Gilneas City
Andreas handed the intelligence he had just received to Alleria in front of him.
After obtaining the information they wanted, the Windrunner sisters had been teleported back from Hillsbrad Foothills by Celeste.
The movements of the Forest Trolls worried Alleria and Vereesa very much. They had personally witnessed the Orcs breaking through Dunhollow Keep.
Although the Orcs were barbaric and brutal, their combat power was undoubtedly strong.
Once Zuljin really united the scattered Forest Trolls Clans, coupled with the Orcs' aid... the two were self-aware. With Quel'Thalas' current military strength, they would definitely not be able to defend it.
What they feared came to pass. Although the two had been praying in their hearts that the Horde's Orcs would not be bewitched by Zuljin, things eventually went against their wishes.
Watching Alleria and Vereesa's faces turn gloomy, Andreas sighed and said, "Just as Lireesa worried, the Orcs have allied with the Trolls."
"Although my scouts did not find out the details of the alliance, judging from the Orcs' marching route, Zuljin probably demanded that the Horde break through Quel'Thalas in exchange for the Amani Empire's full support for the Horde."
Alleria calmed down before her younger sister. She let out a long sigh and said with a wry smile, "Although Mother's physical functions have declined, her keen sense of the battlefield situation can still play a huge role. Quel'Thalas will eventually not escape this calamity."
"Big sister." Vereesa grabbed Alleria's sleeve with some trepidation and asked worriedly, "What should we do? Should we go back and tell Mom first?"
Alleria was older than Vereesa, and she had seen a lot during her years of traveling abroad. After overcoming her initial panic, she quickly calmed down.
"Before that, we must first find reinforcements for Quel'Thalas."
Alleria looked meaningfully at Andreas, who was still sitting behind his desk.
Andreas smiled and spread his hands and said, "I have no objections. Shandris' army should be arriving soon. As long as Quel'Thalas officially requests assistance, we can act at any time."
The battle situation in Hillsbrad fell into a stalemate. Without knowing that the Orc elite troops had quietly moved north, Terenas and other human kings had no intention of lifting the restrictions on Night Elves activities.
However, paper cannot contain fire after all. The Horde Allied Forces led by Orgrim and Zuljin wanted to go to Quel'Thalas, they would inevitably pass through the Wildhammer Dwarves' Aerie Peak and cross most of the Eastern Wilds. It was only a matter of time before their whereabouts were discovered.
After completing the personnel adjustment after the last battle, the 100,000 Night Elves elites led by Shandris had crossed the sea and arrived at the offshore area of the west coast of the Eastern Kingdoms.
Where to station such a large army was a problem. Even if the Gilneas Kingdom had a good relationship with the Night Elf Republic, as a member of the Alliance, Brunhilde could not allow 100,000 Night Elves troops to stay within her borders.
How this army will act depends on whether Terenas and Anasterian make up their minds first.
Alleria said seriously, "Vereesa and I will return to Quel'Thalas immediately. Although the Sun King has become a lot more stubborn in his later years, he is not so muddleheaded that he cannot see the situation clearly."
...Sure enough, the Wildhammer Dwarves' Gryphon Rider quickly discovered the Horde army quietly marching in the mountain road.
The contemporary Wildhammer Dwarves King Flightmaster Wildhammer immediately ordered an air strike on the Horde, which lacked air defense capabilities, and suffered considerable losses.
However, the terrain of the Hinterlands is relatively complicated. Traveling in the mountains with many forests can effectively avoid aerial reconnaissance.
It was not only the Wildhammer Dwarves who were natives of the Hinterlands. After Zuljin obtained Orgrim's promise, seeing the hope of the Amani Empire re-prosperity, the Darkspear Troll Clan also followed suit and joined the Horde.
Under the guidance of this group of oldest local guides, the Horde army detoured through a secret path that the Wildhammer Dwarves did not know and came to the back of Aerie Peak, launching a surprise attack from the mountains on the Wildhammer's capital.
All the defenses of Aerie Peak were concentrated at the foot of the mountain on the front. The Horde's marching route was completely beyond the Wildhammer Dwarves' expectations. The Gryphon Rider whose homeland was attacked immediately returned to defend the line.
