"Your Highness, we have been pushing eastward during this time."
"However, the Forest Trolls are too numerous, and our progress is slow. We still haven't captured Shadra'alor."
Lor'themar's voice was weary.
He only had three thousand men, and Falstad Wildhammer probably only had five thousand troops.
Many of the Forest Trolls in the Hinterlands had fled into the mountains during this period, but there were still about two hundred thousand entrenched in the dense forests, with no less than ten thousand of them being skilled warriors.
The dense forest was the Forest Trolls' home turf, so how could it be easy to advance eastward?
Exterminating a race is not like a battle between two armies; it's very difficult!
"Don't worry, the war with the Horde will end soon. When it does, I'll give you another two thousand men. Prepare for a long struggle."
Kael'thas drew another pie in the sky: "Five years, ten years, twenty years—we will definitely eliminate the Forest Trolls. By then, the entire southeastern Hinterlands will be your territory, and the glory of the Theron family will depend on you!"
Lor'themar's spirits immediately lifted.
"Your Highness, you asked me to bring a thousand men here. Is it to help the Wildhammer Dwarves attack the eastern highlands?"
He asked, "I know that highland area; it's larger than the entire Hinterlands. A thousand men are probably not enough; at least five thousand are needed!"
Kael'thas shook his head: "That's for later. What you need to do now is to go west from here and track Deathwing." Lor'themar's face turned pale: "Me? Hunt Deathwing?"
Your Highness, are you serious?
Let alone a thousand men, even if the High Elves used all their strength, they couldn't be Deathwing's opponent.
One spit from him, and our thousand men would all be gone!
"Not hunting, but tracking, tracking!"
Kael'thas pointed at the armor plate in front of him and said, "See? It fell off Deathwing! He's flying towards the Maelstrom now, and he's sure to drop armor plates all the way. You take men and collect all of them!"
Lor'themar examined it carefully and exclaimed in surprise, "Adamantite! This thing is made of adamantite! By the Sun, this armor plate is worth at least ten thousand gold coins!"
Adamantite was more expensive than gold, and this armor plate must have weighed several hundred kilograms. Ten thousand gold coins was an understatement.
Just this small piece of armor plate was worth more than the entire assets of many small families!
"Your Highness, how many armor plates does Deathwing have?" Lor'themar asked excitedly.
"I haven't counted, but there must be several hundred, right? Don't get too excited yet. Not all of Deathwing's armor plates can fall off, and even if they do, only a small portion will land on the ground; most will fall into the Great Sea——"
"That's still a lot!"
"Even if there are only dozens, it's worth Quel'Thalas's annual tax revenue!"
Lor'themar glanced at Kurdran nearby and lowered his voice: "I'll go find them now. I'm afraid the Red Dragonflight and the Wildhammer Dwarves will snatch them all if I'm late!"
"...The Red Dragonflight doesn't care for adamantite; mortal wealth is meaningless to them. The Wildhammer Dwarves are busy occupying Grim Batol right now, so they don't have time. Your real enemy is the Orcs."
Kael'thas said: "West from here is the Wetlands. There are at least twenty to thirty thousand Orcs in the entire Wetlands. You must be careful, don't prolong battles, don't actively engage them in conflict. Once you find the armor plates, have the teleportation master open a gate to Silvermoon City, and you'll get one-third of the crafted equipment!"
With this adamantite, at least dozens, if not hundreds, of epic-grade equipment could be forged, enough to upgrade all captains and squadron leaders.
Lords and generals wouldn't need them; their equipment materials were even better.
Lor'themar's eyes glinted with murderous intent: "Your Highness, rest assured, I will kill anyone who tries to steal from me!"
Kurdran walked over and said nonchalantly, "Don't worry, Dwarves are best at mining. We don't care for that little bit of adamantite and won't compete with you. There are veins below Grim Batol that can't be mined out in a thousand years!"
Kael'thas said, "Highlord, are arrangements made here? We should go."
Everyone teleported to Lordaeron, gathered the leaders of various nations, and held an Alliance summit.
"Kael'thas, did you really succeed?"
Antonidas's white beard trembled with excitement, his mood as turbulent as his expression.
Unlike others, as the highest-ranking human mage, his gaze wasn't limited to mortal wars but focused on the entire world.
The demon soul was destroyed, the four Dragonflights' powers were fully restored, and Deathwing fled in defeat, meaning that after ten thousand years of silence, the Dragonflights would once again step onto the stage of history, influencing the world's situation.
The entire world would enter an era dominated by Dragons!
"The Red Dragonflight is about to join the war and arrive on the battlefield? Excellent! The Horde is finished now!"
Anduin Lothar slammed his hand on the table and said in a deep voice, "Gentlemen, the time for counterattack has come!"
The other leaders were not as straightforward as him; their eyes flickered, their minds churning.
Kael'thas not only gained the friendship of the Red Dragonflight but also became the benefactor of the four Dragonflights, meaning the High Elves now had the incredibly powerful alliance of the four Dragonflights.
No one could ever stop the rise of the High Elves.
The High Elves, who were originally confined to Quel'Thalas, would probably expand southward!
Among everyone, Terenas's expression was the most grim.
His relationship with Kael'thas was the worst, and Lordaeron was the only country bordering Quel'Thalas.
As Quel'Thalas expanded southward, Lordaeron and he would suffer the most.
Anduin Lothar said, "I don't understand the Red Dragonflight's military strength. I propose that Kael'thas serve as the Alliance's Vice Marshal, fully in charge of commanding this decisive battle."
Kurdran immediately said, "I support it!"
King Thoras nodded: "The Stromgarde army is willing to obey the command of Prince Kael'thas."
Admiral Daelin smiled and said, "I also support it."
Antonidas said, "Kael'thas is a legendary mage and a Kirin Tor councilor. Dalaran has no reason not to support him."
King Genn was somewhat reluctant, but seeing the overwhelming trend, he still expressed his support.
King Terenas was helpless.
After the last meeting, he had privately spoken with the leaders of various nations more than once, but with limited effect.
Gilneas, Stromgarde, and Lordaeron bordered each other and already had conflicts.
Now facing the issue of the Alterac Kingdom's territorial ownership, it was impossible for them to be on the same side as him.
He also couldn't give up such a large interest to others just to deal with Kael'thas and the High Elves; the contradictions were irreconcilable.
Admiral Daelin had always had a good relationship with him, and the two even intended to form a marriage alliance in the next generation.
However, Daelin's relationship with Kael'thas had warmed during this time, and he was noncommittal to his proposal, his attitude ambiguous.
He deeply suspected that Daelin and Kael'thas had a secret deal regarding the Alterac Kingdom!
Antonidas was his old friend, and their relationship was excellent. The problem was that Antonidas also had a very good relationship with Kael'thas, so he could at most remain neutral.
Not to mention the Wildhammer Dwarves; they would definitely stand with Kael'thas!
Without sufficient benefits, no one would stand on his side!
"In any case, Lordaeron's interests must not be ceded!"
"Kael'thas is so ambitious, he will definitely threaten your interests. I don't believe you won't join forces with me then!" King Terenas thought.
"In the decisive battle two hours from now, the Red Dragonflight will be the main force."
