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

“Very well, what you said makes a lot of sense, I’m speechless!” The Grand Knight shrugged.

"The location here is good. Although it's severely weathered, it can be used with just a little repair! And why don't the orcs even try to expand it? I think there are many places here where we can dig deeper!" Apophis Breo exclaimed. The orcs are indeed a well-known race in the Middle-earth who are like beggars with gold in their hands. The old pass is in a good location, but the orcs have no awareness of utilizing or defending it. If they had just repaired it and turned it into a fortress and put a thousand or so people inside, Apophis Breo would probably be vomiting blood by now.

“I just checked, and the orcs haven’t repaired the surface buildings at the pass, but the underground tunnels, bunkers, and secret passages have been carefully reinforced and repaired. What’s most impressive is that they’ve connected almost every tunnel, creating a vast underground network…” Olaf grinned. The orcs did have their merits; at least when it came to digging tunnels, these guys were on par with the dwarves.

"Hmm? The underground area has been meticulously renovated?" Apophis Breo was taken aback, then frowned as if he remembered something.

……

“Your Highness…” Apophis Breo looked respectfully at the man sitting in front of him.

Roland, propping his head up with one hand, gazed casually at the blue sky outside the window and slowly said, "Apophis, do you know the history of the Old Pass?"

“This… I’ve heard a little about it, Your Highness, please enlighten me!” Apophis Breo said respectfully.

“Watch out for those rats underground. Don’t let the soldiers pay for the commander’s carelessness!” Roland tapped the table lightly, the crisp sound striking Apophis Breo’s heart.

“A rat?” Apophis Breo frowned.

“Yes, the orcs who were originally wiped out after the Battle of Azanubiza have returned there by digging tunnels! So you need to be wary of orcs launching sneak attacks from underground!” Roland glanced at Apophis Breo.

"Pfft!" Apophis Breo suddenly couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Am I funny?" Roland's face was full of confusion.

"No, no, no! I was just thinking about the two mole rats you described, outwitting each other in the Misty Mountains..." Apophis Breo said, unable to suppress a laugh.

"..." Roland sighed, speechless. What the hell is this country bumpkin...

……

"Not good! Have our men immediately investigate the underground area and search for secret passages!" Apophis Breo snapped out of his daze and gave the order hastily!

Orcs are as good at burrowing as dwarves, and Roland once said that these orcs returned to this place through the underground, so Apophis Breo immediately became extremely vigilant. He didn't want to fall asleep and never wake up again.

……

“Your Highness! I think you should use that Imperial outpost!” After a while, Olaf, covered in sweat, and another centurion emerged from the stone steps below.

“What do you mean?” Apophis Breo stared at the two of them.

"I suggest you go down and see for yourself!" Olaf shrugged, looking utterly speechless.

Apophis Breo gave the two men a deep look upon hearing this, then grabbed a torch and went inside. Once inside the pass, Apophis Breo immediately sensed a putrid and musty smell. However, considering this was the habitat of orcs, he instantly felt at ease; it would be strange if an orc's dwelling were clean.

"Plop!" Apophis Breo stomped down and a strange sound came from behind, followed by a stench that rushed straight to the top of the great Duke of King's Landing's head.

"Yue!" Apophis Breo couldn't help but vomit after seeing where he was standing. After all, not many people could remain calm when they stepped into orc excrement that was up to their ankles.

"I'm going to kill these bastards!" Apophis Breo pulled his foot out of the puddle, barely suppressing his nausea. Luckily, his high-top steel combat boots almost completely covered his calf, otherwise Apophis Breo probably would have had to amputate his leg on the spot.

"Be careful, sir!" The two men, who had just realized what was happening, rushed over to help Apophis Breo.

"Whoosh!" Under the torchlight, Apophis Breo could clearly see his surroundings. It was a stone chamber, clearly integrated with the outer pass; both were carved into the mountainside. Although the orcs didn't seem to care much about environmental protection, they had maintained the underground structures quite well—if you could ignore the moldy walls...

"Dark and damp environments are the easiest places for evil spirits to breed!" the lord said, shaking his head.

……

After several hours, Apophis Breo finally finished exploring the entire Old Pass, both above and below ground. He finally understood why Olaf had made him use the Imperial outpost. The originally functionally distinct structures of the pass had been almost completely destroyed by the orcs. The largest bunker had lost its original purpose of garrisoning troops; after all, what fortress or pass had dozens of entrances and exits for troop deployment? Most absurdly, several of these entrances led outside the pass…

"How long will it take to repair and clean these things?" Apophis Breo asked with a dark expression.

"To be frank... the old pass has basically lost its function as a pass." The officers exchanged glances and said one after another.

"Damn it!" Apophis Breo gritted his teeth, wishing he could tear those orcs apart. After all, only orcs would do something like ruining a perfectly good pass.

"Both passes are now useless?" Apophis Breo asked, still unwilling to give up.

“There’s no difference. The most basic defensive capabilities of a pass have been greatly reduced. It’s just that the damage below is more severe. This place is like a sieve now, and we don’t even know where many of the passages lead!” the Grand Knight said, distressed.

"What should we do tonight?" Apophis Breo asked for everyone's opinion.

“We have no choice. The open space inside the High Pass is quite large, so we can only establish a long-term camp there. And most importantly, that open space is protected by the pass walls. Because it is the highest point of the pass, there is no passage leading to the inside of the mountain. If we hold that place, we will not be betrayed by the orcs!” Olaf pointed to the platform above.

"And there's a mountain spring there, which is also the water source for the entire pass!" the Grand Knight added.

“The most crucial point is that the area is large enough. Calling it a platform is not an exaggeration; it’s more like a small city. With the city walls protecting it from all sides, we can simply block the stone steps leading up to it and it will become a formidable fortress!” Another centurion nodded in agreement.

"Then assemble the soldiers and let's go up and set up camp!" Apophis Breo said without hesitation, immediately issuing the order.

“Tell the soldiers to work hard. We can only set up the camp in the dark, otherwise we’ll all be out there in the cold!” Apophis Breo said earnestly, looking at the now completely dark sky.