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

Chapter 220 Crossing the River
After a series of farces, Roland finally set off with his followers and the dwarves, heading towards the southernmost point of the kingdom's territory—Lulong Fortress! At this time, Renault was stationed there as the garrison commander. It was not only the southern gate of the Kingdom of Lagrange but also the southern gate of all the kingdoms near Lonely Mountain.

……

"It's truly amazing! How did the wise men of the Lagrange Empire manage to seal such a magnificent city back then?" Balin and the other dwarves were incredibly amazed. They knew that even if the dwarves, with their immense strength, were to build such a fortress, it would take them several years. As for sealing it away to leave to future generations, the dwarves knew in their hearts that they did not have that kind of ability.

"Thank goodness for that unreliable system. Even the wise men of the Lagrange Empire don't have the ability to seal such a fortress, unless they're gods!" Roland thought to himself.

"As long as the garrison commander of this fortress makes a move, the orcs will definitely be crushed under her feet!" Balin did not hold back in praising the defensive strength of Lulong Fortress. Although he did not understand the function of those dragon-hunting towers, it did not prevent him from guessing those terrifying defensive measures.

“That’s right. As long as the center of this fortress hasn’t fallen, the orcs can’t completely conquer it. The defenders can still launch a counterattack from the central fortress. Unless they use forbidden spells to attack in large numbers, there’s no way to destroy it directly!” Roland proudly explained.

“Go in and rest for the night, Your Highness. It’s getting late, and even if we keep going, we won’t get very far. Why don’t we rest and recharge our energy before setting off again tomorrow?” Omske suggested as he approached Roland.

"Your Excellency Balin, what do you think?" Roland still needed to consider the feelings of his dwarf allies.

“Of course, spending the night in such a safe fortress is much better than sleeping in the wilderness!” Balin nodded in agreement with the suggestion. After all, the wilderness was still not safe. Although crowds could deter predators, they could also attract uninvited guests, such as wandering orc tribes.

……

"Boom!" As the heavy gates of the fortress closed, the group filed into the fortress.

"Oh! King Roland, we can rest here. There's no need to arrange a special place for us!" Balin said to Roland, pointing to the open space next to the city gate. They were already very grateful that Roland allowed them to enter the fortress to rest. Going deeper into the fortress would not be ideal. After all, the defensive gate of a kingdom could not be kept too secret. Balin admitted that he could not bring his allies into the dwarven defense system like Roland had.

However, if Roland knew Balin's thoughts, he'd probably laugh. Even if the dwarves did leak the fortress's secrets, Roland wouldn't worry. Knowing something is one thing, but whether they could actually take it is another. As a large bastion fortification, Lulong Fortress's defenses were practically impenetrable. With ample supplies, the defenders could easily withstand an enemy ten times their size. Even if the enemy knew the fortress's interior, they would still have to slowly chip away at it with lives. (Dovenian Heavy Swordsman)

“Um, isn’t that a bit inappropriate…” Roland hesitated. He hadn’t thought that much about it, but he was concerned that it might be a bit inadequate to have the dwarves sleep on the ground and set up tents in the city.

“It’s alright, we just need a quiet place to rest! No need to trouble yourself.” Bahrain refused repeatedly.

"Alright then, but we'll take care of the food. Although we won't have your favorite beer, we'll provide plenty of bread and roast meat! Please don't refuse." Renault walked over and quietly tugged at Roland before speaking to Balin and the others.

"Of course, thank you for your hospitality. I'm sorry to have troubled you," Bahrain replied with a smile.

...After pulling Roland away, Renault stared at Roland for a few moments before sighing helplessly, "Your Highness, you really have a big heart!"

"Huh? What's wrong?" Roland looked puzzled, but still asked, sticking to his principle of asking questions when he didn't understand.

“You invited them to rest for one night in our important fortifications, and now you want them to go even deeper into the fortress… Didn’t you see that even the thick-skinned dwarves felt uneasy? A nation’s defense system is of paramount importance and cannot be allowed to be spied on by outsiders…” Renault sighed helplessly. Even if Balin and the others hadn’t said anything, he would have restricted the dwarves’ area of ​​activity. Although the defenses of Lulong Fortress were impervious to those conspiracies and tricks, it was still necessary to be on the safe side. Fortunately, these dwarves were clever and brought this up themselves, which made everyone look quite amused. Only Balin and Renault understood this tacit understanding.

"This..." Roland was dumbfounded. How could a young man of the new era know so many intricacies? He simply felt that the outside world was unsafe and that he had not taken good care of his allies.

"Sigh... Never mind, just be more careful next time..." Renault was very annoyed. He wasn't afraid of the god-like Sauron, but he was afraid of teammates who were like pigs, let alone his own king. Renault suddenly felt very tired. What could be more heartbreaking than his own king stabbing him in the back?

"It seems some of the defenses need to be modified..." Renault thought to himself. Although the dwarves hadn't seen much and were unlikely to betray their allies, Renault dared not be careless in making the necessary preparations. Otherwise, once the city fell, the entire kingdom would face the onslaught of the southern orcs!
(Note: The eastern part of the kingdom is currently still largely undefended, relying solely on the Tuput tribe for protection, making its defenses very weak. Most of the Lagrang Kingdom's forces are currently concentrated in the east for patrols and garrisons.)
……

Silent all night.

"Your Highness, take care! We look forward to your triumphant return!" Renault stopped at the door after seeing Roland off, while the city's guards watched their king depart...

It wasn't that they were unwilling to escort each other's kings, but rather that they had a more arduous task—defending Lulong Fortress! The kingdom's military strength was already stretched thin after Roland took six hundred men with him; sending more men to escort the kings on their expeditions... well, what if they returned to find their homes gone? Wouldn't that make them utterly innocent victims? Besides, Renault felt Roland didn't need to escort them. A guard of two hundred Lagrange Royal Guards was far superior to anything else. Even a hundred-man knightly order would find it extremely difficult to break through their defenses.

……

"Alright! Once we cross the river, we'll reach Old Forest Road! Men, prepare to cross!" Roland released two small galleons from his spatial storage, each capable of ferrying 300 people at a time. With just four trips, he could take everyone away.

"Bahrain! Organize your men, we need to cross the Swift River! Once we're across, the initiative will be out of our hands! Danger lurks everywhere, we need to be careful!" Roland warned.

"Don't worry, King Roland! The dwarves are fearless!" Balin patted his chest.

“Of course! Your fearlessness and bravery are etched in my heart, but we still need to avoid unnecessary sacrifices! I hope to bring every brother home!” Roland patted Balin on the shoulder and said with emotion.

(End of this chapter)