After capturing Stormwind City, the Orcs had indeed gathered many human souls and refined them into Soul Shards. But they had also consumed a great many during the siege. This Orc army's ultimate objective was likely Proudmoore's Menethil Harbor. Without enough Soul Shards to summon demons to aid them, a lone Orc army would suffer heavy losses against Menethil Harbor's tall, thick walls.
But if they had enough Soul Shards to summon Infernals or felguards onto the walls, they could clear large stretches at a time, giving the Orcs an opportunity to climb up.
Even if the Orc Warlocks merely summoned imps below the walls, the imps' ranged fireball attacks could still provide considerable support. Those tens of thousands of Dwarf civilians would certainly allow the Orc Warlocks to collect enough Soul Shards to summon plenty of demons to help with the siege.
Yu Lin Bloodhawk decided to intercept the Orc Wolf Riders here.
The Gryphon Riders had already scouted the area. Apart from these two fairly large stretches of firm ground, the surrounding marshes and mud pits were extensive. There were only a few scattered knolls of solid earth, all very small, while the mud pits were vast. Deep pits were everywhere, many reaching more than three meters down.
This was one of the few good stretches along the Wetlands road, spacious enough for passing caravans to camp and rest. Its size allowed Yu Lin Bloodhawk to deploy his forces and exploit his numerical advantage. Meanwhile, the terrain on both sides of this good stretch was extremely dangerous, preventing the Orcs from going around.
The two regiments, comprising four units in total, were divided among four areas to lay out Five-Element Formations. A passage roughly fifty meters wide was left between each formation for a rapid retreat.
Did Yu