Thunder rumbled, and raindrops fell on the taut cowhide of the tent, sounding like rapid drumbeats.
Although separated by only one mountain range, Tanaris is a dry desert, Un'Goro Crater is often shrouded in drizzle and occasionally experiences Gale rain.
Chen Stormstout's luck wasn't good. His 100,000-strong army marched through the Gadgetzan Portal into Un'Goro Crater, only to encounter several days of continuous rain.
The road became muddy and impassable, and herds of Devilsaurs passed by, causing the earth to shake violently. Chen Stormstout's heart rose and fell with their emotions.
As the leader of Kalimdor and Lord of Orgrimmar, Chen Stormstout's tent was made of the finest cowhide, ensuring that not a drop of rain could seep in.
But it couldn't stop the biting chill in the air.
Don't eat me.
Chen Stormstout. That night, he dreamed countless times of Thrall standing in front of him, opening his blood-red maw and grinning menacingly.
Even after waking up, I still felt a chilling cold.
Khadgar pushed open the door and came in, wiping the rain from his forehead:
"Warchief, scouts have brought intelligence that the road ahead has been destroyed. The army can barely pass, but we must abandon the large amount of baggage and heavy weapons we brought."
"Is even the heavens helping Thrall?"
Chen Stormstout, feeling that everything was going wrong, frowned and cursed the damn weather loudly.
Khadgar remained silent for a while, then suggested:
"I've heard that Thrall only has five thousand men. Perhaps we should send an advance force, lightly armed and unburdened, through the side paths into Silithus to prepare for the arrival of the main army."
Chen Stormstout, sighed:
"With the invincible Savior Thrall and Medivh's support behind the scenes, my 100,000-strong army is probably no match for them. The vanguard will only be throwing their lives away in vain."
After hesitating for a while, Chen Stormstout waved his hand casually:
"Fine, I'll send out five thousand Lightforging Orcs to test Thrall's strength. I just hope he doesn't suffer a crushing defeat."
Despite Khadgar's renowned reputation as a great Savior, he too was not optimistic about the advance force and could only offer a tactful consolation:
"While the Lightforging Orcs have obvious weaknesses, their loyalty is beyond question; they would never defect to Thrall in the Thrall."
Chen Stormstout sneered, "Being turned into Tough Jerky by Thrall is no different from surrendering."
After discussion, the two selected a general named Nazgrel to serve as the commander of the Vanguard.
Nazgrel is an unruly Lightforging Orcs who has defied Chen Stormstout on numerous occasions.
Before his departure, Chen Stormstout summoned Nazgrel and sternly instructed him:
"Nazgrel, your task is to establish a camp in Silithus to support the main force. Choose easily defensible terrain, use local materials, and build a sturdy camp. No matter how much Thrall taunts Thrall, do not engage in battle."
Nazgrel, unconvinced, retorted, "Thrall only has five thousand men, and they're all a rabble. I personally lead five thousand Lightforging Orcs, all well-trained. How could we be no match for Thrall? Warchief, rest assured, if Thrall comes to challenge me, I will take his head."
Chen Stormstout, cursing, "Fool! The Savior Thrall has won countless battles against overwhelming odds. He once single-handedly penetrated a million-strong army and took King Varian's head. How could you possibly be his match?"
Nazgrel muttered, "That's all a lie. King Varian wasn't killed by Thrall."
"You're really infuriating!" Chen Stormstout jumped up to attack, but was stopped by Khadgar.
Khadgar patiently instructed, "Nazgrel, compared to Savior, you are far inferior. Even if we marched an army of 100,000 to Silithus, Thrall would probably be wiped out by Thrall in a single encounter. Our plan is to build a city, then construct a permanent Portal to continuously send in New Lightforged Orcs from Orgrimmar, using sheer numbers to achieve victory."
Although the New Lightforged Orcs are of low intelligence and have a lifespan of only three months, they are excellent at reproducing rapidly and are obedient and hardworking.
Nazgrel had always respected Khadgar, and nodded in agreement.
Five thousand Lightforging Orcs, carrying only a dozen days' worth of rations, traveled along the path to Silithus under Nazgrel's leadership.
Upon entering Silithus, the humid air of Un'Goro Crater vanishes, replaced by dryness and sweltering heat, which can be quite oppressive.
Nazgrel dispatched a large number of scouts and carefully selected a campsite.
It has a water source, is backed by a mountain, and is flanked by steep mountain ridges that are difficult for even monkeys to climb.
Nazgrel set up camp on the slope and built a sturdy fence, so that if Thrall sent men to attack, they would have to climb up the slope.
After carefully inspecting the camp, Nazgrel felt reassured that everything was in order and rested.
At night, just as everyone was sound asleep, a piercing alarm sounded.
Nazgrel hurriedly got up, having anticipated a possible night attack, and thus ordered his soldiers to lie down fully clothed.
Grabbing his weapon, Nazgrel ran out of the tent; the alarm was sounded by a hidden sentry.
From his vantage point, Nazgrel looked down and saw a dark mass of people almost within reach.
"What are those scouts doing? The enemy is practically right under their noses, and they haven't gotten a single clue."
Nazgrel cursed the scouts as he commanded his soldiers to engage in battle.
In his panic, Nazgrel acted rashly, completely forgetting Chen Stormstout's and Khadgar's instructions, and charged out of the camp gates.
Nazgrel, wielding Battle Axe and accompanied by his Personal Guard, fought his way through.
The enemies varied in size, represented all races of Azeroth, and wore bizarre and strange clothing. Their formation was scattered, and their morale was low.
Nazgrel charged into battle recklessly, his eyes bloodshot, focused solely on slaughter, forgetting everything else.
Suddenly, they realized there were no enemies ahead; they had somehow broken through the enemy lines.
Scratching his head, Nazgrel could only turn around and charge into the enemy ranks once more.
They breached the enemy lines three times in succession, until no more enemies could stand up.
Nazgrel felt exceptionally relaxed, as if he hadn't exerted much effort.
After assessing their own losses, the casualties were less than three hundred.
The results were plentiful: more than two thousand enemies knelt and surrendered, while about a thousand escaped.
Nazgrel tied the two thousand prisoners together with hemp rope, stringing them together like a giant centipede.
Nazgrel drove the prisoners into a bottomless wormhole and then left them there.
The rations they brought were meager, not even enough for their own people, so they had to leave the prisoners to fend for themselves.
The next day, Nazgrel realized he had inadvertently disobeyed the orders of the Warchief and Khadgar, but fortunately, no major losses were incurred.
From then on, Nazgrel stayed obediently in the camp, only occasionally sending soldiers out to find food, and did nothing else.
Half a month later, Nazgrel ate his last grain of food before Chen Stormstout led his army to Silithus.
Nazgrel went to greet him, and upon seeing that Nazgrel was safe and sound, both Chen Stormstout and Khadgar breathed a sigh of relief.
Khadgar smiled with satisfaction, "Nazgrel, we were worried all the way that you would fall into Thrall's trap and leave the camp to fight Thrall. It's so good to see you safe and sound."
Nazgrel didn't dare to hide anything and honestly confessed:
"On the first night, the enemy did attack, but I easily defeated them. They were just a bunch of scattered soldiers; they crumbled at the first charge, and more than two thousand knelt down and surrendered."
Khadgar asked curiously, "How come there are stragglers in Silithus? Take me to see the prisoners."