Cavalry needed relatively level terrain to charge. But Hera Mountain Valley was ill suited to cavalry combat, with very few places where mounted troops could launch a charge. Even Paladins could do little without suitable terrain.
If they followed Uther's wishes to the letter, they would have to rearrange their positions in Hera Mountain Valley, something Shidewa found unacceptable. That would amount to abandoning nearly all the valley's terrain advantages. Besides, ground suitable for a surprise attack by human cavalry was often unsuitable for Elves and Trolls to fight on.
Both sides argued fiercely over this, but when Uther learned that there were very few Mages among the Elven reinforcements, his opinion of them sank even lower.
Yet how could he have known that their shortage of Mages was precisely why Shidewa insisted on holding the favorable terrain? Without it, the Eastern Burning Legion of The Hinterlands would have no advantages left. They would truly have nothing to throw into the fight but lives.
The commanders ended that evening's talks on an unpleasant note. They had achieved nothing, and both sides stood by their own views. To borrow the language of China Central Television's evening news, the two sides had engaged in extensive communication and exchanged opinions. In other words, each had said their piece and argued furiously. The communication had certainly been extensive.
Yes, indeed! The only thing missing from that evening's talks was a frank exchange.
And what would have made the exchange frank enough? Coming to blows, of course!
But they were allies, so a frank exchange was out of the question. If they wanted to communicate frankly and exchange opinions frankly, they could only do so with the Orcs. When opinions differed too greatly, the other side would only agree once a frank exchange had left