Quote:
Originally Posted by Andsigil
I wouldn't have sent just a few score orcs to recover the Ring. Saruman had (at least) 10,000 at his disposal, and should have sent a thousand- with a sizable unit of warg-riders to expedite the Ring's transport to Isengard.
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At the time, Saruman's forces were heavily involved in fighting the Rohirrim at the Fords of Isen, and he wouldn't have wanted to gamble by sending such a large force away from that action. Also, that might have galvanised Théoden to action despite the work of Wormtongue, and Saruman did not want Théoden mobilising the Rohirrim
en masse.
Keep in mind too that Saruman did not
know whether Merry and Pippin had the Ring or not.