The Battle of Isengard was not over so soon. Since the United Kingdom of Alicia took a fancy to Saruman's magical creature - the production base of the orc army, they did not agree to what the tree herder Treebeard suggested: Go and overturn that dam and flood Isengard!
Instead, they used a combination of tree shepherds and tree beards, plus a layer-by-layer advancement method of muskets and cannons, intending to gradually erode the enemy's vitality and ensure the integrity of this strange creature manufacturing base to the greatest extent.
And when the coalition forces of the Alicia Second Legion and the Tree People in Isengard began to tear down the high walls outside the Orthank Mage Tower, they launched a raid on the base within the wall area of the Isengard Tower and cleared half of the ground below. At the orc production base, at the Horn Castle of Helm's Deep in Rohan in the southeast, King Théoden, who originally believed that the stone castle was indestructible, was once again slapped hard by reality!
Saruman, a pioneer of gunpowder and a graduate of the magic class, and his orcs, used a bunch of large cannons to blow up a section of the city wall, allowing countless orcs to attack the wall of the Horn Castle in an instant within!
Compared to the United Kingdom of Alicia, which can use black powder reasonably and scientifically, and uses gunpowder and related technologies to make muskets and cannons, the evil white-robed wizard Saruman can also make gunpowder and has granulated it. And the powerful beasts under him will be more magical and unrestrained in their application!
Because, due to their deficiencies in steel craftsmanship and forging craftsmanship, and due to time constraints, they gave up the kind of kick-off weapons they had previously imitated the Alicia Net. When technology could not break through for the time being, they simply Just make those black powder particles into large iron bombs!
Then, they used the strong orcs to use their bodies to carry them, and finally used this suicidal attack mechanism of human flesh to ignite them, and they violently blew up the pride of King Théoden of the Rohan Kingdom. It is indestructible and dares to claim that the Horn Castle has never been captured for hundreds of years!
Moreover, on the first night of the attack on the Horn Fort, when it was still dark in the morning, all the defensive fortresses and protective walls on the periphery were captured, and they broke through to the final mountain fortress gate in one fell swoop!
This made the Rohan nomads huddled in the innermost corner of the Horn Castle and the remaining elven coalition forces who only knew how to bend bows, shoot arrows and show off, feel the power of magical pseudo-technology for the first time!
It was those self-destructing artillery firecrackers that allowed the Orcs to defeat the Rohan Kingdom coalition forces in just half a night and had to retreat into the last mountain fortress, losing all the outer walls and Among the defense facilities such as Arrow Castle, only the main body of the mountain fortress where the refugee gates are concentrated and the last gate are left...
"drink!"
"drink!!"
Bang! Bang! !
At this time, within the mountain fortress of the Horn Castle, except for Aragorn who was still actively directing the battle, King Théoden and some others were sitting on the ground with a sad face, listening to those outside the door. The orcs shouted excitedly, followed by violent collisions against the final door.
"This Rohan Fortress, which is said to never fall, and this magnificent Horn Castle built by the kings of past generations, is about to be captured..."
"Everything is going to end..."
After watching the dozen soldiers vainly using logs, heavy objects, and even their own bodies to hold up the solid wood structure door with a cast iron frame, Théoden knew that this place had fallen. Maybe it's just a matter of time.
"No need to struggle anymore, it's meaningless!"
When the loyal guard commander next to him was bandaging his wounds, Théoden laughed at himself and said this to Aragorn, who was still desperately directing the soldiers to hold the door at the gate.
"No! Théoden, you said that as long as there are people guarding it, this fortress will not be captured?!"
After he and Legolas hurried over and carried a thick plank of wood to continue strengthening the defense of the gate, Aragorn roared dissatisfiedly at Théoden, who was the first to become discouraged:
"As long as they are still defending and fighting to the death, we have not lost yet!"
Now at the critical moment of life and death, Aragorn didn't care about etiquette, and he didn't intend to give Theoden the knight any more face. He almost pointed at the opponent's head and scolded him!
On that day, it was Théoden who was determined to abandon the capital Edoras and lead most of the nearby Rohan refugees to Helm's Deep to avoid a decisive battle with the orc army! It was he Theoden who said how tough and impenetrable this fortress was!
But what's the result? It's not yet dawn, only half the night, and the orcs have already attacked the last door!
