"Impossible!" A cold snort rang through the royal court. King Genn's face darkened as he spoke in an icy voice.
After hearing what had happened from Rex, King Genn decisively abandoned any thought of reinforcing Dalaran. The last two kings of Gilneas were both rather selfish, perfect examples of men who cared only for themselves and paid no heed to whether others lived or died. Take the Second War against the orcs, for instance. Even when the orcs held an overwhelming advantage and the human Alliance seemed on the verge of defeat, King Genn had no intention of sending troops to help. The Alliance sent messenger after messenger, and only at Vincent's suggestion did he finally dispatch a small squad to participate in the Second War.
Remember, this was no army, merely a small squad. Its numbers were roughly the same as those the High Elves had initially sent, making it more symbolic than practical. Later, the orcs ran rampant and dealt the High Elves painful losses, finally driving them to commit fully to the war. Gilneas never had such an experience. In the future, when the undead Scourge invaded, refugees from Lordaeron would come to the Greymane Wall, hoping to find shelter in Gilneas. Countless refugees would cry for help beneath the wall. Had it been only one or two people, Gilneas's refusal to save them might have been understandable. With so many, anyone would have expected Gilneas to open the gates of the Greymane Wall and welcome the refugees inside.
Yet the truth was chilling. Countless refugees were slaughtered by the undead, while the gates of the Greymane Wall remained firmly shut. Not even a single word came from the Gilnean side.
"Father, reinforcing Dalaran is an excellent opportunity to expand Gilneas's influence." Rex paid no heed to his father's objection. He knew better than anyone what sort of man this father he had acquired was. Though shrewd, King Genn had been led astray by Rex's maternal grandfather, becoming selfish and concerned only with himself, without regard for others. Still, King Genn did have a bottom line. At the very least, he felt a deep attachment to Gilneas. He might not care what happened to the people of other kingdoms, but he treated his own people well.
That was also Rex's opening. Had his father truly possessed the attitude of that Western saying from Rex's previous life, After I die, let the flood come, all Rex's efforts would have been useless. In that case, he would have had no way to change Gilneas short of forcing his father to abdicate and usurping the throne. For now, however, he did not need to take that step. Talk of rescuing the humans of the Hillsbrad Foothills would not stir King Genn in the slightest. Even if every human there died, he would feel no sorrow.
So Rex never mentioned that point. Instead, he framed everything in terms of Gilneas.
"Sending reinforcements to Dalaran this time means fighting a battle we are certain to win. The main force of the orc uprising is already being held down by Uther of the Order of the Silver Hand. We would only have to deal with a detached force. Right now, Gilneas has zero influence beyond its borders. If we do not seize this excellent opportunity to extend our influence into the Hillsbrad Foothills, the whole region will become Lordaeron's territory."
Rex spread a map across the square table before him. He had obtained it from Dalaran. Gilneas lacked the convenient methods available to mages, and its surveyed maps of the Eastern Kingdoms fell far short of those made by some of Dalaran's adventuring mages. There were always people in the world who loved exploration and relished the thrill of walking the line between life and death. It was thanks to them that Rex had this map before him. It included descriptions of many dangerous places, such as Blackrock Spire and Stranglethorn Vale, though it naturally could not compare to the maps Rex had used while playing the game.
To Rex, it looked crude, but to everyone else, it was already remarkably detailed.
Rex lightly pointed at the Hillsbrad Foothills and began, "The Eastern Kingdoms are divided into several regions. We need not discuss the others; let us focus on this land named Lordaeron. The richest lands in the north already belong to the Kingdom of Lordaeron. In the south, we once occupied most of Silverpine Forest, but ever since Lordaeron took over Ambermill, only the area near the Greymane Wall has remained ours. After the Kingdom of Alterac fell, we failed in our bid for its territory, and it was absorbed into Lordaeron."
"Across the land of Lordaeron, only the Hillsbrad Foothills, the Arathi Highlands, and our Gilneas peninsula remain outside the kingdom's borders." Rex sighed as he reached this point. There was no denying that Lordaeron was far too powerful at present. He could already see what King Terenas of Lordaeron intended: to replace the individual kingdoms in the name of the Alliance and reunite humanity.
After years of effort by King Terenas of Lordaeron, this plan had already begun to bear fruit. Among humans, the idea of individual kingdoms was fading, replaced by the Alliance. The Hillsbrad Foothills had once been Stromgarde's territory, but Stromgarde had steadily declined over the years. It had never recovered from the losses it suffered on the front lines against the orcs. Rex suspected that King Terenas of Lordaeron had a hand in that as well. Otherwise, how could a powerful kingdom once renowned for its military strength have lost territory again and again, until it could no longer fully control even the Arathi Highlands?
In the future, for instance, the Alliance would be so deeply rooted in people's hearts that it stood above the kingdoms. The Alliance was humanity, and humanity was the Alliance. Stormwind City represented the Alliance, so its commands could direct all humans. Apart from not being called an empire, the Alliance differed little from one, because a single dominant power controlled it.
This was King Terenas of Lordaeron's openly declared scheme. Gilneas and Stromgarde had withdrawn from the Alliance one after the other, yet its influence continued to expand. Lordaeron was so proactive during this orc uprising in part because it wanted to show everyone its magnanimity and establish that it represented humanity. That association would take root subconsciously. Dalaran, for example, had instinctively turned to Lordaeron for aid.
If Gilneas did nothing in this battle, Lordaeron's prestige throughout the Hillsbrad Foothills would soar. Everyone would know that Lordaeron had saved them. If King Terenas continued building his power in the Alliance's name, humanity would eventually be united again, while the kingdoms gradually declined. In the future, how many of humanity's original seven kingdoms would still exist?
(End of chapter)
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