Sylvanas stood on the high slope, gazing at the endless Scourge.
She has now adapted to her Banshee body and accepted the reality of being Undead creature, except for her fear of looking in the mirror.
Among the Windrunner Sisters, Sylvanas's appointment as Ranger-General of Silvermoon City is a testament to her leadership and personal charisma.
Among the many generals of the Scourge, none can match Sylvanas in troop deployment and battle command.
The Burning Legion has set off from Dalaran and is marching in a mighty force towards Lordaeron. Thrall has handed over command of the front lines to Sylvanas, with Kel'Thuzad serving as her assistant.
Sylvanas remembered the teachings of an elder: the outcome of a war is often predetermined on the eve of its conclusion.
Later, that predecessor died at the hands of the Zul'Aman Trolls, Sylvanas took over the position of Ranger-General from him.
Sylvanas already had a clear understanding of the combat capabilities of the Burning Legion and the Scourge.
The Burning Legion is said to number 100,000, including a considerable number of technicians and logistics personnel. However, the actual number of combat participants does not exceed 70,000. These 70,000 Legion are mainly Doomguards and Felguard, who are considered ordinary soldiers.
Then there are a small number of Pit Lords, Eredar Mages, Dreadlords, and other elite troops within the Legion.
Looking at the Scourge, Sylvanas frowned; the ordinary soldiers were large groups of Ghouls.
How many Ghouls would it take to defeat a Felguard? Sylvanas sighed. The casualty ratio would probably be more than one hundred to one, meaning that one hundred Ghouls might not be able to defeat a Felguard.
Then there's the difference in equipment between the two sides.
This was thanks to the Titans- built shield that prevented the Burning Legion's heavy weapons from entering Azeroth. Nevertheless, the Burning Legion was well-equipped, with ordinary soldiers covered in thick armor and wielding terrifying magical weapons.
Now look at the Scourge's Ghouls. Although Arthas valued hygiene and the Ghouls didn't have a putrid smell, their only weapons were sharp claws and teeth, and they only had a few strips of cloth to cover their bodies. How could they possibly fight against a heavily armed body of steel?
Arthas dispatched 500,000 Scourge soldiers at once. Sylvanas guessed that this was the main force of the Scourge. The Scourge's only advantage was its numbers, but she concluded that this was a war they were destined to lose.
With no chance of winning, Sylvanas couldn't think of any way to achieve victory. Her only consolation was that the Forsaken of Silvermoon City were stationed in the rear, responsible for logistics, producing armor, weapons, Meat Wagons, and the like, instead of being sent to the front lines as cannon fodder.
Sylvanas was pessimistic about the Scourge, and Kel'Thuzad's assessment was similar.
"This is for you, please don't lose it."
Kel'Thuzad handed Sylvanas a black skull necklace.
"What is this for?" Sylvanas sensed a faint magical fluctuation emanating from the necklace.
Kel'Thuzad shrugged, still managing a joke even in this situation:
"Don't misunderstand, this necklace has no other meaning. I believe humans and High Elves shouldn't have relationships that go beyond friendship. It's for location tracking; if the battle turns against you, our mages can teleport you to safety."
Sylvanas, an Archmage who never jokes, silently accepted the necklace and put it on.
She didn't think the necklace would work, after all, in terms of magical skill, the Legion's Eredar Mages could instantly kill Dalaran Mages, far surpassing the Scourge's Undead Mages.
Sooner or later, the Eredar Mages will find them.
A war destined to fail, for the sake of the Forsaken of Silvermoon City, Sylvanas could only do her best.
This was a great battle that had the attention of all the powers in Azeroth. Countless magical eyes were secretly observing from the sky as the Burning Legion and the Scourge clashed head-on.
Sylvanas laid an ambush in Shadow Valley, a place the Legion was sure to pass through. Although the Legion's scouts were not to be underestimated, she figured out their intentions. The Pride Legion would definitely walk into the trap and would not take a detour.
