When Arthur heard Thorin's words, he surprisingly said, "Did Bard really make that decision? And do the people of Lake-town all agree with Bard's resolve and are willing to fight for him? You should know that what we are about to face is not just orcs, but also the Dragon in the Lonely Mountain."
Thorin showed a smile and nodded, "Yes, don't tell me, even I was surprised. But Bard said that as descendants of River Valley Town residents, they had already fled to Lake-town. It was not easy to build this town, and if they continue to flee, where else can they escape? So Bard decided to fight alongside us, and after the people of Lake-town heard Bard's speech, at least at that time, they all strongly supported Bard."
Arthur raised an eyebrow, "So you actually don't think highly of the people of Lake-town?"
Thorin reined in his smile and sighed, "Of course, because many of these humans are not qualified warriors. It's already very good that Bard and his people can gather 800 soldiers with combat capabilities."
Then he shrugged, "But having an ally is better than none. Perhaps the people of Lake-town will help us when we least expect it."
Arthur thought for a moment and said, "My army will arrive within a month. What about you dwarves?"
Thorin replied, "When you and Gandalf were not here during the day, I received a message via carrier pigeon from Iron Hills. Dain said that he would soon arrive at Lake-town leading 5,000 fully armed dwarf heavy infantry, in addition to 20 chariots and 300 War Goat Knights. What about your side?"
He paused, then said with some anticipation, "Although I think you, Miss Millison, and Sir Bernal are enough to rival a thousand armies, if it's your army, I think our chances of winning this battle against the orcs will be much greater."
Arthur smiled, then lightly patted Thorin's shoulder and said, "Don't worry, Thorin, the help I'm bringing is to help you reclaim the Lonely Mountain from the orcs as well."
Then Arthur changed the subject and seriously said to Thorin, "But there is one thing I must tell you in advance: once the war drags on into a protracted battle, I will consider withdrawing my troops depending on the situation."
Thorin took a deep breath and replied sincerely, "Of course, I understand your decision. Rather, the fact that you can tell me this in advance is already much better than those human kings."
Then Thorin went to the window in the inn corridor, pushed the wooden window open a hand's width, and the night wind, carrying blade-like coldness, immediately rushed into the room.
He subconsciously raised his face, letting the biting wind scrape his nose like the rough tongue of a snow wolf, feeling the bone-chilling cold.
Then Thorin closed the window and turned to Arthur, saying, "Now, we just need to wait for the dwarf allied army led by my father to pass through the Misty Mountains, and then we can launch an attack on the Lonely Mountain and reclaim our homeland."
Arthur also blessed, "I hope so."
But unfortunately, things did not go as planned.
A week later, ravens flew across the lead-gray sky of Lake-town, and the seventh dawn did not bring the anticipated horn of the Iron Hills.
When the disheveled, blood-stained carrier pigeon plunged into Thorin's palm like a broken puppet, the pine branches burning in the fireplace suddenly burst with a crackling sound.
Because this was supposed to be a pure white messenger, but at this moment it looked like a tattered battle flag salvaged from a pool of blood.
"It's Dain's carrier pigeon..."
Thorin's Adam's apple bobbed as he squeezed out fragmented syllables, and something cold crawled up his spine.
All the dwarves in the room noticed the abnormality of this carrier pigeon. After Thorin took down the letter tied to the pigeon's leg, the pigeon was carefully held by Ori, who began to treat this dutiful messenger.
The white-haired Balin no longer showed his amiable smile; instead, he came to Thorin's side with a slightly anxious expression, looking at the letter, which also had dark red bloodstains, with him.
Dwalin also stood by silently. When Thorin, with slightly trembling hands, raised his gaze from the letter, this reliable dwarf warrior asked, "What does the letter say?"
The other dwarves in the room also perked up their ears. Thorin was silent for a moment, handed the letter to Balin, then rushed out of the guest room door without a word, out of the inn's main entrance, and ran towards the Mayor's, where Arthur and Gandalf were currently residing.
After reading the contents of the letter, Balin directly collapsed to the ground.
Dwalin impatiently asked his elder brother, "Balin, what exactly does the letter say? Tell us quickly!"
Balin's face was pale, and a tragic smile twisted his lips, making him look like he was crying, "Dain and his forces were ambushed by Azog's orc army on their way to Lake-town and suffered heavy losses. Currently, Dain is leading the remnants of his forces to retreat towards Lake-town, and he hopes we can send support."