And these people are all blocked here now, and they have become a group of turtles in a jar, with no place to run if they want to! Once this door is broken through, and tens of thousands of strong orcs outside pour in, no one here, no matter men, women, old or young, humans, dwarves or elves, can live alone!
"They're coming in soon!"
"ah!!"
"God be damned, who can come and save us..."
After hearing the louder and louder slogans of the strong orcs and the banging of doors, the old and weak women and children hiding deep in the fortress began to scream and become confused, and from time to time bursts of crying from children broke out. As well as the prayers of some old people, the scene once turned bad...
If it were normal times, there might be officials or soldiers trying to maintain order? But now, as they were about to be breached the last fortress, they no longer wanted to worry about it anymore. After all, once the gate is breached by the orcs, no matter how much they do, it will be meaningless!
When the time comes, none of them, from the kings and nobles to the common people, women and children, will be able to escape the final fate of being destroyed!
"..."
Sighing slightly in his heart, Théoden turned his head away unbearably after taking a look at the refugee doors. Perhaps, he, the hussar king of Rohan, will soon become the last king of Rohan?
What he never expected was that in the end, he, Theoden, would be known as a king of subjugation...
"Is there any other way for these women and children to escape first?!"
After watching the chaotic scene of the refugees for a while, Aragorn quickly walked to Théoden and asked.
In fact, Aragorn had wanted to ask this question for a long time!
He thinks that as long as the previous kings of Rohan are not stupid, there should always be one or two secret escape routes in this fortress, right? As long as there is a way out, he can safely continue to command the soldiers to resist, and then when the gate is breached, he can run away and not die in this bullshit fortress built by the Rohan people!
Aragorn believed that no one would build such a fortress with no retreat, unless that person was a fool! A cunning rabbit or a three-hole, let alone a thinking person?
No matter how bad it is, there should be one or two secret passages here that can be used to escape in critical moments!
"..."
"..."
While asking questions, Aragorn was busy coordinating the soldiers guarding the door. When he turned around and saw the two silent and ashamed Hussars of Rohan and the commander of the guards, he felt a thump in his heart and screamed secretly. He said something bad.
"Is there really no other way out?!"
After strengthening his tone again, Aragorn was almost frightened to death by the reactions of these two people!
These idiots from the Rohan Kingdom, did they really build a fortress like a cemetery? Are they so stupid that they don't even leave a way out for themselves? !
"There is a trail that leads to the mountains behind..."
"But neither we nor these women and children can escape far! There are too many of those strong orcs! It won't be long before they can catch up and kill us all... …”
Under Aragorn's questioning, the king's guard commander finally revealed that there was a secret passage.
However, the secret passage is too narrow and rugged, and can only accommodate one or two people walking side by side, so horses will definitely not be able to pass it.
In this case, how many of the thousands of refugees can escape? Even if they ran to the mountains, what would be the use? Those powerful orcs who are all over the mountains and plains don't even need to chase them through the secret passage. They can easily catch up with them as long as they go directly over the mountains and ridges to chase them!
"..."
"Drink!" "Drink!!"
Bang~! Bang! !
Outside the door, the strong orcs were still shouting slogans excitedly and banging hard against the fortress door that the Rohan people relied on for the last time.
Because they all know that there are countless living human women and children in this mountain fortress! They are eager to eat their sweet flesh and blood, and listen to their last screams and wails, and use each other's blood and bloody fingerprints to dye the dirty armor on their bodies red!
"Drink!" "Drink!!"
Bang~! Bang~! !
"This is really..."
damn it!
Aragorn looked at the soldiers who were wailing and holding on to the door, as well as the door that was becoming more and more overwhelmed. He knew that their two thin iron wooden doors could not hold on much longer!
Now, the sky outside has begun to gradually brighten. Perhaps, when the sky is bright and the first ray of sunlight shines in from the window in the morning, this place will be completely captured by the strong orcs, right?
"Hurry! Reinforce the door first!"
They don't have much time. Even if they want to retreat, they don't have much time. If they run, they won't be able to get out many people! At that time, this place will become a hell of flesh and blood for humans, and at the same time, it will become a carnival venue for the strong beasts!
asshole! What on earth should we do now?
Aragorn's thoughts began to change rapidly, and he was thinking hard about countermeasures, eager to find a good way to break the current dead situation.
"It's useless... We can't fight them now..."
