Dragonborn from Lord of the Rings

Chapter 88 The Return of the Shadow

Almost at the same time.

In the far south of Gondor, that is, south of the Gulf of Belfalas, further south of the mouth of the Harnen, which rises from the southern foothills of the Ephelduas, the barrier of Mordor, it first flowed from It flows from northeast to southwest, turns from east to west in the middle reaches, and finally flows into the Beleger Sea.

On the north bank of the Harnon is the land of South Gondor.

To the south are Near Harad, Far Harad and Umbar!

Yes, the pirate city of Umbar sits on a sprawling fjord just south of the mouth of the Harnen River.

Here, the north and south sides are surrounded by land, and there is only a narrow exit on the west side, so it can well block the wind and waves, and it is a natural good harbor.

Exelian's army has been besieging this coastal city that has changed hands several times in history for six months, but the Gondors still haven't made these former kin and their skin darker, and they like to wear gold and silver on their faces. The brown-eyed, black-haired Harad succumbs.

Under the leadership of Angamait II, the No.1259 descendant of the "usurper" Castamir (Castamir, third era 1447-17), known as the Pirate King, they stubbornly resisted Attacks from distant kin in the north.

Castamir the Usurper is the grandson of Kalimehta, the youngest son of Karmazir, the No. 18 king of Gondor.Therefore, although he is not a direct heir to the throne, he is also a member of the royal family, and Castamir, as the admiral of the fleet, commands the navy of Gondor.

This provides a guarantee of strength for the subsequent historical process.

In 1432 of the third era, when the No.20 generation king Eldaka succeeded to the throne, a civil war broke out in Gondor: because the mother of Eldaka, Vidumaviben, was the princess of the Kingdom of Rovanian, not Nu. Mennore.At that time, the nobles of Gondor and most of the lords of the southern provinces were very dissatisfied with the fact that the heir of the kingdom married a short-lived northern human, thinking that this would dilute the blood of the Dunedain.

Therefore, as soon as Elda Cap came to the throne, the nobles of the major southern provinces and some of Minas Tirith broke out in rebellion-known in history as 'kin feud'.

This 15-year civil war had a profound impact on Gondor.

A large number of elites died in the civil war, the population dropped sharply, and the national power was almost halved.

In fact, kin strife is considered the first of three catastrophes (the other two being the Great Plague and the Charioteer invasion) that brought down Gondor, and its losses lasted until the historical period of the Lord of the Rings. Not fully recovered.

It was during this period that Castamir gained the support of the people along the coast, especially the ports of Umbar and Perakir in the south. He led an army to besiege Osgilias and forced King Eldacar He fled and ascended the throne as the No.20 second-generation king himself.

Although later Eldacar overthrew Castamir, who was brutal by nature, with the strength of the Rovanian Kingdom and some northern province lords, and killed the famous "usurper" in the battle of the Ejouy River Ferry ", restored the kingship of Gondor.

However, this civil war has still caused heavy losses and damage to Gondor that cannot be recovered.

And after the "clan feud", Gondor lost control of the port of Umbar for a long time.The descendants of Castamir proclaimed themselves kings at Umbar, and made the harbor a refuge for all enemies of the king, and they attacked the ships of Gondor and the coastlands at every opportunity.

Although most of these former compatriots have fallen due to the large number of intermarriages with the Haradians, the royal bloodline still retains sufficient purity.

They intermarried with the loyal black Númenoreans and married a small group of nobles from Harad, so as to firmly control the power of Umbar, a prosperous pirate city.

In history, countless wars broke out between Gondor and Umbar, each winning and losing.Several Lords of Gondor even once occupied this pirate city.

But in the end, the descendants of Castamir will always come back from the ashes, and once again bring disaster to the south of Gondor, almost becoming the confidants of successive kings and prime ministers!
Now, Exelion decided to put an end to it all.

The army of the Gondorians surrounded the city of pirates from both sea and land directions.House of the Chancellor, Prince of Dol Amroth, Barony of Lotharnach, Ringaro Valley, Merthond Heights, Amfalas, which is the distant Long Beach, Lamedon, Ethil, "Green Hills" Pin The flags of the lords of the southern provinces such as Naskelin fluttered under the sea breeze.

The soldiers were fighting with high spirits, and there were many spears.

In the direction of the port, the white sails covered the sky, and the (stone) guns roared.

It can be said that this is the most prosperous period of Gondor after the 'clash of kin'.

in particular.

Under the leadership of Baron Berigand, the lord of Pelakir Harbor of this generation, the Gondors defeated the pirate coalition forces in the Umbar Strait, successfully laying the foundation for victory in the siege of Umbar.

The pirates who had lost a large number of ships did not dare to leave the port again, and together with the army led by Exelian, who went south by land, finally, after nearly two centuries, the banner of Gondor approached this magnificent city again. pirate city.

"I come, I see, I conquer!"

Ten years have passed, and the prime minister's son has become more majestic and resolute.He grew a beard and his eyes were always piercing.

On her finger was a large turquoise ring.

The sword never leaves the body.

Almost everyone who met Exelian said that he would be the most dignified prime minister in the history of Gondor.

In fact, Exthelion's prestige was almost at its peak when he took part in the First War of Light and then recaptured Minas Ithil and the vast South Ithilien region.

