Chapter Fifty-Seven: The Last Sunshine

The fact that he had driven out the five ringlings on the plains of Paliano had indeed greatly increased Zhao Mian's prestige among the remaining inhabitants of Minas Tirith, and more people would now greet him on the road, and more people would be willing to listen to him have something to say. But this probably did not represent the opinion of the highest decision-makers in the city, contrary to the people and soldiers, the regent Dinnerse became more wary of him, and even the seat added to the military council was removed again, and around Zhao Mian, the surveillance that even the dullest people could feel became more intense.

People's hearts are backed by success or failure. This simple truth is not only known to Zhao Mian, but to anyone who has been involved in society, but if the background is set in the Middle Ages in Europe, then the ancient, rumored and gentle nobles know these things even more - Dinether is no exception, he even knows more about this matter than the rest of the aristocracy. In his hands, the old Gondor slowed her downfall, and in some ways rejuvenated a nation in which he had an incalculable popular heart, which, though only desirable to those who held the office of regent of the country, had a higher prestige than the others. But he was still afraid, afraid of Zhao Mian, afraid of Gandalf, afraid of the human emperor who had not yet arrived, holding the ancient holy sword, afraid that one day, the country that had existed in his hands for so many years would be taken away by someone else, even though Gondor did not belong to him in the first place, he was only temporarily in charge.

Rights blind people. Although this truth is not universal, but at least except for a small number of powerful people, there are always very few people who can easily let go after tasting the sweetness brought by power, and they will do their best to find a way to extend this time limit for this right that may only be temporary, even if it is only a flash in the pan in the end, but it cannot hinder their efforts.

Zhao Mian sighed, he was standing in the garden outside the Pure White Tower, an unknown white flower bloomed unusually lush around him, but this could not attract his attention, although his eyes were still looking at the unknown flower, but the corner of his eye had already included the entire nearby people in his field of vision. He quietly continued to take two steps forward, and the guards guarding the White Tower looked at him with a little wariness - these warriors who had sworn allegiance to Dinnerser probably knew that the man walking in their direction was not the one they could stop, and even though the other party did not draw his weapon, they still held the hilt of the long sword hanging from their waists, and their originally upright waists were now slightly bent, intending to pounce on them at the first opportunity.

But Zhao Mian didn't intend to enter the Pure White Tower, he turned at a right angle of about ninety degrees in front of their eyes, stepped into the shadows on the side, and leaned against the wall of the garden—in his direction, the only maid who happened to be facing him turned her head in a panic, and turned away from the top level of Minas Tirith under the eyes of the others.

It's not her - or it's not just her. Zhao Mian shifted his gaze slightly upward, and the dark clouds in the sky were even thicker than yesterday, which may have confirmed that the army of Mordor had accelerated its build-up, and the breath of war with a strong smell of rust had penetrated into the lungs of every Gondor people, making them more nervous every day. "Time is running out. Zhao Mian's muttering voice did not come out, but just spit out of his mouth and disappeared into the shadows.

The morning of the day was as dark as dusk, and the morale of the people, which had been boosted by Faramor's return, was once again depressed. The winged shadow did not reappear that day, but from morning till night one could hear a faint shout from above, and all who heard it trembled, and the more timid ones wept and weakened their legs. Zhao Mian and Sarsdom did not try to dislodge them, but these cunning creatures hid behind thick dark clouds, and once the warhammer in his hand shone blindly, it disappeared - even at this moment, Sarsdom still hovered over the White City, wary of the winged creatures that had not left.

But abandoning these voices, in fact, the whole Baicheng fell into a bleak silence, and the human mind was tested at this moment, the hearts of the brave became more shining, while the souls of the cowards gradually slipped to the edge of darkness - Zhao Mian could do nothing. Boromo's departure may not be a simple military order, after the brave Boromo went to the front, Zhao Mian was completely isolated in the city, the regent's obsession made his heart extremely strong, and the ancient bloodline made him not defeated in the confrontation with Sauron - although it was probably not much better to be manipulated by others - but in the same way, it also made him a terrible person, greedily chewing on the taste of terror.

In this quiet world, the sound of discussion in the Council Hall of the Pure White Tower clearly reached Zhao Mian's ears, which was also one of the purposes for him to come here - if the idea was correct, I am afraid that this would also be his only purpose.

"But," said Dinether, "we cannot easily abandon the outer defenses, for the walls of Ramas Anche have been built by us with untold mention. The Demon King's troops must also pay a heavy price to cross the estuary, so that he will not be able to attack our city with all his might. The path from Keltos to the north would be bogged down by swamps, and the path from Lanbanning to the south would be impassable due to the width of the river, and he would concentrate all his forces on Osgilias, as was the case when Boromo held him back. ”

"That's just spying," said Faramir, "and it's not worth it today, even if we cost the enemy ten times as many casualties as ours." He could have suffered the casualties of an entire legion, but the sacrifice of a company was a great loss to us. If he crosses the river by storm, the process of withdrawing our garrisons from other places to the main city will be extremely dangerous. ”

"What about Kyleandros?" said King Inlahir, "if Osgillias is heavily garrisoned, it must be treated in the same way, and we must not forget the possible threat from the left. Reinforcements from the Rohan Kingdom may come, but they may also miss the offer. According to Faramor's information, a large army has gathered in front of the Demon King's black gate, and he may send more than one legion to attack more than one ferry port at the same time. ”

"War is a risky gamble," said Dinethor, "Kelandros already has troops, and we will not send any more reinforcements, but I will never give up the ferry and the plains of Paliano; ”

There was silence in the room, and finally, Faramir said, "Sir, I will not disobey your will. Since this task requires a brave man who dares to carry it out, then I will not shirk. ”

"I command you to do this. Dinether's voice came out of the air coldly, and Zhao Mian's face was hidden in the darkness when he took off his mask, and no one could see his face, but a faint sigh clearly reached the ears of the two guards.

With a number of volunteers who volunteered, Faramir once again set out of the White City, a small number of troops that could be drawn out of the woods. Many on the walls looked out at the ruins in the distance, wondering what was going on, while others were still looking to the north as before, hoping for Siyodon's help.

But to Faramor's surprise, it was not only the guards and scouts standing outside the city, a knight stood outside the city gate as if he had been waiting for a long time, and when he stood up on the horse's back with his still tired body, the moment he saw the knight, the knight who had been looking up at the sky suddenly turned his head to look at him, and the light pierced his eyes in an instant. This act made Faramor's heart tighten, and at that moment, it seemed as if he was not standing in front of him a human knight, but an unknown mystery that had emerged from an ancient myth.

Under the gaze of the glowing eyes, the marching team stopped their tracks, which inevitably distorted their formation, but still no one dared to speak.

"I heard, you need some volunteers, right? Lord Faramor. The light faded from those eyes—or rather just behind those dark eyes, waiting for the next bloom, just like yesterday afternoon. Zhao Mian lifted the reins in his hand slightly, and the war horse tapped its hooves twice, allowing Zhao Mian to face Faramor head-on, "What do you think of me?"