For a period of time after the coup, things seemed peaceful on the surface. Varian's arrangement was to have the old marshal and the two princesses jointly rule as regents, with the power of the country controlled by the three of them. As a result, many things had to be discussed and decided upon.
No matter how much Jaina and Calia disagree, they have to compromise with each other, otherwise political affairs simply cannot proceed.
With official authorization, the old marshal could finally unleash his full potential— Major Sophia was promoted three ranks and exceptionally promoted to brigadier general, taking command of the City Guard. Her subordinates were promoted or demoted, and all of Jonathan's old men were ousted.
With key command positions in their own hands, the old marshal's faction has finally firmly grasped control of the City Guard, no longer fearing any more military leaders causing trouble.
The old marshal's authority was legitimate, and his orders were obeyed without question. The trade bank dared not cause any more trouble. The majority of the embezzled funds of the Black Dragon Princess and many nobles were hidden in the underground vault of the Trade District bank. Previously, the bank had relied on its connections with the City Guards to try to secretly seize these unclaimed assets. Now that its backer had been uprooted, it naturally had no choice but to bow its head.
With the old marshal receiving this large sum of money, Stormwind City's finances finally improved.
Having rid itself of the domineering Black Dragon Princess and the corrupt Noble Council, the city's post-war reconstruction, the soldiers' compensation and rewards, and the reorganization of various departments were all carried out more efficiently, and the entire city quickly radiated with great vitality.
Of course, there were also many troubles. Because Jonathan had sent scouts to seek help from all over the kingdom, reinforcements from all over the kingdom arrived one after another: the Darkshire, the militia from Westfall, and even a small team from the distant Lakeshire.
Although they arrived too late, and Defias had already been "defeated," the reinforcements did not leave immediately. Instead, they camped outside the city, hoping to pay homage to the returning king.
With the return of the Royal Fleet and the Seventh Legion, Vice Admiral Keller and three army commanders—the Duke of Leoric, the Duke August, and General Havel-Dragonbane— had all entered the city.
These high-ranking generals were naturally extremely dissatisfied with the two foreign princesses' regency, but their repeated requests to see the king were refused, and the old marshal had Varian's personal appointment. They had no choice but to obey the situation and did not want to rebel.
After news of Princess Calia's efforts to restore her kingdom spread, many of the remnants of Lordaeron came to the city to petition, hoping to do their part.
Unas and his new wife were extremely busy meeting with all sorts of Lordaeron people who had ended up in Stormwind City. After a few days of interaction, their confidence grew, and they began to have the idea of forming a new army.
But manpower alone is not enough. The expenses for the army's training, equipment, food, and other aspects are enormous. The enthusiasm of the remnants alone is far from sufficient; support from Stormwind City and even the Alliance is necessary.
After several rounds of clashes with Jaina, Calia agreed to send an advance force westward in exchange for the sorceress's support for the Restoration Army.
The old marshal, needless to say, was naturally willing to help Unas. After reaching an agreement with the two princesses, he immediately transferred two battalions of Stormwind City soldiers, totaling one thousand men, to Calia's command as the foundation of the Restoration Army.
The old marshal could not bear the full cost of the military expenses, but since the kingdom's finances had improved, he agreed to cover a portion.
The richest man in the Eastern Kingdoms is Magni Bronzebeard, the master of Ironforge. He is also coming to attend the summit, and Unas plans to visit him as soon as he arrives.
In addition, two uninvited guests arrived: Lord Crowley of Gilneas came in person and made it clear that he would support the restoration of Lordaeron.
This greatly puzzled Unas and Calia. This lord, who had come with Jaina, would actually come to their side to curry favor and openly contradict Jaina.
His background was easily traced— Darius Crowley, the most powerful lord under the King of Gilneas.
After Gilneas withdrew from the Alliance, it implemented a policy of isolation. Under the king's insistence, a towering and sturdy city wall was built to separate the inside from the outside world. It even went so far as to abandon half of Silverpine Forest, which belonged to its own people, and a large part of the Crowley family's territory was located within it.
Territory is the lifeblood of a lord, King Genn's actions greatly displeased the Crowley family. Darius himself also despised this "cowardly" king, who disregarded royal orders and frequently made private alliances with foreign powers, harboring rebellious intentions.
This time, he even accepted Jaina's invitation without permission and secretly went abroad for a visit, completely disregarding King Genn, revealing his rebellious intentions.
However, Jaina was focused on fighting the Zerg and did not support Lord Crowley's ideas, so he had to find other allies, and Princess Calia, who was eager to restore her kingdom, became a perfect choice.