Although the distracted Wildhammer Dwarves could still use their air superiority to attack the Horde, Orgrim vented all the humiliation and anger he suffered from the air strikes on the ground. Aerie Peak was finally breached by the Horde.
The dwarves' cries were endless on the mountain covered in flames. With a livid face, Flightmaster could only organize the people to evacuate down the mountain, while asking the Wildhammer Highlord Kurdran to delay the Horde's pursuit as much as possible.
Fortunately, Orgrim had no intention of fighting. After breaking through Aerie Peak and delaying the Gryphon Rider's footsteps, he only left a small number of troops to pretend that the main army was still there and frequently launched feints.
Orgrim himself led the main army and, guided by the Darkspear Troll, once again disappeared into the mountains and quietly entered the Eastern Wilds to the north.
When Flightmaster, who did not know the truth, had no choice but to ask the Alliance in Hillsbrad for help, Lothar realized that about half of the Horde's troops had already left the Hillsbrad front.
After deducing on the map, Lothar immediately speculated that the Horde planned to raid Capital City of Lordaeron, the Alliance's base camp.
Leaving a small number of troops to Uther to guard Hillsbrad, Lothar led the main force back north in a hurry, and along the way checked all the roads that the Horde might take to Lordaeron. Everything was safe.
"Strange."
When leaving Alterac Castle, Lothar wondered, stroking his chin, "There is no trace of the Horde anywhere. Where did they go? Are there any other valuable strongholds nearby worth attacking?"
Turalyon sat on horseback and spread out the map. His fingers gestured in the various areas north of Aerie Peak for a while, and he and Lothar, who was racking his brains, showed surprise almost at the same time.
"Quel'Thalas!"
...When Lothar ordered Turalyon to lead a detachment north to support the High Elves, Alleria and Vereesa had already returned to the Amani Forest and told their mother Lireesa about the Horde's movements.
Lireesa did not stop at all, and immediately rode the Dragonhawk raised by the Ranger to Silvermoon City to report.
"What?!"
Anasterian, who was originally leaning back on the throne, suddenly sat up straight. He frowned and looked at Lireesa, who was waiting for a reply below the throne.
A white-faced and beardless Silvermoon Councilor questioned in a slow tone, neither yin nor yang, "Ranger-General, can you be responsible for your words? This is not a joke."
"Of course."
Lireesa's sharp gaze pierced the Silvermoon Councilor, and the fierce aura she had developed over the years on the battlefield made the sarcastic words he had prepared to continue to utter stuck in his throat.
"I guarantee in the name of Windrunner that the information is absolutely true and reliable, and it was sent from the front line of Hillsbrad by my daughters Alleria and Vereesa in person."
Anasterian rubbed his forehead with a headache. As he got older, his energy was not as good as before. His loss of drive in recent years was also greatly related to the rapid decline in his physical and mental condition.
"I believe Ranger-General Lireesa would not joke about such a thing."
The Sun King took a deep breath and solemnly ordered, "Order! Quel'Thalas is in a state of emergency nationwide, and all nobles must hand over command of the Vassal Army unconditionally."
"All troops in the Amani Forest will be under the unified command of Ranger-General Lireesa. The Vassal Army of Eversong Woods will complete integration as quickly as possible and be ready to support the front line at any time."
"Everyone."
Anasterian seemed to have regained the demeanor of his youth in a short period of time. The strong sense of oppression emanating from him made many of the new generation of Silvermoon Councilors suddenly stiffen.
"The country is in trouble. Now is not the time to continue infighting. If anyone dares to drag their feet on the war mobilization order..."
A cold light flashed in the Sun King's eyes, "Don't blame me for not showing mercy to the nobles. They will all be executed!"
From Alterac, Lothar, having concluded his inspection, returned to the Capital City of Lordaeron by light cavalry, taking a small path along Lordaeron Lake.
When Lothar rushed to the kingdom to meet Terenas, a Scout was half-kneeling before the King of Lordaeron's throne, and Terenas' face was filled with astonishment.
"Are you sure? The Night Elves are heading north?"
The Scout bowed his head and replied, "Yes, I personally saw the Night Elves' fleet sailing north along the coastline."
'Night Elves?'
