Chapter 12 Section 9 The Final Controversy

The first day after the Great War greeted everyone with a beautiful, clear morning, even the wind seemed to have turned to the west.Legolas and Gimli rose early, and they asked the guards to enter the city, for they were anxious to see Merry and Pippin. "Glad to know they're still alive!" said Gimli. "Because these two fellas chased us all over the plains of Rohan, and it would be a pity if our efforts were in vain." The elves and dwarves walked side by side. When they entered Minas Tirith, the people who saw them were amazed.Legolas was handsome beyond ordinary people, and he sang the beautiful songs of the elves with a clear voice; but Gimli just walked beside him in silence, stroking his beard and looking at everything.

"The craftsmen here are really good," he said, looking at the wall, "but there are some shortcomings, and these streets should be better paved. When Aragorn inherits all, I will volunteer to provide the masons of the mountains, and we will make this place a place of pride for the inhabitants. "They need more gardens," said Legolas. "These houses are dead. There are so few living plants here. No wonder the hearts are so heavy. If Aragorn inherits here, the People of the Forest will send The tactful bird, and the tree that never dies.” Finally, they came to King Imrahil.Legolas looked at him for a moment, and bowed deeply, because he could see that the ruler in front of him was indeed of elven blood. "My lord!" said he, "rather the inhabitants of Dale have seldom left the woods of Lórien, but it may be found that not every Elf has left the shores of Amroth." "Such is the tale of my native land Yes," said Imrahir, "but we have not seen a race as beautiful as yours for many years. In the midst of this war, I am surprised to have the honor of meeting you. What can you do?"" I was one of the nine who left Imlatrire with Mithranda," said Legolas; "this dwarf is my friend and companion, and we came with Lord Aragorn. .But now we want to see our old friends Meriadoc and Peregrin, who are said to be over here." "They are in the hospital, please allow me to take the two of you there," said Imrahel.

"My lord, you only need to send for us to be led there," said Legolas, "for Aragorn has also asked us to send you this news--he does not wish to enter the city again at this time, but the armies A council must be called at once, and therefore he wishes you and Éomer of Rohan to go to his camp as soon as possible, for Mithranda has passed." "We will," said Imrahel, and the two sides agreed So farewell. "A fine ruler and general he is!" said Legolas. "If there are such men in Gondor at this sunset, it is not difficult to imagine its splendor in its heyday." "There is no doubt that the better-made buildings were built first," Kimli said. "Humans are like this: they encounter frost in spring, or drought in summer, so they have no way to develop their abilities." inherent potential.

"However, they are seldom extinct," said Legolas. "Their blood often dies in the ruins, waiting for next spring to spring up elsewhere, and the achievements of mankind will surpass ours, Gimli." "However, all this may be undone by the events of the world in the near future," replied the dwarf. "The elves do not know the answer to that question!" said Legolas. At this time, the prince's servant just came to lead the two to the hospital. They met their friends in the garden over there. It was a happy thing to reunite after a long absence.They walked and chatted, grasping this rare moment of peace and enjoying the beautiful scenery and breeze in the garden.When Merry felt a little tired, they all sat down on the city wall, with the green garden of the hospital behind them; and to their south was the great river Anduin sparkling in the sun. In Legolas' eyes, he could even Sights of Lambannin and South Ithilien.

