"Race does not define honor. I have seen the noblest Orcs and the most despicable humans."
On the sea, hundreds of ships of all sizes sailed toward Northrend. King Varian, aboard the most luxurious ship, slowly closed the "Argent Crusade War Chronicle" and fell into deep thought.
"The Argent Crusade War Chronicle" tells the story of the Argent Crusade's Horde struggle against the Scourge, recounted by a Veteran who returned home in glory.
This Veteran has now become a hero of the Kingdom of Stormwind, and King Varian personally awarded him a medal for bravery.
The Veteran led his team, busy giving speeches in various places, attracting more than 100,000 audience members each time and having countless supporters.
King Varian still remembered that when the Veteran gave a speech in Stormwind City, when he spoke of the great Savior Thrall, to save a Pandaren girl, ignored the advice of those around him, single-handedly charged into the Scourge, killed millions of Scourge soldiers, severely wounded the Lich King Arthas, and successfully rescued the Pandaren girl, countless people shed tears of emotion.
"The common people are ignorant and lack the ability to distinguish right from wrong, good from evil, and basic logical reasoning skills."
King Varian did not believe this flawed story, and even had some doubts about Tirion Fordring.
Apart from the Night Elf race, who explicitly refused to participate in the war, over 100,000 adventurers from various races within the Alliance have joined the Argent Crusade, but only a handful have returned.
Most of the Argent Crusade have disappeared without a trace, and it is rumored that they have long since become food for the Orcs.
Varian spared no effort in cracking down on these rumors that undermined the relationship between the Alliance and the Horde. With the help of the Peace Dove, the rumor-mongers were quickly hanged, and from then on, there was only praise for the Argent Crusade.
Encouraged by the Peace Dove and the propaganda of several returning Veterans, many farmers in the Kingdom of Stormwind dreamed of achieving success and making a name for themselves. They bid farewell to their families and embarked on their journeys.
After joining the Argent Crusade, aside from bringing back a jar of delicious meat sauce, he disappeared without a trace.
But no one doubted it; when talking about their family members' participation in the Argent Crusade, they always wore expressions of pride, which reminded Varian of pigs waiting to be slaughtered in their pens.
King Varian was well aware that the Peace Dove served the Horde, but he also knew that without the Peace Dove, the Stormwind City monarchy would be difficult to maintain, and he might be assassinated the day after the Peace Dove fell.
There's a small group of bad elements in Stormwind City who deeply miss the reign of Duke Bolvar and the Black Dragon Princess, and dream of deposing the King and welcoming back Duke Bolvar. Varian, of course, won't let that happen.
King Varian also harbored suspicions about the Horde, which is why he insisted on assembling an army of 100,000 before daring to launch an expedition to Northrend.
Currently, Horde Horde's four Legions in Northrend combined don't even number 100,000. Cooperation is only possible when both sides are evenly matched.
Moreover, there is the benevolent, kind, and Invincible Garrosh.
Varian did not forget Garrosh's friendship. At the most critical moment of the Battle of Zul'Drak, it was Garrosh who led the army to relieve the siege, allowing King Varian to escape.
Garrosh Hellscream?
King Varian envisioned a scene where Garrosh leaped high into the air, his Gorehowl slashing down at a precipitous peak. The swarming Scourge vanished along with the mountain, while Arthas, riding the Invincible Lich King, screamed in terror, too afraid to engage Garrosh in battle.
Is Garrosh really that powerful? This scene seems somewhat familiar!
Varian gazed at the Argent Crusade War Chronicle on the table. In this clearly exaggerated memoir, Tirion Fordring, Thrall, Garrosh, and the Saurfang father and son all claimed to have wiped out a million Scourge in a single battle, severely damaging Arthas.
Could the Scourge be so easily defeated, relying solely on numerical superiority? No, no, there's also that collapsed mountain. If even the Orcs generals are this powerful, how can they possibly stand against them?
Varian finally began to doubt his own memories.
As he realized this, many memories of the Battle of Zul'Drak suddenly became blurred, eventually vanishing from his mind like bubbles.
Varian clutched his head in pain, barely managing to suppress a scream.
Something must have happened in Northrend! Perhaps I've suffered a serious head injury.
Varian analyzed it this way.
A commotion reached his ears, and Varian, who was about to take a nap, looked displeased. A Royal Guards reported that a Doomsayers had been captured and that His King should try him.
The Doomsayers are a group of bad elements. They operate in the shadows, spreading rumors that their mission to Northrend is to deliver Horde to the Horde. A dozen ships have already been incited and have quietly broken away from the fleet, their whereabouts unknown.
Finally, the mouse that had been hiding its head and tail was caught.
Varian felt a surge of pleasure and hurriedly stepped out of the cabin, eager to see what the mysterious Doomsayers looked like.
On the deck, Varian met the Doomsayers, just an ordinary soldier with a missing eye, blood constantly flowing from his eye socket, clearly having been tortured.
"You are the Doomsayers. Do you know the crimes you have committed?" Varian asked coldly.
The young soldier merely smiled faintly, his one eye straining as he gazed at the King, as if mocking him. He spat out a mouthful of blood and laughed:
"We have saved three thousand soldiers from becoming Orcs Destiny. King Majesty, kill me! I will not reveal the names of my comrades. There are still twenty-seven thousand soldiers waiting for our rescue."
"Twenty-seven thousand soldiers?"
Varian paused for a moment, then exclaimed, "We have a total army of 100,000!"
The young soldier chuckled, "Your King, everyone here knows that our army only numbers 30,000, but we claim to have 100,000."
Varian's face darkened; he needed an explanation.
Seeing this, the Gnome Tyrion quickly approached the King and whispered an explanation:
"We have three fleets. Your Majesty is in the central fleet, which has a total of 30,000 soldiers. It's impossible for an ordinary soldier to know the full strength of our army."
Varian, "That makes sense," and said to the soldier:
"Soldier, I'll make sure you die knowing why. You say my army will become Orcs rations? What evidence do you have?"
The bound soldier looked into his arms, and a Royal Guards pulled out a book, which was none other than "The Argent Crusade War Chronicles," which Varian had just been reading.
Varian was slightly taken aback. Had this soldier also noticed the exaggerations in the book? But that didn't matter; wasn't that how heroes built their reputations?
The soldier whispered, "Your King, starting from the first page, skip a line and connect the first letters of each line. Can you tell what that means?"
Varian opened the book suspiciously and spelled it out like a soldier:
"The soldiers of the Argent Crusade are the Orcs' rations."
Damn it!
Varian was so angry that he threw the book on the ground and stomped on it several times, determined to make this bestseller disappear from Kingdom of Stormwind.
The soldier, with a mocking expression, slowly said:
"Your King, don't you understand? The so-called Northrend War is nothing more than the Horde's plunder of the various tribes of Northrend. The Horde is eager to get the Alliance to join the war because they lack military supplies."