Almost at the same time.
In the far south of Gondor, adjacent to the Harad region; that is, south of the Bay of Belfalas and further south of the mouth of the Harnen River - the Harnen River originates from the mountain barrier of Mordor, the Ephilduas Mountains At the southern foot, it initially flows from northeast to southwest, then turns from east to west in the middle reaches, and finally flows into the Belegal Sea.
On the north bank of the River Harnen lies the region of South Gondor.
To the south are Near Harad, Far Harad and Umbar!
Yes, the pirate city of Umbar is located in a huge fjord south of the mouth of the Harnen River.
Here, the north and south sides are surrounded by land, and there is only a narrow exit on the west side, so it can well block wind and waves, making it a natural harbor.
Ecthelion's army has been besieging this coastal city that has changed hands several times in history for six months, but the people of Gondor still have not been able to make these former kinsmen and their skin darker. They like to wear gold and silver on their faces. The Haradh with brown eyes and black hair surrendered.
They were led by Angamait II, the seventeenth generation descendant of the "usurper" Castamir (Third Age 1259-1447), known as the Pirate King, and fought tenaciously. Resisting attacks from distant relatives in the north.
Castamir the "Usurper" was the grandson of Kalimehtar, the youngest son of Karmaqil, the 18th King of Gondor. Therefore, although he is not the direct heir to the throne, he is still a member of the royal family, and Castamir, as Fleet Master, commands the navy of Gondor.
This provides a strength guarantee for the subsequent historical process.
In 1432 of the Third Era, when the twenty-first king Eldakar succeeded to the throne, a civil war broke out in Gondor: because Eldakar's mother Vidumavi was a princess of the Kingdom of Rhovanion, not Númenóreans. At that time, the nobles of Gondor and most of the lords of the southern provinces were very dissatisfied with the kingdom's heir marrying a short-lived northern human, believing that the blood of the Dúnedain would be diluted.
Therefore, as soon as Eldarcap came to the throne, rebellion broke out among the nobles of the major southern provinces and part of Minas Tirith - known in history as the "Family War".
This civil war, which lasted for fifteen years, had a profound impact on Gondor.
A large number of elites died in the civil war, the population dropped sharply, and the national strength was almost halved.
In fact, the Kindred War is considered to be the first of the three great plagues that brought down Gondor (the other two being the Great Plague and the Invasion of the Chariotmen), and the losses it caused continued throughout history until the time of The Lord of the Rings. Not fully recovered.
It was during this period that Castamir won the support of people in the coastal areas, especially the ports of Umbar and Pelagir in the south. He led an army to besiege Osgilias and forced King Eldakar to He fled and became the twenty-second king.
Although Eldaka later relied on the power of the Rovanian Kingdom and some lords of the northern provinces to overthrow the cruel Castamir, and killed the famous "usurper" in the Battle of the Eruy River Crossing "The King of Gondor" restored the kingship of Gondor.
But this civil war has still caused irreparable heavy losses and damage to Gondor.
Moreover, after the "Family War", Gondor lost control of Umbar Port for a long time. The descendants of Castamir established themselves as kings in Umbar and turned the harbor into a refuge for all the king's enemies, who attacked Gondor's ships and coast at every opportunity.
Although most of these former kinsmen have fallen due to a large number of intermarriages with the Haradh people, the royal bloodline still retains sufficient purity.
They intermarried with the Black Númenóreans who were loyal to the king, and married with a small group of noble Harad people, so as to firmly control the power of Umbar, a prosperous pirate city.
In history, Gondor and Umbar have fought numerous wars, each with its own victory or defeat.
But in the end, the descendants of Castamir will always resurrect and cause trouble in southern Gondor again, almost becoming a thorn in the side of successive kings and prime ministers!
Now, Ecthelion has decided to end it all.
The Gondorian army surrounded this pirate city from both sea and land directions, including the Prime Minister's family, Prince Doamroth, the Barony of Loth Alnach, Ringro Valley, Mosunde Highlands, and Amfalas. , that is, the flags of the lords of the distant southern provinces such as Long Beach, Lameton, Ehir, and the "Green Hills" Pinas Guerin were blowing in the sea breeze.
The soldiers were full of fighting spirit and stood tall with spears.
The white sails of the ships in the direction of the port cover the sky and the sun, and the sound of (stone) cannons is booming.
It can be said that this is Gondor's most prosperous period since the First War of Light.
in particular.
Under the leadership of this generation's lord of Pelagil Port, Baron Beregund, the Gondorians defeated the pirate coalition in the Strait of Umbar, successfully laying the foundation for victory in the siege of Umbar.
The pirates who had lost a large number of ships did not dare to leave the port again, and with the army led by Ecthelion heading south from the land, finally, after nearly two centuries, the flag of Gondor once again approached this magnificent city. pirate city.
"I come, I see, I conquer!"
Ten years have passed, and the Prime Minister's Crown Prince has become more majestic and resolute. He grew a beard and his eyes always had a sharp gleam.
The sword never leaves the body.
On her finger was a large turquoise ring.
Almost everyone who has met Ecthelion said that he would be the most majestic chancellor in the history of Gondor.
In fact, Ecthelion's prestige almost reached its peak when he pretended to participate in the First War of Light and then regained Minas Ithil and the vast southern Ithilien region.
The people behind the seven-story city wall all followed him, and the generals of Gondor were willing to obey his orders. Almost everyone believed that he was the next prime minister!
