The spread of the Plague was far more terrifying than imagined.
The continuation of the forests near Stratholme gradually spreads outwards, entering Corin's Crossing, Darrowshire, westwards, across Andorhal, and finally reaching the Four Great Farms, where its spread gradually slows down.
Robbie's plan was simply to infect the trees around Stratholme with the Plague.
But unexpectedly, it quickly spread like wildfire. It turns out that the origin of the Eastern and Western Plaguelands was all due to Robbie's suggestion. Knowing about this terrible consequence, Robbie felt a chill run down his spine.
Things often unfold unexpectedly, even for someone like him who had traveled through time.
Faced with this terrifying Plague, the Silver Hand, the Orcs Legion, and the Elf Rangers all halted their advance.
Uther sent men to investigate the Plague. The Plague was powerful, but fortunately it did not kill the trees. Most of the trees were still growing tenaciously, but because they were corroded by the Plague, they could no longer be made into siege weapons.
The good news is that the Plague only spreads rapidly among plants, and humans will not get infected as long as they do not eat food infected with Plague.
"Look at this Plague! It's all the evil deeds of the Cult of the Damned, destroying the land we depend on for survival! We Orcs absolutely cannot tolerate such cruelty!" Thrall protested loudly.
"Marching towards Stratholme, slaughter them all!"
The march proceeded without hindrance, and the three massive Legions arrived at Stratholme without incident.
Baron Rivendare climbed the city wall and gazed at the three armies encamped in the distance.
Walking alongside Baron Rivendare was an Archmage named Maleki, now dressed in a black robe, his face obscured by the shadows of his hood, followed by two snarling Ghouls.
Maleki's image is that of Kel'Thuzad, used to intimidate the Guardian Medivh.
The Order of the Silver Hand still wore their silver-white tents. Due to the scarcity of timber, there was only a low fence surrounding the camp, which was practically nonexistent. The knights of the Silver Hand were diligently digging trenches, hoping to build a high wall out of stones and mud, but progress was far from satisfactory.
The Orcs camp was in chaos. A few Orcs demolished nearby houses and built all sorts of temporary shelters. Since most of the houses had been ordered to be burned down by the baron, the Orcs could not find enough materials, and most Orcs soldiers had to live in crypts, which were traditionally reserved for laborers.
The Elf rangers are most troubled by this. Elves love dense forests the most, as they are their natural habitat. However, the forests near Stratholme are now infected with Plague, so they can only live in tents, which they are not very good at making.
Baron Rivendare silently assessed the balance of power between the two sides.
Although lords from all over Lordaeron were converging on Stratholme, Baron Rivendare knew very well that the defense of the city could not rely on these hastily assembled ragtag troops; the main force would still be the local garrison of Stratholme.
Although Stratholme is Northern Military Stronghold, it is only a slightly larger territory. The number of troops stationed there is only one-third of that of the Silver Hand, not to mention the much larger Orcs Legions. Fortunately, the number of Elf rangers is much smaller, and the three armies outside the city combined are at least ten times the size of the Stratholme garrison.
As the art of war says, if ten times the enemy's strength, then surround them; this is a very difficult defensive battle.
To his relief, Baron Rivendare did not see the mountain of siege equipment.
Baron Rivendare was observing the three Legions, while Thrall, Sylvanas, and Uther were also observing Stratholme.
The towering, dark city walls and sturdy gates were clearly blocked by huge stones. The soldiers and civilians inside the city were prepared to fight to the death. There were no reinforcements from outside, and they had no intention of breaking out. The city gates had become useless.
Looking at the magical mist shrouding the city walls, Sylvanas felt a headache coming on. With this magical mist, only the most skilled Elf rangers could shoot arrows onto the walls, and such rangers numbered less than one-tenth.
"Is that Archmage Kel'Thuzad?"
Thrall stared at the Archmage on the city wall, two Ghouls following closely behind, protecting the mage dressed in black robes. Mages who could summon Ghouls and knew Necromancy were rare in Lordaeron.
Uther nodded, somewhat annoyed, and said:
"With Kel'Thuzad here, the Guardian cannot intervene."
Thrall chuckled. Although Thrall was just an infant during the Second War, he had heard Veterans recount the war more than once how the Orcs Legions had crushed humanity time and time again.
In Thrall's mind, the weak human soldiers were no match for him. In fact, since he became chieftain, he had never fought a direct war with the human Legions, which made him take Stratholme very lightly.
"I'm not that useless piece of trash, Grommash Hellscream, and my men aren't the cowards of the Warsong Clan."
Because they had consumed too much Demon Blood, the Warsong Clan feared the Rage Potion. The Legion Thrall brought was mainly composed of Orcs raised by King Terenas from the people of Lordaeron in Internment Camps throughout Lordaeron.
"Uther, send a message to Baron Rivendare: I want a major battle with him at the gates of Stratholme."
Uther knew Baron Rivendare fairly well, but his knowledge was limited. Back then, the Orcs used a single invitation to war to lure the garrison of Lordaeron City out of its fortified city, resulting in the deaths of 50,000 soldiers on the battlefield.
Judging from his own experience, Uther believed that Baron Rivendare would also agree. In his view, it was an incomparably noble honor, a passionate and heroic confrontation, and even knowing that death was inevitable, he would fight for honor.
Knowing they were outmatched, they still went out of the city to fight; this was a tradition in small-scale wars among nobles.
In this era, the size of noble cities was limited, and only the lord and his guards could reside in them.
If the lord does not take the initiative to go out of the city to fight, the people outside will be plundered. Once there are no people, the noble title becomes empty.
Therefore, although Uther's actions were wrong, they were actually based on tradition.
Faced with the great authority of tradition, the other generals' rebuttals seemed pale and powerless. However, Uther failed to realize that small-scale wars between nobles were simply unsuitable for a war fought across the entire nation.
Uther's weakness as a commander lies in his adherence to tradition and inability to adapt.
Uther was also eager to capture Stratholme, as he didn't want things to get complicated, especially since the spread of the Plague was making the situation increasingly unpredictable.
Baron Rivendare quickly replied, with only one sentence:
"I'm not that complete idiot, Uther."
"Damn it, Baron Rivendare has abandoned his honor; he is a disgrace to humanity!" Thrall roared, ordering, "Silver Hand, attack! Take this city!"
Uther completely agreed with Thrall's view, considering it an dishonorable act, and immediately ordered the knights to attack the fortified city walls.
With only a few ladders available, the Paladins who mostly climbed the walls by hand quickly became easy targets.
Nearly a thousand Paladins perished beneath the walls of Stratholme.
Uther scratched his head, sensing that something was amiss.
In his mind, war was just a constant Charge of Charges, charges, and deaths.
He had absolutely no experience with siege warfare that was even slightly complex.
One general's success is built on the bones of ten thousand soldiers. No one is born a commander. Generals gain experience by sacrificing the lives of their soldiers. Unfortunately, Uther is a mediocre man who cannot learn from experience.
He rose to this position because of his status as Lightbringer and the favor of the Naaru, not because of his leadership skills.
Thrall was at a loss and could only seek advice from his Strategist Eitrigg. Although Eitrigg couldn't lift Battle Axe, he was still quite intelligent.
Unfortunately, Eitrigg didn't have any brilliant strategies.
Throughout the two Orcs Wars, the Orcs never fought a proper siege. The only way they managed to capture the fortified Stormwind City was by Garona assassinating King Llane, which threw the Stormwind City garrison into disarray and chaos.
"Great Savior, Respected Warchief, we need siege equipment."