Varian placed the human soldiers in the center, slightly behind, with the Gnolls and Murlocs on the left and right flanks respectively.
Although the humans were merely a ragtag army composed of the elderly, the sick, the disabled, and infants, they were, after all, Varian's own kind, used to protect Varian's safety.
The Gnoll and Murloc were the main force, positioned on the flanks to prevent them from getting caught up in a melee.
Before the Argent Crusade's battle, Tirion Fordring delivered his usual speech.
Tirion Fordring, riding a tall horse and clad in gleaming golden armor, stood at the front of the formation and proclaimed:
"Warriors of the Argent Crusade, before you stand the enemies plotting to destroy Azeroth: the humans of the Alliance. They are despicable and shameless, the most Evil creatures of Azeroth, as repulsive as the Scourge Evil. For the sake of Azeroth, destroy these Evil humans!"
Although the majority of the Argent Crusade were human, they seemed to have forgotten to join Tirion Fordring in shouting, "Destroy Evil humans!"
Tirion Fordring, in high spirits, continued shouting:
"Evil humans must be eradicated, not a single one left! Only the Orcs are the only noble race! For the great Savior Thrall —no, for the benevolent Warchief Garrosh! For Azeroth! Warriors, Charge!"
"Charge! Slaughter all the despicable humans, for Azeroth!"
The Argent Crusade, shouting slogans, launched their Charge.
The Gnolls and Murlocs had never seen such a sight before. When they heard that the humans were to be slaughtered and that the humans were Charge towards them, they were thrown into chaos.
As soon as the battle began, a group of Gnolls, disoriented and unable to distinguish between Varian's army and the Argent Crusade, charged straight at the center of the army.
The soldiers Varian forcibly recruited were just there to make up the numbers; they were easily breached by the Gnolls. Seeing the large horde of Gnolls charging towards them, Varian, who was in charge of the central army, was terrified.
Fortunately, the Royal Guards of Undercity were highly skilled and successfully held off the Gnolls ' attack, protecting Varian as he retreated. Varian was terrified and almost got eaten by the Gnolls.
Tirion Fordring's days were equally difficult.
As soon as the battle began, the Murlocs were thrown into chaos. But Murlocs are naturally inclined to unite, and large groups of Murlocs gathered together, forming several teams, and then charged in all directions without any clear direction.
One of the Murloc groups successfully broke through the Argent Crusade's defenses, reaching Tirion Fordring and nearly killing Tirion Fordring.
Gnoll and Murloc are weaker than humans. In a one-on-one battle, their fighting strength would be no match for humans; their only advantage lies in their sheer numbers.
Unfortunately, the soldiers of the Argent Crusade were generally underfed and physically weak, with even walking becoming a problem. They were unable to withstand the onslaught of the Gnoll and Murlocs.
At first, the Argent Crusade was able to form ranks and charge into battle, but they were quickly thrown into disarray by the Gnolls and Murlocs' chaotic fighting, and were scattered among the soldiers, each fighting their own battle.
Tirion Fordring had no choice but to lead his elite troops deeper into the battlefield to reunite the scattered Argent Crusade.
As the Argent Crusade fought, they discovered that their true enemies were the Gnolls and Murlocs. The Gnolls and Murlocs then engaged in internecine warfare, quickly descending into chaos.
Ultimately, three factions emerged: gnolls, merfolk, and humans. Varian, caught up in the chaos, found himself standing with Fordring, and the two inexplicably fought side by side.
The chaotic battle lasted for half a day, leaving corpses strewn across the field and rivers of blood flowing.
The Gnoll army collapsed first, scattering and fleeing in all directions.
Many Gnolls fled into the dense forest and settled there, constantly harassing the surrounding inhabitants and causing countless troubles for the Forsaken.
Before long, the Murlocs also fled, with many Murlocs escaping to the coast of Tirisfal Glades. Because they had no natural predators, the Murlocs multiplied rapidly and became the Overlord on the Tirisfal coast.
After the battle, the 10,000 Argent Crusade suffered heavy losses, but successfully maintained their formation, and Varian unsurprisingly became Tirion Fordring's prisoner.
Looking at the Undead Varian, Tirion Fordring's face was grim. Pointing to the corpses scattered on the ground, he said:
"Shameless King Varian, these are all your crimes, do you know your sins?"
Varian stubbornly retorted, "Tirion Fordring, have you forgotten? I am the King of Stormwind City, the leader of the Alliance. You are plotting against me!"
Tirion Fordring sneered maliciously, "Varian, you should understand that my loyalty is only to the noble Orcs, and I have never acknowledged a lowly King like you."
During the melee, a small group secretly escaped through the sewers.
Varian and Tirion Fordring engaged in a great battle, Undercity was heavily guarded. However, Thrall had unexpectedly bribed merchants within Undercity and discovered a secret passage.
This passage was located deep in the sewers, requiring one to hold their breath and swim through a considerable stretch of sewage. Fortunately, Thrall was a Shaman and cast Underwater Breathing on himself and the others.
The sewage reeked of decay, and rotting corpses could be seen occasionally. In their desperate attempt to escape, Thrall and his companions disregarded everything else.
Thrall cautiously poked his head out of the mud, and upon discovering that they were already outside Undercity, his face lit up with joy, and he whispered:
"I knew it. Varian is an unreliable guy. Humph, an army of 500,000? I doubt he can even muster 50,000."
Vol'jin, wiping the mud off his fangs, whispered:
"Your Savior is brilliant. By using Varian to buy time, you successfully misled Sylvanas. She would never have guessed that you had already planned your escape—no, your retreat."
Thrall, beaming with pride, sneered, "I knew it! Sylvanas would betray us to Garrosh. We absolutely cannot sit idly by and wait to die."
Behind him, Eitrigg said worriedly, "After this battle, Kingdom of Stormwind is completely finished. But what should we do? Garrosh is at the height of his power and has gained the support of the Emissary. I'm afraid the two Guardians will also side with them."
Those who escaped with Thrall were all his trusted confidants. Upon hearing this, their faces darkened, and they were filled with sorrow for their future.
During this most difficult time, everyone offered their opinions.
Someone suggested going to Theramore and joining Jaina's side, but Thrall rejected the idea.
Some suggested seeking refuge in Ironforge, Thrall pondered for a long time before finally shaking his head.
Some suggested returning to Outland and settling in the warmer Nagrand, but Thrall refused without hesitation.
Ultimately, it was Thrall who made the decision.
"Gentlemen, the worst is yet to come. I have secretly built a luxurious palace in the Swamp of Sorrows, with mountains of Wealth enough to feed us for ten lifetimes. I have a feeling that Garrosh's Warchief won't last long. I will return as soon as the situation changes."
Vol'jin was taken aback; he had no idea at all. Looking at Eitrigg beside him, he saw the same astonishment. Sure enough, Thrall had another confidant.
Of course, as the saying goes, a cunning rabbit has three burrows, so Thrall certainly had more than one palace.
The group disguised themselves as Horde adventurers passing through, having rented dozens of Gryphon in Silverpine Forest, and flew to the Swamp of Sorrows under the cover of night.