I think Farael got it.
This is what I had in mind and so far it seems the best alternative, if no one comes up with anything better. It was not possible to bring an army of Easterlings through Ithilien since it remained settled for a long time after this, and also "they came out of Mordor through the pass of Cirith Ungol", and I doubt an army larger than Shagrat's squad could pass through Cirith Ungol. So I agree with Farael's explanation of the term "siege", and I also cannot help but remember the movie "Aliens" in connection with this - you know, a colony full of people, but when a recon team comes to find out why there has been no contact, they see only empty corridors...
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"Should the story say 'he ate bread,' the dramatic producer can only show 'a piece of bread' according to his taste or fancy, but the hearer of the story will think of bread in general and picture it in some form of his own." -On Fairy-Stories
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