The others were chatting and laughing, but Legolas fell silent, looking ahead against the light, watching the seabirds flying along the big river and approaching the inland. "Look!" he yelled, "it's seagulls! I didn't expect them to fly so far inland. It's a wonder, but it also makes me a little uneasy. I've never seen them in my life. Before we went to Pelag; there, as we were about to embark for battle, I heard their cry in the air. I stood there, completely oblivious to the war in Middle-earth, for their call spoke The sight of the sea. The sea! Alas! I haven't had a chance to look at it, but there is a yearning for the sea in every elf's heart, and it is irresistible when it is stirred. Ah! I hope I haven't seen those seagulls. , just lying under a tree and resting will not be enough for me.” Kim Li said: “Don’t think so! There are countless things in Middle-earth waiting for you to see with your own eyes, and there is still a lot of work to be done. If all Beautiful people go out to sea in their ships, but for those who remain in this world, the world is much more boring." "Not only boring, but dull!" said Merry, "Legolas, you Don't go to sea, there will always be big or small people in this world, even a wise dwarf like Gimli who needs you, at least I hope so. However, I have a feeling that the worst part of this war seems to be It hasn't come yet. I wish it would all be over quickly and with a happy ending!" "Don't be so gloomy!" cried Pippin, "the sun is shining brightly, and we can be together for a day or two at least, and I want to hear Listen to your stories. Come on, Gimli! You and Legolas have mentioned that journey with the Striker nearly a dozen times this morning, but you haven't said anything." "The sun may still be shining, Kim Li said, "But some of the experiences on the journey were dark memories that I don't want to talk about. If I knew what was going to happen in the future, I doubt that there would be any kind of friendship that would allow me to embark on the path of the dead." Pippin said, "The Way of the Dead? I have heard Aragorn say it, but I do not know what it is? Can you tell me more?" Feeling very ashamed. I, Gimli, always thought I was stronger than a man, and more durable underground than any elf, but this time I failed on both sides. Thanks to Aragorn's willpower, I was able to continue on that road "And that includes his friendship," said Legolas, "everyone who knew him respected and loved him in his own way, even the cold beauty of the Hussars. Merry, We left Den Harrow early the morning you came here, and the people there were too scared to see us go, with the exception of Eowyn, who is recuperating in the hospital. It was a sad parting I couldn't bear to see it." "Oh! I was only thinking of myself," said Gimli, "No! I don't want to talk about that journey anymore." He fell silent, but Pippin and Merry continued to argue. At last Legolas couldn't hold back the two of them, so he said, "I can appease your curiosity, because I don't feel afraid. Human undead are very powerless and fragile to me, and I have nothing to fear." !” Soon, he described theThe ghost-ridden road, and the dark meeting at Ireich, and the two hundred and seventy-nine miles of the deadly run after that, reached Pelag on the Anduin. "After leaving the black stone we rode for four days and nights without looking back, and we arrived at last on the fifth day," said he. , because in this darkness, the power of the undead army seems to be getting stronger and more terrifying. Some people are riding horses, some are running, but they all move at an astonishing high speed. They are very silent, but their eyes Flashing a terrible light, on the heights of Lamidon they overtook us and surrounded us, and would have left us and gone away had it not been for Aragorn's command." "He gave the order , They all retreated. "Even the souls of human beings obey his orders," I thought: "I'm afraid they will do a great job!" "We galloped day and night, did we meet In the early morning of dawn and in the darkness of night, we crossed the rivers Cyril and Ruilong, and on the third day we came to Linhe at the mouth of the Girel River. The pirates of Umbar and the men of Haradrin fought, but when we shouted the king of the dead, both the attackers and the defenders fled in all directions, and only Angber, the ruler of Lamedon, had the courage to meet us; Aragorn asked him Gather your forces, and if they dare, they will follow us.

"'The heir of Isildur will need your assistance in Pelag!' he said." "And so we crossed the Girill and pursued the allies of Mordor, and then we rested for a while. A short time later, however, Aragorn rose to his feet, and cried out, "Oops! Minas Tirith has been attacked, and I fear it will fall before we reach it." So we Immediately mount the horse, and urge the horse to gallop across the plain of Lambannin. Legolas paused, sighed softly, turned his eyes to the south, and sang softly: The silver light on the Sailuosi River and the Yirui River shines on the emerald green land of Nalan Banning!

The green grass is lush, the white lilies are swaying under the sea breeze, and the mallow and golden bells are swaying in the wind. On the emerald green land of Nalan Banning, under the sea breeze! "In the songs of my countrymen, the plain is so green; but when we see it, it is black, and it looks like a deserted land. On this wide plain, we have so mercilessly Trampling on flowers and plants, it took a full day and night before I finally came to the mouth of the big river." "At that time, I thought to myself: We are already close to the sea, because the water surface is endless in the dark, and countless seabirds are on the shore. Flying. Ah, the sound of seagulls! Didn't the Queen tell me to be careful? I really can't forget them now." "I just ignore them," Jinli said, "because then we have to face The hardest battle since our departure. Umbar's main fleet is all assembled in Pelag, about fifty large ships and countless small ships. Most of the enemies who fled before us have reached the port and put their fear and some of the ships were at anchor, and many of the small boats were ablaze when they tried to sail out of the river, or to the other side; Able to turn around and hold our ground. Desperate and ferocious foes are hard to deal with, and when they look at us they all laugh, for the odds are so great." "But Aragorn stopped, Shouted: "Come out! I call you in the name of the Black Stone!" The undead army that had stopped at the back of the line poured out like a tide, covering everything in front. I heard faint shouts, and low voices The sound of trumpets, and the voices of countless whispers, it is like war in the dark ages of old. They draw pale swords, but I don't know if those swords can still hurt; There is no need for any weapons other than fear, and no one can stand against them." "They drifted toward all the ships that came ashore, and then even the ships anchored outside the harbor became targets, and all the sailors lost their minds with fear. , jumped into the water, except for those slaves who were tied to the boats and rowed. We drove these enemies mercilessly all the way to the shore. Then Aragorn assigned a boarder to each remaining boat. The Danes, who appeased the captives who were left on board, beg them not to be afraid, for they are free." "Before dark, all the enemies who dared to resist us were wiped out, they were either drowned or Fleeing to the south on foot, hoping to return to his homeland. The devil must not have thought that his plan should be thwarted by the undead, representing fear and darkness, and he deserved it!" "It is ironic indeed," said Legolas, " Then I looked at Aragorn, and thought: What a great king he would be if he had taken the Ring for himself! But his nobility was beyond Sauron's comprehension, for he was Lu Sons of Xian! No matter how many years pass, her blood will not be corrupted." "The dwarves cannot see these things," said Gimli, "but Aragorn was so majestic that day. Just think about it! The whole fleet was under his command, and he chose the largest one as his flagship, and embarked without looking back. Then, withThe horn, blowing the trumpet that resounded through the sky, and the undead army returned to the shore.They stood there in silence, barely visible save for the reflection in their eyes of the burning ship.Facing the undead, Aragorn said in a spirited voice:

