The gate of White City opened, and the soldiers rushed in, still in a state of shock. Gandalf hurriedly came to the leader of the army.
"Faramir, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Misranda."
The man who took off his helmet breathed a sigh of relief. He turned around and saw Fangzheng driving Fenrir through the gate, then drifted to a stop beside them.
"Thank you for your help, brave warrior."
Faramir dismounted from his horse and bowed respectfully to Fangzheng.
"You're welcome. I have nothing to do anyway."
Fangzheng waved his hand and replied casually. Hearing his answer, Faramir was embarrassed … How was he supposed to respond?
However, before Gandalf could say anything to ease the atmosphere, Fangzheng took out the book container from his pocket.
"This is a letter from the King of Rohan. They have seen the beacon of Minas Tirith and have dispatched their troops. They will stop in Dunhallor and will immediately go to Gondor after the soldiers have assembled."
"Really?!"
Both Gandalf and Faramir were pleasantly surprised when they heard this.
"How long before they arrive at Minas Tirith?"
"Didn't I tell you? They've just set off. They'll assemble in Dunhallor in two days and set off for Gondor on the third day. "
"Huh? But … this book container … "
Faramir looked at the book container in Fangzheng's hand, then at Gandalf in confusion. The latter shrugged.
"How can those cavalrymen compare to me? Also, my other purpose for coming here this time is to determine the current situation in Minas Tirith, and then I have to go back and inform them."
"So, you mean, they've just set off, and you're already in Minas Tirith?"
Gandalf was also in disbelief, but Fangzheng nodded.
"That's about it. Believe it or not."
"This is indeed the seal of the King of Rohan."
Although it was inconceivable, after carefully examining the book container, Faramir nodded. He looked at the dark steel creation under Fangzheng in surprise.
"It's really hard to imagine. Is this the power of magic?"
"This is science, not magic."
Fangzheng waved his hand.
"Forget it, it doesn't matter …. You've just escaped, right? Tell me, what's the situation now? Had Sauron already launched an attack? What does the army have? "
Hearing until here, Faramir also looked serious. He glanced at Fangzheng, then nodded to him and Gandalf.
"This is not the place to talk. Come with me."
Soon, they came to a room in the castle, and Faramir told Fangzheng about what happened to his army. They originally thought that Sauron's army would attack from the north, so they sent several scouts to investigate. They did not expect that the other party did not act according to their expectations. Instead, they used the thick fog to go downstream, landed on the river bank, and launched an attack from the back.
Unfortunately, there were no heavy machine guns in this era, so Faramir's army was caught off guard. They fought from the early hours of the morning until noon. In the end, they had to retreat because they were outnumbered. What happened next was what Fangzheng saw.
According to Faramir's description, Sauron's army was mainly made up of Orcs and Ringwraiths. In fact, the Ringwraiths posed a far greater threat to them than the Orcs. Faramir could have relied on his familiarity with the environment and used guerrilla tactics to contain the Orc forces if he wanted to.
But the problem was that the other side had Ringwraiths who liked to cast AOE fear spells. The screams of the ferocious monsters they controlled would give the soldiers headaches, pain, and fear. Under such circumstances, there was no way they could fight properly. That was why they had to retreat.
"The Ringwraiths are indeed troublesome."
Fangzheng nodded and glanced at Gandalf at the same time. To be honest, when watching the movie, Fangzheng always felt that Gandalf's strength was very mysterious. He could tie with the Balrog, but he seemed very weak when facing the Ringwraiths. He was almost killed in two or three moves. Even if the other side was the leader of the Ringwraiths, it was too degrading for him to surrender and wait for death in two or three moves.
In fact, the movie hardly showed that Gandalf had any powerful magic power. That was why there was the joke of "Wizards just cast a flash spell and then go up to slash." After all, in the movie, whether it was against the Balrog or the Ringwraiths, Gandalf basically used his staff, then released a white light, and then slashed with his sword.
At least Saruman controlled a crow and released a fireball.
Gandalf's behavior was really degrading.
The most awkward battle was the one between Gandalf and Saruman in the first movie. The two sage-like mages waved their staffs in the air, and then both sides screamed "Ah! Oh! Oh!" and then flipped over … Are you guys fighting? Or are you doing street dancing?
To be honest, even the internal energy competition in the eighties' wuxia TV series was more impressive than this.
"I hope you can stay here to help us defend Minas Tirith."
Faramir stared at Fangzheng and made a sincere request. After all, Fangzheng was the only one who could face the Ringwraiths head-on and kill them easily. The strange abilities of the Ringwraiths seemed to be completely useless in front of this man. If he was here, the Ringwraiths would never dare to show up on the battlefield.
And once they lost the support of the Ringwraiths, the threat of Sauron's army would be greatly reduced.
"I'll stay here for two days."
Fangzheng quickly gave an answer.
"Before the reinforcements of Rohan arrive, I must leave here to meet up with them and pass on the information here. After all, this is the reason why I'm here."
"Okay, I understand … Then I have to go see my father. I'll take my leave first."
Hearing Fangzheng's answer, Faramir looked a little disappointed, but he still maintained his gentlemanly manner. He nodded and left with the book container. Not only did he want to inform the regent about the fall of the city, but he also wanted to tell him about the arrival of the reinforcements of Rohan — perhaps this would make the regent feel better.
After Faramir left, only Gandalf and Fangzheng were left in the room. The latter picked up an apple on the table and took a bite, then looked at Gandalf.
"You're not coming with me?"
"Hehe … The regent doesn't welcome me."
Facing Fangzheng's question, Gandalf shook his head helplessly with a wry smile, while Fangzheng shrugged his shoulders.
