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

Chapter 107 The chosen army is - Red Lion
In the city of Stoneville.

Seren yawned and said goodbye, then went to his room, leaving Tanes alone.

Tanes noticed that during his absence, the city of Stonewell seemed to have been renovated a lot.

Torches cast an amber glow on the stone dome, and the golden tree emblem, reflected in the stained windows, spread across the entire west wall.

The metal scales of the Storm Knights and soldiers' armor rustled with their footsteps, while several servants bent over to wipe the stains between the tiles.

"Lord Tanes!"

But without exception, after seeing Tanes, they all bowed solemnly to him with respect from the bottom of their hearts.

Tanes still remembered his identity as a lord, and in response to these people's calls and greetings, he responded with a smile.

After Tanes left, the two Storm Knights looked at each other excitedly.

"Did Lord Tanes greet me just now?"

"You were wrong. You were greeting both of us."

"Don't be ridiculous! He was clearly looking at me just now, not you. I heard that Lord Tanes is planning to launch an expedition to support his allies. Do you think he has chosen me to be a member of the vanguard?"

"...I think you might not be awake yet, calm down."

"Okay, I have to admit that this is indeed my fantasy... But once Lord Tanes gives the order, I will definitely be the first to join the expedition."

Tanis didn't know that the news of the expedition to Lonely Mountain had already spread when Gandalf arrived in the territory not long ago.

So when the two guards outside the city lord's hall opened the door for Tanes and walked in, he was stunned when he saw everyone inside turning their heads in unison.

The tar torches crackled and sparks flew on the iron candlesticks, and the heat wave hit Tanes' face, causing a layer of white mist to instantly rise from his armor.

In the city lord's hall at this time, not only Nefeli Lu, whom he had notified, was there, but also Edgar, the city lord of Moren City, Kenneth Hyde, the lord of Hyde Fortress, and even the Knights Greg and Storm Knights who were in charge of the passes and outposts.

Roger and D were not there. I don't know where they went.

The lion hybrid stationed at the port of Takiedale was also absent.

"Lord Tanes!"

When Edgar and the others saw Tanes, they immediately stood up from their seats and saluted him respectfully.

Neferi Lu also showed an expression of "finally back" and stood up from the city lord's seat without any nostalgia. She patted the back of the chair and said, "You're finally back, Tanes. I didn't expect you to be gone for so long."

Tanes nodded in greeting, asked Edgar and the others to sit down again, and walked over and replied with a smile, "I didn't expect to be gone for so long. This world is truly amazing. Bernard and the others had many wonderful adventures along the way. I'll tell you about them when I get a chance."

Upon hearing this, Neferi Lu asked, "Didn't Bernal and the others come back with you?"

Tanes, sitting in the city lord's seat, shook his head and said, "No, they are still in a place called Changhu Town."

The others sitting at the chairman's table immediately turned their attention to the map scroll spread out on the table and quickly found the location of Changhu Town.

Kenneth Hyde continued in his exaggerated operatic voice, "I see, I see. Lord Tanes, you traveled so far away. No wonder you needed to leave the territory for nearly a year."

Edgar pondered, "That is to say, the enemies we are about to face are the dragon in the Lonely Mountain and the orc army, but our only allies are the dwarves..."

Tanes then motioned for Neferi Lu to stand closer and asked in a low voice, "Why are they all here? I remember I only asked the soldiers to notify you."

Neferi Lu pulled the corners of her mouth into a bitter smile. "You don't know, after your wizard friend Gandalf brought a seriously injured dwarf here, the news of his request for the Golden Tree to go to war spread throughout the territory. Then these guys became inexplicably excited, and have been waiting for you to return and lead them to war."

Well, that’s it.

Tanes looked back at the Speaker's table and saw that even the most steady Kenneth Hyde had excitement in his eyes.