"'This is the order of Isildur's heir! Your promises have been fulfilled. Go back and do no more trouble! Rest in peace! ’” “The king of the dead broke the spear right in front of us, and threw it to the ground. Then he bowed deeply, turned and left. Soon, all the undead disappeared without a trace, as if I just came from a It was like waking up from a dream." "That night, while the others were working hard, we seized the opportunity to rest. The captives on board were set free, many of them formerly captured Gondorians; Iser and Lambenin began to gather here, and Ungerber of Lamiton gathered all his cavalry. After the fear of the undead subsided, they were finally able to come to our aid and see Isildur's Heir, for this rumor spreads like wildfire in the dark." "Our story is coming to an end. Many ships were ready to sail that evening, and the fleet set sail early the next morning. Although this It was only the day before yesterday, but it seems to me to be years ago, and it was only the sixth day since we left Den Harrow. Still, Aragorn feared whether we should be too late." "'From Pelag is a hundred and twenty-six miles from Harond,' he said, "but we must reach Harond tomorrow, or all our efforts will be lost!" "Now the oars are steered by free men , they paddled as hard as they could, but as we were up against the current, we were still slow. Although the river on the south side was not very fast, we had no wind from the sea, even though we had just won a , but if Legolas had not suddenly burst out laughing, I might have been in a very bad mood." "'Son of Turin, raise up your beard!' said he: 'You never heard : When everything is hopeless, hope often arises from it.' But what hope he saw from afar, I don't know. When the night falls, we can only see the darkness getting deeper and deeper, but our blood is boiling , for we could see a red light under the clouds far to the north, and Aragorn said: 'Minas Tirith is in flames...'" The rich sailors looked to the south and told us there was a sea breeze blowing. All the great ships sailed to the wind before daybreak, and the dawn was just on the foam breaking the waves in our bows. Next, as you know, We came three hours after sunrise, with the sea breeze and the sun, and we unfurled our banners on the battlefield. Whatever the future holds, this is a glorious moment, a day that will never be forgotten!" "What we have done Is indelible," Legolas said, "to be able to pass through the way of the dead is a pioneering work, even if Gondor is destroyed in the future, no one can praise our deeds, it will not be tarnished by it." "Maybe." It's a prophecy," said Gimli, "for Aragorn and Gandalf are still frowning. I don't know what they're discussing in the tent down there. For me, like Merry, I hope this One victory can end a war.

However, no matter what tasks there are in the future, I don't want to be absent. I must participate in all these on behalf of the people in the mountains. "I am to represent the people of the forest," said Legolas, "and to fight in the love and respect of the King of the Holy White Tree." Silence fell, and they sat on the wall, each thinking of his situation, At the same time, the generals of the various armies fell into fierce debate. When Imrahel had bid farewell to Legolas and Gimli, he sent for Éomer, and went out with him to the camp not far from where Theoden fell.They held a decisive council with Gandalf, Aragorn, and the sons of Elrond.

"My lords," said Gandalf, "listen to what the Steward of Gondor said before he died: It is useless. You may win for a while, gain a few inches of land, and live a few days. But fight this rising Power? We have no chance of winning. I don't want you to give up hope like him, but please think carefully about the authenticity of it. Control it so far. Perhaps he could have chosen what the weaker minds saw, or made them misunderstand what they saw; but Denethor must have seen the army of Mordor, and knew there were more More troops are gathering, at least the part he saw is real." "Our strength is only just enough to repel the first wave of attacks, the second wave will be more terrible. This war will then be as dire Nether thinks the same, we are sure to lose. This victory cannot be taken by force. You can withstand the never-ending attack here, or be wiped out after sending troops to the river. The choice before you Very limited, prudent people will definitely suggest that you strengthen your defenses, stick here, and wait for the opponent to attack, so that you can at least last longer." "So, you mean to let us withdraw to Minas Tirith, or Is it Dol Amroth, or Den Harrow, like a child hiding in a sandcastle, waiting for the big wave to come in?" said Inrasil.

