Quote:
Originally Posted by Alfirin
Eliminating Sauron would certainly have taken the commander out of the equasion and probably the generals (i.e. the Ringwraiths) But everyone else in the army of Mordor is not so tied to the Ring or Sauron that His death would ipso facto gurantee thier disbandment. I imagine that, free from Sauron's control , at least some of the Orc legions (especially those already in the west and fighting), would have been recruited by Saruman into his forces with simple offers of continued opportunities to fight loot and pillage.
|
It seems from the book that many of the orcs wanted to desert and live for the sake of there own pleasure. The will of Sauron and the fear of Nazgul was the main binding force behind there armies. Some formations could probably have been hired by Saruman but had he considerable powers over orcs he had not produced, he would probably have defeated Sauron earlier on.
It is extremely difficult to estimate the forces in the case of alternative story. Just if we look at Farngorn - seeing the devastation made Ents to go on war. Though Pipin's intervention help it happened earlier, it would have happened anyway and likely before the most of Hurons were dead. And let me remind that it were Hurons, not Ents who slaughtered Saruman's army at Helm's Deep and later destroyed the fortifications of Izengard.