The Undead in the north also pose a significant threat to Gilneas. Since both sides share the same goal and can help each other, Unas has already reached a preliminary agreement with him.
Another uninvited guest was his old friend VanCleef. The King of Thieves, unusually, gave the Paladin a thumbs up for his new identity. He promised Unas that he would no longer kill indiscriminately in the city, but he also made a request—the position of commander of SI:7 could not be finalized.
This was a minor matter. Unas gave the old marshal and Calia a brief word, and the official appointment of the Scarface officer was suppressed. The old marshal and the two princesses agreed that this man was not steady enough and was not suitable for such an important position as the head of SI:7.
However, a suitable candidate cannot be found at present, so the position remains vacant for the time being.
Regarding the trip to the north, Unas also laid out formal conditions: as long as VanCleef agreed to form an alliance, lead his troops north, and defeat the Forsaken, the lost territory of Alterac in the Central Plains would be his.
During Second War, the Kingdom of Alterac betrayed the alliance and its royal power was overthrown by Terenas II. The kingdom was annexed by Lordaeron and nominally became the territory of the House of Menethil, but it is now occupied by bandits, Orcs, and Ogres.
Although it is a small country, the land of a nation is still very tempting. The King of Thieves said he would consider it carefully and give a reply after the summit.
On January 25th, Magni Bronzebeard, Rendaen-Mosmar, Falstad Wildhammer —the three Dwarf Kings of Ironforge, Shadowforge City, and Aerie Peak— arrived together, accompanied by the Gnomes leader, High Tinker Mekkatorque.
The following day, Rhonin, the leader of Dalaran, and Prince Galin - Trollbane of Stromgarde also arrived, and the summit officially began.
Varian only managed to meet with the familiar Bronzebeard King, and still refused to leave the palace. The summit had to be chaired by the old marshal, and the first item on the agenda was the Dark Iron Kingdom's entry into the alliance.
Now that the three races of Dwarves had reached a reconciliation, there was no grounds for outsiders to object. The Alliance was welcomed by everyone with new support, and the vote passed unanimously without any doubt. Rendaen's throne was now secure, and the Paladins ' timely communication played a crucial role in this matter.
The second important issue was rebuilding the Alliance Forces. Unity is strength, and the purpose of the alliance was to fight against a powerful enemy together. Of course, no one objected. However, the strength of the various forces differed, and after a lot of debate, the allocation of tasks for each party was initially determined.
Whether it was contributing money or manpower, Stormwind City, Ironforge, and Darnassus, the three major powers, contributed the lion's share, greatly increasing their influence.
The meeting continued, and at Varian's request, the whereabouts of Prince Anduin had to be included in the discussion.
These days, the old marshal sent men to search every corner of the cliffs and mountains, but they still couldn't find the Little Prince. The rumors that he had fallen into the hands of the Blackrock Orcs were becoming more and more believable.
Rendaen also brought news from Blackrock Mountain: Not long ago, two Red Dragons broke into Blackrock Spire and caused a great disturbance, resulting in significant losses for the Old Horde. However, the two dragons also seem to have been trapped inside the tower, and their fate is unknown.
Unas immediately recognized them as Alexstrasza and Vaelastrasz. The two dragons were overestimating themselves, attempting to launch a direct assault on the Black Dragon Prince's lair. Their chances of survival were slim.
The priestess of Shiroma took this news very seriously, and her expression turned grim upon learning that a Red Dragon was named Vaelastrasz.
It turns out that the key to the seal of Ahn'Qiraj is called the "Scepter of the Shifting Sands". A thousand years ago, this scepter was smashed into four pieces by the High Druid Fandral Staghelm in anger after losing his son. Later, it was entrusted to four dragons for safekeeping, and the red dragonflight's custodian was Vaelastrasz.
Shiroma, in order to reassemble the Scepter of the Shifting Sands and break the seal, has sent people all over the world to search for the whereabouts of the four dragons. The news that the Red Dragon has been trapped in Blackrock Spire is nothing short of devastating.
Blackrock Spire suddenly became the focus of attention, as both the Little Prince and the Red Dragon were in dire need of rescue. However, it would be unwise to rashly start a war with the Old Horde and the Black Dragon. Ultimately, it was decided to send a large number of scouts to the Burning Steppes to gather accurate intelligence before making further decisions.
