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

Chapter 1035 Population Transfer (Updates Resumed)
Grand Duke Ocrean Yaso didn't expect Count Lemon's men to capture these wolf riders. In fact, Grand Duke Ocrean Yaso had little faith in the Kingdom of Rohan. Aside from the Knights of Lagrange, capturing such a group of harassing warriors in the open was incredibly difficult. His goal had always been to establish a stable stronghold city. The orcs' siege warfare capabilities were abysmal; they'd be helpless even with a fortress right in their face. You wouldn't expect them to be brought to Grondor, would you? When the orcs attacked Lulong Fortress, Grondor had already amazed Roland! If they were to actually bring Rohan, Roland could only say that those idiots in Mordor were something else! He could just send a few dragon riders to dismantle Grondor and that would be it!
“That village and all that…” Count Lemon hesitated.

"Level it! Fill in the wells! Demolish the houses! Burn all the timber that can't be taken!" Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso's eyes were filled with fierceness and coldness. As the saying goes, a merciful general cannot command an army. For the sake of victory, this "small price" was acceptable to everyone!
“Very well!” Count Lemon did not insist on anything and simply followed the advice of Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso.

"Isn't this too rushed? We certainly won't be able to move all those jars and pots in such a short time. Those people won't give up their meager possessions!" Oakrian Ryukin said with some concern.

"You underestimate these semi-agricultural, semi-pastoral peoples! They can move much faster than you think!" Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso was a man of great experience; he knew all too well that when these semi-nomadic peoples wanted to flee, they were just as fast as nomadic peoples!

“I’m instructing them to evacuate now not because I’m merciful, but because I don’t want their supplies to be used by the orcs!” Grand Duke Oakrian Yasor said calmly, a cold glint in his eyes.

"Tsk!" King Chewu of the Giant Wave Dragon raised his eyelids and clicked his tongue lightly, then shook his head and muttered a few words in a low voice. Before everyone could listen carefully, they fell silent again.

Although those herders didn't have much wealth, to the orcs, humans were simply food. When starving, these beasts would stuff anything into their mouths! A scorched-earth policy would minimize the fighting power of these orc wolf riders. Hungry wolf riders and well-fed wolf riders were completely different things! For this fortress, which was barely even finished, only heaven knew how much damage those well-fed orc wolf riders could inflict.

"I thought you two would fight tooth and nail for this city!" King Chewu of the Tidal Waves chuckled. It seemed these two weren't planning on putting in much effort. After all, if a real fight broke out, King Chewu could guarantee with his bare hands that, barring the appearance of a sixth-tier orc overlord, these few hundred wolf riders would be no different from wooden stakes to two sword saint-level professionals. If they were truly allowed to fight freely, these orcs wouldn't be enough to satisfy their hunger! (Guess why the orcs aren't launching a large-scale attack on the Kingdom of Lagrang? Do they not like it?)
"Are you sick? Helping them is only to hope they can bring benefits to the kingdom. I don't need to stoop so low as to serve a count!" Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso said, both amused and exasperated.

"If those orcs march south, we will provide the necessary assistance, but don't expect us to help them protect their homes! Useless mud can't be plastered on a wall and has no value whatsoever!" Grand Duke Okrian Yasor's words were incredibly truthful and cold. There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world; if you want to be on the table, you first need to have the capital to be on the table!

"Whatever, I won't make a move against those orcs unless they provoke me!" King Chewu of the Tidal Dragon muttered, stating his attitude and stance.

"Of course, it's your freedom and your will, no one can force you!" Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso nodded. Hoping to use the little remaining family ties to get the Dragon King to intervene? Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso indicated that his relationship with the Kingdom of Rohan wasn't that strong. If it really came to that, Rohan, you'd better fend for yourself, don't let the Dragon King of our Lagrange Empire misunderstand!

"Temporarily urge everyone to speed things up! I want the moat and wooden walls built before the snowflakes fall! Ryukin, keep a close eye on them!" Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso instructed Oakrian Ryukin.

“I will make them speed things up!” said Archduke Oakrian Ryukin. “Tell them they are not fighting for us, they are fighting for themselves! Once this fortress is built, the entire area within a hundred miles will be under its safe protection! In times of crisis, we can use force to wake up those who don’t know how to work and only know how to reap the rewards!” Archduke Oakrian Yaso used a carrot-and-stick approach to motivate these people.

Don't underestimate a fortress from the era of cold weapons. Even the simplest fortress, constructed of wood and stone, is invincible against the absence of high-level professionals and advanced siege equipment! Aside from internal factors, it's extremely difficult to conquer from the outside! Clearly, such a fortress-level city, rare even in the Kingdom of Rohan, is a very prestigious and perfect choice as the core seat of the Lemon family!

“They will understand!” Okrian Ryukin nodded, tightening his grip on the whip.

Count Lemon had initially only mobilized available able-bodied laborers for construction, but the current situation no longer allowed the people here to slack off. Under the orders of Grand Duke Ocrean Yaso, everyone who could carry tools was herded to the city's construction sites. In an instant, dust filled the air around the entire city, large quantities of trees were felled, transported, and driven into the ground, and countless children carried mixed mud through the crowds...

……

As snowflakes began to fall, villagers from the north continued to migrate south, carrying livestock and bundles of goods, and slowly made their way into the nascent city. They were quickly "influenced" by the soldiers and joined the working community.

"Isn't this a bit much?" Count Lemon rubbed his hands together, though a hint of smugness flickered in his eyes. After all, the residents who had been forced to migrate south were free citizens from kingdoms further north. They had never paid taxes before (because the cost of collecting taxes in those distant villages might be higher than the taxes themselves, so remote villages usually provided soldiers instead). Furthermore, few lords governed these areas, making these free-citizen villages quite comfortable and free. But because of the orc invasion, these relocated free citizens were now his subjects!
What? The orcs left and were released? Count Lemon is such a kind-hearted man, how could he let these innocent civilians return to the threat of orcs? Is the Lemon family's fortress not doing well? Why would they want to return to the unprotected wasteland? Be careful of dangers on the road! Getting ambushed wouldn't be good!

These people must be properly resettled! They are all loyal subjects of Earl Lemon! Earl Lemon will surely cherish them dearly! (Don't think that noble lords don't know the value of leeks; it's just that environmental factors often cause leeks to wither and die, so noble lords habitually harvest them quickly. But that doesn't mean they don't know how to grow leeks! When conditions are right, no one will cherish their leeks more than they do!)

P.S.: I hit the jackpot yesterday... in a physical sense.

Brothers, I'm out on a trip with my parents. I haven't updated for a few days. Yesterday at midnight, my car was hit by a "Dayun" truck at a service area. The left side of my car was totaled, and the rear door was completely destroyed... I still don't understand how that thing at the service area managed to hit us...