Opening a Road Through the Towering Mountains
"Your Excellency Prince Arthas, the great Amani leader Zul'jin greets you. The Forest Trolls, upholding ancient traditions, are willing to ally with the Scourge to fight against the Evil Elves."
Although the Forest Troll messenger who came to visit spoke well, his attitude was extremely arrogant, with a haughty expression that showed he looked down on everyone.
Arthas wanted to say something, but worried about how to phrase it, so he hesitated for a moment and secretly winked at Robbie.
The best strategy is to subdue the enemy without fighting.
The Scourge Army doesn't need the Amani Trolls' help, but they still need to ensure the trolls don't cause trouble in the rear.
Robbie coughed and laughed loudly:
"The Amani Tribe? Heh, go back and tell your Zul'jin that in the eyes of the Scourge, these so-called Forest Trolls are nothing but a bunch of insignificant clowns. The Scourge will surely raze Silvermoon City to the ground; why would we need a bunch of clowns to cause trouble?"
The Troll messenger's fangs trembled with rage. "You'll regret it if you dare to defy us Forest Trolls!"
"Guards, knock out his fangs and punish him for his disrespect to His Prince. Go back and tell Zul'jin that the Scourge fears no enemy. If you dare to challenge us, come and fight us. You will only make us stronger."
Two Death Knights, exuding a chilling aura, seized the Troll messenger and dragged him away amidst his loud protests, followed by screams of agony.
"Is it okay to do this? Won't it anger Zul'jin?"
Although it was a pre-planned scheme, Arthas was still somewhat worried.
"Zul'jin is a cunning old fox. The more we show a tough stance, the less he'll dare to act rashly. The more we act weak, the more he'll bully us. Don't worry, nothing will happen."
The Troll messenger's attitude was actually a test; Robbie's tough stance would reduce a lot of trouble.
As Robbie predicted, Amani's Trolls remained inactive, and the Scourge successfully passed through the Ghostlands, heading towards the Elf kingdom.
Along the way, they encountered many Elf scouts, most of whom were very cunning. They would retreat immediately upon encountering the Legion, maintaining a safe distance to spy on the Scourge.
However, some unlucky scouts, perhaps unfamiliar with the Scourge's units and overestimating their escape abilities, got too close and were captured by the Crypt Fiend's net.
Arthas did not torture them, but simply disarmed them and treated them as normal prisoners. After the war, they would be released after a ransom was paid, just like in the occasional conflicts between the Elves and humans.
Unexpectedly, many of the scouts were willing to surrender and pledge allegiance to Arthas and the Scourge.
The young Prince was confused, unable to distinguish truth from falsehood. He believed that the Elf King loved his people, and the people should be loyal to him. How could there be such a shameless betrayal? He had no choice but to leave it to Robbie to handle.
"We don't intend to betray Silvermoon City, nor do we wish to abandon our family's honor; we are simply dissatisfied with the Sunstrider family Windrunners," an elderly scout complained.
"The Sunstrider royal family is too conservative; they only care about their own power. Windrunner Sylvanas is an impatient and short-sighted woman. We are just low-level scouts; our voices can't reach the top. They are presumptuously helping the Orcs, and now they are foolishly bringing Orcs into Silvermoon City, which will bring us disaster."
It seems the High Elves are not a monolithic group; this is an excellent opportunity.
With the help of these surrendered Elves, Robbie gathered a great deal of intelligence about Silvermoon City.
The High Elves were originally composed of several ancient families, each with its own territory and army.
Although they acknowledged the Sunstrider royal family's status and swore allegiance to the Elf King Anasterian, the increasingly domineering Sunstrider family had aroused dissatisfaction among many families, especially regarding the issue of Orcs. The Elf King's willful actions had left Silvermoon City on the verge of collapse.
Unfortunately, in this world, the means to maintain power is not prestige, popular support, or complex political maneuvering, but rather a more stable form of magical power.
The Sunstrider family, who wield the power of the Spellstealer Wyrm, produces a multitude of mages. The Elf King Anasterian and his artifact, Flamestrike, possess overwhelming magical power, enough to silence all opponents.
Therefore, a few scouts had no choice but to join the Scourge, hoping to use the help of other races to fight against the Sunstrider family.
The scouts were a great help, for example, by redrawing the maps and finding the road across the mountains to get closer to Silvermoon City.
The day of war has finally arrived.
King Anasterian of Elf Elves and Ranger-General Sylvanas stood side by side atop a high city tower.
This is the famous Elf Gate, the gateway guarding the Elf land. Surrounding the Elf land, the mountains form a natural barrier, and the city gate is nestled in the mountain pass.
The Elf rangers were all on high alert, and the mages of the Sunstrider family were also dispatched, watching the approaching Undead Legion from behind their Magic Shields.
As they drew closer, the Elf King Windrunner's expressions changed drastically.
Although they had heard the scouts' reports long ago, they still refused to believe them.
After witnessing it with my own eyes, I realized that the scouts' description was already quite understated. This was not the rabble of corpses I had imagined, but a well-disciplined and disciplined army.
An army and a rabble are two completely different things. An army means a top-down system with strict and unified command, coordinated troop types, and relatively high morale. Of course, for the Scourge, morale is irrelevant.
The Elf King swayed and nearly fainted on the city wall, but fortunately the Ranger-General caught him quickly.
"Perhaps I was truly wrong. I shouldn't have acted so stubbornly. I should have listened to advice. Cooperating with the Orcs is questionable," the Elf King said bitterly. "If we had known the Scourge was so powerful, we shouldn't have agreed to the Guardians ' demands."
Sylvanas assessed the Undead Legion's strength and quickly made a reasonable judgment. "They are stronger than we imagined, but not strong enough to break through our Magic Shield."
The Elf King sighed, looking at the dumbfounded rangers and the trembling Elf mages. "Let's hope so. May the goddess Elune bless us."
What despair must have driven the Elf King to pray to this ancient god?
Sylvanas remained silent, raising her longbow; the High Elves prepared for battle.
Unexpectedly, the Scourge stopped outside the Elf Gate. Overwhelmed by the imposing presence of the massive gate, the Scourge turned and set up camp at the foot of a nearby mountain.
Large numbers of Ghouls began building roads, preparing to cross these towering mountains.
Even the ancient military strategist Hannibal could conceive of climbing the treacherous Alps to enter northern Italy.
Besides, this is a world of magic; what mountain could possibly stop a large army from advancing?
With the powerful aid of magic, traversing towering mountains is not difficult at all; in comparison, attacking a gate protected by the magic of the Sunwell would be a foolish act.
"What are they trying to do?" The Elf King was bewildered by the actions of the Undead Legion.
Sylvanas's expression immediately changed, and her hand gripping the longbow trembled uncontrollably. The Scourge did not play by the rules; they were completely different from their previous enemies.
"King Majesty, I'm afraid we must abandon the Elf Gate."