Chapter 34: Allen's Three Legions, and Departure

During these days, Allen was caught in unprecedented busyness.

Because the road between Wilderness Town and Horse Pasture Village had not yet been cleared, Yamila was temporarily unable to take over the affairs of Horse Pasture Village.

She also did not have enough time and energy to handle these matters; after all, building a new village and managing a village were two different things.

Allen had to personally command his subordinates, mobilizing various supplies and manpower, and working with the now-rejuvenated Artimenner to carry out construction work at Horse Pasture Village.

These tasks were not difficult for Allen, but they were overly tedious.

Many small matters required Allen to make the final decision, which kept him firmly tied to his tent.

However, with Allen's full cooperation and the tireless labor of thousands of people, the speed of the village's construction was much faster than that of Wilderness Village.

Finally, on the first day of the year 2941 of the Third Age, the construction of Horse Pasture Village came to an end.

Allen had previously designated this day as the New Year; as long as there were no emergencies, he would fund a banquet for everyone on this day every year, where everyone could drink to their heart's content and enjoy themselves.

In fact, during this period, Allen, who sat in his tent every day, did not just complete this one task.

He had reorganized his troops, preparing to form them into an army with a complete configuration of infantry, archers, and cavalry.

Previously, Allen was not wealthy in Dinar, nor did he have enough weapons and equipment to arm his Conscripts in organized units.

Now he could; Allen was much wealthier, possessing over 200,000 Dinar, sufficient manpower and horses, and he had also purchased a batch of military equipment from the Woodland Realm, which was enough to form several different legions.

To this end, Allen convened a military meeting; the attendees included Fatis, Bandak, Alayen, Holimion, Desaiwei, and Yamila—there was no help for it, the army had to eat, after all.

At the meeting, after discussing with the others, Allen decided to refer to the Rhodok military system, using military structures such as ten-man squads, hundred-man battalions, and legions.

But unlike the Rhodok, here in Allen's force, a ten-man squad included the Captain, and the same applied to the hundred-man battalion.

The Legion Commander had authority over all battalion commanders and was provided with a personal guard unit of up to 20 people to assist them in managing the army.

Of course, the vast majority of the warriors who made up these armies were still Conscripts who farmed during leisure time and wore armor during wartime.

The personal guards, squad leaders, battalion commanders, and the Legion Commander would receive an extra, decent salary as compensation for the daily management duties they were required to perform.

If they were already professional soldiers before, they would receive two salaries.

After deciding on the basic management regulations, Allen began to appoint the commanders for each legion.

Fatis would serve as the commander of the Cavalry Legion.

All the cavalry in Allen's hands barely formed four hundred-man battalions, mostly composed of Kujit and a small number of surrendered captives.

The officers among them were mostly served by Swadian Knight and Khergit Lancer.

Allen spent tens of thousands of Dinar to replenish their equipment, rounding out their weapons and Leather Armor.

Fatis's personal guard unit was composed of Swadian captives that Allen had brought back several years ago.

After years of labor reform, they had successfully become Allen's subjects, and since Fatis was their fellow countryman and had taken good care of them, this arrangement came about naturally.

Allen also handed over Dain's gift—the ten sets of Human armor and ten Dwarf Longsword—to Fatis, letting him handle them as he saw fit.

Alayen, who was previously the Captain of the Personal Guard, was arranged by Allen to be the commander of the Infantry Legion.

Using all the resources at his disposal, Allen formed a 600-man melee force, mainly composed of Rhodok soldiers and Woodland Resident.

This included one hundred heavy infantrymen wearing chain mail, holding Great Shield, and wielding melee weapons.

There were also five hundred light infantrymen wearing Leather Armor and holding Elven Spear; since they were mostly composed of Woodland Resident, they also carried their own bows and arrows.

The infantry officers were mainly composed of those Rhodok soldiers, not because their combat effectiveness was much higher than that of the Woodland Resident.

It was because they had participated in the military training of the Rhodok Kingdom and had a certain amount of experience in organizing troops.

The equipment for these soldiers almost emptied most of Allen's savings, especially the one hundred heavy infantrymen clad in Iron Armor, which cost Allen over a hundred thousand Dinar.

Finally, Allen also assigned ten Nord Royal Guard to Alayen as his personal guards, so that this young man wouldn't get carried away and charge too far forward during battle without anyone to protect him.

Allen believed that Alayen should be capable of this job.

There was no need to worry about this young man's loyalty; he himself was a descendant of nobility and had received a complete aristocratic education.

Having followed him through many battles, big and small, over these years, he had a certain amount of experience.

He needed an opportunity to prove himself, and Allen was willing to give it to him; Alayen accepted it with great excitement.

Moreover, Alayen would have Bandak to assist him, because Bandak would command a 400-man Ranged Legion.

They were mainly composed of Rhodok Crossbowman and Woodland Resident, including one hundred crossbowmen and three hundred archers using Elven Longbow.