Théoden has already begun to think about it. He wants to die here with dignity like a qualified king, instead of being on the run and having his head chopped off by the orcs like they were slaughtering a lost dog!
"No! We can actually rush out..."
"That's right! You can rush out with me! Even if it's just to fight for the slim chance of survival for women and children?"
This is also a glimmer of hope for Aragorn and the others!
As long as they mount their horses, walk condescendingly along the gates and stone paths, and rush out unexpectedly by the enemy, maybe they will have a chance to break through the military formation of the strong orcs outside who are eating the corpses of the war dead?
Anyway, it's better than waiting to die here, right?
"Woo~wu~wu~~!"
At this time, when it was getting dark outside, waves of distant horn sounds came in faintly, which seemed especially sweet at this pre-dawn moment.
"Who could it be?!"
After hearing this strange horn sound, everyone, including Aragorn, Théoden and other soldiers and refugees, quickly ran to the row of castle stone windows and began to crowd together, thinking We need to look outside to see who has come here.
Because they knew that the strange and clear horn sound was definitely not the war drums of the strong orcs or the terrifying bugle like howling wolves, nor the horns of the Kingdom of Gondor, nor the elves and dwarves they were familiar with. Or any force!
"That is……?"
"That's Alicia..."
Then, facing the faint light of the rising sun, Théoden saw that at the mouth of Helm's Deep, there were two huge red and gold-edged white vulture flags slowly rising from the sky. They were held high by two cavalrymen in red armor and appeared at the mouth of the valley directly behind the battlefield of Helm's Deep.
Théoden, Aragorn and others who were lucky enough to see this flag in the palace of Edoras quickly recognized it!
When the two red-armored cavalry holding a huge flag stood still, a beautiful figure riding an unusually tall and majestic white unicorn, wearing a golden armor and a red cloak, finally trotted Appeared in the middle of the two flags.
"is her?"
"That's really the United Kingdom of Alicia..."
Aragorn, who was about to persuade Théoden to rush out of the soon-to-be-conquered Horn Keep and launch a desperate assault with the orcs, immediately saw this surprising situation from a distance.
"Queen Ofina..."
Théoden pronounced the name, and he remembered it well.
They, the army of the United Kingdom of Alicia, which Theoden was not very optimistic about, actually came here as promised? But, can they really defeat the tens of thousands of strong orcs surrounding the Horn Castle?
In this regard, Théoden felt lucky, but also had hidden doubts.
…
"Hmm? It looks like there are quite a lot of them, but what's the use?!"
Looking at the densely packed mixed force of strong orcs and a small number of Dunland barbarians in the distance, Ofina felt that the number placed here was at least 30,000 to 50,000, right?
It's a pity that the other party was so stupid that they didn't even send basic guard troops, and they crowded all these troops into Helm's Deep, and they suddenly blocked the way back. There is nothing like this. Even more stupid!
"Kelly, you immediately lead three hundred musketeers and all the lark lancers to block the small gap slope on the left."
"Today, none of these monsters can escape!"
With a smile on her face and pointing to a very steep slope further inside Helm's Deep, Ofina spoke extremely cold words.
"Detour right away, now!"
Then, she gave an order to a female officer who was riding up behind her on a war horse.
Ofina feels that the terrain of Helm's Deep is very good. It is all grassland, flat, with a wide field of vision, and there are no obstructions such as boulders or big trees. It is very suitable for their large army of musketeers to exert their full strength!
Moreover, what’s even better about the current situation is that within Helm’s Deep, apart from the entrance that he is currently blocking and the mountain castle that has not yet been completely conquered, there are only a few ways to escape in the distance. , is it just a very steep and not very spacious small gap on the upper left side near the castle?
Now, as long as she sends a few musketeers to block there from a high position, Ofina believes that even a hundred thousand strong orcs will not be able to rush forward easily, right?
"As you command! My Majesty!"
Kelly understood the importance of the steep gap at a glance. Therefore, knowing the importance of the mission, she didn't say much, turned around and rode away.
She was going to lead three teams of musketeers and the two teams of 'Lark' lancers, a total of more than 500 people, to set off immediately and guard the gap until the orcs discovered the importance of it!
This is just like what their queen just said. Today, the tens of thousands of strong orcs here in Helm's Deep are truly turtles in the urn. One by one, no one can escape!
"Command: 'Wrath of the Goddess' musketeers, step forward a hundred yards, five lines, and start forming!"
