Daelin had always found this young man to his liking, and later worried that Uther, that old fuddy-duddy, would corrupt him, but now it seems he's turned out quite well.
It's said that a father-in-law looks at his son-in-law, and the more he looks, the more displeased he becomes.
But with Daelin, it was the opposite; when he used to chat with Terenas, they often discussed matters concerning their children.
Both sides were very interested in the marriage alliance; Lordaeron was the strongest land kingdom, and Kul Tiras was the strongest sea kingdom. A marriage between them would be a powerful alliance!
Moreover, his daughter Jaina and prince Arthas were childhood sweethearts. Everything about it fit perfectly, it was incredibly suitable!
Although Daelin was a king, he preferred to be called Grand Admiral, as it sounded unique and better showcased his demeanor as a king of the seas.
Just as he was about to say something, a guard reported.
"Report, Marshal, there are orcs attacking the outpost to the south."
Daelin was just thinking of stretching his muscles when he heard Arthas say.
"Admiral, let me handle these orcs. I also need to discuss some matters with the Warchief of the Horde."
"They are still useful to us. After we deal with the plague and quell the internal strife, we'll take care of the orcs."
Facing his future son-in-law, who was also the crown prince of Lordaeron, Daelin naturally had no objections.
"Alright, then I will command from the center. Your Royal Highness, feel free to do as you please."
It's not about fearing a useless prince, but fearing a prince who does nothing. Whether he does good or bad, he can gain experience and learn lessons.
Even after Arthas purged Stratholme and returned from Northrend, he was still welcomed with open arms, flowers, and songs.
For a crown prince, this was not a big deal. What did the death of a few commoners matter?
Arthas bowed, then led Sylvanas and the others away. It was a good chance to test the mettle of the New Horde.
Outside the outpost, orcs were attacking with makeshift weapons, and their tactics were quite organized.
Instead of a headlong charge, they divided into several different units for charging and harassing, already showing signs of a feigned attack.
Never underestimate orcs as mere muscle-bound, simple-minded creatures. If there was even one wise individual among them, they could command these orcs very well, maximizing their advantage.
"Charge with me, crush this force, and the Warchief will have to appear."
With that, Arthas grabbed his modified golden gourd hammer and charged forward. The power of this short hammer was moderate, and the golden gourd at the top weighed about twenty pounds.
Without affecting the feel, one smash would cause even those in thick heavy armor to vomit blood!
Fordring said nothing, merely guarding silently from the side. He was there to ensure His Royal Highness didn't make mistakes.
If he were in Stratholme, if Arthas dared to speak of purging the city, he would immediately knock the prince unconscious and take him back to Lordaeron.
No schemes would work against him, unless they crushed him.
Mograine, on the other hand, was different. If it were him, not only would he not purge the city, he would have prepared the ships and supplies for the Northrend expedition.
Evil must be slain!
Is a Retribution paladin to be trifled with?
When Arthas joined the battle, his aura covered the soldiers.
These soldiers were surprised to find that the orcs' attacks didn't hurt as much, and the Holy Light healing from the priests in the rear was more frequent and effective.
Concentration Aura reduces damage, and Brilliance Aura increases mana regeneration. In a Legion battle, an increase in numbers can lead to a qualitative change!
Bang!
Bash triggered!
The massive muscular orc in front of him fell into a daze, a red light flashed on his hammer, and a Mortal Strike activated!
Bang!
This time, the orc's head was directly blown apart!
This brutal and bloody fighting style made even Fordring's eyelids twitch. What a ferocious prince!
"Good! Your Highness is truly valiant, I am ashamed of my inferiority!"
Mograine's sword was swung with fierce power, and he showed no mercy when cutting down orcs.
Sylvanas merely shot arrows silently from behind, focusing on the few shamans.
These few spellcasters among the orcs could cast Frenzy, making the orcs more aggressive and difficult to deal with.
Thrall, supervising from a distance, felt incredibly troubled. It was already a difficult fight, and the Horde lacked supplies. If not for saving the Warsong Clan, he truly didn't want to go to war with humans.
Even at the peak of the old Horde, they couldn't handle the Alliance. Now, it was just wishful thinking!
"I am Arthas, crown prince of Lordaeron. Which one is Thrall? Come out and speak, or your people will all die!"
Looking at the valiant human prince in the field, Thrall's eyelids twitched even more, feeling that this guy was truly too dangerous.
Could one commander really boost an army's combat power so much?
After thinking for a moment, without waiting for the wise Shaman beside him to stop him, he had already charged out on his Frostwolf.
"I am Thrall! Stop, retreat!"
The bloodthirsty orcs, despite their reluctance, obediently retreated upon hearing this.
They merely panted heavily, their eyes fixed on the human army, ready to tear these humans to shreds at the Great Chieftain's command!
Watching over a hundred of his strong warriors fall instantly, Thrall's heart bled. He knew that with a human hero present, his plan of a forceful assault was no longer possible.
Now, only negotiation was possible. He hoped this prince would be as he imagined, and they could communicate well.
Looking at the sturdy green-skinned orc in front of him, with his wise countenance, one of the few orc protagonists who survived multiple major events.
Although Arthas didn't like orcs, a parallel world version of him wasn't averse to female orcs, and even had many children in front of their husbands, which was a bit outrageous.
"Thrall, have you met that prophet yet?"
Hearing these disjointed words, Thrall suddenly remembered the vision from his dream a while ago, and his eyes became wary.
Could that prophet have been sent by humans?
Arthas didn't care what he thought, and sneered similarly.
"That sneaky fellow came to me, right in the Lordareon Royal City. No one believed his nonsense."
"Others may not believe it, but I cannot deny it. He even urged me to lead my troops west across the continent of Kalimdor to guard against your masters' attack."
Thrall immediately became anxious and roared.
"No, that's not true! We orcs will never be slaves!"
Right, right, right, unless...
"Alright, whether it is or not depends on actions. I defeated the Blackrock Clan in Strahnbrad. They captured my people and sacrificed them to demons. How do you explain that?"
Arthas snorted, negotiation required suppressing the opponent's morale.
"The Blackrock Clan, Dragonmaw Clan, and Twilight's Hammer Clan are no longer members of the Horde. They are stubborn and deserve to die."
"Prince Arthas, you surely didn't come to me for these matters. You are a wise prince, the future ruler of this land. Please speak plainly."
Thrall was not used to such circumlocutions, but his intuition told him that the more the other party spoke, the more guilty he would feel, so he had to stop him.
"Alright, I can represent the Alliance in letting you go, but you must leave the Eastern Kingdoms and go to Kalimdor."
"Understood, but my people lack warships and supplies."
"Then you can exchange labor for them or buy them. What? Do you still want to steal them? Is this what you call the New Horde? Or do you think we are easy to bully?"
These words left Thrall a bit stunned. This wasn't right, it sounded like he had walked into a trap.
But what exactly was this trap?
No, his scalp was itching so much, he was about to grow a brain!