Lothar, surprised to hear the intelligence, paused for a moment, then a look of understanding dawned on his face.
'So that's it. Their intelligence is indeed well-informed.'
The Alliance had only recently learned of the Horde's movements from the Wildhammer Dwarves, who had proactively requested to join the Alliance. Lothar hadn't expected the Night Elves to take action even before he returned to Lordaeron.
'In that case, have the Night Elves already received Quel'Thalas' plea for help?'
Lothar knew his own business; his order for Turalyon to lead the army north was a case of acting first and reporting later, as Terenas had not yet obtained the High Elves' permission.
However, even if Turalyon's army couldn't enter Quel'Thalas territory, blocking Orgrim's rear would still cause considerable trouble for the Horde, buying enough time for the Alliance's main forces to deploy… Just as Lothar had guessed, Anasterian, under Lireesa's clear and reasoned analysis, finally accepted the fact that the High Elves could not single-handedly stop the combined Horde forces.
In this critical moment, Anasterian cast aside his unnecessary pride and humbled himself, seeking help from his grandaunt Celeste, who had accompanied Alleria and Vereesa to Quel'Thalas.
Although Celeste had once declared she would never again concern herself with Quel'Thalas, it was ultimately just a momentary fit of pique; she couldn't possibly stand by and watch the lifelong efforts of her father and brother be destroyed by crude Orcs.
Upon receiving Celeste's report, Andreas rendezvoused with Shandris, who had just arrived near the Eastern Kingdoms coast, and they headed north together towards Quel'Thalas.
Having already received notification from Anasterian, the High Elves' coastal navy did not obstruct this large fleet of troop transports.
Andreas and his group, leveraging their technologically superior high cruising speed, arrived and disembarked at Sunsail Port ahead of the Horde.
After Shandris disembarked, she looked at the still bustling but somewhat anxious Sunsail Port with a touch of emotion.
"As expected of a nation founded by the Highborne. Leaving aside social issues like Mana Addiction and class conflicts, Quel'Thalas' standard of living is no less advanced than the Night Elf Republic."
Shandris could discern some clues from the attire of the dockworkers who were urgently helping to unload nearby; food, clothing, housing, and transportation are the most direct indicators of a nation's populace's living standards.
Andreas fully entrusted the task of communicating with Anasterian to Celeste; he had no desire to see the faces of those Silvermoon Council members, fearing he might be unable to resist punching their perpetually upturned noses.
In Celeste's words, Quel'Thalas' nobles had not learned the essence of the Night Elf Empire's nobility, yet they had acquired their pampered, haughty temper.
At least the nobles of the Night Elf Empire knew to respect Queen Azshara; Quel'Thalas' nobles, due to Anasterian's somewhat lenient governing style, seemed to want to squat on the Sun King's head and defecate.
If not for Celeste occasionally making her presence felt, stirring up painful, unbearable memories in some people's hearts, who knew what the state of Quel'Thalas' upper echelons would be like now.
Andreas and Shandris learned about the situation among Quel'Thalas' high-ranking officials during this period from Lireesa.
With Celeste presiding over the Sunstrider Royal Court, the Silvermoon Council members were like mice seeing a cat; their usual haughty demeanor was nowhere to be seen, and they could only keep their heads down all day, not daring to spout nonsense.
These nobles, who only dared to act tough among themselves, were only capable of so much; they dared to strike hard against the Sun King but became subservient and timid in front of Celeste, a typical example of bullying the weak and fearing the strong.
Under the guidance of Sylvanas, who was in charge of the handover, Andreas and his group got a firsthand look at the so-called noble Vassal Army as they proceeded to set up defenses in the Amani Forest.
"These, can they even be called soldiers?"
A hint of mockery flashed in Shandris' eyes as she looked, half-smiling, at the slovenly High Elf soldiers undergoing training.
These private armies of nobles, long indulging in wine and women, seemed to have no bones in their bodies; after standing for a while, they began to sway, and some soldiers even hiccuped drunkenly from beginning to end, clearly not yet sober from last night's hangover.
Sylvanas' face flushed with embarrassment; although these noble private armies had nothing to do with the Ranger Corps, they were still her country's troops, and seeing such a disgraceful sight made her, who had always been strong-willed, feel extremely mortified.