"It's not surprising, is it?" said Gandalf. "Didn't you always do it under Denethor? But, you're wrong! I say it's prudent, but I don't. I advise you to proceed with caution. I say that victory cannot be taken by force. I still expect victory, but I don't think force can be relied on. For in all these strategies and schemes, we must also consider the Lord of the Rings, Barad-dah The root of the fortress is also Sauron's hope of victory." "My lords, you already know such information in great detail, enough to understand the predicament we are in and the situation Sauron is facing. If he regains Lord of the Rings, all your victories will come to naught. He will take the world with a snap of his fingers. He will control everything so fast that no one can guess what the future will be. If the Lord of the Rings is destroyed, he will fail. , this failure will be so complete that he will never be able to get back up again. Because, the most powerful and essence of power he has had since his birth will be lost, and everything created and started with that power will collapse , he will never be able to be reborn forever, become a wraith who can only blame himself in the dark, can never turn over, and the great evil in this world will disappear..." "There will be other evils, Sauron is just a servant and Pioneers, however, we cannot control the future direction of the entire world, and we are very fortunate to be able to influence the historical events we encounter. We must focus on eradicating the darkness in front of us, so that future generations can live on a cleaner land.” "Sauron understands all of this, and knows that this thing that he regards as a treasure has reappeared, but he still doesn't know where it is, at least we hope so, so he must feel suspicious at this time, because if we find it some of us have power enough to use it, and he knows it. Aragorn, if I guess right, you have appeared before him with the Orthank hedron "I did it before I left the Horn," replied Aragorn. "I thought the time was right, and the hedron came to me to make my chance. The Ring-bearer had left It's been ten days since the Falls of Ralos, and I think the Eye of Sauron must be drawn from his own kingdom. Since his return to Mordor, there has been hardly any power to challenge him, though, if I had known in advance that he would be so soon If he attacks, he may not dare to let him know of my existence, and I will almost be late to come to the rescue." "But what will be done?" asked Éomer, "you say, if he got the ring , our efforts will be in vain; and if we have the Ring, why does he risk his efforts in vain against us?" "He is not yet sure," said Gandalf, "he can be the one everyone fears." The evil power is not because he will wait for the enemy to recuperate, which is completely different from our previous attitude, and it is impossible for us to fully understand how to control its power in just a few days. It can only have one master , cannot be held by many at the same time. Sauron will choose when we have a dispute among ourselves, at someMan strikes before he tramples all men underfoot, and if he surprises enough, the Ring may turn out to be his helper. "He was watching, and he could see much and hear much, and not all of his Nazgul disappeared, they flew over this field before sunrise, but the weary and wounded men did not notice them. He studied all Signs: the holy sword that took his treasure back then has been recast, the wind of destiny has turned to us, his first wave of offensive unexpectedly failed, and his general died here." "When we When meeting here, he will be more and more uneasy, and his magic eye will always be on us, ignoring all other things. We must keep this situation, this is our only hope. Therefore, my advice It's like this: The Ring is not in our hands. Under the guidance of a wise man or a stupid decision, the Lord of the Rings was sent away to prevent it from destroying us. Without it we cannot destroy the enemy by force, but we must, at all costs, divert his attention from the real danger.We cannot win by force, but by force we can give the Ring-bearer the last hope, however small it may be. "As Aragorn said before, we must go on, we must drive out the best of Sauron; we must draw out his ambushes, so that there will be gaps in his stronghold. We must strike at once to meet his forces. Army, we must make ourselves the bait, and let his bloody maw devour us. With his greed for the ring and thirst for victory, he will take the bait, because he will think that such a hasty act is The new ring-bearer, too proud of himself. He will say: "Humph!He's too eager to stick his neck out, let him come, I'll let him fall into the trap of doom, I'll crush him, let his triumphant booty fall into my hands again! ’” “We must walk into the trap with our eyes open, we must muster courage, but we must also secretly hope. My lords, we are likely to die in a dead land with no other life; Overturned, we will not live to see the replacement of generations. Even so, I think this is our responsibility, and even this sacrifice is much better than meaningless sitting and dying. If we are stuck here, it will only happen sooner or later , but if we are willing to sacrifice, at least we know that our lives have brought about the birth of a new era." There was a moment of silence, and finally