Kael'thas said, "What we need to do is to surround and annihilate the Horde army after the Red Dragonflight defeats them, preventing them from escaping the encirclement."
"Kael'thas, listen to what you're saying?"
"The Horde's 200,000-strong army has siege engines, catapults, ballistae, and at least a thousand Warlocks and Death Knights."
"The Alliance's hundreds of thousands of troops couldn't handle them. How many Red Dragons does the Red Dragonflight have in total? Five hundred? A thousand?"
King Terenas was clearly unconvinced and sneered, "I've seen Red Dragons. There are still two adult Red Dragons above Lordamere Lake. They're not that strong!"
Antonidas shook his head, "Terenas, what you've seen are just adult Red Dragons, not Dragon Kings."
"Dragon Kings are not comparable to ordinary Red Dragons. They are the guardians of the world, masters who transcend mortal races."
"They possess world-destroying power. If they disregarded everything, any one of them could destroy the entire world!"
King Terenas was still somewhat unconvinced. This had exceeded his cognitive scope. How could an individual creature be so powerful?
Alonsus Faol and Uther had described the Faceless One General Zakajz to him, but he was nothing special; a group of priests and paladins could kill him.
The so-called Dragon Kings, even if stronger than Zakajz, couldn't be much stronger.
As long as there were enough soldiers, they could be piled to death.
Kael'thas said indifferently, "Although the Vrykul degenerated into humans over ten thousand years ago, and their history might be even longer than that of the Night Elves, they have always remained on the continent of Lordaeron. Except for the Kirin Tor, they have never encountered high-level demigods, so you simply don't know how powerful the true masters of Azeroth are."
King Terenas snorted, "You know? You're only a few hundred years old!"
Kael'thas said, "I am only a few hundred years old, but the history of the High Elves can be traced back to the Night Elf Empire era."
"My ancestors experienced that world-destroying war ten thousand years ago. They saw Dragon Kings and even more powerful beings than Dragon Kings. Moreover, just an hour ago, we personally witnessed a battle between five Dragon Kings and saw the Red Dragon Queen eliminate thousands of Horde with a single attack."
"That's right! Never mind 200,000 Horde, the Red Dragon Queen could wipe out a million!"
Kurdran yelled, the scene of the battle at Grim Batol appearing in his mind.
Human wave tactics were meaningless against Dragon King-level existences.
Below the legendary rank, it was almost impossible to inflict damage on them.
If they couldn't even break through their defenses, what was the use of having more soldiers?
"How could this be—" King Terenas's face turned ugly, his heart uneasy, regretting that he hadn't taken this matter seriously before, hadn't sent his own people to participate in the rescue, and hadn't been able to make the four Dragon Kings owe him a favor.
King Genn said, "This is simple. We'll increase our forces around Lordamere Lake, and then, in cooperation with the Red Dragonflight, launch a general offensive, surrounding the 200,000-strong Horde army on all sides and annihilating them in that area!"
"No!" Kael'thas said, "Besiege three, leave one open, and let the Horde escape."
"Why?" King Genn was puzzled.
Anduin Lothar clapped his hands and said, "Brilliant! If we trap the Horde, they will surely fight to the death, and our soldiers will suffer many casualties. But if we leave an opening, the Horde will have hope of escape and won't fight us to the death!"
Kael'thas smiled, "We only need to send a large army to pursue them from behind, set up ambushes along the way, and we can continuously eliminate the Horde. The Horde won't dare to linger in battle and will only flee along the route we've planned."
Anduin Lothar nodded, "They will be exhausted from their flight, and we won't give them a chance to rest. In this situation, their physical strength and fighting will diminish, and they will have no ability to counterattack."
Kael'thas said, "In this process, the Horde's forces will become fewer and fewer until they are completely annihilated by us!"
Anduin Lothar was very excited, "As long as we pursue them closely, as long as the borders of Lordaeron, Silverpine Forest, the southern coast, and Thoradin's Wall are secure, not a single member of the Horde will escape!"
Kael'thas opened the map, "Silverpine Forest is too dense. Once the Horde escapes there, it will be difficult to search for them. So we must leave an opening to the south. To the south is the vast Hillsbrad Foothills, which is most suitable for setting up ambushes!"
The two quickly worked out a complete plan.
Lordamere Lake, Lake Island.
Orgrim Doomhammer was holding a meeting with Dragonmaw Chieftain Zuluhed and others to discuss the next military plan when he suddenly heard a piercing horn sound, three long and two short.
"It's an alarm horn, enemy attack!"
Everyone's expressions changed slightly, their hearts heavy, and they quickly ran out of the council hall.
During this time, the Alliance, being in a superior position, had been passively defending. For more than two months, they had not launched an active attack. A sudden raid now was not a good sign.
As they arrived outside, a sentry reported, "Bad news, Warchief! Red Dragons have appeared in the east, over a hundred of them! The leader is Krasus, the Red Dragon Mage Krasus!"
The Red Dragonflight invading? Krasus? How dare he?
Didn't he care about his old lover anymore? Wasn't he afraid that old hag Alexstrasza would be tortured and killed?
A shadow appeared in Orgrim's heart. He picked up his telescope and looked to the east, and indeed saw Red Dragons circling above the eastern camp, constantly breathing fire, igniting tents, armaments, and thousands of soldiers.
He saw an adult Red Dragon, dozens of meters long, transform into a legendary mage wearing the uniform robes of a Kirin Tor councilor and wielding the Staff of Torrent. It was Krasus, whom he had focused on and whose image he had memorized long ago.
Then he saw Krasus part his lips, chanting a spell, and endless fire elemental energy gathered from all directions, transforming into a sky-filling rain of fire that poured down, covering an area of a thousand meters.
In a short while, the ten-kilometer-long eastern camp was ignited in multiple places, turning into patches of fiery sea.
"What a Red Dragon Mage, what a Krasus!"
"His fire magic is even stronger than Kael'thas's!"
"You started this, so don't blame me for being impolite!"
Orgrim took a deep breath and said, "Zuluhed, immediately send orders for Nekros to break one of Alexstrasza's legs, roast it, and send it over. I want to eat his Queen in front of Krasus!"
"Also, go now and kill a few Red Dragon Whelps to force Krasus—" "Report!"
Before he finished speaking, another person came to report, "Red Dragons have appeared in the north, over a hundred of them!"
Orgrim's voice stopped abruptly, and he quickly looked to the north, and indeed saw over a hundred Red Dragons. The leader was also an adult Red Dragon.
Although his size was not as great as Krasus's, it was not much smaller.
He did not seem to be a mage and did not cast spells, but instead maintained his dragon form, breathing fire along with the other Red Dragons.
His fire breath, whether in terms of temperature, speed, or coverage, was far inferior to Krasus's Flame Strike.
He didn't even dare to fly too low, because his scales and skin were not hard enough. At close range, he couldn't even block bullets fired from goblin hunting rifles, and of course, he couldn't block the spells of Orc Warlocks or Ogre Mages.
He could only breathe fire from a medium to high altitude, like the other Red Dragons, which resulted in insufficient power and made it difficult to cause much damage to the southern army.
Water cannons were activated one by one, and jets of water sprayed from Lordamere Lake into the sky, extinguishing the flames in the air and on the ground.