Next came the internal problems of the Kingdom of Stormwind. Defias' attack on the city did not cause significant actual damage, but its impact was extremely negative. In particular, the massacre of a large number of nobles was condemned by everyone—most of the leaders present were of noble birth and deeply abhorred VanCleef's indiscriminate killing.
Since both Blackrock Spire and the Zerg are waiting, the Allied Forces' first target has been the dark forces of Defias and Duskwood, which can also be considered a training exercise.
Unas was naturally pleased with this outcome; the more pressure Defias was put under, the more likely she was to side with him.
The final and most important topic was the restoration of Lordaeron and the fight against the Zerg. Unas and Jaina had already made compromises, and both of them had done ample "lobbying" with other parties before the summit, so a decision was reached quickly.
Regarding the Zerg, half of the Stormwind City and Ironforge navies will be deployed as an advance force to cross the sea westward to support Theramore and the Night Elves, wipe out Silithid Hive throughout southern Kalimdor, and gain experience in fighting the Zerg.
Jaina was appointed as the Alliance's representative and authorized to sign a temporary truce with the Horde to cooperate in fighting the Zerg.
The proposal to establish the Lordaeron Restoration Army was also unanimously approved, and Princess Calia would only need to bear 30% of the military expenses herself, with the remaining 70% shared by Stormwind City, Ironforge, and Shadowforge City.
This was, of course, the result of Unas's extensive travels. In order to get the two Dwarf Kings to fund the project, he had to relinquish some of the benefits of the new territory in the Searing Gorge.
The generous Magni also promised to provide a batch of weapons and equipment free of charge and a huge interest-free loan. Not to be outdone, Rendaen promised to give away a batch of supplies for free. The two secretly competed with each other, which benefited the Paladin, who naturally accepted their goodwill.
Unas's wealth, acquired from the Dark Iron slave owners and Merlin, was enough to make him incredibly rich, but he could squander it all. While he could afford to cover 30% of his military expenses in the short term, it would be difficult to sustain him in the long run.
He hadn't felt short of money in a long time, and he was already planning a trip to Dustwallow Marsh, where the Black Dragon Princess's famous lair was located.
If Onyxia hadn't died in the explosion, she would likely have returned to her lair to recover. It would be a good opportunity to take advantage of her weakened state and eliminate this threat completely, while also plundering her treasure to fund our military campaign.
It would be even better if he were dead; then we could just take his money directly.
The summit's agenda concluded thereafter, leaving the three Alliance leaders quite satisfied— Stormwind City had hope of quelling its internal strife, Darnassus had gained assistance in fighting the Zerg, and Ironforge had a golden opportunity to profit from the war.
Rhonin of Dalaran made a brief appearance, agreeing to equip the various units of the Allied Forces with a small number of battle mages on the condition of a grant and a pool of high-quality mage apprentices from various countries.
Only two people were not satisfied. One was Lord Crowley, whose demands were not even worthy of being discussed openly. He had tried to reach out to others before the summit, but was rejected after only a few attempts. Apart from the Prince of Lordaeron who suddenly appeared, no one was willing to help him overthrow King Genn.
Another dissatisfied person was Prince Galin of Stromgarde, who strongly urged the Allied Forces to march north and help him eliminate the Forsaken in the Arathi Highlands, but few responded.
In truth, this prince was a pitiful man. His kingdom was destroyed by the Undead, leaving only a few thousand soldiers and civilians to eke out a living in a Refuge Pointe in Arathi. Penniless and without people, he naturally had no voice.
In Unas's memory of history, Prince Galin would soon die in battle, Stromgarde would fall completely.
The Lordaeron Restoration Army would inevitably head north sooner or later, so having another ally would be beneficial. Unas privately approached the down-on-his-luck prince several times, advising him to withdraw from Arathi and conserve his strength for future support.
But this prince possessed a proud spirit and refused to retreat to the southern Wetlands to accept the protection of the Dwarves. He vowed to defend his homeland and Forsaken to the death.
Unas had no choice but to secretly ask Magni to look after him—after getting to know Prince Galin, he found his character admirable, and Unas didn't want him to perish prematurely.
In addition, with the support of all parties, the recruitment of the Restoration Army went very smoothly, and more than 3,000 young men were gathered in a short period of time. This was after Unas had made a rough selection.
Few elderly, weak, women, or children could escape such a long distance from north to south. There were more than 30,000 able-bodied men from Lordaeron in Stormwind City who met the requirements for enlistment. But shouting slogans about reclaiming their homeland was one thing, and actually fighting against the terrifying Undead was quite another. Calia and Unas were already very grateful that so many people had come.
