Chapter 28 Chapter 24 Playing hard to get

Regis crumpled up a stack of papers—all scouting information—and tossed them aside.On the cliff, Banneker's troops are still standing firm.But how can you keep it?In other words, why keep it there?Orcs and giants—not even trolls! — Enemies beyond count have approached the east gate of Mithril Hall.The shallows of the Surbrin River are full of enemy fortifications, and giants on the cliffs are assembling huge siege machines.The trolls are still marching through the southern tunnels, and the orcs are returning to the northern battlefield.If the enemy's forces were to rally across from Banneker, there could be no doubt that the battle-hardened dwarf would have to lead his forces back to Mithril Hall from the cliffs of Guardian's Gulch.

What puzzled Regis the most was: Why didn't the orcs do anything? The halfling looked at Catti-brie, who was sitting across from her.He was about to say something, but Catti-brie's expression caught him and made him stop first.Catti-brie looked pretty relaxed, at least physically.She leaned comfortably in an armchair, crossed her legs, and caressed her lips and chin absently with one finger.She had an exhausted expression on her face, but there was an incomparable determination in it. Regis studied her carefully, noticing some scars on her hand, where her outstretched fingers had been ground to tenderness where she had pulled the bowstring.He noticed that her hair was covered with blood clots, the clotted blood was very obvious in her hair.More importantly, he noticed that in addition to the unchanging firmness in her blue eyes, there was a hint of gloom.Clearly, it was a result of disappointment at seeing their constant efforts come to nothing.

"They're fortifying the west bank of the Surbrin," the halfling told her, and Catti-brie turned her head slowly. "On every ford." "Prevent the elves of Moon Forest and Alustriel of Silvermoon City from coming to reinforce them," Catti-brie said, "and Fort Fairbar." "Felbar's reinforcements will come through the tunnel," Regis corrected. "Ah, but it would be better if they attacked from the surface, so they could take the pressure off the Warhammers. It wouldn't work very well if we attacked from the same place." "It's up to the humans," Regis said, "and Alustriel and Silvermoon, and Sandbar, if they can send reinforcements. We need them."

He heard a hint of bitterness in his own words, if the reinforcements really wanted to cross the Surbring River, they would definitely pay a heavy price. "The orcs know the importance of the Surbring River, and they will stop the reinforcements in the shallows." Catti-brie said, seeming to read the halfling's mind. "Some advisers suggest that we reopen the east passage and attack the defenders of the Surbring River from behind. We can send a few hundred dwarves to attack, and their effect will be far greater than ten thousand people crossing the river from the front."

Catti-brie's expression instantly became full of doubts. "We have to coordinate with the reinforcements, of course." The halfling explained. "Otherwise those beasts will quickly drive us back and quickly reorganize the defense line." Catti-brie started shaking her head. "You disagree?" "Now there are more than a thousand people on the cliff with Banneker, and there are more than a thousand people digging fortifications on the west side of Guardian Canyon." She explained. "We heard that the trolls were attacking from the tunnels to the south, so you sent the dwarves to the south to support Nesmer."

"We cannot summon five hundred dwarves at once," Regis replied. "Even if we could..." Catti-brie's voice began to hesitate, and she continued to shake her head. "What do you know?" "There seems to be something wrong..." Catti-brie hesitated to speak, and sighed softly. "They could have trapped us, but why not?" Regis heard this sentence clearly, and thought about it carefully in his mind.This is an obvious fact, but it is often easily overlooked by ordinary people.Indeed, the orcs could have driven Banneker and the others back from the cliff to Mithril Hall; the enemies were too numerous and powerful.But the dwarves still held on on the cliff, and some went to the west, and now they are considering sending a third army to raid the east gate.

"We fell for it," Regis heard himself say, and he couldn't even believe that it was coming out of his own mouth.He walked straight to his seat, his eyes widening at the horrifying realization. "They forced us to divide our forces so that we could be defeated individually." "The nearly thousand orcs and goblins who died on the northern slopes probably wouldn't agree with you," Catti-brie said. "Banneker was literally killing there." Regis shook his head. "They can afford to lose more than that," he explained. "Even if we kill a thousand or two, or even ten thousand orcs, the orcs will soon be replenished. Our reinforcements are much more difficult. Fighting us on the surface is also a decoy, luring our allies to come Support us."

