Two days before Dain was attacked.
Azog, a robust and massive figure like a bull, rode his snow-white warg King to the top of the valley.
At this moment, the ground beneath him was faintly vibrating, emitting a rumbling sound, which was the Earthworms gnawing on the hard rocks underground.
"That's enough! Make the Earthworms stop!" Azog, who was handsome enough to be called so among orcs, roared in a deep voice, giving orders to the orc beside him.
Although the orc was full of doubts and did not understand why Azog wanted the Earthworms to stop emerging from the ground, it knew that if it voiced its question, it would only be met with Azog's furious scolding, or even be directly thrown to the wargs.
So, it simply emptied its already not-so-bright mind, and did whatever Azog ordered.
Anyway, Earthworms were massive creatures that lived underground, feeding on rocks; even if they did not emerge from the ground, they would not suffocate or starve.
Within a few minutes, the rumbling sound beneath Azog's feet gradually faded into nothingness.
The orc hurried back to Azog's side, prostrating itself on the ground, and said tremblingly, "Master, the Earthworms have all stopped."
A sinister smile appeared at the corner of Azog's mouth: "Very good, continue to pass down the order. Let the Earthworms lie low underground for a few days, and when they sense thousands of people passing overhead, they will suddenly burst out of the ground."
The orc nodded, then hesitated for a moment, and asked with a trembling voice, "Then, Master, should we also send some of our kin to follow behind the Earthworms?"
However, what it waited for was not Azog's reply, but his ruthless large hand.
Azog, with his intact hand, firmly grasped the orc's head, lifted it from the snow, and held it directly in front of him.
The orc's murky yellow eyes were filled with panic, but it dared not struggle in the slightest, its feet helplessly suspended in the air.
Azog leaned closer to it and asked in a deep voice, "Why?"
The orc was stunned, then racked its brains to think, and still replied with a trembling voice, "Be-because Earthworms are not extremely aggressive creatures; they only look large in size, but are not good at fighting. I-I am worried that the dwarves will quickly react after a brief shock. If-if our army can rush out together behind the Earthworms, we will certainly be able to defeat and annihilate the dwarf scum before they even have time to react."
This orc felt as if it had never spoken such a long sentence in its life.
Azog released his hand, and the orc immediately fell to the ground, a burning pain coming from its buttocks and tailbone.
But it paid no attention to this, quickly scrambled up, and prostrated itself on the snow again, pressing its head tightly against the cold ground.
Azog looked at the orc, who was full of fear towards him, with a hint of appreciation in his eyes, and said, "Not bad, at least compared to those brainless kin, you are still one of those who use their brains, but this bit of wisdom is far from enough. Get up, later, you will lead an army alone, and cooperate with Bolg, my son who constantly covets my position, to completely occupy Lake-town and blockade Mirkwood, absolutely not allowing those Elves to interfere with the war between us and the dwarves."
When the orc stood up trembling, Azog, as if bestowing a favor, patiently explained, "Hmph, you only saw the dwarf scum coming from the Iron Hills in front of you, but you completely failed to notice the dwarf scum coming from the other side of the Misty Mountains. Since the dwarf scum from the Iron Hills are marching towards the Lonely Mountain, this indicates that Thráin, that pathetic dwarf King, was not only rescued but also healed. Otherwise, Thorin Oakenshield, that wretch, would have no right to command Ironfoot Dáin without obtaining the arkenstone of the Lonely Mountain."
"If the dwarves from the west and the dwarf army from the Iron Hills in the east were to merge, then this battle would be difficult to fight. Therefore, while ambushing the dwarf scum from the Iron Hills, we must also cause the dwarf scum from the west to fall into disarray. Thus, Ironfoot Dáin's army can be defeated, but it must not be completely annihilated. A part of them must be given the opportunity to report back, so that the dwarf scum rushing over from the other side of the Misty Mountains will, out of concern for support and swept up by anger, fall into another trap set for them."
Azog took a step forward, spread his arms, and laughed wildly up at the sky: "All of this is just like the war a hundred years ago. The dwarves of Durin's line will all die one by one by my hand!"
"Master is wise!" The orc immediately respectfully offered sincere praise to Azog.
Time rewinds to two days later, the moment Dain was attacked.
"It's the Earthworms! Quickly send out the War Goat Knights! Although these worms are huge, they don't have much combat power! Stab your spears fiercely into their bodies! Be careful to avoid the mouth!" Dain roared loudly after a brief shock.
The messenger unhesitatingly quickly pressed his lips to the ancient horn at his waist and blew it loudly.
Instantly, a sharp and urgent horn blast cut through the sky, and the stern command instantly spread throughout the entire battlefield.
The War Goat Knights, hearing the horn blast, immediately tensed up.
They gripped their reins tightly, gave a sharp tug, and the War Goats paused slightly, then understood their impending mission to charge, letting out a low snort.
The knights sat steadily on the War Goats' broad backs, leaning forward, their eyes like torches, looking directly at the position of the several massive yet seemingly slow Earthworms ahead.
As the War Goats' powerful limbs vigorously pushed off the ground, they carried the dwarves on their backs like arrows leaving a bowstring, like an unstoppable torrent, charging rapidly towards the Earthworms, kicking up snow and dust from the ground.
However, Dain's orders did not end there.
He knew in his heart that these Earthworms must be a "generous gift" meticulously prepared for him by Azog.
If it was indeed Azog's doing, then the ambush by the Earthworms was merely the prelude to this attack, far from its conclusion.
Therefore, Dain continued to issue orders loudly: "The right flank will closely follow the War Goat Knights to provide them with cover! The center will attack from the other side with me! The left flank, stand by for support at any time!"
Dain did not order the army to rescue those kin still struggling in the valley; it was not because he was inherently cold-blooded and ruthless, but because he was soberly aware that the most urgent task was to first deal with these Earthworms and any subsequent enemies that might appear. Only by doing so would there be hope of saving those trapped kin.
If they were to divide their forces to rescue kin in the valley while also confronting the strong enemy before them, in the end, not only would the kin in the valley not be rescued, but the lives of their own army would also very likely be lost, which would be a complete waste.
The sharp horn blast once again thundered across the battlefield, its piercing sound instantly penetrating the lingering smoke and flying dust, soaring skyward.
The right side of the dwarf heavy infantry phalanx, as if precisely cut by an invisible giant hand, quickly and neatly separated into an army of 1,500 men.
These dwarf soldiers let out deafening battle cries, their voices like surging waves, one after another.
They marched with neat and powerful strides, following closely behind the War Goat Knights.
Dain himself rode his strong and fierce wild boar, its powerful limbs galloping across the snow. He raised his heavy warhammer high, and had his adjutant raise the battle standard of the Iron Hills royal family high. The banner fluttered loudly in the wind during the charge, making a "whoosh" sound.
Then Dain's voice echoed like thunder over the battlefield, and he shouted loudly: "Sons of Durin, raise your weapons and charge with me! Charge!"