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

Chapter 832 Denesor II
“Father, Grandfather’s health is deteriorating…” Denesor II, who was only 21 years old this year, sighed as he looked at his father, Exelian II. His grandfather, Turgon, would die in the third era in 2953, and only then would his father inherit the position of prime minister.

"Your Highness! The Regent requests your presence!" The Key Keeper Hulin personally approached and extended an invitation to Exelian II.

“Alright, you stay here and wait, I’ll go see your grandfather!” Exelian II patted Denesor II on the head and went inside. Inside the palace, Turgon and a group of nobles were discussing state affairs. Obviously, Denesor II, with his current status, was not qualified to join them.

"..." Denesor II looked into the palace with a worried expression. He felt a strange sense of oppression as he gazed at the magnificent White City.

“Perhaps I should do something!” Denethor II looked resolutely to the north. While the Kingdom of Lagrange in Roland was constantly fighting against the Orcs and winning victory after victory, Denethor II was not as happy as the nobles of other kingdoms. He knew that this was just an appetizer. The tentacles of darkness would not stop their erosion. A few battles that were not too devastating would not cripple Mordor. Knowing the potential of the Orc war, Denethor II did not feel that everything was fine like the other nobles.

History speaks highly of Denezor II; aside from Aragorn, who is overshadowed by the protagonist's aura, no one can compare to him! In the original text, he is described as follows: He was noble and powerful, possessed an extremely strong desire for control, and was very proud, even daring to challenge Gandalf. He was tall, brave, wise, farsighted, and extremely learned, possessing more of a regal bearing than anyone who had appeared in Gondor throughout the ages!
"The kingdom's military preparedness is lax, and the nobles are decadent..." Denezor II looked at the magnificent White City with some embarrassment, but the city was now exuding an aura of decay. His grandfather, Turgon, was not good at military affairs, and Gondor was very stable during his reign. In addition, Sauron of Mordor was still "undercover," and Sauron, who was about to emerge, had retreated after being hit a few times by Roland in the North. Under these circumstances, it was even more distant for the kingdom to expand its army and prepare for war...

Denezor knew he was in no position to command the nobles, nor could he change national policies. He was a wise man; he knew that if he went in now and talked about the threat of Mordor, he would be seen as crazy. As for reclaiming Isilion? The nobles of Gondor lacked the courage and boldness. It was more realistic to hope that the powerful kingdom in the north would march south and destroy Mordor, rather than expecting them to fight their way out.
"Prepare the horses! I'm going to Belfalas!" After a moment of silence, Denesor II decided to meet Prince Doamlos, who had connections with the Northern Kingdom.

……

"So you want to deal with Mordor?" Prince Angelimir said slowly as he poured Denezor II a cup of tea.

"Yes! The orcs of Mordor are becoming increasingly rampant! We all know they are constantly encroaching on our territory and wealth! But you lords are turning a blind eye!" Denethor II exclaimed excitedly.

The orcs, as annoying as cockroaches and as resilient as weeds, are a leech on Gondor, but the other lords are oblivious to this. They only think about how much damage those orcs can cause. Compared to the costly and labor-intensive large-scale military operations, the losses caused by those orcs are negligible.

“Hmm…a very insightful young man, but you are not a qualified politician. You have forgotten the interests that nobles value most…” Angelimir shook his head and smiled.

"Everyone knows those orcs are constantly bleeding the kingdom dry, but so what? The losses of some commoners are insignificant and won't shake the foundations of the nobles," Angelimir shrugged. "That's slow suicide! The orcs are getting more and more arrogant. When has it ever been that they dare to appear in groups on the kingdom's territory?" Denesor II exclaimed excitedly.

“If you didn’t have any ideas, you wouldn’t have made contact with that kingdom in the North!” Denesor II retorted. The reason he came to see Prince Doamlos was because he discovered that apart from this family, the other families in the kingdom had very little control over the military. Compared to maintaining a large number of off-duty soldiers, making money to fill the treasury was what they liked to do most.

"That's just a backup plan I've left for the kingdom. The Doamlos family can only guarantee its own safety; it can't persuade other families to invest heavily in military resources!" Angelimir said calmly. His continued military buildup didn't mean he could influence the thoughts of other families. All he could do was train the family's army to fight for the kingdom at any time!

This is why Gondor was able to use the prince's army and the Swan Knights as the final blow in the War of the Ring! For decades, House Doamlos has never skimped on its military investment.

"Is there really no way out?" Denessol II asked, somewhat dejected.

“If you really want to find the answer, you can go to the north and take a look. You’re old enough now, it’s time for you to go out and broaden your horizons!” Angelimir looked at his junior with kindness and encouraged him to go out and explore.

History took a turn at that moment. If the survival of Thorin and the return of Lonely Mountain was a trivial change, then Roland's battles against Sauron left Mordor depleted of its forces, and Sauron needed to recuperate. Therefore, it was highly unlikely that Sauron would announce his return to Middle-earth in 2952. After all, it was still a question of how long Sauron, who had been traumatized by Roland, would need to lick his wounds.

“Thank you for your suggestion! I will go and take a look!” Denezor II said thoughtfully. Since he was convinced that Mordor would cause trouble for the kingdom in the future, he needed to understand the true situation of all his allies. After all, in Denezor II's mind, the king of Gondor had long belonged to the Regent's family; they were the true rulers of the kingdom! Not the prophesied son who came to reap the rewards through bloodline power. Denezor II and Roland were of the same mind on this point. Roland felt that Denezor II's abilities were indeed far superior to Aragorn's, while Denezor II, due to his powerful mental strength, was so confident that he believed he was definitely stronger than the king of Gondor!

“Yes, if you really want to leave, you can take my Swan Knights with you. Leaving them here will only cause their swords to rot. The cold winds of the North will temper their bodies, and the icy snowflakes will strengthen their will!” Angelimir said. With the Swan Knights watching over him, Denethor II would feel at ease. After all, he would be the future regent, and the prince wanted to train him, not murder him. Rather than letting the idle Swan Knights rot in Gondor, it would be better for them to venture into the North!
Angelimir had heard that the Kingdom of Lagrang had apparently won another victory! The dragon knights must have played a crucial role in that! Thinking of this, Angelimir felt a pang of envy; after all, they were powerful dragon knights! And that power didn't belong to Gondor…

(End of this chapter)