The 30,000-strong Horde army immediately counterattacked. Arrows, bolts, bullets, spells, and even stones were shot into the sky, forcing the Red Dragons back to high altitude.
"It's Valastrasz. Among all the adult Red Dragons, he's the youngest and the weakest."
Zuluhed breathed a sigh of relief: "His strength barely reaches the legendary level; he's far weaker than Krasus!"
Orgrim nodded: "I've seen him. During the Battle of Silvermoon City, he tried to chase us down but was shot down by Nekros. If Kael'thas and Krasus hadn't rescued him, he would have died then!"
"Give the order! Have the ranged units provide support, and send the Twin-Headed Dragon Riders into the air—"
"Report!"
Before he could finish, another person reported: "Warchief, this is bad! There are also Red Dragons to the west!"
Orgrim looked to the west. It was also a setup of one adult Red Dragon plus over a hundred Red Dragon Whelps. The leader's body was even smaller than Valastrasz's.
"It's Christastrasz. She's about the same age as Valastrasz, but female dragons are smaller than male dragons. Her strength should be even less than Valastrasz's."
Zuluhed chuckled: "She was also at the Battle of Silvermoon City. She, Krasus, and Valastrasz were the only three adult Red Dragons who opposed us. They haven't shown up recently, so it seems they went to gather companions!"
Orgrim snorted coldly: "Three adult Red Dragons and over three hundred Whelps dare to oppose us? They're seeking death!"
"Give the order! Detach a portion of the ranged units to support the west—"
"Report!"
Before he could finish, another person reported: "South! Red Dragons are charging from the south!"
Why are there more Red Dragons!
Orgrim's heart skipped a beat. He exchanged glances with Zuluhed and both looked to the north.
It was another setup of one adult Red Dragon plus over a hundred Red Dragon Whelps, but the leader's body was twice as large as Krasus's, over a hundred meters long. He looked like a mobile fortress floating in the sky!
He was gaunt and scaly, with many missing scales on his body, revealing scarred dragonhide, clearly indicating he had suffered extremely cruel abuse.
He flew from northern Lordaeron, his eyes fixed on the island in the middle of the lake.
Even from thousands of meters away, Orgrim could clearly feel his burning rage and hatred.
Like Valastrasz and Christastrasz, he chose not to cast spells but attacked in his Dragon form.
However, the flames he spewed stretched for thousands of meters, covering a vast area of nearly one square kilometer, causing casualties to the Horde army no less than Krasus.
Unlike the three younger Red Dragons, he didn't care about the Horde's counterattacks.
He swept by at a low altitude of less than a hundred meters, leaving a sea of fire everywhere he went.
In less than three minutes, he flew over the entire northern encampment, leaving a ten-kilometer-long corridor of flames.
At least five thousand soldiers were burned to death by him, and over ten thousand were injured, far exceeding the total of over a hundred Red Dragon Whelps!
Of course, the Horde fought back, but most of it was useless and couldn't penetrate his defenses.
Even if it did, he didn't care.
He completely disregarded his own safety, only thinking of attacking, attacking, and attacking again!
"Tyrannastrasz! It's Tyrannastrasz!"
Zuluhed's face changed drastically, and his hand holding the High Priest and High Shaman's staff trembled: "He escaped! He escaped!"
"He escaped, so the Red Dragon Queen must have escaped too!"
"This isn't the revenge of Krasus's stragglers; this is the revenge of the entire Red Dragonflight!"
"It's over, it's completely over for us!"
He looked at Orgrim, his voice trembling: "Warchief, surrender! The outside is full of Red Dragons, we are surrounded by the Red Dragonflight—"
"Shut up!"
"There are only Orcs who die in battle, not Orcs who surrender!"
"Orcs never surrender! I'll kill anyone who surrenders!"
Orgrim gritted his teeth: "Isn't Alexstrasza that old bitch always being whipped, always suppressed, always mating and laying eggs? Even if she comes, I'm not afraid. I have two hundred thousand troops; I can definitely kill her!"
Zuluhed's teeth chattered: "Yes, yes, the Red Dragon Queen must be very weak now. We were able to capture her when she was weakened by the demon soul, and we can do it now, we definitely can, we must be able to—"
"If Alexstrasza comes, she will definitely head straight for the main camp!"
Orgrim said in a deep voice: "Give my order! Bring all ranged units here. I will slaughter the Dragon in front of all the Red Dragons—"
"Red—Red Dragon!"
"Such a huge Red Dragon!"
Before he could finish speaking, he saw hundreds of Horde soldiers looking up, each pointing at the sky and shouting, their faces filled with fear, their bodies trembling.
Some even threw away their weapons and knelt on the ground, kowtowing.
Then, the sky turned dark—no, red. Both the sky and the ground turned dark red.
A colossal shadow covered the entire council hall.
He quickly looked up and saw a super Red Dragon with a wingspan of several hundred meters appear at a thousand meters high, he didn't know when. Her eyes, much larger than a brazier, showed complex emotions.
There was pity, indifference, disdain, mockery, but most of all, anger.
She opened her gaping maw, and the Flame of Life was condensing in her throat.
"The Red Dragon Queen, Alexstrasza!"
"She really came!"
"And she is so magnificent, so perfect, so powerful! Her aura is even stronger than before she was suppressed by the demon soul!"
Zuluhed murmured: "She has recovered! The power taken by the demon soul has returned!"
"So what?"
"Orcs never surrender!"
Orgrim used all his strength to hurl the Doomhammer into the sky, declaring war on the strongest enemy he had ever encountered in his life.
At the same time, Zuluhed shouted: "Defend! Quick, defend!"
"Warchief, quickly enter the council hall!"
Several Twin-Headed Ogre mages rushed over, casting spells to create a magical shield in the sky.
The Doomhammer fell from the sky, killing a lucky guard.
Orgrim picked up his warhammer and was pulled by Zuluhed, fleeing into the council hall.
The Flame of Life descended from the sky, like a super colossal Flame Strike woven by over two thousand mages in Zul'Aman, turning the council hall and the surrounding area of several thousand meters into a fiery inferno.
"Your Majesty, Queen Your Majesty!"
"This is great, you are finally free!"
The moment the Red Dragon Queen appeared, the enslaved Red Dragons scattered throughout the various military camps coordinated their fire, burning the Dragon Riders on their backs and nearby to ashes.
Then, like a hundred birds flocking to a phoenix, they flew to the Red Dragon Queen's side.
"Your Majesty, you have come."
A flash of fire flew from Lordaeron and landed in front of the Red Dragon Queen. It was Kael'thas.
He looked at the sea of fire below: "Orgrim and Zuluhed were burned to death by you?"
"No, they escaped."
The Red Dragon Queen raised her left foreclaw and pointed to the southern shore of Lordamere Lake.
Kael'thas didn't have the super vision of a Dragon Aspect's large eyes, so he quickly pulled out a Gnome telescope to look and saw a portal made of runestones there. Orgrim and Zuluhed walked out of it.
"Orcs can also teleport? This is bad, they're going to teleport away!"
A Gryphon Rider flew over; it was Kurdran.
He had been communicating with leaders of various nations during this time and had a certain understanding of the Horde. He knew that Orcs had no mages, only shamans and warlocks, and neither of these professions could teleport.
