Training hozen was far more difficult than training jinyu. General Nazgrel had already accomplished the impossible once before, and this time was no different. The previously undocumented hozen actually displayed better military discipline than the jinyu trained by Admiral Taylor.
This left Admiral Taylor, who came from an old Stormwind noble family and had received an education at a human kingdom's aristocratic military academy, utterly shocked. In the Alliance's eyes, most Horde orcs were nothing more than brutes.
In truth, Admiral Taylor was also one of the Alliance's newly risen officers. Though he had not climbed from the lowest ranks like General Nazgrel, his military aptitude was exceptionally strong. The only reason he lagged behind was that General Nazgrel had received training at Rend's War Academy.
Both sides rapidly trained their forces according to the respective traits of the hozen and jinyu.
Though mischievous and highly feral, the hozen possessed decent physical qualities and were skilled with polearms. Their long habit of throwing random objects around and observing things had unexpectedly given them a talent for shooting.
Thus, General Nazgrel's hozen force consisted mainly of warriors wielding clubs, long lances, and spears, as well as ranged shooters armed with firearms.
The jinyu's weakness was their physical condition. Unlike the equally amphibious Naga, their frail bodies were a serious flaw, and most jinyu were physically weak. However, they were more nimble and intelligent, and they possessed the heritage of waterspeakers.
Therefore, Admiral Taylor's jinyu force mainly consisted of rogues armed with daggers and shamans carrying staves.
The Vale of Eternal Blossoms was home to most hozen and jinyu. Drawing upon the enormous populations of the forest hozen and jinyu, General Nazgrel and Admiral Taylor had each raised an army of over ten thousand.
The two sides set out from Grookin Hill