Théoden sat on the throne, with his crown prince, Prince Théod, next to him. Next to Théoden, there were Eomer, Eowen, his brother and sister, and some important ministers of the kingdom standing beside him.
Opposite them was Gandalf and his party.
Gandalf the White sat next to Théoden, while Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli stood opposite Théoden.
Among the two groups of people, there was a person kneeling on the main hall, facing King Theoden.
"Your Majesty, Duke Erkenbrand died."
The battle that took place in West Fold finally reached Edolas, but this time the news was like a bolt from the blue.
Théoden's face sank, full of shock: "Tell me again, what exactly happened?"
His eyes were fixed on the knight who sent the message. He looked extremely embarrassed, with most of his armor broken, his hair disheveled, and his face stained with blood. He was the knight who had just narrowly escaped.
"It's the orcs, the more powerful orcs. They raided the villages and plundered supplies in the Essien Valley and West Fold. Master Erkenbrand led us to snipe them and protect the people. But, the orc leader was too powerful. He
Killed Lord Erkenbrand."
The knight's words were filled with tears. The lord he swore allegiance to died, and he had no way to protect him. This was such a sad thing.
"His Majesty the King"
He banged his armor heavily: "Please avenge Lord Erkenbrand!"
"You should get up first. This matter will not be settled like this. Take him down to rest."
The attendants called by Théoden asked them to take the knight down.
After the people left, the faces of Théoden and others in the main hall were already ugly.
Not only him, but Gandalf and others on the side also looked very unhappy. Westfold was swept away, and Lord Erkenbrand was killed in battle.
This means that their interface with Essinger is almost undefended. What is the difference between this and a half-covered, defenseless girl, who can only let the orcs knead her in the end.
"Father, we must immediately assemble the army and go to West Folde to set up a defense line. Only in this way can we regain the advantage."
Because there was a month's buffer, Théoden had already begun to contact various vassals in his territory after recovering. The army was already in place, so there were no fewer soldiers than before.
"Thiod, take 3,000 cavalry and go to Helm's Deep immediately to defend the front line."
Theoden immediately gave an order in a deep voice. Westfold was too close to the royal capital, and there was only Helm's Deep as a pass.
If the pass of Helm's Deep is broken through, then Saruman's army will march straight in, galloping on the plains, and attack Edoras directly.
"As commanded."
"Théoden, although Helm's Deep is a natural danger, there is no escape route. Saruman's orc army cannot be easily dealt with."
Gandalf looked worried. If Saruman attacked, as long as Helm's Deep fell, there would really be no chance of escape.
"The position at the mouth of the Essien River is blocking them. With the advantage of the cavalry, we can hit them hard. If we advance, we can attack. If we retreat, we will have Helm's Deep as a backing, which will consume their troops."
Théoden shook his head and directly rejected Gandalf's proposal, saying: "It's in Helm's Deep, that's an unassailable fortress."
He once won the most important battle in his life there, so he has more confidence in Helm's Deep.
Moreover, he is not a useless person who does not understand marching and fighting. This arrangement is planned.
"Thyod is just delaying. As long as the orc troops are delayed in Helm's Deep, their cavalry will not be able to play a greater role. If we gather the army, surround and attack from behind, we can annihilate them all in Helm's Deep.
Helm's Deep has an important geographical location. It is located in Helm's Deep Valley. It has defensive fortifications built against the mountain. The city walls are towering. There is only one passage up the mountain to get in and out. It can be said that it is easy to defend but difficult to attack.
It is located behind West Fold, along the White Mountains. If this place is not captured, then any long-distance advance will face the risk of being attacked by troops sent to the rear and cut off supplies.
And if you want to remove this nail, its easy-to-defend but difficult-to-attack position will become a nightmare for the enemy.
Especially when the defenders still have support from the outside Rohan Kingdom, this is also Théoden's current consideration.
Théod also explained at the right time: "Master Gandalf, I led the army in West Fold. Although Duke Eichenbrand unfortunately died in the battle, there are still many warriors in his territory who stick to the Holy Helm."
There are more than three thousand of us in the valley, and the orcs are not that easy to capture."
The father and son agreed, and Gandalf buried his worries deep in his heart. The rising darkness was not so easy to deal with.
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On Essinger's side, Zhang Ziyu agreed to Ashgar's request to march.
With Saruman at the head and Ashgar leading the army, the mighty orc army rushed towards the Rohan Kingdom.
One thousand warg cavalry, one thousand wild boar cavalry, and twenty-five thousand infantry, for a total of twenty-six thousand.
In addition to these conventional arms, the Troll Corps and the Demonic Tree Corps also sent hundreds of men to participate in the battle.
The army marched into the territory of Rohan like a torrent of black steel. It was unstoppable and no army came out to stop it.
Ashgarh had already removed the surrounding villages during his previous raids, and he also knew the surrounding terrain well.
After entering the Rohan Kingdom, they marched straight in and directly occupied the position at the mouth of the Essin River.
This is a key location where you can set up camp, advance or retreat, and generally cannot be given up easily.
But now, at the mouth of the river, not only are there no troops coming to intercept, but a small number of the original troops have been withdrawn.
"Ashgar, it seems we are late. They should be preparing to retreat to Helm's Deep."
Although Saruman is a wizard and does not know how to fight, he can still see the general intention of the other party.
Ashgar looked as usual and snorted: "Lord Saruman, don't worry. Although Helm's Deep is easy to defend and difficult to attack, that's the usual situation. Eligar's trolls and the Darkleaf King's demon trees
They are all powerful weapons for attacking cities and strongholds, and no one can stop us."
"Then the whole army will be pressed forward and the entire Rohan Kingdom will be captured for the master."
Saruman held the staff tightly with a firm look on his face, doing everything for his great master.
"No, the whole army cannot be pressed. We have to make a plan. Lord Saruman, you may have a more important mission."
"Ashgar, what are you going to do?"
"Beware of Théoden's army. Helm's Deep cannot accommodate all the Rohirrim. They must have other plans, but they will never be a match for the great master."
If he pointed to something, he pointed to the vast plains of West Fold.
A strong country on horseback will never give up its strongest advantage, even if it has plans to stand firm.
On the vast grassland, if a knight launches a charge, it will be an extremely terrifying meat grinder.
He doesn't worry about putting everything on hold.
Saruman gave Ashgar a deep look: "I will do as you say."