Chapter 176 Preaching
How many people responded to this call - no one can give a specific number.
But what is certain is that the number of people from the Valley who ultimately went into battle was exactly 3,500, no more, no less, and all of them were wearing high-quality full-body armor that was fully defensive and exquisitely crafted.
It was so hard that Levi himself got a headache just looking at it.
Not to mention the combat quality, this army is at least on par with the dwarves and elves in terms of equipment.
"What's going on?"
As the host began to gather, Thorin hurried from the halls of Erebor.
On the walls of Lonely Mountain, not only Thorin, but also Balin and several members of the dwarf royal family ran out to look at the well-armored army that gathered not far away and whose movements were a little awkward.
Balin squinted his eyes and stared at a certain place and said, "Those are the troops from River Valley City and Long Lake Town. I recognize them. The third soldier from the left to the right in the first row asked me about Oak's fighting style two years ago."
"And how did you tell him?"
"Knock on the head."
"No, I think that's too vague. If an Orc comes, the first thing to do is..."
"Stop, we should be discussing that army now!"
Seeing that the topic was getting more and more off-topic, Philip quickly stopped these guys.
"Is Levi going to attack somewhere?"
Coming back to their senses, the dwarves turned to look at each other, and each of them showed an emotion called surprise in their eyes.
How powerful must this person be that he needs to gather his troops to fight?
Moreover, if the target of the crusade can be dealt with by an army of several thousand people, then this army is not necessary at all.
"Maybe it's military training."
The logic here is easy to understand.
"What's the target?"
"They are heading in the direction of Long Lake Town."
Thorin thought, "I heard that the road has been built to the vicinity of the Misty Mountains."
Near the Misty Mountains…
"Orc Town."
Several dwarves uttered the place name in unison.
Groin stared and said, "They were going to attack this place without telling us!"
"that is!"
There was a shouting noise.
The members of the expedition never forgot that they had been tortured and abused by the goblins in the Orc Town. If their skin had not been thick enough, those thorny whips and sticks would have definitely left many scars.
"Thorin, I want to go with you. You won't stop me, right?"
Fili, the youngest and most impulsive, was the first to make a proposal.
Thorin's gaze slowly moved over, and then his body turned as well.
He said, “Of course.”
"And it's not just you, or you all."
"I want to go, too."
Oh——! Several people cheered, as if this was just an outing and not a war.
When this activity was finalized, even Thorin's steps became lighter.
They all headed towards the armory.
"etc."
Thorin suddenly thought of a question.
"It seems we haven't discussed this with Levi yet."
A moment later, in front of the Valley City, Levi scratched his head when he saw several fully armed dwarves in front of him.
"cough."
Thorin took a step forward holding his helmet and said, "I heard that you were going to attack the orc town, so I came to ask if you needed any help."
"Where did you hear that?"
From your own mind.
But this cannot be said.
"Anyway... I just heard about it. After all, with such a big move, there will always be news coming out."
"All right."
Levi nodded in conviction.
“That’s not necessary.”
He refused, "They are just some goblins. I can handle them by myself, not to mention these excited soldiers."
"Those goblins in Orc Town can just bring them some growth."
Hearing this answer, the dwarves were obviously a little disappointed.
Thorin came over quietly and whispered, "Levi, of course I know everything you said, but I hope you haven't forgotten the winding cave, as well as the dangers of the suspension bridge and the secret door."
Hearing this, Levi also paused suddenly.
A head-on fight is easy of course. Considering the goblins' small size and shabby equipment, we can just rush over and crush them with a crushing blow.
But the cave terrain is equivalent to street fighting. If you are ambushed, there might be some losses.
"That makes sense. I'm going to blow up the cave and fill it up. They won't have anywhere to hide."
As soon as he said this, Thorin felt choked.
He sighed quietly and confessed, "Since the Reconquest of Erebor, matters have piled up. I have sat in these halls for so many years that my body is rusty now."
“…”
Levi stared at Thorin for a few seconds as he said these words without changing his expression, and finally said, "Well, maybe we do need some guides."
"When it comes to their familiarity with underground environments, dwarves can be considered experts."
In the final decision, the dwarves joined the crusade.
However, they did not send out troops directly, but only sent out some guides.
Uh, plus most of the royal family and their king.
They will witness this battle.
Boom…
In the spacious square, the soldiers turned around in unison and looked up at the direction where Levi was standing.
They are strictly disciplined and their fighting spirit is boiling in their piercing eyes.
As for morale - as long as the being they swore allegiance to has not fallen, it is close to infinite.
A gust of wind blew some sand and dust past, which then fell not far away, as if being pressed down by this fully armed army.
The scene seemed eerily quiet, and there was no movement for a long time.
The soldiers stood there motionless, looking at the black figure who was also standing motionless in front of the army formation.
After a moment, Bard couldn't help but secretly poked Levi's armor from behind and whispered, "It's your turn."
"What?" Levi turned his head slightly.
"Speak."
"ah?"
“…”
Bud was silent for a moment, took a breath, and said, "There are many people who responded to the call these days, more than expected, so much so that I had to persuade some people to go back."
"When the call was issued, whether it was the pastry chefs in River Valley, the fishermen, road repairmen, or boatmen in Long Lake Town, they all put down their work. Even the maids serving dishes in the hotel and the women who cooked at home came to ask if they could help."
"And all this is because of you. You carry the faith and will of the people."
"I don't mean to put pressure on you, but everyone is watching you, and everyone knows who you are thanks to for your current life."
"Don't worry, don't worry about messing up. No one will mind even if you just say a few words."
hiss--
Levi's expression became serious, and he began to carefully examine the faces below, some young and some mature.
Although Levi rarely moved around in these territories and was rarely seen all day, as someone said, he was more like an adventurer than a lord.
However, even though he could not be seen and seemed to be offline all the time, all the changes in the territory were inseparable from the abilities he shared - all the magical scenes that happened around them every day reminded the residents all the time that the lord was by their side.
He is not here, yet he is everywhere.
"My people."
Levi spoke the first sentence, with a barely perceptible tremor in his voice.
Facing tens of thousands of enemies, he can shout loudly and look down on everything.
But if the target is changed to one's own people, this attitude seems too soft.
A plain but loud enough voice sounded in the front:
"I know what you are thinking at this moment, and I can truly feel the burning fire and fighting spirit in your hearts."
"You are willing to obey my orders and follow me to defeat the enemy, no matter whether the enemy is strong or weak - because I have brought you a better life than before."
"But what I want to say is that all the prosperity here is not created by me alone. It is built by the joint hard work of everyone. All the wealth and beauty are created by you - by everyone in the territory with their own hands!"
"Now, for a better life, for a greater purpose and a longer peace..."
"Go ahead!"
It was a mediocre speech, lacking any poetry or literary talent worthy of praise, nor any passionate emotions or tone.
But that day, the valleys and mountains were shaken.
(End of this chapter)
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