Every time Ecthelion appears, the people of the Holy White City will cheer loudly, stretch out their hands, and bless him.
Wherever he went, all he heard were songs and praises.
Beautiful women are obsessed with him and heroic men vie for his loyalty.
He is the hero of Gondor.
The people all love him.
But only Ecthelion knew that he wanted more than that.
"If I can conquer the enemies that my ancestors once conquered, perhaps I can ascend that seat instead of succumb to it." - The chancellor's stone seat is located under the steps of the King of Gondor's throne. It is both uncomfortable and uncomfortable. Ecthelion, who had seen the Iron Throne of Mordor, was very dissatisfied.
The ambitious Prime Minister Prince began to look at the throne on the steps and at the enemies in the south.
Ecthelion hopes to establish more and greater honours, and then ascend to the throne as king! Become the true Lord of Gondor, not just another Lord Regent.
This is the influence exerted by Sauron with the help of the Ring of Power, and it is also caused by mankind's own desire for power - ah, yes, I think many people now know that Ecthelion found it on the top of the evil black tower many years ago. The ring is the second of the nine human precepts.
Not only has it been affecting Ecthelion, making him greedy and powerful. Sauron also learned many secrets of the human kingdom through it, which greatly facilitated his future evil plans.
But now, many people don’t know.
Including Gandalf.
After regaining many territories in Gondor that were occupied by the Orcs, Ecthelian began to call for people to expedition to the south to conquer the enemy that had been fighting Gondor for more than two thousand years.
This should not have been the power of his heir apparent, but Ecthelion did just that.
And it was approved by most people.
Ecthelion loudly announced to the crowd: "Now that the Eastern Shadow is gone, it is time for us to regain the homeland of our ancestors and let the glory of Gondor spread across the south again."
"Those who are willing to follow, please mount your horses, pick up your swords and spears, and pass my order to the south, because I will cross the sea at Pelagir and go south to conquer the old feud!"
The passionate shouts moved the people, and the thirst for glory made the soldiers boil! Everyone shouted: "Ecthelion! Conqueror of Barad-dur! Liberator of Minas Ithil! Savior of Gondor!"
In the crowd, Ecthelian pursed his lips tightly and looked majestic!
The cheers of the people could be heard even in the royal court above the seven-story city.
The increasingly older Turgon II stood at the edge of the Fountain Square, listening carefully to the cheers of the people in the lower city.
After a long time, the prime minister's old eyes showed a hint of relief.
He did not stop the prince from trespassing, but when most of the generals in the city gathered in the royal court and begged him to send troops, he said lightly: "If the young lion wants to conquer more territories, why should the old lion stop him?" Woolen cloth?"
As a result, the Gondor generals knew that the old chancellor had actually approved of Ecthelion's actions.
Soon, a large army composed of most of the southern lords gathered at the port of Pelagir.
On a sunny morning, they set off from the port and headed south. And in the battle of Umbar Strait, he defeated the pirate fleet led by the pirate king Angameti II.
This battle greatly boosted the morale of Gondor.
During that period, the people of Minas Tirith received good news from the front almost every day, and slaves and defeated soldiers were sent back in a steady stream.
It greatly enriched the population of Holy White City.
This made the people of Gondor even more confident in this war, believing that another conqueror of Umbar was about to be born.
The men happily talked about the war ahead, and the women were happy that the labor force at home had been improved. The faces of both adults and children were full of smiles.
Until the army had been trapped under the port of Umbar for six months, it had not yet captured the fortified pirate city. And, after the initial excitement, in the harbor of Pelargir, in Minas Tirith, some kind of plague began to break out and spread;
People die inexplicably without any warning!
Men, women, old people, children, no one can escape.
Then, a feeling of fear and uneasiness emerged.
The people began to feel that the expedition to the south was not a good idea, and war-weariness began to spread among the people.
Turgon II could only order the sealing of the royal city to prevent outsiders from entering the holy white city again, in order to alleviate the unrest in the city. But in the end it proved to be of no avail.
The prime minister ordered the expeditionary force to return to the court, but the envoy was detained by Exelian.
No one knows what was going on in the heart of the Prime Minister, the Crown Prince, who had been trapped under Umbar Harbor for six months. All I know is that after he summoned the generals, he issued this order: The entire army launched a general attack regardless of sacrifice! I want to enjoy victory in the Pirate King's palace before sunset tomorrow!
The generals didn't know what was happening.
But they all felt that this was not a good idea. Someone advised Ecthelian: "Your Highness, this will cost us at least half of our warriors. Please don't do this!"
But his head was chopped off by Ecthelion with a sword.
"This is the consequences of disobeying my orders!" In the big tent, Ecthelian's eyes were cold and fanatical, like a wild beast: "This is war, no one can retreat! If all the soldiers need to die in exchange for this victory, , then do it! If all the soldiers are dead and you need to fill in, then do it! I said: attack the city! I will not repeat it a second time!"
The generals could hardly believe Ecthelion's violent side, but the sword in his hand was bleeding with the blood of loyal people at the moment, which was horrifying to see.
Therefore, all the southern lords present were obedient and fearfully expressed that they would cooperate with the prime minister's son's order and attack the city with all their strength.
Ecthelion then laughed and put away his sword.
Adrasil of Doamroth witnessed all this. He lowered his head worriedly, not daring to look at the increasingly violent prince.
At this moment, an unexpected figure appeared outside the army's camp.
He called himself Aulendil and was a Númenórean nobleman who was living abroad. He wanted to see the commander of the Gondor army.