After seeing her female guard leading her troops in a detour, Ofina ordered the remaining adjutant.
Then, Aragorn, Théoden and others who were watching from the windows of the Horn Castle were surprised to find: on the horizon at the mouth of Helm's Deep, a large group of people without any armor or sharp blades, just wearing red tights, began to appear. The male and female soldiers wearing strange wide-brimmed denim hats and holding strange iron rods followed the strange sound of gongs and drums, marched in neat formations and paces, and relied on the five-story sparse battle of less than 3,000 people. The line was divided into dozens of neat square formations, quickly and completely blocking the rear exit of Helm's Deep!
"Groin! Immediately build an artillery position at a high place, unload the cannons, and point the muzzles in the direction of Helm's Deep. I only give you ten minutes!"
This time, because they arrived in a hurry, they only used a carriage to transport only thirty Nemesis cannons. However, Ofina felt that this number was enough to block the exit of Helm's Deep. !
If they wanted to, they could even bombard the Horn Castle directly from here?
"Aha! Just watch it, your Majesty Queen Ofina!"
As soon as Ofina finished speaking, a short old dwarf yelled and ran back quickly.
If it were to attack the human towns in the north, perhaps Groin would use some excuses to get there, or he might not be too enthusiastic or something.
However, if he were to fight powerful orcs or half-orcs like he was doing now, then he would have no problem at all! He promised that under his professional command, those cannons would be able to fire quickly and accurately when fired!
After all, these high-performance cannons were made by the skillful hands of their dwarves, and he knew their data and various performances very well!
"Other troops, immediately build defensive positions in the rear and closely monitor any enemies that may come outside!"
The Rohan Kingdom is not very safe now. Small groups of strong orcs and Dunlanders are raging everywhere! After all, the current Denlanders have been driven into Rohan by them!
Moreover, on the way here, they encountered small groups of orc raiders or wolf cavalry many times, so Ofina was not worried about her rear.
Therefore, she ordered on the spot that the Dendan cavalry, heavy armored infantry, rangers, and militia units that had no combat missions be placed in their rear areas to guard against any possible threats. , they just need to hold their back.
"As you command!"
"Yes! Her Majesty the Queen!"
After receiving the order, several old and young noble generals from the original Iliad Free Council happily accepted the order and left. They will follow the order and build multiple defensive camps and arrange their respective formations not far behind the main musketeers and artillery. Of course, this may take a lot of time.
"..."
"Is there no one left in their Alicia Kingdom? Why are even those fragile-looking women sent to the battlefield?"
"What kind of weapon are they holding in their hands? An iron rod tied to a piece of wood? Why don't they even have basic armor? How can they fight against those powerful, bloodthirsty orcs?"
"No, their formation is too loose... Moreover, the most elite armored cavalry and infantry regiments actually started to retreat? Does that woman really know how to fight?"
At this time, after seeing the scene in the distance from the window of the Hornburg mountain fortress, some refugees or generals began to talk about it.
…
"Ahaha! Stupid humans! How dare these less than 10,000 people come to block our retreat?"
"You, and you! Those who lead you, come to me to disperse them immediately! Kill them all!"
At this time, a naked orc leader with no armor on his body, holding a sharp hooked sword in one hand, and grabbing the arm of an unknown person and chewing it with his other hand, stepped forward and kicked several people who were doing it. The little bosses who were fighting for food gave orders.
"And you damn idiots, don't stop, keep attacking! Break that broken wooden door for me!"
"Did you hear that sound? There are countless delicious meats in this castle! Those women are much more delicious and tender than the men outside!"
After seeing several of his men run out of the city wall, go to the troops behind them, and start shouting for the messy orcs to reorganize and turn to prepare to attack the mouth of Helm's Deep, the orc general Then he turned his head with satisfaction and cursed loudly at the soldiers who were hesitating whether to continue banging on the door.
"Ouch!"
"Ouch!!"
After hearing the general's scolding and temptation, the orcs who were in a daze finally cheered again and started shouting their slogans of unknown meaning, intending to continue to hit the last door of the Horn Castle!
At this time, outside the walls of the Horn Castle, the sound of military bugles and the shouts of the Orc soldiers rang out.
"Drink! Hi!"
"Drink! Hi! Hi!"
