Now, the Horde has just experienced the Garrosh Rebellion, and the position of Warchief has fallen into Vol'jin's hands, leaving it in an unprecedentedly weak state.
The situation was even worse for the Orcs, especially among themselves.
Garrosh left for Draenor, Thrall was ostracized by Vol'jin and even finding it difficult to enter Orgrimmar, leaving Saurfang the Great as the only remaining Orcs with the highest status.
Unfortunately, whether it was during Thrall's reign or Garrosh's Iron Horde era, both sides were very wary of Saurfang, weakening his support, secretly suppressing him, and stripping him of his real power. As a result, although High Saurfang the Great had extremely high prestige in the army, his foundation was too shallow, and not many generals were willing to support him.
Even Eitrigg could Pain Suppression Saurfang and could kill him at any moment.
Unfortunately, neither Saurfang nor Eitrigg could borrow troops from the Caverns of Time, Orcs lost their greatest advantage.
Without a doubt, now is the best time to annihilate the Horde.
Varian was intrigued by Shanmiusen's proposal.
But then a dark look appeared on Varian's face, and an image of a valiant woman flashed into his mind.
Shanmiusen, being a close attendant, was adept at understanding the King's thoughts and whispered:
"Your King, please do not worry. We Thunder destroyed Orgrimmar and captured Vol'jin. The Forsaken and Blood Elves are merely opportunists, especially Sylvanas, who will never fight the Alliance alone. I suspect she will soon become a member of the Alliance."
Varian's eyes lit up, and he became very interested. If he could bring Sylvanas's Forsaken under his command, wouldn't that fulfill his dream?
Although Sylvanas is Undead, it is not irreversible; Varian had long heard that Tirion Fordring had succeeded.
Maraad watched quietly from the sidelines with a cold smile. Shanmiusen seemed to have the upper hand, but he hadn't grasped the key elements of the negotiation.
Varian deliberately left Maraad aside, and warmly beckoned Shanmiusen to his side, saying with a beaming smile:
"This matter has great potential. If the Horde can be eradicated, Azeroth will have truly won peace, except for Medivh in Karazhan."
As we all know, Medivh has spared no effort in supporting the Orcs, and he probably won't allow the Alliance to send troops to wipe Orcs out.
Shanmiusen glanced at Maraad, and without any hesitation, said:
"Kel'Thuzad was recently spotted in Northrend and is said to have a close relationship with Duke Bolvar."
Varian's worries turned to joy. There was no doubt about Duke Bolvar's loyalty to Varian. Even after becoming the Lich King, he still maintained secret dealings with Stormwind City. Duke Bolvar personally promised that if Stormwind City were to face a crisis, the Scourge would be willing to provide reinforcements at any time.
With Medivh seeking refuge with the Scourge, Stormwind City is safe.
Varian slammed his hand on the table, his heart pounding with emotion, and said:
"Alright, let's do it this way. Without the Horde, we no longer need to worry about Garrosh coming to kill us."
Immediately afterwards, Varian looked at Maraad with a defiant gaze:
"I wonder what the garrison commander thinks?"
Maraad bowed and said:
"Congratulations, Your King! Prophet Velen foresaw this scene in his prophecy. You personally beheaded Vol'jin and Thrall. To commemorate your hard-won freedom, the Tauren have engraved your image on gold coins. Sylvanas will also become your queen. Many years later, Orgrimmar will be buried by the sands of time."
"I don't care about being a queen; as long as the people can achieve peace, my personal honor and disgrace are insignificant."
Varian beamed. "So, the Prophet Velen supports my annihilation of the Horde?"
Maraad calmly stated, "The Prophet Velen instructed that everything should be decided by His Majesty abroad. Although the annihilation of the Horde went very smoothly, however..."
At this point, Maraad hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.
"Speak freely," Varian said, sounding somewhat impatient.
A look of sorrow appeared in Maraad's eyes:
"When peace came, the people of Kingdom of Stormwind no longer needed a King. The royal line of Stormwind City ended, and the House Wrynn fled to Silvermoon City, severing all ties with Kingdom of Stormwind from then on."
Varian was dumbfounded. He sat back on his throne and lowered his head to think.
Seeing things were going badly, Shanmiusen whispered a word of advice:
"Your King, Velen's prophecies have never come true, otherwise the Draenei wouldn't have been slaughtered by the Orcs. The people of Stormwind City will always support you."
Varian frowned and said, "What if it's true?"
Maraad was secretly pleased. He knew these so-called emperors; once they reached the pinnacle of power, they would believe in ghosts and spirits and be superstitious about prophecies involving ghosts.
In Varian's mind, the rule of House Wrynn was his greatest concern. As for the safety of the people of Kingdom of Stormwind and the so-called peace, they would probably rank far below tenth, not even as important as whether his dance partner at the ball was charming enough.
By grasping the key elements of the negotiation, Maraad successfully turned the tide.
Shanmiusen was unwilling to give up so easily and wanted to say something more, but Varian waved his hand, looking slightly tired, and said:
"You can all go down first. I need to rest for a bit and think things through before making a decision."
Maraad returned to the inn but did not rush to rest. Although the Draenei were still relatively new to Azeroth, they had already planted some spies in Stormwind City.
Not long after, intelligence arrived that Varian had sent Shanmiusen away and ordered him to Hinterlands to capture the Gryphon.
Maraad's lips curled up slightly, knowing he had won.
Later, Maraad requested an audience with the King, which was readily granted.
Inside the war council room, Maraad met Varian. In front of them was a sand table of Draenor drawn based on the Outland. Varian was thinking with his head down, but his mind was not on the sand table.
Maraad suppressed his excitement and said loudly:
"King Varian, it's getting late. It's time to declare war on these Orcs."
Varian raised his head, his face ashen:
"I contacted Bolvar, that bastard, and he actually scolded me for betraying the Alliance and pushing Stormwind City into the Abyss. Well, now I have to cooperate with these treacherous beasts of the Horde. I have a bad feeling I'm going to be killed by an Orcs."
Maraad, prepared for this, proclaimed loudly, "The Prophet Velen foretold that you would sit firmly on the throne of Stormwind City until you grow old and die peacefully."
"May the prophecy come true."
Varian finally found some comfort, sighed, and frowned, saying:
"When my father fought these demons, I was just a child. He knew nothing about these Orcs Clans. His mistakes cost him his life and led to the destruction of Kingdom of Stormwind. I don't want to repeat his mistakes."
Maraad took a few steps forward and said, "But you are different from your father. King Llane was a warrior, but you are far wiser than him."
Varian nodded. "I know, but how can I make the outcome different? You know my situation—not just the Iron Horde, but also the threat from Orgrimmar."
The heavy Hammer of the Naaru slammed onto the sand table, which, though impolite, successfully drew Varian's attention.
"You can start by taking my advice. I've faced them myself, and it's a painful memory."
An indescribable pain flashed across Maraad's resolute face.
Varian looked up. "You two fought in Draenor, many years ago."
"That's right," Maraad encouraged Varian. "Believe me, Orcs have weaknesses too."