Their officers were mainly served by Allen's former personal guards and Rhodok Sharpshooter.

Infantry and archers usually fought in coordination, so Bandak would also operate alongside Alayen, and they could discuss any issues that arose.

After all, Bandak had at least decades of military life and was very experienced.

As for Allen's personal guard unit, it was subsequently composed of Holimion and Noldor Twilight Knight; they could be considered the most powerful force in Allen's hands.

And they would follow Allen to the most dangerous places on the battlefield.

Finally, Desaiwei would become the Scout Captain, leading those dozens of Khuzaid Horse Archer to complete daily reconnaissance work, which also freed up the Swadian Knight, as their primary duty was to be shock cavalry.

These three legions were the majority of the assets Allen had accumulated in the four or five years since arriving here, and they were also the source of his confidence in participating in the Battle of the Five Armies.

Of course, Allen still had some other forces, such as Beorn's clansmen, and several hundred reserve troops whose equipment was not particularly good, etc.; there was no need to mention these.

It is worth mentioning that because these troops were not regular units, they still had to participate in farming and construction work during normal times.

Allen's current requirement was for them to train once a week; these people had been fighting against Orcish for years, so they did not lack combat experience or courage, but rather coordination and an understanding of discipline.

After all, in Allen's impression, the Battle of the Five Armies would still take some time to begin.

If it followed the original work, it should be at least some time after Durin's Day (the general time should be around the end of October), which was this winter.

If it were the movie, the timeline was clearly messy; in any case, Allen would participate in the Dwarf expedition and would have to return eventually, so he was just making preparations now.

After finishing all this work, Allen waited for Gandalf to come and pick him up.

It should be very soon; whether in the original work or the movie, Gandalf met Thorin Oakenshield for the first time in March of this year.

Only then did the matter of Thorin's Company come about; the difference was that in the original work, it was a complete coincidence, and Thorin was the one who took the initiative to find Gandalf.

But in the movie, Allen speculated that Gandalf should have been waiting specifically for Thorin at the Prancing Pony to incite Thorin to complete this feat; this point had already been confirmed by Allen at the White Council last autumn.

Sure enough, Gandalf was not to be spoken of; only a few days after the New Year had passed, Gandalf arrived at Wilderness Town.

He looked travel-worn and weary, as if he had not had a proper rest for a very long time.

Faced with such an exhausted Gandalf, Allen treated him with great hospitality.

Even Gandalf, who did not have high demands for food and drink, still spoke highly of the Wine produced in Pander.

He even joked that he hoped Allen would prepare more for the journey ahead.

Faced with this small request from a good friend, Allen had no reason to refuse.

Subsequently, in the course of casual conversation with Gandalf, Allen learned about what had kept him busy these past few months.

It turned out that after the meeting, Gandalf had been traveling tirelessly all over Middle-earth; he had not only gone to Eriador to find the acting leader of the Dunedain Ranger at the time to discuss the matter of attacking Dol Guldur together.

Afterward, Gandalf had also gone alone to the Wilderland again, scouting around that ancient fortress, and had seen the Pale Orc Azog that Allen had spoken of.

This old man, running about on the land of Middle-earth without fear of hardship, was truly having a difficult time.

While chatting, Gandalf also prepared to describe his plan briefly to Allen.

"We must set out within these few days; I have received news from a friend I can trust that Thorin Oakenshield, son of Thrain, is appearing in Dunland."

Speaking of this, Gandalf remembered that he had once planned to take Allen there, and smiled on his face.

He continued: "It is obvious that it is not just I who received the news that Thrain was appearing in Dunland; Thorin is also there searching for traces of his father, but I think he will likely return empty-handed."

Allen of course knew that Thorin Oakenshield would return empty-handed, because Thrain II was still suffering in the dungeons of Dol Guldur at this time.

However, one point that Allen had to admire was that Thrain II was actually nearly three hundred years old at this time.

Even for a Dwarf of Durin's Line, who might have a longer lifespan than ordinary Dwarfs, this was a truly remarkable will to survive.

If this plan to attack Dol Guldur went relatively smoothly, the words that Thrain II wanted to say to his son should be something he could tell Thorin Oakenshield in person.

"After Thorin finishes his investigation in Dunland, he will inevitably return to his territory in the Blue Mountains. If we hurry our departure, we can wait for him in Bree of the Shire."

Speaking of this, Gandalf pondered for a moment and continued:

"Hmm, if he wants to take an easy path, that is a place he must pass through; otherwise, we will have to go to the Blue Mountains to find him. However, Allen, I have some things to instruct you before that."

Allen was a bit curious; he looked at Gandalf's slightly serious face and signaled for Gandalf to continue.

"I think we cannot tell Thorin Oakenshield all of our plans, especially since there is the matter of the Elf involved. If Thorin knew that we were using him and their family's Lonely Mountain as bait together with the Elf, based on my understanding of this Dwarf Prince, the probability of him agreeing to this expedition is very small."