"Not Orcs, but Ogres."
A magnificent flying carpet flew over, and on it stood Archmage Antonidas.
He explained: "There are many mages among the Ogres, and the most powerful among them are the Twin-Headed Ogres. They are large in stature, have strong magical affinity, are born with spellcasting abilities, and their spells are very powerful. However, for some unknown reason, they don't know many spells, and there should be only a few who can teleport. That portal should have been built by them."
"They won't escape."
Kael'thas chuckled: "Someone will be watching them. They won't have another chance to teleport. They're dead for sure!"
On the south bank of Lordamere Lake, Zuluhed looked at the hundreds of Red Dragons spewing fire in the sky, his heart filled with despair:
"It's over, Grim Batol must have fallen. The Dragonmaw Clan is completely finished—"
Not only the Red Dragons, but the Alliance also launched a counterattack. Humans, Elves, and Dwarves were everywhere, coming from all directions.
The two hundred thousand Horde army was completely surrounded!
"Pull yourself together, Zuluhed!"
Orgrim's large hand grabbed Zuluhed's shoulder, shaking him vigorously: "The Dragonmaw Clan isn't finished yet. There are still many people on the high ground east of Grim Batol! There are still hundreds of thousands of Orcs to the south, and millions more in Draenor. We still have a chance!"
"There's no chance, Warchief."
Zuluhed's will was shattered, and he was in low spirits: "No matter how many Orcs there are, they can't deal with the Red Dragon Queen. Let's go home. Azeroth doesn't belong to us; Draenor is our home."
He didn't want to stay in Azeroth anymore; he wanted to go home.
He hadn't been home for several years, nor had he paid respects to the Ancestral Spirits and the Rage of the Four Elements.
"No, absolutely not!"
Orgrim said in a deep voice: "We can't just slink back like this. Mannoroth won't agree, Kil'jaeden won't agree, and the Burning Legion behind them won't agree!"
"Moreover, Draenor is dying and will soon become a forbidden zone for life. We must win this war, we must occupy Azeroth, so that we can relocate our compatriots and let as many Orcs as possible survive!"
Zuluhed shook his head: "But we have already lost. We are incapable of confronting the Alliance, and even less capable of confronting the Red Dragon Queen…"
"Don't forget, we have allies! We have Deathwing and the Black Dragonflight!"
Orgrim was full of confidence: "We will retreat to Blackrock Mountain. Blackrock Mountain only has two entrances, front and back. As long as we guard the gates, the Alliance cannot attack, and the Red Dragonflight cannot attack either!"
"Blackrock Mountain is thousands of meters high, with vast internal space, and it stores a large amount of food and supplies plundered from humans and Dwarves, enough for a hundred thousand troops to survive for several years!"
"Below Blackrock Mountain is Blackrock Depths, where the Dark Iron Dwarves live. They are mortal enemies of the Hammerfell Dwarves and the Bronzebeard Dwarves. We can win them over, help them break free from the control of Ragnaros, and invite them to join the Horde."
"Blackrock Depths is a labyrinth, with underground tunnels leading to the Burning Steppes, Searing Gorge, and other places, making it convenient for us to move around. Deep underground, there are also many ore veins, enough to arm our army!"
"We can also find a way to contact Deathwing and his Black Dragonflight to jointly deal with the Red Dragonflight!"
Orgrim looked at Zuluhed, his eyes burning: "Zuluhed, don't give up, we still have a chance!"
Zuluhed reluctantly pulled himself together: "Alright then, Mages, immediately open a portal to Blackrock Mountain—Oh no!"
Just then, Red Dragons flew over, breathing fire at them. Flying at the very front was the old Red Dragon, Tyrannastrasz.
"No time to open the portal, run!"
"To the southeast, there's a gap there! The Alliance's encirclement has a loophole!"
The two quickly led the elite guards who had followed them to escape the encirclement.
Along the way, many other Horde members followed, totaling over ten thousand.
Out of two hundred thousand troops, only over ten thousand escaped!
Although others also discovered the gap and rushed towards it, they were met with fierce attacks from the Red Dragonflight and the Alliance, making it impossible for them to get through.
Those who managed to escape the encirclement alive were purely lucky.
"No, something's wrong, there must be something wrong! The Alliance is doing this on purpose!"
"They deliberately left a gap to make our army abandon fighting to the death and focus on escaping!"
"If our army had fought to the death, we would have eliminated at least thirty to fifty thousand Alliance members."
"But now, the Alliance killed by our army is less than five thousand!"
Zuluhed suddenly understood everything, his heart filled with dread.
"Ten thousand people, that's not a small number!"
Orgrim was greatly invigorated, raising his arm and shouting: "No more teleporting! We only have a few Teleporters, not enough to teleport so many people to Blackrock Mountain!"
"South, head south, to Southshore!"
"Sack Southshore, seize warships, and go to Menethil Harbor!"
Zuluhed quickly pulled Orgrim aside and whispered: "Warchief, this is an Alliance trick! They deliberately let us out, and there must be many ambushes along the way. We won't make it to Southshore! Even if we do, we can't defeat the Alliance army there, and even if we could, it's impossible to break through the Kul Tiras fleet's naval blockade."
"You want me to abandon these ten thousand compatriots and only escape with a few of you via teleportation? No, absolutely not!"
Orgrim flatly refused: "If there were only a few of us left, I could escape, but with so many people, I absolutely cannot abandon them, otherwise I wouldn't be fit to be Warchief!"
Zuluhed's heart sank: "Warchief, this is also an Alliance trick. They anticipated your character. Releasing these soldiers is precisely to stop you—"
"Enough, say no more. First, let's find a way to keep them alive. When it truly comes down to life or death, it won't be too late to escape!" Orgrim interrupted.
"But—"
"There are no 'buts.' Don't disrupt my army's morale!"
Orgrim reprimanded him and led the army south.
They marched continuously for fifty kilometers, all of them exhausted. Orgrim ordered them to rest where they were.
But as soon as they lay down, they saw over a dozen portals appear not far away. A large number of Mages and Dalaran Iron Knights charged out, a dense crowd, totaling about two thousand.
As soon as they appeared, they launched an attack.
Those Iron Knights were Dalaran guards. Although there were only a thousand of them, each wore full enchanted armor, and even their warhorses were clad in full barding. The complete equipment of each Iron Knight was worth several thousand gold coins.
Although they didn't use magic, their magic resistance was second only to the High Elf Spellbreaker units, and their defensive power was no less than that of the Silver Hand Knight Order and the Stormwind Knight Order.
And behind them, a thousand Dalaran Battle Mages immediately cast spells.
Fireball, Ice Lance, Arcane Missile, Flame Strike, Blizzard, Arcane Blast—
Thousands of spells covered the sky, dealing tons and tons of damage.
Though there were only two thousand of them, their combat power was more terrifying than twenty thousand regular troops from other human nations.
Especially the Archmage standing on a magic carpet, flying at the very front. He effortlessly used fire, frost, and arcane magic interchangeably,using over twenty different spells consecutively without repetition, and casting non-stop, as if his mana would never run out.
"By order of Marshal Kael'thas, pursue and kill the Warchief and the Great Shaman!" the Archmage laughed.
