A full 150,000 troops! Robbie felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing this. Were they going to raze Shadowmoon Valley to the ground?
Robbie had no idea about the total strength of the Alliance; there was no census in this world.
Robbie secretly wondered, why did Mathias Shaw Shaw bring me to the war council? Was it to warn the Brotherhood and the Draenei to run away?
The war council concluded, followed by some minor details, and King Varian departed satisfied.
The guards closed the gate, and Robbie suddenly felt the atmosphere inside relax.
Those marshals and generals who had previously been stern and serious immediately became amiable, taking off their heavy armor, throwing away their heavy swords, and some even kicking off their boots.
Everyone gathered together, chatting intimately, mostly about trivial matters.
It's nothing more than someone's daughter has grown up and is of marriageable age, but they don't know if there's a suitable partner yet; a tavern has gotten some good wine, invited a famous Pandaren chef, or a sexy Naga race girl has been delivered from some the Drag.
Robbie was stunned when he saw it; even the Brotherhood's war meetings were much more serious than this.
Mathias Shaw Shaw and a general, arm in arm, discussed tonight's dinner and the arrangements afterwards.
The copy of the battle plan remained unattended on the table. Robbie, on a sudden impulse, quietly approached the battle plan, only to be inadvertently spotted by a white-bearded commander.
The old commander glanced at Robbie with a puzzled look. He naturally didn't recognize this unfamiliar young man, but he still grabbed the combat copy and casually tossed it to Robbie.
Seriously? You guys really don't take matters of national importance seriously.
Robbie casually flipped through a copy of the War of the Gods plan, a top-secret document belonging to the Kingdom of Stormwind.
The Alliance's most renowned Legions were all present, including the elite Seventh Legion, Alliance was responsible for attacking the Karabor Temple; the Night Elf Silverwing Sentinels, in conjunction with the Dwarf Stormpike Guard, launched a flanking attack on Embaari Village; and the West Lake Wilderness People's Army was responsible for attacking the Lunarfall.
That's going too far! This battle plan is absolutely flawed. Don't you know the People's Militia and the Defias Brotherhood one family? Are you expecting your soldiers to walk out of the fortress through the main gate, then climb over the walls and declare occupation?
This is a very detailed battle plan, including pre-battle mobilization, rations, marching routes, commander assignments, which troops are responsible for the main attack, which are responsible for flank cover, how to retreat in case of danger, and which troops are responsible for the rearguard.
The arrangements were detailed and professional, and Robbie had to admire them. They were indeed a regular Legion, a group of seasoned veterans, organized and thoughtful. Compared to them, the Defias Brotherhood was simply a rabble.
For some reason, Robbie felt something was off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
The strategic meeting went on very late. A group of old guys, bored, started playing a game called "jumping in circles," which is similar to Truth or Dare. Whoever goes out of the circle has to answer a question, and it has to be the truth.
Robbie felt particularly bored and left with Mathias Shaw Shaw.
Walking the streets of Stormwind City, Robbie kept thinking about how to deal with this war. 150,000 troops! Even if he knew the battle plan in advance, there was still no chance of victory. Robbie was considering how to retreat.
Seeing Robbie's worried expression, Mathias Shaw Shaw smiled and said, "There's no need to worry. This Alliance claims to have an army of 150,000, but the actual number of troops is only that many."
Mathias Shaw raised his right hand and held up five fingers.
"Is it fifty thousand?" Robbie asked.
It's said that they deployed 150,000 troops, but the actual number was only 50,000, which is quite normal.
Just like the Battle of Red Cliffs in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Cao Cao claimed to have an army of 800,000, but in reality, including the farmers transporting grain, the number was less than 200,000. Exaggerating the scale of an army was a common tactic in ancient warfare.
Unfortunately, even an army of 50,000 was not something Shadowmoon Valley could withstand.
Mathias Shaw shook his head with a bitter smile.
"That's five thousand!"
Robbie was relieved, and then a thought struck him: he understood why the battle plan had felt off.
An army of 150,000—what a massive war that was! With the limited transportation of that era, where people walked and communicated by shouting, it would have taken at least a year and a half to assemble such a huge army.
If it were 5,000 regular Alliance troops, with the Brotherhood's strength and the Shadowmoon Valley Draenei, they might have a chance of winning. Of course, it would be best not to fight and to resolve the matter peacefully through negotiation.
Mathias Shaw sighed heavily, his voice bitter and sorrowful. "You're wrong again. If Medivh were alive, we would send five hundred men. Now, we'll only send five."
"Five soldiers?" Robbie was stunned. There were dozens of generals and marshals in the war room, and after discussing for so long, they only sent five soldiers. Was this some kind of day trip to Shadowmoon Valley?
This is clearly a perfunctory and deceptive tactic, merely to fool King Varian. Has the power of the House Wrynn already been usurped?
Mathias Shaw wore a sorrowful expression; his eyes were dim, and his face was filled with worry.
"The world believes that my Kingdom of Stormwind is strong and well-equipped, always leading the Charge whenever Azeroth is in trouble, earning it great prestige and glory. Little do they know that the kingdom is already exhausted, its manpower depleted, its treasury empty. Years of war have decimated Kingdom of Stormwind's elite troops, displaced its people, and burdened it with heavy taxes. To be honest, King Varian can only mobilize the Stormwind City's directly subordinate defense forces plus the Goldshire militia, who are old, weak, sick, and demoralized, numbering less than two thousand."
"Less than two thousand?" Robbie could hardly believe his ears.
The Kingdom of Stormwind was already so exhausted. Robbie knew the Brotherhood's strength. The Defias Brotherhood, along with the People's Militia, and the merchant guilds, smuggling gangs, Pirates, etc., all secretly controlled by the Brotherhood, could easily muster 10,000 ragtag troops. Wouldn't a counterattack on Stormwind City be a matter of minutes?
"Why is this happening?" Robbie asked with a grim face.
Although the major threat to the 150,000-strong army had been eliminated, the Kingdom of Stormwind was already so weak that Robbie couldn't be happy.
Mathias Shaw led Robbie into a small tavern, where they sat down in a dark corner. After a few drinks, Mathias Shaw, feeling the effects of the alcohol, became flushed, unrestrained, and talkative:
"I've said it before, Varian is no good King. He's ambitious, warlike, and doesn't understand the importance of recuperation or the plight of his people. He's been manipulated by Thrall more than once, unwittingly fighting and risking his life for the Horde, being sold out and still helping to count the money. King Varian, a former Arena warrior, can't command more than five soldiers, including himself. All he does is attack, attack, attack. He'll die because of this sooner or later."
"People say that the reign of Onyxia, the Black Dragon Princess, was the darkest period in Kingdom of Stormwind, and in a sense, that's not wrong. I remember it was shortly after Prince Anduin's birth when the Black Dragon Princess entered Stormwind City as Countess Katrana Prestor. The nobles of Stormwind City all knew she was a Black Dragon, and she could eat five hundred pounds of beef and fish in one meal, and it had to be cooked to medium-rare."