The Core of the Talks
Because of previous territorial disputes, some military sites already occupied could not be opened. However, after both sides designated bases, Zul'ra was willing to use a certain area as a meeting point.
"Why not choose the coast?" Jaina frowned slightly as she looked at the location Zul'ra pointed to. This place was located at the border of the the Barrens and the Dustwallow Marsh, inland, and not the open and communicative place she had in mind.
"Why choose a coastal location?" Zul'ra asked with a nonchalant smile.
"This will facilitate transportation. In the coming days, I'd also like to discuss some trade issues." Jaina frowned. The population of Theramore was growing, and food had become a problem.
"Regarding trade, what is Theramore lacking right now? The Horde is desperately short of timber," Zul'ra asked thoughtfully. The Horde was indeed short of supplies. Orgrimmar was finished, but shipbuilding would require a large amount of wood, and Ashenvale's supply was far from sufficient.
"We are short of food and minerals; we can use these to form a trade." Jaina's eyes brightened slightly.
"I'm sorry, Jaina, we don't have enough food either. As for ore, I could consider trading some timber with you." Zul'ra looked at Jaina's shining eyes, shook her head slightly, and continued before Jaina could speak.
"As for commercial exchanges within the exchange area, I don't intend to delve into that, because the Horde's main focus right now is not on commerce."
"... I'll consider it. So, regarding regional exchanges, which aspect do you plan to focus on?" Jaina asked, slightly tilting her gaze. Without commercial trade, what could this open area do? Just provide housing?
"I will allow Alliance members to enter those open areas, and at the same time, I will issue them some tasks, and even recruit them in some areas," Zul'ra said calmly. If Jaina's previous proposal was to lease land, then what he proposed was a special administrative region.
The future factional conflict will be a long and intangible battle. This battle is not simply a confrontation between Tauren, Orcs, and Trolls and humans, Dwarves, and Gnomes, but rather a battle over the inclinations of all races.
What Zul'ra needs to do is demonstrate the Horde's inclusiveness. No matter how weak the Alliance is, it is impossible to completely eliminate them. If the Horde wants to win the final victory, it must survive before the Alliance perishes.
"So how should this area be managed?" Jaina frowned again.
"I will have the gentle Tauren govern this area, Theramore can send an ambassador to be stationed there."
"Zul'ra Jin, I'm sorry, but does your statement imply that this open area belongs to the Horde?" Jaina narrowed her beautiful blue eyes, looked down at the location on the map, and then fixed her intimidating gaze on the Trolls opposite her.
"Of course, it's obvious!" Zul'ra's gaze remained unwavering.
"But this area is close to Theramore and is a major road from Dustwallow Marsh to the the Barrens. It's not part of the Horde's existing base. The so-called open area you've designated here is actually part of a plan to contain Theramore." Jaina's expression changed.
She realized that Zul'ra was preemptively claiming territory, using the guise of an open area to seize the key point connecting Dustwallow Marsh to the the Barrens under the Horde's name, thus cutting off Theramore's access to the interior.
"But he's also outside Theramore's territory, isn't he?" Zul'ra couldn't deny Jaina's statement. He was claiming territory in advance, but this area was outside Theramore's base and was vacant land; whoever occupied it could keep it.
"Zul'ra Jin, you can't do this." Jaina felt a headache coming on. The area Zul'ra mentioned was a key transportation route from Theramore to the Kalimdor interior.
"Why can't we do that? Jaina, that's not Theramore's base, and the Horde has no ill intentions towards Theramore. This area is meant to facilitate communication between our two sides." Zul'ra's expression was very sincere; he was also taking a great risk with the special administrative region.
"Ownership of this open area cannot belong solely to the Horde; it must be shared with us, or neither of us should want it." Jaina chose to compromise.
"Jaina, it seems we have a big difference of opinion. Let's put this matter aside!" Zul'ra did not accept Jaina's concession. The sovereignty of the special administrative region could only belong to the Horde, and there was no room for negotiation. As for Theramore not agreeing, he didn't care. If Theramore didn't agree, he would go to Alterac.
"But..." Jaina opened her mouth. Open communication in this area was crucial to peace between Theramore and the Horde. If this central point was abandoned, what was the point of these negotiations?
"I understand you, Jaina. You have many good ideas, but those ideas aren't very realistic for our relationship. I think it would be better if we made Ratchet our current communication area," Zul'ra said, picking up where Jaina left off.
"In that case, they'll keep having conflicts." Jaina held her breath; she had a feeling that this negotiation might ultimately fail.
"So why don't we unite and establish a law enforcement organization to control those people below?" Zul'ra glanced sideways. The reason why there were conflicts and frictions among the members of the Horde and the Alliance was actually due to the lack of restraint and the influence of past grudges on relationships.
"Tell me about it," Jaina said, raising her eyes as she listened to Zul'ra's words.
"Let's establish a neutral organization to adjudicate conflicts, mediate and punish the parties involved, and prevent things from escalating into tragedies," Zul'ra proposed, outlining a United Nations-like organizational vision.
"That's a good idea. This organization won't side with you or us; it's only there to resolve conflicts." Jaina's eyes lit up. This idea resonated with her perfectly, and it was much more reliable than her previous proposal for open regional exchanges.
"It's not just about resolving conflicts; we also need to address the root causes of these conflicts. We need to introduce some guidelines for communication and interaction to those below us, helping you get to know us and helping us get to know you, so that we can work together more effectively." Zul'ra shook his head, emphasizing that resolving conflicts requires addressing their root causes.
"This idea... is quite good." Jaina had originally thought that she would get nothing but a peace treaty from this negotiation, but she was surprised that Zul'ra would propose such an organization. However, something seemed a little off.