Tanes then spoke, "As you all thought, I have returned to discuss the expedition to the Lonely Mountain. First, I must make it clear that regardless of whether we march this time or not, the Ened region is already the legal territory of our Golden Tree. Every grain of sand and stone on that land is blessed by the Golden Tree. All the nobles of Gondor, led by the Prime Minister, have signed and sealed this agreement."

Then he looked at Neferi Lu and asked, "What's the situation at Longdedale Harbor?"

Neferi Lu immediately replied, "The hybrids rebuilt the Longdedale Harbor four months ago, but they currently lack ships and manpower."

Tanes waved his hand. "It's okay. I don't have any plans to send anyone out to sea for now. Longdedale is located between Minchirias and Enaid. We'll use it as a base to send personnel to manage the Enaid region."

Neferi Lu warned, "With our current manpower, we are already stretched thin just managing Minchirias. We need you to summon more people from the Golden Tree into this world."

Tanes nodded. "I had the same plan when I came back this time. How far has the Golden Tree's territory expanded now?"

Neferi Lu answered again, pointing to the map on the Speaker's desk. "We currently have control over the entire central part of Minchirias, but this isn't within the Golden Tree's protection. It's just that our current manpower can only control so much. According to the soldiers' reports, the Golden Tree's blessing seems to be limited to Minchirias. The dwarves of the Blue Mountains have also cooperated with us to build a new trade route. Currently, Kenneth Hyde is responsible for patrolling this route daily. Besides that, the natives of Elinvorn Forest still refuse to communicate with us."

Neferi Lu paused, then added with a strange expression, "Also, not long ago, a group of elves arrived from Rivendell, led by two of Elrond's sons. They also brought a little human boy named Estel, who claimed to be your student. Although the letters sent by Gandalf and Elrond separately mentioned your presence in Rivendell, without your token, we can only let him live in the elves' settlement for the time being."

Tanes slapped his head and said suddenly, "Ah, Estair, he is indeed the student I accepted in the Valley. I originally wanted to write a letter and send it back personally, but I left in such a hurry that I forgot."

It was Gandalf who urged Tanis to take Thorin and the others out of Rivendell. Later, Tanis almost forgot that he had such a student waiting for him.

Kenneth Hyde coughed lightly and said politely, "Lord Tanes, if you continue to be away from the territory for such long periods of time, I sincerely suggest that you write a letter back to the territory every two weeks. After all, you are our lord now, and there are many things we dare not decide for you without your personal decision. Moreover, we have not known your situation for such a long time, and we are truly worried about you."

When Tanes heard this, he felt ashamed.

He really shouldn't have left for so long, or perhaps his previous wandering life as a Faded One had such a profound impact on him that he felt it was okay to leave his territory for so long.

So Tanes said to Kenneth Hyde: "I'm sorry to have worried you. If something like this happens again, I will arrange everything in advance."

Kenneth Hyde was flattered and waved his hand. "I'm not asking you to apologize. After all, you must have your reasons for doing this. I'm just offering a small suggestion."

To ease the awkward atmosphere, Neferi Lu joked to Tanes, "Alright, let me take this opportunity next time. Tanes, you've let me sit in this position for almost a year. Next time there's something fun, I have to go first."

Tanes agreed: "Of course."

Neferi Lu nodded, then put away her smile and said seriously, "So, what are you going to do about supporting the dwarves?"

When the people at the chairman's table heard Nefeli Lu's words, they all sat up straight and looked at Tanes with longing eyes.

They all hope to participate in this expedition because it is the first expedition of the Golden Tree since it came to this world, and Tanes, the incarnation of the Golden Tree's will, is leading the team personally.

With these two factors combined, it’s no wonder they are so excited.

But Tanes said in a deep voice, "I will summon new troops to accompany me for this support. As for the original army of the Golden Tree Territory... I will also summon some more soldiers to be on standby. Kenneth, how many soldiers does the Golden Tree Territory have enough food to fight a war?"

