When the Scourge passed through Stratholme, Arthas, Robbie, and Kel'Thuzad visited Baron Rivendare. Frostmourne granted the Baron the Power of the Dead, and Kel'Thuzad imparted new knowledge to the Undead.
The situation has changed; new intelligence has arrived from Silvermoon City.
The Elf King made no attempt to keep it a secret, announcing the events taking place in Shadowmoon City. These included obtaining Medivh's help to reinforce the Magic Shield, constructing Teleportation Array connecting to the Void, and the imminent arrival of Medivh's powerful ally.
The Elf King wanted to use this to intimidate the Scourge, hoping to make them back down. Although Silvermoon City could be defended, he did not want to see Silvermoon Forest and its surrounding natural environment destroyed by the Scourge.
Arthas was worried about this confusing situation. He hesitated whether the Scourge should head north. Although the Sunwell was very attractive, it was only a hypothetical situation and not necessarily the real Antidote for the Undead.
Stratholme is a strategically important military stronghold, guarding the vital passage to Lordaeron. With this city as a retreat route, the Scourge can confidently advance towards Quel'Thalas.
The Baron also harbored some doubts and unease regarding the new intelligence about Silvermoon City.
"Anasterian, the Elf King."
The baron's face fell with worry at the mention of the aged Elf King.
"When a person lives too long, they inevitably become complacent and lose their drive for progress. For thousands of years, despite the immense power of the Sunwell, the High Elves have remained confined to a small corner of the world, unable even to subdue the Trolls of Zul'Aman. This is inextricably linked to the Elf King's conservative policies. Having a powerful but unambitious ally, with a sworn enemy holding them back, should have been a good thing for us humans. But now the situation has reversed. The Elf King's conservative mindset means he absolutely dares not disobey the Guardians ' wishes and will inevitably lead him to cooperate with the Orcs."
"If we don't conquer Silvermoon City, the Scourge won't be able to drive the Orcs off this continent. Although Sylvanas helped the Orcs, it was out of necessity. We shouldn't abandon this ally with whom we have a friendship spanning over a thousand years."
A direct assault on Silvermoon City would be tantamount to incurring the wrath of the High Elves, undoubtedly a terrible course of action.
Baron Rivendare frowned, unsure of what to do.
Kel'Thuzad also looked troubled, shaking his head and saying, "I've been to Quel'Thalas. Their city has Magic Shield, drawn from the energy of the Sunwell. We can't break through that shield."
"Therefore, the only option left is to besiege the city."
Arthas clenched his fist and slammed it into the air, his face contorted with rage. "The result of a siege is simply waiting for Medivh's allies to arrive and annihilate our Scourge in one fell swoop."
"But waiting around isn't a good solution either," the Baron added. "Even if we don't go to Silvermoon City, do you think Medivh's allies will let the Scourge go? They'll definitely launch a counterattack. We might as well take a risk and hope for a miracle."
Robbie listened quietly as the group discussed important military matters. With his deeper contact with this world, Robbie gained a better understanding of the thoughts of the beings in it.
While Azeroth possesses various powerful abilities, their personalities are relatively straightforward and inflexible. After all, human abilities are limited, so focusing on strength means less time is allocated to intelligence.
"Have you ever considered this?" Robbie looked at the group and smiled, "Perhaps Medivh's allies don't even exist."
"Does not exist?"
Arthas was somewhat bewildered; the straightforward Prince lacked understanding of the conspiracy and couldn't immediately grasp the situation.
Baron Rivendare pondered for a moment; being a seasoned veteran, he suddenly understood something.
Kel'Thuzad fell into deep thought.
"Alright, let's assume Medivh has allies." Robbie gave an example to convince them, then turned to Kel'Thuzad and asked, "I've heard that summoning magic works better in areas with weak spatial defenses?"
Kel'Thuzad nodded.
" On the Azeroth Continent, the higher the frequency of magic use, the weaker the spatial density. If we want to summon allies from the Void, Dalaran and Karazhan are obviously better choices. From Dalaran to Silvermoon City, it's just a matter of a moment with the Guardians ' abilities; there's no need to build the Magic Circle in Silvermoon City."
"I understand. This is a bluff, and also to increase the Elf King's confidence in cooperating with the Orcs."
Baron Rivendare was the first to realize this, and said with a mixture of anger and amusement, "This Magic Circle isn't meant to summon allies from the Void at all; its true purpose is..."
"This is just in case, to leave the Orcs a way to retreat."
Kel'Thuzad also figured out the key point and revealed Medivh's true purpose.
Arthas suddenly realized what was happening, and the shadow that had been hanging over his heart finally dissipated.
"In that case, we'll employ a siege strategy. Once Silvermoon City runs out of food, they'll have no choice but to surrender. The Orcs might escape via Teleportation Arrays, but the High Elves will absolutely not abandon Silvermoon City."
The fact that Arthas could come up with such a plan proves that he has made progress under Robbie's influence.
But that's far from enough.
"There's no need for that. Our target is the Sunwell Plateau. Since the Elves ' Magic Shield comes from the Sunwell, we just need to threaten to cut off the Sunwell's energy supply," Robbie suggested again.
"But how can we get into the Sunwell Plateau without capturing Silvermoon City?" Arthas stared at the map, still unable to reconcile his thoughts. In his mind, the correct course of action was to conquer the city and then seize the island.
Silvermoon City and Isle of Quel'Danas are separated by a narrow strait, which serves as a natural barrier.
"It only requires building a pontoon bridge; in my opinion, that's much easier than completely surrounding a city."
The strategic plan was thus finalized. However, plans can never keep up with changes, and the initial strategic plan had to be constantly adjusted as the battle situation changed. The group discussed the details and considered various possible scenarios.
Finally, Baron Rivendare shared his thoughts on the Zul'Aman Trolls.
"Prince Highness, you will surely encounter the Trolls of Zul'Aman."
The neatly dressed baron, apart from his gaunt face, was no different from when he was alive, and still enjoyed chewing tobacco.
"Believe me, Zul'jin is a very cunning fellow. He's in cahoots with the Orcs and can't be trusted. He still harbors resentment about not being able to take Silvermoon City with the Orcs' help. But don't think that this will make us cooperate with the Forest Trolls. They are definitely not reliable allies, Scourge must reject them."
Arthas nodded, agreeing with the Baron's suggestion.
His Prince, well-versed in history, naturally knew that long ago, Trolls were the original inhabitants of this land. It was only after the Elves and humans drove out the Forest Trolls that they gained control of the land.
This is an irreconcilable racial conflict. In addition Zul'jin, this old Troll, has lived for a very long time, and hatred has solidified in his heart. Even if there is cooperation, it will only be temporary. If given the opportunity to stab someone in the back, Zul'jin will definitely not hesitate.
Once everything was agreed upon, the Scourge set off towards Quel'Thalas.
Just as the Baron had predicted, Troll messengers arrived shortly after entering the Ghostlands, requesting an audience with Prince Arthas. They had been waiting there for several days.