Regis' thoughts gradually became clear.Orcs are playing a big game of chess.After blocking the east gate of Mithril Hall, the army turned north, preparing to confront Banneker and drive him back into the cave.In the meantime, Silvermoon City and Thunderbar might lend a helping hand, but whether they did or not, the orcs and giants had the upper hand.Regis ran his stubby fingers through his brown curls and slumped on the seat. "The orcs are trying to hold us down there," he said. "Do you think we'll fall into a trap?" Regis considered Catti-brie's words and looked at her in bewilderment.

"We can't ignore the role of Banneker," he said. "There is news that the asylum seekers are fleeing to the west and north of the battlefield." He paused, glanced at the parchment in his hand, and searched for the relevant content in the report. "If we don't hold our ground, all survivors there will lose hope, and the orcs will take them easy." "Including Drizzt," Catti-brie added, as Regis faltered about to say something. "Be safe," Catti-brie reassured him. "It's not your decision alone. Once the giants set up their ballistas, Banneker said, he won't last ten days—we can't stop them this time. If those ballistas are in use, he can only Retreat, or the whole army will be wiped out."

"If he withdraws from the Valley of the Guardians, all of us will have no choice but to retreat to the interior of Mithril Hall." "If they come up from behind, we'll cut off the pursuers," Catti-brie said seriously. For Regis, the prospects seemed rather dire, of course, everyone understood - the initiative in this battle was with the enemy from the beginning to the end. Catti-brie rose from her chair. "I'm going back to Banneker's," she said. She lifted Tamari from the side of the chair, slung it over her shoulder, and left with firm steps.But Regis could clearly see that behind that firmness was fatigue and anger that couldn't be concealed.