"We can't do anything about it. The nobles of Eversong Woods have enjoyed peace for too long and have long neglected the training of their Vassal Army. Mother never expected any assistance from these Vassal Armies from the start."
This was the biggest drawback of the feudal noble system, and also the main reason Andreas only retained a system of honorary nobility.
Although the Vassal Army was nominally under central jurisdiction, their salaries, training, and management were entirely the responsibility of local lords.
Once a lord was unreliable and their management of the Vassal Army wasn't strict enough… this group of pampered soldiers before them was a vivid example.
Andreas would never casually delegate the authority to manage the army, which held the nation's security, to local lords, unless one could genuinely prove their capability, such as Elisana Ravencrest of Black Rook Hold and Elisande of Suramar.
Seeing Sylvanas' face growing darker and darker, Andreas and Shandris wisely chose not to bring it up again; after all, these useless individuals wouldn't be needed anyway.
Although the condition of most noble Vassal Armies was utterly dismal, the Sun King actually held the true heavyweights of the nation.
Among them was the Sunstrider Legion, directly under the royal family, Quel'Thalas' true elite mage corps.
To lead by example, Anasterian also dispatched the Sunstrider Legion to the Amani Forest to receive Lireesa's command.
As news of the Horde's northern advance to attack Quel'Thalas spread among the Alliance nations, the High Elf Prince Kaelthas, who was in Dalaran, could no longer sit still.
Although he had always received respect from the Kirin Tor Council during his time in Dalaran, and Antonidas had even granted him a councilor position, this was ultimately not Kaelthas' homeland.
Hearing of his homeland's plight, Kaelthas explained the reason to Archmage Antonidas, temporarily took leave from the Kirin Tor Council, and hastily teleported back to Silvermoon City.
Andreas first met the renowned Prince Kaelthas when he arrived at the military town of Tirisfal in the Amani Forest.
With his soft, flowing hair like molten gold, refined demeanor, and exquisitely delicate features, for a moment, Andreas actually thought he was standing before a beautiful woman.
But he still noticed a clue from the other party's Adam's apple; this beauty, whose appearance was more enchanting than a woman's, was actually male. He was Kaelthas Sunstrider, Prince of Quel'Thalas.
Although Kael'thas appeared rather effeminate, his style of action was quite sharp and decisive. It was said to be due to Celeste' influence since childhood.
Andaria had already noticed this from Kael'thas' defiant attitude towards the Sun King.
This world's Kael'thas was somewhat different in personality from the one in the original history; he was less indecisive and hesitant, and more pioneering and resolute, much like his ancestor Dath'Remar.
Celeste had perhaps learned a lesson from Anasterian. From a very early age, she subtly influenced young Kael's worldview, gradually shaping him into his current personality.
'This is good. In times of chaos, strict measures are needed. A pleasure-seeking Quel'Thalas indeed needs a strong king to forcefully push through reforms.'
Although Kael'thas possessed a sharp demeanor, his royal etiquette education was never neglected.
"Speaker Moonshadow, it is an honor to meet you. I am Kael'thas Sunstrider, Crown Prince of Quel'Thalas."
Andaria smiled and returned the greeting, "I am also pleased to meet you, Prince Kael'thas."
With the prince personally stationed in Tranquillien, the unruly elites of the Sunfury Corps finally didn't cause any trouble, obediently accepting the command of the "country bumpkin duke" Windrunner.
As both Orgrim and Zul'jin had reasons to rush, the Horde, advancing at a forced march, arrived just as the combined forces of the Night Elves and High Elves had finished setting up their defenses.
An urgent report came from the Gate of Salas, which connected Eastweald and the Amani Forest. However, before the messenger could reach the command post in Tranquillien, the Gate of Salas had already been forcefully smashed open by the immensely strong ogre slave army.
The fall of the Gate of Salas was long anticipated. Due to time constraints, this gateway guarding Quel'Thalas did not have enough time to deploy many defenders, so it was only natural that it couldn't withstand the Horde's attack.
Fortunately, Lireesa had already given orders to abandon the position immediately if it couldn't be held and retreat to the Sanctum of the Sun, located at the sacred tree of Thas'alah, to hold their ground.
