After Garona appeared, Jaina and her entourage filed out to meet King Varian.
Among them was a robust Tauren, a gloomy-faced Troll, and more than a dozen Ogre warriors of various attire and from different tribes.
King Varian Tauren Chieftain met Cairne Bloodhoof, the Tauren chieftain, Vol'jin, the leader of the Darkspear Horde, through Jaina's introduction. The dozen or so Ogres didn't even give their names and ignored King Varian.
Clearly, Cho'gall's discovery of the Mother Ogre has provoked discontent within the Ogre community. Some Ogre heroes, united by a common goal, have become Jaina's allies.
Varian noticed that the group all had different injuries. Garona had a wound on her abdomen, Cairne Bloodhoof had a broken horn, and Jaina, though uninjured, looked listless.
Garona, her face contorted with rage, had killed Varian's advisor purely out of spite. With a forced smile, she said, "Although I killed this old human, I agree with his opinion: we need to rest."
It turns out that Garona, relying on her superior Stealth skills, went with Jaina to scout the Vulgol Ogre Mound.
After the two women infiltrated the Ogre mountain, they were discovered by Cho'gall's men before they could even meet Thrall.
They greatly underestimated Cho'gall's power; blessed by the Old Gods C'Thun, Cho'gall possessed a variety of wondrous abilities.
Garona and Jaina hurriedly fled. To cover their retreat, Cairne Bloodhoof, Vol'jin, and their dozen or so powerful Ogre allies fought a fierce battle before barely managing to escape.
People must learn from their mistakes to grow. Varian then realized that the Twilight's Hammer, led by Cho'gall, was not easy to deal with. If he were to launch an attack rashly as he had anticipated, he might really be wiped out.
After the two sides reunited, they set up camp at the Rotgrass Farm near the Ogre Mountain.
With the Night Watch of Darkshire providing support, the King need not worry about any logistical issues related to provisions.
Varian's staff and the generals leading the expedition were experienced in combat; they knew how to build a formidable camp and dig various traps specifically for the Ogres.
Jaina, Garona, and their group went down to rest. They saw King Varian looking worried, concerned about the battle with the Ogres. An aide comforted them, saying, "King Majesty, there is absolutely no need to worry. As long as we establish a camp here, Cho'gall will be defeated within ten days."
Varian asked in surprise, "What do you mean?"
This advisor was quite shrewd; he patiently explained to the King:
"Since ancient times, warfare has been divided into three levels. The initial level is courage, which means being able to inspire soldiers to fight to the death on the Battlefield. The intermediate level is wisdom, which means knowing how to use various strategies on the Battlefield. The advanced level is leveraging momentum, taking advantage of favorable timing, terrain, and diplomacy. Cho'gall's Twilight's Hammer is coming with overwhelming force, seemingly unstoppable, but in reality, it is all supported by sheer courage. If we engage him now, our chances of survival are slim. In just a few days, the Twilight's Hammer will arrive from afar, penetrating deep into our territory. Without reinforcements or supplies, and with the added worry of Stormwind City sending a large army to encircle and annihilate them, morale will inevitably collapse. At that point, if we launch a full-scale attack, we will surely achieve a great victory, and even killing Cho'gall will be a piece of cake."
Upon hearing this, Varian was overjoyed and felt greatly relieved.
The Alliance has never lacked outstanding generals who are skilled in battle and possess both wisdom and courage; however, whether they can unleash their true abilities depends on the King's decision.
It is actually very difficult to get a mediocre King to accept the advice of his subordinates. In many crucial battles, the outcome depended on King Varian, whose military skills were only at a rudimentary level, which is undeniably a pity.
Seeing that the time was almost right, the advisor cautiously looked around, fearing he might be killed by Garona like the old advisor from earlier that day. Only when he was sure no one was around did he lower his voice and say:
"King Majesty, we have the advantage of timing, location, and popular support. Defeating Cho'gall should be easy. The real threat is Jaina and Garona's group; they are the true thorn in our side."
Varian didn't want to hear this at all. His advisors were completely unaware of Varian's private dealings with Jaina, so they replied dismissively, "Fine, state your reasons."
The advisor found King Majesty's reaction somewhat odd; it shouldn't be this way. Nevertheless, he dutifully continued, "Jaina is an Archmage with the power to turn the tide of battle. We all know she has a very close relationship with Thrall. Once we defeat Cho'gall and break the spell that prevents teleportation, Jaina could seize the opportunity to teleport a large number of Orcs. We'll all be in trouble, Your King. For the sake of the Alliance, we must be on guard."
Varian seemed a little stunned, lost in thought. He casually waved his hand and said:
"You go down first, I'll think about it. You don't need to worry too much. Jaina is human after all. Besides, we rescued Thrall, do you think they would repay kindness with enmity?"
"Your King, never place your hopes on the mercy of the enemy." The advisor could only do his best to offer this final warning.
Just as his advisor had predicted, it wasn't long before Cho'gall felt himself in dire straits.
After Varian's troops settled into their camp, they were in no hurry to attack. The soldiers ate their fill of roasted meat every day, did nothing, and took afternoon naps in the shade of trees to conserve their energy.
On the other hand, after the initial passion and courage faded, rumors quickly spread throughout the Vogul Cho'gall Vulgol Ogre Mound.
Some say the Alliance and Horde are amassing a large army and are already on their way, while others say King Varian has summoned the Lich King Arthas to capture the Ogres of Twilight's Hammer and turn them into Abominations. Faced with all sorts of absurd and outlandish rumors, Cho'gall is powerless to do anything, and Twilight's Hammer is already seeing deserters.
There's no need to wait for the Alliance to attack; it probably won't be long before the demoralized Twilight's Hammer are wiped out.
After all, the Twilight's Hammer is just a loose organization; it's common for them to run away when things go wrong. They can't compare to the well-trained and loyal Veterans of the Alliance.
"The team is difficult to manage."
Cho'gall was at a loss. He felt unsure about launching a preemptive strike against the Alliance's heavily guarded camp, which was riddled with traps.
Cho'gall is a two-headed Ogre, which makes him much smarter than the average Ogre, but when he has no idea what to do, the two heads will quarrel.
"Madness, chaos, flesh and blood, slaughter, the foolish King Varian."
"What you've done is pointless," the other head immediately added.
"Do not interrupt me, my spirit, my power, my Ogre Empire!"
"Everything will come to an end."
"Damn it, I... I can't take it anymore... Okay, let's admit it, we lost."
"So, we can't become the emperors of the Ogre Empire?" another leader said dejectedly.
"That's right, so we must back down and compromise. Compromise with King Varian? That's impossible. He's just a lowly nobody who ruined our Ogre's grand plan and won't gain a single benefit."
"That's right, we only cooperate with the strong. What is Varian? Bah! He's not worthy."
Cho'gall's two leaders quickly reached a consensus.
"We must compromise with the Savior Thrall and hope to act as if nothing has happened."