Humans are actually quite lazy creatures; they prefer to use their mouths rather than their hands, and they prefer to use their hands rather than their brains.
The study of military strategy on the Azeroth Continent is very superficial. In the two wars with the Orcs, the victories were basically achieved by the soldiers' bravery or the courage of the heroes, with very few brilliant strategies being used.
For example, cutting off the enemy's supply lines and cutting off their supply routes—strategies that Robbie considered simple—were never even considered by the generals of Azeroth.
The smartest people have all gone to study magic; no one is willing to put effort into military strategy.
Alexandros Mograine led a force of two thousand Silver Hand knights, along with Saurfang the Great's more than one thousand Orcs, making it a formidable army.
This was a convoy transporting grain and supplies, and also carrying timber, which was most needed at the front lines, as well as disassembling and packing siege equipment.
Mograine had never considered that Stratholme would send troops to target this logistics team. The reason for sending so many people was that Undead frequently appeared along the way, and these Undead would attack from time to time, making it difficult to defend against.
Mograine had long been wary of the Orcs. Most of the Silver Hand knights who fled from Hearthglen because they were unwilling to be eaten by the Orcs were captured by Uther's army and became food for the Orcs.
Mograine and Saurfang the Great divided the tasks: the Orcs would be responsible for transporting food, meat, and weapons, while the Silver Hand would only be responsible for transporting timber and siege equipment.
The two groups maintained a certain distance as they proceeded, with the Orcs in front and the Paladins behind, to avoid unnecessary conflicts or any Orcs losing their temper.
Robbie and Arthas led a small squad of two hundred men, following behind the two groups.
"Two thousand Silver Hand knights, a thousand Orcs, that's too many."
Guided by the spirits of the Restless Souls, Arthas, his expression somber, marked the marching routes of the two armies on the map.
"Indeed, the number is far greater than expected." Robbie frowned; the plan was not going well.
Although he was leading Stratholme's most elite force, the sheer number of opponents was disheartening.
Arthas felt his luck was terrible. A typical logistics team would have a few hundred people at most, mainly to guard against bandits on the way. The rest were mostly farmers responsible for transport. It was rare to have such a large escort team.
"With the Deity power we possess, how about a surprise attack? Burn the engineering equipment and then retreat immediately," Arthas suggested.
Robbie shook his head, his expression grave, and said:
"Reckless courage is a last resort. Not only will it expose our strength, but it will also easily attract the Guardian Medivh. Prince Highness, you must understand that intelligence is not just about the enemy's marching route. The most ingenious schemes are directed at individuals. For example, Saurfang the Great, or Mograine —their habits, hobbies, quirks, preferred opposite or same-sex partners, whether they have Bastard Son, etc., can all be used as a breakthrough point."
Arthas understood. He trusted Robbie's judgment; Robbie always surprised people and often came up with wisdom that didn't belong to this world.
With his eyes closed, Arthas communicated with the Restless Souls once more and soon gained some insights.
"Saurfang the Great has taken his eighth concubine, a woman from the Warsong Clan, formerly Grommash Hellscream's woman, who now resides in the main camp of Andorhal. Furthermore, every night he sends Orcs to capture a Silver Hand Paladin to eat. Mograine is well aware of this, but he pretends not to know."
Robbie shook his head, indicating his regret that the intelligence was of little use.
Arthas continued communicating with the Undead, remained silent for a while, and then spoke again:
"Mograine's Adjutant Fairbanks, deeply hates Orcs. His brother, a Paladin, was eaten by Orcs in Hearthglen; perhaps he could be a breakthrough point. Oh! Interesting. A Restless Souls who worked as a gardener for the Mograine family told me that Mograine has a Bastard Son named Leo, the child of Mograine and his governess. Although they loved each other, they were ultimately separated due to their social status and age difference. Leo is a lieutenant under Mograine, and Mograine cares deeply for this Bastard Son, showing him special favor in private."
"These two pieces of information are very valuable; we can give them a try."
Young Leo had a beautiful head of red hair, which he inherited from his beautiful mother.
His mother worked hard to raise him, teaching him to read and write, but she never told him who his father was.
Leo always felt that he should be an aristocrat; his temperament and appearance were somewhat different from others.
Before he was even twenty, Leo successfully passed the sanctification ceremony and became a glorious Paladin. He was very fortunate to meet Commander Mograine, who gave him fatherly care, which filled Leo with hope for the future.
That evening, Leo led two Paladins on patrol. The Undead that appeared from time to time caused considerable trouble for the team, making scouts indispensable. By the time they returned, it was already getting dark.
Two "Orcs" blocked the three men's path, and Orcs roars startled the three horses.
One of the Orcs stepped forward and, as if selecting livestock, squinted his eyes to carefully examine the three.
"You're good. Come with me for a moment."
The Orcs yanked Leo off his horse like a chicken, quickly tied him up, and hoisted him onto their shoulders. Another Orcs said to Leo's companion, "Saurfang the Great sends his regards to Mograine."
The Paladins of the Silver Hand dared not defy the Orcs and could only watch helplessly as Leo was taken away by Orcs.
The two Paladins reported the matter to Leo's superior, who immediately went to Mograine to complain.
"These damned beasts are going too far. They used to kidnap people in secret, and now they've gone so far as to abduct our Sentinels in broad daylight. They're completely disregarding us."
Mograine, reading under the oil lamp without looking up, said, "This is a necessary sacrifice, Paladin. The Orcs are the Saviors of Azeroth. The young man's sacrifice is worthwhile, glorious, and great."
"That's true, but the Paladin was kidnapped is Lieutenant Leo," said Leo's superior officer. He had noticed Mograine's favoritism towards Leo and suspected that the two might be related, which was why he promptly reported the situation.
Mograine put down his book, expressionless, and left the tent carrying a lantern.
He arrived at the tent of his Adjutant Fairbanks.
"Fairbanks, Saurfang has kidnapped Leo, what should I do?" Mograine turned to his most trusted Adjutant for help.
"This is a necessary sacrifice, Paladin. The Orcs are the Saviors of Azeroth. Leo's sacrifice is worthwhile, glorious, and great," Fairbanks in a bureaucratic tone.
"But Leo is my son, born to Jenny, the woman I love most. I can't even protect the son of the woman I love most. I'm just a useless coward," Mograine said, sobbing.
"Please accept my condolences, Alexandros. It's too late for us to demand your return now. At this hour, Saurfang the Great should have finished dinner, or perhaps be having dessert."
Fairbanks looked at Mograine with pity, remembering his brother who had been eaten by the Orcs.
"Consider it a great honor, Mograine. We must admit, we Silver Hand are nothing but cowards."
"This can't go on." Mograine clenched his fist and slammed it into the air, as if Saurfang were standing there. "I will have my revenge, for Leo, for my innocent brothers who died."