"Archmage Khadgar, the Khadgar who killed Medivh!"
"He has the Staff of Atiesh, which seals a portion of the mana of successive Tirisgarde!"
"In terms of mana alone, he might be stronger than Kael'thas and Krasus!"
Zuluhed raised his hand and fired a Lightning Bolt, destroying the magic carpet, but then he saw Khadgar transform into a raven, completely black, and his face showed horror.
Khadgar isn't just a mage, how can he transform into a raven?
"Run, quickly!"
"We can't be held up by them, otherwise the Alliance dogs behind us will catch up!"
Orgrim did not dare to prolong the fight and quickly led his army further south.
They galloped another fifty kilometers, finally escaping the borders of Dalaran.
Counting their numbers, they had lost almost half of their forces to the Dalaran army, with less than seven thousand remaining!
"Seven thousand is still a lot!"
Orgrim encouraged himself and the others: "Southshore is just a small town, its garrison can't be more than a thousand. We'll rest here for two hours, then attack Southshore tonight..."
He hadn't finished speaking when he heard the thunderous sound of war drums and shouts from the western hillside.
Thousands of Gilnean warriors charged over, led by King Genn and Archmage Arugal.
These men were like tigers descending from the mountain, full of vigor and well-rested, having been ambushed for who knows how long, and having placed who knows how many scouts in the vicinity.
None of their movements could escape the eyes of the Alliance!
"Orgrim, Zuluhed, we have been waiting for you here for a long time!" King Genn laughed heartily.
He pointed his sword at the two: "Kill Orgrim, be rewarded with ten thousand gold and a count's title! Kill Zuluhed, be rewarded with a thousand gold and a baron's title!"
Zuluhed opened his mouth, feeling unwilling. My bounty is only one-tenth of Orgrim's, two ranks lower. Are they looking down on me?
Orgrim's expression changed, and he shouted: "Rest for what?"
"Hurry, let's attack Southshore now!"
"The entire Hillsbrad Foothills is full of the Alliance. We are now tired, hungry, and thirsty, and fighting in the wild is disadvantageous for us.
"Only by taking Southshore and relying on the protection of its buildings can we resist the Alliance!"
He led the remaining army, enduring the pursuit of Gilneas, and frantically fled to Southshore, only to find the entire town deserted.
All the houses were empty, but piled high with firewood, and they could even smell the aroma of grease.
"Great! We can spread this firewood on the ground and sleep on it. The Alliance is so considerate, they're treating us like guests!" an Orc shouted.
Orgrim felt a chill down his spine, cold sweat dripping from his forehead and cheeks: "It's a trap, let's go!"
At this point, only five thousand Orcs and Ogres remained, and many had already rushed into the houses. Before they could come out, they saw the skies to the east, west,
and south light up, with thousands of rockets flying over, and even cannonballs.
In an instant, the entire town became a sea of fire.
On the deck of the nearest flagship, the 'Sea Sovereign', Admiral Daelin smiled slightly: "Kael'thas's calculations are excellent. Orgrim,
Zuluhed are doomed!"
"Flee north!"
"Flee along the main road towards Tarren Mill!"
Orgrim shouted.
The Horde army fled in a panic, arriving about thirty kilometers north of Southshore, where they were too exhausted to run further and had to rest on the spot.
Orgrim stood on a small hill and scanned the area, his heart sinking. Less than two thousand had escaped.
"Zuluhed, you were right, this is an Alliance trick, we cannot be led by the nose."
He ordered: "Have the Portal Masters open a portal. Take as many people as possible. Let the remaining people escape on their own and wage guerrilla warfare in the mountains!"
Zuluhed hung his head dejectedly: "Warchief, the Portal Masters are almost all dead, only one remains."
Most of the Portal Masters died at the hands of the Dalaran mages.
As mages themselves, they could easily identify who were mages and specifically target them. Of the more than twenty two-headed Ogre mages who escaped initially, only one is left now!
Orgrim gritted his teeth: "One is one, have him open the portal!"
"Yes, Warchief."
Zuluhed summoned the Ogre Portal Master. Just as he was about to open the portal, suddenly a dozen Stormhammers rained down from the sky, almost simultaneously smashing into him, turning him into a pulp.
Orgrim looked up and saw two to three hundred Gryphon Riders flying from the direction of Lordamere Lake. The one leading and blowing the horn was Highlord Kurdran Wildhammer.
They had been slaughtering the Horde in Lordamere Lake and then tracked them all the way, finally catching up.
Kurdran blew the horn of attack and shouted: "The one standing on the hillside is Orgrim, kill him!"
Dozens of Stormhammers flew over!
Orgrim and Zuluhed dodged and weaved, went down the hillside, and led the remnants of their army eastward.
There were too many fleeing Orcs, and to the Dwarves, all foreign races looked the same, plus it was dark, making it impossible to distinguish them.
Kurdran shouted again: "The one with the big hammer is Orgrim!"
More than twenty Stormhammers flew towards Orgrim.
He swung Doomhammer, deflecting several Stormhammers in a row, skillfully dodged the remaining dozen, and then rushed into the forest without looking back.
Zuluhed followed closely behind.
The two fled about twenty kilometers away. Counting their numbers, they found only a hundred people left, and despair filled their hearts.
"Warchief, what do we do now? The Hillsbrad Foothills is full of the Alliance. They will soon find us, we can't escape!" Zuluhed was at a loss.
It was already morning; we had been fleeing for a full day and night.
Orgrim said: "Swim! We'll rest by the shore, and at night, we'll swim along the coastline to Arathi Highlands, find a place without Alliance ships to cross to the Wetlands! Once we reach the Wetlands, we'll be safe!"
Zuluhed sighed:
"That's the only way—"
Before he finished speaking, he felt the fire elemental energy nearby become unusually active. He quickly looked up and saw hundreds of Dragonhawks circling in the air.
And among these Dragonhawks, there was also a phoenix.
"Kael'thas!" Orgrim gritted his teeth in hatred.
His current predicament, and the Horde's current predicament, were all because of Kael'thas.
Across two worlds, billions of lives, the one he hated most was Kael'thas!
"Warchief, Great Shaman, the elemental aura on you is too strong, I can smell it from ten kilometers away!" Kael'thas laughed.
Flame Strike!
Trees within a hundred meters were set ablaze, and the Dragonhawk Riders also attacked one after another.
"Keep fleeing!"
Orgrim gritted his teeth and, with Zuluhed, continued eastward, using the trees for cover. They quickly escaped the forest and reached the base of Thoradin's Wall.
Suddenly, an Inferno Blast fireball descended from the sky, hitting Zuluhed and killing him.
"The war is over, Orgrim Doomhammer."
Kael'thas cast another spell, another Inferno Blast fireball, taking the life of the Horde Warchief.
"What's a Legendary Warrior? They still can't withstand a single Pyroblast. This class is truly a sewer dweller."
Kael'thas shook his head.
Spellcasters are the elite, while melee fighters are the bottom of the barrel.
The only ones who could compete with warriors for the title of 'Sewer King' were hunters and rogues, also melee classes. Even Monks and Death Knights were far stronger than them.
Monks had the demigod-level Emperor Shaohao, and Death Knights had the demigod-level Lich King Arthas. What did melee fighters have?
