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

Chapter 224 Ambush Battle

"Ah~ So good!" Warm currents flowed like streams to Roland's limbs and torso, and the gentle holy battle energy quietly healed Roland's internal injuries.

"Oh~ Paladins are so convenient, this must save a lot on medical expenses, right?" Oli was very tempted as he looked at Roland, whose hands were glowing white. After all, in the past, when dwarves got sick, they would just tough it out on their own, and when they got injured, they would just get a bandage and then see a few doctors. They never received the treatment of being healed by a priest. Roland's current situation was no different from having a priest with him, which made the dwarves, who lacked spellcasting talent, very envious.

"Fortunately, Your Highness is a paladin, otherwise this expedition would have had to be turned back." After exchanging a glance with Omske, Caslo thought to himself. Although the commission was incredibly generous, compared to the safety of his king, the king was more important. If Roland's injuries continued to worsen, Caslo would do everything he could to bring him back and end this expedition. As for being poor, so be it; things would get better with time.

"Lord Omske, something's not right here..." the ranger reported, frowning and looking puzzled.

"What happened?" Omske was extremely nervous. Roland's injury made him feel incredibly guilty, so his nerves were on edge. He wanted to eliminate even the slightest danger.

“That’s right, we always feel like someone or something is following us! It’s not just me who feels this way, all of us Lordaeron Rangers have this feeling all around us, but we’ve tried to search for them, but to no avail…” The Lordaeron Ranger’s eyes were full of confusion and bewilderment.

"Tsk tsk tsk! Looks like these bastards have their eyes on us!" Caslo immediately realized that this troll tribe must be after them!
Indeed, in addition to their superb projectile abilities, trolls also possess unparalleled tracking skills; they can even hover ten kilometers away from their target and track them for thousands of miles.

"You mean those trolls are going to cause us trouble?" Although Omske didn't have the inherited memories of the dragon knights, he was still very knowledgeable and could roughly analyze the current situation.

“Yes, they are probably looking for an opportunity to ambush us on a large scale. What we are facing next will not be small-scale harassment, but a larger-scale attack will come soon!” Caslow frowned.

"We Lordaeron Rangers are not capable of handling the entire team's outer perimeter security and defense!" Seeing that everyone's attention had turned to him, the captain of the Lordaeron Rangers immediately waved his hand in refusal. What a joke! The current outer perimeter security work was already keeping all the rangers busy, let alone dealing with the larger-scale attacks to come.

“Yes! We are indeed at a huge disadvantage right now... Our ranks are stretched too thin! And the dwarves have very few ranged attack capabilities!” Roland glanced at Balin, who looked embarrassed, and said in a low voice.

It is common knowledge that dwarves do not have many archers. They mainly rely on various crossbows for ranged attacks. How could dwarves possibly bring large crossbows here? They do not have any space storage devices.

"Let's find an opportunity to have our men set up camp in a suitable place and launch a counter-ambush on them! We need to hurt these trolls badly before they give up their covetousness towards us!" Omske's methods were always so simple and brutal.

"There's a good hill not far ahead. It's large enough for our troops to deploy. We just need to clear away the trees on it, and even the building materials for the camp are readily available!" The Lordaeron rangers in charge of reconnaissance naturally knew where there was a suitable place nearby.

"The sun is about to set! The trolls might make their move tonight, we need to speed things up!" Balin said worriedly. "Yes! Speed ​​up! Let's march!" Roland nodded.

……

"Bang bang bang!" The powerful dwarves swung their muscular arms, and their sharp dwarven battle axes became the best tools for felling trees. The axe blades, imbued with battle aura, easily pierced most of the tree trunks, and in just a few strokes, a tree as thick as a person was felled to the ground.

"Hurry up, children! We might be attacked after nightfall! I don't want the trolls to get close to us so easily! Hurry up, sons of Turin!" Balin personally wielded his battle axe, a gesture that clearly inspired the dwarves. They all swung their short, thick arms and raised their axes. For some reason, Roland found the number eighty, eighty, eighty echoing in his mind...

……

"Are you confident? Will the trolls really come back to attack?" Clearly, Roland didn't have the same keen battlefield sense as Caslo and the others; he still harbored wishful thinking.

“Your Highness, trolls have another characteristic: they hold grudges! They are also a branch of intelligent beings! They have their own civilization. If orcs came to our territory and wreaked havoc, wouldn’t you retaliate?” Omsk shrugged, somewhat exasperated by Roland’s naiveté. The trolls would definitely come to test their strength, and as for who would be the final winner, that would depend on the right timing, location, and people.

"Alright, command is now being transferred to you. I won't interfere with your decisions, after all, you're the experts in this area!" Roland immediately relinquished military power. Although he might not be a qualified general, he was certainly a qualified king. On Earth, he learned an important skill—don't compare your hobbies with other people's expertise, and even less should you compete with your subordinates for their professional jobs!
For details, please refer to that bald principal who had an advantage of 800,000 over 600,000 in my favor, and you'll understand just how many people can be killed by remote control and amateurish methods.

"We will certainly live up to Your Highness's trust!" The two knights pounded their chests and gave a standard knightly salute.

After receiving their camping supplies from Roland, the Lagrange soldiers, amidst the envious glances of the dwarves, quickly constructed a makeshift camp. Military tents were erected one after another, Roland's tent mixed in with the others. Don't be fooled by the grand commander's tents in TV dramas! In real war, the commander's residence must be extremely discreet. Don't underestimate the wisdom of the ancients; even animals understand the principle of "capture the king first"! Those tall, luxurious commander's tents are at most a council hall; no commander would live in one and become a target!
"Your Highness, it's almost ready..." The dutiful royal guards lifted Roland and moved him into the tent. Since it was no different from the tents where ordinary soldiers lived, this tent, which could accommodate ten people, was not large enough, but it was sufficient for Roland alone.

Soldiers had already set up a hammock! That's right, a hammock. This was one of the few special treatments Roland received. After all, the ground was damp and cold, so the royal guards specially set up two wooden stakes to make a hammock for Roland.

"Your Highness, please get some rest. You may not be able to sleep well tonight. I will bring you food in a little while! By the way, please do not remove your armor. This is not Swiftstream City. Your armor is your last line of defense. Please make good use of it!" The captain of the Royal Guard bowed and said.

"Yes, I understand! Thank you for reminding me!" Roland deeply agreed with the Royal Guard's words; he lacked the confidence to use his body to compete with the troll's javelin in terms of toughness.

...Trolls, their bodies adorned with colorful totems, darted and weaved through the treetops, their towering figures doing nothing to hinder their agility in the dense forest! And their target was none other than Roland's group's encampment!
(End of this chapter)