After gently covering Sally with a blanket, Roddy looked at her face, which had lost a lot of weight. His heart ached for her.
Even though Sally only sat in the mansion all day dealing with official business, the pressure she faced was actually not much less than his — the girl in front of him was only eighteen years old. If she were on Earth, she would only be a university student.
But what about her? She faced all kinds of government affairs in the entire Eiffta territory all day long, deciding the livelihood of tens of thousands of people. Not only did she have to face a group of ruthless nobles, but she also had to constantly be on guard against movements at the borders, deploy troops, and check all kinds of reports …
Without her father's protection, all the pressure fell on her shoulders. Although Sally persevered, she was ultimately exhausted — Roddy understood that in her heart, he was the harbor where she could rest in peace. His existence was the biggest spiritual pillar in Sally's heart.
With all kinds of thoughts in his mind, Roddy sighed, got up, and walked back to Duke's study.
The layout of the study was no different from before. The scene of him discussing countermeasures with Bishop Benjamin and the Dukes Of Angmar was still vivid in his mind. Roddy walked slowly to the map hanging on the wall. His gaze swept across the markings, and then he looked along Eiffta towards the west …
That was the Nehemia Prairie that Roddy had once led his troops to attack. At the same time, it was also where the Orc Kingdom was located.
"It's already 590 years. How long will the Orcs … stay dormant?"
*****
Unlike the Eiffta territory that was always covered in snow, on the endless Nehemia Prairie, everything had already begun to recover under the spring sun.
In the past, at this time, the various tribes in the Orc Kingdom would usually begin to divide the year's "pastoral areas." But since last summer, everything had changed.
The "Sarota" tribe had risen.
No one knew how this tribe appeared. When everyone began to notice the existence of such a tribe on the prairie, its power had already grown to the point that no chief could ignore it. Moreover, it had never stopped advancing.
Their troops were like a flood of steel. No one could stop them at all. And the name "Sauron" seemed to have a deeper meaning after a winter. His strength and dominance had been deeply imprinted in the minds of all the Orcs.
From a small tribe of a few dozen people, it expanded into a "large tribe" of 10,000 people in three months. Sauron's ambition had already made the other chiefs feel terrified. Soon, some small tribes knew that they were no match for Sauron and chose to surrender. Sauron did not behead these small chiefs as he had done in the past. Instead, he "treated them with respect." He gave them all kinds of military ranks and gave them the power to lead troops into battle.
This move caused a complete uproar in the Orc Kingdom. In the eyes of the Orcs, who respected "strength", the losers in the power struggle were of no use other than being fed to vultures. But Sauron's unprecedented move had caused a series of shocking results. The "Sarota" tribe had accepted the allegiance of six small tribes and a large tribe of a similar level throughout the winter. It had become the most powerful tribe on the entire prairie!
The process was naturally not as easy as it seemed. The annexation of the Orcs was always accompanied by war and death. Some were willing to surrender, and some fought to the death. When winter passed, there were also more than 3,000 Orc soldiers who died in the civil strife.
On this land that was watered with blood and flesh, the "Sarota" tribe with a total population of more than 100,000 rose strongly and firmly ruled 50% of the Orc Kingdom's territory!
If the "Orc Kingdom" in the past was a group of mobs, then the flourishing "Sarota" obviously had the capital to become a "military power."
Under the sun, the core camp of the "Sarota" tribe was quiet and orderly. From the outside, it was not much different from an ordinary tribe. But if a human officer were to observe here, he would find that the structure of this camp was extremely meticulous.
The wooden camp wall divided the camp into three layers. There was a special place to store grain and fences to store cattle and sheep. The civilian area was far away from the military area. The Orc soldiers' camp was built according to different systems. There were also countless corridors in the middle for gathering at any time.
The Orcs had never studied the layout of the camp in a "reasonable and scientific" way. But Sauron used his execution ability to prove that if humans could do it, the Orcs could do it as well.
Looking at the foundation that he had laid in front of him, Sauron felt both gratified and a little worried. The amazing speed of development of the tribe made everyone look at it. But because of this, the internal structure was no longer the initial "monolithic" state. Now that there were more people in charge, differences would inevitably breed.
"Chief Sauron, it's almost February now. Our soldiers have been dormant for two months. If we don't go out and exercise, I'm afraid these warriors will rust to death in their tents!"
In the chief's tent, an Orc in front of Sauron was shouting loudly. His tone was full of dissatisfaction. Sauron glanced at the other person, waved his hand, and said, "What's the matter? Which place has Warlord Godard taken a fancy to? Hex? Or Uanli? "
The guy known as "Godard" was one of the three "warlords" in the current tribe. He was originally the chief of the "Gron's Hand" tribe. Because of his high prestige in his own tribe, he still spoke unyieldingly after submitting to the "Sarota". Sometimes, he even dared to openly disagree with Sauron.
In this regard, Sauron chose to be tolerant. He knew very well that he could not kill all the opponents. Using human political means to unite his tribe was what he wanted to do now.