Not long after, the somewhat chaotic orcs outside the Horn Castle finally formed a relatively neat phalanx of spears or swords and shields under the kicks and abuses of their respective officers. .
They each waved their super-long spears that were several yards long or those iron shields and large knives in their hands, and began to shout neat slogans, rushing towards the mouth of Helm's Deep, towards the strange enemies.
"Huh? Concentrated phalanx, still advancing steadily?"
"Do you want these powerful orcs with less than 10,000 people to break through my musketeer battle line? This kind of tactics is already behind the times!"
Riding steadily on her white unicorn, Ofina looked at the strong force that was slowly breaking away from their large army like a black ocean and was slowly pressing towards her. After a few glances, the orc army began to drive the unicorns under their feet with disdain, and ran to the middle of the first battle line in front of the musket phalanx to stand.
Today, she, Ofina, will personally direct this battle!
She wants to slaughter these powerful orcs, and then let the Rohan people in Helm's Deep see how powerful their Alicia United Kingdom is!
She wants the Rohan people in Helm's Deep to understand that when the time comes, all they need to do in Rohan is to be a dutiful subordinate nation!
"Stupid orcs, prepare to enjoy the baptism of the 'Wrath of the Goddess'!"
Here, she has nearly 3,000 of the most elite 'Wrath of the Goddess' Mini Musketeers. The battle line formed by them is not something that these mere 10,000 orcs can easily break through!
Previously, when Orfina besieged the city outside Essinger, their Mini rifles, which had a precise killing range of nearly 600 yards and a maximum effective killing range of nearly 1,000 yards, had withstood the test of actual combat. of!
When it comes to those strong orcs on the opposite side, their crude and relatively thin plate armor cannot withstand the 17.8 mm large-caliber conical bullets of the Mini rifle!
"Ha! Come on, come closer..."
After waiting in front of the formation for a long time, they saw that the orcs had approached their battle line to a distance of about four hundred yards, and at the same time they had smelled the strong stench emanating from their bodies, Ophina sneered and took out the golden sword from her waist, and slowly raised it above her head.
Today, here, Ofina plans to annihilate all these 10,000 orcs who broke away from the large army and attacked!
She was going to put them three hundred yards away and start shooting and firing! At that time, no matter whether the opponent continues to move forward or turns around to run away and retreat, there is only a dead end!
"That woman, she is still so far away, what does she want to do? Are... are they all crazy?"
The King of Cavalry Theoden looked at it for a long time, but he couldn't understand it. The opponent's current tactics and command were different from anything he knew and had ever experienced!
"..."
"I'm sorry, Théoden, I don't quite understand what they want to do..."
In the Horn Castle, Aragorn and Théoden looked at each other and didn't know what to say.
Neither Theoden, the hussar king who has experienced many battles, nor Aragorn, who once served as a senior general in the Kingdom of Gondor, don't understand! They didn't understand, why did that woman do that? What is it that gives her that inexplicable confidence?
Look, the army of powerful orcs has already approached their formation for nearly 300 yards, and they are about to speed up and charge!
And they, until now, are still indifferent to their strange soldiers holding iron rods? Not only are they still arranging that ridiculous and sparse battle line, but they still haven't even fired an arrow? Those people, what on earth are they doing?
If they had read correctly before, there were at least one or two thousand elite heavy armored cavalry and plate armored infantry behind them, right? But what about those armies now? Why not send more of them to the front lines to hold off the orcs? Instead, send those ridiculous soldiers with iron rods and cloth armor? !
"Hey! I want to ask, can anyone help me? Or, can anyone tell me: What is happening outside!?"
"What on earth are you talking about? Is that Alicia person here? What did they do?"
While others were crowding around the stone window watching the excitement and starting to whisper and talk among themselves, the dwarf Gimli was jumping anxiously behind the crowd.
In fact, it's not that he can't squeeze in, it's just that the height of those damn stone windows is not suitable for his height. Even after squeezing in, he can't see anything outside!
In Gimli's opinion, these damn Rohirrim are so ungrateful! When they built the castle, wouldn't they also build some shorter, more humane window sills for the dwarves? !
"Hmph! Attention, everyone, get to your positions! The first row... open fire!!!"
When the enemy's phalanxes finally slowly approached within the predetermined attack distance of 300 yards, Ofina's right hand holding the sword finally struck hard at the beasts whose ferocious faces could almost be seen vaguely. Swing it down hard!
