I reforged the glory of the magic ring in Middle-earth

Chapter 102 Motives for Sending Troops

The moment Gandalf's voice faded away, the air seemed to be wrapped in invisible silk, and silence solidified in the guest room like a entity, and everyone fell silent.

Tanes frowned, his knuckles tapping unconsciously on the armrest.

Thorin's expression was relatively relaxed, leaning back against the wooden chair.

Gandalf leaned forward slightly under his grey robe, the smoke from his pipe drawing loose spirals in the air, his burning gaze piercing through the dense smoke as he stared at Tanis.

The old wizard has sought help from all the countries he can, and only Tanes is left. This is his last trump card that has not been revealed.

When all the support from the throne turned into nothing, only the banner of the golden tree still sleeps in its scabbard.

Tanes' Adam's apple rolled slightly, and the names of Bernal and others rolled on the tip of his tongue.

He had a lot to think about. If only he and Bernal and the others took part in this expedition, it would be nothing more than an adventure, a heroic legend written on a parchment scroll.

No matter what Tanes will gain or lose in this adventure in the end, it will only be a matter for a few of them.

But if Tanes agrees to send out the army and let the Golden Tree Banner flutter in the lonely mountain, then every horseshoe print will become an extension of the national will.

Because the interests he represents are not just his own, but the interests of the entire Golden Tree.

At this moment, his identity was no longer a brave knight, a powerful wizard, or a member of the Lonely Mountain Expedition, but a king from the Golden Tree Territory.

Tanes stared at the dancing flames in the fireplace, as if he saw the burning eyes of thousands of soldiers flickering in the ashes.

He knew that as long as he opened his lips, the armor inlaid with the golden tree emblem would burst into a fanatical fighting spirit, and the soldiers from the golden tree would definitely agree to participate in this war.

The point is what benefits Tanes can gain from this war.

What sounded in his chest at this moment was not the charge horn in the warrior's blood, but the responsibility that weighed on his heart like a heavy burden.

The soldiers who believed in him might not care, but Tanes felt that he had to take responsibility for these soldiers of the golden tree.

If these soldiers are willing to be Tanes's sword, then Tanes, as the sword-wielder, must measure the blood-watered meaning for every follower with his palm.

Bilbo blinked, sensing the oppressive atmosphere in the room, and whispered, "Well, since war is about to break out, do I still need to find the place where Bard's daughter is being held captive?"

Tanis's thoughts were interrupted by Bilbo, who looked at the hobbit and smiled, "Of course, we have already promised Bard, and we will not break our promise."

Then he looked at Gandalf and said, "Let us go out and talk, Gandalf. I will leave this place with Thorin and Bilbo, and let them discuss what Bard has commissioned."

Tanes paused again and looked at Aegon: "Aegon, you stay too. The matter of Smaug is in your hands."

Egon laughed and said, "Leave the evil dragon to me."

They walked out of the guest room, and the moment the door closed behind them, Millicent slightly raised the wrist that was pressing on the hilt of the sword, and her amber pupils cast a questioning arc in the shadows.

Tanis raised his palm and pressed it twice, shook his head to indicate that nothing happened, and then he and Gandalf came to a secluded corner on the second floor of the inn.

Gandalf raised the staff in his hand, tapped the tip of the staff lightly on the floor, and fine starlight flowed down from the head of the staff. Tanis felt that some invisible barrier was enveloping the two of them.

The old wizard explained with a smile, "Now even the most sensitive ears won't be able to hear a single syllable, especially a certain hobbit."

Tanis was amused by Gandalf's words and agreed with a smile, "Indeed, we must pay attention to Bilbo."

The raised corner of Tanis's mouth quickly sank into the shadow of his armor, and he said to Gandalf directly, "I'm sorry, Gandalf, I can't easily agree to send troops. I can carry a sword and accompany Thorin and his men to slay the dragon, but if I want to let the roots of the golden tree sink into the quagmire of war - then I must consider the interests of my territory. In other words, you should tell me, what can I gain from agreeing to send troops?"

Gandalf held the cigarette in his mouth but did not smoke, he just let the tobacco burn quietly in the pipe.

He nodded and replied, "I understand your hesitation, Tanes. This is a reflection of your consideration for the residents of your territory."

Then, Gandalf sighed heavily. "If there really were other nations willing to send troops to support, I wouldn't ask your territory for help. Gondor itself is still fighting the threat of Mordor in the west. And Rohan is not stable at this time. They are facing the threat of the Dunlendings and even need Gondor's support. Although Dain of the Iron Hills will send troops, facing the combination of Azog's orc army and the dragon Smaug, the Dwarf army alone is no match. And the Elves of Mirkwood... even if there were no threat from the remnants of the Children of Ungoliant, I can hardly guarantee that Thranduil would be willing to help the Dwarves."

When he had said these words, he took from his grey robe a scroll of secret orders bound with a silver cord, on which was the seal of Gondor.

Tanes asked in confusion, "What is this?"

Gandalf smiled mysteriously. "It took me a long time to find the motivation to get you to agree to send troops."

