Alliance and Rivalry
In fact, Zul'ra had considered increasing the gunpowder dosage so that the bullets would explode the barrel, since muskets are much more expensive than bullets. However, he felt that this would damage the product's reputation, so he abandoned the idea and simply reduced the dosage to decrease the lethality.
While selling weapons to Goblins, Zul'ra did not forget his distant relatives, the Desert Trolls Sandfury of Zul'Farrak. Without war, where would he sell weapons?
The Sandfury tribe lives in the desert of Tanaris, where the harsh environment has made them more savage. Even their close relatives, the Jungle Trolls, are very hostile towards them, and Vol'jin looks down on them as well.
Because of their barbaric and xenophobic nature, the Sandfury tribe had long harbored resentment towards Gadgetzan Goblins city in Tanaris. This time, being innocently used as a target for gunfire only fueled their rage. However, they were Goblins; if they could, Gadgetzan would not exist.
Under pressure, the Sandfury tribe had no choice but to suppress their wild temper and seek help from the Horde through Vol'jin's connections. Zul'ra naturally didn't mind helping their impoverished distant relatives, so he bundled up the Horde's soon-to-be-retired catapults, ballistae, bows, plate armor, and other weapons, and gave them away at half price, since they were giving him gold in return.
Not only did he sell them at half price, but Zul'ra also delivered them to the Desert Trolls and taught them how to assemble and operate the weapons. After all, the goblins now held the initiative on the sea Goblins, and if they found out, it would be terrible. He couldn't afford to offend those wealthy people, but on land, especially in Kalimdor, his word still counted.
Zul'ra found a foothold and transportation point in Thousand Needles. The Grimtotem tribe's lair was located on Blackcloud Peak in Thousand Needles, so they could conveniently provide assistance by helping to transport supplies.
With the help of the provisions that Zul'ra brought, the Sandfury Trolls quickly armed themselves and launched an attack on the Steamwheedle Cartel's camp in the desert. They seized several oil fields and mines, plundered a lot of money, and even sacrificed the Goblins they captured to the Loa.
Faced with the Sandfury Trolls ' fierce counterattack, the Goblins of Gadgetzan were naturally unwilling to give up. Gunshots rang out frequently in the Tanaris Desert, and even Mardi, who had been preparing to fight Gallywix, couldn't care less about his original plans.
When war breaks out, arms sales skyrocket. Zul'ra not only sells arms, but also supplies the Sandfury tribe with food, fresh water, and other necessities. The living environment in the Tanaris Desert is harsh, and without sufficient supplies to support the war, they would probably collapse on their own without even being attacked by Goblins.
Zul'Farrak's gold and silver reserves were quickly extracted by Zul'ra, but there was no need to panic. They had oil fields and gold mines, things that Zul'ra couldn't easily interfere with. Ratchet and Booty Bay, mindful of the attitude of the Prince of Steamwheedle Cartel, also dared not take on the task. However, the Bilgewater Cartel didn't care about any of that.
Prince Gallywix of the Bilgewater Cartel personally met with Zul'ra and eagerly accepted the oil fields and gold mines of Tanaris, sharing the profits with the Horde. As for the protests from the barons and leaders of Gadgetzan, he wouldn't even pay attention to Prince Steamwheedle the Steamwheedle Cartel. Steamwheedle had displeased him greatly back then when he sheltered Mardi, but he couldn't challenge him then. Now, if he had the guts, let's have a fight!
In short, internal strife among the Goblins has begun, bringing enormous benefits to the Horde. Both the arms factories and food producers have made considerable profits. Zul'ra used this opportunity to upgrade and renovate the equipment at the Foothill Steelworks, and then eagerly began organizing the construction of the ironclad warships he had always wanted to build. He no longer needed to think about trying to patch the ships with iron plates first, because even if those things were built, they wouldn't be able to sail far out to sea.
Zul'ra established Ironclad Construction Committee, appointing Sin'dorei Grand Shipwright Elandir as its chairman. With the help of many Gnomes and Goblins craftsmen, he began organizing the Ironclad Shipbuilding Project. During this process, he used his personal power to place some Amani'lai shipwrights in the ranks, allowing them to learn how to build Ironclad Ships.
Elandir lived up to his reputation as a master shipwright, quickly producing the design drawings and offering some constructive suggestions to Zul'ra. For example, he suggested changing the heat source of the steam engine, using flame totems instead of coal to provide heat, and allowing the power of magic to intervene in science—a pollution-free and convenient solution. Zul'ra agreed with his idea and let him try to build the engine first. If it worked, the Horde's steel mill would need to be renovated again.
Ironclad warships and wooden ships are completely different in terms of materials, structure, and shipbuilding technology. They are not even in the same league. For the sake of secrecy, Zul'ra re-designated a section of coastline at the northeastern edge of Orgrimmar, drove out the Naga there, and built a new port.
Although Zul'ra's efforts, aided by Goblins and Sandfury Trolls, allowed the Horde's ironclad warship construction project to begin smoothly, his actions also drew criticism from the Horde's Horde, headed by Cairne Bloodhoof.
While Zul'ra was stirring up Goblins the goblins and making a fortune, the Horde had unwittingly offended its old friend, the Steamwheedle Cartel. Cairne Bloodhoof and his allies were seeking a foothold in Booty Bay to advance on the Dark Portal and attack the potentially resurrected Hakkar. During the negotiations, Gazlowe inevitably tried to keep the Horde out of the goblin's Goblins affairs.
Gazlowe may have just said it casually, but Cairne Bloodhoof took it seriously. After learning the reason, he immediately felt that Zul'ra had ruined their work and inevitably lashed out at him. Zul'ra could only apologize to him and asked him and Vol'jin to step in and Horde the Goblins and Desert Trolls to stop fighting, as the war really shouldn't continue and the Desert Trolls couldn't hold out for much longer.
This great battle may seem like Gadgetzan versus Zul'Farrak, but in reality, it Goblins the Bilgewater Cartel's challenge to the Steamwheedle Cartel's dominance, as well as Mardi's desire to reclaim the Bilgewater Cartel. If these conflicts are left unchecked, the parties will eventually clash and fight to the death.
If it didn't concern them, they could fight if they wanted to. But the world is currently surrounded by crises, and letting them fight would deplete the world's resources. Besides, if they finished the war in one go, where would they sell their weapons in the future?
At Zul'ra's suggestion, Cairne Bloodhoof joined forces with Gazlowe and Gazlowe to host a banquet in Ratchet. Other Goblins leaders also attended, such as the Rubber Stamps of the Trade Coalition and Steamwheedle, the true leader of the Steamwheedle Cartel.
Although these people secretly hoped that Mardi and Gallywix would be killed, they stepped in to be good people because the Horde was nearby and they thought about the Goblins' potential survival.