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

Chapter 1031 Building a City
"You are truly a genius, Your Excellency Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso!" Earl Lemon exclaimed sincerely.

"Is there enough stone?" Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso asked, looking at the wooden boats going downstream, without replying to the question. Although the canal was not suitable for large ships, and even two wooden boats could barely pass each other, it was still adequate for transportation and irrigation.

"That's enough for now, Your Highness! Earl Lemon's manpower is insufficient, and it's hard to say whether these people are physically fit enough..." Oakrian Ryukin shook his head. After all, these were just farmers who did some farming and some herding. How much strength could these old farmers, who were barely able to feed themselves, possibly have? Let those stone blocks be piled up slowly!
"It's a pity these stones will need to be polished again upon their return!" Count Lemon lamented. These stones from his White Mountains were rough, unpolished stone slabs, clearly unsuitable for direct use. They would need to be cut and polished by craftsmen upon their return.

“The current transport volume is not large, and your professionals should be able to handle these tasks! Winter is coming soon, and we still have a long time to prepare!” Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso patted Earl Lemon on the shoulder to comfort him. Although he had originally planned this fortified castle to be small, it was still fully functional.

“But sleeping in tents like this won’t do. The cold winter winds will cause big problems!” Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso looked at the camp stretching for miles outside, where the sounds of people and cattle and sheep mingled together like a giant furnace.

“There’s no other way. I’ve gathered all the people I can from the vicinity of the territory, and their villages aren’t necessarily much better than these tents. A camp for tens of thousands of people can’t be set up in a short time…” Earl Lemon shook his head. Of course, he wanted to build housing for long-term use, but now everyone was out carrying bricks, and even he himself was living in a tent. How could he possibly have time to consider the living conditions of the common people?
“This won’t do. Winter is coming soon, and there are still orc wolf riders roaming around. We need to take defensive measures first! This castle probably won’t be built anytime soon!” Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso shook his head and rejected Earl Lemon’s suggestion. The Ward region was not safe, and the orcs’ tentacles had already reached out. So, in the winter when food was scarce, the orcs would definitely come out to plunder. Without defensive measures, this temporary camp would obviously become a hunting ground for the orcs to run rampant.

"What should we do?" Earl Lemon asked instinctively after hearing Archduke Ocrean Yaso's analysis. After all, he knew that the Marshal of Rohan wouldn't mobilize a large army for such a small group of orcs; in the history of the War of the Ring, East Rohan had been deliberately abandoned!

"Stop your work and dig a moat first!" Archduke Oakrian Yaso said helplessly after thinking for a moment.

After thinking for a long time, Grand Duke Okrian Yasuo finally found the only one he could currently manage among all the defense options. After all, compared to fortresses or cities, the only thing that could be built quickly was digging holes!

"A moat?" Count Lemon was taken aback.

“I’ll make the arrangements…” Okrian Ryukin’s lips twitched, and he waved to Count Lemon. After all, what kind of defensive works could nomadic tribes build? The entire Kingdom of Rohan hadn’t managed to build many fortresses. In Roland’s opinion, there weren’t many places in Rohan that could be considered cities.

“Then I’ll have to trouble you, Your Majesty!” Earl Lemon was a man who listened to advice. Compared to most nobles, his greatest advantage was that he knew that professional matters should be left to professionals. Considering that he had no tactical talent, he decisively handed the task over to the seemingly powerful Duke Oakrian Yaso and his companion.

"Don't look at me, I won't stoop to dig a pit!" King Chewu of the Tidal Waves ignored Oakrian Liujin's pleading look and gave a disdainful snort.

……

"Clang, clang, clang!" As the sound of the broken bronze bell rang out, everyone's attention was drawn to it.

"Unload the stones and pile them up by the river! Stonemasons, continue polishing the slabs! Everyone else, take your tools and dig!" Count Lemon's cavalrymen moved through the camp, relaying the orders belonging to Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso and his comrade.

"Clang!" The sound of tools hitting the ground rang out. The able-bodied men numbly put down the wooden sticks and ropes they were holding, turned around, picked up bone shovels, spades, and even wooden shovels, and headed towards the designated location. ...

"Thank goodness! There aren't many stones on this plain. Although finding stone to build defensive structures is difficult, digging foundations and such is much easier!" Oakrian Ryukin exclaimed.

"There are too few professionals here! They don't have many knights, and some of them are even disguised mounted warriors and rangers!" Okrian Ryukin continued to complain. Who knows the shock he felt when he saw the tin can covered in armor and wielding a longbow and scimitar? He probably thought that knights had some kind of bizarre branch of professions, only to find out that this thing was actually a ranger...

“Those professionals can’t move; they still need to cut the stone! We can only rely on thousands of people to carry it by hand!” Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso shook his head. Although the construction could be stopped, the preparation of materials could not!
"Wait! We can't dig the moat first!" Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso frowned.

"What's wrong?" Oakrian Ryukin asked, looking at the bustling crowd.

“This isn’t the Empire, there’s no such neat planning here. Once the moat is dug, it’ll be difficult to build the city walls…” Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso frowned. After all, they weren’t preparing some shoddy project for Earl Lemon. The city walls still needed a foundation, and if the moat was dug, the foundation would be flooded… In the end, they had to choose between the city walls and the moat: either fill in the moat or the city collapses!

“Let’s use the brute force method! First, build a ring of log walls, then later build up stone slabs on top! A mixed wood and stone structure!” Oakrian Ryukin said through gritted teeth.

"???" Grand Duke Oakrian Yasso stared at Oakrian Ryukin in disbelief.

"That thing can withstand a beating?" Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso asked incredulously. "Aren't you treating the Rohan people like goblins?"

"What siege equipment do orcs have? What place in Rohan is worth using siege equipment for?" Okrian Ryukin retorted. Even if they did, they wouldn't bring it to such a remote and impoverished place, would they? This kind of unusually poor kingdom is rare even in Middle-earth. Even the orcs would say that a capital city with wooden walls is shabby! The cost of transporting siege equipment to this land is less than making do with some ladders on the spot.

It's important to remember that during the War of the Ring, the Orcs invaded Rohan without any decent siege equipment, let alone attacking one of Rohan's few fortresses...

"Don't look at me, you kids decide for yourselves!" Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso glanced subconsciously at the Storm Dragon King Chewu, who was sunbathing on his horse, earning him a roll of his eyes.

"Then let's start by cutting down the trees! Fortunately, there are some forests nearby!" Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso sighed. The good news was that, compared to the stone which required a long journey, the timber could be collected locally!

I'm planning a two-week road trip and have been doing some shopping for a few days. Prices are so high these days! Luckily, I can still go shopping with my parents.