Kenneth Hyde immediately explained, "If it's an army of a thousand, food can be supplied continuously. But if the number of soldiers exceeds 3000, then I suggest that the war be concluded within two months so as not to damage the foundation of our current territory. If you are leading an army of more than 5000, then I still recommend that you end the war within a month."

He then added, "Of course, the army I'm referring to is calculated based on the daily rations consumed by ordinary human soldiers. If the army includes war machines like mountain goblins, the food consumption would be double. However, even the normal soldiers from the border area, from my observation, they usually consume much more food than the humans who have defected from this world. This is thanks to the rapid growth of crops in the Golden Tree Territory, which can support the consumption of the border soldiers and even have enough to export."

Tanes nodded thoughtfully: "I understand. I will take what you said into consideration."

Neferi Lu asked, "So who are you going to summon?"

Tanes answered without hesitation, "If you ask me which enemy I think is the strongest, I find it difficult to give an answer. But if you ask me who is best at commanding an army, then there is undoubtedly only one person - [Star Shattering General] Latarn."

Neferi Lu was silent for a moment, then frowned and asked, "I admit that you are right. Both General Latan and his Red Lions are among the best in terms of personal strength and military prowess. But are you sure that Latan will obey your orders? The Red Lions are also very loyal to their army. If Latan is unwilling to follow your orders, the Red Lions will definitely not obey you either."

Tanes said confidently, "He's just a defeated general. Besides, I have other candidates besides him. But I value Latann's military command ability more than his personal strength. Both Thorin and Gandalf mentioned to me that the enemy we will face this time is Azog, the wisest and most cunning general among the Orcs. Therefore, I decided to choose Latann, who is more outstanding in military skills."

Another point is that Tanes felt that when facing a giant dragon like Smaug flying around in the sky, General Latarn's gravity magic would definitely give the other party a big surprise.

Neferi Lu shrugged. "As long as you think it's okay, do you need me to stand by your side during this summoning?"

Tanes shook his head slightly. "No, for a hero like Latarn, it is far better to face him than to fear him."

He then stood up and instructed Kenneth Hyde and the others, "I've covered the main points. There are still some minor details left for you to discuss and I'll decide on. Kenneth Hyde, you will use the Red Lion Army as a base and prepare the necessary food and fodder for the expedition. Edgar, while Kenneth is busy with the food and fodder, the patrols of the Dwarf Trade Route will be temporarily handed over to you in Morn City."

"Yes." Kenneth Hyde and Edgar stood up at the same time and agreed to Tanes.

Nepheli Lu watched Tanes leave, and finally walked to the window worriedly and whistled.

Outside the window, the joyful cries of several storm hawks could be heard, and then they flapped their wings and circled towards the courtyard.

If anything really goes wrong, these Storm Hawks will support Tanes immediately and at least buy him some time.

Tanes returned to the courtyard where the golden tree was, closed his eyes, and the Red Lion City, which had always been surrounded by flames and desolation, appeared in his mind.

At the same time, Tanes also felt that he could summon the buildings in the border area to a farther and wider location. Almost the entire central part of Minshirias was within the range where he could deploy buildings, which happened to be the range pointed out by Nepheli on the map in the city lord's hall.

As for the restrictions mentioned by Neferi Lu, they seemed to have disappeared as well.

Tanes could feel that the golden tree's blessing range began to extend to the Ened region where the port of Longdedale was located.

Obviously, because the Ened region was recognized as the territory of the Golden Tree, the inexplicable range restriction mentioned by Neferi Lu disappeared.

If you want to summon Latarn, you must first summon the Red Lion City.

The reserve of blessings must be sufficient. Not to mention that the soul collector on his body is already full of souls, the blessings accumulated by the golden tree over such a long time are enough for him to summon Red Lion City and Latan.

[Are you sure you want to summon Red Lion City? ]

confirm.

Tanes muttered to himself.

Come on, [Star-Breaking General] Latan, if you still don't surrender, I will crush you again.

(End of this chapter)