The Lord of the Rings: Lords of Middle-earth.

Chapter 1051 Cannon Fodder Filling the Gaps
"Is this really possible?" A hint of fear flashed in Count Lemon's eyes. He had personally witnessed the construction of the city wall that had risen from the ground in front of him, and he knew exactly how it was done.

"Of course! Just watch!" Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso raised his fist and slammed it twice, the earthen wall making a dull sound that gave people a sense of reassurance.

"Is this reliable?" Count Lemon carefully examined the wall. It was relatively smooth, with no obvious damage such as cracks or gaps. The only drawback was that some soil had been knocked off.

"How is it unreliable! This is wisdom from Lagrange!" Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso looked at Earl Lemon with an expression of disdain for a country bumpkin. People from the South just don't know anything!

"Water-splashing fortification is our traditional technique. It has no drawbacks except that it collapses in the spring!" Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso patted the two-meter-high earthen wall. Although the wall was not high, it was enough to stop the orc wolf riders from accelerating!

Because it was winter and time was of the essence, Grand Duke Ocrean Yaso could only try a crude northern method to solve the city's defenses. In the northern part of the Lagrange Empire, armies often used this method to build temporary fortresses! The soldiers would burn snow and pour it into fixed molds, mixing it with grass roots and soil. After just one night of cold winds, a sturdy and durable wall would appear, impenetrable by ordinary siege engines! Under pressure, the ice would be compressed tighter and tighter, and with the soldiers constantly pouring water to increase the height, the wall would become thicker and harder!
Fortunately, while the winters in northern Rohan aren't as harsh as in the North, they're still cold enough to freeze solid! It was thanks to this that, in just a few days, an ice city built on wooden stakes rose from the ground! Compared to hastily constructed ice walls, the wooden stake foundations used in Lemon City provide much better protection! Furthermore, the smoothness of the ice walls somewhat hinders the dire wolves' ability to climb, thus delaying the enemy's attack.

……

"They're here! Sound the alarm!" The Rohan ranger on the watchtower spotted the orc wolf riders emerging from behind the distant hills and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Clang, clang, clang!" The sound of bells echoed throughout the city.

"Whoa~" A huge horn was sounded, and the entire city came to life in that instant!
"Soldiers! Assemble!"

"Assemble all adult men! Militia! Where are the militia? Give them spears!"

"Prepare for battle! Get the women and children to the cellar for safety!"

The officials and soldiers under Earl Lemon shouted themselves hoarse as they organized the civilians and troops to their positions. Urged on by them, the soldiers quickly donned their gear and rushed toward the city wall, while the remaining civilians were placed in cellars by the militia for hiding and refuge.

"They're here! Your Majesty!" Earl Lemon rushed over and grabbed Archduke Oakrian Yaso's hand excitedly.

“Let’s go! Let’s go take a look!” Grand Duke Okrian Yaso reassured Earl Raymond, patting his hand to ease his mind. ...

"These things are pretty smart! They don't dare to charge directly!" Okrian Ryukin scoffed at the orc wolf riders circling the city. He had to admit that the wolf riders were indeed as swift as the wind, and their terrifying mobility made human cavalrymen feel ashamed.

"Envious, aren't you? They traded their stamina for it! They can't match our human cavalry in long-distance raids!" Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso saw the soldiers' tension and unease, so he decisively spoke up to boost morale.

"Did you notice there are hidden high-ranking ones?" Grand Duke Okrian Yasso licked his lips nonchalantly, a bloodthirsty glint in his eyes. The orcs had no idea what they were facing!
……

"What? The moat's been dug through? All the way around?" Mei Ge Lan Xinghai was dumbfounded. He could tolerate the low city walls that had sprung up from the ground, but these moats, several meters wide, were simply bullying! Did they mean the wolf riders would have to leap over two meters high after crossing the several-meter-wide moat to scale the city walls? Did they think the densely packed human soldiers on the walls were just for show? Although Mei Ge Lan Xinghai's wolf rider unit wasn't large, only about five hundred strong, they were still a considerable mobile force among the orcs! Their value was no different from that of the human Fangbiao Knights!
"These humans are so fast? They don't care about the lives of serfs? That's right! How could human nobles care about a few lowly commoners!" Mei Ge Lan Xinghai quickly imagined the ugly faces of human nobles, unaware that this was something an unwilling old dragon had dug out after struggling for a long time!

"Let those pigs attack!" Mei Ge Lan Xinghai smiled wickedly, his hideous scarred face becoming even uglier.

Soon, a swarm of writhing creatures emerged from behind the hills! A large group of wandering orcs, like zombies, trudged through the snow, their only motivation the promise of looting after the city's fall by the wolf riders! These wandering orcs were the cheapest cannon fodder on this land! Even the landlord's serfs could easily poke and kill a few of these emaciated wandering orcs with pitchforks!
"They're cannon fodder, Your Majesty!" The soldiers on the city wall said with grim faces. The thousands of wandering orcs instilled fear in even the soldiers with the city walls as a support. After all, once the number exceeded a thousand, they would be everywhere! These orcs might not be particularly strong in combat, but their terrifying sense of oppression was enough to instill fear in these soldiers.

"What's the panic? You have the walls and moat for cover! What can those orcs threaten you with if they don't fill the moat with corpses?" Grand Duke Okrian Yasso roared. As his voice, amplified by his battle aura, reached the ears of every soldier, those who were initially afraid slowly straightened up.

Because a large amount of soil was excavated, some of it was compacted and poured to build the city wall, while some was piled up behind the city wall to serve as platforms for soldiers to stand on. A one-meter-thick mound of soil was just enough to turn the two-meter-high ice wall into a breastwork! So, disregarding the high-end combat capabilities of both sides, the defenders' advantage was extremely obvious.

"Just one Tier 6 Overlord?" Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso said with some regret. In the distance, Meige Lanxinghai, riding a pure black dire wolf, had no idea that he had entered Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso's hunting list. The fiery battle aura representing a Tier 6 professional was clearly visible across the entire battlefield, and he was undoubtedly locked onto by Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso and Oakrian Liujin immediately.

"They wouldn't be hiding, would they?" Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso smacked his lips.

“I don’t think they have the intelligence!” Oakrian Ryukin grinned.

I was hospitalized, so I didn't update yesterday...