Especially for Calia, who had previously worried that the people of Lordaeron would not forgive the Menethil royal family, she did not expect to receive such great support, and the gloom in her heart dissipated considerably.
Even three thousand Paladins were considered too many. He had always wanted to pursue the path of an extremely elite force, because the main enemy in the future would be the Undead, and too many soldiers would only create more corpses and make the enemy stronger.
There's no need to worry about these things now; we can gradually select replacements after a few training sessions.
After news spread that the new coalition was about to attack Westfall and Duskwood, VanCleef immediately appeared. He was finally forced to make up his mind to follow the Paladins north to fight for their lives.
Unas was overjoyed and readily agreed to the King of Thieves's terms: Vanessa VanCleef would be the new Queen of Alterac; and the new head of SI:7 would be a high-ranking agent named Mason.
The first condition had been agreed upon long ago, but the second worried Unas. According to VanCleef, Mason was a double agent and someone had something on him.
If someone like that takes control of SI:7, they certainly won't dare to pressure Defias too much, and they can even use him to do things, which would be of great benefit to their side.
After VanCleef agreed to go north, he was already considered an important ally. Although Unas was worried about Mason, whose stance was ambiguous, he had no choice but to sacrifice some of Stormwind City's interests for his own.
Currently, both the old marshal and Calia trust the Paladin implicitly, to the point of almost blindly obeying him. As long as he secretly pushes things along, it wouldn't be difficult for the two of them to secretly choose Mason to take over.
After confirming that Defias had joined their side, Unas immediately summoned Lord Crowley for a private meeting.
The Paladin probed, "I've heard that some kind of Bloodlust monster has appeared in Gilneas. Is that true?"
"That's not true, it's just a rumor," Crowley denied expressionlessly.
"Don't hide it, I already know, it's Worgen, isn't it?"
Crowley vehemently denied it. "Gilneas has very few wolves, so there are no Worgen like in those ridiculous stories."
Unas bluntly exposed him. "Arugal, the Wolf Cult."
Just two words were enough to shake Crowley: "You... how did you know?"
In the history that Unas knew, during the Third War, the Scourge also attacked Gilneas. Although the tall and sturdy Greymane Wall blocked their way, the number of defenders was far outnumbered by the Undead sea. It seemed that the wall would fall and the country would be destroyed. King Genn had no choice but to use the method of the royal Archmage Arugal: summoning Worgen from another world to resist the Undead.
Worgen are naturally ferocious and Bloodlust, with extremely strong combat power, and they are immune to the Undead Plague. They quickly helped Gilneas repel the Scourge, but they also became too powerful to control. After Arugal's death, the wolf pack finally lost all control.
People bitten by Worgen have a high chance of being infected with the curse, and soon they will become Bloodlust beasts with disordered minds, causing a large number of innocent bloodshed.
King Genn could only order the extermination of the Worgen, but he failed to eradicate them completely. The remaining Worgen, led by a mysterious figure known as the Alpha Wolf, secretly infiltrated and formed the Wolf Cult, assimilating Gilneas who were dissatisfied with the king, and have secretly developed into a great threat.
This was Gilneas's biggest scandal, and the king strictly ordered a news blackout, which was not difficult to do even under the current state of isolation, so it hardly spread outside the country.
As a member of Gilneas, Crowley felt ashamed of his homeland and naturally did not want to admit it, but he did not expect that the Prince of Lordaeron in front of him seemed to know everything and could not hide anything from him.
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend. The Wolf Cult shares similar goals with you, so we can cooperate with them."
"No, those monsters are the enemies of all humanity," Crowley vehemently objected.
Although he wanted to overthrow Genn's rule, he never considered allying with the Worgen. In his mind, these Bloodlust beasts were the most untrustworthy, and Genn, who had used them, was a cautionary tale.
Unas didn't press the issue, instead saying, "Worgen aren't only found in Gilneas; they also exist in Duskwood, south of Stormwind City."
"I've heard this rumor. Worgen have appeared in both places, which are so far apart. Could there be some connection?"
"There is indeed a connection. Don't go back to China yet. Go with the allied forces to the Duskwood and find the Worgen's gathering place there. I know a very important treasure is lost nearby. You must find it; the key to breaking the Worgen's curse lies in this treasure."
"What treasure?! Are you serious?" Crowley was both surprised and delighted, finding it hard to believe, but the Prince of Lordaeron's affirmative tone gave him great confidence.
"Scythe of Elune."