Humans, Dwarves, Elves, Gnomes, Orcs—all mortal races combined, the highest they reached was Legendary; not a single demigod among them.
Thump, thump, thump~~
The continuous sound of hooves approached as Anduin Lothar, with Danas Trollbane and the Thoradin's Wall guard force, rushed over. Looking at Orgrim lying on the ground, he said with a look of regret, "He's already dead?"
"What, you wanted to duel him?" Kael'thas saw through the Grand Marshal's thoughts at a glance.
"Of course, I heard Orcs have a tradition of honorable duels."
"I've been commanding from the rear for over a year and haven't fought on the front lines. My bones are practically rusting!"
Lothar dismounted, walked to the corpse, and grumbled, "What a terrible death. A legendary warrior, not dying by another warrior's sword, but burned to death by a mage's spell, without even a chance to retaliate."
Kael'thas shrugged, "He's the Warchief, the Horde's supreme commander. You're the Grand Marshal, the Alliance's supreme commander. A duel between you two would certainly be a sight to behold, but—"
"But what? Kael'thas, you don't think I can't beat him, do you? I admit he's taller than me, stronger than me, and has more power than me.
But combat isn't just about physique; it's also about skill, experience, and gear!"
"I've received the strictest training since childhood. Leyne, Medivh, and I used to fight every day when we were very young. I'm definitely a better fighter than Orgrim!"
He patted his breastplate, "I'm wearing a full set of epic armor forged by a legendary Ironforge blacksmith, personally enchanted by Medivh. Orgrim has almost half his skin exposed. How can he compare to me?"
He then slapped the two-handed greatsword on his back, "Besides, I still have this!"
During this time, whenever he had free time, Emperor Thoradin would drag him with a whip, urging him to learn how to use Strom'kar.
What? He was a Legendary Warrior and a Weapon Master. He was proficient with one-handed swords, two-handed swords, one-handed knives, two-handed knives, one-handed hammers, and two-handed hammers? Useless!
In Emperor Thoradin's words: Every weapon is different.
Length, width, weight, shape, the ratio of hilt to blade—any tiny difference could affect the outcome in actual combat.
A true warrior, whether eating, sleeping, meeting, or showering, must always be with his weapon, even if just peeling fruit with it.
Only then can one wield the weapon as an extension of their arm and stand undefeated on the battlefield.
This was not empty talk; it really worked.
In just a few days, he felt his combat skills had advanced by leaps and bounds.
Before, he would be defeated by Emperor Thoradin in less than thirty moves; now he could last at least fifty.
Kael'thas chuckled, "Strom'kar is certainly powerful, but Orgrim's weapon is no less impressive, perhaps even stronger."
"Really? This hammer?"
Lothar bent down and picked up the Doomhammer, hissing, "So heavy, so hot. Why does it feel like I'm holding not a hammer handle, but molten lava?"
"Strange, I seem to feel an extremely powerful will—no, not one, but four!"
He was very surprised, "These four wills, each no weaker than Zakajz, even more ancient than Zakajz. I seem to sense the will of the world's origin. How is this possible?"
Kael'thas was surprised, "You actually guessed correctly? That's right, this warhammer was forged from the elemental lava of Draenor, the Orcs' homeland, containing the elemental power of the planet Draenor."
Lothar raised an eyebrow, "Lava? Once it cools, it's just ordinary rock, nothing special."
Kael'thas said, "It's elemental lava! Don't underestimate it. This thing can even be said to come from the very heart of Draenor. It was forged by the Four Elemental Furies, equivalent to the Elemental Lords of our world. You know about Elemental Lords, right?"
"I know. There's one under Blackrock Mountain, Ragnaros, the Fire Elemental Lord, an entity on the same level as the Red Dragon Queen."
Lothar swung the warhammer, feeling it was too heavy and not very handy. "Kael'thas, are you sure this thing was forged by four high-level demigods? I've seen Orgrim fight, and he didn't seem to display any ability to manipulate elements."
"Because he's not worthy."
Kael'thas chuckled, "Only those who can communicate with the elements can awaken the true power of the Doomhammer. Orgrim is just an ordinary warrior, with no connection to the elements, not even half a copper coin's worth."
Lothar said, "Then you can, right? Aren't you a mage? You can manipulate fire and water elements."
"...I'm not worthy either. Besides, what mage uses a hammer? This thing is too heavy; my small frame struggles to even pick it up, let alone fight with it. I'd dislocate my shoulder just trying to swing it."
Kael'thas said, "The true wielder for this warhammer is a Shaman, like him."
He pointed to the Great Shaman Zuluhed, lying next to Orgrim, "His spellcasting ability is not much worse than mine. If the Doomhammer were in his hands, I don't think killing him would be so easy."
Of course, Orgrim would never give the Doomhammer to Zuluhed.
This was the ancestral artifact of the Doomhammer family, and the source of their surname.
If the hammer was gone, what Doomhammer would he be named after?
Danas Trollbane walked over and asked curiously, "Vice-Marshal, how did you know he would follow the route you planned? How did you know he would come to Thoradin's Wall, and specifically the southern part, allowing me to set up defenses here in advance? It's simply miraculous!"
"No, I didn't know."
Kael'thas said, "But I knew he could only escape through the gap on the southern shore of Lordamere Lake, and only to Hillsbrad Foothills.
And I've had people set up defenses on all roads leading out of the Foothills. No matter where Orgrim tried to escape, he wouldn't get away."
Alterac Valley was guarded by Drake Proudmoore's fleet.
Durnholde Keep was guarded by Falstad Wildhammer's dwarf forces.
The southern seas were guarded by Admiral Daelin's Kul Tiras fleet.
The northern area of Thoradin's Wall was guarded by Uther's Silver Hand Knights.
All-star treatment, saturation encirclement.
No matter where Orgrim fled, several thousand Alliance troops were waiting for him.
Most importantly:
He had been following Orgrim from the air, so escape was impossible.
"How's the fighting at Lordamere Lake going?" Kael'thas looked at Lothar.
As the Grand Marshal of the Alliance, he had been commanding from the Lordaeron city walls until he learned of Orgrim's whereabouts and teleported here.
No one knew the war situation better than him.
"Is that even a question? A complete victory!"
Lothar was beaming, a wide smile on his face: "Kael'thas, you were right, the Red Dragon Queen is too powerful. She is invincible on the battlefield.
Out of two hundred thousand Horde troops, at least twenty thousand were burned to death by her, and another twenty to thirty thousand were burned by other Red Dragons!"
"As soon as the decisive battle began, the island in the middle of the lake turned into a fiery inferno, and the fifty thousand strong central army was almost completely wiped out!"
"They tried to escape on warships, but those wooden boats were immediately set ablaze by the Red Dragons, and everyone on them died!"
"They could only jump into the lake to escape, but the water temperature rapidly rose in the inferno, and they couldn't survive!"
"The hundreds of thousands of Horde soldiers in the camps to the east, west, south, and north saw the Red Dragon Queen appear, saw the central army camp destroyed, and immediately fell into disarray. How could they still think of fighting? They only wanted to escape."
"Kael'thas, your strategy was too vicious!"