Then Gandalf chanted a spell that Taneth could not understand, and the silver string untied and burned up automatically as it fell to the ground. After Gandalf had done all this, he handed it to Taneth.

Tanes took it and spread out the secret order, saying, "Why do I feel like you're absolutely certain that I'll agree to send troops after seeing what's written here?"

Gandalf said with a smile: "You will know when you see it."

Tanis looked at Gandalf suspiciously, intending to read the contents of the secret order carefully before rejecting Gandalf.

But his eyes were immediately attracted by the numerous noble symbols on the secret order. Tanes could recognize that one of the symbols came from the Gondor noble who wanted to come to the Golden Tree Territory to sell fruits and flowers.

In other words, all the marks on it belong to the nobles of Gondor.

Above these noble seals was a brief sentence: [From the moment the secret order is lifted, the Ened region will be under the control of Tanes, Lord of the Golden Tree, regardless of whether he is willing to send troops to support Lonely Mountain.]

Tanes' pupils trembled slightly, then he raised his head and looked at Gandalf in disbelief: "Is this true?"

Gandalf nodded in satisfaction, as if he had just wanted to see Tanis's reaction. "Of course it's true. In fact, the current Prime Minister of Gondor quickly agreed to my request, but it took quite a while to notify these nobles and have them stamp their family seals."

Then he muttered, "It's mainly because there are so many nobles, and I have to travel a lot."

The Ened region is located southeast of Minhiriath. This area was originally jointly governed by Arnor and Gondor in name, but in fact not many people settled here.

With the fall of the Kingdom of Arnor, the Ened region experienced various natural and man-made disasters, which eventually led to the rapid decline of the area and its degeneration into a wilderness swamp. Even Gondor itself had no intention of rebuilding this land.

Therefore, when Gandalf proposed to give the Ened region to Tanis in order to gain his help, Gondor's ruling prime minister agreed without hesitation.

For Gondor, if the Lonely Mountain falls completely into Sauron's hands, then in addition to Mordor, it will also have to face the threat from the north at all times.

The ruling prime minister did not think that the dwarves and elves alone could stop the evil dragon Smaug and Sauron's army, so when he heard about this from Gandalf, he also felt it was difficult.

But he really did not have any extra troops to support, so when Gandalf proposed to use the map of Ened, which existed in name only, in exchange for the help of the Lord of the Golden Tree, the ruling prime minister agreed.

Although he didn't know how the Lord of the Golden Tree transported his troops to the vicinity of Lonely Mountain in such a short time, he no longer had any doubts when he thought that the other party was a wizard.

Moreover, the ruling prime minister had heard reports about the Golden Tree Territory, which had made part of the wasteland in Minchirias disappear in just a few months and become prosperous again.

The ruling prime minister could understand that at this rate of development, the Golden Tree would sooner or later encroach upon the Ened region.

What's more, the other side also dealt with the Orcs who secretly stationed in the port of Longdale. If these Orcs were allowed to successfully rebuild the port, Gondor's coastal areas would be threatened.

From this perspective, the ruling prime minister has to thank Tanes.

Instead of having conflicts and contradictions with the other party at that time and causing unpleasantness, it is better to make friends with the other party while the golden tree is still developing.

If the Ened region could regain its prosperity in the hands of the Lord of the Golden Tree, it would be a good thing for Gondor, and it would also be a huge favor to Tanes.

Tanes was silent for a moment, then raised the secret order in his hand and said, "According to the instructions above, even if I don't agree to send troops, it will not affect the ownership of the Ened region."

Gandalf finally took his first puff of his cigarette with a relaxed demeanor: "You are right, but from what I know about you, you will not let this happen."

Tanes shook his head helplessly at first, then said seriously, "I have to admit that you did take my mind. However, I can agree to help. However, when rebuilding the Ened region, I will also need some material support from Gondor."

Gandalf looked as if he had expected it. "The Steward of Gondor anticipated your proposal, and I can express his agreement on your behalf. However, the specific amount of aid and the timing of the delivery will require you to send someone to Gondor to discuss this with the Steward personally."

Tanis nodded. "Of course. Now, how can I get my army here before the Orcs arrive at the Lonely Mountain?"

Gandalf replied: "I don't know how to do that."

Tanes raised an eyebrow: "Then why do you do all this?"

Gandalf soothed him, "Don't worry. Just because I can't do something doesn't mean others can't. I was thinking about this problem when I sent Thorin's father, Thrain, to your territory for help. And while I was waiting for Thrain to recover, I met someone you know. Her name is Cerion, and she claims to be your mentor in witchcraft. Lady Cerion is indeed a powerful wizard. After learning of my concerns, she said she could solve the problem of transporting troops over long distances. However, she said that this method requires your help."

He then calculated the time in his mind: "Then I will rush to Gondor. When the last Gondor noble stamps the seal, I will ask my giant eagle friends to bring me to you. At the same time, I will also ask them to go to the Lord of the Golden Tree to pick up Lady Ceremony. It should take about two days for the giant eagle to bring her here."

Tanes's expression was very interesting: "Wait, Teacher Seren is coming too?"

(End of this chapter)