The Burning Legion's vanguard was the Doomguard led by Kaz'rogal, numbering approximately five thousand soldiers. Just as Sylvanas had predicted, Kaz'rogal, the Doomguard, completely underestimated the Scourge and walked right into their trap.
Sylvanas didn't expect to defeat the Burning Legion; she only hoped to rout Kaz'rogal's vanguard, which would be enough to complete her mission. So she committed all 500,000 Scourge to the task at once.
However, as soon as the battle began, Sylvanas realized that she had underestimated the Burning Legion's fighting power.
The Azeroth Continent, apart from the ancient Dragonkin and Old Gods, and the vanished Highborne, has no experience fighting the Burning Legion.
The Dragonkin were clearly unwilling to share their experience, and the Burning Legion was a completely unfamiliar enemy.
Kaz'rogal's 5,000 Doomguard troops entered half of the canyon. Sylvanas sent thousands of Death Knights to split them in two, then launched a frontal attack with massive Abominations, supported by hordes of Ghouls, and with Banshee Archers providing cover with their bows. This was a fairly standard Azeroth tactical arrangement.
Kaz'rogal remained calm and composed, and the two separated forces quickly retreated, with the well-trained Legion soldiers forming a circular defensive position on the spot.
Then, a vast expanse of Fel Fire enveloped their position. Within the Fel Fire, the Legion's soldiers gained increased combat power, while the Scourge soldiers were engulfed in flames.
Sylvanas was dumbfounded. The Death Knights responsible for dividing the Battlefield, the Abominations and Ghouls that Charge first were all engulfed in flames and quickly turned to ashes. The area covered by the Fel Fire was a forbidden zone.
"Can these Flames be extinguished?" Sylvanas asked Kel'Thuzad beside her.
Kel'Thuzad shook his head, a bitter look on his face, and said, "My understanding of Fel is far less than that of the Burning Legion."
Unable to get close, the Scourge soldiers were so angry that Sylvanas stamped her feet, hoping that the Fel Fire would soon be extinguished, and thus ordered the troops to surround the area without attacking.
Unexpectedly, bad news soon arrived: the ten thousand Felguard led by the Pit Lord Azgalor suddenly increased their marching speed and arrived at an unimaginable pace, estimated to be arriving in less than half an hour.
Sylvanas then realized that she was the one who had been tricked, but she was unwilling to retreat like this, so she quickly sent 100,000 Scourge to intercept them.
After that, more bad news kept coming in: the armies of Ragnarok, Anetheron, and other Scourge generals were all heading towards Shadow Valley, and their marching speed was astonishing, almost like flying.
Sylvanas had no choice but to divide her forces to resist, which is a major taboo in military strategy.
"It's not that my command ability is flawed," Sylvanas explained. "The Burning Legion has been far beyond my expectations; their capabilities in every aspect are completely different from what I anticipated."
Kel'Thuzad said nonchalantly, "It's inevitable to pay a price when facing unfamiliar enemies. Just do your best, fight with all your might, and leave no regrets."
Sylvanas was puzzled. This should be the main force of the Scourge. If they were defeated, what would Arthas use to fight the Burning Legion?
Bad news kept coming from the teams that went to snipe, but thankfully, the Fel Fire that had enveloped the two positions was extinguished, Sylvanas immediately launched the main attack.
After engaging in direct combat, Sylvanas realized that the gap between the Scourge and the Burning Legion was greater than she had imagined.
The massive Abomination pounced, only to be cleaved in two by the Doomguard in a single encounter. The Doomguard's rain of fire easily claimed the lives of the horde of Ghouls.
Fortunately, the Scourge soldiers were not afraid, so they did not retreat despite heavy casualties. If it were humans or High Elves, they would have collapsed in morale and scattered in all directions in the face of such a moth-to-a-flame battle.
Sylvanas frowned; she was powerless to do anything about it.