Lothar clapped excitedly: "The Horde soldiers quickly discovered the gap on the south bank and all rushed towards it in a frenzy. People crowded together, and many stampedes occurred."
"They saw a glimmer of hope for survival and completely lost the courage and will to fight us to the death."
"The Alliance army encountered almost no resistance, eliminating nearly one hundred thousand Horde in just one day and one night, with very few casualties."
"The Horde suffered a complete rout. Out of two hundred thousand troops, only twenty to thirty thousand managed to break through the encirclement. The Alliance forces are currently pursuing and encircling them in Silverpine Forest and Hillsbrad Foothills."
Lothar said excitedly: "By the time we return to Lordaeron, the war should be over. Out of the two hundred thousand Horde troops, except for a very small number who managed to hide, the rest are completely annihilated! Kael'thas, this is all your credit!"
Kael'thas smiled: "You are the Grand Marshal, I am the Vice Marshal. You get the primary credit; I won't contend with you for it."
"What credit? It's just an empty title, meaningless. The Alliance isn't likely to give us rewards anyway." Lothar tossed the doomhammer to Kael'thas.
"The Alliance leader is Terenas, that old fox doesn't get along with me. How could he give me a reward? Besides, the reward I need, he can't afford."
Kael'thas caught the doomhammer and, without even looking at it, threw it to the Dragonhawk Riders beside him.
Lothar frowned: "He is indeed an old fox, but he also acts solely for the benefit of Lordaeron. His character is fine."
He and Terenas had a good relationship.
After the fall of the Stormwind Kingdom, it was Terenas who made the decision to take in the fleeing soldiers and civilians.
It could be said that Terenas had shown great kindness to him and to the Stormwind Kingdom.
Anyone else could speak ill of Terenas, but not him and King Varian.
Terenas might not be a good ally, but he was definitely a good father and a good king.
"Let's go, Kael'thas, it's time for the meeting."
The two teleported to the Lordaeron Royal Palace and met the leaders of various nations, each looking triumphant and smiling, evidently having achieved significant results in the war.
Especially Kurdran Wildhammer.
Dwarves are inherently warlike, and legendary Gryphon Riders are particularly so.
He had not stopped for a full day and night, first wreaking havoc on the main battlefield of Lordamere Lake, then rushing two hundred kilometers to pursue Orgrim and Zuluhed, eliminating over three hundred Orcs and Ogres in total.
He killed more than anyone else in the entire Alliance!
"Highlord is mighty! Don't leave after the meeting, I have something to discuss with you." Kael'thas said.
After a brief conversation among the attendees, with Terenas's appearance, the Lordaeron Post-War Review and Alliance Summit officially began.
The initial summary and praise session was harmonious enough, but it quickly broke down.
"Kael'thas, your strategy was excellent. Not only did it eliminate two hundred thousand Horde troops, but it also killed Orgrim and Zuluhed, earning great merit for the Alliance."
Terenas looked at Kael'thas, then changed his tone: "However, you shouldn't have killed them. You made a mistake in that matter!"
At these words, the entire hall fell silent.
Everyone turned their gaze to the two, waiting to see the show.
They were all cunning old foxes; who didn't know Terenas's intentions?
He had simply been suppressed by Kael'thas for too long, suffering too many losses recently, and now that he finally had an opportunity, he naturally wanted to vent properly.
There was no such thing as lacking composure, being too impulsive, or disrupting unity. It didn't exist.
They had clashed from their very first meeting. Lordaeron and Quel'Thalas had conflicting interests, irreconcilable differences, and were destined to be at odds.
"Terenas, what do you mean?"
Kael'thas snorted: "Are you suggesting I should have let them go? And then let them reorganize their army, burning, killing, looting, and causing destruction throughout Alliance territory?"
Isn't it just about assigning blame? As a keyboard warrior who has been active online for over a decade, who doesn't know how to do that?
"I didn't tell you to let them go!"
Terenas suppressed his anger and said in a deep voice: "You should have captured them alive!"
"A legendary warrior and a Great Shaman, and you want me to capture them alive?"
"Terenas, if you have the ability, you go!"
"Don't sit there talking as if it's easy. Can you really capture living powerhouses of that caliber just by saying so?"
Kael'thas raised an eyebrow: "Orgrim and Zuluhed are dead, but Rend Blackhand and Maim Blackhand are still alive, in Blackrock Mountain. I'll take you there now; how about you capture them alive? The two of them combined aren't as strong as Orgrim!"
"I am a king, not a warrior, and certainly not a mage. I don't have that ability, but you do!"
Terenas said coldly: "I'm not blaming you, but you did not handle this correctly! You could have captured them alive; we all know you have that capability!"
Everyone frowned; this demand was too much.
With a legendary warrior and a Great Shaman, no one could be absolutely sure of capturing them alive. One misstep could lead to disaster, dying without even knowing how.
No matter how strong Kael'thas was, he wasn't a demigod, and mages were notoriously fragile. Orgrim could have ended his life with one swing of his hammer.
Kael'thas leaned back in his chair, his fingers interlaced on the table, and said indifferently: "So what if I do? Why should I risk my life to capture them alive?"
"Because they are worth far more alive than dead!"
Terenas adopted a "you're too young to understand" demeanor.
Kael'thas sneered: "Is that so? Do tell?"
"Does that even need to be said? Anyone knows that!"
Terenas snorted coldly: "Orgrim is the Warchief of the Horde, and Zuluhed is the leader of the Dragonmaw Clan. Capturing them means we could find ways to persuade them to surrender, to turn other Horde members against their leaders, which would reduce casualties for our soldiers!"
"Persuade them to surrender? Terenas, have you lost your mind?"
Kael'thas laughed: "Does Lordaeron not have an intelligence agency, or have you not investigated their personalities thoroughly? Orgrim and Zuluhed are Orc heroes; they would never surrender!"
Terenas said: "Even if we can't persuade them to surrender, we can use their lives to threaten the Horde into surrendering!"
"It seems your mind really has gone. It's been years, and you still don't know the Orcs' nature?"
Kael'thas scoffed: "How many surrendering Orcs have you seen? They believe in Shamanic teachings, believing they will become ancestral spirits after death. They don't fear death at all; instead, they consider dying in battle an honor!"
Terenas said: "Even if we can't threaten them, we can treat them well, to show our goodwill to the Horde, to let them know we don't kill prisoners or surrendering soldiers. This way, their will to fight us will falter, and that can also reduce our casualties!"
"Heh! Do you even believe that yourself? Do you think I don't know your real intentions, or that others don't?"
Kael'thas sneered: "Aren't you just trying to display your authority and increase your prestige? You wouldn't still be planning to establish internment camps after the war to house captured Orcs, would you, benevolent King of Lordaeron?"
"You!" Terenas's old face instantly turned the color of a pig's liver.
He was indeed thinking exactly that!
"Ruling the country with wisdom and strength" was his consistent principle, and benevolence was part of that wisdom.
King Thoras, King Genn, and others watched this scene, all laughing inwardly.
The more this powerful neighboring king, Terenas, suffered, the more pleased they were.
"Alright, alright, Orgrim and Zuluhed are already dead. Discussing this further is meaningless. Let's discuss the next war strategy." Lothar said.
"Exactly, exactly, both of you say less."