Before Catti-brie could leave the room, there was a knock on the door, and then two messengers from Mirabar walked in.The dwarf's arms were full of blueprints. "What's the matter?" Catti-brie asked, looking at Regis. Regis held out a hand, motioning her to be silent. "Your conjecture was confirmed?" the halfling asked the dwarf. "Of course," Nan Foldo said, "we are quite lucky. The tunnels are all ready-made underground just north of the Guardian Canyon, and we don't need to dig any more." "What's the kid talking about?" Catti-brie muttered. Nanfudo saluted, and Santilla was even more sullen. "With the help of Pike Stoneshoulders, we were able to make tubes in a short amount of time," Nanfred explained. "If you get enough people together, it might be done in a day or two." "Pipe?" Catti-brie asked.She looked at Nanfodo and Santilla, who just shrugged, and turned her eyes to Regis. "What do you think?" Regis asked the Archon. "I know Nanfudo is very excited about this project." Santilla replied, which was obvious because the dwarf was bouncing around. "We can do it, Lord Regent Regis," Nanfred said, "as soon as you speak, I will call the craftsmen. Twenty people are enough, plus Pike, Ivan and me. Nothing beats this plan More perfect! Ha! Haha!" "Regis?" Catti-brie asked eagerly. The halfling covered his eyes with one hand and sighed deeply.The dwarf managed to find the gas, which surprised him, but it wasn't a surprise.Despite Nan Foldo's excitement, this new situation caused Regis more trouble.In truth, he had already ordered the blacksmiths to produce the "pipes" the gnomes needed, but the plan was fraught with risks.In order to realize the plans of the dwarves, the halfling regent must order the dwarves into dangerous battles and take more risks, especially Banneker and his troops on the northern cliffs. What will happen if Nanfudo's plan is successfully implemented? Regis shuddered for a moment, and he turned to Catti-brie. "Can we take back the tunnel under the ridge?" "The ones under the giant formation?" "yes." Catti-brie looked at the dwarf curiously, thinking about this question carefully. She didn't know if there were orcs guarding the tunnel under the giant's position.That labyrinth of tunnels doesn't seem to be very strategically important. "I'll try as much as I can," she replied. Nanfudo cheered and waved his small fists. "It could be a bad fight," she added, trying to hold the dwarf back a bit. Regis looked at Nanfudo and Santilla, fixed his eyes on Santilla's face, and silently asked if she could help him, and whether he should trust the dwarf's fanatical plan.The consul read the hint in his eyes and nodded slightly. "How long can you last with the giant's ballista assembled?" Regis asked Catti-brie again. "Less than ten days." She replied, "I'm afraid there will be problems in three days." "Go to Banneker and ask him to send someone to the tunnel to retrieve it. It must be successful within three days." The regent ordered. "Nanfudo will go up this afternoon and tell you the details." "Ivan Stoneshoulders will tell you what to do," the dwarf added. "Do you think you've told me the whole plan?" Catti-brie asked. Regis looked at the two of them again and shrugged slightly. "I'm afraid so," he admitted. "You won't believe it. If you understand, you will definitely drag me down from here." All eyes are on Nan Fudo, who is the chief architect of this plan. "We can do it," the dwarf assured everyone. After hearing Banneker's call to recapture the tunnel, Trede McNucles rushed over, just in time to meet Togg Hammerbeater and Ivan Stoneshoulders who had just arrived.The two dwarves were so distracted that they barely noticed Tred approaching.Their attention was focused on a small box in Togg's hand, with a shiny mirror on one side and smooth wood on the other sides. "Okay." The dwarves of Castle Fellbar greeted them. "Fine." Ivan replied. Togg nodded, smiled, and continued to focus on the box. "Are you going to lead someone to retake the tunnels?" Trod asked Togg. "I'll go too, okay?" "Of course." Togg replied. "My boys and I are going to take the tunnel back from the orcs tomorrow morning, and you're welcome to join us." "Why do you want to go?" asked Qued. "I don't really see any advantage in running to the feet of those giants." Togg and Ivan looked at each other, and Togg held up the box. "That's the answer," he replied. Tred leaned forward, but Togg drew his hand back. "Be careful," said the dwarf. "It's full of my explosive oil," Ivan explained, reaching out to pat the pouch that held the crossbow. "There is also a little invention of the dwarf, a potion that burns when it touches the air." Tred drew his face away from the box. "We're going with the bomb?" "Well, first we drive the orcs out with axes and hammers," said Togg, "and then we drop the bombs." Tred looked curiously at the two dwarves, who shrugged in response. "It doesn't matter what we say," Togg said. "Banneker wants to get the passage back, and we're going to get it back. It is said that the dwarf needs to perform magic. " "That's not bad," Ivan said, "At least we can kill a few orcs," "It's not bad." Togg agreed.Qued also nodded. "More than eleven hundred feet!" Voko Braunenwell called to Nanfedo, who was showing him the drawings. "One thousand one hundred and thirty feet," Nan Fold corrected. "Don't think about doing anything else for ten days! You foolish dwarf." "Ten days?" asked the dwarf. "No, no, tomorrow - all. My helpers will connect them piece by piece." Vorku really wanted to scold the dwarf in front of him, and those cursing words had already come to his lips, but he forcefully held them back. "One section is seven feet long," he said. "One hundred and fifty sections!" "One hundred and sixty-two paragraphs." The dwarf corrected, "It's enough to make half of one more." "we can not do that!" "You have to do it," retorted the dwarf. "If this was an order from a merchant, you would have been working in full swing." "The merchant will give you the money," Vorku said dryly. "Me too." Nanfudo insisted. "What will you pay for? Little man." "Twenty giants." Nan Fudo replied with a smile.He noticed that many blacksmiths were staring at him. "Twenty giants, I say, and the victory of Banneker Braunenwell and Mithril Hall. I promise nothing less, my dear Lord Braunenwell. " "We make weapons for them too," argued the blacksmith. "It's a weapon, too," Nanfodo assured him, "as great as any you've ever made. One hundred and sixty-two paragraphs, you can do it!" Voqua looked at the other blacksmiths. "It takes a lot of metal," said one blacksmith. "Half of our inventory has to be posted," said another. "More than half," said the third. "You can do it," Nanfreddo said to Vorqua again, "you must. Time is running out for Banneker and his troops. Would you like to see them defeated on the precipice?" As soon as the dwarf finished speaking, the atmosphere suddenly became tense.Vorku's chest puffed out, his jaw tightened, his big mouth pursed in anger. For a moment, the dwarf thought the dwarf was going to punch him, but the dwarf didn't flinch, and even added a word. "This is Banneker's only chance. If you don't work hard, he and his troops will be in disaster." Vorku maintained that posture, but did not take a step closer to the dwarf. Gradually, the dwarf's anger seemed to turn into determination, and he looked at the other blacksmiths. "Okay, everyone listen to him. Let's do it now." Warku said, turning his face to Nanfudo. "You'll get one hundred and sixty-two lengths of pipe, with a few extra in case you make a mistake in your calculations." The blacksmiths rushed towards their furnace like a whirlwind.Nanfudo returned to the table and began to organize the scattered charts, but he stopped quickly and covered his eyes with his hands.He could hardly believe what he was doing, the dwarves trusted him so much in this adventure. He hoped that he would not disappoint their trust. He knew that he was challenging the bottom line of ordinary people's thinking. Even though he had spoken out loud in front of Regis, Santila, Voku Braunenwell, and the others, even he himself admitted that the words were far more exaggerated than he had imagined. Nanfred only hoped that he would not destroy Mithril Hall.