People behind the seven-story city wall followed him, and all the generals of Gondor were willing to obey his orders. Almost everyone believed that he was the next prime minister!
Every time Exelion appeared, the people of the Holy White City would cheer loudly, extend their hands, and bless him.

Wherever he went, all he heard were praises and praises.

Beautiful women were obsessed with him, and heroic men scrambled for his allegiance.

He is the hero of Gondor.

The people all love him.

But only Exelion knew that what he wanted was far more than that.

"If I can conquer the enemies that my ancestors conquered, perhaps I can ascend to that seat instead of submitting to it." - The Steward's Stone Seat is located under the steps of the King of Gondor's throne, which is uncomfortable and uncomfortable Exelion, who had seen the Iron Throne of Mordor, was very dissatisfied.

The ambitious son of the chancellor began to look to the throne above the steps, to the enemy to the south.

Exelion hopes to establish more and greater honors, and then become king!Be the true Lord of Gondor, not just another Regent.

This is the influence of Sauron with the help of the Ring of Power, and at the same time, it is also the power desire of human beings who are at work—ah, yes, many people must know now that Exelian found it on the top of the evil black tower many years ago. The ring is the second of the nine commandments of mankind.

Not only has it been affecting Exelian, making him greedy and powerful.Sauron also learned many secrets of the human kingdom through it, which provided great convenience for his future evil plans.

But now, many people don't know.

Including Gandalf.

After regaining many territories in Gondor occupied by orcs, Exel began to call on people to go south to conquer the enemy who had been fighting with Gondor for thousands of years.

This should not be the right of his son, but Exelion did just that.

And it got the approval of most people.

Exelion loudly proclaimed among the crowd: "Now that the Phantom of the East is gone, it is time for us to regain the homeland of our ancestors and let the glory of Gondor spread across the south again."

"Those who are willing to follow, please mount your steeds, pick up your swords and guns, and spread my order to the south, because I will cross the sea in Pelakir and conquer the former feud!"

The bloody cry moved the people, and the thirst for glory made the soldiers boil!All shouted: "Exelion! Conqueror of Barad-dur! Liberator of Minas Ithil! Savior of Gondor!"

In the crowd, Exelian pursed his lips, looking majestic!The cheers of the people can be heard even in the royal court above the seven-story city.

The increasingly aged Turgon II stood on the edge of the fountain square, listening carefully to the cheers of the people in the lower city.

After a long time, there was a trace of relief in the prime minister's old eyes.

He did not stop the prince's act of trespassing, but when most of the generals in the city gathered in the royal court and begged him to send troops, he said lightly: "If the young male lion wants to conquer more territories, why should the old lion stop it?" Woolen cloth?"

Thus, the generals of Gondor knew that the old prime minister had actually acquiesced to Exelion's actions.

Soon, an army composed of most of the southern lords gathered at the port of Pelakir.

On a sunny morning, they set off from the port and headed south.And in the battle of the Umbar Strait, he defeated the pirate fleet led by the pirate king Angamati II.

This battle greatly boosted the morale of Gondor.

During that period of time, the people of Minas Tirith received good news from the front almost every day, and slaves and defeated soldiers were continuously sent back.

Greatly enriched the population of the Holy White City.

This made Gondor more confident about this war, thinking that another Umbar conqueror would be born.

The men are happily talking about the war ahead, and the women are delighted that the labor force at home has been improved.Both adults and children had smiles on their faces.

Until the army has been trapped under the port of Umbar for six months, it has never captured the fortified pirate city.And, after the first excitement, in the port of Pelakir, in Minas Tirith, some plague began to break out and spread;
People died inexplicably, without a single sign!

Men, women, old people, and children cannot escape.

Then, the feeling of anxiety appeared.

The people began to feel that the expedition to the South was not such a good idea, and war weariness began to spread among the people.

Turgon II could only order the blockade of the royal city to prevent outsiders from entering the holy white city again, so as to alleviate the unrest in the city.But in the end it proved to be of no avail.

The prime minister ordered the expeditionary army to return to the court, but the envoy was detained by Exelian.

No one knows what was going on in the mind of the prime minister's son, who was trapped under the port of Umbar for six months.All I know is that when he summoned all the generals, he issued such an order: the whole army will launch a general attack regardless of sacrifice!I want to enjoy victory in the Pirate King's palace before tomorrow's sunset!

The generals didn't know what happened.

But I don't think it's a good idea.Someone advised Exelian: "Your Highness, this will cost us at least half of our warriors, please don't do it!"

But he was beheaded by Exelian's sword.

"This is the fate of disobeying my order!" In the big tent, Exelian's eyes were cold and wild, like a wild beast: "This is war, no one can retreat! If all soldiers need to die in exchange for this victory , then do this! If all the soldiers are dead and you need to fill in, then do this! I said: Siege! I will not repeat it a second time!"

The tyrannical side of Exelion made the generals hardly believe it, but the sword in his hand is bleeding the blood of a loyal person at this moment, which is frightening to see.

Therefore, all the southern lords present were submissive and expressed tremblingly that they would cooperate with the order of the prime minister's son and attack the city with all their strength.

Only then did Exelion laugh, and put away his sword.

Adrasil of Dol Amroth witnessed all this, and he lowered his head worriedly, not daring to look at the increasingly tyrannical prince.

At this moment, an unexpected figure appeared outside the camp of the army.

He called himself Aulendil, a wandering Númenor nobleman, who came to see the commander of Gondor.

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(End of this chapter)