Three days ago, outside a mountain pass between Iron Hills and Lake-town.
In a rugged mountainous area, the not-so-wide mountain road was lined with rock slopes covered in ice and snow.
Ironfoot Dáin, the leader of the Iron Hills, was riding on the back of a sturdy and docile wild boar, wearing plate armor specially made for the Iron Hills dwarves. The armor's surface was embossed with flame and goat totems, and the joints were inlaid with red copper rivets.
He had a face as weathered as if carved, and his thick reddish-brown beard cascaded down to his waist like a waterfall, braided into separate strands with mithril rings.
Although Dain appeared barbaric in appearance, his brows concealed cunning and strategy. If one underestimated his wisdom by thinking he was merely a crude dwarf, they would likely suffer greatly.
Because Ironfoot Dáin was not only a fierce general who charged into battle but also a ruler deeply skilled in political maneuvering.
Behind Ironfoot Dáin was the dwarf army from the Iron Hills.
5,000 fully armed dwarf heavy infantry were like a moving steel fortress. They were sturdy and muscular, clad in heavy plate armor, with wide face masks covering most of their faces, revealing only a pair of fearless eyes.
More importantly, these dwarf heavy infantry were not slow in their movement; in fact, they were quite swift, as if what they were wearing was not metal armor but light leather garments.
In the formation of the dwarf heavy infantry, 20 dwarf chariots were like steel behemoths.
These chariots were made of sturdy oak, their bodies covered in thick iron plates, and their wheels were massive and robust, making a dull sound as they rolled over the ground, making the very earth tremble.
The chariots were equipped with huge ballistas, whose bolts were as thick as a child's arm, with sharp arrowheads, capable of piercing enemy lines from a hundred paces away.
And on the flanks of the army, 300 War Goat Knights were like a surging torrent.
The War Goats were robust and had thick fur, their horns sharp as blades, gleaming with a metallic luster. The dwarf riders on the backs of these War Goats were also clad in the same heavy plate armor as the heavy infantry, but the War Goats did not seem to mind such a heavy load at all, and the rugged mountain road felt like flat ground beneath their hooves.
"At this pace, haha, we'll meet Thorin and his forces in another week!" Dain let out a hearty laugh, saying to the dwarf adjutant beside him.
The wild boar he was riding also seemed to sense its master's joy, grunting as if echoing Dain's optimism.
The adjutant nodded, then narrowed his eyes into a slit, looking at the vast, white mountain pass not far away, and respectfully suggested to Dain, "Lord Dain, it seems necessary to send scouts to investigate both sides of this pass."
Dain showed no sign of refusal; instead, he laughed even louder, "Haha, you are right, it should be so. I received a letter from Thorin, in which he mentioned that the one commanding those orc scums is Azog, who should have been in hell long ago. This orc is unlike his other kin; he is extremely skilled in warfare. Now that we are close to Lonely Mountain, we do indeed need to be extra careful."
As he spoke, Dain also looked at the snow-capped valley in the distance and said in a deep voice, "Pass down the order, have the army stop. Don't just send one or two scouts in; have all the War Goat Knights completely sweep both sides of the valley. If they encounter orcs, kill them on sight, leave no one!"
The moment the adjutant heard the order, his body immediately stiffened, and he gave a crisp and neat Dwarven military salute.
Following this, the adjutant turned around, locked onto the messenger not far away, and his voice was loud and urgent, "Messenger! Blow the horn to halt the entire army! Then immediately convey the order to the War Goat Knights! All personnel are to thoroughly search the slopes on both sides of the valley pass. If orcs are encountered, kill them on sight, leave no one!"
Upon hearing the command, this Dwarven messenger's body also tensed up reflexively; he straightened his chest and responded loudly, "Yes, sir!"
Without any delay, he took the horn from his waist.
Then he put the horn to his lips, took a deep breath, and blew it with force.
Immediately, a low and heavy horn sound echoed throughout the entire army, piercing the air and spreading to every corner.
Upon hearing this horn sound, the Dwarven soldiers obeyed the command instantly, stopping their march with synchronized movements.
As the horn's tone began to change, the originally low and heavy horn sound suddenly became urgent and high-pitched, as if urging the War Goat Knights to quicken their pace.
Upon hearing this changing horn sound, the War Goat Knights immediately understood the new command.
They began to readjust their formation, their bodies leaning slightly forward.
