The plan went very smoothly. The Trolls clearly had not noticed that the mages were already missing from the High Elves' ranks. At the moment, the rangers' endless assortment of traps had them scrambling.
The Tar Traps buried in advance made their entire charge... challenging.
To avoid slipping, they had to slow down and advance with cautious steps, while also remaining ready to block arrows flying in from afar with their wooden shields.
The slightest lapse could also get them caught whole in the trigger-activated net traps the rangers had placed in the trees beforehand, turning those Trolls into so many living targets.
There was no way the rangers would miss such stationary targets. Once caught in a net, they lost all hope of survival.
Just as the Trolls were about to charge out of the Tar Traps, the Explosive Traps the rangers had planted were triggered.
What happened when oil met fire? One look at the Trolls screaming for their parents as they burned would tell you.
Perhaps at times like these, the Trolls hated their rapid regeneration. Even as they suffered burns, their bodies continued to heal themselves.
But according to the Goblins, this tar came from Un'Goro Crater, and once it caught fire, it was almost impossible to put out. The Trolls could only roll on the ground in agony, praying for an early death to end the torment of being burned alive.
Yes, Goblins.
These greenskins, who would even sell themselves for business, had naturally expanded their operations into the immensely wealthy Quel'Thalas. In their eyes, this elven kingdom was a place dripping with riches. They would open trade routes with the High Elves even if they had to sell their own mothers.
Although the Goblins' various engineering products were notorious for being unreliable, the High Elves were clearly no gullible suckers either. Most of the time, they only purchased raw materials from them.
Tar was one such material. Able to work in tandem with Explosive Traps, it immediately won the rangers' favor after its introduction, even replacing their previously favored Frost Traps to some extent.
However, the need to purchase the raw material still limited how frequently they could use Tar Traps. Those greenskins did not charge low prices.
Had Charlemagne, an old hand who knew his stuff, not firmly advocated buying it, Lireesa would never have willingly let the Goblins fleece her.
After finally escaping the fiery hell, the Trolls fell into Frost Traps instead. But this actually came as a relief to the Trolls who had just been badly burned.
Although every step was a struggle, at least they could use the ice on the ground to extinguish the flames on their bodies. Some Trolls who were still burning ignored the rain of arrows overhead and rolled toward the area of Frost Traps ahead.
The Advanced Warrior Halazzi was clearly also thoroughly fed up with the High Elves' varied traps. He stood in a Frost Trap, roaring furiously without pause.
"Gutless long ears! Come face us head-on if you have the guts!"
After understanding Halazzi's taunts, Skarren curled his lip in disdain.
"Brainless Trolls. Still the same after thousands of years. Making full use of every advantage has always been the rangers' style."
Charlemagne also found the Trolls' stupidity somewhat amusing. "Commander Skarren, are all Trolls single-celled organisms like this?"
"Single... what? Never mind, I think I understand what you mean."
Skarren clearly had not understood Charlemagne's terminology from Earth, but then he waved a hand and warned him solemnly,
"Don't underestimate them. Although brainless Warriors like these make up the majority of Trolls, they have their wise ones too, such as their Witch Doctors and Hexers, as well as that dangerous leader of theirs... Zul'jin!"
When he spoke of Zul'jin, Skarren's expression grew extremely grave.
"He was already very difficult to deal with during the Troll Wars. He fought both of the previous two Ranger-Generals several times, and his strength has reached the upper level of the Heroic tier. He's even a notch stronger than General Lireesa is now."
"Compared with ordinary Trolls, his strategic vision and cunning are also exceptional. He devised the plan to ambush the Ranger-General ten years ago and personally took part in it."
"Wouldn't that make him at least several thousand years old?"
"Of course. Zul'jin is a crafty old fox. If you ever encounter him, you must be careful."
The question of Troll lifespans had always drawn conflicting opinions in Charlemagne's previous life. Some said they were as long-lived as the various elven races, while others said Trolls had an average lifespan of only one to two hundred years.
But after arriving in the real Azeroth, Charlemagne finally found an answer to his doubts.
Strictly speaking, both sides were actually right. Trolls' natural lifespans were very long, even comparable to those of the High Elves, who had not received the dragons' blessing: several thousand years as well.
However, their savage customs and harsh living conditions meant that, apart from some of their upper ranks, they generally did not live long.
Even if they did not starve to death, they would die in fighting within their tribes or even be eaten by their own kind. Ordinary Troll commoners could even be sacrificed to the loa they worshipped.
But Trolls in leadership positions were an entirely different matter. Zul'jin, Jin'do, and Rastakhan, the leader of the Zandalari Trolls, were all at least several hundred years old, if not over a thousand.
It was entirely thanks to these leaders, whose age had made them shrewd, that the Troll tribes as a whole had avoided extinction.
Charlemagne's mentor Lireesa was currently at the middle level of the Heroic tier. Although Zul'jin would not completely trounce her, defeating him in single combat was essentially impossible... at least without using an artifact.
However, with both sides fielding armies, Lireesa would have to be out of her mind to fight him one-on-one. Making full use of every resource under her command to kill Zul'jin was the right choice.
After finally charging through the trapped area, Halazzi let out a hearty roar. Just as he was about to continue the charge, however, a Troll who looked like a scout stopped him.
Watching through Eagle Eye, Charlemagne and Skarren immediately sensed trouble. The Troll scout had clearly only just appeared beside Halazzi, which meant...
Sure enough, after hearing the scout's report, Halazzi cast a reluctant glance at Farstriders Camp, now not far away, then roared at his subordinates and began leaving the battlefield at speed.
"This is bad! Sylvanas and the others must have been discovered. Charlemagne, take some men and pursue them, but don't press too hard. Watch out for ambushes. Leave the camp to me!"
"Understood. Commander Skarren, please be careful of the Trolls doubling back to attack as well. I'll take the men and set off now!"
With the situation urgent, neither had time to discuss things further. After quickly dividing their responsibilities, they went their separate ways to prepare.
At the same time, in front of the Sanctum of the Sun's position, Lireesa also frowned as she watched the Trolls suddenly retreat.
"Could something have changed?"
I only just noticed that I uploaded the wrong content for Chapter 17... It's fixed now. As for the cover, I commissioned it on Taobao... I really hadn't expected it to be an image from Honor of Kings.
(End of chapter)