Rowan joined the meeting, and the conference representatives composed themselves, sat up straight, and returned to the agenda.
With the war growing urgent and problems piling up, Rowan chose the issue of the orcs in the internment camps from among the many thorny matters at hand.
Duke Bolvar was right. Unless they resolved their internal conflicts quickly, those conflicts would always remain a ticking time bomb.
"Duke Bolvar's proposal to execute the orcs may be somewhat extreme, but it is not without reason. There are more than a hundred thousand orc captives throughout the Hillsbrad Foothills. With numbers that large, openly exiling them would undoubtedly create another enemy for the Alliance. After years of imprisonment, the orcs have built up hatred in their hearts. They may not have openly shown it, but once released, even a brief taste of freedom could rekindle their anger. In the worst case, they might even embrace fel again." Rowan made his position clear, backing Bolvar.
Blackmoore's face turned livid. He wanted to slam his hand on the table, but held himself back.
Though Rowan belonged to the younger generation, he had already established immense prestige within the Alliance through numerous campaigns. Veterans like them, who had fought in both Orcs Wars, had seniority and military achievements, but they still fell far short of Rowan.
Rowan had led armies to suppress the joint uprising of the Zandalari Trolls and orcs, then defeated the Scourge and thwarted the Lich King's attempt to exterminate humanity. Both accomplishments were supreme honors known to everyone. Blackmoore, a veteran of both wars, had certainly rendered distinguished service, but he was no leader of the Alliance. Put plainly, he had no truly top-tier achievement to his name.
Among the human kingdoms, military leaders placed great weight on seniority and honor. Just