Due to their fighting style, the High Elves, apart from Silvermoon City, had not built any sturdy walls or defenses within their borders.
High Elf Rangers, skilled in guerrilla warfare in the forest, would typically engage in mobile combat to inflict as much damage as possible on the enemy's living forces within the forest.
However, this time the total number of the Horde was over a hundred thousand. With less than fifty thousand High Elf Rangers, it was almost impossible to repel them through guerrilla tactics.
Moreover, the Horde's approach was completely different from that of the Amani Trolls.
The Amani wanted to reclaim their territory step by step, and coupled with their insufficient forces, they always adopted a strategy of fighting for every inch of land.
The Horde, however, was different. After Orgrim's negotiations, the agreement he reached with Zul'jin was merely to help the Forest Trolls break through Quel'Thalas' capital, Silvermoon City.
The Horde completely ignored the countless detours near the main road to Silvermoon City, charging straight towards the Eversong Forest.
Zul'Aman, having received the news early, also dispatched its main forces at the opportune moment, burning, killing, and looting their way to rendezvous with the Horde.
The Forest Trolls' poor military discipline made Orgrim frown a little, but at the moment, he was in no position to criticize Zul'jin; the red-eyed Orcs were not much better.
Outside the Tranquillien military town, a large number of chevaux de frise were urgently deployed to block the road, and the allied rangers had also set up many magical traps nearby.
At the very front were the High Elves' Arcane Golems. These expensive golems possessed strong defense and magic resistance, but in Andaria's opinion, the constructs built by the High Elves were somewhat flashy and impractical.
Their movements were slow and stiff, and the programmed AI seemed quite foolish. Compared to the Arcane Golems used by Dath'Remar when the kingdom was founded, there seemed to be no significant progress.
Kael'thas obviously noticed Andaria's and Shandris' disdainful glances. He somewhat awkwardly explained, "Although the materials used for Arcane Golems have undergone many updates and replacements, the accompanying intelligent programs..."
"Cough~ The High Elves' research in magi-tech is more focused on the civilian sector. Mages aren't particularly keen on researching military equipment."
'Putting the cart before the horse...'
Andaria shook his head helplessly. In his opinion, most high-tech equipment in the civilian sector should be downgraded from military products.
This would both ensure that the equipment reaching the public was sufficiently safe and, on the other hand, guarantee the army's cutting-edge combat capability.
Celeste pouted and said, "Ultimately, it's still about seeking pleasure. They'd rather spend time researching how to enjoy themselves better, neglecting support for national defense technology."
"I've said it before, the atmosphere in Quel'Thalas needs reform. That stubborn Anasterian..."
Kael'thas deliberately coughed, "Cough~ Celeste, please be mindful of your words."
When Orgrim led the Horde army to the front of Tranquillien, the Warchief, in a hurry, first thought about how to bypass this heavily fortified military town.
Although Zul'jin and Orgrim were temporarily on the same path, their fundamental interests and demands were vastly different.
Orgrim wanted to use Zul'jin's troll reinforcements to break through Lordaeron, but Zul'jin only wanted revenge on the High Elves and to restore the former glory of the Amani Empire.
Zul'jin intended to use the Horde's military might to forcefully crush the High Elves' defenses, thereby boosting the morale of the Forest Trolls, which had been suppressed within their capital for many years.
When Orgrim asked about bypassing the area, Zul'jin's eyes darted around. Leveraging his advantage as a local, he immediately began to speak fluently.
"Warchief, bypassing Tranquillien is very difficult."
"To the west of this military formation is a defensive stronghold called the Moon Temple. The temple is garrisoned by many mages, and with the temple's own defensive systems, it is very difficult to breach."
"To the east of Tranquillien are the ancestral burial grounds of us Amani Trolls, surrounded by mountains. To bypass it, one would have to go through Lake Elrendar further east, but there is also a Tower of Morningstar blocking the way there."
Orgrim had no doubts, as Zul'jin spoke logically, and a three-dimensional strategic map even formed in his mind.
"So, no matter which way we go, we must launch a frontal assault. Considering the length of the routes, attacking Tranquillien directly is the most suitable?"
Zul'jin deliberately adopted a humble posture and bowed his head, replying, "The Warchief is wise."
