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

Chapter 925 Enemy Shadows in Early Spring! (Happy New Year everyone!)

"What's going on?" Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso, who was leading the way, saw the commotion behind him and quickly turned his horse around to gallop back (although he was a sixth-tier hero, he wasn't stupid and knew how to travel on horseback).

"Your Highness, the people at the back have fallen behind! We have already sent out troops to gather them!" Oakrian Norman rode past at full speed, leaving only his voice echoing around Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso.

“Don’t bring shame to the family!” Ocrean Ryukin squinted, his voice ringing in Ocrean Norman’s ear.

“…” Oakrian Norman waved his hand behind him to indicate that he understood.

“We need to slow down! Those civilians are not soldiers! They can’t keep up with the pace of a forced march!” Oakrian Ryukin shook his head at Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso.

“But it’s not safe here! The map shows we’re on the edge, the North is right next to us! The North was already a paradise for orcs back then, let alone now… It’s just a pity for the Baikal family…” Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso sighed.

"Alright, tell everyone to slow down! We must protect them after all!" Grand Duke Okrian Yaso glanced at the long line of soldiers behind him. He couldn't abandon these remnants of the empire. If the empire were to truly perish, these people would undoubtedly be his closest kin!

"By the way... spread out the scouts! There's no need for the Fourteenth Legion's knights to stick together; let them spread out and scout on their own!" Grand Duke Okrian Yaso said helplessly, rubbing his forehead. Right now, the Fourteenth Legion's knights were a complete mess when united and scattered like stars in the sky when dispersed! Those knights, a motley crew from all corners of the land, were all skilled individual fighters! After all, they were the "gods" who managed to break through the encirclement and rejoin the Fourteenth Legion! Don't forget, these people didn't break out as a unit!

“Yes!” Oakrian Ryukin nodded. Rather than forcibly binding these uncooperative knights together, it was better to let them play freely. These knights had no way to coordinate their attacks without being organized. The prerequisite for the Glory Skill to work was the discipline of the knightly order to advance and retreat in unison. A swarm of knights was not a knightly order, it was bandits!

……

"Whoosh!" A sharp sword flashed past, and an orc's head, with a look of astonishment on its face, spun into the air. It was clear that it hadn't expected a human knight to appear in such a remote corner!

"Hiss! The orcs have come out to hibernate?" The knight slowly stopped his horse, picked up a handful of snow from the ground and squeezed it. It was obvious that the frozen snow had begun to melt, and the tail end of winter was over!

“Spring…” The knight’s gaze fell on the green shoots emerging from the dug-out snowdrift, and his heart trembled.

"Damn it!" He quickly grabbed the orc's head, mounted his horse, and galloped back towards the main force without looking back.

……

"Your Highness! Your Highness! I think you should take a look at this!" After being announced to several people, the knight finally arrived before Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso and placed the severed head, with ice crystals already formed at the cut, in front of Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso.

"Orcs?" Grand Duke Oakrian Yasso raised an eyebrow.

"Yes!" the knight replied, catching his breath.

"Where did you meet them?" Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso pressed. "To the north! Less than ten miles from our rearguard!" the knight exclaimed in alarm.

"You're a member of the Knights of Free Will?" Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso looked up at the emblem on the knight's chest, a cut-open crown that was particularly glaring.

"Yes! But Your Highness, we are now on the same side!" the knight said calmly. The Knights of Free Will only wanted to overthrow the emperor; they had not yet gone so far as to collude with the orcs to harm the people.

"Damn it! What the hell! I'm actually fighting alongside a cult one day..." Grand Duke Oakrian Yasuo couldn't help but slap his forehead. He had actually joined forces with rebels. It was a disgrace to the Grand Duke Oakrian Yasuo's family. From now on, Grand Duke Oakrian Yasuo would just cover his face when he went out!

“We have no intention of engaging in ideological disputes with you, but the orcs are an urgent threat! As the highest leader here, you need to come up with a plan!” The knight of the Order of Free Will shook his head and said.

“Spring has arrived! The orcs have revived, and they will come out in large numbers to hunt for food! If these bastards hold back our troops, more and more orcs will pounce on us and tie us down! We will be stuck in a quagmire! We cannot let them hold us back! Norman! Take the Windrider Knights and spread out to slaughter those orcs around us!” A cold glint flashed in Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso’s eyes. As long as no orcs discovered their main force, they would not be surrounded!

“Yes, Your Highness!” Okrian Norman pounded his chest, his eyes filled with determination. It was clear that the orcs along the way were in for a world of trouble!

"Go! Do what you do best! I want to see the capabilities of the Free Will Knights, who once clashed with the Royal Knights! Slaughter every alien race you encounter!" Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso narrowed his eyes, his gaze towards the Free Will Knights filled with icy coldness. The Free Will Knights had indeed clashed with a square-banner knightly order under the Royal Knights, the two sides fighting to a draw!

"Yes, Your Highness, you will be satisfied!" The knight simply nodded and then rode away.

"...Ryukin, go to the back of the group! If any orcs get involved...you know what to do!" Grand Duke Oakrian Yasuo said to Oakrian Ryukin. As the only remaining sixth-tier sword saint of the Gale family, he was undoubtedly a good choice to cover the rear!

"Roar!" Archduke Oakrian Yasuo drew his Gale Blade, an ancestral artifact of the Gale family! Legend has it that this four-foot-long blade was blessed by both the Day Dragon and the Night Dragon, so when it is drawn, it is often accompanied by a long dragon's roar, and ethereal dragon shadows swirl around its blade!

"When will the lone sword fail me!" Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso's heart was cold. These people behind the fallen empire were his only remaining kin! Anyone who dared to lay a hand on them, Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso wouldn't hesitate to sever their claws! The title of noble in the Lagrange Empire was not merely a right! It was also a responsibility!

“7 men…” Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso gritted his teeth. He knew that with his current limited supplies, he couldn’t go far with 7 men. He needed to solve the supply problem as soon as possible.

"Scouts advance 20 miles! Be on the lookout for villages and cities!" A struggle flashed in Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso's eyes. It would be better if he encountered any forces left over from the Empire. If it was any other race... Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso wouldn't mind covering his face and playing the role of a bandit, just like his ancestors!

What? You're saying the Gale Clan played the role of bandits? Uh... don't concern yourself with the history of the imperial nobles' rise to power! Besides, even if they were bandits, they never robbed imperial territory; they just suffered and wept for the happiness of the imperial people in the Eastern Barbarian lands.

……

"Kill! Don't let them escape! Kill them all! Don't let a single one get away!" In the wasteland far from the main force, several knights, wielding lances and longswords, ruthlessly slashed at the orcs who came out to forage, and the orcs scattered in terror.

Happy New Year, everyone! Wishing you all good health, all the best, and may all your wishes come true in the new year! Is it too much to ask for a red envelope from any of you bosses?