Aragorn spoke up: "Since I started it, I must continue, we have come to At this crossroads, there is only a thin line between hope and despair. As long as there is a slight wavering, there is no doubt that you will lose. I hope everyone will not oppose this proposal of Gandalf. His years of fighting with Sauron are finally coming to an end. If it is not for him, We may have been defeated one by one long ago. Now, I don't think I have the qualifications to command anyone, and you should choose your own destiny." Iroho said: "We came from the north just for this day, my father Elrond thinks the same. We shall not turn back." "As for me," said Éomer, "I do not know, nor need to know, this complicated intrigue. I know only one thing, my friend Aragorn. saved me and my people, and when he is in need, I will help, and I will go!" "And I," said Imrahel, "Lord Aragorn is my King, whether he accepts it or not. It’s all the same, his idea is my order, and I will go. However, I must take the position of Prime Minister of Gondor temporarily, and I must first consider its people first. Some things, I still have to be cautious. We Must be prepared to face all odds, good and bad. We may win in the end, and as long as there is any hope, we must protect the people of Gondor. If we return victorious, I would hate to see A ruined and ravaged homeland. And the intelligence of the hussars shows that there is still a constant threat to us on the northern frontier." "Indeed," said Gandalf, "I do not propose to leave the city defenseless. In fact , our troops on the Eastern Expedition don’t need to be large enough to attack Mordor, as long as they are too large to be ignored by the devil king, and the speed of the troops’ movement must be fast enough. Let me ask the generals, we have a maximum of two days How many troops can be mobilized in time? These must be seasoned warriors who know the danger and are willing to go.” “Our men are tired, many are wounded, and some are badly wounded,” said Éomer. “We My own horses also suffered heavy casualties, which is the most worrying thing. If we have to leave quickly, then I think we can only send 2,000 cavalry at most, and leave another 2,000 people to defend the royal city." "In addition to the strength in front of us, Aragorn said: "As the threat to the coast has been lifted, there are also many fresh troops on the south coast. Two days ago I sent four thousand horses from Pelag to Losanach, fearless Angri Bo lead them. If we start in two days, theyShould be able to arrive before we leave.Not only that, but I ordered others to come along the river with all the ships I could find to support them, and with the winds like this, they should be there in two days; in fact, several ships have reached Halong today. Germany.I judge that we shall then be able to lead 7,000 infantry and cavalry, and at the same time leave more troops in the city than before the attack and defense began. "The gate is destroyed," said Imrahel, "how can we have the skill to restore it completely?" Ragon said, "If we are not defeated, perhaps I can send Gimli to ask the stonemasons in the mountains to come to help. However, warriors are far better than thick doors. If people flee from their posts, no thick doors can stop the devil king. This was the result of the meeting of the leaders of the armies: if possible, they should set out with seven thousand troops the morning after tomorrow.Since this army will enter the barren land of Mordor in the future, most of the warriors should walk.Aragorn must muster two thousand warriors from the south, Imrahil must send three thousand and five hundred, and Éomer must choose five hundred warriors of Rohan skilled on foot, and another five hundred The most elite hussars.and besides these were five hundred cavalry of knights of Amros and men of Dundan, led by two of Elrond's sons.This adds up to a total of 7,000 soldiers and horses-6,000 infantry and 1,000 cavalry.The main force of Rohan's cavalry, about 3,000 troops, must be led by Elheim to ambush Anorian's enemies along the West Road; the city also sent fast horses to the north and east to collect intelligence, Find out what's going on in Osgiliath and Minas Morgul. When they had arranged all the distribution of troops and were about to study the route of advance, Imlahir suddenly laughed out loud. "That's true," he cried, "this must be the biggest joke in the history of Gondor: we command a mere seven thousand horses, and that's only the number of the vanguard of an army in Gondor's heyday. And we want to Attack the impregnable devil's base! It's like a child holding a wooden knife and gun, threatening a knight in full armor! Misranda, if the devil knew the same as you, he would probably laugh it off and crush us who want to die with his little finger. the bee that stings him." "No, he will try to trap the bee and pluck its sting," said Gandalf. "There are men among us whose name alone is worth a thousand armies. No. I don't think he can laugh!" "Neither should we," said Aragorn; "if it were a joke, it would have cost too much. Nay, it is the last gamble in the game, for any On the one hand, it’s the key to winning or losing.” Then, he pulled out the holy sword of Anduril, making it reflect bright light in the sun, “You will accompany me through the last battle until the end of the war.” all of these!"