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

Chapter 671 Honest Bahrain

"Greetings! Duke Apophis Breo! Please give my regards to King Roland!" Balin, panting, climbed up the fortress wall and greeted Apophis Breo with utmost politeness, for Balin would always be grateful to Roland!

“I will! Thank you for your support... I didn’t even expect the dwarves to join the war!” Apophis Breo was deeply moved. It can only be said that good deeds are rewarded. The seeds of kindness that Roland planted back then have now blossomed and borne fruit in Apophis Breo’s hands!
“Dwarves never mistreat their friends! Never… Oh? Elves?” Balin patted Apophis Breo’s arm and smiled kindly, but when he turned his head, he saw Lind and the elven rangers resting beside him.

“Yes, King Elon learned of my predicament and sent Lord Linde to help me!” Apophis Breo explained to Balin, while Linde also patted Balin on the chest in a gesture of respect.

Balin nodded to Lind to acknowledge the greeting. Although Thorin didn't particularly like elves, or rather, dwarves didn't like elves much, Balin was, after all, the lord of Moria. For the sake of survival, he still needed to maintain friendship with the elves. As king, he couldn't be willful; that would be irresponsible to the kingdom of Moria. Therefore, Balin always treated the elves indifferently, without deliberately trying to please or showing disdain.

"The elves are quite generous!" Balin glanced around and roughly figured out that there were also several hundred elves stationed here to help defend the area, and couldn't help but smile.

What neither Balin nor Apophis Breo knew was that Elrond had its own motives for so generously sending a group of rangers to help Apophis Breo! After all, there is no love or hate without a reason!
Although Roland had only recently entered the political arena, the title of Dragon King had already been sung by bards throughout Middle-earth. Virtually every power, except perhaps those that were particularly isolated, knew of this king, the Dragon Knight, and his powerful kingdom! The fact that the Northern Kingdom had withstood several orcish invasions was enough to command attention! Of course, Gondor and Rohan, while aware of Roland's name, were unimpressed, given the prevailing decadence among their nobility…

On a side note, if Sauron had been willing to commit to an invasion of Gondor at that time, it would have been far better than launching the war in 3018! After all, Gondor at that time lacked a king, a rising noble family, and a wise advisor…

Yes, you read that right! Thanesor II was a wise prime minister! The very same regent who self-immolated in the movie! You only know of his dazed state during the War of the Ring, but you don't know that he spent his entire life fighting against Sauron's will! He used the Crystal of Truth to contend with Sauron's will, fortifying borders, building fortresses, and forming an army—all to fight Sauron. Finally, exhausted and defeated by Sauron's will, he felt powerless to defeat him and ordered everyone to flee…

From any perspective, Denezor II was a wise ruler. Under his rule, Gondor finally regained its strength to fight Sauron, a far cry from his father's incompetence. His decades-long struggle against Sauron through sheer willpower was terrifying! Keep in mind, he and Sauron were constantly battling with mental power through the Crystal of Truth! Everything he did was for Gondor, even his final folly was to protect the people of the White City and allow them to escape…

When Roland watched the movie years ago, he remarked that The Lord of the Rings created a group of fearless hobbits and a benevolent monarch, as well as the deeply memorable Rohan cavalry and the tragic King Théoden. But who can remember that the true hero who made Sauron endure and bide his time for decades before daring to attack Gondor was that eccentric regent? A true hero who hid behind the scenes for decades, only to meet his end by self-immolation…

Before Denezor II restored order to Gondor, the only place in Gondor that hadn't completely decayed was the territory of Doamroth, or more precisely, the Swan Knights as the pillars of Gondor. But why did Sauron hesitate to attack Gondor? During the reign of Denezor II's father, Gondor, though corrupt, still possessed the strength to fight. By the time Sauron was ready, Denezor II had just ascended the throne in the Third Age 2984! Three years later, after his wife's death, he became increasingly stern and silent. He foresaw that Sauron would launch an invasion of Gondor during his lifetime, and began researching the Crystal of Knowledge to counter Sauron's will, while also monitoring Gandalf, Aragorn, and Saruman. (Indeed impressive! This guy was arguably the most knowledgeable about all sides during the War of the Ring, after all, the Crystal of Anor could tell him everything he wanted to know, even putting Sauron under his surveillance—it's quite absurd!)

So Denethor II was actually a heroic figure. After all, he had delayed Sauron for so many years. If Sauron hadn't been driven to despair by the orcs' prosperity in Mordor, he might not have dared to come out.

……

"Your Highness Balin, I need dwarves to defend the elves!" Linde didn't mince words and went straight to Balin to explain his purpose. He told Balin that the elven rangers needed a stable space to attack and that someone had to protect them; clearly, the dwarves were the best choice. "To help His Highness Apophis Breo, I'd be happy to!" Balin said calmly, implying that the dwarves were willing to give the elves face, but don't get the wrong idea—they wouldn't even give you a second glance if it weren't for the Kingdom of Lagrang!

"Thank you!" Lind didn't have time to play these tricks with the dwarves. He just wanted to defeat the orcs and leave this sad battlefield with the elves. If he died any longer, he would have no face to see King Elrond.

"Your Highness, please tell us the details! The messenger can't explain it all in a short time!" Balin said, pulling Apophis Breo along. After all, Balin valued efficiency. Upon hearing that Apophis Breo had been attacked by orcs, he immediately went to the front lines and didn't listen to the messenger's detailed explanation before pulling him away. He figured everything would be clear once they got to the fight.

“Alright!” Apophis Breo nodded and then proceeded to explain the current situation and the opposing forces in detail.

……

"So you're saying we're in danger right now?" Bahrain stroked his beard.

"I'm sorry!" Apophis Breo was very apologetic, after all, he had dragged the dwarves into this.

"It's alright, it's only right! The dwarves can never repay King Roland's kindness in this lifetime!" Balin shook his head. After all, strictly speaking, Roland helped the dwarves recapture two capitals and entered the battle as a main force in both! Especially the first time, Balin knew how badly Roland fought back then, his only infantry was wiped out as a whole.

“The conditions are limited… but I will try my best to buy you time, even if all the dwarves fall here!” Balin’s eyes were full of determination.

"You flatter me. Everything will be resolved once the kingdom's reinforcements arrive!" Apophis Breo quickly waved his hand, thinking, "Are these dwarves any better? They could have just stalled for time and waited for Roland's army to come to the rescue, but they're acting like it's a fight to the death! Can't the orcs die? Is it their own death that's the only option? They're practically throwing themselves into it..."

Balin's will to die startled Apophis Breo. The situation hadn't deteriorated to the point where all the dwarves would sacrifice themselves, had it?
However, Apophis Breo was completely stunned after glancing at the other dwarves, and then looked at Balin with a cannibalistic gaze.

"Your men..." Apophis Breo's lips twitched. With the equipment of these dwarves, they probably couldn't kill those orcs even if they worked themselves to death.