"The war has just begun, it's not over yet, the main business is important."
"Everyone here is of status. If you have any conflicts, discuss them slowly after the war; don't quarrel."
Having seen enough of the show, the leaders came out to mediate.
Kael'thas spread his hands: "It wasn't me who stirred up trouble. Everything I did was for the Alliance. I've been the busiest and contributed the most these past few months, unlike a certain King who hides in his palace every day, afraid to go out. Everyone saw it."
Everyone's gaze turned to Terenas, deeply agreeing with Kael'thas's words.
This is a world of magic; if an individual's strength isn't strong, how can he be a leader?
Marshal Lothar is a legendary warrior. Back in the day, he wielded two swords and cut his way from Stormwind to Lordaeron for five years, causing rivers of blood.
The key is that he also cut down Medivh, the Archmage possessed by the soul of Sargeras, which is roughly equivalent to cutting down the Dark Titan. With such a glorious record, who among those present can compare?
King Thoras was not to be outdone; he participated in hundreds of battles over the past year, killing at least three to five hundred Horde members.
King Genn, because his territory was not on the front lines, only had the opportunity to participate in battle a month ago. Although he constantly thought about building walls and acting like a coward, when he started cutting people, he was like a wolf king who hadn't eaten for seven or eight meals, even fiercer than King Thoras.
Admiral Daelin is not only a battle master but also has strong spellcasting abilities, practicing both magic and martial arts. His overall strength is also at the legendary level.
Moreover, he is the Alliance's top gunner, personally operating cannons to destroy several warships. The Horde members who died directly or indirectly under his cannons number at least eight hundred, if not a thousand.
Antonidas is an old legendary Archmage, the founder of the nine-system magic theory. Almost all living human mages are his students.
Although he is old now, with kind eyes and a gentle demeanor like an old man next door, he is most proficient in fire magic. He was very hot-tempered when he was young, and several legendary demons died at his hands.
In the battle yesterday, several hundred Horde members were burned to death by his Flame Strike and fireballs.
Kurdran is a legendary Gryphon Rider, Ogre terminator, Red Dragon killer, and his aerial combat ability is unmatched in the Alliance.
Kael'thas, needless to say, is a legendary Archmage, and all the major and minor victories of the Alliance over the past year are related to him.
Even the young King Varian Wrynn, only a teenager, showed strong combat power, wielding two one-handed swords in the Battle of Lordaeron and cutting down nine Orcs, nine!
Who is it that hides in the palace all day, only capable of political maneuvering and scheming, with zero kills and zero assists? So hard to guess!
Terenas took a deep breath: "This matter ends here. Let's start the meeting!"
Seeing that Kael'thas had no objections, Anduin Lothar, whose head was throbbing from the noise, rubbed his temples and said, "Admiral Daelin is right; the war has just begun. What should we do next? Everyone, speak up."
"Of course, we cross the bridge!"
King Thoras immediately said, "The Horde has lost 200,000 troops, far fewer than us. Now is the best opportunity to cross Sador Bridge and eliminate the Horde in the south!"
He is an absolute hawk, completely opposite to the calculating dove-like Terenas.
In fact, among all the nations, except for the Stormwind Kingdom, the Stromgarde Kingdom suffered the most casualties and needed rest and recuperation the most.
But he still advocated for war, even more unyielding than the brave and skilled Admiral Daelin.
Rest and recuperate? Not yet; let's talk after the Horde is destroyed!
"We need to cross the bridge, but the remaining Horde must also be cleared out."
King Genn said, "There are still many Horde in Silverpine Forest. If we don't eliminate all of them, the people temporarily relocated to Gilneas and Dalaran will not be able to return to their hometowns and engage in production. Next year's harvest will be problematic, and food supplies will be short."
He calculated carefully and said, "If we march south, Gilneas can provide a maximum of ten thousand troops."
Terenas quickly said, "That's right! There are also many Horde in Andorhal, Caer Darrow, Hillsbrad Foothills, Alterac, and other places. Lordaeron also needs to allocate a significant number of troops for clearance, so the southern force will be a maximum of fifty thousand!"
Lordaeron is vast and populous, with a regular army of up to fifty thousand. After the war began, the total mobilized force exceeded two hundred thousand, more than the other six nations combined.
Although there are still remaining Horde in various places, even with a generous estimate, there are only twenty to thirty thousand, which certainly does not require so many troops.
The real reason he wanted to leave one hundred and fifty thousand troops was to occupy the territory that originally belonged to Alterac.
As for the south, it was too far away, and it was originally the territory of the Dwarves and the Stormwind Kingdom, so even if it was captured, it would be difficult to occupy and govern.
He really didn't want to invest too many troops in something that offered little benefit.
"Such a large area, so many Horde, how can Lordaeron bear it alone?"
Admiral Daelin said indifferently, "My son Drake's Third Fleet is in Darrowmere Lake and will soon be able to capture Caer Darrow Island. Hillsbrad Foothills and Alterac also have Kul Tiras troops stationed there to relieve pressure on Lordaeron."
King Thoras said, "Stromgarde troops have already occupied Durnholde Keep and Tarren Mill. As for Alterac, there is also a unit led by General Danath. They will be stationed there with the Kul Tiras troops to suppress and clear out the rebels and Horde."
"And the Wildhammer Dwarves!" Kurdran shouted.
"And the High Elves."
Kael'thas smiled slightly: "General Sylvanas and her Ranger forces are there. With our combined forces of three races and four nations, Alterac will not have any problems, Your Majesty can rest assured."
"It's precisely because you are there that I am not reassured!"
Terenas felt annoyed. These guys were indeed eyeing Alterac, and they never consulted him, the Alliance leader.
How abominable! Did they even respect him, or the Kingdom of Lordaeron?
He wanted to refuse, but knew it was useless, so he could only express his dissatisfaction with silence, but no one cared.
Antonidas said, "Dalaran can provide two thousand mages and two thousand Iron Knights."
Dalaran's situation is special; it is essentially a magical city-state, and the mages are not interested in territory.
But they are interested in Orcs and Ogres, and in Warlocks and Death Knights.
They plan to capture many for magical research.
Kurdran said, "The Wildhammer Dwarves have to deal with the Forest Trolls in the Hinterlands and rebuild Grim Batol. We are already sparsely populated and short on troops—three hundred Gryphon Riders, that's all we can provide!"
"That's a lot. We all see the combat power of the Gryphon Riders. Three hundred Gryphon Riders are at least equivalent to five thousand elite warriors."
Anduin Lothar smiled and said, "Everyone knows the situation of the Stormwind Kingdom without me saying it. We fled by ship, so we naturally have to return by ship to reclaim Stormwind. However, our forces are limited and we need help."
Admiral Daelin had clearly discussed this in advance and immediately said, "I will personally lead the Kul Tiras First Fleet to help you. My wife Katherine will lead the Second Fleet to attack Menethil Harbor and land in Wetlands from there."
Although there are troops stationed in Alterac, it is too far away and an inland country, so it is unlikely to be incorporated into Kul Tiras after the war negotiations.
Compared to that, he was more interested in the coastal ports and Wetlands.
"Thank you, Daelin."
Anduin Lothar looked at Kael'thas: "And you, Your Highness?"