The Lord of the Rings: Lords of Middle-earth.

Chapter 103 Loyalty and Investiture

"Huff!" Heavy breathing mixed with heavy footsteps came from the ground, and the earth trembled with the resonance of the footsteps, and scattered clods of earth bounced up and down on the ground.

A fiery red dragon banner appeared on the horizon, its golden holy dragon emblem gleaming in the sunlight. Rows of neat shield walls came into view, and heavily armored swift infantrymen stood in orderly ranks around the banner. Behind them were 500 heavily armored foot archers—Batanian archers! On each flank were 25 Elnino rangers, swords and bows at their sides. Though the fewest in number, they were the most terrifying and lurking killers, their name as dragon hunters granting them the courage to fight any enemy to the death! Even with these 50 Elnino rangers maintaining their distance, they were enough to inflict heavy casualties on the centaurs.

"Woo woo woo~" One by one, young centaurs and their mothers emerged from the withered forest, followed by a dozen or so older centaurs who shakily raised their weapons and walked out, seemingly ready to fight Roland and the others to the death.

Verway quickly stepped forward, and after speaking in unintelligible Elvish, the old, weak, sick, and disabled finally lowered their weapons, but the wariness and anger in their eyes were still undisguised.

"My army is here!" Roland turned to look at the infantry slowly advancing, a smile playing on his lips. Now, even if the centaurs really wanted to fight again, they had no chance. The multi-arrow barrage from 700 Battanian archers would be enough to make the centaurs cringe. Moreover, there was the Elnino Ranger, known as the Dragon Slayer, and more importantly, the Swift Infantry with their superior stun ability would prevent the centaurs from even charging. If a real battle broke out, there would be nothing but slaughter!
"Your Highness!" Renault rode up, his body radiating a divine aura, indicating that he had been buffing everyone along the way, enabling them to arrive so quickly.

"Thank you for your hard work!" Roland nodded affirmatively. Although Renault could be a bit unreliable at times, he was absolutely dependable in crucial moments! What's the Governor of the North up to?

"What did they say, Your Highness?" Renault looked at the centaur road where the knights and mounted archers were facing off.

“It’s like this…” Roland quickly told Renault the story of the centaurs.

"So tragic?" Renault's eyes widened. Wasn't this a typical scapegoat? If it weren't for this incident, who would have known that the Battle of Lonely Mountain involved the pitiful centaur race's sacrifices?

"But I must say, it really works!" Renault suddenly smiled mysteriously, licked his lips, and revealed an expression that only Roland could understand.

"Doing this...isn't that a bit inappropriate..." Roland was, after all, a "child" who had received nine years of compulsory education; to be honest, doing this was a bit unethical...

"Doesn't Your Highness find it tempting? This is someone who can rival 300 knights in a critical moment!" Renault whispered.

“Hey! What are you whispering about?! We centaurs will not surrender! Our old and weak will not survive without us!” Baldr shouted, his neck stiff and face flushed. He hadn’t known before that this place was occupied by a lord, and his blush was due to his anger at Lagran’s “invasion.” Now that he knew who owned this place, his blush was due to shame. But Baldr was unwilling to back down! Without their shelter, only the able-bodied could survive in the desolate wilderness at the end of winter; the women, children, and the elderly would surely lie dead everywhere… He had no way out.

“Your Highness, look, they can’t survive if they leave here, so how about… we do it this way?” Renault said, winking and looking expectant.

"What are you two talking about?" Caslo caught a glimpse of the two bumbling fools out of the corner of his eye, and couldn't help but feel annoyed. This was such a serious occasion on the battlefield, why did these two seem like they were at a market? They were haggling and picking through the produce like old ladies. "How about we just leave it like this?" Roland said somewhat guiltily, feeling it was somehow unethical.

“That’s definitely the way to go! It’s a win-win situation!” Renault immediately gave a thumbs up.

"Is this really okay?" Roland wasn't sure.

“This is the best way!” Renault affirmed.

"Ahem!" Roland coughed lightly a few times, then straightened his clothes.

"Then, Lord Baldr, in the name of King Lagrange, I hereby grant you this land to reside and spend the winter! Let this place be temporarily named the Tuput Forest! From now on, you are the lord of this land! Now you may kneel down and pledge your allegiance to me! Lord Baldr of Tuput!" Roland said in a loud voice.

"What?" Verway's jaw dropped instantly. All the elegance of the elves was thrown to the winds. This King Roland wanted to recruit a centaur!
"This..." Caslo's eyes twitched uncontrollably. Had his prince gone mad? Everyone knew that centaurs were ranked high on Middle-earth's list of xenophobic races. To actually dare to covet centaurs... truly reminiscent of Emperor Lagrange...

“Tell me! Your! Choice!” Roland stared coldly at Badr.

"Your Majesty, we only wish to stay for a while. We promise to repay you handsomely in the future! There's no need for loyalty..." Baldr could only say, bracing himself for the fact that the Lagrang army numbered over a thousand. It wasn't that he lacked courage, but he truly couldn't win! A thousand-strong army of professionals was a force that even the orc army would have to think twice about!
"Either submit to me and pledge allegiance, or leave this place, or... be buried here!" Roland gave him no chance to argue.

"..." Badr's eyes were bloodshot, flashing with anger, resentment, struggle, helplessness, and sorrow. Finally...

"Thump!" Badr's two front legs fell to his knees, and he could only close his eyes in anguish as he looked at his people behind him.

"Chief Baldr of the Tuput tribe is willing to pledge my loyalty to you! From now on, I will fight for you! I will answer your call and command, and I also ask you to protect me!" Baldr said painfully, his eyes closed. For the stubborn centaurs, once they have sworn an oath of allegiance, they will never betray it in their lifetime, because their faith in nature makes them incredibly simple and loyal.

"I accept your allegiance! I bestow upon you the title of Baron Tupte! The Tupte Forest will be your fief! Your people will be your subjects! In your territory, you will have the right to collect taxes, conscript troops, and manage government affairs. At the same time, you must abide by the laws of the country and fulfill your obligations! From now on, you will fight alongside me, and you will use your sword and plow to expand your territory and gain glory! The glory of Lagrange will follow you! The Dragon God will protect us!" After saying this, Roland tapped Baldr's shoulders with the tip of his sword.

"Rise, Baron Bader!" Roland said with a satisfied smile. This was a huge win for him!
"Good heavens..." Caslo muttered. How big of a scheme did Renault and Roland play? They've managed to fool the entire clan in no time!
(End of this chapter)