen the defense here.

During the raid by Angmar, the soldiers of Dol Amroth suffered very serious losses; those who died directly accounted for about thirty percent, and the proportion of injured was no lower.

This unit had fought until now and was already crippled, lacking organized combat effectiveness, and had lost the ability to coordinate with town defense in future battles.

And for those injured soldiers to recover, it would be impossible without half a year or a year.

Therefore, Angalimir put forward this suggestion.

However, "Eagle-Eye" Du De and "Generous" Drake did not agree with the Prince's proposal at the beginning.

Because they responded to the call of the Steward of Gondor, and what they truly obeyed was the royal power of Gondor.

Where to go and what to do needed to be decided by Turgon, who was acting as the ruler of Gondor, not by a single meeting to decide the stay or departure of the army.

Even if this suggestion could be said to be very appropriate for the current situation, they could not do so; this was a provocation to royal power.

The Prince of Dol Amroth certainly understood this principle, but he also had his own thoughts.

The armies of Allen and Cirdan would naturally not stay here for too long; they had their own missions.

However, the pirates of Umbar were still eyeing Pelargir covetously, and it was difficult to hold this town with the current defensive strength alone.

After a long dispute, they finally reached a decision: Angalimir would send his son, Adrahil, to Minas Tirith to obtain an appointment from Turgon.

And before that, "Eagle-Eye" Du De and "Generous" Drake needed to lead their teams to repair the camp that had once been occupied by the Orcish.

As for Antonius and the militia recruited locally in Lebennin, they needed to return to the western region as soon as possible to continue guarding against the harassment of pirates there.

After this matter, the Prince of Dol Amroth, as the highest-ranking Gondor noble in Pelargir, personally thanked Allen and Cirdan for this rescue.

At the same time, he prepared a long list as a gift of thanks, from weapons and armor to gold, silver, and jewelry, and even horses and ships were written on it; it could be said to be full of sincerity.

Finally, Angalimir also requested Allen to treat some of the soldiers in the infirmary, because many soldiers there had developed symptoms of the Black Shadow Disease.

Although not as serious as Angalimir's, the condition was not improving, which required Allen's help.

And after Allen agreed, he also took the opportunity to propose the request that his soldiers be allowed to rest in the city, a point which Berilach, who was sitting on the side, agreed to.

And at the end of the meeting, Cirdan proposed a suggestion that greatly surprised everyone present.

That was the hope that the Ships of Pelargir could all be deployed once repairs were completed.