Zul'jin's words were generally not problematic; he merely deliberately omitted some "irrelevant" parts.
Due to the High Elves' expertise in mobile warfare, apart from the heavily fortified Tranquillien, the surrounding defensive strongholds could not be made as strong as Tranquillien in a short time, and there might indeed be gaps around the strongholds.
Orgrim sighed. Although he didn't want to expend too many Horde forces in Quel'Thalas, to gain the support of the Forest Trolls, he could only grit his teeth and order a frontal assault.
"Gul'dan, put your Stormreaver Clan at the very front."
Orgrim commanded expressionlessly, "You wanted autonomy, didn't you? I'll give you a chance. As long as the Stormreaver Clan can gain an advantage for the Horde in this battle, I will grant you the freedom you desire."
Gul'dan's eyes lit up, and he quickly bowed respectfully, "Thank you for your generosity, esteemed Warchief."
"Cho'gall!"
Gul'dan's expression immediately changed after turning his head. He sternly roared at the two-headed ogre mage, "You heard that, didn't you? Send your ogres to charge the defenses!"
Gul'dan, leading the Stormreaver Clan into battle, and Warchief Orgrim both sneered simultaneously, each believing they had grasped what the other desired and thought.
'Fool.'
His goal was very simple, and it had never changed since he was scorned by his own people: to become an existence admired and worshipped by everyone.
The concept of 'god' was first introduced to Gul'dan by Kil'jaeden.
The ignorant orcs initially couldn't grasp this concept, so Kil'jaeden deliberately described it in a way that Gul'dan could more easily absorb.
A higher life form, nobler than ordinary mortals, with a more advanced level of life and soul, possessing eternal immortality and unparalleled power.
For the Night Elves, who had eternal lifespans and powerful bodies and magical talents, the so-called 'gods' had always lived within their reach.
Don't dismiss demigods; these beings with immortal souls have indeed transcended the mortal realm.
After a long period of observation, Andreas had learned a great deal about the original brown-skinned orcs and the green-skinned orcs who drank demon blood.
The physical prowess of ordinary brown-skinned orc warriors was not much higher than that of humans who had undergone formal combat training; at most, they could take on two, and a one-on-one fight against a Draenei was not guaranteed to be a win.
However, after drinking Mannoroth's fel blood, the orcs' physical functions were greatly developed, and although it overdrawn their potential, they did gain physical abilities far exceeding their normal state for a certain period of time.
Unlike atypical mortal races, such as the various elf sub-races, orcs and humans were the most standard mortal templates.
They had short lifecycles, strong reproductive capabilities, and infinite potential in their brief lives; even exceptionally gifted individuals could achieve unimaginable progress in just a hundred years, a speed that long-lived races could not match.
Born with the blessing of the Well of Eternity, Night Elves inherently possessed outstanding arcane affinity and physical talent.
Although there was a gap in absolute strength compared to green-skinned orcs, considering their overall combat qualities like agility, Night Elves had no problem defeating green-skinned orcs in a one-on-one fight.
If the differences in tactics and military discipline between the two sides were also considered, the young orc race was practically crushed by the Night Elves.
Orgrim's confidence in being able to subdue the entire Eastern Kingdoms stemmed from his lack of experience.
The most powerful enemies the orcs had ever encountered were the Draenei, and those were Draenei who had self-castrated under Velen's discipline.
Due to Prophet Velen's benevolent foreign policy, the Draenei would never fight to the death unless pushed to the brink.
The reason green-skinned orcs were able to keep the Draenei confined to their cities on Draenor was actually very simple: numerical superiority.
Draenor was the orcs' homeworld, while the Draenei were merely alien exiles who had accidentally crash-landed from space; the foundations of the two sides on Draenor were completely incomparable.
From this perspective, Gul'dan's knowledge was broader than that of Warchief Orgrim; he learned about a wider world beyond Draenor from Kil'jaeden and the Burning Legion, a world filled with various types of demons countless times stronger than orcs.
Gul'dan, whose sole goal was to become a god, had no intention of living and dying with the Horde; he merely wanted to use the Horde's military strength to rampage across Azeroth, making it easier for him to obtain what he desired.
The Tomb of Sargeras.