With the continuous urging of the horn, the War Goat Knights began to charge, and their speed became faster and faster.
On both sides of the valley pass, the rocky slopes were covered with thick snow, which sparkled dazzlingly under the sunlight.
The War Goat Knights charged towards these slopes, like arrows released from a bow, rushing towards the snow-covered rocky slopes on both sides of the valley pass ahead. The hooves of the War Goats left deep imprints in the snow, and each step kicked up flakes of snow, like white fireworks dancing in the air.
If there were truly orcs lurking on the slopes at this time, they would undoubtedly be crushed to pieces by the War Goat Knights.
However, until the War Goat Knights returned from the other end of the valley, they still could not find any trace of orcs.
In this icy and snowy valley, let alone orcs, even animal tracks were hard to find.
After listening to the report from the War Goat Knight, Dain nodded slightly and said in a deep voice, "Continue forward."
"Yes, sir! All troops, continue the advance!" the Dwarven adjutant shouted loudly, and the messenger beside him immediately blew the horn.
The Dwarven army from Iron Hills once again set off, the footsteps of thousands of soldiers converging, causing the ground to tremble slightly.
The Dwarven heavy infantry, clad in thick armor, marched steadily at the front.
Behind them, thirty Dwarven war chariots slowly followed.
As for the War Goat Knights, they, like when they previously searched the slopes, demonstrated astonishing mobility and adaptability, running quickly and steadily over the rugged snowy rocks as if on flat ground.
As Dain entered the pass, he looked up at the snow slopes on both sides, which had been trampled into a mess by the War Goat Knights, and couldn't help but frown.
The adjutant noticed the change in Dain's expression and asked with concern, "Lord Dain, has something happened?"
Dain shook his head, the tension between his brows easing slightly, and said, "Perhaps I was overthinking it. The War Goat Knights did not find any trace of orcs, which means the valley is temporarily safe... However, we still need to remind the soldiers to remain vigilant and be prepared at all times. With every step we take from now on, we might step into a trap set by Azog."
The adjutant nodded in acknowledgment and whispered a few words to the messenger.
The messenger immediately blew the horn, and upon hearing it, the Dwarven soldiers quickly took down their tower shields from their backs, hung them on their arms, and gripped their steel spears tightly with their other hands.
This way, if they were truly ambushed by orcs, the dwarves could react quickly and launch a powerful counterattack.
Until they were about to exit the valley, Dain and his army did not encounter anything unusual, which finally allowed the always tense Dain to slightly relax.
Then, he looked at the flat snowfield ahead and ordered loudly, "Attention, everyone, continue to advance with vigilance! When the sun sets and is about to go down, we will choose a place to set up camp and rest!"
"Hoo-hah!"
The Dwarven soldiers responded to their King with powerful voices, and their neat and loud shouts caused the ground to tremble violently.
Dain had a smile on his face, but as the dwarves' shouts gradually faded, the trembling of the ground did not subside; instead, it became even more violent, causing the smile on Dain's face to instantly disappear, and his expression turned grim.
He felt the ground beneath his feet shaking violently as if an earthquake had struck, and at the same time, something was making a loud "rumbling" sound, which was rapidly approaching his army.
"Run! Run! Those still in the valley, leave the valley immediately!!!"
Dain immediately roared, and those Dwarven soldiers still in the valley quickly obeyed the King's command; they no longer maintained formation but ran out of the valley at their fastest speed.
However, while the Dwarven infantry could run quickly, those dwarves who were pushing the war chariots could not make the chariots speed up.
However, although the Dwarven infantry could run quickly, those dwarves who were originally responsible for pushing the war chariots could not make the chariots speed up either.
It wasn't that these steel behemoths were slow; in fact, they were also pulled by War Goats, and their speed was no less than that of the War Goat Knights.
But the front of the war chariots was crowded with soldiers who had not yet run out of the valley, and the dwarves driving the chariots naturally could not run over their comrades.
"Roar—!"
"Crash—!"
The rocks on the ground were pushed up by some massive creatures; there was more than one of these terrifying, worm-like creatures, and rocks were crushed in their mouths.
Their appearance also triggered the collapse of the valley, and the dwarves still inside could only watch in despair as massive rocks fell on them. All thirty Dwarven war chariots were engulfed in the valley, none spared.
Dain slowly and angrily, yet with shock, uttered the name of the creatures that attacked him.
"Earthworms..."