Chapter 49 followed

The day after the battle, King Sheytun led his hussars on a march through the land of Rohan. These warriors talked and laughed and sang triumphant songs, because they were all warriors who returned with great honor.

Zhao Mian and the others are on their way to Oldberg. Everyone who had just won a battle that could be called grand now put aside their thoughts for the time being. The dwarf and the elf were riding on a horse, and he was shaking his beard and talking something to Iomo beside him, and from the scattered fragments brought by the pleasant breeze, Zhao Mian deduced that he was telling the story of the strange things in the Lothlone forest. The elf who was manipulating the horses did not say a word, he seemed to be more interested in the warm hour in the afternoon sun, and now he was looking into the distance with a peaceful face, faintly, Zhao Mian could hear some notes floating out of his mouth, and then dissipating between heaven and earth. Aragorn was leading his horse in the middle of the line, and beside him, the four hobbits who could not control the horses themselves were happy to have someone walking with them on the ground, and they were chirping and talking about something beside Aragorn, and from their faces, it was not difficult to infer that it must be something that made them happy. But in the team, except for Boromo, who was far away in Gondor, the remaining two people did not have a good face - Gandalf and Zhao Mian were riding their mounts, walking at the front of the horse team, and by their side, Xiudun's face was not good.

"If the assumption is correct, Sauron must have dispatched his army, and must have crossed the Anduin River by now, and is pressing on Minas Tirith. Gandalf's face was gloomy, and in front of him, a round ball wrapped in layers of robes was emitting a sinister aura through his robes, for an eye wanted to look through that thing - though all he could see was the folds in Gandalf's robes now. "The existence of someone like Zhao Mian on our side made Sauron feel terrified, and under his intervention, even the power of the Ring was temporarily concealed, which caused Sauron's bad conjecture. He wondered if this powerful man on our side had already put on the One Ring and was ready to overthrow everything he had in the Demon Capital with the flames of war and replace it - he had never taken the lure of the Ring lightly, nor had it occurred to him that we were going to destroy it. ”

"But because of the war he imagined, he sent his troops in advance, intending to strike first and gain the first opportunity—and it must be said that whatever the circumstances of his action, we have lost the opportunity and can only rush to the aid of passively. Zhao Mian frowned, looked at the orb placed in front of Gandalf, and said, "Also, your whereabouts were exposed because of your actions last night, and now you can speed up even a little faster, which may make Sauron even more nervous - and then he may take a more radical approach, such as immediately dispatching the Ringwraith and directly attacking Minas Tirith." ”

"I could even have predicted that I would receive the Vermilion Arrows, and if the battle progressed to this extent, I am afraid that these warriors behind me alone would not be enough. Heyorton looked at the troops behind him, the soldiers who were still in high spirits, but their bodies and spirits needed a period of rest before they could step into the battlefield again, and he sighed, "O Scarlet Arrow, during my reign - no, not even in the nearly hundred years of the Rohan Kingdom have heard of a request for help from Scarlet Arrow. ”

"The hussars are scattered all over the place, and it would have taken some time to gather them, and even if the whole army was ready this time, it would have taken at least five days to gather enough warriors and reach Minas Tirith - and this is if we have reached the Oldberg. Hell, if I hadn't used the True Crystal yesterday, Shadow Sickness would have been there in just three days. Gandalf said with some viciousness, his right hand holding the staff prominent, his left hand touching his bosom, and then dissatisfiedly putting it down - his pipe had been lost in the battle, and now was clearly not a good time to find a new one.

"But even if you get there, you can't change anything. A person's strength is weak after all, and without the support of a huge army, a person's strength cannot do anything under the endless attacks of the other party. Zhao Mian said, "And there is also a true knowledge crystal in Minas Tirith, the regent who sat on the throne must have used that thing a long time ago, right? No, how could he not use that stone under the temptation of Sauron." ”

"Yes, a man's strength is weak, but if the Lord Regent has really used the Crystal of Knowledge, we have to prepare for the worst - if he does succumb to Sauron's will, then there is a good chance that he will abandon the city and surrender. Successful or not, this would be a major blow to the warriors defending the city, and the morale of the foreseeable city would plummet to the bottom. "If I can get there, at least intervene a little at that time, at least not let the fighters lose the will to resist, but only when all the forces we can gather are gathered together, and we can turn the scales of victory in our favor." ”

"But it's too small to just flick it. Zhao Mian retorted helplessly, "You also saw last night that countless troops came out of the Black Gate, and how many forces had already thrown themselves to Sauron's side before this war even started - he even had the spare strength to fight on several fronts, and he did not fall behind in terms of troops." He deliberately let you see this, just to demonstrate, but we didn't have much to do with him, because, as the guy had expected, we wouldn't be able to muster an army as large as he was—and even if we could, by that time Gondor and Rohan would have been in ruins. We don't have much time, Gandalf. That guy wasn't like the guy in the cage in the back, he had a real body, and I couldn't distract him by harassing him. ”

"But it might be a good idea to let you go. Gandalf looked at Zhao Mian for a moment, then nodded, "You have the strength to fight Sauron, and you haven't touched the Crystal Orb of True Knowledge. And Boro Mo is also in Minas Tirith, and if the two of you join forces, you can also keep Minas Tirith's troops morale assured - Boromo and his brother have much more prestige in the army than their father, which will be enough to ensure that at least internal problems are solved. Besides, with your strength, it is very easy to overcome ingenuity with strength. ”

"What we need is not a win, but more time – enough time for all the preparations to be done, which may not be a lot in normal times, but now seems to be a very tight ten-day time. "It will only take ten days for me to reach the outside of Minas Tirith with all the hussars I can muster." ”

"Ten days...... Zhao Mian thought for a moment, and then sighed, "If my team is here, I can guarantee that the other party will not be able to attack the city within ten days, but...... Forget it, I'll take a trip. However, I have one hope, perhaps a guarantee before leaving. ”

"But it doesn't hurt to say that. ”

"Wait until Oldberg, in front of everyone, and let the guy in the cage in the back get the end he deserves - that's my hope. ”