"Ha, Great Chief, how could our warriors take a fancy to such a small place? Who can stop us on this grassland now? "
"Great Chief, there are still some things to report to you. The food reserves are really a little tight. If we don't get enough food, I'm afraid a group of people will starve to death at this time next year!"
The other two warlords usually did not talk much, but today, they were uncharacteristically cheering for Godard. This made Sauron narrow his eyes meaningfully. After thinking for a moment, he still calmly said, "It seems that Warlord Godard has a way to solve these problems?"
"Ha! How can I dare to say that I can solve these problems? Great Chief, we have suffered so many years on the grassland. Everyone knows what's going on. If we could solve it, we would have found a way decades ago! But … "
Godard obviously did not have the acting talent of the human nobles, and his tone was very exaggerated. However, he was too lazy to beat around the bush. He changed the topic and pointed to the southeast. "We have almost ten thousand soldiers available to us. The food and resources of the human kingdoms are the best supplies for us orc warriors. Great chief, are you still going to sit still?"
"Yes, Great Chief, the resources on the grassland are too poor. Now the consumption of food and drink of the entire tribe is already an astronomical figure. We must act now!"
"As long as Great Chief gives the order, we will immediately go to the front line. We will definitely take down all the cities on the border within half a month! If we fail, you can directly smash my head in! "
Looking at the excited posture of the three warlords, Sauron sighed in his heart. The Orcs now had about 10,000 combat power, but the combat power of these troops was not as strong as imagined. In order to prevent power from being dispersed or mutinies, almost all the armies were disorganized and reorganized. Therefore, there was no tacit understanding between the officers and soldiers. If they rashly started a war, the consequences would be unimaginable.
The words of the two warlords were not false. The rations of more than 100,000 people were not a small number. Because of the continuous civil war, the finances had long been in the red. If they continued to stay here, the "Sarota" tribe would be completely sitting ducks.
The humans must be conquered. Sauron's determination could be seen by using the name of his teacher "Sarota" as the name of the tribe. However, everything had to be planned before taking action. When to fight and how to fight were things that needed to be carefully considered.
The three warlords kept talking about the benefits of attacking the humans. This was obviously a move to force Sauron to abdicate. Sauron knew that he could not completely refute the other party, so he directly replied loudly, "Since the three warlords think that attacking the humans is necessary, I will naturally not object. In fact, everything I do is to take back the territory we have lost one day!"
These words completely stunned Godard and the others. All along, Sauron had never mentioned attacking the humans. Why did he suddenly change his mind at this time?
"But have you thought about it? If we rush to the human territory now, how much food will we have to spend along the way? And even if our warriors take down the city in mid-February, they will find that there is no food in their granaries at all … Because the food harvested by the humans can only grow in April or May! "
The three illiterate warlords, who were all muscleheads, were instantly dumbfounded. Godard was unconvinced and said, "Then we will directly use the humans as food! Kill all the way in. I don't believe that they have no food at all! "
Idiot …
Sauron cursed in his heart, but he said, "Let's discuss the time for the army to move out for the time being. But one thing is certain, it is definitely not appropriate to set out in February …"
The other two warlords were already surprised that Godard agreed to go to war, so they immediately had no objections. Without help, Godard reluctantly agreed and then left the tent.
Walking out of the big tent, his face suddenly became gloomy. This powerful Beastman took a few steps and rode on his wolf. After riding along the small path between the camps for more than ten minutes, he went straight back to the warlord's tent where he belonged.
As soon as he jumped off his wolf, a subordinate came to report that a powerful Shaman wanted to join Godard's side.
This was a great thing for Godard. The stronger the strength of his subordinates, the more authority he would have. Naturally, he would not neglect this guy who had come to join him, so he immediately stepped into the big tent.
To his surprise, the "Shaman" in front of him was wearing a thick cloak with a hood on his head. Although his clothes were loose, the thinness of his body could not be concealed.
"Tell me your name, Shaman."
Beastmen never spoke politely or impolitely. No matter how arrogant the superior was, the inferior had to endure it.
"My name is not important, Lord Warlord."
Under the cold voice, some strange Beastman language slowly echoed in the tent. Godard's expression changed. He immediately realized that the identity of the other party seemed to be … not right.
"Lord Warlord, this is our first meeting. Perhaps you are a little nervous, but I came with good intentions and hope to cooperate with you. Hmm … in all aspects. "
His face under the hood seemed to be smiling, but his stiff face could not make any expression at all.
Godard narrowed his eyes. Although the Beastmen were rash, those who could become warlords were definitely not fools. He had already realized the identity of the guy in front of him, and doubts arose in his heart. Logically speaking, they should be looking for the "Great Chief" Sauron, but now they were looking for him …
Godard suddenly realized something, and he fixed his gaze on the man. The man still had that stiff smile on his face, but his words were very piercing. "Clearly, we believe that you are the leader who is more qualified to rule over this tribe."
[Thank you for the monthly votes: Let the rumors come true, Siegfried]
[Thank you for the support: _ Qian, Dawn Wind, Siegfried]
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