Although a period of unconsciousness had caused many things to spiral out of his control, Gul'dan had at least managed to locate the Tomb of Sargeras in Medivh's mind.
Now, his greatest desire was to escape Orgrim's omnipresent surveillance, set sail, find the sunken island where the Tomb of Sargeras was located, and absorb power from the fel artifacts within the tomb.
Orgrim's promise played right into his hands; although he could guess the other party's intentions—the Warchief wanted to use the High Elves to deplete the strength of the Stormreaver Clan, making it easier to control him.
Gul'dan simply went along with the plan; he had no feelings for his orc brethren who had scorned and ostracized him since childhood, and he didn't care about the casualties of the Stormreaver Clan at all.
As long as he could achieve his goal, the complete annihilation of the entire Stormreaver Clan was irrelevant.
Interestingly, Orgrim also believed he had guessed Gul'dan's intentions: the cunning warlock wanted to use this to escape his control.
However, the Warchief had long since planted spies and hidden agents around Gul'dan, and the two, each with their own ulterior motives, at least reached a consensus on the attack on Tranquillien.
On the top floor of the Tranquillien Mage Tower, this strange scene was what Andreas and the others observed.
The main orc forces remained firmly in place, with only a single clan of less than a thousand warriors sent out to lead the charge.
...What does this mean? Kael'thas couldn't understand the orcs' thought process. Aren't they in a hurry? Why aren't they launching a full-scale attack immediately?
This was also the question Zul'jin wanted to ask; the Amani chieftain, eager for revenge, was not interested in the feud between Orgrim and Gul'dan; he only wanted results.
Warchief! Why aren't you sending in heavy troops? What can a mere clan accomplish?
Don't worry, Chieftain Zul'jin, Gul'dan's clan has quite a few spellcasters. Let's watch their performance for now.
Orgrim stood with his arms crossed, calmly watching Gul'dan direct the Stormreaver Clan to form their ranks.
The core territory of Quel'Thalas possessed a powerful magical barrier called the Ban'dinoriel, which, once activated, could prevent all enemies within its range from using spells.
However, Tranquillien, located within the Amani Forest, was not within the barrier's range, and Gul'dan and other warlocks encountered no hindrance when casting spells.
Due to Gul'dan's promise to Orgrim not to use fel energy, the warlocks under Gul'dan's command could only awkwardly use shadow and death magic.
Under Cho'gall's command, the strong ogres charged at the forefront, raising their weapons high, capable of shattering thick cheval de frise with a single blow.
Lirath signaled with his right hand, and the ranger units within Tranquillien drew their longbows to full tension.
Free fire!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Almost every High Elf ranger was a master archer, and years of fighting forest trolls had given them extensive experience in combat. The robed spellcasters in the rear of the Stormreaver Clan were the first targets of their ranged attacks.
Hmph!
The hunched Gul'dan snorted, raising his hand to grasp at the air, and most of the arrows aimed at the orc warlocks were deflected from their original trajectory by some kind of attractive force.
Oh?
Andreas stroked his chin with interest. A weakened group version of Death Grip?
It must be said, Gul'dan was indeed a magical prodigy. After Orgrim forbade the use of fel energy, he only took a little over a year to deduce the basic principles of using death and shadow energy by analogy.
Death Grip, used by Death Knights, was a magical product of the combination of these two. Since Theron Gorefiend could use it, there was no reason why Gul'dan, his mentor, couldn't.
As Gul'dan intervened to help the Stormreaver Clan defend against the first wave of arrows, the orc warlocks also began to retaliate, with numerous dark shadow bolts flying towards Tranquillien, which lacked city wall defenses.
Kael'thas remained unfazed, lightly activating Tranquillien's Mage Tower defenses. A translucent blue-violet light barrier blocked the warlocks' magical attacks.
As the defending side, the well-rested High Elves would not launch a proactive attack. Kael'thas even deliberately stationed the Night Elf army a little further from Tranquillien; he intended to use this war to temper the High Elf army, which had not experienced a major battle in a long time.
The ogre infantry continued to approach. Lirath, authorized by Kael'thas, commanded loudly, "Arcane golems, advance and defend! Sunfury Corps, prepare to attack!"