Gandalf continued to add: "Allen, what I want to say is that this is not deception. We are helping the Dwarfs take back their home, which is a noble thing. We just need to complete this part of the work, and other things will naturally happen. Although they are related to each other, this does not affect the result."

Gandalf had some misgivings; he was worried that Allen would feel this was a form of deception and exploitation of Thorin Oakenshield and have concerns.

It was obvious that he was overthinking it; Allen also strongly agreed with this point of view.

"I agree with this point, Gandalf. I also think there is no need to tell Thorin Oakenshield everything. In fact, we don't even know if we will succeed. Let's just wait until after we succeed to talk about everything else, don't you think?"

Hearing Allen agree with his proposal, Gandalf smiled and said: "Whether the matter will succeed is unknown, but there is already a good start now, isn't there?"

Upon hearing this, Allen laughed and said: "That would still require Thorin Oakenshield's agreement, but I think he has no reason to refuse."

The old man and the young man laughed together in Allen's banquet hall.

After the laughter, the two began to discuss the details of the departure.

Allen suggested that Gandalf should still rest here for a few days, because the road ahead was not easy to travel.

At the same time, Allen also needed some time to arrange matters in the village.

Gandalf agreed; he had indeed not had a proper rest in the last few months.

He also wanted to take advantage of these few days to get to know Allen's village well.

A few days later, Allen finally arranged all matters for Wilderness Town and Horse Pasture Village and was ready to set out.

In the past, he would go out for a month, or two months at most; this time he knew that he probably wouldn't be able to return for half a year.

Allen was not worried that any major changes would happen here once he returned, but he was a bit worried about the safety of the village.

In fact, for the past four or five years, Allen had always been puzzled as to why Azog had not sent people to attack his village, and then, why the Orc King had not come to seek revenge on him again.

However, our Orc artist, Mr. Big Fat, did not want to provoke Allen again after the first failed revenge. This guy had lived from the First Age to the present, and it wasn't just by relying on that bit of musical accomplishment.

Especially since several Skin-changers had appeared near Wilderness Town; such power made not only the Orc King, but even Azog, give up on the matter of avenging Bolg.

Allen's strength increased too quickly, and neither of them wanted to chew on such a tough bone.

At the same time, Azog himself was also very busy, having to fulfill his master's instructions while also doing his own things.

Azog was currently lurking in Dunland for Thorin Oakenshield; the news about Thrain II was released by him.

How could this Pale Orc forget the hatred of a severed arm? He not only spread false news but also issued a high bounty for Thorin Oakenshield's head.

This matter was known to everyone in the dark corners, and many Humans who had defected to the dark forces were searching for Thorin Oakenshield's whereabouts.

But these things had nothing to do with Allen, who was sitting on the Great Eagle.

In these four or five years, Allen had always maintained his relationship with the Great Eagle; the few harsh laws Allen had included the prohibition of using bows and arrows to shoot at the Great Eagles in the sky.

Violators would have all their property confiscated and then be expelled from Allen's sphere of influence.

And every time the Great Eagles brought new news, Allen would have his subordinates prepare corresponding gifts to treat these Great Eagles.

Especially last time, after Allen got the diamonds, he had the Dwarf craftsmen help forge a golden crown and a pure silver Necklace.

The two gifts were inlaid with a whole bag of diamonds. Allen gave the Necklace to Thranduil, as Allen believed that Elves who liked starlight should be more suited to silver.

And the crown was custom-made by Allen for the Eagle King, and entrusted to other Great Eagles to take to the Eagle King as a gift.

Allen did not know why the creatures of Middle-earth liked gems so much; it might also be that Allen's gems came too easily, so he could not understand this feeling.

The help of the Great Eagles was not summoned by Allen; the connection between the Great Eagles and Allen had always been one-way. Allen had no way to contact them, but the Grey Wizard did; Gandalf had summoned them.

Although it was spring at this time and the temperature in the valley had begun to warm up, the wind and snow above the Misty Mountains had never stopped.

For Allen and Gandalf to rely on their own two legs to cross the sphere of influence of Orc Town and cross the Old Ford was not a good choice.

The only easy road at this time was to cross the Aisenhe ferry near Isengard, step onto the North-South Road, and then head to Bree.

But this would take too long, and neither of them was willing to make this choice.

So Gandalf used his Magic to summon two Great Eagles, but what Gandalf did not know was that Allen also had a very good relationship with the Great Eagles.

So the Great Eagles sent them very far this trip; they rode the Great Eagles directly at the Carrock, and after resting at the Eagles' Eyrie for a day, they were sent by the Great Eagles to the vicinity of Rivendell again.

The two did not head to Rivendell to disturb Lord Elrond, but instead crossed the Last Bridge directly, stepped onto the Great East Road, and walked toward Bree.

Volume One, The Self-Cultivation of an Interlude, finished.