"Nonsense, I wouldn't like you either. They've worked hard for Gondor all their lives, and then you bring back a king and tell them that he's the supreme ruler of Gondor … I think the regent is already being very kind by not putting you in prison."
"But the king will return."
Gandalf sighed and said firmly.
"So you treat everyone else as fools?"
Fangzheng snorted.
"You treat others as fools, but that doesn't mean they're willing to admit that they're fools. I say, Mr. Gandalf, do you really think that as long as Aragorn returns to Minas Tirith and announces that he's the son of Arathorn, a descendant of the royal family, the people of Gondor will kneel down and cheer for him?"
At this point, Fangzheng took another bite of the apple.
"That's why I sympathize with the regent. As the saying goes, it's better to be a noble than to be a noble. What's so great about bloodline? People without bloodline can still govern the country well, and even those with royal bloodline can make a mess of the country. Aragorn is a ranger, and he's never governed a country before. Who knows where he'll take Gondor in the end? Maybe Gondor won't be destroyed by Sauron, but by Aragorn instead …. "
"You don't know Aragorn. He has the qualities of a king …."
"It has nothing to do with me."
Fangzheng took the last bite of the apple and looked at Gandalf again.
"To tell you the truth, I'm just a foreigner passing by. What happens to Gondor has nothing to do with me. I'll be leaving soon. So there's no point in you trying to convince me. You should convince the people of Gondor, the ministers, nobles, and courtiers to admit that a northern ranger can be the ruler of Gondor …. After all, the fate of this place has nothing to do with me, right? "
After saying this, Fangzheng stood up, clapped his hands, and walked out of the room. Only Gandalf stayed there in silence.
The next day, Faramir did not show up, but there was bad news.
The regent was furious about the loss of the riverbank. He reprimanded Faramir for not fulfilling his duty. As for the book that Faramir brought with him from the King of Rohan, the regent regarded it as a lie. He did not believe that Rohan would come to help, nor did he think that the riverbank could be defended. Therefore, the regent ordered Faramir to recapture the riverbank from Sauron's Orc army!
This was obviously an impossible task, because that place was now occupied by the orc legion, and the number of them was more than tens of thousands. Faramir's men were simply not enough. Attacking the city in this situation was simply suicidal.
But Faramir still accepted the regent's order and led his men on a long journey.
"Faramir, Faramir!!"
Seeing Faramir, who was neatly dressed and riding a warhorse through the street, Gandalf hurriedly pushed through the crowd and came to him.
"Your father has lost his mind. Don't die for him!"
Faramir replied in a low voice in the face of Gandalf's dissuasion.
"If I don't go, where is my loyalty? This is the capital of the Númenóreans. I will die honorably to defend its beauty, ruins, and civilization. "
Hearing this, Gandalf also sighed.
"Actually, your father loves you, Faramir …."
But at this moment, Fangzheng came over and pushed him away.
"Come on, don't say anything if you don't know how to talk, okay?"
After rebuking Gandalf, Fangzheng looked at Faramir.
"Let me ask you, if you die to prove your loyalty, are you loyal to Gondor or your father?"
"… …?"
Faced with Fangzheng's tricky question, Faramir did not know how to answer for a while. He stopped and looked at Fangzheng in confusion.
"Is there a difference between the two?"
"Of course."
Fangzheng spread out his hands.
"If you are loyal to your father and are willing to die for him, then go ahead. No one will stop you. But if you want to protect Gondor and Minas Tirith, then you have to reconsider your decision. "
"… … …"
"Look around, Faramir."
Fangzheng pointed to the people on the streets.
"Sauron's army is coming. Minas Tirith needs a capable leader and commander. You are the regent's son, so you are the most qualified person. If you die, then the defence of Minas Tirith will be a mess. When Sauron's army arrives, how long do you think this place can hold without a commander? "
"… … …"
Faramir did not speak. He fell into silence.
"Let me ask you, when the time comes, who will command and protect this city? The regent? Or Gandalf? Or someone else? Who can do it? It's easy for you to die. Just close your eyes and everything will be over. After you die, who cares what happens? When Minas Tirith falls, the people die, and the Orcs make a stew out of it, it's none of your business, right? "
"… … …"
Hearing this, Faramir gritted his teeth and held the reins in his hands tightly. He still did not say a word.
"Do you want to know how to solve it? Come, come down. I'll give you a secret manual. "
Fangzheng smiled and waved at Faramir. The latter hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he dismounted and came up to Fangzheng.
"What do you want to say?"
"Oh, I don't have anything to say. I just want to tell you … Lie down for a while."
As soon as he finished speaking, Fangzheng punched Faramir in the lower abdomen. The latter's eyes widened and his mouth opened wide, but before he could make a sound, Fangzheng punched him again with a right hook. Faramir was sent flying into the wall and passed out.
Seeing this unexpected scene, the crowd burst into an uproar. Fangzheng clapped his hands and looked at the soldiers behind Faramir.
"If the regent asks, tell him that Faramir disturbed my mood, so I beat him up. He won't be able to get up for a while. He'll probably lie in bed until tomorrow … Of course, if the regent doesn't ask, just pretend it never happened."
After saying this, Fangzheng waved his hand, turned around, and left. The soldiers were stunned for a moment before they hurriedly dismounted and carried Faramir away.
Gandalf shook his head as he watched Fangzheng leave, but he was very grateful to Fangzheng. Although Fangzheng's action was indeed unexpected, it had saved Faramir's life. As Fangzheng said, at this critical juncture, if there was no military commander who could convince the people to take command here, then Minas Tirith would really be in trouble.
But … Gandalf had never thought of doing this.
But … …
"What a strange man."
Looking at Fangzheng's back in the distance, Gandalf could not help but sigh.
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