Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1096 1078. Advancement Plan
After the Elf King shouted without turning his head, he found that his son did not respond to him.

He turned his head in astonishment, but only saw an officer standing there awkwardly in front of the army.

Even the gorgeous golden elven-style armor on his body could not conceal the elf's feeling of helplessness and embarrassment.

"Your Majesty." The embarrassed and awkward elf officer said to the king, "The prince, he rode away on his horse."

"Just when you started talking to Adanisil."

Thranduil opened his mouth: "What else is he going to do now?"

"The prince said he wanted to chase after the orc commander who escaped last night. He said he had been delayed for too long and would lose him if he didn't go now."

"Silas, why didn't you stop him!"

The elf officer smiled awkwardly.

Seeing his father turn around and talk to someone else, Legolas walked silently to the back of the army, then mounted his horse and rode away.

What could he do? Could he shoot the horse the prince was riding?

Thranduil pressed his forehead in pain, making his smooth white hair look slightly messy.

Bud and Lan were wise enough to stop talking at this time, and even stood a little further away in unison.

Fortunately, Thranduil also knew that his previous conservative defense policy in the Woodland Kingdom had actually never been favored by Legolas and Tauriel.

They are all too young, only over two thousand years old, full of youthful vigor and a hatred of evil.

There is nothing wrong with this, because elves are naturally kind creatures after all. Their hatred for evil and their spontaneous sympathy and empathy for the weak are almost instinctive.

So after Legolas escaped this time and saw what the orcs did and Lake Town being destroyed overnight, he became a little wild towards him. Thranduil could understand that and had expected it long ago.

But
"I originally wanted to let Legolas lead a team of archers to help you accomplish the task of slaying the dragon. But I didn't expect that he didn't even have the patience to listen to me finish my words."

Bard's face darkened again as he listened to what was said. After all, he was about to persuade the Elf King of the Woodland Kingdom to lend a helping hand, but the help ran away.

But Thranduil changed the subject and put down the hand that was pressing on his forehead.

"A top archer and a team of ordinary archers. This is the support I originally wanted to give you, because sheer numbers are meaningless to the dragon. But now Legolas is gone."

Thranduil let out a long sigh: "Then I'll do it!"

Bud stared upward with wide eyes.

Thranduil met the human archer's eyes without flinching.

"Oh, do you really think I'm a coward?"

"Before, there was simply no chance, and no means to kill it. Otherwise, why would we let this evil beast wreak havoc in the north for so long?"

After saying this, Thranduil did not intend to explain any further. He turned around and rode his stag to the front of the elves' army.

He began to communicate and give orders to the elf officer.

"Leave only twenty of them to me, and take the rest back to Mirkwood to guard the borders of our country."

"We don't need so many people to fight the dragon, and there's no need for such a big show if we want to kill it with one strike. If we fail, you have to go back and prepare for the dragon's revenge."

All the elves had no objection, and their neatly arranged troops stood solemnly and neatly in front of Thranduil, with their eyes fixed straight ahead.

The king of an elven kingdom has managed to keep his country alive after several eras.

When they saw the state of the elven army facing Thranduil, Lan and Bard understood.

Thranduil could not be a cowardly king.

He just didn't bother to care about what was happening outside before.

Now that the opportunity to destroy Smaug has arisen, he will immediately proceed with his plan.

He would even risk letting himself, who had been burned by dragon flames, return to the battlefield with the evil dragon.

Thranduil's prestige is unmatched among the elves of the Woodland Kingdom.

So the elves who were originally standing in a neat line on the shore of Long Lake Town quickly retreated in an orderly and smooth manner, leaving only the number of people specified by Thranduil and the supplies sent to the townspeople.

"The dwarves left yesterday. The worst, and fastest, scenario is that Smaug will break out of his lair tonight."

Thranduil dismounted from the stag for the first time, his exquisite and sturdy armor colliding with each other, and his white hair draped over the black cloak behind him, mixing with the original silver thread woven pattern, making it difficult to distinguish.

He also had an elven-style long sword hanging from his waist, his hand resting on the hilt.

Thranduil and Lan looked at each other and discussed the plan with each other.

The picture of two people standing together like this would not look out of place even if it were placed directly in the frame of an oil painting.

Even the current background and lighting are not very good.

But this is the pinnacle of American-style figure painting.

At least Bud felt that it was a bit out of place for him to stand here.

"Time is running out."

Thranduil continued speaking with a blank expression.

"I agree," Lan agreed, "so we'd better get started now."

The Elf King waved his hand without even turning his head, and immediately asked the remaining twenty archers to follow him and follow Lan and Bard into the town. Bard and Lan's previous plan would not change, and they still had to get the survivors of Long Lake Town to the ruins of River Valley City.