Nine thousand years ago, during the Satyr Wars, a Night Elf Druid developed the art of transforming into a wolf in order to fight against a powerful enemy.
Due to the instability of the wolf form, this Druid intended to use the power of the moon goddess to perfect the wolf transformation spell. So he combined the Staff of Elune with the fangs of the wolf god to create the Scythe of Elune.
The powers of the wolf god and the moon god were forcibly combined, causing the scythe to mutate and create the new form of Worgen. This is the origin of the Worgen race.
Later, because the werewolves were too ferocious and often killed indiscriminately without distinguishing friend from foe, and the curse they brought spread further, causing great harm, they angered the Archdruid Malfurion. He banished all the werewolves to another world until the Archmage Arugal summoned them back to the present world.
Unas briefly mentioned the origin of this divine artifact, Crowley's gaze towards him changed. He knew so much about the secrets of ten thousand years ago; the identity of this Prince of Lordaeron suddenly became mysterious and lofty.
"Can that artifact really save Gilneas?"
"Yes, legend has it that it can not only summon Worgen sealed in another world, but also influence their minds. If used properly, it might be able to eliminate the Worgen' Bloodlust and ferocious nature, restoring their human sanity."
"I'll make preparations immediately!" Lord Crowley thanked him solemnly, then rose and left.
Over nearly ten thousand years, the Scythe of Elune's Scythe was lost in the Duskwood, accidentally creating a group of wild and untamed Worgen. Their Bloodlust nature brought great disaster to the inhabitants of the area.
The coalition should have no difficulty in eliminating the werewolves; the real challenge lies in finding the artifact lost in the Worgen' vast territory. They can only rely on a thorough, inch-by-inch search. The Duskwood is dark and its terrain is complex, making this an extremely arduous task.
Unas did not go to find it himself, not because he was afraid of hardship, but because he had more important matters to attend to.
He pulled in Rendaen and volunteered to be the striker in the Westfall, all in order to put on another show with Defias.
VanCleef is determined to leave, and there is no risk of losing this battle in the Westfall. Taking Unas will bring many benefits.
Firstly, it allows the new recruits under their command to experience the battlefield. Those who voluntarily join the Restoration Army are all ambitious young people with high morale. As long as supplies, equipment, and training are adequate, and they are tempered on the real battlefield, a strong army will be just around the corner.
Secondly, reclaiming the Westfall is also a great achievement, which will enhance the prestige of the Prince of Lordaeron and bring more benefits to the Restoration Army.
To make this play a success, Unas must take the lead himself, leaving the Duskwood side to someone else. Crowley is the best choice; with the fate of his homeland at stake, he has no choice but to give it his all.
Half a month later, banners fluttered Stormwind City, and the allied forces had finally assembled.
Marshal Windsor, representing King Varian, the leader of the Alliance, gave a swearing-in ceremony, and the army split into two groups and set off immediately.
The Lordaeron Restoration Army, the Dark Iron Kingdom, the Aerie Peak, the People's Militia, and the Seventh Legion under Duke August formed one force and headed towards Westfall.
Crowley urgently dispatched seven ships of soldiers from Gilneas, forming another force with those from Ironforge, Gnomeregan, the Night's Watch, and Duke Leoric's Seventh Legion, which set off for Duskwood.
General Havel-Dragonbane's troops remained Stormwind City as a reserve force.
Prince Galin was unable to participate in this campaign and had already returned to the north. Jaina had also returned to Kalimdor to wipe out the Silithid Hives, sending only a token number of people.
The priestess of Shiroma led a large scout force to the Burning Steppes north of the Redridge Mountains to investigate intelligence on Blackrock Spire.
Including the manpower mobilized from the logistics units, the total number of people mobilized for this operation has exceeded 100,000, which is more than enough to divide the troops into several routes.
Riding a magnificent warhorse, Unas watched the passing ranks with satisfaction. His hard work over the past ten days had not been in vain; although the Restoration Army was a new army, their marching formation was perfectly orderly, exuding a vibrant and energetic aura.
"Your Highness is indeed extraordinary; in such a short time, you have trained these young men to be so formidable," the middle-aged Knight, trailing behind by half a horse length, complimented.
Ever since Jaina mistakenly called Unas "Prince," this nickname has spread, and Unas doesn't deny it; it's not a bad thing that others are willing to elevate his status.
"The fact that Gryan's defenses have held out in the Westfall until now is truly admirable."
Unas wasn't just being polite; the middle-aged Knight was none other than Gryan Stoutmantle, the leader of the Western People's Army.