Prelude to Battle Formation
After successfully concluding the deal, Zul'ra relayed the recent low morale of the allied forces to Brann, asking if he had any solutions. The Dwarves explorer, however, said he was helpless. ♔💋 💘💥
"After all, we're facing a god. All we can do now is fight with all our might and win the battle. That would be the best proof." Brann looked a little helpless; facing a god, he felt a lot of pressure.
"Have you finished your reconnaissance?" Zul'ra raised an eyebrow. Perhaps entering war would indeed be a good way to end the persistently low morale, but would it work in the current situation?
"It's all done. We've surveyed the positions Scarab Wall. Now, where are the Allied forces?" Brann nodded. The survey he conducted was to facilitate the Allied forces' deployment, especially the Dwarves tank brigade and mortar regiment.
"The coalition soldiers are now settled and training. If there are no other problems, perhaps we can begin." Zul'ra was a little uncertain about the war that had not yet started.
"Then we..." Brann nodded, but before he could finish speaking, someone suddenly entered the tent. It was none other than Tarecgosa, who was maintaining her Quel'dorei form.
"Zul'ra, Anachronos, Eranikus, and Korialstrasz have arrived."
"Where are they now?" Zul'ra's eyes widened slightly. The dragons had arrived; it seemed that war was indeed about to break out.
"Cenarion Hold," Tarecgosa succinctly stated.
"We have to get back and prepare for war." Brann stroked his beard and looked at Zul'ra.
"Let's begin!" Zul'ra clenched her fist, then she and Tarecgosa cast a teleportation spell, quickly returning to Cenarion Hold with Brann.
Cenarion Hold was built after the last War of the Shifting Sands. In the past few days, the allied mages have laid out a preliminary magical network here, and those with teleportation abilities can use the Ley Line to return directly to Cenarion Hold.
When Zul'ra, Brann, and Tarecgosa returned to Cenarion Hold, they quickly met with Bolvar, Shandris, Hamuul Runetotem, Marlis, and many other dragons who retained the appearances of humans, High Elves, and Night Elves.
The dragon has arrived in person, some pre-battle reconnaissance and preparations have been completed, and the soldiers are mentally prepared. The high command of the allied forces unanimously agrees that it is time to start the war, but how to begin and how to fight after it begins are issues that need to be discussed together.
The dragons were unwilling to speak, leaving Bolvar and the high-ranking members of the mortal alliance, including Zul'ra, Shandris, and Brann, to discuss the matter. The discussion centered entirely on the strategic objectives of the Second War of the Shifting Sands and how to achieve them. First, the total troop strength of the alliance had been determined.
The total strength of the allied forces, including the Night Elves who were already stationed in Cenarion, exceeds 35,000. This includes 4,000 spellcasters, more than 9,000 mounted cavalry, nearly 15,000 infantry, nearly 6,000 archers and musketeers, and 2,000 other personnel such as tank crews and mortar crews.
In addition to individual armor and weapons, the allied forces also had 101 tanks, 58 mortars, 9,400 shells of various types, 70 Shredder, 72 Elves Blade Throwers, more than 7,000 mounts of various types, more than 200 Hippogryph, 800 Gryphon, and 38 adult dragons participating in the battle.
To counter the Qiraji, Zul'ra also prepared 57 heavy-duty air-dropped Incendiary Bomb, as well as countless other medicines, bandages, and supplies. With continuous transportation and storage, the army's food and water supplies could last for two months.
With the coalition's current strength, the objective is to annihilate the Qiraji in the ancient ruins at the southern tip of Silithus, or at least eliminate their threat to the world. To achieve this goal, they will have to face an entire army of Qiraji, as well as the evil god C'Thun standing behind this army, and possibly the Zerg in the Silithus desert as well.
Zul'ra and Bolvar discussed whether or not to add the Zerg from the Silithus desert, and consulted the three dragon leaders present: the Bronze Dragons Anachronos, the Green Dragonflight Eranikus, and the Red Dragonflight Korialstrasz. The three dragons replied that there was no need to worry about the Zerg, which was good news, as the number of opponents would not increase.
Ignoring the Zerg in the Silithus desert, the Allied forces' main target is the Zerg army behind the Scarab Wall. Facing this army, Bolvar, Zul'ra, Brann, and Shandris discuss the existing conditions.
Based on Brann's current survey of the terrain, the entire battlefield is fixed in the open desert in front of the Scarab Wall, with the magical pedestal in front of the Scarab Wall, where a gong is placed, as the center line. To the south is the Qiraji army. When the Scepter of the Shifting Sands, the seal on the Scarab Wall will be broken, and the insectoids will pour out.
Faced with the overwhelming horde of insectoids, the Allied forces will form ranks in the open desert north of the wall. However, this formation has sparked some debate among the high-ranking officials, with Zul'ra and Bolvar each having their own opinions.
Zul'ra's plan was to position mortars, tanks, and blade throwers in the center of the front line, first overwhelming the insectoids with heavy firepower, and then using the mobile firepower of the tanks as a shield to cover the Goblins musketeers, Kaldorei archers, and infantry as they advanced. When they encountered resistance, the land and air cavalry from the rear would charge forward, giving the archers, musketeers, and tanks time to regroup.
Using tanks for heavy firepower as cover, followed by archers, musketeers, and infantry, with cavalry providing cover, they would gradually push down the entire Ahn'Qiraj. Then, dragons carrying heavy Incendiary Bomb would fly over the Ruins of Ahn'Qiraj and airdrop them into areas teeming with insectoids, thus completely eliminating the Qiraji. This was Zul'ra's idea, but Bolvar considered it somewhat cowardly.
Bolvar had a completely different view. He believed that heavy firepower, along with archers, spearmen, and infantry, should be arranged in the center, while cavalry should be positioned on the flanks. When the Qiraji swarmed out, the heavy firepower at the front should be used to disperse them first, and then the cavalry on the flanks should launch a full-scale attack to crush the enemy.
The cavalry is the main force used to break through the enemy lines, while the infantry, archers, and musketeers are used to consolidate the position. If the cavalry is blocked, then heavy firepower such as tanks, mortars, and javelins are used to break up the enemy lines and give the cavalry time to regroup, until the enemy is completely defeated.
The point of contention between Zul'ra and Bolvar lies in the fact that Bolvar's tactical philosophy is to use knights to launch the main attack and overwhelm the enemy with Charge, while Zul'ra advocates for coordinated infantry and cavalry attacks to steadily and surely defeat the enemy.