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

Chapter 993 An Opportunity

"Wait a minute? You mean you want the Fourteenth Knights (the reorganized Fourteenth Legion Knights of the Empire) and the Cross Bauhinia Knights to attack?" Yun Feng asked Roland with a shocked expression.

"Huh! What else?" Roland asked, puzzled. He didn't have time to meticulously train these two knightly orders; he could only train them through battle! Don't be fooled by the chaotic organization of the two knightly orders; they were, after all, genuine Imperial knights! Even the liberal anti-royalist knights were green with envy at the current state of Lagrange. After all, when had the Empire ever been so destitute? Even the Northern Guardians, the King's Landing families, could eventually organize a thousand-strong Standard Knights to launch a desperate, suicidal charge… Well, our King Roland only had four Standard Knights, which, in some ways, was even fewer than the knights of the border counts (family private armies plus Imperial troops)…

"Alright! Forget about the Fourteenth Knights, let's talk about the Cross Bauhinia Knights! Their patrols are a complete mess, their teamwork is practically nonexistent..." Yun Feng paused for a moment before finally speaking the truth. In his eyes, this knightly order, which had hardly undergone any organized training, was basically a death sentence... The Fourteenth Knights, which was a mix of half a Holy Glory Knights, had some teamwork and combat power, but the Cross Bauhinia Knights, with various "gods" and Cross Bauhinia Knights as their backbone, was just a pretty face. They looked intimidating, but all they did was scare people!
“There’s no time! We don’t have time to find those orcs to fight and train them! I know it’s risky, but you have to trust them! Each of them, individually, is a proud knight of Lagrang! Not some timid village peasant! Even the most mismatched knight can wield a lance! They’re not like peasant soldiers wielding pitchforks!” Roland said in a deep voice.

"And you must trust Knight Commander Lavian! Restoring the Duchy of Nyx and reviving the Knights of the Bauhinia Cross is his lifelong wish! Now I am giving him this opportunity! Whether he can seize it or not is up to the Dragon God!" Roland calmly tapped the table.

"..." Yun Feng's eyelids twitched. You're betting an entire knight order? Giving a knight commander some practice?
“Don’t look at me like that. I’ve given him the chance! Whether he seizes it or not is up to him! I’m pleased that he’s loyal to my wife… but if he doesn’t seize this opportunity, then he shouldn’t have any complaints. I’ve done all I could!” Roland said calmly.

Yun Feng's eyes lit up and he immediately understood the implication of Roland's words. It was no secret that Ravian didn't take Roland seriously. Roland admired his unwavering loyalty to Nyx and was willing to give the Cross Bauhinia Knights a chance to be reborn for Nyx's sake. After all, the Grand Duchy of Nyx might be able to be restored in the future, but the Cross Bauhinia Knights might not be able to reappear!

A fourth-tier knight commander isn't exactly a rare commodity, so Roland wasn't going to waste the opportunity. Instead, he chose to give Lavian a chance to showcase himself. If he succeeded, he would remain Nyx's personal guard, and the knight order would be incorporated into the Queen's military command. But if he failed and messed things up... well, Lavian, you'd better shut up and serve me like a slave from now on! No achievements, no attitude!
"Isn't this going too far?" Yun Feng asked worriedly.

“If the trolls and orcs along the way can cause this knightly order to fall apart, then he is naturally not qualified to lead this knightly order! What is the difference between a general who cannot control his own army and a piece of trash?” Roland smiled. Many of the members of the Cross Bauhinia Knights were troublemakers from the Fourteenth Legion Knights that he deliberately left behind. This was Roland’s test for Ravian. Similarly, Ravian understood this when he took over this knightly order!
"As for going too far? Do you really think the Fourteenth Knights will just walk out naked? I've chosen a suitable legion commander for them! Someone will cover for them!" Roland grinned, as if he had everything under control.

……

"Lord Omsk, why is it so lively here?" A burly figure greeted Omsk at the knight training grounds outside Swiftstream City.

"Hello! Lord Mogus! What brings you here?" Omske looked at this hero, who was not well-known in the kingdom, with curiosity, but he had never underestimated any hero! A sixth-tier hero understands another sixth-tier hero better, and Omske knew that beneath Mogus's unassuming appearance lay a great and unassuming power!
"Transfer order! His Majesty has appointed me as the deputy commander!" Mogus amiably handed the transfer order to Omske. This hero from the Vladivostok family of the Swift Hand had been incredibly low-key since severing ties with his family and choosing to pledge allegiance to the King, maintaining a friendly yet distant relationship with everyone. Omske greatly admired the Swift Hand family's foresight in this regard! The timely assistance of a sixth-tier hero was enough to maintain the Lagrange royal family's favor towards the Swift Hand family! It was foreseeable that as long as the Vladivostok family didn't become so brain-dead as to rebel, they would continue to stand with the nation as before!

"Wow! High-end setup! Two Tier 6 knights in one knight order? Has the kingdom become that wealthy?" Omske casually remarked. "Lord Caslo will also be traveling with us!" Mogus then added.

"Poor Lady Ajax!" Omske shook his head and sighed. He wasn't surprised that a dragon knight was accompanying him on this trip, but it was a bit amusing that this bastard was Caslo. However, upon closer inspection, he was the only suitable candidate!

“That’s right! His Majesty has given Ajax and Caslo a vacation during this time. His Majesty hopes they will have a child to continue the Caslo family bloodline!” Mogus said.

"Caslo seems to be a commoner, right? He doesn't seem to have a surname yet?" Omske frowned suddenly. Caslo had come all the way with Roland and had made great contributions, making him Roland's absolute confidant! However, because of his commoner background (Caslo was just an ordinary dragon knight in the Empire when he first appeared!), he didn't have his own surname. In addition, Roland wasn't originally from the Middle-earth and had always called Caslo by his first name, so he hadn't bothered to solve the problem of giving him a surname...

"Then he only has two choices: either follow the Anthony family of Ajax, or adopt his own surname?" Mogus shook his head and said.

“Another option is to take His Majesty’s surname… After all, he is a retainer. If Caslo is willing and His Majesty doesn’t mind, then…” Omske shrugged. Knowing Roland well, he was not surprised at all that Roland would agree. Now it was up to Caslo to choose!

"By the way! What are you doing here? Do sixth-tier heroes now need basic training to maintain their condition?" Mogus asked Omske, puzzled.

"Hey! Keep watch for this kid!" Omske pointed to the training ground, where Lavian had just taken down a troublemaker, and everyone quickly gathered around, seeing that there was going to be some fun.

"I don't understand why His Majesty would bring this knightly order? Did the Holy Light Knights disappoint him?" Omske asked, puzzled.

“No! It’s precisely because they are too good! Ordinary knight orders have no opportunity to gain experience, they are just useless!” Roland’s voice came from behind the two of them.