First of all, of course, the buildings there are all made of solid stone, which can protect against wind and rain. There are already large pieces of floating ice in this lake, which can ensure the body temperature of the townspeople.

Secondly, if Smaug really rushed out as described in the prophecy, the war on the Long Lake would be reignited.

That must be for venting anger and killing.

After it wreaked havoc several times, only the town of Long Lake remained in this area. Because it was quite far from the Lonely Mountain, there was no gold, and even few people, Smaug did not arouse his interest in slaughtering them.

After it becomes angry, its first target of slaughter will certainly be Changhu Town, and it will fly towards here.

Although Dale City is close, it is a ruin that has been conquered and massacred by Smaug long ago, so it will not attract Smaug's attention.

"All the houses and streets in Changhu Town that still have some structure left must light up the lights."

Walking through the charred ruins, Lan En gave his opinions on the plan.

And Thranduil and Bard listened attentively.

"We have to make Smaug think that there are still many people here. Otherwise, I don't think the dragon will feel happy just destroying a bunch of lifeless buildings."

Thranduil said this casually as he looked around Lake Town.

"It is an evil race created by Morgoth to defeat the Valar and good beings. It is so by nature."

"Remember, when your people enter River Valley City to take shelter, you must ensure that they do not ignite even the slightest spark in the open air!"

"That evil dragon has sharp eyes and a quick mind. If it sees the fire in the long-abandoned River Valley City, none of us will be able to predict its next move."

Thranduil's first sentence was a response to Lann, and the second sentence was a warning to Bard.

And at such an urgent moment, Bard did not bother to refute the Elf King's statement. He just nodded heavily and seriously to show that he understood.

The situation and image of Changhu Town are even worse than usual.

Thranduil's presence here even made Bard feel a little uneasy, because the disparity in temperament and demeanor between the Elf King and this dilapidated town was too great.

Lan's temperament and manners were equally impressive, but because of his approachable personality, he seemed easy to deal with, which was why Bud didn't have that feeling when they were walking together before.

But Thranduil himself seemed to be completely unconcerned about the environment here.

Because he was now looking at this town with the mentality of observing a preset battlefield.

As for the battlefield, even the elves would not be naive enough to think that beauty and comfort can be achieved on the battlefield.

During the Battle of the Last Alliance, Thranduil once invaded the heart of Mordor, which had been occupied and ravaged by orcs for a long time. The situation there was much worse than that in Lake Town.

"Hey! Bud, Lan!"

As they were walking, a loud voice shouted their names and ran over.

They are the dwarves who were left in Long Lake Town yesterday.

Fili supported his brother Kili, whose leg injury had seemed to be killing him yesterday, but now he was able to walk on tiptoe.

"Is this considered a cure? The effect is remarkable."

Lan congratulated the dwarves. Thranduil behind him raised his hand slightly, and the twenty elven archers who followed him stopped in sync and watched quietly from behind.

"The elves' medical skills combined with the Wangye Sword Grass will cure any disease!"

Ou Yin, who had a copper horn loudspeaker in his ear, waved his hand and looked very happy.

Bofur also interjected: "It's a pity that the female elf is a little ugly. She has no beard on her face, and her body is thin and skinny. She has no strength at all. Hey!"

Bofur was halfway through his words when Kili, who was behind him, punched him lightly on the shoulder. He turned around in confusion and dissatisfaction.

"He saved my life, could you please stop gossiping behind my back, huh?"

Kili was also dissatisfied when he spoke, and Bofur immediately raised his hands to indicate that he would not say anything more. He was also reasonable and grateful, but dwarves were generally outspoken.

After Kili and Bofur had finished their fight, Fili looked at Lann talking to a group of people behind him.

"You guys are moving away from this town?"

When his eyes swept over the elves led by Thranduil, vigilance and resistance flashed in the dwarf's eyes.

"Yes, this place is uninhabitable, especially now that it's so cold. We are going to go to the ruins of River Valley City to see if we can clear out a residential area."

Bard, carrying the bow and the rewrapped black arrow, spoke to Fili.

After hearing this, the dwarves looked at each other in surprise.

"Going to Riverdale City? It's on the way to Lonely Mountain! You guys saved us last night. Come, we can help you carry your luggage!"

As they spoke, several dwarves excitedly rushed to the townspeople and started working.

And Lan looked at the happy dwarf's back and approached Thranduil.

He bent down slightly and came closer to ask.

"Dwarves and elves have always been at odds with each other, but I heard that the dwarves of Lonely Mountain are particularly hostile to the elves of the Woodland Kingdom. Is there anything going on here?"

Thranduil sneered indifferently, raised his hand and gently pushed aside the cloak hanging in front of him.

(End of this chapter)